Marked (Book 1 of the Royal Monsters)

7

Arlo

I sat in the chair that was adjacent from Nessa's bed. The steady pulse coming from her was enough to almost lull me to sleep.
A smile twitched at my mouth when the memory of Nessa finding out that we sleep.

"Vampires sleep?" Nessa said astonished. She just came from school, so she was still in her uniform. Her blue school shirt was untucked and she was perched on the counter, eating a bowl of cereal.

Which doesn't sit well with Rysand as he was looking at her with disgust. He hates when she eats sugar, let alone a bowl of it. She turned to look at him and scooped a spoonful into her mouth and hummed in delight.

I stifled a laugh. She just turned 12 so she going into her brat phase for sure. "Sugar will rot your teeth." He growled softly. He was inching towards her slowly. She giggled before her gold eyes flew back to me.

"Yes we sleep but it's different for us Vampires. We can go days, almost weeks, without sleeping but eventually we will crash." I said softly. I grabbed my cup of coffee. Well, it was a mixture of coffee and blood but you can hardly tell.

"Oh, so do you sleep in coffins?" She asked. Her face scrunched in such a cute way, I almost wanted to hug her and squish her.

"That is insulting." Rysand said lowly. He was standing next to her watching as she scooped another spoonful into her mouth. "You're going to ruin your dinner." He growled.

Nessa ignored him. "While we do prefer sleeping in coffins, it aged out and now we just sleep in beds like humans do." I said softly, taking a sip of my coffee.

"Ooh so you guys just sleep stiff, still, and no breathing?" She wondered aloud. I laughed.

"Yes I suppose we do."

Rysand finally snatched the bowl away from her and blinked towards the sink. Dunking the whole bowl into the drain. 

"Rysand! That's not fair!"

I traced my finger over my lips as I watched Nessa roll to her back. Her pretty arms were above her head and she was snoring softly. I like her snore. Gives me assurance that she was breathing.

Rysand and I got her ready for bed after we talked about her new rules now. She really wasn't happy with the new rules but nonetheless. She followed Rysand to her new room and watch as he sat out her clothes for tomorrow.

Rysand has always been controlling when it came to her. He always controlled what classes she needed to take. Her diet. Her wellness. Anything that involves her, he wanted to control. And this was recent development when she turned 16. It started off small but it grew more and more over the years and we end up here.

Deep down, i know he loves to take care of her and make sure she has everything she needs. It's like his very own personalized doll. He loves the fact that she bites back as well. Never lets him hear the end of something he wants but she does it anyway because she loves to please him just as much as he loves to control her.

Me? What do I love about her? I love loving her. Ever since I found her on the steps of pur home I think something in me clicked in my heart. Like a piece of me I thought was broken immediately repaired itself. I stayed up with her when she wailing the night away. I watched her sleep because I thought she would disappear from my eyes. I listened to her babbles all the way up to ramblings as she grew older.

But. Something is different. Something changed. Felt it when Rysand and I stepping out of the car outside of the school. Rysand was the one who wanted to go in and kill the little bitch who poured food all over our love but I made the decision to let me handle it and he go home and cool off.

Walking into that office I was not prepared for the most delicious smell I have ever smelled. At first I thought it was either the principal or the bitch in question but when they both walked past me, they smelled horrible. I shivered in disgust when I remembered them.

So the only option was the darling little brat who refused to turn around and look at me after 3 years of no communication and visits.

Cherries.

She smelled like really sweet cherries.

It made my dick stand to attention when I walked closer to her. Her hair was still wet from trying to get most of the food from her hair but somehow her being wet made the smell mouthwatering.

It made me want to sink my fangs deep int-

"Arlo." A voice hissed into my ear. I was jerked from daydream to see I was standing and Rysand was standing in front of me. His deep red eyes gleaming dangerously.

"You smell her too." He said softly. My eyes flew to her body where she now was on her stomach, all her limbs spread out in front of her. A smile almost tugged the corners.

"She didn't smell like that when she was younger." I said as I grabbed her foot that hanging from the side of the bed and tucked it back under the cover. She groaned before going quiet.

"I know. She smells...delicious." He said. His long fingers running through my hair. "She's making my senses go haywire. It's like everything is heightened. I could hear the plane leaving from here and your eyes. Your eyes are brighter." He said staring into them.

I know. I saw them through my sun glasses as we came into the building from the reflection.

"We will probably need to talk to Nathaniel." I stated softly. Rys groaned softly in annoyance.

"Do we have to speak to that imbecile?" He growled.

"Considering he is the most powerful warlock known to mankind and our ally. He can probably answer questions that we need answered."

Rysand mumbled obscenities under his breath but agreed. King Nathaniel was one of the three other Queen and king, besides us, ruling. He was king of the warlock and witches of the east side. He was known for his future telling, tarot reading, and powerful magic potions. His arrogant and sexy charm were just added features. But he could most likely help us understand what is happening.

A tiny groan sounded from the bed. We looked to see she moved again into a position. She was probably restless. She usually slept through the night stuff as board.

"Rysand." A tiny voice murmured. We both looked at the bed to see Nessa was upright staring at us with sleepy doe eyes. "Rysand." She growled. I nearly laughed because it sounds like a puppy. He stared at her in shock but move closer to her.

"What is it my love." He stated. She held out her arms. "I can't sleep. Can you please lay with me." She asked softly. He hesitated by the foot of the bed.

"Please." She whispered. "Just this once. I can't sleep." She whimpered. That had my legs moving automatically. I pulled the cover up and slid under. She looked at me and smiled but it was a little sad. She wanted Rysand but she would settle for me if she had too. My cute little brat.

She immediately slid down and curled next to me. I wrapped my arm around her and rubbed my cold hand up and down her back. Her breathing immediately evened and she was out like a light.

Rysand inches towards the bed slowly. I raised a brow in amusement as he slowly lowered to the bed.

"Dear god Rysand, she's not gonna bite." I said astonishingly. He finally sat down where she later. On top of the covers, he crossed his legs and leaned back.

"Honestly Rysand."

"Silence. She's never....called out to me." He whispered. I smiled softly before pulling her closer to me.

"Get used to it. I have a feeling she's going to be needing you a lot more."

Bow chica wow wow