up on my idiotic ramblings? As if volume were a signal, his boyish chuckling increased to a ruckus laughter. Yep, he'd heard me. Talk about embarrassing. Sigh.
For real, could my life get any worse? First, I find out that the freaks can snoop inside my brain. Then I catch on to the fact that I'm a bloodsucker. And now, my victim laughs at me. Yep, that's my luck. Fluctuating between disgust and humiliation, I swiftly discarded his wrist and dabbed at the leftovers on my lips.
"Please allow me, princess," Lucien volunteered lightheartedly, stepping closer with a white handkerchief in hand. "No reason for you to dirty yourself."
"Um, no," I protested, waving him off in a frantic rush. "I don't need somebody cleaning me up like I'm a five year old. I'll do fine on my own, thanks."
"Okay, that's cool," he mumbled. And within moments, he'd sheepishly rejoined Amelia.
I was still gazing at the pair when Adrian popped back into my head. His presence soothed me, evoking calmness in a way very similar to a mother's hug. "You did very well, darling. I'm proud of you."
"I sensed their feelings," I thought, deciding to conveniently leave out our embarrassing little incident. "Is that normal?"
"Yes, it's very common. Since they're bonded to you, you'll always possess the ability to touch their emotions. That said, controlling it will require some practice."
"Yeah, I can see that; it was totally strange." I paused, exhaling in hopes of centering myself. "So, um, about the bonding. I don't really get what you're saying."
"When a human is bonded it means that they're integrally connected with their vampire. If another of our kind tries to feed from them, it'll cause both the slave and the vampire considerable discomfort. Moreover, being bonded assures loyalty. Your slaves cannot disobey direct orders or lie to you. Essentially, their will is yours."
Feelings of sadness and regret crashed through me. Instead of saving Amelia and Lucien's lives, I'd turned them into mindless drones. "So, what? They're my puppets? Like how William and Petrus are to Tsedaka?"
"Yes, in a manner of speaking. Although, they're more your property. They'll be infinitely loyal; nevertheless, they're also your responsibility to care for and protect. You must provide clothing, shelter..."
Abruptly, my concentration moved away from Adrian and onto Tsedaka. The maniac was carrying a blazing hot branding iron in the direction of my two new sidekicks. And, like total dumb asses, they were kneeling with their left arms held high in the air.
"Stop!" I yelled, leaping out of my seat. "You're not gonna brand 'em. From my interpretation of this, well, whatever it is , they're mine and I'm..."
"Sit down!" Tsedaka snapped. "You have no choice in the matter."
"I won't stand for this, old man!"
"Escort the princess back to her place," he growled, delaying his approach to motion at his guards.
And, faster than I could blink, a group of them were hauling me to my throne. "Why are you creeps doing this?" I screamed, kicking at their knees and flailing my arms wildly.
Of course, the pieces of crap neither answered nor stopped their ruthless onslaught. Surprise, surprise. With seemingly effortless ease, they repositioned me in my chair and encircled me so that I was unable to move. One of these days I'd have their asses for this, especially William. Goddamn he had it
For real, could my life get any worse? First, I find out that the freaks can snoop inside my brain. Then I catch on to the fact that I'm a bloodsucker. And now, my victim laughs at me. Yep, that's my luck. Fluctuating between disgust and humiliation, I swiftly discarded his wrist and dabbed at the leftovers on my lips.
"Please allow me, princess," Lucien volunteered lightheartedly, stepping closer with a white handkerchief in hand. "No reason for you to dirty yourself."
"Um, no," I protested, waving him off in a frantic rush. "I don't need somebody cleaning me up like I'm a five year old. I'll do fine on my own, thanks."
"Okay, that's cool," he mumbled. And within moments, he'd sheepishly rejoined Amelia.
I was still gazing at the pair when Adrian popped back into my head. His presence soothed me, evoking calmness in a way very similar to a mother's hug. "You did very well, darling. I'm proud of you."
"I sensed their feelings," I thought, deciding to conveniently leave out our embarrassing little incident. "Is that normal?"
"Yes, it's very common. Since they're bonded to you, you'll always possess the ability to touch their emotions. That said, controlling it will require some practice."
"Yeah, I can see that; it was totally strange." I paused, exhaling in hopes of centering myself. "So, um, about the bonding. I don't really get what you're saying."
"When a human is bonded it means that they're integrally connected with their vampire. If another of our kind tries to feed from them, it'll cause both the slave and the vampire considerable discomfort. Moreover, being bonded assures loyalty. Your slaves cannot disobey direct orders or lie to you. Essentially, their will is yours."
Feelings of sadness and regret crashed through me. Instead of saving Amelia and Lucien's lives, I'd turned them into mindless drones. "So, what? They're my puppets? Like how William and Petrus are to Tsedaka?"
"Yes, in a manner of speaking. Although, they're more your property. They'll be infinitely loyal; nevertheless, they're also your responsibility to care for and protect. You must provide clothing, shelter..."
Abruptly, my concentration moved away from Adrian and onto Tsedaka. The maniac was carrying a blazing hot branding iron in the direction of my two new sidekicks. And, like total dumb asses, they were kneeling with their left arms held high in the air.
"Stop!" I yelled, leaping out of my seat. "You're not gonna brand 'em. From my interpretation of this, well, whatever it is , they're mine and I'm..."
"Sit down!" Tsedaka snapped. "You have no choice in the matter."
"I won't stand for this, old man!"
"Escort the princess back to her place," he growled, delaying his approach to motion at his guards.
And, faster than I could blink, a group of them were hauling me to my throne. "Why are you creeps doing this?" I screamed, kicking at their knees and flailing my arms wildly.
Of course, the pieces of crap neither answered nor stopped their ruthless onslaught. Surprise, surprise. With seemingly effortless ease, they repositioned me in my chair and encircled me so that I was unable to move. One of these days I'd have their asses for this, especially William. Goddamn he had it
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