Married To The Mad Vampire Lord

It was as though time had folded in on itself, and she had never left this house at all. That was how it felt to Belle as she turned away from the table and went toward her mat beside her mother's chair. Humiliation burned her cheeks, but she sat down quietly. She did not touch anything on the tray; she only stared at it.

She was starving so much and knew a small bowl of custard and a slice of bread would do nothing for her stomach. Since her pregnancy and after giving birth, her appetite had increased, and her body required more meals than before. But she wasn't going to eat this if it meant starving.

The insult she felt, though she hadn't wanted to feel anything, made her lose her appetite altogether. Sit where you belong? So she belonged on the floor? Belle scoffed, wondering how blinded she had been in the past and how she had allowed them to treat her this way.

"Now, please help yourselves," the Duke said to his guests as the maids stepped forward to lift the lids covering the many dishes that had been made with care and attention.

To the Duke and his wife, it seemed they had done enough to please the vampires. What they did not know was that they had just dug their own graves deeper unknowingly.

Before supper, the Duke had spoken to his wife about doing their best for these creatures and never allowing them to see that their past hatred would never die. Being assured by Belle's words that her marriage did not hold any real weight, they believed they could openly do whatever they saw fit with their elder daughter without fear of wronging them.

None of the vampires touched the food in front of them, their gazes fixed upon it instead, for Rohan had silently communicated to Rav through mind link not to touch anything without his permission, and Rav had relayed the message to Evenly, who still struggled to wrap her mind around everything happening.

How could a noblewoman be made to sit on a mat to eat? she thought, her eyes drifting to where her friend was seated before flicking back to the Duchess, whom Evenly had disliked right from the very start.

Lady Louisiana, who had already picked up her silverware, noticed the vampires not making any attempt to eat. She exchanged a tense look with her husband, who then forced a polite smile and said,

"My apologies, I forgot you don't eat our kind of food. Bring their blood," he instructed the maids, who in no time walked in carrying jugs of blood and placed them with cups before the vampires.

Rohan's gaze dropped to the thick, dark liquid in the jug. He leaned forward slightly, sniffing it, before lifting his eyes with an arched brow. "Pig's blood," he stated flatly.

"Yes, my Lord. That's all we can afford," Duke Griffin explained quickly. "You know we Aragonians don't believe in giving our blood to night creatures. But since you are our in-law, we made sure to prepare this for you and refine it as much as possible. Blood is blood, after all."

A smile curved against Rohan's lips. "Blood is blood, you say? Then am I to assume that just because you humans eat meat and vegetables, any lump of flesh is fair game, and perhaps grass makes a fine replacement for greens? By that logic, you might as well dine on your neighbor's thigh the moment beef runs out, no?" His words oozed sarcasm as his gaze slid from the Duke to the Duchess.

"Not at all, my Lord. We do not eat grass nor our fellow human flesh. It's just that—"

"That what?" Rohan cut in with narrowed eyes. "You simply haven't yet been desperate enough to gnaw on weeds or carve into your own kind, is that it? Then why in hell should I choke down this filth when my proper meal sits all around me? If you can eat grass instead of those fresh vegetables on the table and roast your own kin in place of lamb, then yes, by all means, I will gladly sip this piss-poor excuse for blood you dared to insult me with."

"My Lord, we do not mean to offend you in any way, but—"

"Oh, you have offended me so deeply, Duke Griffin, you cannot begin to imagine how much. And I will not sit here and allow myself to be insulted further. I require my regular meal at once before my patience ends, and I take it for myself. You don't want that, do you, Lady Dawson?" He turned his sinister, dark eyes on the girl sitting beside him, who had gone pale and sat frozen in fear.

If only they had been sensible enough not to humiliate his wife. If only they had been decent parents. Then Rohan would have tolerated the pig's blood without a single complaint. But he saw no reason to be gracious to people who deserved nothing but his wrath.

"I will count to ten. Once I am finished counting, if I am not offered my regular meal, I will have no choice but to serve myself, Your Grace." Rohan flashed them a harmless grin, one that chilled the marrow, and began to count slowly with his fingers.

Lady Louisiana looked at her husband in silent panic, her face pale as a ghost as they had no idea what to do. Their king had not provided them with any guidance on how to feed these vampires, and they had no knowledge that they do not like the kind of blood prepared for them.

"My Lord, we—" Lady Louisiana began to say, but Rohan banged his fist against the table, the sound echoing like a thunderclap. He had finished his count to ten.

"Time's up. Now it's time I take my meal in my own way." He rose smoothly from his chair.

Belle, who was seated on the mat, craned her neck to look up as Rohan stood, her parents sitting frozen in terror, literally trembling in their seats. Her parents had always been afraid of the night creatures. Anyone who had grown up in Aragonia was taught to fear them with the scary stories told from infancy, and her parents, despite their social status, feared them just like everyone else.

No doubt Rohan's presence was terrorizing them more than anything, especially with the rumors of him killing his parents cold-bloodedly.

Since they had long cast her aside, Belle felt no obligation to defend them now or tell her husband to leave them be. She watched Rohan reach across the table, his gloved hand closing around a knife. He turned to Eve, whose eyes widened in sheer horror as he held out his other hand.

"If you may, please hold out your wrist, my lady," he said politely, a kind smile stretched across his lips.

"Papa…" Eve cried out, her voice shaking as she turned fearfully to their father for help.

But before the Duke could speak, Rohan moved with inhuman speed, seizing Eve's wrist. With a swift movement, he drew the sharp blade across her delicate skin. A bright line of red welled immediately, and blood poured out. Rohan angled her wrist above the teacup, letting her blood drip steadily into it.

Eve cried out in pain, her terrified sobs filling the hall.

"Hush now, I am not going to kill you. I am only taking what I need, which is a cupful of blood. Tsk."

She looked at her parents for help, but both Duke and Duchess sat in horrified silence, their faces pale at the vampire's audacity.

When the teacup was filled, Rohan handed it wordlessly to Rav. Rav accepted it without hesitation and set it before Evenly, whose eyes had already darkened with hunger at the scent of blood. She was still weakened from the blood loss and could barely stay awake, but because their hosts had sent for them, Rav had been forced to wake her and guide her out here earlier.

"Drink," Rav encouraged when Evenly only stared at the blood. At his words, she finally reached for it with shaky hands and gulped it down her throat.

Rohan then moved toward the Duchess, his steps slow and intimidating. The Duke shot up from his chair in outrage.

"This is not acceptable, my Lord! I will call my guards on you for this disrespect to my family!" the Duke shouted, his voice trembling between anger and fear.

Rohan arched his brows, his tone calm. "Are you truly calling for bloodshed in your own house, my Lord? Do you think mere human guards could stop me?" He let out a tsk. "Not unless you want a mass burial tonight. Sit down and wait your turn to give your blood. Your Grace," he added, turning to Lady Louisiana and extending his gloved palm expectantly, "if you would be so kind."

He took her wrist with deceptive gentleness before dragging the blade deeper than necessary into her skin. Lady Louisiana cried out in sharp pain, her whole body trembling, while her eyes held a heated glare directed to the vampire. Rohan offered her a smile, apologetic in appearance, but mocking and insincere. He collected more blood than he had from Eve, filling another cup, and handed it to Rav.

Rav, as before, slid the cup toward Evenly. When she gave him an uncertain glance as the blood was supposed to be his this time around, he leaned close and whispered, "You need it more, my lady."

Evenly hesitated just for a moment before her hunger pushed her into taking the cup and gulping it down her dry throat just like she had the first cup. Her brain was too foggy to think straight but she could feel Rav's eyes on her as she drank.

Finally, Rohan took the Duke's blood. This time, he kept it for himself. He raised the cup, drinking the thick crimson liquid with satisfaction before setting it down. Then, straightening with an air of arrogance, he addressed them all.

"I have had a most delightful supper. I shall look forward to breakfast. Sleep well, Your Graces." He waved a gloved hand casually and, stealing a subtle glance at his wife, turned on his heel and strode away from the table.

He had to find the perfect opportunity to get on with the reason he was here. He had read in the Duchess's heart her hate for her elder daughter, something had caused that hate, and he would find it out before he left this land.