Chapter 165

Chapter 165
Isla
Even the room in Vlad gives us is a gothic fever dream, all heavy velvet curtains that swallow the rising sun's first rays, leaving only thin slits of pale light to creep across the stone floor like reluctant ghosts.
Black furs from unknown animals cover the massive bed instead of linens - thick, dark pelts that smell faintly of musk and age, as if Vlad truly believes he's the monster from the old tales. The air is cool and still, carrying the distant creak of the mansion settling, the faint echo of bats in the rafters. It's creepy, yes, but in this moment, with Aeron's presence filling the space, it feels like the perfect cocoon... dark, intimate, ours.
He admitted it last night, in that quiet voice that always cuts straight to my heart, in front of the entire family - he might take more brides someday. Not now, not soon, but the possibility lingers like a shadow.
It still bugs me more than I let on, stirring up the same fears of not being enough, of sharing him with others who might claim pieces of what feels so wholly mine. But Aeron saw it in my eyes, pulled me close, tried to reassure me, and promised we'd talk more when we were alone. Now, as the world outside wakes and the vampires go to sleep, he draws me into his arms instead, his touch a silent vow that chases the doubts away.
I lean into him, my back against his chest, his breath warm on my neck. His hands slide up my arms, slow and deliberate, fingertips tracing the curve of my shoulders before dipping lower, cupping my breasts through the thin silk of my nightgown. A shiver runs through me - not from the chill, but from the way he knows exactly how to ground me, to make me feel seen, wanted, irreplaceable. "You know I will never take another bride unless you are a hundred percent happy with them."
"No," I answer. "I think you'll grow tired of me and throw me away."
"You’re thinking too much," he murmurs, lips brushing my ear, his voice a low rumble that vibrates through my body. One hand slips under the hem of my skirt, fingers teasing the sensitive skin of my inner thigh, inching higher with maddening patience. "You will always be my queen, my most important bride."
I gasp as he finds me, already wet and aching for him, his fingers circling my clit with expert precision. He’s gentle at first, reassuring, but there's an edge to it - dirty, possessive, the kind that promises he'll take me apart and put me back together. My head falls back against his shoulder, and he nips at my throat, fangs grazing just enough to send sparks of pleasure and pain racing down my spine.
"Aeron," I whisper, my voice breaking as he slides two fingers inside me, curling them to hit that spot that makes my knees buckle. He holds me up with his other arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me flush against him so I can feel how hard he is, pressing insistently against my ass.
"You’re mine, Isla," he says, his tone sweet and fierce all at once, like honey laced with poison. "No one else gets this. No one else makes me feel like this. More brides? Maybe someday, for politics, for alliances. But you... you will always be my home. The one who owns me completely."
His words wrap around my heart, soothing the raw edges of my insecurity, and I arch into his touch, grinding against his hand as he works me higher. The room's darkness amplifies everything—the soft rustle of furs as he guides me toward the bed, the dim light catching the sweat on my skin, the way his breath hitches when I reach back to stroke him through his pants. He growls, low and feral, and spins me around, pushing me down onto the pelts.
They’re soft and warm beneath me, a stark contrast to the cool air kissing my exposed skin as he yanks my dress up and over my head. He pauses then, eyes raking over me with a hunger that's achingly familiar, his hands following the path of his gaze, caressing my breasts, pinching my nipples until I moan, trailing down my stomach to spread my thighs wide.
"You’re beautiful," he whispers, dropping to his knees between my legs, his voice thick with emotion. "And you’re mine. You will always be enough." He leans in, breath hot against my core, and licks me slowly, deliberately, like he’s savoring every taste. I buck against his mouth, fingers tangling in his hair, pulling him closer as he devours me, tongue flicking, lips sucking, teeth grazing just enough to make me cry out.
It’s almost indecent, the way he laps at me like he’s starving, his hands gripping my thighs hard enough to bruise, holding me open for him. But it’s passionate too, every stroke reassuring, every groan from his throat telling me he’s as lost in this as I am. Pleasure builds fast, coiling tight in my belly, and when I come it's with his name on my lips, waves crashing through me until I'm boneless and gasping.
He crawls up my body, shedding his clothes in a blur, and settles between my legs, his hardness pressing against me. "I love you," he says, sweet and sincere, eyes locked on mine as he slides into me inch by inch, filling me completely. I wrap my legs around him, pulling him deeper, and he starts moving, slow, almost lazy at first, but thrusts that build to something raw and urgent.
We rock together in the dim light, the furs shifting beneath us, the old house's creaks fading into the background as he whispers promises against my skin: "No one takes your place. No one." His pace quickens, hands everywhere, pinning my wrists above my head, cupping my breast, fingers digging into my hip as he drives into me harder, faster, the slap of skin echoing in the room.
I come again, my pussy gripping him, and he follows with a guttural moan, spilling inside me, cock throbbing, his body shuddering as he collapses onto me, holding me close like he’ll never let go.
We lie tangled in the furs, breaths mingling, the sun's faint light filtering through the curtains not touching us, but reminding us that we are creatures of the night, and we need to return there.
Right now though, in his arms, I'm reassured. I am loved, cherished, secure. Whatever the future might bring, this passion, this connection, is ours alone.