Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Home
I was awakened by the noise, laughter, raised voices, the clash of goblets, and the heavy scent of drink drifting through the pyramid. Their tales from the underworld echoed through the halls as music swelled and bodies danced. The entire pyramid was alive.
I tried to sit up, but Kira was already there, pressing me gently back against the pillows.
“No,” she said firmly. “You’re not ready yet.”
She turned and called softly, and moments later, Lacy entered the room.
“Is Rryan back too?” I asked, smiling despite my exhaustion.
“Yes,” Kira replied. “He was here earlier. He checked on you before joining the others.”
Lacy climbed onto the bed beside me, her movements slow and deliberate. She leaned in, kissed my lips, then tilted her head, offering her neck. Her fingers brushed over my breasts—swollen, sensitive, aching.
“King Rryan said not to let anyone suckle them,” she teased softly. “He said they’re his.” She smiled. “But they look so tempting.”
Heat rushed through me and I blushed.
I licked her neck, and she moaned. My fangs slid free without thought, sharp and sudden. Hunger crashed through me so fast it scared me. What if I couldn’t stop?
“My safe word is peaches,” she whispered. “If I say it, you stop.”
I nodded, repeating the word in my mind as if it were a lifeline.
But when I bit down, I lost myself.
I fed greedily, instinctively, drawing from her as if I had never known nourishment before. The taste overwhelmed me. I clutched her body, my hands roaming, my touch clumsy and needy. She arched into me, gasping softly.
“I see,” she moaned. “You’ll be a sexual feeder too. Most are.”
The word peaches floated somewhere—distant at first—then sharper, urgent. I pulled back, retracting my fangs, shaking, still starving but aware again.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, wiping my mouth, licking the blood from my fingers.
She didn’t move away. Her neck remained exposed.
Then I remembered Lydia’s instruction.
I leaned in and licked the wounds closed.
“You taste incredible,” I admitted, embarrassed.
She smiled. “They say your taste is far better.”
Exhaustion washed over me, and sleep claimed me quickly. Lydia held me while I slept.
When Rryan entered later, desire burned in his eyes—but Lydia was faster.
“She’s still too weak,” she scolded.
“You’re right,” he agreed softly.
He held me anyway, careful at first… then not so cautious. My gown was gone, my body exposed, his mouth warm and demanding. I woke fully as he suckled, pleasure blooming through me, milk spilling as my body responded. My belly tightened, my breath hitched, and my body pulsed with every pull of his mouth.
He drained one breast, then the other, groaning as I stroked him. Lydia watched silently, eyes dark with want.
When he was close, she moved, taking him into her mouth, swallowing him clean.
“His seed must never touch the ground,” she murmured before retreating to her bed.
Rryan pulled me close, holding me as I drifted back into sleep.
Weeks passed. I grew stronger. My body healed, though the ache of what Kayla had taken from me lingered deep inside.
I was eager for my lessons.
Kira told me I would take Kayla’s place as her apprentice—Queen or not, I had much to learn.
“Today’s the day,” Rryan whispered, his breath warm against my ear. “Kira is ready.”
In the library, ancient texts surrounded us, heavy with power and memory.
“You’ll learn spellcraft, demonic law, and defense,” Kira explained. “You must be able to protect the kingdom.”
As I trained, my visions returned.
Always the same one.
Marcus.
“Did you see something?” Kira asked quietly.
I nodded. “It’s always him.”
“Shade,” she said grimly. “He’s being taught to hate you. He believes your existence killed his mother.”
My chest tightened.
“This is why you must grow stronger,” Kira said. “He will come. And when he does… You must be ready.”