Chapter 143: 143
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Luckily, Soren's wardrobe is not very far from the bed, so I do not have to move much to make my way over these. I consider myself very lucky for that fact, as I am both very sleepy, and very unstable, finding it particularly difficult to balance effectively on my slightly longer limbs, tipping the balance of what I am used to just enough to make it unnerving.
To him, I expect I look like a new born deer, teetering on silted legs, wobbling with each step, not having yet achieved the fine grace that comes with adulthood vampirism. As is the life of a newly formed hybrid vampire.
I suppose I should have expected as much.
"Steady on, darling," he chuckles warmly as I press myself woozily against him, rubbing the sleepy dust out of my eyes with my fist. "I would rather you didn't collapse on my just yet."
I mumble a groan in response. Seeing no other option, Soren scoops me up in his arms, pressing me close to his chest, leaving no further possibility for me that I might do something stupid. Rather unfortunately, I am extremely well known for my idiotic antics.
Even in the vampire Prince's tight embrace, there is still an element of cold that surrounds me, a permanent ailment on my body, causing me to shiver slightly against the buttery golden light of the room. Though interestingly, I seem to remember this cold being much, much worse before I… before I ingested Soren's blood, on many nights having to wrap up tightly in layers of fur blankets just to stave off the cold. Now however, the cold is bearable. Not pleasant, that would be a lie, but certainly not entirely unpleasant either. I push back a strand of hair from my face, getting a better look at Soren. Noticing my gaze he gives me a sly grin.
"What are you looking at?" he murmurs softly, wiggling his eyebrows a little, causing me to give a drunken grin. Batting the tiredness from my eyes, I reach up to touch his face, trailing my fingers over his cheek.
"I'm looking at you, dumbass. Because you are pretty," I sniff, booping him absently on the nose. His mouth twitches amusedly.
"Should I take that as a compliment or an insult, considering you just called me an ass," he snickers, amber eyes glowing, alight with his characteristically mocking humour. I purse my lips, giving a sideways glance.
"Whatever you want, really."
In response he gives me a light peck on my cheek before moving over to the wardrobe with me in his arms, rifling through the reams of clothes he has in there. He certainly has acquired many sets of clothes over the hundreds of years he has been alive, since the wardrobe seems practically bursting at the seams. I would even hazard a guess that this isn't his only wardrobe of clothes, I wouldn't put it past him to have a personal assortment of clothing somewhere deep within this palace.
Gently he sets me down beside the wardrobe to allow him better access to its contents.
The Prince 'ums' and 'ahhs' for a few seconds, before finally decisively plucking out two garments: a deep blue set of trousers embellished periodically with golden thread, mapping out the stars down the length of the calf, and a white button up shirt with a fancy ruffled collar. They are both rather pretty garments, loosely embellished, but something I would not take Soren for wearing at all. These seem to give off a more casual aura, much blander, whereas generally Soren appears more well kept, often delighting on dressing in fancy clothes with ruffles and embroidery that would make any seamstress die from envy.
The Prince has enough fashion sense to put any elven market out of business, and even that is an understatement.
But was surprises me the most is what else he carries.
Tucked under his arm, he also has a set of undergarments, all black, a lacey bra and a matching pair of panties. I smirk a little, a dirty thought suddenly springing to mind.
Soren flashes me a bewildered look and laughs hysterically.
"Don't be so crude, little dove. They aren't for me, nor am I ever going to wear them. I got these undergarments for you a while back in case you needed them. As for the clothes, I haven't worn them," Soren laughs lightly, holding them up to me, as if determining their fit. "They were another gift from Queen Kagura- the celestial faery. But they weren't really my style. I didn't think they really fitted with my blood and death aesthetic," he jokes lightly, flicking back his singular black cross earring from behind his ear. I grin slightly as he hands me the undergarments, allowing me to swiftly slip them on.
"Fair enough," I say, feeling stupidly relieved that he did decide not to wear the clothes he was gifted- for whatever reason that may be. Of course, he is my mate and my husband, such worries should not be prevalent, and yet the numbing relief is there all the same, washing over the jealousy that nags at the back of my mind. Maybe that just makes me a bad person.
"You aren't, darling," Soren insists upon hearing the thoughts that go through my head, shaking his head slightly as he motions for me to lift my arms up, enabling him to slide my hands through the sleeve holes of the shirt.
"It is quite natural for you to be jealous of her, it happens between mated individuals a lot. Because the bond is so strong between them, they have the tendency to get jealous or defensive if ever someone threatens their mate, or tries to breach the boundaries. I mean, just look at what I did to my own brother- even if he did have it coming," he says, lowering his voice to a barely audible whisper at the last sentence, so that I have to lean forward to strive to catch it. I wrinkle my nose. I suppose that is true- I haven't gone so far as snapping someone's neck yet. But there is always a first for everything.
"Besides," he adds, a bit louder now as he bends down to straighten out my shirt which he has pulled around me. "I am yours forever now. And nothing is ever going to change that."
Gently he brings up my hand to his lips, kissing the lips of my fingers before moving down to place his lips over the ring, a permanent reminder of my bond to him. A little spark of joy rockets through me, followed by a bubbling warmth that heats up my cheeks, my body, my soul with an all consuming love and pleasurable joy. I smile blissfully.
Yes, I am his, too.
"I suppose you are also mine in another way, too," he murmurs, kissing lightly down my sternum, over the inky black marking of thorns and roses that resides there, spilling out against my pale skin. I shudder slightly.
Of course. With his blood in my system, his mark on my chest, his claim over me is almost impossible to miss- not that I particularly mind.
"You are a devil, you know that?" I mutter, rolling my eyes as he pulls away to button up the rest of my shirt, concealing the tattooed pattern under layers of silky fabric. Soren gives me a sly grin as he hands me the trousers, allowing me to pull them on.
"I am well aware, although I have been called far worse. And Serena," he adds, turning around to allow me to pull on my trousers in at least partial privacy. I raise my brow, and then upon realising he cannot see me, utter:
"Mm?"
Soren sways elegantly backwards on his heels, perfectly balanced, his fingers running through his hair, golden eyes shining as he strains to look round at me. If it isn't for the dim glow of the lanterns on the ceiling, I might have missed the small bite he gives to his lip.
"I know very well that your body has gone through a lot of changes today, but the blood- my blood- in your body is still rather volatile," he says slowly, glancing me up and down, as though expecting something might become of me as I stand there under the shadows of the room, swaying on wobblily limbs. I give him a pointed look.
"So, what, you expect me to go through some more of these 'changes'? Start evaporating into the shadows on the next given opportunity?"
Soren shrugs lightly, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Maybe,"
Without thinking, I land him a punch on the arm, almost regretting the decision until I find that rather than being met by a wall of stone, I can land enough force to send him stumbling back a bit. With a look of mild discontent, but mostly good natured irritation, Soren rubs his arm, attempting to soothe the no doubt bruising patch of skin where I had landed my blow.
"Careful," he says, wincing a little as he checks underneath his shirt to assess the damage. "You are a lot stronger than you think."
"Fantastic," I retort sarcastically, "At least now I can fend you off from ruining my dignity in public, you know I loathe it when you put your hands on me."
Soren rolls his eyes, giving a lazy sigh.
"I will pretend I didn't hear that one, Serena."
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Luckily, Soren's wardrobe is not very far from the bed, so I do not have to move much to make my way over these. I consider myself very lucky for that fact, as I am both very sleepy, and very unstable, finding it particularly difficult to balance effectively on my slightly longer limbs, tipping the balance of what I am used to just enough to make it unnerving.
To him, I expect I look like a new born deer, teetering on silted legs, wobbling with each step, not having yet achieved the fine grace that comes with adulthood vampirism. As is the life of a newly formed hybrid vampire.
I suppose I should have expected as much.
"Steady on, darling," he chuckles warmly as I press myself woozily against him, rubbing the sleepy dust out of my eyes with my fist. "I would rather you didn't collapse on my just yet."
I mumble a groan in response. Seeing no other option, Soren scoops me up in his arms, pressing me close to his chest, leaving no further possibility for me that I might do something stupid. Rather unfortunately, I am extremely well known for my idiotic antics.
Even in the vampire Prince's tight embrace, there is still an element of cold that surrounds me, a permanent ailment on my body, causing me to shiver slightly against the buttery golden light of the room. Though interestingly, I seem to remember this cold being much, much worse before I… before I ingested Soren's blood, on many nights having to wrap up tightly in layers of fur blankets just to stave off the cold. Now however, the cold is bearable. Not pleasant, that would be a lie, but certainly not entirely unpleasant either. I push back a strand of hair from my face, getting a better look at Soren. Noticing my gaze he gives me a sly grin.
"What are you looking at?" he murmurs softly, wiggling his eyebrows a little, causing me to give a drunken grin. Batting the tiredness from my eyes, I reach up to touch his face, trailing my fingers over his cheek.
"I'm looking at you, dumbass. Because you are pretty," I sniff, booping him absently on the nose. His mouth twitches amusedly.
"Should I take that as a compliment or an insult, considering you just called me an ass," he snickers, amber eyes glowing, alight with his characteristically mocking humour. I purse my lips, giving a sideways glance.
"Whatever you want, really."
In response he gives me a light peck on my cheek before moving over to the wardrobe with me in his arms, rifling through the reams of clothes he has in there. He certainly has acquired many sets of clothes over the hundreds of years he has been alive, since the wardrobe seems practically bursting at the seams. I would even hazard a guess that this isn't his only wardrobe of clothes, I wouldn't put it past him to have a personal assortment of clothing somewhere deep within this palace.
Gently he sets me down beside the wardrobe to allow him better access to its contents.
The Prince 'ums' and 'ahhs' for a few seconds, before finally decisively plucking out two garments: a deep blue set of trousers embellished periodically with golden thread, mapping out the stars down the length of the calf, and a white button up shirt with a fancy ruffled collar. They are both rather pretty garments, loosely embellished, but something I would not take Soren for wearing at all. These seem to give off a more casual aura, much blander, whereas generally Soren appears more well kept, often delighting on dressing in fancy clothes with ruffles and embroidery that would make any seamstress die from envy.
The Prince has enough fashion sense to put any elven market out of business, and even that is an understatement.
But was surprises me the most is what else he carries.
Tucked under his arm, he also has a set of undergarments, all black, a lacey bra and a matching pair of panties. I smirk a little, a dirty thought suddenly springing to mind.
Soren flashes me a bewildered look and laughs hysterically.
"Don't be so crude, little dove. They aren't for me, nor am I ever going to wear them. I got these undergarments for you a while back in case you needed them. As for the clothes, I haven't worn them," Soren laughs lightly, holding them up to me, as if determining their fit. "They were another gift from Queen Kagura- the celestial faery. But they weren't really my style. I didn't think they really fitted with my blood and death aesthetic," he jokes lightly, flicking back his singular black cross earring from behind his ear. I grin slightly as he hands me the undergarments, allowing me to swiftly slip them on.
"Fair enough," I say, feeling stupidly relieved that he did decide not to wear the clothes he was gifted- for whatever reason that may be. Of course, he is my mate and my husband, such worries should not be prevalent, and yet the numbing relief is there all the same, washing over the jealousy that nags at the back of my mind. Maybe that just makes me a bad person.
"You aren't, darling," Soren insists upon hearing the thoughts that go through my head, shaking his head slightly as he motions for me to lift my arms up, enabling him to slide my hands through the sleeve holes of the shirt.
"It is quite natural for you to be jealous of her, it happens between mated individuals a lot. Because the bond is so strong between them, they have the tendency to get jealous or defensive if ever someone threatens their mate, or tries to breach the boundaries. I mean, just look at what I did to my own brother- even if he did have it coming," he says, lowering his voice to a barely audible whisper at the last sentence, so that I have to lean forward to strive to catch it. I wrinkle my nose. I suppose that is true- I haven't gone so far as snapping someone's neck yet. But there is always a first for everything.
"Besides," he adds, a bit louder now as he bends down to straighten out my shirt which he has pulled around me. "I am yours forever now. And nothing is ever going to change that."
Gently he brings up my hand to his lips, kissing the lips of my fingers before moving down to place his lips over the ring, a permanent reminder of my bond to him. A little spark of joy rockets through me, followed by a bubbling warmth that heats up my cheeks, my body, my soul with an all consuming love and pleasurable joy. I smile blissfully.
Yes, I am his, too.
"I suppose you are also mine in another way, too," he murmurs, kissing lightly down my sternum, over the inky black marking of thorns and roses that resides there, spilling out against my pale skin. I shudder slightly.
Of course. With his blood in my system, his mark on my chest, his claim over me is almost impossible to miss- not that I particularly mind.
"You are a devil, you know that?" I mutter, rolling my eyes as he pulls away to button up the rest of my shirt, concealing the tattooed pattern under layers of silky fabric. Soren gives me a sly grin as he hands me the trousers, allowing me to pull them on.
"I am well aware, although I have been called far worse. And Serena," he adds, turning around to allow me to pull on my trousers in at least partial privacy. I raise my brow, and then upon realising he cannot see me, utter:
"Mm?"
Soren sways elegantly backwards on his heels, perfectly balanced, his fingers running through his hair, golden eyes shining as he strains to look round at me. If it isn't for the dim glow of the lanterns on the ceiling, I might have missed the small bite he gives to his lip.
"I know very well that your body has gone through a lot of changes today, but the blood- my blood- in your body is still rather volatile," he says slowly, glancing me up and down, as though expecting something might become of me as I stand there under the shadows of the room, swaying on wobblily limbs. I give him a pointed look.
"So, what, you expect me to go through some more of these 'changes'? Start evaporating into the shadows on the next given opportunity?"
Soren shrugs lightly, wiggling his eyebrows.
"Maybe,"
Without thinking, I land him a punch on the arm, almost regretting the decision until I find that rather than being met by a wall of stone, I can land enough force to send him stumbling back a bit. With a look of mild discontent, but mostly good natured irritation, Soren rubs his arm, attempting to soothe the no doubt bruising patch of skin where I had landed my blow.
"Careful," he says, wincing a little as he checks underneath his shirt to assess the damage. "You are a lot stronger than you think."
"Fantastic," I retort sarcastically, "At least now I can fend you off from ruining my dignity in public, you know I loathe it when you put your hands on me."
Soren rolls his eyes, giving a lazy sigh.
"I will pretend I didn't hear that one, Serena."
Luckily, Soren's wardrobe is not very far from the bed, so I do not have to move much to make my way over these. I consider myself very lucky for that fact, as I am both very sleepy, and very unstable, finding it particularly difficult to balance effectively on my slightly longer limbs, tipping the balance of what I am used to just enough to make it unnerving.To him, I expect I look like a new born deer, teetering on silted legs, wobbling with each step, not having yet achieved the fine grace that comes with adulthood vampirism. As is the life of a newly formed hybrid vampire.I suppose I should have expected as much."Steady on, darling," he chuckles warmly as I press myself woozily against him, rubbing the sleepy dust out of my eyes with my fist. "I would rather you didn't collapse on my just yet."I mumble a groan in response. Seeing no other option, Soren scoops me up in his arms, pressing me close to his chest, leaving no further possibility for me that I might do something stupid. Rather unfortunately, I am extremely well known for my idiotic antics.Even in the vampire Prince's tight embrace, there is still an element of cold that surrounds me, a permanent ailment on my body, causing me to shiver slightly against the buttery golden light of the room. Though interestingly, I seem to remember this cold being much, much worse before I before I ingested Soren's blood, on many nights having to wrap up tightly in layers of fur blankets just to stave off the cold. Now however, the cold is bearable. Not pleasant, that would be a lie, but certainly not entirely unpleasant either. I push back a strand of hair from my face, getting a better look at Soren. Noticing my gaze he gives me a sly grin."What are you looking at?" he murmurs softly, wiggling his eyebrows a little, causing me to give a drunken grin. Batting the tiredness from my eyes, I reach up to touch his face, trailing my fingers over his cheek."I'm looking at you, dumbass. Because you are pretty," I sniff, booping him absently on the nose. His mouth twitches amusedly."Should I take that as a compliment or an insult, considering you just called me an ass," he snickers, amber eyes glowing, alight with his characteristically mocking humour. I purse my lips, giving a sideways glance."Whatever you want, really."In response he gives me a light peck on my cheek before moving over to the wardrobe with me in his arms, rifling through the reams of clothes he has in there. He certainly has acquired many sets of clothes over the hundreds of years he has been alive, since the wardrobe seems practically bursting at the seams. I would even hazard a guess that this isn't his only wardrobe of clothes, I wouldn't put it past him to have a personal assortment of clothing somewhere deep within this palace.Gently he sets me down beside the wardrobe to allow him better access to its contents.The Prince 'ums' and 'ahhs' for a few seconds, before finally decisively plucking out two garments: a deep blue set of trousers embellished periodically with golden thread, mapping out the stars down the length of the calf, and a white button up shirt with a fancy ruffled collar. They are both rather pretty garments, loosely embellished, but something I would not take Soren for wearing at all. These seem to give off a more casual aura, much blander, whereas generally Soren appears more well kept, often delighting on dressing in fancy clothes with ruffles and embroidery that would make any seamstress die from envy. The Prince has enough fashion sense to put any elven market out of business, and even that is an understatement.But was surprises me the most is what else he carries.Tucked under his arm, he also has a set of undergarments, all black, a lacey bra and a matching pair of panties. I smirk a little, a dirty thought suddenly springing to mind.Soren flashes me a bewildered look and laughs hysterically."Don't be so crude, little dove. They aren't for me, nor am I ever going to wear them. I got these undergarments for you a while back in case you needed them. As for the clothes, I haven't worn them," Soren laughs lightly, holding them up to me, as if determining their fit. "They were another gift from Queen Kagura- the celestial faery. But they weren't really my style. I didn't think they really fitted with my blood and death aesthetic," he jokes lightly, flicking back his singular black cross earring from behind his ear. I grin slightly as he hands me the undergarments, allowing me to swiftly slip them on."Fair enough," I say, feeling stupidly relieved that he did decide not to wear the clothes he was gifted- for whatever reason that may be. Of course, he is my mate and my husband, such worries should not be prevalent, and yet the numbing relief is there all the same, washing over the jealousy that nags at the back of my mind. Maybe that just makes me a bad person."You aren't, darling," Soren insists upon hearing the thoughts that go through my head, shaking his head slightly as he motions for me to lift my arms up, enabling him to slide my hands through the sleeve holes of the shirt. "It is quite natural for you to be jealous of her, it happens between mated individuals a lot. Because the bond is so strong between them, they have the tendency to get jealous or defensive if ever someone threatens their mate, or tries to breach the boundaries. I mean, just look at what I did to my own brother- even if he did have it coming," he says, lowering his voice to a barely audible whisper at the last sentence, so that I have to lean forward to strive to catch it. I wrinkle my nose. I suppose that is true- I haven't gone so far as snapping someone's neck yet. But there is always a first for everything. "Besides," he adds, a bit louder now as he bends down to straighten out my shirt which he has pulled around me. "I am yours forever now. And nothing is ever going to change that."Gently he brings up my hand to his lips, kissing the lips of my fingers before moving down to place his lips over the ring, a permanent reminder of my bond to him. A little spark of joy rockets through me, followed by a bubbling warmth that heats up my cheeks, my body, my soul with an all consuming love and pleasurable joy. I smile blissfully.Yes, I am his, too."I suppose you are also mine in another way, too," he murmurs, kissing lightly down my sternum, over the inky black marking of thorns and roses that resides there, spilling out against my pale skin. I shudder slightly.Of course. With his blood in my system, his mark on my chest, his claim over me is almost impossible to miss- not that I particularly mind."You are a devil, you know that?" I mutter, rolling my eyes as he pulls away to button up the rest of my shirt, concealing the tattooed pattern under layers of silky fabric. Soren gives me a sly grin as he hands me the trousers, allowing me to pull them on."I am well aware, although I have been called far worse. And Serena," he adds, turning around to allow me to pull on my trousers in at least partial privacy. I raise my brow, and then upon realising he cannot see me, utter:"Mm?"Soren sways elegantly backwards on his heels, perfectly balanced, his fingers running through his hair, golden eyes shining as he strains to look round at me. If it isn't for the dim glow of the lanterns on the ceiling, I might have missed the small bite he gives to his lip."I know very well that your body has gone through a lot of changes today, but the blood- my blood- in your body is still rather volatile," he says slowly, glancing me up and down, as though expecting something might become of me as I stand there under the shadows of the room, swaying on wobblily limbs. I give him a pointed look."So, what, you expect me to go through some more of these 'changes'? Start evaporating into the shadows on the next given opportunity?"Soren shrugs lightly, wiggling his eyebrows. "Maybe,"Without thinking, I land him a punch on the arm, almost regretting the decision until I find that rather than being met by a wall of stone, I can land enough force to send him stumbling back a bit. With a look of mild discontent, but mostly good natured irritation, Soren rubs his arm, attempting to soothe the no doubt bruising patch of skin where I had landed my blow."Careful," he says, wincing a little as he checks underneath his shirt to assess the damage. "You are a lot stronger than you think.""Fantastic," I retort sarcastically, "At least now I can fend you off from ruining my dignity in public, you know I loathe it when you put your hands on me."Soren rolls his eyes, giving a lazy sigh."I will pretend I didn't hear that one, Serena."
