Seline

I followed Ferrara closely to the kitchen, pleased that he'd allowed me to walk on my own. As much as I loved being carried about like a baby, I figured that the only way to avoid growing attached and catching feeling was to set some distance and avoid skin contact at all times. Since he was my Master, it would be impossible. But I was willing to try.

I clambered on the high bar stool behind the kitchen counter, admiring the way his butt looked in black sweatpants. I'd never seen a man's arse look so good, but then again, I'd never seen a lot of arses to start with. I didn't have so much time on my hands to be preoccupied with stuff like that. My revenge was my top priority.

I murmured thanks when he placed two plates of bread, cheese, a few rosettes of prosciutto, and olives. There was a log of salami on the second plate. I shut my eyes and inhaled deeply. It smelt heavenly.

"Eat up."

I took a few bites, watching him as he took out a jar of red liquid from the fridge and poured himself a glass. The smell of blood was strong, but not offensive. The ball in his jugular bobbed as he emptied the cup into his mouth.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" I pushed an olive into my mouth quickly, looking away. There was something so sexy about the way he drank from the cup. Everything about him was so appealing.

When I didn't answer him, he came around the counter to me, lifted me to sit down on the stool himself, and wrapped my legs around his strong waist. He picked up a piece of cheese and pushed it between my lips. I chewed hungrily. "I asked you a question, pet."

"I-I thought you…eat like humans," God, I sounded so dumb. I wanted to take back my words so bad. "I'm sorry, Master. Forget I ever said anything."

He dropped the olive he was holding and lifted my chin so I could drown in the hazel sea in his eyes. They twinkled, brimming with unusual affection. "Listen, pet. I understand what you're trying to say. I can eat and drink as much as you do. I just don't need to. Blood is a much better diet for me."

"B-But I thought you'll drink…"

"Your blood?"

I stared at my plate, my appetite gone. Said blood draining from my face.

Ferrara chuckled softly. "Yeah, that's one of the many reasons I purchased you. But I won't drink your blood now. You need to be fully trained first. Only afterward are you fit to be devoured," he winked seductively, making me flush. "You'll love it."

I don't think so.

"You think you've got what it takes to withstand me?" He smirked and I flushed scarlet, realizing that I'd said that out loud. My face burned as I looked away, suddenly self-conscious of his bulk. It felt as though I was a child being scolded. He was sitting so close, that he could just leap out of his seat and snap my neck without breaking a sweat. Why on earth did Jax think that my training alone could take him down? If he ever found out my purpose for coming here, he wouldn't hesitate to kill me. And life would move on as usual for Jax and the others at the Academy.

I would join my family, without executing justice.

"Tell, me, Seline. What's on your mind? What is your greatest fear?"

Not killing you. That would have been the perfect answer. But his response to that might be the end of my life.

"A-are you going to erase my mind, Master? Like the other Vampire lords do?" I blurted, fluttering my lashes. Jax told me that Ferrara was a considerate beast and hated robotic people or his sires that did whatever he asked of them without hesitation. Yes, he loved obedience – but he believed in influencing the people around him to be obedient than having them be obedient because of their fear for him due to the position he held and his strength. He could replace my memories with whatever stuff he wanted, and I'd be helpless.

"I don't want a robotic fool as a pet. If I did, I wouldn't have attended the auction or bid on you at all. I could've simply placed an order directly to the Academy through one of my sires."

Jax had taught me never to count on a vampire's promise. They changed forms faster than light and a vampire could end up upturning everything you ever thought you knew of them. But one thing that stood out was their pride. Ferrara DeMarco was the epitome of power and pride. He wanted a pet to tame. To have me bow and do whatever he wanted willingly without having to order me to it. He'd customize and groom me to the standard of the pet he'd always envisioned in his fucked up head and present me to the lords in his court.

"What made you bid on me, Master?" I asked. "And for fifteen million? That's a lot to spend on a pet. I don't know if I'll ever be worth that amount, I'm afraid. Ten or five million could've been just fine."

He wiped his mouth clean with a napkin, tossing it onto his plate. "I don't bid on things blindly. I access products on the spot, then decide if they're worth it. None of the other shifters scheduled for the auction could've been bold or skillful enough to take on those two guards at that critical point in time. You're a prize. A masterpiece. A fighter. A rare breed. You tried to fake being submissive but I saw through your act. You can't be cowed."

I held my breath and tried not to give my surprise away. Ferrara was psychic. The damn vampire king was bigger and wiser than his crown. He was very observant; thanks to many years of studying human and supernatural behavior. How did I ever think that he could be fooled so easily?

The question was: how long did I have before he unraveled my sole reason for being there? And when he found out, how long would I survive? What if he knew the whole truth but was waiting for the right opportunity to strike?

My heartbeat picked up as I wrenched my attention back to him. That dangerous glint in his eyes had me in a chokehold. He knew I felt trapped. Worse, that was his intention. He was enjoying the game he was playing. He was savoring the moment.

Leaning forward, he whispered seductively. "But let me be quite honest with you here, pet. The truth I'm about to say is something you'll hate to admit to yourself. Underneath you know you've always craved to submit. To quit being in control and allow a man to make you feel like a woman, which you rightfully are. You want to give up being an Alpha female. I know you do."

Anger rushed through my veins. I flared my nose at him. How absurd! Flying forward, out of my seat I pinned him down with a malevolent snarl that could send Hades running back to hell and barked.

"You've never been more wrong. I don't need a man because I'm much more than a man."