9 Chapter 8

I will NEVER break.

Especially to a man like this one.

"Come on my love, let's just stop all this nonsense and go back home," Dexter huffed out, aggressively wiping away the blood that was dripping from a deep cut on his bottom lip. We circled each other, neither one daring to give one another their back.

If I'm being honest, I don't even want to be here.

I truly want to go travel around this world I've yet to really get acquainted with beyond the horrors that were brought over from the Other world.

"This will all end when you just leave me the fuck alone," I growled at the vampire with a narrowing of my eyes, trying to ignore the natural fear that was keeping my senses open.

Blood dripped into the vision of my left eye, the other cuts on my face and body not nearly as troublesome.

"And throw away everything I've waited over thousands of years to gain after becoming your mate? I'm a patient man, Vivian, not stupid,"

He's telling me as if I hadn't kept my eyes on him solely for the sake of keeping myself alive. No better way to learn how to stay alive than knowing how the predator works.

"What if I say I have someone else I'll be mating with?" As soon as the words fell out of my lips, Dexter rushed toward me with those red eyes that refused to look away.

Instincts and reflexes became the only reason I managed to block his attacks. There was no time for me to actually think about the next move or it would slow me down.

I grunted when my arm moved up to block a harsh punch toward my temple.

Pain radiated from shoulder to elbow as my body slammed sideways until I managed to right myself within seconds.

With only a moment to wipe some blood out of the vision of my eye, I jumped out of the way as Dexter threw his whole body.

The large tree behind me had the unlucky fortune of taking the hit, cracking, and falling backward from the impact.

We clashed multiple times only to jump apart, trying to measure out the damage of the battle and what's to come next. I tried to slow down my breathing, once again wiping away blood dripping down my face.

Dexter is the general of my father's army for a reason, a position I had surpassed before my punishment.

Now it's sad to say but I'm no longer the top dog right now, unfortunately, Cole is practically forcing me to change how I eat. Which is the equivalent of someone trying to force me to become vegan.

It's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.

And it's one of the reasons why I'm not up to par right now. If Elzrurron hadn't stopped me from feeding off humans I could've wiped the floor with this leech.

"You're one of the greatest warriors of our time yet you waste your potential playing games with a selfish seer and an uncontrollable witch! You disappoint me with almost every decision of yours, my love,"

I narrowed my eyes on him, wondering what he's trying to achieve by bringing the girls into this.

"I heard you've gotten your hands on a very important... pet. Have you taken it out on any walks yet?" Dexter gave me a crazy smile with a glint of interest in those red eyes that refused to look away from me.

"She's always been curious about the outside world..."

The way he spoke about Oriness was with a sneer as if the thought of her being anything but entertainment or his food was beyond ridiculous.

He doesn't understand Valentino's methods of keeping her alive.

"What did you do to Anais?" The question fell from my lips with an icy tone while I was already mentally prepared for her ending. Still, Ori wouldn't have been satisfied until she found out what really happened to Anais.

Neither would I.

Anais had hurt me deeply. While I hadn't been able to raise my son, I had taken in a lot of young vampires that would've become fodder for Valentino's entertainment. Anais and a few others were some of the few I had allowed myself to get attached to. I had loved them as if they were my own.

Their fear for Valentino had overrun their love for me, they had allowed me to rot for years in the coffin. They believed coming to visit my grave had been some relief in their souls.

It was the psychotic smile that formed on those thin lips that made me feel bad. So... she hadn't made it out of the city that night. It's starting to make me feel bad for being petty instead of helping her.

Like I use to do.

"You should've seen her... how beautiful she looked when we fed her to the newborns, it's a shame the healing factor of us vampires just makes things worse,"

My stomach churned wildly just thinking about Anais being tossed into the den of newly born vampires. Adults are dangerous but it's the babies that are worse as they're more ravenous and violent during feedings or if comparing their temperaments.

One moment Dexter was there and the next he was running toward me, barely giving me enough time to stab one sword through his reaching hand. I was forced to move the other blade in front of me, catching it in between the sharp teeth that had been about to bite a chunk out of my neck.

My strength was dwindling, making it impossible for me to dodge the large hand that crashed into the side of my cheek.

I gasped in pain when my body hit a giant boulder, a reminder of the wounds that were already on my back.

One hand pressed both of my wrists into the rock as those red eyes peered into my own, I had no choice but to catch my breath and wait for an opening.

"You've always been a beautiful creature... one of the world's deadliest demons and a master vampire... its almost as if we were meant to be," Dexter whispered close to my ear, pressing the nail of his thumb above my breast only to slowly drag his finger downwards.

Blood trickled from the new wound being created but I couldn't do anything, just glare at the vampire that seemed to be having the time of his life.

"I'd just call it a coincidence, let's not look so deep into it," I muttered a response, trying to swallow the lump of disgust that was making me feel nauseous.

"Always so stubborn..." He hissed in anger, pressing harsher on the swell of my breast but I kept my mouth shut. All I can do is give him a cold expression to let him know he hasn't gotten to me.

Not how he wants to.

He isn't the first man that's tried to force me to submit to him with pure physical power.

Nor will he be the last to fail.

It took everything I had not to let the fear leak into my scent and with the irritated look in those red eyes, it was working.

"Vivian!" He raised his voice, roughly gripping my hip and yanking me into him.

Bile raised from my stomach but it wasn't close enough for me to actually throw up from the feel of himself against my leg.

"You're mine! When will you learn?!"

My silence seemed to have gotten to him as he then moved his hand again but this time toward my throat, moving pieces of my hair away from my neck.

There was a trance-like look in those broken red eyes and I stiffened, knowing exactly what that shattered mind was telling him to do. What if something bad happens because this crazy psycho is trying to forcefully mate me to him while I have Cole's blood flowing through my system.

I've never gone through it but Ivy says undoing an unfinished mating process is hard but not as hard as one that's already been solidified. Even if we aren't getting along, it isn't like we aren't completely compatible, even now I can still feel the connection between us as his energy grew closer and closer.

All I have to do is hold out a little longer, and do whatever I can despite the strength and power I'm currently missing in order to put this beast down. Without it required my concentration so I couldn't keep track of my GPS on Cole. Meaning I'd have to hope my calculations on how far he is will be precise. It's been a while since I've had to do basic calculations.

"Vivian, my sweet, sweet demoness... all this stress you're causing yourself isn't good for you. I'd love it if your submission to me be as painless as possible," He cooed while eyeing the length of my neck that his thumb was rubbing while that other hand kept a tight grip on me. Pulling on the power within me felt like trying to rub away the fog of sleep the first 2 seconds of waking up. It felt impossible but right now, impossible isn't going to get in my way.

As I internally scraped at it, a slither of fear disappeared as just a bit of power seeped out but it was all that was needed. Dexter leaned forward, breathing hot hair and replacing the cool night air against my neck. Panic of him finalizing things is what caused me to shove whatever I could at him.

His eyes went wide as his body froze for a moment, the scent of burning flesh in the forest reached our noses before Dexter began screeching out in pain. He took several steps back as the demon energy crawling on his skin fought against his natural healing. It wouldn't last long but it gave me a chance for my body to stitch itself back together. The pain got so bad that the old vampire fell to his knees,

Taking steps away from him to give me more room to work with. Wiping the blood that was beginning to blur my vision, the feeling of it stitching itself back together was too slow for my liking.

Dexter's screaming began to quiet down and he slowly turned his head, glaring at me as if it would take away the pain slowly ebbing away.

"Demon magic... I thought your people couldn't use it anymore," He grunted in dissatisfaction, carefully standing up on both feet in an attempt to seem less affected while in an attempt to give him time to heal.

Not that it mattered, someone is going to win this fight and it won't be me.

"You forget that my mother was meant to be queen before she was ever married to Valentino, royalty runs in my veins from both sides of the family," I scoffed while twirling my wrist to try and get out some kinks all while keeping a good grip on both swords.

Never drop them in a fight and if you do, keep them away from the enemy. It'd be horrible dying by your own blade.

Dexter dusted off his coat, looking me up and down in a calculating way that had me worried for myself.

"It's a pity you aren't at your full potential because this would've been a lovely battle... but I've grown tired of your defiance. It's time we go back home,"

My body tensed as Dexter's body sped forward because all I could do at this moment was prepare my entire being for an impact that would send me flying. A shadow sped past me, snatching the old vampire from the air to engage in a fight that was too fast for the normal eye.

Luckily for me speed is what I excel at the best, it's what puts an extra hit behind my punches and tosses my opponents to the side. Relief swept through me at the sight of the dragon king which helped the tension within me disappear. I fell to my knees as the only thing that was keeping me up was gone.

For only a moment... just a second, the knowledge of knowing that I could go back to my father at any time and have an unlimited amount of food crossed my mind. It was a horrible thought that made my fingers dig into the dirt below me.

When I first got caught of my senses outside of that horrible coffin cursed by witches, the first thing I had tried to indulge in was a good meal. Which I got but the first couple of spots Ivy and I had been to was a lesson that Valentino was hunting me. It forced me to feed in smaller quantities so that our trail was harder to pick up. Then I ran into Cole, whose stupid rules have put an even tighter leash on me.

So here I am.

Weak and vulnerable.

Sure, if this wasn't constant I wouldn't really care but this is going to be for a long time seeing as how I literally have spent my years of freedom on the fucking run. I lost the fight against Dexter so far up to the point where he was able to touch me how he liked. Even now the shivers of disgust still crawled up my skin.

If I had a proper diet, I'd be able to defend myself against that monster. At least to the point of keeping him at a distance. But here I am, unable to stand up because every time I tried my bones shook and collapsed from the effort.

The feeling of being exposed made me want to cry but the liquid in my eyes refused to fall as if they couldn't. As if they completely forgot how to release these struggling emotions. There's no way in hell I'd ever want Nyx or Ivy to see me like this. I'm the protector of the group... if they see the situation I'm in they'll know how bad it is.

I'm helpless... and there isn't anything I can do about it. It was like the last bit of hope in me was starting to whither away. If I can't protect myself then there's no point in thinking I can keep the girls safe. Even if I try to prevent it, Oriness isn't secure with me.

Sooner or later... I'm going to get caught.

Ever so softly, a warm hand pushed my hair behind my ear before cupping my cheek in an attempt to get me to look up. It was the soft green eyes staring at me and despite the silence, they made the air around us thick with energy. I'm not sure if it's the connection between but as he caressed my cheek I couldn't help but lean deeper into his touch. Doing my best not to cry at my situation now that someone is here to try to break my defenses.

How annoying... just a hint of his scent or a glimpse of that attractive face and all I can do is have him running through my head. It isn't like I haven't met a good-looking man before but it's difficult to remind myself that the two of us are enemies. Even if we both hate Valentino... he's still my father and there's no way Cole or his people will be alright with keeping me on their land. They would try locking me up, which I would fight. It would lead to someone probably losing their life and then there would be no going back. Any chance of reconciling would be tossed out the window. Yet I find myself trying to find signs Cole is actually attracted to me or that I even care whether or not he treats me like everyone else. It isn't even on purpose but... I'm growing more and more interested in him to the point that I'm starting to question and judge every single decision I have ever made.

I'm just as much of a monster as Valentino and Dexter. Every time I think about how Cole's perception of me will drastically change if he knew about the things I've done, it's just a reminder of the sort of person I am.

And I don't like it.

"This is all your fault... you and your stupid rule. Do you even know what it's doing to me?" I hissed at him as the anger began to grow from just looking at the man.

Looking to the side as far as his hand would allow me, I didn't want to look at him. Maybe I'm embarrassed with the state I'm in or that encounter with Dexter completely threw me off but I just don't want him seeing into my eyes.

"I'm so sorry Vivian, I hadn't thought about it at the time... can you look at me?" He murmured, angling his head to look at me directly but I moved my gaze away. Anywhere but him.

"Hmph," I blew air from my nose with a roll of my eyes, trying to get my temper under control. It's never been easy when I'm drained of all energy. Hell, I can barely sit up as it is.

"Can you at least feed? You'll heal instantly after right?" He tried to use the hand on my cheek to make me look his way so I turned to stare the other away, moving away from that warm touch.

"I don't even want to look at you, let alone feed off of you. Defenseless, Cole! I don't do vulnerable well, at all. Just looking at you reminds me that I'll be like this for the next hundred something years and it pisses me the hell off," The words were filled with venom but I didn't get a chance to stew in the anger as he used two fingers to lift my head up by the chin.

There was a familiar heated expression in those beautiful eyes as the hand on my cheek moved upwards, gently entwining itself into the hair on my scalp.

It wasn't enough to keep me distracted when his soft yet firm lips molded against mine before I even realized what was actually happening. Cole began to plant gentle kisses against my lips.

Kisses that I couldn't help but go soft for and as my body grew lax, he wrapped a muscled arm around my back to bring me against him. Chest to chest, well with my arms between the both of us.

I could feel the pattern of my breathing change as those lips moved sensually down toward my neck. It was the warm wet feeling of his tongue pressing against my skin... or maybe when he began roughly it rubbing up and down but either way, it caused a flood between my thighs. It was like skin-to-skin contact was feeding the fire in my belly.

"Feed... Vivian..." He murmured against my neck before suddenly those dangerous lips of his roughly pulled me in for a kiss. I hadn't noticed that my mouth had been open, panting as one of those heated hands moved down my body.

It was a strong kiss that I clearly had no control over. The fight had long ago left my system, I'm not even quite sure why my instincts to feed off of him hadn't kicked in until now. But this hazardous energy between us was practically drowning my senses. I want more... this isn't nearly enough for me.

Before I could try to go further with things, that hand on my ass had disappeared to take hold of my neck. I surprised myself when my reaction was to open my mouth just a little in shock before I felt my body soften from the physical and silent command of dominance.

"Eat, beautiful, and don't hold back until you're satisfied," The growl sent through our connection caused me to quiver while wrapping my legs around his waist. Trying to get closer to him made me rub my wet mound against the rock-hard bulge rising for me. I can feel it... if I open myself up to him... I'll lose myself.

Still, it was effective.

The wounds I was no longer fussing over had healed as I acted at a quick speed. The sexual energy coming with his life force was like a boost of vitamins that went soaring into my body. Cole's hold on my neck was the only thing keeping me from taking control of the whole thing and I could feel myself trying to do exactly that.

"Slow down, Viv, let me taste you," He ordered against my lips as his tongue slipped into my mouth once more to explore me just as he'd requested. All I could do was whimper from the harsh way he sought for my tongue before gently pulling it in for a dance.

I'm not sure when I instinctively knew I was full so I stopped feeding as Cole laid me down on my back. The cool grass against my back as the shirt I wore rode up, the complete opposite of how this man's touch was burning me.

It was a jerk of his pelvis against mine that made me gasp out, wanting more of the pressure Cole was giving me as he ground against me. Once he easily found my clit from the noises I was making, he pulled away from our kiss to watch me. The hand at my nape moved to the front of my neck and gave me a light squeeze, distracting me for only a moment.

But it was enough as his hand slid down my pants to cup the sensitive nerves. Noticing that my body was soft and I wasn't trying to fight for dominance, he removed his hand from my neck. The contact wasn't lost for too long as Cole pushed my shirt up, gently grabbing my breast into his hand.

A sensual heat began to grow everywhere he touched and it had no choice but to spread out through me. When he broke away from the kiss I couldn't help but close my eyes to sink into the pleasure. It was the feeling of Cole's wet tongue against my nipple that had me moan in encouragement.

The sound of a phone ringing barely registered until it finally broke through the haze we'd both been lost in.

Cole leaned up to run his tongue roughly against my neck which he had to let go of to reach for the phone in his back pocket.

"Yea?" His voice was rougher than usual and I had to hold my hand against my mouth when the hand Cole had in my pants smoothly rubbed against me before pulling away.

We were both panting when he answered the phone yet he was somehow able to pull himself together. Already embarrassed for how horny I had just acted, I buttoned my pants up again. Fuck, I literally just let myself go at it. No finesse or thought of trying to one-up him.

"Ivy found a witch snooping in the forest around your home," And just like that, business was back in play.