Lorenzo's hands found their way inside Marie's silk gown, rubbing her already tense nipples. Marie moaned into the kiss, the sounds swallowed by Lorenzo's greedy tongue as it explored her mouth, tasting the wine she had consumed.
Lorenzo's bloodthirst kicked in faster than expected. Her eyes changed color, shifting from light blue to crimson. Fortunately, the room was quite dark, lit only by the dying fire.
Marie broke the kiss, her hand traveling down to Lorenzo's groin. She whispered in perfect Italian, "Se non mi avessi abbandonato e non fossi scappato da me come se fossi niente, le nostre vite ora sarebbero un sogno diventato realtà." *(If you had not abandoned me and run away from me like I was nothing, our lives right now would be a dream come true.)*
Lorenzo froze for a heartbeat. *She speaks Italian. She has understood everything.*
But there was no time to process that revelation.
Lorenzo pulled Marie's nightgown off in one swift motion and kissed her neck, trailing down to her breasts. She took one nipple into her mouth, sucking hard, pulling Marie closer as she ground against her.
Marie wrapped her arms around Lorenzo's shoulders, moaning loudly as Lorenzo bit down gently on her nipple, making her even wetter.
Lorenzo's head was clouded with lust and thirst. Her fangs were fully extended now, aching to pierce that pale throat.
She was about to bite Marie's neck when those words echoed in her mind: *If you had not abandoned me...*
If she took Marie now—like this, when Marie was drunk and vulnerable—it would ruin any chance she had of truly winning her heart.
Lorenzo flipped Marie onto her back and positioned herself above her.
Marie welcomed it, pulling her thighs higher, spreading them wider for him, kissing all over Lorenzo's face with desperate abandon.
Lorenzo said in a rough, strained voice, "I will not take you tonight. You are drunk and vulnerable. But I will pleasure you."
Lorenzo's lips claimed Marie's neck, then moved down to her swollen nipples, then across her flat belly, then lower still to the place between her thighs.
Lorenzo began licking Marie's clit with long, deliberate strokes.
Marie did not understand what was happening, but she liked it immediately.
Lorenzo sucked on the sensitive bundle of nerves, her hands gripping Marie's thighs, her nails scratching along Marie's hips as she held her in place.
Marie moaned uncontrollably, twisting, pulling at Lorenzo's hair.
Lorenzo groaned in response, growing wetter herself from the sounds Marie was making.
Then she slid her tongue lower, licking the soft folds, sliding the tip of her tongue in and out of Marie's entrance.
Marie gasped, panting loudly. The pressure built from everywhere at once—her clit, her entrance, the delicious ache in her nipples from Lorenzo's earlier attention.
She came hard, crying out, and then her body went limp.
She had passed out.
Lorenzo pulled back, breathing hard. Her thirst for Marie's blood had not been quenched if anything, it was worse now.
She leaned down and licked the scratches on Marie's hip, tasting the faint trace of blood there. It helped, but only barely.
She stood, dressed quickly, and left the room.
***
The Office
In Lorenzo's private office, there was a secret compartment hidden behind a bookshelf. Inside was a small chamber with chains mounted to the wall.
Lorenzo entered, closed the door, and chained herself.
Then she unleashed the full force of her thirst.
Her eyes turned bloodshot red. Her fangs extended completely. She screamed, a sound of pure agony as the curse tore through her and then collapsed, unconscious.
***
Morning
Marie woke slowly, her head pounding from the wine. Sunlight filtered through the curtains.
She sat up, groggy and disoriented. Then the memories came flooding back—kissing Lorenzo, the way she had thrown herself at him, the things he had done to her with his mouth.
She looked down at herself and realized she was completely naked.
She bit her lip. *Did he penetrate me after I passed out?*
But she was not sore in that way. So perhaps he had kept his word?
Or had he taken advantage of her while she was unconscious?
But she had thrown herself at him. He should have known better, but...
A knock at the door interrupted her spiraling thoughts.
"My lady?" Bess's voice.
"Come in," Marie called, pulling the sheet up to cover herself.
Bess entered and looked around. Marie's nightgown lay discarded on the floor. There was no sign of Lorenzo.
Bess's expression was carefully neutral as she prepared the bath.
When Marie lowered herself into the water, she winced. Her hip stung.
She looked down and saw the scratches, fresh, red, like claw marks.
Bess saw them and began sobbing, anger and helplessness warring on her face. "The savagery of that man," she whispered. "To bite you and scratch you like an animal—"
"Bess,"Marie said quietly.
"Are you hurting anywhere else, my lady?" Bess asked, her voice breaking.
Marie sank deeper into the water and said nothing.
She could not wrap her mind around what had happened. But she was certain of one thing: she had enjoyed it. Greatly.
***
After her bath, Marie was dressed and her hair was arranged. Then she made her way to the dining hall, determined to get answers.
Lorenzo was not there.
*What a coward,* she thought bitterly.
Her breakfast was served, eggs, bread, cheese, fruit. This time, she was famished. She ate everything, her body demanding fuel after the night's exertions.
Bess stood nearby, looking sad, believing her lady was suffering in silence.
But in Marie's mind, images flashed unbidden, Lorenzo between her thighs, licking and sucking in places she had never imagined could be touched that way. The memory made her cheeks flush hot.
***
When Lorenzo did not appear at the training grounds, Marcello grew concerned. He went to her chambers and asked the Italian maids in their language, "Avete visto il padrone?" *(Have you seen the master?)*
The maids blushed and giggled. "Il padrone ha passato la notte qui, ma non sappiamo dove sia andato." *(The master spent the night here, but we do not know where he went.)*
Marcello went to Lorenzo's office. He moved the bookshelf aside and opened the secret compartment.
Lorenzo was chained to the wall, unconscious, her clothing disheveled.
He rushed to her side. "Lorenzo!"
Her eyes opened slowly, still tinged with red.
"How long have you been like this?" Marcello demanded.
Lorenzo gave him a few details about the previous night, leaving out the more intimate parts. She mentioned only that Marie had been drunk, that things had escalated, and that she had lost control of her thirst.
Marcello nodded gravely. "You need to feed properly. This cannot continue."
"I know," Lorenzo whispered.
Marcello unchained her and helped her to her feet. He called for a bath to be prepared in one of the guest chambers, somewhere Marie would not find her.
Lorenzo needed time to recover.
And Marie needed answers that Lorenzo was not yet ready to give.