protection-spell

[protection-spell]

Royce glanced down as Bella closed the distance between them, gripping him by his blood-soaked shirt. She pulled him into a kiss and suddenly their tongues were at war. He groaned with pleasure and excitement, pulling away slightly to bite down gently on her bottom lip. He let her loose and breathed in her scent, coated with the terror of her first victim. That usual electricity sparked even in their dark union. Their love was undeniable.

"You are divine, my love." He told her with satin on his tongue. The velvet of his voice when he spoke his sweet nothings to her juxtaposed the rising screams of the crowd as those pathetic little creatures realized they were locked in with nowhere to run or hide.

Royce chuckled delightedly, taking Bella's hand in his, "Shall we massacre them, my love?" He offered her sweetly, "Usually the young women taste the best."

Bella’s eyes flickered toward Royce, crimson still dripping from her lips as she let the lifeless body of the woman slump to the ground. She licked the remnants of blood from the corner of her mouth, savoring the taste. Her gaze shifted to the carnage unfolding before her, the growing chaos in the crowd, and a slow, wicked smile curled her lips.

"She tastes… sweet," Bella purred, her voice husky with hunger. "Like honey and fear mixed together. But..." Her eyes darkened, trailing over the blood that coated Royce's lips and chin, the sight of him bathed in crimson only fueling her desire. She took a step closer, ignoring the terrified, frenzied crowd around them. “I think I prefer how you taste.”

She pressed her body against his, fingers curling into the front of his blood-soaked shirt, and pulled him down to her. Bella’s lips met his in a fierce, hungry kiss, tasting the life he’d just taken, mingling it with the blood on her own lips. She could feel the fear, the chaos, all around them, the collective terror of the crowd amplifying her senses, making every nerve ending in her body come alive.

Her bloodstained fingers traced his jawline as she leaned back, her gaze flicking to the panicked crowd scattering like ants around them.

"But their fear... oh, Royce, it’s divine." She glanced over her shoulder at the chaos erupting, her pupils dilating with excitement. "Look at them... running, scrambling, like they actually have a chance."

[protection-spell]

Royce felt Bella's hand slip out of his and watched in bemused silence as she slithered through the crowd of unsuspecting mortals. She found a woman dancing alone at the edge of the crowd and joined her with ease. Royce felt envy boiling inside him, mixed in with arousal and a growing hunger. His body tensed instinctively, watching from afar, as Bella sunk her teeth into the woman's neck.

He could smell the fresh kill from the entrance. He strode towards her, knocking people back as he walked through the crowd. He didn't glide from step to step, slipping around these bodies, untouched; he decidedly bulldozed through them. Drawing some attention from disgruntled ravers... whoever tried to confront him would do just fine as his first kill of the night. But first...

"How does she taste, my love?" He asked Bella, he could see her reddened lips beckoning for him. He wanted to taste the fresh kill on her tongue.

"Hey, asshole." A voice sounded over the music. "You wanna take this outside?"

Crudely interrupted by a young man in a white tank top and matching beanie, Royce turned to see the poor foolish bastard who'd just offered up his life.

Royce smiled, lips pulled back to reveal his fangs, eyes black, causing the man to leap backwards in shock but before he could stumble away, Royce extended a strong arm and gripped the man's shirt, yanking him closer.

Face to face, the aroma of fear was a thick perfume on the man, "Tell me, are you loved by your friends and family?" He asked the man but expected no answer. He inhaled loudly through his nostrils, deciphering the information to be gained from this man's scent.

"Mm. Mom, yes. But dad?" Royce looked at the man, who grimaced and tried to wriggle out of Royce's iron grip to no avail. "Oooh. Daddy didn't want a screw up for a son. Heartbreaking." Royce feigned sadness for the other.

"How did you- let me go, you son of-" Royce chomped down on the man's trachea, crushing it between his jaws. Tearing through his flesh, blood spurted out from the gaping wood, showering Royce from the chin down in crimson.

Confusion rippled through the crowd as those nearest to them began to panic and clobber over each other to get away. Royce dropped the man to the floor with a loud thud, blood pooling there at his feet. He looked to Bella once more, "Can you smell that in the air, my love? Their fear. Their desperation. It's quite intoxicating..."

Bella's crimson lips curled into a wicked smile as her eyes scanned the thrashing crowd, bodies moving mindlessly to the deafening beat. The strobe lights flickered, casting eerie shadows across the room, making the people look like ghosts unaware of their fate.

Bella's eyes locked onto a woman standing alone near the edge of the crowd, her body swaying to the rhythm of the music. She was beautiful, with a carefree air about her as she danced, eyes half-closed, completely lost in the music. A slow, predatory smile spread across Bella's lips. Perfect.

Without saying a word, Bella released Royce's hand and wove her way through the throng of bodies, her movements fluid and seductive.

Bella danced closer, letting the beat guide her until she was pressed up against her back, her hands gliding softly along the woman’s arms as if inviting her into the moment.

The woman, unaware of the danger, turned slightly and smiled, drawn in by Bella's magnetic presence. Bella smiled back, her lips curving in an almost affectionate way as she leaned in, her breath hot against the woman’s neck. She whispered something soft and unintelligible, letting the warmth of her voice be mistaken for flirtation. Her hand slipped around the woman’s waist, pulling her closer, the proximity making the woman’s heartbeat all the more intoxicating.

As they moved together in sync, Bella's lips grazed the woman’s neck softly, her eyes darkening with hunger. The woman shivered, but it wasn’t fear yet. No, not yet.

Bella’s lips curled back into a whisper of a smile as she finally let her instincts take over. In one swift, graceful movement, she sunk her fangs deep into the woman’s neck. The woman's body stiffened in shock, her breath hitching, but Bella held her close, cradling her as if they were still dancing. The music roared around them, the bass masking the muffled gasp of pain.

As Bella drank deeply, her eyes found Royce's. Blood still stained her lips, glistening under the lights.

[protection-spell]

Royce the Usurper | Closed Starter

@pleinsdemuses

Man-sized subwoofers flanked a DJ with large over-the-ear headphones as he mixed pop songs in with new beats and supersaturated the melody with bass. Strobe lights flashed relentlessly, falling into sync with the beat of the music, showing a crowd of people dancing and throwing themselves around.

Little did they know, the emergency exits had been barricaded from the outside, and the main entrance had been locked. Royce and Bella stood just inside the doorway of the main entrance, holding hands, looking into the crowd.

"Who would you like first, my love?" Royce questioned simply.

[protection-spell]

Royce chuckled dryly, "They can run and hide but that's what food does. It is in their nature." He paused, repositioning his arms around her, reminiscing on that sensation caused by her fingers running a line down the center of his chest. She could cut his heart out and eat it and he would stand before her just to watch her dominate. He couldn't think of anything sexier now that watching Bella get her first taste of pure, untainted blood.

"One snag, my love," he said with a pleasant smile, seemingly unbothered, "Food runs. But the others... the wolves... they'll fight back." It didn't matter to Royce all that much, considering the odds. It was a safe bet that too many werewolves would die at their hands before the alphas deemed it reasonable to stop them.

"Then, there's the matter of the Ancients." He said, sounding bored. As they strode together down the grand staircase, arm in arm, Royce continued, "You deserve to rule them, my love, you and I both know it. Don't we?" He turned and looked to Bella with a smug smirk.

They made their way to the front door, Royce got the door for her; this was the last kind act he would commit for the remainder of the night.

[protection-spell]

[ OOC ]

Egg: Sunny Side Up and a lil runny

Steak: Medium

Milk: No.

Alcohol: Vodka Straight and chase it with Sprite

Warm Drink: Coffee or Peach Tea

[ Royce ]

Egg: Egg sandwich

Steak: Medium rare

Milk: Strawberry Milk

Alcohol: White Wines

Warm Drink: Blood

[ Clark ]

Egg: Oreos.

Steak: Oreos.

Milk: Oreos for dunkin'

Alcohol: Oreos.

Warm Drink: Oreos.

[ Lakelyn ]

Egg: Eggs in a Basket

Steak: Medium

Milk: Chocolate Milk

Alcohol: Tequilla

Warm Drink: Chamomile Tea

[protection-spell]

Royce chuckled dryly, "They can run and hide but that's what food does. It is in their nature." He paused, repositioning his arms around her, reminiscing on that sensation caused by her fingers running a line down the center of his chest. She could cut his heart out and eat it and he would stand before her just to watch her dominate. He couldn't think of anything sexier now that watching Bella get her first taste of pure, untainted blood.

"One snag, my love," he said with a pleasant smile, seemingly unbothered, "Food runs. But the others... the wolves... they'll fight back." It didn't matter to Royce all that much, considering the odds. It was a safe bet that too many werewolves would die at their hands before the alphas deemed it reasonable to stop them.

"Then, there's the matter of the Ancients." He said, sounding bored. As they strode together down the grand staircase, arm in arm, Royce continued, "You deserve to rule them, my love, you and I both know it. Don't we?" He turned and looked to Bella with a smug smirk.

They made their way to the front door, Royce got the door for her; this was the last kind act he would commit for the remainder of the night.

It was everything she’d tried to deny herself for so long, everything she’d been running from, but now… now she wanted it. What she tried saved him from when he made that deal with Alderan...

Bella's lips curved into a slow, dangerous smile as she met Royce’s gaze, his words stirring something dark within her. She savored the feel of his arms around her, the intensity of his kiss leaving a thrilling burn in its wake. Her eyes flickered with a hunger that went beyond blood... a hunger for him, for the chaos they would unleash together.

She trailed a finger down his chest, her touch light yet electric, as if she were marking him as hers in that very moment. "We were never meant for a quiet eternity, Royce. You and I… we were made to rule in the ruins, to dance in the flames of this world as it burns."

Her hand slid to the back of his neck, pulling him closer again, she murmured against his mouth, her fangs grazing his lips as she spoke. "You promised me forever. And tonight... tonight we begin." There was a teasing edge to her tone, but it was laced with something wicked, something unstoppable.

She pulled back just enough to look him in the eyes, her expression fierce and intoxicating. "Let them run. Let them hide. But they will never escape us." She grinned, the bloodlust evident in every inch of her being. "We'll tear the night apart, my love. Together. Forever." Her eyes darkened, mirroring his hunger, his madness. "Lead the way, my love," she purred, "and I will follow you into the very depths of hell."

A low growl rumbled in her chest, a warning to anyone who dared stand in her way. She could see it, feel it... the hunt, the chaos, the bloodshed that awaited them. She knew she’d regret it tomorrow, the devastation she’d unleash, the lives they’d destroy. But tonight? Tonight, nothing mattered except the hunger and the man standing before her, offering her everything she’d tried to deny herself.

Blinded by her hunger, by her insatiable thirst, Bella knew she had crossed a line she couldn’t uncross...

[protection-spell]

The way his name fell from her lips caused a ripple effect inside him, pleasure and endorphins flooding his mind. Her beautiful, blood-stained lips pressed to his fingers and he shuddered wholly at her gentle, loving touch. Yet, what she was asking of him, what she was inciting... all the things she'd never wanted for him before, all the things she abhorred in her previous lives.

His hand thudded against his side and his face gave away everything, the pleasure, the denial, the rising desire. He whimpered softly, but could say nothing yet.

Finally, black as night eyes opened and Royce's lips curled back to reveal his hunger smile. "It's not our eternity yet, my love." He spoke, his demeanor had a newfound swagger and all that anguish faded in an instant. "But it will be. I will give you this world and we will burn it to the ground. Together. Forever."

He attacked her in a kiss, pushing forwards greedily wrapping his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. He deepened their kiss quickly, pressing his body into her, that age old and now beloved spark and strange energy surged through him... sparking something evil and ancient.

Pulling away from her with a gasp he looked down at her with that devilish grin he rarely showed to anyone he intended to keep alive, he spoke: "Tonight, my love, we will not just feast... we will hunt."

Bella's eyes glistened with a dark, almost feverish hunger, her lips parting slightly as Royce’s words barely registered. His pain, his struggle, they were as intoxicating as the blood she so desperately craved. But even through the haze of her thirst, there was a twisted affection... an understanding. They were bound, inseparable, in ways that defied time, space, and morality.

Her gaze drifted over Royce, lingering on the hollow of his throat, the pulse that no longer beat yet still called to her.

"Roy..." she whispered, her voice thick with longing. She took his trembling hand in hers, guiding it slowly, deliberately to her bloodstained lips. She pressed his fingers there, her eyes locked on his, unyielding and unblinking, daring him to deny her.

Bella trailed her lips down to his palm, tasting him, feeling the way his eyes change, the way his resolve crumbled at her touch. “You could stop me, yes. But you won’t,” she whispered, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “You never could. You’re just as cursed as I am, and you know it.”

She released his hand, letting it drop to his side, and took a step back, eyes flashing with a dangerous light. “Our souls will always find each other, my love,” she murmured, as if it were the simplest truth in the world. “Even in hell, I will find you. And you will find me. That is our eternity..."

[protection-spell]

Royce's stomach lurched and began to churn as her finger lingered in front of him, the red darkening as it intermingled with the air. His willpower, the only beacon of hope the pair had left, was darkening, too.

"My love..." He could see it already- the carnage. They could massacre the town, they could disband the council, challenge the other Ancients... slay them all. Together, they could rule this dark mortal realm for an eternity. He knew that Lakelyn was the only one who might stand in their way, and with Clark gone...

Clark. Royce grimaced outwardly, his thoughts a hailstorm encased by his skull, swirling violently in his mind.

"Bella... you will regret this." He warned her, feeling helpless and broken, and with a shaky and unconvincing voice he said, "I will stop you from killing. And when you kill me-" his tears dried out, his skin itching and on fire, "How will our souls find each other then?"

The thought occurred to Royce: Perhaps dying would pull Royce back to Clark. Perhaps, death was a doorway for vampires as well as ghosts. Perhaps he'd been meant to die by Bella's hand all along.

Bella’s gaze locked onto Royce’s, fierce and unyielding, a predator’s allure shimmering in her golden eyes. “You don’t have to fight me, my love.. ,” she breathed, her voice a sultry whisper laced with temptation.

She stepped closer, her bloodied finger still lingering near his lips, the taste of her intoxicating him further. “Imagine it. No more hiding, no more fear. Just you and me, free to unleash everything we are. We’d be unstoppable.”

The hunger clawed at Bella, an insatiable beast gnawing at her insides. It was a relentless ache, a fire that consumed her every thought and moment.

Feeding off Royce had always been a different experience. It was intimate and fulfilling, a bond deeper than blood itself. With him, she felt the connection of souls, a satisfaction that transcended mere physical need.

She had never fed on a human since her transformation, a choice rooted in her determination to retain her humanity. But now, with the wolf raging inside her and the vampire thirst raging alongside it, that choice felt impossibly far away. The tantalizing scent of blood haunted her, pulling her toward the edge of madness. It was a siren’s call, promising relief from the torment that consumed her.

Bella watched him intently, gauging his reaction, savoring the way his breath hitched.

"What I want... Is you... To let go with me..."

[protection-spell]

His heart sank as her words fell from her reddened lips, he could hear her pain and it infected him. He knit his brows together, watching helplessly as Bella pressed her bloodied finger to his lips, he dare not flinch away from her. Before he could speak, the bittersweet blood wet his lips, and he exhaled a long, troubled breath, leaning in slightly against her finger.

Shuddering, he took a moment to collect himself. To steel himself. He could recall those nights she wept loudly in his arms, and even more vividly he could recall the nights he knew she wept into her pillow silently, lying next to he who could not console her.

"Hold on to our love, Bella." He whispered, his eyes rolling back at the taste of her, he was instantly intoxicated by that sensation. "You don't want this..." His eyelids fluttered closed just as the whites of his eyes were blotted out by the darkness.

"Please, Bella. There are other ways... you don't want to kill." He lied, eyes still closed. He was crumbling before her with such ease... her smell, her power, her taste... he couldn't win out against her. He could not resist her. "Please." He tried one last time, tears rolled down his cheeks in defiance, before he finally reached the hand she had never taken in hers and gripped her by the wrist.

"You know I'll have to do as I promised. You know how this ends- you don't want that." His voice trembled with every pleading word. He knew he was only prolonging the inevitable.

Bella’s breath was ragged, each inhale filled with the metallic tang of blood and the suffocating weight of her own despair. She staggered forward, her golden eyes wild, and for a moment, the world around her blurred into a haze of hunger and longing.

“My love... ” she said, her voice thick with anguish, “I know you can understand me... I can feel it...the emptiness inside me. Alderan took my soul, and now all that’s left is my love for you and this... this insatiable hunger...”

She wiped the blood from her lips, but it only smeared and put her finger over is lips, forcing him to taste her. She was too far gone in her hunger, she couldn't think...

[protection-spell]

As she willed herself off the wall, she stumbled slightly forwards, her eyes haughty and filled with bloodlust. Royce straightened his posture, looking down at Bella over his nose, noting all the little differences in her that made her... not Bella anymore.

Blood dripped from her lips, her fangs stained in crimson. He had to work to remember... he had to force himself to think clearly. That hunger... he had been satisfying it as much as he could only to have her drain him of all his energy each night. Still, his own agony was dwarfed by hers. It was unimaginable, he knew.

"Bella," he spoke warningly, "you have to remember. This is not what you want. This is not what your soul would want!" The urgency in his tone could have been a full yell and yet, his voice was low like a guttural growl spat out through gritted teeth. "Bella, please. You have to remember..."

He felt the prickling sensation of tears forming in his eyes but held them at bay. Frustration feuling those hot, stressed tears, they rallied at the brim of his eyelids.

Bella’s body trembled, her fingers clawing at the wall as if it could ground her against the storm raging inside. Her chest heaved with shallow breaths, her throat burning with a hunger so intense it bordered on agony. She heard Royce’s voice... distant, but it cut through the chaos like a blade, slicing into the fragile thread of control she was barely clinging to.

His scent hit her next. She could almost taste him, his blood, his heartbeat thudding like a drum, and it made her mouth water in a way that horrified her. She squeezed her eyes shut, her fangs digging into her own lips as she tasted the metallic tang of her own blood.

The hunger wasn’t just inside her, it was everywhere, consuming everything. She could feel the wolf growling, gnashing its teeth, as the thirst coiled tighter around her, suffocating her reason, blurring the line between what she wanted and what she needed.

Her eyes locked on Royce’s, burning bright with a wild, dangerous intensity. She could see his fear, could feel his hesitation, but there was something deeper beneath it. The pull between them, the hunger that wasn’t just hers. It was in him too. She could sense it, simmering beneath his skin, aching to be unleashed.

Her lips parted, her voice shaking as she pushed herself off the wall, taking an unsteady step toward him. “Roy… you feel it too, don’t you?” Her tone was low, almost seductive in its desperation, her fingers trembling as they hovered inches from him. “You crave it… the blood. Just like I do.”

Her golden eyes darkened, swirling with desire and hunger as the wolf snarled inside her, pushing her forward. “We don’t have to fight it anymore.. "

It wasn't her talking anymore... It was her thirst, her desires...

[protection-spell]

While he couldn't quite grasp it... something was happening. All around himself he felt the overwhelming power of Bella's presence. Alone in his study, that sensation spiked in him and he knew something had to be wrong. He usually felt her power when she drew near but... this was different. This felt devastating.

"Bella," he whispered more to himself, snapping closed a novel, and rising from his chair. He exited the study and peered out into the corridor- first to his left then to his right. Bella was staggered, clinging to the wall for its support, her features overcast by shadow in the dim light. "Bella!" He surged forward, closing the space between them.

He stumbled to a halt when he saw her face- her dark veins etched across her face like a self-aware disease taking over its host body. Her eyes glowed bright yet he could see misery and suffering in them.

Fearful to approach her, he reached out an upturned hand towards her. "Bella, it's okay. It's me, Roy." He offered gingerly. "You have to fight it. Please." He knew he couldn't control her... he knew he couldn't stop her. He was so sure he'd die in the process. "Fight." He urged desperately.

Starter for @protection-spell

Bella stumbled through the halls of Royce’s manor, her hands gripping the edges of furniture, her fingertips dragging across the cold walls. Every breath felt like fire searing through her throat, a burn that spread through her veins, turning her skin ice-cold but alive with hunger.

The hunger was consuming her. It coiled inside her like a serpent, twisting tighter with every second she resisted. Her breath hitched as she collapsed against the cold wall, her hands trembling violently. Her golden eyes, bright and fevered, flickered in the dim light of the corridor, barely masking the black hunger that swelled beneath them. The veins under her skin, thick and dark, spread like cracks in fragile glass, creeping up her throat and pooling beneath her eyes. She could feel it... them... the vampire and the wolf, surging and thrashing within her, both ravenous, both insatiable.

She gritted her teeth, biting back the growl that threatened to escape. Her hands clawed at the stone, fingers leaving deep marks as she fought to stay grounded, to stay herself.

[protection-spell]

Royce was shattered by her request. He feared this was a one thing he could not accomplish for her. He feared the worst. He had hoped she would come to any other resolve than this... he didn't want this. He knew that if she were to be so overcome by her prolonged bloodlust... they might fight to the death. He didn't have the stomach to- he dared not- promise her this.

"Bella, my love," tears brimmed his eyelids for a moment, he blinked those damned tears away, ushering them down his cheeks, in shameful frustration. "I never wanted it to come to this. I never wanted the stakes to be so high, and stacked against us in this cruel way."

As she buried herself in his chest, he held her firm with his strong arms. He could be a fortress to her, if only for a moment longer. "The longer you hold it back, the longer you stave it off..." He screwed his eyes shut tight, as if fighting against a memory that was so bright red it blinded his mind's eye. "...the worst it will be when you fail."

His eyelids fluttered open, dazzling yet somber now, "Do you know what you might do if I were to stand in the way of you and your... deepest, darkest, sickest desires?" His words thudded from his lips, heavy like the beating of a gong.

Bella’s hands trembled as she gripped Royce’s arms tighter, her voice thick with desperation. "Royce, if that day comes..." She swallowed hard, forcing herself to continue. "If I lose control, if I can’t fight it anymore, I need you to stop me."

Her eyes burned into his, her gaze pleading but resolute. "I need you to hold me back. Do whatever it takes to stop me, even if I beg, even if I fight you. Don’t let me hurt you... or anyone else."

Her breath hitched as she leaned into him, her forehead resting against his chest, her voice barely a whisper now. "Promise me, Royce. Promise me that you’ll stop me if I can’t stop myself."

She closed her eyes, pressing herself closer against him as if his strength could shield her from the terrifying reality of what she was asking. "I don’t want to lose myself, but if I do, you have to be the one to pull me back... no matter what it takes."

[protection-spell]

Royce knew well the nature of the suffering she had described for it mirrored his own agonizing and eternal journey through this mortal realm. He nodded sagely, empathizing deeply as he gave her comfortable space to reveal herself. He wanted to be there for her through all the pleasures and sufferings of their shared life.

"For now," he began softly, slowly wrapping one arm around her shoulders, "we shall suffer together." He wrapped the other arm around her next, slow and gentle. He took in her scent, she smelled different that she had before. She smelled of power. It willed him into submission on a primal level he could not acknowledge yet, much less articulate to her. "Bella," he whispered, after several minutes of being embraced, "what shall you do when the day comes that you..." he held in his breath for a beat, "cannot fight back this hunger any longer?" He bit down on his lip, weary of her answer still unspoken and full of uncertainty.

Bella's eyes, dark and clouded with sorrow, lifted to meet Royce’s gaze. His words washed over her, but the weight of her guilt was heavy, an anchor pulling her under. She shook her head slightly, her voice barely a whisper as it cracked under the strain of everything she felt.

"Royce, I... I don’t know if I deserve your love," she began, her voice trembling, but there was a fierce honesty behind it. Her hands rested lightly on his, still gripping her shoulders, grounding her in the moment even though her mind fought to spiral away.

"I keep thinking... I hurt you. I never wanted that. And yet.. " She broke off, her breath catching as if the words themselves were too painful to admit.

“I don’t know how to stop feeling this way. It’s like this endless... punishment I can’t escape from."

Her gaze softened, the vulnerability in her expression raw and open. "I just want to feel loved, by you." She whispered the last part, her voice barely audible, but full of longing. "Hold me... please."

[protection-spell]

The ache in his fresh wound dulled rather quickly, but the loss of blood still rang out in his body. His weakened state, it was overwhelming. He imagined it must have been a more intense sensation for Bella when she was mortal... being fed on by him.

Her remorse was evident in her posture, her voice. The way she felt everything externally revealed just how much she suffered. Royce's unbeating heart ached inside his chest for her.

"Do not be ashamed, Bella. This hunger is of the Devil. It cannot be suppressed forever." He said, hoping these words would give comfort and somehow knowing that they could not.

"Bella, I love you." His grip on her shoulders tightened in order to keep her present despite her intensely negative state of emotions.

"I will always love you." He whispered it needlessly, the words slipping from his mouth one after the other as if they knew their place in line and were happy with their deeper meanings.

"What can we do to keep your mind off of things?" He asked next, simply wishing he could help to put her at ease.

The golden glow in her eyes began to fade, though the dark veins under them remained, a lingering reminder of what she had just done. She stared at him, her breath still ragged, blood dripping from her lips.

Guilt hit her like a wave. She hadn’t meant to lose control, but once she’d started, it was as if she had become someone, or something else entirely. The realization of how far she’d gone sent a shiver of shame through her.

“My love I... I’m so sorry,” she whispered, her voice trembling. Her hands, once gripping him with desperate need, now hovered uncertainly, afraid to touch him again. “I didn’t mean to... I couldn’t stop.”

Tears welled up in her eyes, mixing with the blood on her lips. She turned away, trying to hide the horror of what she’d done. “I hurt you. I wasn’t strong enough to control it. I—”

She cut herself off, biting down on the words. All the fear, the guilt, the shame... it was too much

[protection-spell]

As her fangs slipped through his skin to his vein, Royce felt his blood run colder as she sucked away a little of his life. He allowed this to go on for several minutes, until he felt dizzy from the loss. His mind swimming, he was forced to summon some of his strength to wrench her away.

"Bella-" he said, his hands on her shoulders, "Enough. Please." He looked her over, desperately avoiding the desperation in her eyes. He observed as her chest rose and fell, her gasping returned to shallow breaths.

His blood called to her like a siren's song. Without thinking, she moved closer, her breath warm against his skin.

The moment her fangs pierced his skin, the world around her dissolved into pure sensation. His blood flowed into her, rich and intoxicating, drowning out all the fear and doubt she had carried. She drank deeply, her fingers tangling in his hair as she held him close, unwilling to let go.

The taste of him was overwhelming, more powerful than anything she had ever imagined. Every drop seemed to fill the emptiness inside her, yet it only made her crave more.

The hunger, which had been a dull ache before, now roared to life, demanding more. She couldn't stop herself. Each swallow seemed to fuel her need, driving her deeper into the abyss of her desire.

Her breath came in ragged gasps between each desperate swallow, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she clung to Royce, unable to pull away.

[protection-spell]

Royce's eyes sparkled under Bella's gaze, his smile wrestling with his frown as he took in Bella's features, now sad and sharp. He had played a role in her fate and now she was... miserable. He couldn't say he was wholly guilty, but he was responsible enough.

"I won't leave you. Not now. I promise." He owed her that much.

As much as he wanted to literally storm the gates of hell to find Clark's essence and restore him to the realm of the living. He simply couldn't abandon the love of his eternal life.

"Come now. Drink some." He said to her, tucking his hair back behind his ear. "I know you must feel it by now. The anguish."

Bella closed her eyes, feeling the warmth of Royce's embrace and the comfort it brought her, however brief. She had been lost in the storm of her own mind for what felt like an eternity, and his presence was the first solid thing she could hold onto. But even in his arms, the darkness lingered at the edges of her thoughts.

“You are helping,” she whispered, her voice trembling slightly. “Just by being here, you’re helping more than you know...”

She lifted her head to look at him, her gaze searching his eyes for the reassurance she so desperately needed. “I don’t need all the answers, Roy. I just need you. I need to know that I’m not alone in this… that you won’t leave me, even when I’m a mess.”

[protection-spell]

Royce sighed softly, as Bella pressed herself into his chest. Slowly, gently, he wrapped his arms around her at the shoulders and held her. They stood in this way for a long moment.

"I missed you, too." He told it to her like it was a promise.

He tightened his grasp around her ever so slightly, allowing her to borrow his strength. He felt his own satiated state begin to subside as he took in her essence, her scent, her mood. She had been so... anguished since her transformation.

He wished he understood. Parts of it made sense, but the transformation was unique. Even Royce did not possess the wisdom to give her proper council. He knew this, and he felt ashamed of it.

"I wish I could help you feel better." He told her in a hushed tone, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head.

Bella sat by the window, her eyes tracing the fading rays of sunlight as they stretched across the horizon. The hunger gnawed at her, relentless and unforgiving, a constant reminder of what she had become. The thirst was always there, a low, simmering ache that she fought to control every waking moment. She had been alone in Royce’s mansion for what felt like an eternity, grappling with the darkness that now coursed through her veins.

When she heard Royce's voice echo through the grand halls, something inside her stirred. Relief, perhaps. Or maybe it was just the comforting familiarity of his presence that momentarily eased the torment. She turned her head slightly, catching sight of him as he entered the room. The sight of dried blood on his chin sent a shiver down her spine, not of fear but of recognition. The bloodlust was a part of them now, a twisted bond they shared.

"My love," she echoed his words softly, Bella’s heart raced as she approached Royce, her new senses amplifying everything... the maddening scent of blood that clung to him like a second skin. It was intoxicating... She tried to push the hunger down, bury it beneath the love she felt for him, but it clawed at her insides, relentless and insistent.

When she finally reached him, Bella didn't trust herself to speak. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body against his in a desperate attempt to find solace in his embrace. The moment she closed her eyes, the world narrowed down to just him. She buried her face in his chest, breathing in his scent... familiar and comforting, despite the blood that tainted it. She focused on that.

"I missed you.. " she whispered against his chest, her voice barely audible.

Being near Royce made everything feel more intense. Every emotion, every desire, magnified a thousandfold. But so too was her love for him, and that love was the only thing keeping her anchored in the storm of her new reality.