Testing his patience- Part 1

Eve's lips quivered in the cold as she wrapped her hands around herself, walking further into the castle. Water dripped from her dress, wetting the ground she padded across as she ascended the staircase. Upon reaching the chambers, she noticed the guards who were usually positioned at the entrance were missing, as were her maids standing by her room. She halted her footsteps, looking at her room and the one next to it, wondering if Sebastian was inside. She didn't want to encounter the vampire, the very reason she had joined Leif on the hunt. She wouldn't have to endure his shamelessness. The lights in his room were on, which convinced her he was present, perhaps reading or savouring a glass of blood, which he loved. She carefully walked to her room, opened the door, stepped inside and closed it, locking it once.

"Lock it again."

His voice resonated from within her room, causing her heart to flutter. She turned to see the man she had been avoiding, seated comfortably on her bed. One of his legs was crossed over the other, his hands outstretched on the bed to support himself as he leaned back, his gaze fixed on her. When she returned to the door and reached for the knob, he narrowed his eyes and barked,

"Don't."

Eve froze at the command in his voice, her heart pounding in her chest. Sebastian stood and approached her, and as she turned the knob again, he was at her side in an instant, his hand closing the door firmly.

"I heard you went out to hunt," he said from behind her, "Without my permission."

Eve frowned, her hand slipping from the doorknob. She turned to look at him, her brown eyes staring up at him defiantly.

"I am a very free person and I don't need your permission to go out, Your Highness," she retorted, undeterred by his intense gaze.

"For a maid, you seem delusional to claim ownership of your life," Sebastian retorted with a smirk. The rain continued to batter the castle walls, echoing the rapid beating of her heart.

Eve took a moment before responding. She wasn't going to miss an opportunity to remind him of their differences. "I'm a maid, a nobody. It wouldn't be fitting for a king like yourself to have a maid as a bride. Don't you think it's only fair you let me go?"

"You like to change the subject, don't you?" He asked, raising his hand to her brown tresses. He watched as she closed her eyes momentarily before snapping them open again, feeling him remove the hairband and jewel holding her hair up.

"Can you please let me go?" She pleaded, her cheek burning from his hand weaving her hair and their close proximity. A gust of wind blew from the window, causing the curtains to flutter. The lights flickered, casting Sebastian's dark shadow over Eve.

"Why should I? I haven't punished you yet," he stated, his tone unfiltered, as he continued to brush her brown tresses with his fingers. His eyes roved over her body, appreciating her womanly shape and flushed skin, damp from the rain, which served to accentuate her allure.

"Punish?" Eve echoed, her brown eyes widening slightly. "I did nothing wrong to deserve punishment," she protested.

"Did you?" He asked, his act of asking a question in reply to hers was irritating, and she glared, making him chuckle.

"I have my rules, you break them, you'll get punished," he said, moving his hand from her hair. He planted his other hand on the door, and looked down at her.

"I cannot be punished for breaking a rule I know nothing about," she said, her hands clutched the sides of her gown nervously. She was starting to feel heady but not from being wet but Sebastian's scrunitizing gaze.

"Why should I tell you when I had been waiting for the perfect time to punish you," he smirked, his fangs peeking out from his lips, "I won't starve you or have you locked up in the dungeon, if that is what you fear."

His gaze turned serious, and his hand reached for Eve's chin, tilting it upward. "I don't like to share my things, Evelyn, especially the important ones. You didn't just ride with Leif on the same horse; you allowed him to touch you." His voice deepened towards the end.

His eyes fixed upon the droplets of water cascading from her hair, landing on her skin. They trickled slowly down her neck and slipped beneath her maroon dress, which had turned a shade darker after becoming wet. It fueled his desire and he grew more irritated knowing Leif had seen her in such an alluring state.

Eve gulped at his possessiveness, "I am not anyone's property, your Highness. I can be with anyone and allow anyone to touch me if I wish." Though she tried to keep her defiance, her voice was wobbly.

Sebastian's eyes narrowed, "You like testing my patience, Evelyn, and it makes me to wonder if you're waiting to be punished," his tone was stern and his hand left her chin to hold her waist. Eve felt breathless as he yanked her towards him, spinning her to face the door. He pressed his body against hers, constricting heat enveloping her.

"Don't fret, Eve, I am not going to bite."

"I am only going to undress you for a nice warm bath so you wouldn't catch a cold," his words were barely audible, whispered in a fervent undertone against the shell of her ear.