'What do you mean, passed away?' Baekhyun stumbled, throwing an arm out to regain his balance. Surely his ears had heard wrong, oh lord, please let it be wrong!

Not bothering to hear what Sehun had to say – what more could he say? She was gone! – he pushed the boy aside, rushing through the door and bursting inside his chambers.

'MEI!' he wailed dramatically – his voice always had a theatrical quality, his mother used to say – dropping to his knees beside her prone figure. 'Mei…' he sobbed, holding onto her hand. It was still warm and oh, he'd never feel that warmth again.

Why hadn't he died with her? She looked so peaceful, lying on the bed with her hair fanning around her like that and dressed in his clothes – almost like she'd just gone to sleep. His beautiful, beautiful Mei…

'Ugh, cease your theatrics already…' D.O groaned, pushing the snickering vampires who'd gathered around Baekhyun aside and yanking him up from the scruff of his neck. 'He said passed out, not passed away.'

Baekhyun blinked, tears clinging to his lashes, 'What?'

D.O rubbed his forehead. 'Passed out… she fainted, okay?'

Baekhyun's eyes cleared, 'So she's…'

'Alive, yes. Unconscious but alive.'

'Why…?'

'Probably because you took too much…'

'Oh well…' Baekhyun cleared his throat, feeling a little flustered at the praise. His performance had been under par by his own standards… and 'taking' was such a crude way to put it – he preferred lovemaking – but still…

'I tried my best.' he muttered modestly, earning a new round of snickers and a glare from his tiny butler.

'I'm talking about her blood,' D.O snapped, impressively curt despite not having an accent. Baekhyun always admired that about him.

'Oh.' Baekhyun stared at him for a moment before it clicked, 'Oh…'

'Thank goodness.' D.O muttered before looking up at him again. 'She needs to be fed so she'll regain her energy… and I'll have a bath drawn. I assume she'd like to wash herself after your… activities last night.'

Baekhyun nodded and D.O turned to leave.

'Ooh, have someone fill the jacuzzi…'

None of them needed to see the look on his face to guess where his thoughts were headed. D.O rolled his eyes before curtly nodding and marching off. Baekhyun hummed a little before turning around to glare at Sehun.

'Why did you say she'd passed away?' he demanded, advancing menacingly.

Sehun gulped, looking a little bit pathetic with his blackened eyes. 'I… misused the phrase, sir.'

'You nearly gave me a heart attack,' Baekhyun muttered ominously, eyes tinting just red enough to be threatening. 'Never again, are we clear?'

The vampire nodded obediently and Baekhyun turned around, dismissing the rest with a gesture of his hand. Now that he was here, he'd look after her himself and make sure she was properly fed when she woke up.

He plopped down beside her with a sigh, feeling content. It was a strange feeling – a feeling of fullness, even though it had nothing to do with the Thirst and everything to do with her wearing his clothes, sleeping in his bed and his name when she peaked. To think Kris had tried take her away from him…

He still couldn't believe he'd actually done it, claimed his bride, and formed the blood bond on the night of the blood moon, so that they were bound heart to heart, beat to beat, life to life. It made his newly-beating heart feel like it was going to jump out of his chest the longer he looked at her.

Features sleep softened, delicate like a china doll and hair fanning magnificently around her, she looked so pretty, and he couldn't help but want to kiss her. Just a chaste little peck on those inviting rosy petals that beckoned him with their softness… a touch to reassure himself that he was indeed awake, that it wasn’t just a dream.

Leaning forward, he took his time to silently admire her face up close – the way pink rose along her round cheeks in a semi-permanent blush, long lashes fanning over the hollows beneath her eyes, the small cupid's bow of her upper lip with the slight pout of her lower, and a small chin that tied it all together.

He placed a thumb over the said chin, applying just enough pressure to make her lips part enticingly before closing the distance between them and kissing her. He couldn't taste her blood like this but her scent permeated his senses and it was almost as if he could taste it, feel it flow beneath his lips. Pulling the lower lip between his teeth, he , feeling the blood gather before letting go and backing off to see how red he'd made it.

Like blood. It looked slightly swollen and so, so inviting, he had to taste it again. So he did because she was his bride and he could kiss her without reservation.

It was only when she whimpered, a sleepy sound heavy with desire, that he pulled back to find her eyes, webs of sleep still clinging to her lashes, trained on him. 'Baekhyun…' she moaned and he swooped in to swallow the sound, fangs itching with the desire to taste her.

She reciprocated hesitantly at first, then one of her hands rose to tangle with his hair and he felt her melt underneath him, body going lax as he shifted to settle more securely on top of her. As had happened last night, his body reacted by regressing to his primal form, nails lengthening into claws and fangs bursting free. He knew his eyes were red now and pupils blown with desire.

She seemed to like it when his claws raked along her skin, shuddering in pleasure. He nipped her lips with his fangs, a droplet bursting free and landing on his tongue. It was like ambrosia, it tasted so heavenly.

But it also brought him back to reality. He'd already taken too much and she needed to be fed properly if he intended to claim her again. So he pulled back, even though she tried to drag him back down and was utterly reluctant to part from his mouth.

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter