They were still in Aragonia, and Belle wished she could turn back time and escape from the wedding. The rain had started yet again, in earnest, so all the windows of the carriage were closed and the drapes drawn to shut out the heavy rain. Her husband did not tell the coachman to stop for them to stay the night at the inns they passed by; in fact, he seemed eager to leave the human world as he gave the order to the coachman to keep going in the rain. He had not stepped down to give the orders; he had spoken them under his breath, and the coachman had heard him.
Another vampire ability she had been taught, they had the sharpest senses and could hear anything at any distance away.
Belle, however, had resigned herself after the words he said to her. He knew now that the wrong bride had been given to him, and yet he did not send her back and had said the most crude words that sent a bolt of warmth into her body instead of disgust. She wanted to be disgusted by him, but it was quite hard to feel disgusted and repulsed by someone this calm and handsome. She wasn't supposed to feel anything for him but two things: fear and disgust. And thankfully, his words had restored her fear.
'I want to keep you as my wife and woman alone because I want to bed you. Every night, every day. I won't like you having another man in your mind when I do that. You are my woman now, Isa, and nobody, not even that man outside the hall, can have you back.'
No man had ever spoken to her like that, not even Jamie. Her Jamie was a respectable man with gentlemanly characteristics; he did no more than hold her hands, and even that too, he would ask for her permission to do so. But her husband, to her dismay, seemed to be different. How could he talk to a lady in such a manner?
She had blushed to the root of her head and moved back to the end of the seat, glueing herself to the carriage wall to put space between them. She had not thought about it all this while, but his words made her— their wedding night. Was he really going to do all that she had learned from eavesdropping on ladies' conversations in Jamie's shop to her? The thought of joining with a man in that sort of way brought some curious thrill to her and made her wonder what it would feel like, but she quickly took it off her mind and reminded herself why she shouldn't get curious about that aspect.
She'd heard from the married young women that the marriage bed was not something pleasant to a woman, and one had to do whatever one's husband asked of them to please them so they wouldn't look outside. One of the women had even gone on to say she loved her husband before marriage, but the moment after their wedding night, she despised him and anything that had to do with him.
'He did the act like a pig and would crush me to near death. I dare say there isn't any woman who would enjoy the marriage bed, my husband had been charming before our wedding night,' the woman had said, dabbing her face with her handkerchief, and Belle had shuddered upon hearing the other stories.
She had always wondered if her marriage with Jamie would be that unpleasant, like the words she'd overheard, but not once had she thought she wouldn't be married to Jamie but to a Vampire. How would it be with a vampire if it were that unpleasant with a human male?
This marriage was temporary for her, and she had to make sure to avoid any intimacy or bed acts with him. Their king had made them agree that he would not force her into anything she did not want, but that agreement did not explicitly exclude him from being a husband to her in bed.
He had said he wanted to bed her… She had been taught that there was no pleasure in the marriage bed, and she was determined to avoid that part of marriage until she could return to the man she truly loved.
May the heavens help her and make him not mean his words. Even though there was an agreement, it said nothing about that aspect of their union. To everyone else, their marriage was real, and even her parents had not advised her on whether she was expected to give herself to her vampire husband.
He had not spoken to her again after his bold remarks; he merely stared at her with a ghost of a smile on his face and then sighed, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes. She did not know if he was awake or not, but she couldn't relax anymore. The rain was getting heavier, and the atmosphere colder. She was in her wedding dress, made of lace and sheer materials—it was not thick enough to give her warmth in such weather.
Aragonia's weather had always been cold and dense because of the consistent rain, and many made sure to wear cloaks and coats. But the only two she had had faded from constant washing, so she could not bring them with her to Nightbrook. Belle had left them behind, and now she was vulnerable to the cold with nothing to cover herself but her sheer veil. She wrapped it around herself and tried to catch some sleep like her seemingly sleeping husband.
But that too was impossible. She was exhausted and sleepy, but the bumpy ride and the cold made it impossible for her to sleep. She shivered when the cold breeze seeped through the little openings around the carriage and wrapped her arms around herself to get some warmth. If only he would tell the coachman to make a stop at an inn, but he wasn't as considerate as she first thought.
They still had a long way out of Aragonia, and she did not think she could hold on like this. But then she also did not have the courage to request that he let them stop. Biting the inside of her cheek, she turned to steal a glance at him, but when she looked, she could not look away. His head was back, and his eyes were closed, with thick, long lashes resting against his high cheekbones that seemed like they were crafted by the gods themselves. He had a long, perfect nose. His arms were crossed against his broad, solid chest. He looked more comfortable than she was at this moment, and the cold did not seem to bother him a bit.
"Are you cold, little lamb?" came his quiet, deep voice that made her jump a little in her seat like a thief caught stealing. He wasn't asleep! She thought and quickly looked away when she saw his eyes open.
She shook her head. "No." But then she shivered, and her teeth chattered in the cold.
"Mhm, I see." She heard him say as she saw from the side of her eye that he had shifted in his seat and was staring at her. He did not say anything and only stared at her for so long.
She shivered again.
"Are you cold, Isa?" She heard his voice, but this time there was a hint of something that sounded ominous.
She swallowed hard and shook her head. "No, my lo—Rohan."
He did not look away from her, and the cold she tried not to show could not be hidden anymore, as along with the cold of the weather, his own stare sent shivers down her bones. She felt him shift in his seat, the leather seat squishing under his weight, then she heard his voice.
"Come here," he patted the space beside him. The carriage was not like the ones humans used; it had a longer seat on each side, and when he had spoken those words to her, Belle had shifted to the end of it. And now, he was patting for her to move closer again.
"I...I am fine right here, My Lord." She tried not to shiver again and clutched the thin veil around her shoulders.
Rohan's dark eyes lingered on her, the weight of his gaze making it impossible for her to relax or lean against the carriage wall and pretend to sleep. The air inside the carriage was stifling despite the cold outside, thick with something she couldn't quite name.
"Isa," he murmured, his voice almost coaxing. "Come here. I won't hurt you." He patted the space like she had not just told him she was fine where she was. Couldn't he just leave her alone or was it so hard for him to see that she did not wish to be close to him? She rather preferred the cold than be next to him.
His lips curved slightly, but there was no warmth in them as he seemed to read her thoughts. "I am not a man who enjoys repeating himself or taking no for an answer, sweetheart," he said, his tone darkening with what seemed like twisted amusement.
Her fingers tightened around the thin veil, but she made no move to close the distance between them. A gentleman would not force a lady into doing anything she did not feel comfortable doing. She had no illusion that he was one anyway. In the days leading to her wedding, she had heard many stories about him and the vampire world. Many of them took humans as playthings, though she still wanted to believe he and his people would hold true to their words and not force her into things she did not want to do or make her into their prey.
He might be her husband, but she did not feel comfortable sitting that close to him after the words he had spoken.
Rohan's lips curled, though it was not quite a smile, as he watched her look at him from the side of her eyes like a wary, adorable puppy.
"Do not make me fetch you myself, little lamb. You will not like how I do it," he warned, his voice carrying the lazy threat of a man who knew he would get his way. He patted the space beside him again.
"I am your husband and not someone who will eat you up, perhaps not now. I am not wicked. Best you acquaint yourself with my kindness and generosity." He tilted his head, lips curving into something that wasn't a smile, making her doubt if he even knew how to smile. Kindness and generosity? Kind people never tell others they are kind, and from his history and rumors, he was anything but those words he used. A kind person would never kill his own parents, who were said to have doted on him as he was their only child.
"After all, I am a very kind man," he added with a smooth emphasis.
It was the way he said it, so assured, that made her stomach twist. His kindness did not feel like a mercy. It felt like something with teeth, and it would bite her if she refused it. Oh Lord, what had she gotten herself into?
Belle swallowed hard and hesitated.
"Come," he murmured again, softer this time, yet no less commanding. "Before I decide you need more than just warmth, Isa."
With hesitant fingers, she gathered the thin fabric around her and, heart pounding, shifted closer to where he patted.
To her surprise, he didn't stop there. Instead, he pulled her fully into his arms, guiding her between his legs. One of his legs stretched out behind her along the seat, while the other rested in front, caging her in. Her back pressed against his solid chest, and his strong arms wrapped around her, locking her in place. The warmth of his body seeped into hers, chasing away the cold instantly.
She swallowed hard. This was too close. Too much. But just the amount of warmth and comfort she needed. At first, she sat stiffly and didn't try to move, but she soon began to drift off and subconsciously snuggled closer to him, and he gladly tightened his arms around her body. She couldn't believe how a vampire could be this warm, but she did not ask as she had no more energy and soon allowed the sleep she had been holding back to take her into its embrace.