"Magic!" Aria internally gasped, finding it difficult to understand what else was capable of causing such a reaction on the ground.
Zyren’s powers were not intended to do such a thing; moreover, it coincided perfectly with when the vampire began to chant.
It can’t be her bloodline! Aria decided, even as she waited, watching the old woman continue to chant loudly until her voice echoed through the silent walls, even as the symbols that had been drawn into the ground with fresh dark blood continued to glow until they finally stopped.
Aria’s gaze was still fixed on the ground when she heard the woman speak again, but instead of chanting, she spoke directly to Aria, who hadn’t been expecting it.
"Once I leave, drink from the cup in your hands and then both of you will sleep together!" she said plainly, almost like it was something as simple as breathing.
The old woman’s expression was just as blank, even as she instantly moved to head out of the hall, which shocked Aria, who hadn’t been expecting the old woman to actually leave the hall.
"You’re leaving? Aren’t you supposed to stay to make sure that nothing goes wrong?" Aria asked before she could stop herself, even as she felt the woman set a look of clear displeasure on her.
"What do you think the symbols are for?" she asked, even as she bowed towards Zyren, completely ignoring Aria’s presence as she continued to head out of the hall, clearly with no intention to remain.
Soon the door was closed and the old woman was gone, which surprised Aria as she turned to look at Zyren, realizing that whatever the ritual was, it wasn’t as bad as she had actually imagined it in her head.
Aria had expected to see more blood and, so far, only a bit of her blood had been shed. The wound on her wrist was deep and it had bled, but somehow it no longer bled as much, though it was clear that a nasty scar would remain.
Aria continued to stand on the spot she had been standing, with her gown covering her, trying not to look anywhere else but at Zyren’s face and the rest of the hall, only to watch Zyren step closer to the table where the two cups were placed.
Quickly, before she could take another breath, she watched him pick it up and swallow it, draining every single drop before he placed it back on the table from where he had picked it up.
Aria was beyond taken aback as her eyes widened, even as she watched Zyren turn back to look directly at her. Nothing had changed but his eyes, which already glowed red, now seemed to take on a darker sheen — one that made her feel like he was much more dangerous than he had ever been.
"You should drink!" he said to her. His tone was normal, even though his voice was too hoarse for her not to realize that something was definitely different.
"You’ll be fast? There’s no reason to drag things out!" she told him with a slightly imploring tone, aware that using a demanding one was going to get her nowhere.
Even more surprised when, instead of arguing, Zyren simply nodded his head, even as he craned it to the side, his eyes fixed on her with such intensity, going as far as to slide down her face to her neck — which only made her feel the need to get things over with as fast as she could.
Quickly, she stepped forward and picked up the cup. Squeezing her eyes tight, she raised the cup to her lips. It was cold as she opened her mouth and downed the contents, relieved to find out that it tasted quite nice.
But she had barely placed the cup back on the table when she felt something behind her, aware that it was Zyren’s body even before she turned around. His arm tightened on her waist as he turned her around and pulled her closer, tearing off the gown she wore before she could protest to allow her to take it off herself.
"Fine! We can—" she began, but she didn’t get to finish what she was saying as she felt his lips crash into hers passionately enough for her to lose the ability to breathe for the briefest of moments.
He wasn’t subtle as he pulled her closer to his body until she could feel every inch of his hard and pulsing lower body as he grinded it against her center.
Aria’s instinct was to instantly push him away, which she did, until she felt her legs instantly leave the ground the very next second, even as he plunged his tongue into her mouth — which she couldn’t help but gasp through.
First, she felt a lot, as she felt his hands caress her body in a way that slowly awakened pleasure within her which she would rather never experience, but just when she refused to feel anymore, it was almost like an explosion went off in her body.
She had been prepared to push his pulsing member inside of her to ensure he came faster in order for it to end, but at that moment she couldn’t even stick to her preconceived thoughts.
She felt her back collide with the bed and Zyren’s body covered hers, even as his mouth continued to glide gently against her lips in a way that made a familiar heat burn from the tip of her hair to the very tips of her toes.
It was unlike anything she had ever felt before so much so that she couldn’t help but lean into every one of his touch as he caressed every inch of her body.
It was something she never wanted to be apart from in a way that she couldn’t even stop herself from moaning in response to.
The need to touch him back hit her just as intensely as she found herself doing just that