Love at first sight had never been a notion that Ariella had entertained. Truly, even the idea of true love was something that often eluded her. She wanted to believe in it, to be able to wish upon a star and hope that her true love would come along and sweep her off her feet, carry her away so that they could live happily ever after. It was a dream that most human girls seemed to indulge in, but one that she had never had the luxury to entertain.<br/><br/>In the world in which she lived marriage was often done for political reasons rather than for love. It was a reality that had caught up to her, stealing away whatever hope she might have secretly held onto that even she could someday find such a love. If the concept of love was almost foreign itself, then the concept of love at first sight was alien.<br/><br/>Still, she couldn’t deny that she had felt something. What that feeling was, she didn’t know, but she certainly would not call it love. Perhaps it was a seed from which love might grow, but to entertain such thoughts now would only be cruel. To fall in love now would only bring pain. What, then, did she hope to gain from this? What exactly was she doing here, with him? She didn’t know the answer, but even if it was wrong or stupid, it felt right in that moment, and that was all that mattered for now.<br/><br/>Even if it made no real sense, when she kissed him, it made sense to her in that moment. She felt a strange sort of electrifying feeling spread through her body, and it left her wanting more. She swallowed hard and took in a slow breath when their eyes met and he spoke, telling her of how sweet and addictive her kiss was, trailing his fingertip across her lips.<br/><br/>A light smile played across her lips, despite how flushed she knew she must look, given the warmth she could feel in her cheeks and the tips of her ears. “So, you figured it out,” she spoke in a voice that was sweet and still managed to sound airy despite all evidence to the contrary. Her status as princess was not a difficult conclusion to reach at this point, so it was hardly surprising that he would have figured it out.<br/><br/>In her own way, she was simply giving him confirmation of what he already knew to be true. It also helped to focus on that, rather than the temptation of his words, or his cool fingers that traced across her already flushed cheeks. She still didn’t really know what her own intentions were, but she knew that she had no desire to be desperate, needy, or to make this too easy for him. After all, if it were too easy, it wouldn’t be much fun, and it would be over far too quickly.<br/><br/>She tilted her head in silent question when he smiled before holding up a finger to ask for a moment. Her question was quickly answered when he crossed the room to her bedroom door and locked it. She swallowed hard and fought to maintain her composure as her mind raced with thoughts as to what came next when he began to undo the buttons on his vest as he crossed back over to where she still stood.<br/><br/>She hadn’t expected him to just come right out and tell her that he was a vampire, although she supposed that she had to appreciate his honesty, if nothing else. She gave a nod to indicate that she had, in fact, gathered as much. His casual delivery of this revelation was more surprising to her than the information itself, although she showed no surprise at all.<br/><br/>That was true until he continued, telling her of his intention to feed on her, even going into detail about what she should expect during the process. She blinked several times, an almost blank look on her face for a moment as she looked up at him, trying to process what she had been told even as his fingers came to rest against the artery in her neck. She had an unusual awareness of the feeling of the blood pulsing through her veins in that moment, and of the pulsing of the artery in her neck. It was as if the blood was pounding against the walls of the artery, against her skin, and right up into the pads of his fingers.<br/><br/>She swallowed and forced herself to focus as she looked into his eyes. “What would you do if I said no?” she wondered, searching his eyes as if to find the answer. Perhaps it mattered, or maybe not. More likely, it was nothing more than a passing thought, or some part of her trying to make it just a little harder on him.<br/><br/>She waited only a little longer before she nodded. “Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath and looking at him with no discernible hesitation or fear in her gaze. She couldn’t really tell you if it was desire, simple curiosity, or something else entirely that had led to her decision, but it had been a surprisingly easy decision. Then again, perhaps she simply lacked poor judgement right at this very moment.