In Your Dreams

Chapter 36

It took me a moment to realize Julian was back. When I felt his presence next to me, I looked up to see him looking at me with admiration.

"I know you are probably adjusting to everything, but Eretria wanted to talk to you as soon as you were awake," he whispered before he kissed my temple, sending waves of electricity to the spot his lips had just touched.

"I'm okay to see her. Where is she?"

There was a lot I wanted to talk about with her. I needed to also apologize about the kiss I shared with Tristan, her soulmate.

"The garden," He answered. "It's about to be dawn though, so you need to drink some blood in order to be in the sunlight."

Blood.  I was a vampire now and needed it to survive. Weirdly, the thought of the taste of blood didn't gross me out like it used to. It now had a certain appeal. The concept would still take some getting used to though.

I nodded to Julian. He grabbed my hand, and led me out the door into the hallway.

I glanced around. "What room were we in?" I asked while we walked.

"Mine," he smirked. "You like?"

I shook my head as I tried to suppress my smile.

"Is that a yes?" He teased.

"I'm just not going to answer you," I laughed as my face heated up.

"Fine then, princess."

I was suddenly swept off of my feet, literally. A small yelp of surprise escaped my lips. Julian held me bridal style as we made our way down another hallway. I tried to wiggle out of it, but even my new vampire strength was no match for Julian's. I finally gave up and let him carry me around the castle. His woodsy, sandalwood scent surrounded me as I rested my head in the crook of his neck.

When we finally reached the back door where Julian had killed Collin not long ago, he finally put me down. My thick eyebrows rose, waiting for what he was going to do next. He simply pulled out a vile of red liquid and placed it in my hand.

"Drink."

I sighed and looked down at the crimson red liquid that was now a means of my survival. I hesitantly opened it and put it to my lips. I leaned my head back and poured it down my throat. I expected to choke it down.  Surprisingly, it no longer had a metallic, bitter flavor. The taste of sweet ecstasy overcame my taste buds. My senses heightened almost immediately; I could hear some of the maids cooking in the kitchen, gossiping about their fallen King. When the taste diminished, I craved more.  I now understood why it was hard for them to control themselves.

Licking my lips, I gave the vile back to Julian.  "That wasn't like I thought it would be," I admitted.

"It's not so bad, huh? I guess you can see why vampires have blood lust.  You'll eventually be able to control yourself around humans."

I nodded.  "Yeah. It's tastes completely different as a vampire. It even makes me feel different—stronger."

"Drinking blood strengthens us. It's important to always drink enough. Now, the soon to be Queen is awaiting your presence." Julian bowed as he opened the door.

I giggled as I made my way out of the castle.  The sun was just peaking over the trees, casting a warm glow onto the nature that surrounded us. I knew it would be cold at this time of the day, but my body was surprisingly comfortable, another perk of being undead.

I turned back around when I noticed that Julian didn't follow me outside. He was standing in the doorway.

"Aren't you coming?" I asked.