Chapter 364: A reminder
Upon opening her eyes, Arabella was forced to shut them the very next second in order to protect her corneas from the blinding rays of the sun.
It took her a moment to realize how very close those warm sheets were to her utterly naked body.
Instantly, the color around her cheeks began to deepen when remembering the sizzling heat that the previous night had brought along.
The young woman clutched at the fabric shielding her and pulled it further up around her throat and shoulders.
Her gemstones traveled around the room only to land on a clean gown clinging to a hanger in plain sight.
Evidently, Silas had thought of everything... But speaking of her husband, there was no need for her to wonder as to his whereabouts since the sound of splashing water emanating from the bathroom answered that question already.
Her head tilted and craned to the side as if that would grant her the ability to see through walls. Thankfully, the gymnastics didn’t have to last because Silas appeared in the room only seconds after that.
"Did you sleep well?" a smile immediately adorned his face upon meeting her eyes.
"Yes," she beamed, "But when did I fall asleep? I don’t remember,"
His expression tightened a bit, his diamonds sharpening, "Do you recall anything at all from the previous night?" he asked a bit too seriously.
She threw her hands up as the tingles that riddled her cheeks promised to color her entire face red, "Yes! Yes! Of course I remember what happened last night! I... I merely meant-"
The man chuckled, effectively putting an end to her misery, "Please, calm yourself, my love," he walked closer to tower over her seated figure, "I was simply joking. You know, even I can make jokes," his hand cupped her boiling cheek for his thumb to rub it so very gently.
However, the bright light decorating her features faded as she brought her knees up to hug them against her chest.
"What is it? Was it something I said?" he asked, moving from petting her cheek to the hair over her head.
In reply, Arabella kept her mouth shut and simply shook her head.
Silas decided not to press and wait for her to speak on her own terms.
Eventually, when she did, all her lips let out was an, "I am sorry," that came out in a murmur.
"And what are you sorry for?" he sat down near her.
"I am not like you," she smooshed her mouth against her covered legs, "I could never keep up with you," she paused before adding, "You will always have to slow down and wait for me to recover,"
"In all fairness," he took a deep breath, "Even if you had been a vampire, there is a high chance you still wouldn’t have been able to keep up with me,"
Those words made her spine straighten and her eyes sparkle curiously, "How come?"
"Well," his hand rose to take a pinch of his own silver hair, "I quickly realized it when training for the war started. Only vampires over five centuries managed to somewhat match me in strength, speed and endurance, and even then... It was still hard for them to keep up,"
"No, of course, I suppose you didn’t stand out solely due to your unrivaled beauty," she stared into the distance, a bit of a pensive look on her.
"I shall take that compliment and run with it," he pushed an unruly strand of her hair behind her ear, effectively snapping her back into reality.
Abashed, the young woman buried her face back in the sheets shielding her legs.
"But please," he caught her attention again, "Don’t ever apologize for such a thing again. I am the happiest I have ever been, and I wouldn’t have last night unfold any other way. Do you hear me?"
A rush of cozy prickles conquered her chest upon hearing those words. Arabella didn’t think twice before nodding profusely with a bright smile on her face.
"Good," after a short pause, he asked, "How are you feeling? Is there any lingering soreness? As hungry for you as I was, I tried to be the gentlest I could,"
Arabella looked down at her body, as if just noticing she had the ability to feel the rest of it, "No, I do not feel any remaining ache," she shook her head, her hands browsing various parts of her body in an attempt to capture a difference in feeling.
"Even between your legs?"
"Yes," she answered without thinking.
"I did my best, especially when trying to break your hymen without causing you much pain, but thankfully yours was quite elastic and much easier to perforate,"
The silence that claimed the space around them after what he said was deafening.
Although, Arabella’s drumming heart filled that suffocating void in her ears.
"I kept it, but I don’t know what to do with it," Silas took the piece of cloth he’d used to wipe the blood that stained him when taking her virginity.
"Should... Shouldn’t it be thrown?" she asked sheepishly.
The vampire held it up to his eye level and twiddled it between his fingers, "I’d rather not," he whispered.
His attention then turned onto her, his diamonds traveling up and down her body before his hand ventured closer to the sheet around her shoulders, "I’d like to see you if that is alright,"
Silas put a lot of effort into softening his voice. The last thing he wanted it to sound like was an order.
After some reluctance, Arabella’s hands let go of the fabric, allowing it to fall.
First her collarbones, then her ample breasts were revealed. Her stomach came next before finally her legs were rendered bare.
She kept them tight together and unlike the previous night, he didn’t pry them open.
At every inch of her soft skin he looked, his diamonds flickering from one part to another with a new kind of thirst.
One he never showed even when hungry for her blood.
"I’d like to keep it as a reminder that I am the first and only man that got to see and put my hands on your body like that,"