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You and the Count had tied the knot that autumn. It has been a small and intimate wedding with only close friends and relatives attending. The Count had insisted on having the ceremony celebrated by one of his brothers, a tall bald priest with a stern look and the same mismatched eyes as him. He had also insisted on celebrating the wedding in his garden instead of a regular Church but it had not bothered you that much as your lack of faith had gotten you into a few heated arguments with your mother many times in the past. There had been a few complaints here and there but in the end everyone agreed, mostly because your fiance was a noble and your parents were elated at the idea of you marrying into the Emeritus family.
Being married to the Count, who now was just Copia to you, felt like a dream. He was a wonderful husband, ever doting and loving. Every day was like a honeymoon and every night you fell asleep in his arms. However, there was one thing that bothered you quite a bit; from time to time, in the middle of the night, your dear husband would disappear and come back to bed with the first lights of dawn. You had tried to ask him about it but he had tiptoed around the issue, leaving you with no real answer. You trusted him, you knew he would never betray your trust by sleeping with another but at the same time the voice in your head seemed to become more and more insistent and convincing, so one night you decided to follow him.
You felt the mattress shifting as he slowly rose from the bed. He pulled the covers up your shoulders to make sure you were warm and it made you feel a bit guilty for doubting his love but, at the same time, you had to do it, even just to silence the voices in your head. You waited for him to close the door and immediately you were up, ready to grab your night robe and follow him through the halls of his mansion. You opened the door slowly, making sure not to make a sound as you slid out of the room. You caught a glimpse of him making a right turn at the end of the scarcely lit hallway so you stalked him as you guided your steps by dragging your hand along the cold walls. After a couple more turns you stopped in your tracks. Where had he gone? You turned left and right but there was no trace of Copia and you did not know where you were, you had never seen this wing of the mansion. You began to feel your pulse quickening. Stories about ghosts and creatures lurking in the shadows began swarming your brain. Your mouth went dry. You heard rustling of fabric in the darkest corner of the hallway and your palms began to sweat. Your legs felt like they were stuck in quicksand, your body had frozen in fear. Your eyes watched in horror as the shadow seemed to come closer. You opened your mouth but no sound came out like in a terrible nightmare. The shadow seemed to take the shape of a man and the more it moved and morphed, the more its shape seemed familiar. Copia?! Your eyes widened as he stood in front of you, hair disheveled and eyes bloodshot. Your gaze fell on his odd eye, it gleamed in the dark. You began to feel faint and your vision darkened. The last thing you saw were a couple of sharp fangs peeking through his blood stained lips. Darkness surrounded you as your conscience slipped away.
Soft light hit your eyes as you stirred in the comfort and warmth of your bed. Events from last night flashed before your still closed lids and your head began to throb with a light headache. You grunted and opened your eyes slowly, your hand instinctively reached for your lover but you found his side of the bed was cold. You got up and slowly got ready before coming down for breakfast. No trace of him once again, so you ate alone in silence, the maids and butlers seemed to be just as confused as you were. Once you finished your breakfast you decided to look for your husband in his study and that was where you found him. He was facing the fireplace, all you could see was his back and his hair loose and messy. The fire cracking was the only sound in the room. You took a step towards him, suddenly unsure and, deep down, a little afraid as your mind evoked the events from last night. You called his name softly but he did not turn so you tried again, taking yet another step towards him. As you tried to reach for him he spoke. “Don't.” His voice seemed cold and distant, he had never used that tone with you. You tried to apologize for sneaking out last night, thinking that your lack of trust was what had offended him but he shook his head and his shoulders sank. “Sit. There is something I need to tell you.” You did and you felt your heart dropping as your mind began to wander but when he finally turned around your mind froze. His shirt was open and his chest was covered in what seemed to be blood. As your eyes traveled up his body the blood followed your gaze, up to his lips, smeared in dried blood. His eyes were bloodshot and his right one seemed more eerie than usual. You unconsciously tried to sit further away from him and it pained him, you saw it in his eyes. “This is who I am,” he said, opening his arms so that you could see him truly, all covered in gore and disheveled. Strands of hair fell on his face. “I am a monster. I told you I did not deserve your affection and yet…” he choked on his words and shut his eyes for a moment to prevent tears from falling down his face. “And yet I could not resist you. Your warmth, you were like sunshine… it drew me to you like a moth because my curse is to corrupt and ruin everything that is beautiful and fair.” He turned around again and a sob escaped his lips. You did not know what to say, you certainly were not prepared for this. So you let your heart guide you and walked up to him. You touched his shoulder gently and whispered sweet words to him, telling him how nothing could ever make you stop loving him. Deep down you were scared, you felt your heart hammering in your chest and a voice inside your head was telling you to flee, to save yourself but you chose not to listen. Suddenly, he turned around and took your gloved wrist in his hand, “I could have hurt you last night, do you understand this?” There was pain in his eyes, even fear but to you this only proved that he would never hurt you and you told him that much. He closed his eyes and turned his head to press his nose against your wrist. “My dear, you have no idea how hard it is for me to not devour you right here, right now.” His voice was almost a growl. You gulped and felt a shiver run down your back. With your free hand you slowly reached your other one that was held firmly in his strong grasp to undo the buttons on the inside of your glove, right on the inside of your wrist. He looked at you almost pleadingly and when you nodded you heard a low rumble coming from deep down his chest. He placed a soft kiss inside the little cut of your glove and his lips this time felt cold against your skin. He then wrapped his free hand around your waist to pull you closer. You held your breath when he parted his lips and you could see clearly his sharp fangs. It felt surreal. Your lover, the kindest and sweetest man you had ever met, was an undead and cursed creature. You could not make sense of any of it. He had kissed you with the same lips that were now covered in blood, whispered sweet nothings in your ear with the same tongue that now slid through his sharp canines to lick at a rivulet of blood that he had drawn from you. Finally, you felt a sting and then a burning pain as his teeth broke the thin skin of your wrist. His hold on your waist tightened and you almost screamed in pain until the pain slowly subdued and you began to feel your skin tingling with pleasure. Was that arousal? You held onto him as he licked and sucked at the punctures on your wrist, some drops of blood soaking the fabric of your gloves. Your lips parted as your breath quickened. You watched intently as he drank your lifeblood with eyes closed, his long lashes brushing against his cheeks smeared in blood. There was something primal, almost feral in the way he looked now and you had to squeeze your legs. You whimpered softly and he stopped as if he had been awakened from a trance. He seemed reluctant to pull away but in the end he let go of your arm. You stumbled back on the chair where you had been sitting before, letting your injured arm dangling down your side. He licked his lips, almost famished. “My dear…” he knelt in front of you and lay his head on your lap, smearing blood on your dress. His hands slid under the hem of your dress as his hands, now warm from your blood, groped your thighs. “You have given me more than I could have ever asked for.” He pushed himself further into you, his head was now resting between your breasts and he inhaled deeply. “My life… I will come back tonight. I promise.” His lips kissed the swell of your breast that peeked out of the cut of your dress and you shivered. “I do not think I would be able to stop now, I am just so-” he licked the pulse point on your neck, “hungry.” His kisses had left a trail of bloody marks on your skin and dress which, for some dark and twisted reason, excited you. “You are the light in my darkness… thank you, for everything,” and with that he pressed a bloodied kiss on your lips before disappearing in the darkest corner of the room. You were left aching and throbbing, the coppery taste of blood still on your lips.