Chapter 19

...

I woke up; it was nearly 5:00 p.m. the next day. After the full stomach, I'm not sure if it was the multiple orgasms or if it was from James feeding off of me, but I was wiped of all my energy. I didn't expect to sleep so late, but my body obviously needed it.

James and I were entangled together on the bed in the master bedroom. I carefully snuck out from under him and went to the bathroom. It was nice spending so much time with him; I was finally adjusting to his schedule. I took an actual shower this time, waiting for James to wake up. His shampoo and soap smelled like the salty breeze by an ocean.

I wrapped myself in an oversized towel, enjoying his scent engulfing my entire body. I dried and combed my hair, noticing the bite mark he had left on me I gently caressed it with my fingers. It wasn't as painful as I thought it would have been. The punctures had even started to close.

I rummaged through the drawer, looking for another bandage, and found the iron and B12 vitamins instead. I went ahead and took one from the bottle, chucking it into my mouth and chasing it with some water from the sink.

James woke up shortly, probably, after hearing me go through the drawers. "Can I help you find something, Love?", he asked. I turned to look at him, admiring his body. My core was instantly ignited; I blushed, "Do you have this effect on all the women?" He chuckled, "There's only you."

He walked past me to a closet to the right of the mirror. It was eerie watching his reflection in the mirror. He was translucent, and only the bandage that he retrieved and his boxers were fully visible. He placed it gently over my wound, followed by a kiss. He whispered in my ear, "How are you feeling? You slept for a long time." Goosebumps erupted from my spine as he brushed his nose against my ear.

Inhaling deeply, he smiled, "I like you being covered in my scent." My blush deepened, "Thank you for the bandage." "I'm fine, well rested even.", I replied. He smirked, "Let's order in tonight; it will be safer if we don't leave the grounds anymore." Of course, that made sense, especially since Layla had been pretty vague the last time I had spoken to her. "How about Chinese?", I said. He replied, "Whatever you want, seeing as I can't eat human food anymore."

I went to my room to put on some clothes. A pair of well-worn jeans and a T-shirt would suit me just fine. I went to the sitting room soon after, and to my disappointment, James had gotten dressed, too. He patted the seat next to him on the couch, and I happily walked over. "I have something for you," he said coyly.

He pulled out an iPhone box before saying, "I've already programmed my mine and Layla's numbers in there and downloaded DoorDash for you." I was smiling but confused. "DoorDash is a food delivery service; my card is attached, so you can order whenever you want.", he answered my question before I could ask yet again. 

I gave him a quick peck on the cheek, "Thank you." I started scrolling across the abundant options; I really wanted to get some Chinese food. I paused when I got to Shanghai Dumpling House. I salivated; everything looked so good I was having trouble deciding. I wished that he ate too, so we could share a bunch of different things. 

I finally decided on a few of the popular items recommended: cream cheese wontons, homemade soup dumplings, and pineapple fried rice with chicken. The only downside was that I had to wait about 40 minutes for it to arrive. 

"When do you eat? We've been around each other for five days now, and I haven't seen you eat other than when you fed from me yesterday.", I was genuinely curious. "Optimally, I need to drink about three liters a day.", he gulped, "I only took about a quarter of a liter from you the other night. I typically feed when you are asleep."

He took a breath, "We have a well-stocked kitchen down in the main wing. My father buys enough to support the vampires who live here. It helps to curb their appetites, and the locals don't get suspicious or start sniffing around since there are fewer accidental overfeeding deaths. We still need a fresh feed from a human at least once a week."

I bit my lip, "Will you only feed from me from now on?" Jealousy spread across my body at the thought of James' lips on another person. Where did the possessiveness come from? James smirked, "That's an impossible request, Love."

He sighed, "If I did that, you would die. You only have about five liters in your body, and you can't replenish quickly enough for me to feed from you daily. Realistically speaking, I should only feed from you once every 8 weeks. And if I took more than two liters, I would be putting your health at risk. Which is something I'm not willing to risk." 

"Oh.", I said dejectedly. He grabbed my chin and lifted my head, gazing into my eyes, "If I could, nothing would make me happier. Your blood is by far the most delicious I've ever had." He placed a gentle kiss on my lips. "I'm sorry, it's just." I paused briefly, "The thought of your lips on someone else makes me uncomfortable."

"Is my wife jealous?" he asked with a smirk. He pulled me in tightly for a comforting hug and brushed a piece of hair behind my ear. He looked at me empathetically, "Would you feel more comfortable if I only fed directly from men? I mean, the blood bags don't really have a gender assigned to them, so that is out of my control." 

"Okay.", I said. I gasped and began to panic, "What about the blood bond? We don't have eight weeks before the full moon; we only have seventeen days counting today." He chuckled, "Don't worry, Love, I left plenty of blood in you; remember, I only took about a quarter of a liter last night. I could easily take another one and a half liters from you any time during that eight-week period, and you would be perfectly fine. 

Relief rushed over me—just in time, too, as one of the servants knocked on the door to our wing. "Your food was just delivered.", he said as he walked to the kitchen. "Please plate it for Kara and bring it to her in here.", James said. The servant brought it back shortly after on a tray with a glass of water. "You may leave now." The servant bowed at James' request before leaving our wing.

"Is he a vampire, too?", I asked. He responded, "Yes, almost everyone here is, except you and a few trusted humans who have been hired to deal with things during the day." I felt suddenly nervous, "How many vampires live here?" 

"There are easily over 1,000 on the property, but they don't all stay in the main house. There is an inn and a few cottages on the property. That's where most of them are. Only 50 or so stay here as servants; they are young vampires turned three years ago or less. Sylas likes to keep them close to ensure that they can be responsible with their new advantages. I'm technically the youngest here."

James could sense my discomfort, "You have nothing to fear, Kara; Sylas has ordered them not to touch you. If anyone laid a hand on you, it would result in their death, and it would be a cruel one." "What would happen?", I asked.

"They would be chained with silver outside at night and forced to meet the sun; it's gruesome and very painful. The silver would burn into their skin as they awaited the sunrise, and then they would burn up. It would be pure torture.", he shuttered at the thought. 

My eyes widened at his visibly shaken reaction. "Anyways, you can be sure that no one here would be willing to risk that.", he said. "Our wing is more about giving you space and privacy, not to protect you from the other vampires. That was comforting to me. "Could you show me around after I finish eating dinner?" I wanted to explore the house but wasn't sure where I was allowed to go. 

"Of course." he said, "The house alone would take three or four hours to explore, so you might want to wear some walking shoes. We are on 8,000 acres of land, there are several amenities here. That's how Sylas earns the money to fund our coven during the day."

That sounded so awesome; I scarfed the food down quickly and went to my room to retrieve a pair of tennis shoes. I called out to James, "Do I need a coat?" "I'll carry one around for you, and if you need it, you can wear it.", he responded. How did I get so lucky? I bounded out of my room with my long brown peacoat in hand.

I handed it off to him. "Payment.", he said, tapping his lips, expecting a kiss. I happily obliged, kissing him passionately. "There's more where that came from.", I smirked. "Promise you'll show me later?", he said, as he brushed his fingers through his hair, his red eyes smoldering. He opened the door allowing me to walk through. "I promise.", I winked as he closed the door behind us.