Fractures of Eternity

After the bath, the fire was smoldering, but any touch from my vampire caused me to shudder in anticipation—something he noted. When we were ready to go, he yanked me into his arms, kissing me one last time as I fought the urge to pin him against the door behind him. I didn’t want it to end, but it had to. The moment we separated, a string of saliva connected us before he crashed into my lips again for a shorter burst of affection.

“Stay close.” Loki smiled, tracing my cheeks with his fingers.

“Mhm,” I nodded softly.

The moment the door opened, we saw Oswald stroll out of his room with Zephyr on his shoulder while Emma watched him for a moment before turning back and helping Zoe clean the room. It appeared he hadn’t confronted her since the previous night, which meant he was probably giving it time to analyze what he wanted in that relationship.

The moment his eyes met with Loki, a soft smirk rose on his lips.

“Did you have fun?” Oswald snickered as the vampire growled, while I tried not to let his words guide me anymore.

A small bicker broke out between the two when we walked towards the library, where the ill-tempered twin separated from us. The entire time, my eyes kept darting between the prince and our current course while he kept peeking back at me to see if I was keeping up. Luckily, I wasn’t the type to give up because of my desire to ravish the man who stood in front of me, especially since I held out so long when he first bit me.

Though it was interesting that Oswald had the same face, it didn’t make me feel the same as his brother did. The warmth that radiated from my core from what we did earlier was enough to keep me going while my thoughts wandered on what we would do later. We stopped by a food stall to grab a quick breakfast before making our way to the colosseum, which was what I needed to get a clearer head.

Luckily, the playful vampire hadn’t teased me today, but it probably was because I would jump him if he did.

You do have self-restraint. That, or you don’t want anyone to see me as you do.

Though nothing would prepare me for when Lucas suddenly sprang up when we came inside.

“Holy shit! Vivian, was it, right? You were insane!” The blond blurted out, suddenly catching me off guard.

I gripped onto my dress, taking a step away from him.

Crap… I’m still jittery.

“Huh?” I mumbled, struggling to face him.

“The way you jumped in front of those beasts! You’re crazier than old Gerta!” He gushed over me, leaving me staring at him as he had broken me.

Why is a vampire… admiring a normal human?

“Ah… I was...” I trailed off, unable to articulate well what I wanted to say.

My voice was still a little raw from everything Loki and I did in the morning.

Damn… I didn’t think anyone would pay attention to me so quickly, either.

My vampire placed an arm between the energetic boy whose red eyes glistened with excitement and me.

“Lucas, don’t harass my maid.” He sighed, drawing his cousin’s eyes off me.

My gaze drifted towards my prince, who protected me.

“I just can’t believe how a normal human girl would do that.” Lucas chuckled, placing his hands on his hips.

“Well, she did. Now leave her be.” Loki tried to shut him down.

Lucas rolled his eyes at him before smirking, and then he slowly turned back towards me.

“So, Vivian, how was Loki’s bite?” He suddenly asked, causing me to glance his way; my eyes widened all the way.

Eh?!

Everything that had happened had made me forget that there was a video where they recorded Loki biting me.

“What?!” I yelped, clasping my hands onto my chest.

“Oi, I’m going to wipe the floor with you if you keep going.” Loki hissed, prompting Lucas to straighten up and back away from me.

“Oh shit! I stepped on a land mine! Don’t worry, Loki, I’m not going after your girl. I promise!” He quickly backtracked.

“S-She... Argh! W-watch what you say!” Loki huffed, cheeks rosy.

The moment he noticed the prince cared for me, he quickly got serious as the friendly smile disappeared from his lips before he shifted his glance towards the door that separated us from the rest of the coliseum.

“Shit, you care about her. I wish you didn’t, Loki. It isn’t looking good. In all honesty, I think you should think of relocating yourself, Vivian.” Lucas sighed.

Huh? No, I…

“What are you going on about? Just spit it out.” Loki questioned, eyes shimmering brightly.

“That day, when you walked around the town with Vivian, it caught a lot of eyes.” He fiddled with his sleeves, shaking his head. “Some of the young nobles here started talking, and it seems they want to try her blood, too. Consent doesn’t seem to be a priority for them.”

“They wouldn’t dare,” Loki growled.

Crap… What do I do to stop this?

“Alistair overheard them talking about trying to get Vivian. They plan to wait until she’s waiting for you to finish at the coliseum. Some of those plans even involve dragging her into one bathroom or spare rooms, from what I get.” Lucas informed.

“What the fuck is wrong with them?” My vampire huffed, eyes twitching.

I had never seen him make such a scary expression before, and it wasn’t only him since Eli got agitated as well. I could hear him hiss under his breath, raising his head from Loki’s neck.

“Let me devour them,” Eli muttered, appearing more like a viper ready to strike.

“Hey, from what I understand, Ali sent them packing after he kicked their asses. He doesn’t like it when I tell you, but he looks out for you. I don’t think they’ll be here, but they weren’t alone. I’m sure the girls are planning something, too.” The blond shook his head, locking eyes with the snake, who was ready to eat them all if they tried.

However, more than my peril, something else caught my attention.

Wait, Alistair helped me? Why? Aren’t you going to murder Loki? There is something wrong here, and I…

“They would dare to touch my mat— maid?!” my prince snapped, as we were hitting a tipping point.

I didn’t need any of the princes to protect me, since I was there to protect them, which meant this situation had to be fixed.

The last thing I need is damned vampires after me in every corner I go. Hah… It seems I need to place a few pigs in the pen.