36 + Turned +

"'I will make you my queen,'" the Blood Beast declared, his voice dripping with intent. From both sides of the bed, he withdrew chains, using their shackled ends to cuff her slender wrists.

"I am the High Priestess," she retorted with a hint of defiance. "You have no right—"

But fear, icy and gripping, slithered into her thoughts. She couldn't allow this union with the Blood Beast to be consummated. To harness and remain the vessel of Hecate's magic, Luna had to retain her status as a virgin High Priestess.

"What do you intend to do?" The urgency in her voice was barely concealed, coming out as a tense whisper.

"I am well aware of your esteemed position in the Vampire Realm," he murmured. The intensity of his golden gaze held hers as it traced the contours of her troubled face. The warmth of embarrassment tingled on her skin under his scrutiny. "Rest assured, I have no intention of violating you physically. However, I will tether your very soul to mine, drown you in the essence of my being. Your blood, imbued with the goddess' magic, has already quenched my thirst, but it's merely a prelude."

The Blood Beast's gaze became momentarily distracted, following the rhythmic rise and fall of her breathing. "For me to truly harness your power, and in turn, surpass the Vampire King, you must teeter on the brink of death. My aim is simple. I'll weaken you, siphon your life force, and in its place instill mine, binding us for eternity."

The very notion of the Blood Bond magic that could irrevocably link vampires as mates chilled her to the core. Luna hadn't consented to this fate, especially not with the Blood Beast. Being forcibly mated to him could cause the Goddess Hecate to forsake her, especially so soon after her anointment as the High Priestess.

Trapped, with the Blood Beast's formidable form obstructing her only exit, panic set in. If he indeed went through with his plan to claim her, would her unique magical lineage bolster his power? Might he, too, gain access to Hecate's potent magic?

Defiance flashed in her eyes, and to her disdain, amusement tugged at the corners of his lips. The implications of his intent were dire, not just for her but for the entirety of the Vampire Realm. Desperation and determination swirled within her. She had to find an escape, a way out. Perhaps, if she could somehow bring the Vampire King back. From her encounters, the king, while no less daunting, was marginally more reasonable than this beast.

As the Blood Beast leaned down, positioning himself atop her, the closeness of their faces added another layer of intensity to their forced intimacy. The sheer proximity was jarring, especially with her being restrained, amplifying her vulnerability.

Their bodies were pressed close, chest against chest. He first shrugged off his cloak, then deftly removed her delicate dress. A soft growl emanated from him, sending a wave of heat sweeping across her exposed skin. "If you resist," he warned darkly, "I won't hesitate to end you."

The Blood Beast's bite was ferocious. She could have sworn his fangs reached her very bones. The sharp sting forced her to grit her teeth, but instead of wriggling away, her body seemed to acquiesce, yielding to the relentless assault. He tilted her head to access her neck better, but as he drank deeply, her head lulled backward, a sign of her weakening resistance.

Moving his attention, he sank his fangs into her wrist, and the sensation rendered her senses blurry and distant. A soft moan escaped her lips. The skin of Luna's neck was raw, its healing slow and deliberate. Her vision blurred with monochromatic spots, her heart pounding as if she were fleeing some imminent danger. Each subsequent bite felt like a bolt of lightning, her body slick with sweat and stained with her own lifeblood. The sheets beneath might as well have been soaked through.

Drained to near immobility by the Blood Beast's venom, Luna could barely muster the strength to react. He marked her—on her inner thigh, breasts, and left shoulder—as a conqueror might claim new lands. Just when darkness threatened to take her completely, the Blood Beast slit his wrist, making her drink, letting his blood revitalize her.

Then, the torturous cycle repeated.

He drained her to the brink, only to replenish her with his essence. The vampire blood bond was a paradox—both agony and ecstasy in equal measure. Luna choked as his blood overflowed from her mouth, the sensation overwhelming. It felt as if she was submerged, her lifeblood drowning her, each breath a struggle. But gradually, the agony evolved into a heady pleasure that thrummed through every part of her.

The Blood Beast didn't relent, and Luna found herself craving more, yearning for the crimson elixir that had become her lifeline. Desperation seeped into her movements, tugging fiercely at her restraints. A cascade of sensations washed over her—a frisson of excitement, a flood of warmth, shivers that shook her from crown to heel.

A surge of pleasure rocketed through Luna, causing her to arch her back. Desperately, she sought more contact, pressing herself against the Blood Beast's arousal.

"I felt that," he growled, the rough edges of his voice tinged with primal satisfaction. Luna met his intense amber gaze, finding a world of fascination and hunger there. His entire frame seemed to tighten, fingers curling into near-claws, a raw response to the scent of her desire.

A shift of his hips, and Luna's lip was caught between her teeth, pain mingling with the rising heat of their connection. The Blood Beast snarled, intensifying his rhythm, the friction between them growing maddeningly exquisite.

"You belong to me," he rasped. "Only me."

His voice deepened with desire, reverberating through her as he captured her mouth in a searing kiss. Luna tilted her head, adjusting to his passionate exploration. Why, even bound as she was, did she lean into his kiss, seeking the melding of their lips? Was she truly so starved for his touch?

He placed his hands, resembling claws more than ever, on the headboard, pressing his arousal insistently against her, targeting the core of her warmth and need. Before he claimed her mouth, she'd been teetering on the edge; now she was dangerously close to losing herself completely in him. And it wasn't just his touch she craved; she found herself yearning for the unique taste of him.

A sudden, unintended bite drew blood from his lip, and Luna felt her teeth sharpening, hunger gnawing at her. Had he transformed her? According to the laws of the Shadow World, Purebloods were forbidden from turning others into their kind, lest they unleash a horde of uncontrollable, bloodthirsty rogues. Luna knew she had to summon every ounce of her will to resist this perilous thirst.