I could take her life and embrace the power that her blood bestowed on me, for a time anyway, but eventually I’d run into another of her kind when the next in line came of age. It was always kill or be killed. That was our fate. Forever intertwined.
But, maybe, this time could be different. Maybe I could win, once and for all.
My mouth salivated at the possibility. I picked up my wineglass as a distraction, taking a sip of my favorite vintage, sweetened and aged in barrels that had been soaked in the blood of sweet, delectable human virgins long ago. The wine it produced was easily my bestselling vintage, and the most delicious.
“Antonio would be happy to share you with me. He has before, many times, with all the women he brings around,” I replied, smirking as her heartbeat quickened once more.
Her look of surprise would have made me laugh had she been anyone else. No, she wasn’t special to Antonio. To me though, that was a different story.
She didn’t know it yet, but she was mine. I grinned coldly.
“Should I call him in? Perhaps you can entertain us together,” I proposed thoughtfully, enjoying teasing her. Her nipples hardened into tight little peaks. She liked the thought of being shared by two men then. I chuckled softly.
Too bad. I wouldn’t share. I was far more man than she could ever handle.
“No, that’s not necessary,” she answered in a quiet panic. The vein in her neck pulsed and I wanted to taste her yet again.
I paused, trying to figure out which direction to take this next. Should I kill her? Bleed her dry and just have to worry about her bloodline finding me at some point in the future? Or, maybe not. Maybe I had another option.
I decided to be bold.
“What do you know about the Warrior of Light?” I asked.
“What?” she responded. Her brow furrowed in confusion and the corners of her eyes crinkled as she tried to figure out what I was talking about. Her emotions played out across her features. Was I crazy? Was she? She was easy to read.
“You heard me. What do you know?” I pressed.
“I mean, it was on your papers on the table, but it’s the first I’ve ever heard of such a thing. Is it sort of a weird, end of the world type story? Are you an apocalypse chaser of some kind?” she finally answered, clearly genuinely confused.
I chuckled. Little did she know, she was not too far from the truth.
Option number two might actually be possible then.
Maybe it was finally time for me to fulfill the prophecy, an ancient text that I’d never truly considered trying to fulfill before, until now.
They were the very first words to be carved into ancient stone in fact, and it had been destroyed only a few years later by Kassandra’s ancestors out of desperation and fear. They ground it into dust to keep the knowledge from me, but it had already been too late. I’d already known. I’d forced the prophecy from the seer’s lips and made her carve the words into a tablet, right before I tore into her throat and drank deep of her power. She tasted glorious.
As I’d drunk from her, I’d seen what would happen when evil reigned victorious over good, when I ruled the world with one of their kind by my side, as my equal. I’d seen the entirety of humanity kneeling at our feet. I had seen the darkness win.
But I’d never seen her face. I’d never found out who was meant to sit next to me as ruler of all the world.
I’d given up hope long ago. The women of Kassandra’s legacy knew of the prophecy and had done everything in their power to make sure it never came to fruition. After enough time had passed, I figured it was just a warning bestowed on mankind from the gods of old, and I’d given up all hope of it coming to pass.
Staring at the woman before me, I began to realize that maybe it wasn’t just a warning. Maybe it was our destiny. We stood there in silence, my men still waiting behind her for an order to either take her back upstairs or escort her off the property. If asked, they’d even make her disappear, if that was what I wanted.
That wouldn’t be necessary tonight. I rounded my desk once more and sat back down.
With a wave of my hand, I dismissed my men from the room. Nick would dispose of the gun, but not before researching its origins. As they exited the room, the door closed behind them and the nervous look on her face grew more pervasive. Once we were completely alone, I pressed the hidden button underneath the edge of my desk, locking the door instantly. She wasn’t going anywhere now.
We were deep underground, in the depths of what had once been my castle. I’d restored each and every wall, stone by stone and fortified them all. I’d created a safe house for myself, but a prison for her.
She wasn’t going to escape. I had her right where I wanted her, and now I was going to claim what was mine by rights to take.
I gazed hungrily upon her body and in that moment, I made a decision. I was going to fulfill the demands of the prophecy.
I was going to consume her.
I was going to master her body, then her mind, and finally, her soul.
And then, she would be mine. Forever.