Hellbound With You

Ezekiel's eyes flew wide and immediately turned his head to look at Alicia. Only to find her biting so hard on her lower lips that he could now smell the strong and heady scent of sweet blood coming from her mouth.

With slightly widened eyes, Ezekiel rolled and hoovered over her in an instant.

"What's going on?" he asked, his gaze searching her face. "Stop that, Alicia."

Alicia's face looked like she had just woken up from a horrible nightmare. Her eyes were almost a little bloodshot.

In seconds, Ezekiel's expression changed from alert to calm. His sharp gaze quickly turned somewhat tranquil, almost a little gentle.

He lifted his hand, and his thumb swept in a gentle arc over her lips. "That's enough, Alicia." His voice did not come out like a command. Instead, it was low and almost slick. "Let go of your lip," he continued while his thumb gently brushed again over her lips, coaxing her to relax and release her tight clamp on her own lips.

Alicia's gaze seemed to clear out a little and when his face became clearer in her eyes, he nodded at her. It was a reassuring nod. One that helped her heartbeat to stabilise and find calmness.

"It's okay, Alicia. Relax and let go…" he said again. And she listened to that low and magnetic voice that echoed in her ear. Maybe it was because of the patience she had detected in his voice or that unexpected look of understanding that shone in his eyes. It was as if he knew what exactly she was going through right now.

She managed to relax her seemingly locked jaw and finally released her lower lip. There were deep teeth marks indented and it had turned numb now.

"Good girl…" he murmured encouragingly, and she immediately frowned at those words. Where did that came from? It sounded wrong in so many different ways in her ears. Was he just trying to distract her again?

But she did not have the time to linger and ponder more on it because of the second sound he made. He made a sound under his breath that sounded like a curse. Ezekiel? Cursing? Would wonders never cease today? Alicia was hard pressed to keep up.

"You've torn it real bad." He said and she felt the blood overflow, surprising even herself. Had she really put in such force in her bite?

With one swift move, he pulled her up into a sitting position.

"Heal it now, Alicia. Hurry." He urged and she could only obey his request, knowing that her blood was already affecting him. She had noticed his grey eyes turning a little red around the rims of his irises for a moment there.

After her chant, her wound closed up perfectly. Leaving no trace that it was torn and bleeding just a few seconds ago.

"What happened?" he asked and Alicia averted her gaze, not sure if she should answer. And even if she did answer, how should she phrase it?

She did not know exactly what was going on. All she knew was that something was terribly wrong with her. She could not believe what she had almost done.

<br/>Since before she had become a queen, Alicia had her own uncompromising principle. One of it was on harming someone vulnerable. Even if the person would be her most notorious enemy, she would never even consider killing them without a fair fight. And yet, she had been about to kill Ezekiel while he was asleep?! She could never do such a thing, but she had caught herself almost doing it. Not to mention that she had to bite on her own lips so damned hard to stop herself. Something was wrong. Something terrible was happening to her.

"Nothing, just… a nightmare." She answered. Even if he said he could feel her emotions and he must already know that she was lying, she still could only lie. How could she bring herself to tell him that she was about to kill him in his own house? In his own bed?!

He did not speak and just nodded. His expression was blank now.

She took a deep breath of relief then lifted her hand to wipe off the blood when Ezekiel suddenly caught her wrist, stopping her hand just centimetres from touching her lips.

Their eyes met before Ezekiel's gaze strayed to the blood on her lips and those that had trickled down to her neck. "Let me." he said and bent over. She knew then that he was going to lick her blood. And she did not know why, but she suddenly wondered if he had found that her blood was something different. Was there some additional or unique allure to her blood that he, the prince of vampires would be so attracted to it?

But he stopped just an inch away as if something had forcefully made him halt.

She felt him take a long exhale as though taking in the scent of her blood, then the doorbell rang, breaking the silence within the bedroom.

He did not move for a few moments but when the doorbell rang again, he grabbed her hand – not her wrist – before climbing off the bed, dragging her along with him.

Before they left his bedroom, Zeke grabbed a clean towel and wiped off the blood that was staining her chin and neck.

When the doorbell rang for the third time, he discarded the towel and they rushed out of the bedroom.

Alicia could only follow after him because she felt the urgency in Zeke. Since she started watching over him, no one had dared ring his doorbell before. Much less to ring it in succession for three times! This was actually the first time. And to think that whoever was it that pressed on the doorbell could make Ezekiel hasten thus so, was such a surprise. Who could it be?