This chapter is dedicated to @MonsterUnderTheBed!

Thank you so much for the supergift!

"You're beautiful, Alicia." He pulled her attention to him. She stared at him through the mirror. She still did not know what to say.

He smiled. "This was your original appearance when I first saw you. Dark haired, hazel eyes…"

Somehow, his words made her heart warm up and a smile graced her lips. Right. He had actually seen her before she became queen. When he had gone to the cliff side where his mother had asked him to search for.

"Right… I just changed my hair and eye colour." She said and she looked at herself again.

Somehow. What she just mentioned somehow seemed not quite right. Something else did change. She seemed to look a little more mature now that she was a vampire. If her previous appearance looked like a delicate, pristine and innocent fairy-like female, her vampire form seemed to be her bolder, regal and more exquisite version of herself.

She could not stop staring at herself in the mirror. But her thirst came roaring to the forefront of her attention and made her move and turned back to look at him.

Again, he seemed to understand her needs just by her actions.

He then led her to the bed. He sat and made her straddle him.

"It's time for you to bite me, Alicia." He said in what sounded like a loving tone. His fingers were stroking her hair.

"But I'm… I'm still worried."

"For me again."

She nodded. It was not something that she would hide from him.

"I just drunk from you a while ago, Alicia." He reminded her.

"Not just that. What if… what if I get addicted to your blood too? What if I don't… I can't stop myself?" she said with genuine worry.

He blinked. A long silence reigned between them before a chuckle echoed inside the cabin. Hearing his chuckle was just… Alicia could only watch him in a daze. If she could have one more wish to be granted once this bliss was over, she would want to hear his chuckles, watch his happy face before she finally disappears when her time is over.

"Did you know what you just said?" he asked her once his chuckles died down. She knew what he was talking about.

"I don't have any plan to hide it. The moment you touched me, I felt immediately addicted to your touch. When you kissed me, I got addicted to your lips and when you…" she trailed off, knowing he understood her drift.

He was grinning. His eyes gleaming. Oh dear… he looked so happy right now.

"Go on, Alicia. Continue. I want to hear it." he breathed, staring at her with a lazy smile. Though he knew what she would say, he still wanted to hear it. Hearing her express herself for him gave him sheer and absolute joy.

God. She wanted this man to keep being this happy. Forever. She wished that she could make him happy like this and remain happy with him forever and ever. But she knew better than to hope for the impossible.

"When you touched me with your fingers, I got addicted to it too… and now I think I'm addicted to having sex with you too. I heard vampires usually have the highest sex drives among all the other races but… but I didn't think it was to this extent." Her cheeks tinged a little pink after that comment.

His lazy smile widened. "No, Alicia. It's true, but you're right on one point. It's not to this extent. Most vampires are similar to humans and witches. Vampire males just last much longer and vampire female have a higher tolerance to hardcore sex."

Alicia blinked. The words 'hardcore sex' repeated like a gong being sounded in her mind and she blushed hotter.

"So what's happening between us really isn't the norm. This is just… different." His expression turned a bit serious. "The truth is… this is my first time feeling this way. I have an inkling that it must be because of my demonic side and that you're affected by it too. Or maybe… it's simply because we…"

He paused. Their eyes met for what seemed to be a long time.

Then he swallowed silently and kissed her. She saw that as his way to distract her from pondering more about the rest of what he was about to say but stopped halfway. But she did not relent this time.

"Because we… love each other?" she uttered against his lips once he pulled away to breathe.

Ezekiel froze for a moment. She could not see his expression, but she had felt him tensed up as he made a rumbling sound and then came close to kiss her again, burying the sound in her mouth.

"If you can't make yourself bite me right now, there is another way for you to do it before you even realize it." he said when their lips parted. She could tell that he was trying his best to change the topic once again.

He was leaning his forehead against hers and she knew that he was doing that to hide his expression from her.

But Alicia used both her hands and held onto his face and made him look directly at her. She stared into his eyes before saying very seriously and sincerely, "I love you".

She watched as his pupils dilate and he stopped breathing for a couple seconds. He then shut his eyes for a moment and then released a deep breath before he devoured her mouth again in an indescribable kiss. Their meeting of the lips this time was not just any kiss. She felt like he was making the biggest decision in his entire existence as he kissed her.

When he released her. They were both breathless.

Ezekiel had decided to do this one thing he had never done before since the day he was betrayed by his own father, seven hundred years ago.

"Listen Alicia. I have… something to tell you. I am going to reveal all of my plans to you. All my plans… until the end."

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Thank you so very much for bringing Hellbound to #01 in Golden ranking. Thank you for all your love and support! T^T