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my lifestyle well
enough.
An urge to flee hit me. Out of the corner of
my eye, I noticed a man with a woman pinned to the wall. His mouth
was on her throat as Dante’s was so often on mine. Something was
wrong with these people… and with Master Sanuto. It was too late
now. From the moment of our first encounter, it had already been
far too late to escape.

After a night of strange passion, I awoke
feeling weak in Dante’s bed. The party had been a whirl of
unfamiliar faces, congratulations, and indulgences in wine, food,
and body. Antonio had disappeared after the announcement and I had
not seen him again for the rest of the night.
    “ I suppose I should set
forth your rules.” Dante said from a nearby chair.
He had been silent and his voice startled
me. I rubbed my neck. “Rules?” I asked.
    “ Claiming you as my own is a
major step for me. I do not love. It is too… painful.” He broke eye
contact with me briefly as if he were remembering the past. “Follow
my loose guidelines and I will try.”
    “ Yes, Master.” I said,
knowing nothing else to say.
Slowly, he stood, as if he had to
deliberately make himself move at the tedious speed. “No more
lovers. At times, I may allow it, but it will be decided by me
only. What better way to boast to friends than give them a taste of
what they cannot keep?” He laughed softly.
I smiled, albeit awkwardly. “How will I make
coin?”
    “ You will no longer need to
work. I will supply all that you need even before the wedding. This
leads me to the next rule. I have a room prepared and you will live
here. As long as you behave, you are free to leave to shop and
venture around the city as you please.”
    “ What about my mother?” I
asked.
He waved a hand dismissively. “I will take
care of anything she may need.”
I nodded. “Thank you, sir.”
     
    “ Lastly,” he crossed his
arms over his chest before continuing. “Do nothing to disrespect me
whether in private or within view of the prying eyes of others.”
The intensity of his voice made me tremble a bit with a fear I
couldn’t place.
    “ I will not disappoint
you.”
Without warning, he pinned me to the bed
once more and his mouth was on mine with fiery passion. Despite my
thoughts being jumbled and mind confused, my body responded
eloquently to his touch. Images jumped out at me from the mural
painted on the ceiling. Beasts and fangs, naked bodies and red
pools… so much blood.
After Dante brought me to climax, he gripped
my throat and held me in his gaze as if trying to discern my
loyalty. His lips were pressed tightly together. Then, he turned
his face away from me and from the side I saw his mouth arch open.
What he was struggling with, I didn’t know.
    “ I need to get away from you
before I take too much.” He let go, jumped off the bed to grab a
robe, and opened the door. “Forgive my lack of control. It is
unacceptable given my age.” He was gone.
    “ Take too much?” I asked out
loud to myself when exited the room. Subconsciously, I had placed
my hand on my tender throat again. In hindsight, my obliviousness
would become apparent. If I had known, it would have changed
little. I was young and being spoiled by one of the most powerful
vampires in the world.

Dante was nowhere to be found as I wandered
the mansion. I’d stopped in the kitchen where bottles, of what I
thought to be dark red wine, were being taken down into an unlit
room. Promptly, I was turned around and sent on my way by the
guiding hands of a pale, weak looking servant.
    “ The kitchen is no place for
the mistress of the house.” The man smiled. When he turned away I
saw fading bruises on his neck like the ones that occasionally
appeared on mine.
    “ I am not the mistress of
anything yet.” I mumbled, further exploring the mansion. As I was
heading for the library, a different person stopped me.
She was a thick, big-boned, and terrifying
looking woman. “There you are, little one. I have been looking for
you. Master