Calhoun noticed how Madeline looked as if she were ready to fight with her hands clenched into fists, he asked her,

"Why did you step away?" he asked, taking two steps forward towards her and before she could take another step, he had already caught up to her, "You really make me enjoy the chase, and some part tells me you love it," his lips twisted and Madeline stared back at him.

"You are wrong," her reply was quick, and he did nothing but smile further.

"Are you sure about it? I have told you many times already that I love the chase and you only give me more reasons to chase and hunt you down."

"I am not a prey to hunt."

Calhoun chuckled, "You are mine to hunt. It is better you stay close to me than trying to keep away a distance because you should know it brings about an opposite effect on me contrary as to what you think it will do. Your skin looks red," he said, his eyes moving away from her brown eyes that looked guarded to trail down from her cheek to the jaw and the column of her neck before it went further to look at the top of her dress before moving back up to look into her eyes.

Madeline's skin only turned redder as blood rushed up, with his eyes that had trailed on her skin, "You are my prey to hunt. Just mine," his words came out to be absolute.

The King was overbearing and compared to how things were, when they first met properly to have lunch with her family, she felt like it had only gotten worse. She was not his!

"Say it out loud what you have on your mind," Calhoun probed for a reply, noticing how Madeline was resisting from blurting anything more. He wanted her to fall and make mistakes, mistakes just for him.

"So that it makes things worse?" she asked him.

The sinister smile appeared on his lips, amusement in his eyes, "When did that happen?" he asked, "I give you the freedom to speak."

"Only in your favour," she replied to him. Anything that didn't go well with him he liked to turn it as if she was the one at fault.

Calhoun shook his head, "I don't even remember when that happened. Maybe you can choose your words more carefully," she doubted that would help, "How did you sleep last night?" asked Calhoun, eagerness laced in his voice.

"I had nightmares about monsters," answered Madeline, her eyes hardened knowing what he was hinting.

The smile never lowered down from Calhoun's face, and he took in her expression of resistance, "You must have been scared. Want to stay in my room so that I can drive them away?" he asked her, his voice low that had the ability to seduce anyone, especially with the way he looked.

This is what she was talking about, said Madeline to herself.

"I think it will only make it worse," the words left Madeline's lips where she was gritting her teeth.

"How do you know that, when we haven't tried sleeping on the same bed?"

Madeline could tell that Calhoun was more than amused by her replies, and she was only entertaining him by continuing to answer him. Because if she didn't, it would only make him question her more, trying to make her talk.

Ignoring his previous question, she bowed her head, "Milord, I have a request to make from you."

"If it only sits well with me," came the condition and Madeline knew her request had been thrown out of the window before she could even propose it, "What is it?" he asked with a curious look in his eyes.

Madeline raised her head to say, "Please take your meals regularly."

Calhoun tilted his head, "And?" he knew there was more, knowing exactly what she was going to say, "Let me save your breath, sweet girl. You are the dessert I will have, and I won't take a no for it. Do not worry; we will give some break before the blood replenishes back into your body."

"Why?" asked Madeline, a frown came to settle on her forehead.

"Because I get hungry? What a silly question you have asked," laughed Calhoun, starting to make his way out of the courtroom and Madeline quickly followed, on his heel.

"I am sure there are many other people out there, who are willing to offer you their blood to take," she tried to plead with him. She didn't want to repeat what happened yesterday. The maid's neck was in line, which was why she had stepped in—not wanting to think that a maid's life was lost and the blood was on her hands.

"Their blood doesn't taste as good as yours," the King's answers were simple. Madeline didn't know how to persuade him to go suck someone else, "Why are you against it? You said yourself many are willing to offer me their blood. Doesn't it mean it is a privilege to be of some use for the King?"

"I can help you-"

Calhoun stopped walking, turning to her and his eyes turned dark, "Help me in other things?" he asked. His feet moved forward and Madeline tried to create some space, "What will you do? I have a cook who cooks, servants who clean the castle, coachmen to ride the carriage and ministers who advise in the court. But all they do is bring problems, and the suggestions they give are usually useless. What can you offer me, Madeline?" he emphasized on 'you' that felt intimidating.

He had pulled out all the things she could be of any use, but then she said, "I can be your friend…"

Calhoun stared hard at her. His eyes narrowed down that made Madeline feel small, "Be my lover and my wife."

Madeline refused it right away in her mind!

"I have better options if you feel the position of a lover is difficult. You can help me bathe." The corner of one side of his lips pulled up, to see how Madeline turned mortified at the idea, and it made him wonder if she imagined herself bathing him.

"You have maids to do that," answered Madeline, and she didn't even know why she was arguing with him. She was stupid, a stupid village girl who was no match to the King's trickery.

"I can have them to do something else," Calhoun suggested as if it was no big deal. Madeline turned her head away to hear him say, "I will not drink your blood once in a week. We will do it once every month. What is it going to be?"

There were two sides to the weights, one where it involved him not sucking her blood or skin, and on the other hand, she would need to bathe him. That would mean that she would be seeing him naked. After all, who bathed with their clothes on, asked Madeline to herself. She didn't like either of the two options.

"You offer the things you want."

"I am not offering you," he said and Madeline looked at him perplexed, "We can discuss this over breakfast."

Calhoun started to walk, and Madeline stood there, staring at his back for several seconds before finally moving her feet. She didn't want to leave her stomach empty out of anger.

Madeline didn't bring up the conversation during the time of their breakfast, and she ate as much as she could. Wondering if she turned fat, maybe the King would lose his interest in her. Knowing how speaking directly didn't work with him, all she could think was her options that turned out to be passive-aggressive. She didn't know how else to deal with Calhoun.

While taking a bite, she slowly sneaked up from her plate to look at him, noticing how his hands moved with the knife and fork. She noticed Calhoun had long fingers. She shook her head to get rid of the thought that moved to the time when he had weaved his hand into the back of her hair.

He had complimented the food she had made, having Sophie's food cleared from the table while giving her the priority. What went inside the King's mind? Asked Madeline to herself. The King was undoubtedly a handsome man who exuded power. Seeing him quiet and concentrating on food, he appeared to be a little more tolerable.

When she went to look back at him, she saw him about to take a bite from the fork.

His lips parted to take in the food into his mouth, and two trails of the juiciness of the meat escaped from the corner of his lips when Calhoun brought his finger up. He caught them in time to put his finger into his mouth.

Madeline's eyes were concentrated on the lower half of his face, entranced by the action where she failed to realise that Calhoun's eyes had fallen on her.

"Enjoying the little show?" asked Calhoun and Madeline's eyes snapped up to meet his eyes, "I can demonstrate it better," he said, and Madeline quickly turned her head to look at her plate before Calhoun would suck on his finger again.

For the remainder of the meal, her eyes didn't move to look at him again.

The dining room was big with the long table that had the capacity to seat more than two dozens of people but the time she had been here, it was mostly Calhoun who was sometimes accompanied by Theodore. She wondered if he ever got bored, sitting here and eating by himself.

Where was his family? asked Madeline to herself.

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