TAKEN BY THE DRAGON KING

(Morning After)

Elena POV.

I shifted, feeling the plush softness of the bed beneath my fingertips. For a moment, all I could feel was the warm, sweet glow and comforts of bed.

I stretched out, my fingertips touching another body.

My eyes flew open.

I looked around, my brain taking a moment to catch up with where I was. I was in the room with Dracul, in the middle of nowhere. We’d been visiting the magician.

We had made love.

I sank back into the sheets; my eyes open wide as I started up at the ceiling. Dracul was beside me; I could see the curve of his body beneath the sheets.

I should feel regret.

I didn’t though. I didn’t feel regret. All I felt was the comfort and softness of the warm blankets around me. All I felt was how solid Dracul was behind me in the bed.

It was a comfort, waking up with someone beside me. I had never imagined that it could feel so good to wake up with someone. I had never imagined how this might feel.

I had never thought of making love and what it would be like. I had imagined candles and soft sheets, sure, but that was about it.

Maybe on my wedding night, that would have made sense.

Somehow, I didn’t care that that wasn’t how it had happened. Somehow, it didn’t seem to matter.

What has passed between Dracul and me was something else entirely. What had passed between Dracul and I was magical, overwhelmingly passionate, and raw, and fuelled by desire and chemistry.

The chemistry had been building between us for what felt like ages. It had only been days, but I felt like I had known him for years. He infuriated me.

He lit my body on fire.

Head me feel things, things that no one else makes me feel, things that I had never thought was possible in my life.

I wanted him, I didn’t regret what we did.

I looked over at him and signed. My body ached, in the best possible way. I was still in my dress and Dracul was still dressed too, from what I could see.

He shifted as I watched him turn over to face me. His eyes were soft as they landed on mine.

But they were stormy. There was something troubling in those beautiful golden eyes of his. There was something on his mind.

In the dim light, I could see that something was awry.

“What’s up?” I said, my voice a quiet whisper.

I didn’t know why I was whispering when we were the only ones here, but I was. I felt like I had to preserve the scared moment that was passing between us, the silence that said more than words ever could.

I felt like I had to make it last.

“Nothing.” He said back. His voice was just as quiet, and I shivered at the sound.

I vividly remember the way he sounded when he was moaning my name and I loved every second of it, thrived on it, craved more. I wanted it so much that it made my head spin.

I wanted to hate myself for it. I wanted to feel ashamed, but right now, I just couldn’t.

“Okay.” I whispered back.

Maybe I was just imagining it. I had never done this before, and I didn’t know how things usually went afterward.

Dracul looked at me for a moment, “Are you okay?” He said, “Do you need anything?”

“I’m okay.” I answered, feeling a warm glow in there of my stomach, at his words. He did care.

“Good.” He said, pushing himself up. I watched as he straightened his clothes and tucked in his shirt, getting up out of the bed.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll be going.” He said.

They were a hesitation in his eyes, in his voice. My stomach dropped.

“Going?” I asked.

I was fairly sure that wasn’t part of what was supposed to stay. If he cared, that was.

Yes. I still have a matter to attend to here. He said “We’ve slept long enough. You rest if you need to.”

There was. I have passion in his eyes, not anymore. He seemed cold. Unsettled, in the edge. I didn’t understand it

He had been fuelled with passion when we made love. We had fallen into a heap of sleep right away afterward and I had been content.

No words had passed between us, but I thought he was satisfied with what had happened, with us making love.

And now, he was leaving without so much as a kiss.

I felt my stomach churn.

Suddenly, I wanted to bathe myself. I knew there was a basin in the bathroom, and I needed to use it, whether the water was hot or cold. It no longer mattered to me.

“Alright.” I said simply.

I wasn’t going to chase after him. That was not a woman’s job and I wouldn’t peruse him if he wasn’t interested.

The regret was starting to set in.

“Okay. I’ll be back within a few hours. If you are hungry, please call the servants, they will attend to you.”

Dracul grabbed his coat, sliding it over his shoulders and straightening his hair.

Did he look good? Why did he have to make my heart skip a beat and my stomach churn with butterflies every time I looked at him?

“Okay,” I whispered.

I watched him leave, watch him step outside and close to the door. He didn’t look back once. The troubled, stormy look never left his face as he swept out of the room.

“Maybe it’s…. not me.” whispered to the empty room.

Maybe he really had pressing business. He had seemed upset when he came back, after all. Maybe there was more to the story.

Or maybe, now that he had used me, he no longer wanted me.

I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. I didn’t want to believe that. I didn’t want to think that Dracul was that kind of person. I didn’t want to feel like he was capable of doing something like that. Not Dracul.

But how well did I know him?Copyright Nôv/el/Dra/ma.Org.

I shook off the cloying thoughts and stood up. Everything ached and I could still feel the pleasure tingling through my body.

I hurried to the bathroom and tired off my dress.

I stepped into the cold basin of water and grabbed the clothe and soap. The water was chilled, but I didn’t care.

I needed to wash away everything that had happened. I needed to wash his perfect, intoxicating touch from my body. I needed to forget how amazing his hands felt on my skin.

I needed to forget the wave of pleasure. I needed to wash myself of this, or I could crave more.

And I couldn’t crave more. Because the sinking realization was starting to hit me. Dracul just wasn’t interested now that he had I was no longer virginal and pure.

He was no longer interested in touching me if I wasn’t a conquest. I had heard that Lords and rulers, kings and princes, who were like that.

I didn’t want to believe it of Dracul, but the distress was starting to rise inside of me.

Had I made the wrong choice? Should I have played coy and told him no?

Even though my body had ached for him, my mind has screamed to kiss him… maybe I shouldn’t have waited. Maybe men didn’t like women who were too interested in sex.

I didn’t know. I was taught to rule a country and I had never been courted as a result. I was focused on my people, not my own needs.

And now, I was paying for the price for my ignorance.

I blinked back the tears that started to form in my eyes.

What had I gotten myself into?

We were on this crazy trip and I didn’t even know why. There was a coup in the castle and I still hadn’t told Dracul.

I had slept with the Dragon Lord and, even though my heart was breaking, I knew I would take him back in an instance.

My world was in tatters, I would never see my family and friends again and I had no idea what the future held.

I felt suffocated. I felt panicked. I felt the stress start to tug in my mind.

I stumbled out of the bathroom, drying myself as I went, discarding the towel in a heap as I grabbed my luggage.

I pulled on my dress, my breathing coming quick and fast. I needed to make a change. I couldn’t keep living like this.

I couldn’t handle this anymore. I couldn’t handle this anymore, I couldn’t keep doing this.

I needed to get out of here.