chapter twenty

I wasn’t too surprised that she left the house today. I had been waiting for what felt like an eternity, eager to catch a glimpse of the intricate creative process behind my artist. As I snuck through the back door, I took in the delicious scent of Vanessa and the notes of the dog she loves so much. But something else was here, something masculine, and it sent my beast on edge.

Vanessa was mine. Only I could understand her genius and her creativity. I followed his scent like a bloodhound. Following its trail up to her room, a snarl that shook the floor underneath me broke from my chest as I recognized it was most concentrated on her bed. How dare he mark her! He didn’t get to do this. She was mine and only mine. I needed to make my claim. Even if he was a human, I needed to mark her as mine in any way I could. She was warming up to me. Becoming an official couple and lifelong mates was inevitable. It was only a matter of time now. She hadn’t mentioned a single thing about this male, and I have been around her enough to give her the opportunity.

I took great pleasure stroking my cock over her sheets, letting pre-cum drip from me, marking her bed most intimately. The tantalizing idea of concealing his scent and substituting it with my own caused an intense surge of pleasure that washed over me in mere minutes. I made sure to spread it all over her pristine white sheets, hoping that tonight she would bury herself in them, engulfed in my scent.

Slowly exhaling in frustration, I felt my muscles relax. I checked in with my beast, and although he wanted more, we had no other options at the moment. Marking her fully right now would only scare her away, which was something we both would not tolerate. To distract my beast from the male’s scent, I made it a point to thoroughly rub my hands and face on every place he touched. I left my own scent everywhere, effectively overriding his presence, particularly within the confines of her room.

After the storm of murderous rage passed, I was able to appreciate the beauty of my mate’s home, from the soft lighting to the comforting aroma of vanilla and jasmine. The first thing I recognized was that there were no family pictures. Outside of the male and Samwise, Vanessa didn’t have another scent in this house, which made me think that she had no other friends or family she regularly talked to or invited over.

While it would work in my favor down the line when we changed her, at the moment, it only brought me sorrow. It broke my heart that my mate lacked someone to stand by her side. It would be okay. Not only would I be in her corner, but I would be in her corner for the rest of our lives. There were plenty of other vampires I had made friends with over the centuries that I knew she would love to meet. Because even as a human, she shared their bloodthirsty ideals, and I could just imagine what it was going to be like when she was a full-fledged immortal.

I could just imagine her enjoying every single drop of blood, and I would help her in every endeavor that she wished to partake in.

My fingers trailed along every surface as I walked by, absorbing the details of the paintings hanging on her walls. It was evident that the portraits were mass-produced, likely sourced from a store like Target, and the realization left me with a scowl. But no worries, she just didn’t know any better yet. I would educate her on the beauty of art, and we would have a home together where I would fill the blank canvases on our walls with beautiful, vibrant art. An open dedication to her own beauty.

I wonder how she would react to a naked portrait of her in our bedroom, maybe with me behind her, holding her open as I impaled her. I would never want anyone else to witness the way I saw her, which was why we would allow no one else in our bedroom. However, the thought of erecting monuments in her likeness filled me with awe, as she was the sole deity I desired to exalt.

Making my way back to the living room area, I was further annoyed with the lack of family connections. She was a masterpiece both inside and out, and it made me irrationally angry that someone would let this diamond go. But their loss was my gain because I would now be her family and her forever.

A whimper caught my attention. It was so faint that if I hadn’t had the hearing that I did, I would’ve never noticed it. My head swiveled in the direction of the basement, and my smile grew wide as I recognized that this was probably where her playground resided. With each step taken cautiously, I gingerly turned the doorknob to the basement, hoping to remain silent, but the door’s shrill squeak foiled my intention. Grimacing, I left the door ajar, fearing it might lock behind me and I would have to break it to leave. I cautiously descend the stairs, savoring the smell of disinfectant, the presence of different flowers and plants, and the overpowering aroma of blood. Making my way down into the basement, I couldn’t help but fixate on the sight of a larger man, his wrists and ankles tightly bound to the metal table at the center of the room like a captivating centerpiece. He was still alive, but his heartbeat was slowing by the second as the delicious life blood poured out of him and drained onto the table to drain further into a large bucket underneath him.

“What a clever girl,” I murmured. Not only was he kept blindfolded, but as I walked closer to the body, I realized she had cut out his tongue so he couldn’t speak. “What a clever girl indeed.”

With the blindfold lifted, he let out a cry of both surprise and discomfort as the brightness flooded his previously dark world. His eyes frantically opened when he realized it wasn’t Vanessa in front of him but someone entirely new.

“Now I wonder what you’ll be made into. You have enough fat stores here to entertain my love for quite some time with new batches of anything she wishes.” In an instant, I could see the hope drain from his face as I spoke. “Oh yes. You know, I did find her through her work. She made this delicious soap bar with one of her… experiments.” I smirked. “I had to find the genius artist who created such a marvelous creation. It was revolutionary. At least in my parts of the world.”

As I retreated from him, his eyes never wavered as they locked onto me, searching for answers. He longed for me to spare him any additional suffering while desperately holding onto a flicker of hope that I might set him free. But I would never do that.

I took a finger and ran it through the current of blood before putting it in my mouth with a loud moan. “I can see the appeal. You are delicious. If I wasn’t so sure that every ounce of your blood was being counted, I would take a cup for myself.”

My gaze drifted away from the man on the table, drawn instead to the assortment of plants and flowers she delicately tended to, creating an enchanting atmosphere. Only after admiring her handiwork did I redirect my attention to the equipment behind the table. I wasn’t much of a scientist, so I wasn’t sure what every item was. Her collection was a fascinating array of vials filled with different liquids, while Crock-Pots simmered with the remnants of previous victims, their transformation into tallow and broth filling the air, alongside a display of dyes and powders made from various other substances.

It was evident that she knew exactly what she was doing, and it was incredibly exciting. Behind me was what I assumed to be a restaurant-size freezer, and I was practically giddy as I opened the door to see what she had cooling. Large slabs of meat hung on hooks, suggesting she’d been hunting quite a bit lately. My cock twitched in my pants at how wondrous my little artist was. I didn’t want to disturb much else, so I closed the freezer behind me and placed the blindfold back on the man on the table. It was amusing to witness his acceptance of his fate, knowing there was no way to change it.

As I walked back up the stairs and erased the existence of my entry from her home, I sent Vanessa a text asking if she wanted to meet up with me for a date, all the while praying that she said yes, but knowing that even if she said no, I wouldn’t stop pursuing her.

What a woman!