The only question remained, what to do with Giselle herself?

Raphael regained full consciousness when he thought about this question. He was still enjoying the beautiful view that caressed his eyes. Thea was asleep, but she looked incredibly attractive, like blood and milk.

He reluctantly looked away and returned his thoughts to Giselle.

More recently, after he allowed Pegins to escape, leaving the throne, Raphael was going to unite the once disparate Kardran Empire. But now he seemed to lose interest in it at one point.

There was no longer a desire to prove something to someone, to be stronger or more majestic. Now he just wanted to step away from all these things and devote his life to the woman he loved. Propose to her, have children, and never let her go again, even if he had to give up his title.

At that moment, he decided that there was no better ruler for the human race than a human ruler. And Giselle, having gone through a long correction of her own mistakes through denial and acceptance, is ready to become exactly the kind of ruler who can adequately represent the whole kingdom of Adaman. Under her guidance, he was sure that people would be able to learn to live in harmony with other races, and not be forgotten, as if there were no other beings in the world besides them.

A thin knock, like a trembling string, echoed like a drum in Raphael’s ears before he had time to turn to the object of his supervision.

He didn’t notice how he held his breath, exactly at the moment when Thea’s heart finally started pounding. Knocking exactly as he remembered, quietly, but still knocking.

He carefully slid down to the floor, touching the cold floor with his knees, feeling it through the thick fabric of his trousers. His hand gently squeezed Thea’s hand as warmth spread throughout her body, returning the usual blush to its usual place on her cheeks.

He was afraid to move, waiting until her fluffy eyelashes fluttered and her eyes opened, meeting a new world for her.

But what happened in the next moment was expected, but for some reason forgotten.

With a sharp jerk, Thea stood up, remaining still in a sitting position on the bed. Everything happened in a matter of fractions of a second and only a vampire’s eye could detect such rapid movements.

Thea was breathing heavily, as if she couldn’t get enough air. She was clutching at her neck, trying to tear the skin off it. With sharp jerks, she tore off the nightgown that Rafael had managed to change her into.

He tried to stop her by grabbing her hands, but she was faster and it was only when she slashed at her neck, causing blood to flow out of the opened wound, that Rafael was able to fully concentrate and remove her hands.

He pressed his lips to her neck, licking off the drops of dripping blood, while Thea continued to writhe, scream in agony and wound him out of nowhere with her claws.

She kicked and kicked, trying to throw him off her after he used his body to keep her from injuring herself. Her loud screams made his heart break.

No matter how often he witnessed turning into a vampire, it was different with her. He could not see how his beloved woman was suffering, it tormented him even more.

He held her arms tightly, but still missed the single blows when she struggled. He was just afraid to do more to her by squeezing her too hard.

Her head was tossing from side to side and only Raphael could see how charming she was at that moment.

The scarlet eyes shone so brightly, as if the very fire danced in them. She parted her plump lips as she screamed in pain and agony, but he couldn’t take his fascinated gaze away from her elongating fangs, through which the tip of her wet little tongue could be seen.

He had an irresistible urge to suck it. And that’s what he did, pressing her head against the pillow and burying his hands in her mop of tangled blond hair.

His mouth devoured her greedily, experiencing significant temperature overload as heat took over her body. But he didn’t care. It didn’t even matter that she tore the skin on his back with her nails when all that was left of the clothes was the name.

She was too wild. But he liked it and he was ready to endure this pain, just to feel her next to him, to feel her alive with his heart beating inside. Only the next pain made him recoil from her sweet lips as she bit his tongue greedily.

It was too unexpected for him.

Rafael looked like a little boy who got hurt and ran to his mother to be pitied. But it was only for a moment while he was disoriented by her action. The next thing he did was press his lips to hers again, enveloping her in a passionate kiss.

This would not have happened if he hadn’t noticed how the thirst for killing himself had weakened as soon as Thea tasted his blood. His girl was hungry. Yes. And he was ready to give her as much blood as she was willing to take.

She calmed down slightly as she continued to lick the blood off his tongue, feeling another heat rise inside her and spread to the bottom of her body. She still vaguely saw him in front of her eyes and did not understand at all what was going on, did not understand what she was doing, what they were doing. But she surrendered to her reflexes and allowed Raphael to show her the right way to get rid of this oppressive feeling that she still hadn’t realized.

Raphael reluctantly broke off their hot kiss and rested his head on her shoulder, slightly tilting his neck to the side. That gesture was enough for Thea to figure out what to do based on her instincts alone.

She dug her fangs firmly into the soft flesh at the base of his neck and immediately went limp, feeling calm as the heat and pain gave way to incredible pleasure that she could not have experienced before.

His blood was slightly salty, but for Thea it felt like the most real treat, the sweetest thing she had ever tasted. And she couldn’t tear herself away, couldn’t get enough, as if all the universal hunger possessed her at that moment.

She sucked in the air greedily with her nose, without taking her lips away from Raphael’s warm skin, while he gently stroked her hair, giving her the comfort and tranquility she needed so much.

- If you don’t want to live the rest of your days with a dry mummy, then you should moderate your appetite a little, my love. - He chuckled, burning her ear with his breath.

Raphael did not even think of tearing her off forcibly, interrupting her satiation and pleasure, but that did not mean that he could not try to make her think that his blood was not limitless either. However, if she had decided to drink him to the last drop of blood, he would have accepted it, because he was so guilty in front of her.