AN: Whew it's been a while guys I apologize.

For some reason this chapter took me so long to write but here it is.

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Bay tossed and turned as he began to wake up grumpily, but a large hand on his back soothed his restlessness.

He stilled immediately at the touch but turned in shock to find that Cepheus was in bed with him. This was the first time he's woken up with his mate since he got back.

"You're still here." Bay commented groggily. He blushed at the sound of his voice- it was scratchy and strained.

"Do you not want me to be?"

Of course the vampire's words were gravelly deep and Bay could feel vibrations tickle his side.

He chose not to speak, and instead climbed onto Cepheus' chest, nuzzling his face in his neck. He didn't want to scare his mate by using his
voice again.

Cepheus chuckled and stroked the nymph's back soothingly.

"Would you like to have breakfast with me today?"

Bay snapped his head up to meet brown eyes in shock.

"Really?" He breathed.

Since he came back to the castle, his meals were limited to the 4 walls of the King's chambers. Cepheus had been having a lot of meetings due to the fae alliance, so he didn't want Bay to run into any visitors.

"Yes beloved. The castle shouldn't be too occupied at this time of day. Also..."

The vampire ran his fingers over the side of Bay's neck delicately, which had the nymph shivering in sensitivity.

"My mark!"

Suddenly the small boy leapt off the bed and hurried off to the bathroom in excitement.

Once he was in front of a mirror, grey eyes fixated on the black markings on his neck and his mouth widened in awe. He didn't even notice the large body appear behind him or the arms that wrapped around his waist protectively.

"Its beautiful isn't it." Cepheus murmured into the boy's neck.

All Bay could do was nod in agreement as he took in the ink black wings that had a crown placed above it. The symbolism was quite fitting really: he belonged to a Vampire King.

Placing a chaste kiss in the crevice of his neck, Cepheus patted the nymph's bum in an encouraging manner.

"Go get dressed love, I want to make the most of this morning."

Bay stumbled and looked back bashfully before padding over to pull on a shirt that just happened to be his mate's. It's large size caused the collar to slip down his shoulder and he huffed as he tried to push it up but to no avail.

He decided to actually make the effort and wear shorts today, before pulling the denim material on with a grimace.

Cepheus had insisted on filling up the empty side of the closet with new clothing, and rightfully so considering that the nymph didn't really own anything.

Bay found that while some of these items were beautiful, they were far from comfortable.

"Ready?"

The smaller boy turned and nodded at the vampire, causing a smile to appear on the older one.

The nymph looked so tiny and adorable, he had to clench his fists to stop himself from pinching his chubby cheeks.

To subdue his urges he grabbed the boy's also tiny hand and laced their fingers together.

"Come on then."

Bay quickened his steps to meet the longer strides; however he pressed against the male's side self-consciously, his eyes taking in his surroundings.

Cepheus was true to his word- the castle seemed empty. It was similar to how he had seen it when he first arrived.

As they got closer to the kitchen though, many voices could be heard, and Bay started to think that he was mistaken in assuming that they were alone in this castle.

"Your Majesty."

As the two turned the corner, all had stood up from their place at the table with their heads slightly bowed in respect.

Bay took everything in wide-eyed, vaguely skimming the 10 bodies that occupied the space.

"If you all wouldn't mind, I would like to be in the kitchen alone."

His words seemed polite enough but the tone in which they were spoken made the statement seem almost compulsory.

Bay found even himself turning towards the door but his wrist was grabbed gently.

"Not you." Cepheus said bemused.

The small group whispered amongst themselves and spared the nymph curious glances as they left the room. Although a familiar male stayed in his place, leaned against the table while drinking a goblet of what seemed to be blood.

"I see that you've finally allowed us to be graced by your beloved's presence." Raphael commented with a smirk.

His eyes found the mark adorning Bay's neck and a brow rose, awaiting an explanation.

"You sure didn't take your time my King." He chuckled into his cup.

Truth be told, he was over the moon that his friend had found his bonded pair. It meant he would no longer have to haul dead bodies from his chambers. Surely the little guy would keep him at bay.

"Yes, well I'm sure you can understand my urgency."

Raphael simply hummed giving the nymph one last once over before walking towards his friend.

"I'm happy for you Cepheus. Really." A supporting hand was placed on the King's shoulder and words were said with such sincerity that the old vampire couldn't help but feel a tug at his heart strings.

Gone were the sleepless nights, and meaningless days where he only felt like a hollow version of himself. The sun would rise and fall, yet it only seemed to blur into a mass of pitiful emotions.

But now, he saw light. 

"Thanks Raph. I would ask you to stay for breakfast, but this is the first meal I've been able to have with my beloved since his arrival."

"That is completely fine your majesty; although I thought you were pushing back the fae meetings. At least that's what I heard after your outburst with the council."

Amusement twinkled in his eyes, while Cepheus pursed his lips and tightened his jaw in annoyance.

"You above all should now how...bold Melesandra can be. She's balancing on a very fine line right now and if she crosses it, I can't promise that no harm will come her way."

Amusement was gone and Raphael simply nodded, his muscles tense.

Melesandra was his beloved and it came with no surprise, considering how well their personalities complimented one another.

Confident, bright and bold molded  perfectly to fit with sarcastic, sly and humorous.

The female was the Chief Warrior and oversaw all affairs that corresponded with the safety of the Vampire Kingdom. It was only appropriate that she would have an attitude to match. If not for Cepheus' relationship with Raphael, she would've already lost a finger or two considering that she continues to fail at grasping the simple concept of respect.

"I will talk to her my Lord. She will no longer be an issue of yours, you have my word."

A simple nod of the head showed that the King had acknowledged his statement, and with that, the younger vampire turned to dismiss himself. He paused however, and shifted his head to look back over his shoulder.

"Welcome to the Kingdom nymph."

Bay flushed as suddenly all the attention was on him, when he was previously just a witness to their conversation.

He gave the vampire a shy smile before he watched him walk out and finally, the room was empty.

"Sorry about that love, Raphael and I haven't talked in a while."

Bay only smiled before climbing up a stool to sit at the kitchen island.

"I didn't mind."

His legs swung freely, a creamy shoulder and steady pulse on display thanks to the oversized shirt.

Cepheus licked his lips as he felt his fangs descending. The nymph looked absolutely delectable. It was strange that he was so reactive though; the urge was more intense than usual.

He turned and tried to focus his attention on something else, deciding to look through the fridge that he so rarely used.

"What would you like to eat?" He asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"Could I have some water first?"

The vampire turned fully again and flittered his eyes over the smaller boy analytically, suddenly taking notice to his now paler skin and dull eyes. He hadn't noticed before; the differences were just barely visible but they were there.

"Are you feeling okay?" Long strides were taken so that he could cup the boy's cheeks in his hands, his eyes darkening and flickering erratically.

Bay's nose scrunched up at the vampire's strange behaviour but answered nonetheless.

"Ya I think so."

"Then why..."

Cepheus' brows furrowed in confusion but he quickly realized the issue.

"Baby why didn't you tell me you weren't getting enough water."

The King was far from an expert in anything if not war; but he did know that if nymphs were isolated from their element for any prolonged period of time, their personalities would dim like a strong wind to a flame.

"I-I guess I didn't realize."

The boy pouted and played with the hem of the shirt that was much too big for his frame. Now that it was mentioned, he did feel a bit more tired than usual but he had assumed it was his usual reaction from having to get out of bed.

"Well now that I remembered, you're going to have a minimum of 8 glasses of water with every meal."

"But-"

"Don't argue with me blue."

Bay blushed and shut his mouth, nibbling on the bottom lip for good measure. He wasn't really against consuming all that water, it would leave him glowing and healthy and clearly the vampire knew that.

Despite this, it was quite a shocking sight to witness someone down all that liquid during a meal. What if they were to have guests? He could barely fathom the thought of doing that in front of his own mate.

"Drink."

The nymph blinked and sneezed when he was suddenly brought out of his day dreaming state.

The vampire almost cooed at how adorable the action was but instead he pushed a cool cup against Bay's lips.

"Go on."

Bay started to drink hesitantly when he realized that Cepheus wasn't going to let him hold the glass himself. He rested his right hand on a firm bicep when his steady intake increased to needy gulps. He had finished in no time and already some colour was returning to his cheeks.

Immediately the same cup was refilled and pressed to his lips once more. No hesitation presented itself this time and Bay accepted the fact that Cepheus wanted to hold the cup for him.

"Your health is my priority love, I'm not doing this to embarrass you. Seeing you nourish yourself is calming to me. If you look even slightly unwell it stresses me out"

The glass was taken away and the vampire watched with flickering eyes as a droplet escaped the corner of plush pink lips, travelled down creamy skin and settled in the crevice of his mate's neck.

A tattooed finger swiped at the pink pout, although his now red eyes were hypnotized by the racing pulse that glistened with water.

He was fighting harder than usual to keep himself at bay. He didn't get his usual fill the night before, as it was his mate's first time and he had gone easy in his best interest. Still though, that wouldn't cause him to be this thirsty.

The craving ran deep and heated his cold blood like he was on fire. His gums pulsed and his muscles tensed; it was as if he were a newborn again.

"Cepheus what's wrong?"

Not even the soft, hypnotic voice of his mate could calm him. He hasn't experienced such loss of control in a long, long time.

"I.." He blinked abruptly and shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Blood lust."

"What?"

"It happens after you turn for the first time. And it can happen again if you-"  he shook his head in disbelief and chuckled. "If your mark your mate."

Bay shuffled in his spot nervously, not really sure where this was going.

"Is it bad..?"

"It's not bad for vampire mates. To your kind you would call it a heat of sorts. When both vampires agree to link they experience blood lust to..advance the process."

"So like mating?" Bay squeaked.

Cepheus only hummed, seeming to have lost his train of thought. The more the nymph talked, the faster his pulse raced and the vampire was always up for a chase.

His arms were suddenly around the smaller boy's waist, lifting him onto the island instead of the stool.

"Ceph-" Bay shuddered when his mate's nose lightly brushed over his mark and gasped when a warm, wet tongue followed soon after.

"Just a taste."

Fangs pierced supple skin and the nymph gasped, although it was overwhelmed by Cepheus' moan.

He pressed himself against the smaller boy, his hard on imprinting itself against Bay's thigh.

The nymph's eyes widened as he felt the size, but he couldn't pretended that he didn't twitch at the thought of binding himself with a man of that size.

A hand squeezing his bum made him squeal and all dirty thoughts were gone when he realized once again where they were.

"W-we're in the kitchen Ceph- we can't-"

He was cut short and a whimper passed pink lips as his shorts were ripped off. They were denim.

His small length was grabbed in a cool hand, all while his neck was still captured by the vampire.

Precum seeped from the tip and lubricated the hand that was tugging him, leaving the boy a squirming and whining mess.

Finally fangs were withdrawn and the vampire licked at the wound instantly closing it.

Red eyes met grey and the owner clenched his jaw to stop himself from going back in for another taste. His eyes flickered over his mate's pink face before they fixated on the member in his hand.

Leaning down he decided to have a taste of something else.

A warm mouth engulfed the boy's length and sucked firmly. Hands grasped soft thighs as he thrashed on the counter.

"Cepheus please!" Bay cried out, feeling an orgasm building up already.

The vampire chuckled, the vibrations setting the nymph over the edge.

He gasped and arched into his mate's mouth but suddenly the base of his cock was grasped tightly causing him to cum dry.

"Orgasm denial" Cepheus murmured after coming up, licking his lips. "We're gonna do it 3 more times."

Bay opened his mouth to speak but a moan overcame him when he was taken once again.

The King was true to his word and by the time they were on the last round, Bay's eyes were teary and his body spent.

He had stopped begging to cum by now so when he felt the orgasm approaching he assumed he would feel the usual denial.

However, the firm grasp around his base suddenly released and he screamed, releasing violently into his mate's mouth. His back hit the counter and he shivered in sensitivity.

Cepheus stood up and licked his lips, looking over the boy like he was a piece of art. His head was less cloudy now; he could argue that giving his mate pleasure was better than receiving his own.

"If you take something away for a little while, when you get it back the experience is better than it was before."

Bay could only whimper as his hips were grabbed and he was lifted to stand on the floor

"Thank you for letting me pleasure you."

The nymph furrowed his brows in confusion. Why was he being thanked if he was the one receiving? He didn't get to ponder on it for long though, as he was soon being led out the kitchen.

"W-wait! I didn't get to have breakfast"

Cepheus smirked and bent down to pick up strewn articles before straightening out and adjusting his mate's shirt to cover him accordingly.

"I had enough for the both of us."