Amaryllis kicked off her shoes when she walked through the door to their quarters. She had a lovely day with Ulric, no arguing, no hostilities, just perfection. She even got to learn more about the mysterious man.

Ulric shut the door behind then after he walked through. He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a blood bag, and poured it into a glass. She noticed that his stock of her blood was slowly running out. He still had a lot left, but what would he do when he ran out? Would he draw blood from her with a needle, or would he bite her?

"Today was fun," she stated as she sat at the barstool in front of him. He put the glass down and licked his lips.

"I did enjoy our date," he replied, making Amaryllis smile.

"Ulric?"

"Hmm?"

"What are you going to do when I get old... and die?" She asked. She'd been wondering this for some time now. She didn't want him to be alone. She didn't want to die and leave him mateless, the thought hurt her heart. But, she was only human. She was going to die eventually.

Ulric chuckled as he brought the glass to his lips once more. "When I give you my mark, it will stop your aging process. You won't ever age, you won't ever die." He put the half-full glass of blood back into the fridge.

Her mouth fell agape. "Are you serious?" Amaryllis had no idea that was even a possibility. She truly thought she was going to grow old and die, something she didn't exactly want. She wanted to spend forever with Ulric.

He nodded his head as he came to stand in front of her. She could see his defined abdominal muscles and pecks through his gray t-shirt.

"We can only do that to our mates. It doesn't work for other humans. It won't make you a vampire. You'll still be susceptible to human weaknesses, but you won't ever die of old age. If something were to happen to you, I would be able to heal you anyway," he said while pulling her knees apart and moving in between them.

"Oh," she whispered. He was too close for her to think clearly. His scent and presence were all-consuming.

Ulric connected his lips to the soft skin of Amaryllis' neck. He sucked gently on the front of her neck, wishing he could pierce her delicate skin with his sharp teeth. Moving his head, he placed his lips onto hers, sliding his tongue into her mouth.

Amaryllis wrapped her legs around the back of his thighs. She scooted as close to his body as possible and then dug her hands into his thick brown hair.

"Ulric," she whispered when he released her lips so she could breathe. "Will you feed on me?" She wanted nothing more than for him to sink his teeth into her. She'd been thinking about it for days, waiting, wishing for it to happen.

Uric pulled away and looked at her, waiting for any signs of opposition before he leaned back into her neck. He kissed around her jugular vein while stretching his arms around her body. Picking her up from the chair, he took them to their bedroom

He sat in the bed holding her in his lap, while still massaging her skin with his tongue. When she relaxed into this new position, he extended his fangs. Then he slowly broke her skin and plunged them into her.

Amaryllis released a sharp cry from the motion. It pinched slightly at first, but the cry was from the pleasure that flooded in afterward. As quickly as the pinch of pain came, it disappeared and was replaced with pleasure. It felt wonderful.

She felt his lips holding a suction on her neck as his tongue moved around, lapping up her blood. "Ahhh," she trembled as she felt the pleasure heighten. The only thing that had ever felt so good was when he kissed her or... fingered her. She slid her hands back into his hair, pulling on the strands. She needed something to hold onto.

Ulric groaned into her neck as the blood infiltrated his mouth. He'd never tasted something so divine. Yes, her blood from the bags was immaculate, but even that didn't compare to this. He didn't think he would be able to survive without her blood again after having a taste of it.

Recognizing that she was reaching the limit of how much blood she would be able to lose, Ulric retracted his fangs and licked up the surrounding blood that had escaped from the abrasions on her neck.

He pulled his head away from her, looking at his masterpiece. The skin was raw and red, just the way he wanted. The two puncture holes dribbled some blood and he knew he had to close the wound soon, he just wanted to see the mark he had left before closing it. He looked at Amaryllis' face who was staring back at him. A smile graced her lips and she looked as if she was in complete euphoria.

He could smell her arousal in the air, though she didn't orgasm. He would allow her to next time as he didn't want to overwhelm her with pleasure her first time. Bending down, he licked the wounds, pulling away once he was sure they healed.

"Thanks, little mate," Ulric praised, placing his lips against her forehead.

"That felt... nice." Amaryllis let out a deep breath, finally calming herself down from the high.

"I told you it would," he said.

"I just didn't think it would feel like that," she said. "You can do that more often if you'd like."

"Thanks for the offer. Unfortunately, I have blood bags left to finish. I won't let any of your blood go to waste. But once I finish them, you're all mine."

Amaryllis pulled herself up and kissed Ulric, sucking on his lip. He reciprocated her actions, twisting her body so she was straddling his hips.

He grabbed her butt and laid down so she was laying on top of him. He gripped a chunk of her hair in his hand and pulled. She moaned against his lips and tried her hardest not to push herself into him.

She released her lips from his when he started to sit up. "What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing is wrong, I just needed to talk to you about something," he replied. "Tomorrow night I'm leaving to meet with the Alpha King. Once a year we meet to make sure our trades are running smoothly and that business is operating as it should be. He came here for the last meeting, so it's my turn to go to his kingdom. I'll be gone for about four days."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" She asked, wondering while he waited until the last minute to tell her. She didn't want to be without him for four days.

"I know I should've told you, but to be completely honest, I forgot about it until last night. You're the only thing that's been occupying my thoughts lately. I didn't want to tell you earlier today because I didn't want to ruin our date."

"Well, can't I come with you?" She asked.

Ulric shook his head and her sadness grew. "It's not safe. I have enemies, Amaryllis. It wouldn't be safe for you to leave the kingdom. We will be in an unfamiliar, foreign territory. You'll be better protected here."

"But, you're the one who protects me. So how will I be safe if you're gone?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was hoping this wouldn't be such an issue, he was wrong. He never had to explain himself to someone before. There was never a woman in his life that was interested in his responsibilities, nor one that cared about him so much that she didn't want to spend a few nights without him

"I need to focus on my alliance with the werewolves. Meaning I won't be able to focus on your wellbeing as much as I would like. I can't risk you being in danger for even second because I wasn't fully focused on you. You'll be safer here where my most valuable guards will protect you. Do you understand?" He asked.

She nodded sadly, feeling loneliness seep into her heart already. She understood why she couldn't go, but she didn't want to be at the castle without him. How was she supposed to sleep? She has nightmares anytime he wasn't there right next to her at night. It would be an awful four days without him.

"I'm sorry," he said, tilting her chin up to meet his eye line. "I don't want to leave you, but you'll be safer where people will be fully focused on you," he said.

"I know."

Ulric wrapped his arms around Amaryllis and hugged her tightly the next evening. He and Thierry were ready to leave for the werewolf kingdom. Ulric could feel the despair radiating off of her. He felt guilty, both that he was leaving and the heightened feelings of sadness she felt. If he was a human and they didn't have a mate bond, she wouldn't be nearly as upset.

He didn't want to leave her either. He wished he could bring her, but the alliance between the wolves and vampires was an important one. He needed to focus his attention on their meeting to ensure that their alliance is maintained. A war could ensue between the two species otherwise. While Ulric was not afraid of a fight, he didn't want his men killed for his simple act of carelessness. He needed to focus on the meeting, not on Amaryllis and her safety.

"I'll be back in a few days, okay." He reassured. She nodded against his chest.

He pulled away from her and bent down, kissing her lips. "Don't be so sad, little mate," he said. She giggled a little at his teasing tone.

"Listen to the guards I have stationed. They have your best interest in mind. Do not leave the castle. Do you understand me?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I'll miss you. Please be safe."

"I'm always safe," he said. Which was true, he hadn't survived centuries of battles by being careless. But now he had even more incentive to return home safely: Amaryllis.

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye," Ulric said. He kissed her once more before walking out of the door and heading toward the car waiting for them.

He looked over at Thierry's melancholy form. He didn't want to leave his mate either. "I really wish they were coming here this year," he said.

"Yeah, me too."

As Ulric made his way out of the vampire kingdom, toward the werewolf territory, Amaryllis walked through the halls back to their quarters. Little did either of them know, but an ominous plan was brewing behind locked castle doors. One of the greatest betrayals against a king in history.

When Amaryllis arrived at the doors in their wing of the castle, she noticed two men standing there that she had never seen before. "Hello," she said tentatively, not sure if she should greet them. She knew these vampires weren't exactly fans of humans if they weren't being used as slaves.

The one guard glanced at her and nodded, but didn't say anything. The other guard bowed slightly at his waist. "Good evening, Ms. Westbay." He offered her a kind smile. He opened the door for her, allowing her to enter.

"Thank you. What is your name, Sir?"

"My name is Simon. King Ulric has instructed me to look after you while he's gone. His name is Reynold," he said pointing over his shoulder to the much more standoffish guard.

"It's nice to meet you, Simon." She said.

"You as well Ms. Westbay."

She cringed at that title. She didn't like being called that. She was only 18 yet she felt like she was 65 when people called her 'Ms.'

"You can call me Amaryllis," she said.

"Well, have a good evening Amaryllis."

"You as well," she replied before walking through the door. She sighed as she looked around the area that she had considered her home. She felt lonely there without Ulric.

She decided to spend the rest of the evening tidying up the house to distract herself from the encroaching loneliness. It wasn't dirty or anything, but there were dishes that needed to be washed, clothes that needed to be cleaned, and floors that needed to be swept.

She started with the dishes: washing, drying, and putting them back in their respective spots. Then she gathered their dirty clothes from their room and the bathroom and started washing a load. After she was done with that, she made their bed and swept the floor. Then she moved out to the kitchen and living room and swept those floors as well.

After she had finished everything, an hour and a half had passed and it was dark outside. She was quite hungry after she had finished tidying up because she hadn't eaten anything for lunch. There wasn't much food left in the fridge for her to eat. Ulric said he would order groceries for her when he got back from his trip, but for her to just eat from the dining room and kitchen while he was gone.

She took her hair out of the ponytail it was in and then pulled her pajama pants on. She figured that no humans would be in the kitchen that late at night, so it didn't really matter what she looked like. She knocked on the front door, hoping she wouldn't hit Simon or Reynold when she opened it.

She stepped out into the hallway and saw both guards standing on either side of her. She nodded at them, then began her walk to the kitchen. "Where are we going Ms. We- Amaryllis?"

She almost screamed when the person spoke because she had no idea they were next to her. Curse vampires and their superhuman abilities, she thought.

"Oh, I was just going to the kitchen to get something to eat. You don't need to come with me Simon," she said. She wouldn't get lost. She has acquainted herself with these halls over the last few months.

"It's the King's orders to follow wherever you go," he said, slowing his pace to match her own.

"Well, thanks?" She wasn't exactly sure how to respond to that. "Do you know how far away this werewolf kingdom is?" She asked Simon. She wanted to make conversation so this walk wouldn't be awkward.

"Well we are on the eastern side of the country, and the werewolf kingdom is on the western side of the country, so it will take them roughly a day to get there without any breaks if they use their vampiric speed. It will take roughly two days if they stay in the car. Then a day for the meeting and another day to arrive home. So they'll be gone about 3-4 days."

Amaryllis released an audible sigh. She wished the four days would be over already. She entered the kitchen and went to the fridge, seeing an assortment of foods. She unwrapped a plate with aluminum foil covering it to see crispy chicken tenders. She took three of the tenders, a scoop of mashed potatoes and a side of broccoli salad.

She opened the door of the microwave to take her plate out after heating it when she heard a loud grunt. She turned around to see two men, as well as Reynold, attacking Simon. He was a strong fighter, but no match for three competitors of equal ability. It all happened so fast. Simon was knocked to the ground and two of the men held him down while Reynold plunged a wooden stake through his heart. The plate in her hands crashed to the floor.

"Take the body to the dungeons. Dispose of it down there." Reynold said to one of the men. Amaryllis' hand went to her mouth in complete shock.

"Don't scream," Reynold said to her. "Unless you want this woman to die." He motioned around the corner and a frightened Heather walked into the room. She was one of the girls that were picked for the Harvest. There were tears streaking her face and her neck was bloodied, indicating she'd been fed on.

She looked away from Heather, staring Reynold in the eye, waiting for him to say whatever he had to say. "You and I are going to go on a little trip. We are going to leave through the dungeons and if you misbehave, my friend here will make sure your friend suffers," he sneered.

Don't cry, she willed herself. Don't cry Amaryllis. You are strong and you are brave. Don't show them weakness. They will prey off of your weakness and take advantage of you. Be strong.

She could tell Ulric was changing. He was much kinder, much more compassionate to people than when she first met him. She believed it was due to her influence. He had also taught her some things. Like how to control her emotions around other people. She stared at Reynold with a blank face, not allowing him to see her fear.

Reynold growled at her and stomped over, grabbing her arm in his hand. He squeezed her arm tightly like the guard did the first day she arrived. It was like déjà vu. She was reliving her first day here, except this time it was much more frightening.

As they walked down the corridor to the dungeon entrance, they passed by Binta. Reynold squeezed her arm painfully, indicating that she should be on her best behavior. Amaryllis smiled at Binta, hoping she could tell that there was something wrong and alert someone.

"Amaryllis, where are you headed to so late my dear?" She asked. Was this her chance, Amaryllis thought. She could tell Binta what was happening.

No, you can't. Reynold would kill her before she had a chance to escape.

She gritted her teeth together and formulated a lie, hoping Binta would be able to tell through the lie and alert someone secretly.

"Reynold is taking me to my old cell in the dungeons. I think I left something down there," she replied.

"Well, don't stay down there too long. It's cold," she warned and then continued on her walk after flashing Amaryllis a friendly smile. Amaryllis' smile fell as she felt the fear seep into her body. She was going to be taken.

After a long day of babysitting the Kingdom's children, it was a relief to see Amaryllis. Binta hadn't seen her since she accidentally revealed to her that she was a second chance mate. She did hope she and the King discussed that matter. It did appear that Amaryllis was happy to see her and not resentful over her slip up, so that was reassuring.

As Binta walked to her room that she shared with her husband Edmund, she realized something particularly odd. Amaryllis hadn't lived in the dungeon cells in months. Why would she just now be going down there to retrieve a forgotten item? She also looked slightly afraid as the guard Reynold held her arm.

Binta recalled Reynold to be a very off-putting man. He made her feel disgusted when he looked at her. She knew that he had been harshly reprimanded once before by King Ulric for attempting to seduce an unwilling married woman.

Before she got to her room, she turned quickly and sped down to the dungeons. Amaryllis was nowhere to be seen.