RALPH I woke up with the hardest erection I had ever had. I turned to lie on my side and caught a whiff of her scent. Gritting my teeth, I threw the blanket off me. I know exactly what to do. I have been playing around for so long. This was the time to set things right and teach everyone who the boss was around here. I would not let those desires for Jovita control me again. For fuck's sake, I have been here for centuries and should know how to control all these pathetic feelings. I, of all people, should know how these things end. It never ends well. With wooden movements, I strolled into the bathroom for another cold shower to calm myself. After that, I would drink a good amount of blood, and I would regain control of myself, but something told me that I could finish all the pints in my blood bank, and she would still live rent-free in my head. I could not tell what crazy obsession this was. The memories of last night still lingered, and the evidence was on my swoll

THIRD PERSON'S POV Landon walked into the hall, filled with vampires and blood. There were no humans because any human who dared come there was gone. This was his army, the ones who were loyal to him. They hailed him as he walked past tables to a particular table surrounded by Lords. An older man peeked at him, and he ignored him and sat down beside a younger boy who appeared to be a teenager and was tanner than they all were. His eyes shifted to the woman sitting beside the older man peeking at him, and she winked at him. "Malcolm, you know that staring at me like that would not undo what happened. You must move on." A servant placed a dish in front of him and put a meal into it. "I do not know why Brenda keeps inviting you here. I do not want the likes of you here," the old man named Malcolm said. The woman in question tugged at his arm, signaling him to go easy. Landon grinned. "This might be your party, Malcolm, but this is my city."

RALPH I paced in my room with a glass of blood in my hand and ran the other finger over my hair. I thought I was over her. I had convinced myself about that, but all my resolve crashed when I saw her with that mechanic boy. I did not know what to do. The only way to stop this is to send her away from me, but even as she is far from me, I yearned for her presence. Have they slept together? Has he tasted what was mine? Has he done everything I fantasized about doing to her? I will have to kill that boy. They even call them love birds now. I sighed and sat on the edge of my bed. If I kill him, everyone will suspect it was because of Jovita, and they would all say I killed him out of jealousy. I was Lord Ralph; I was not supposed to be jealous. I downed the blood in my hand and stood up again. I could not sleep, and even after coming up with different methods of keeping them apart, I still was not comfortable. A knock came at the door, interrupting my thoughts. I spun toward

JOVITA "Hello there, pretty one. I am Lord Landon, nice to meet you." "Hello," I said and moved away from his way. "Excuse me." I made to leave, but he grabbed my hand and I stopped me right in front of me. His hand was colder than most vampires. Something about him seemed troublesome. "Eh eh, not so fast, human. I guess you are going with me tonight." "Lord Landon, let the girl do her job," someone said from behind, relieving me. I turned to see Lord Ralph's brother standing behind us. I sighed with relief when the other man's hand left me. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Well, if it is not the goody-two-shoes," the other Lord muttered. "What are you doing here, Landon?" Lord Colbert asked. "Am I not supposed to be here? This is a traditional vampire gathering and I do not rememeber Viktor banning me from coming here." I took that as my cue to leave. My face cheeks were hot and my heart pounded in my ribcage. I did not know why that L

JOVITA Lord Ralph stared at me without blinking. I stood there contemplating jumping into the sea behind me. Did he see me? Did he notice I was going through his stuff? "What did you think you were doing, human?" His voice was cold and steel. It sounded more like a growl. "I... I... I was..." I lost what to say. What could I possibly say to him? Hey, I was checking out your secrets, and I know them now. He stalked toward me, and I took a few steps back. Resentment and anxiety were warring inside me, and anxiety was winning more. My hands shook, and my lips shivered. I could feel the rage he exuded. He hated me enough to give me hard labor for nothing; he hated me enough to beat Bryce to a pulp. Nothing would stop him from killing me right now. "You feel you can disobey me?" He took off his jacket and started to unbuckle his belt. My eyes widened. What? Was he going to hit me? I bet I misjudged this man. He was worse than everything they said he was.