The Vampire Prince's Practice Run

The night I came of age, the vampire prince Damon couldn’t wait to drag me to his bed.

He took me with a desperate, wild hunger that lasted all night long.

My body ached, but my heart was full.

I’d been his blood servant for ten years. I thought he was finally ready to give me the Embrace, to make me his forever.

But after, as he held me and talked on the phone with my foster brother, I heard Marcus ask him in Latin, “So, Master, how did my little sister taste? You know how many men would kill to be in your place? They all think she's a goddess.”

Damon's lips curled. “Not bad. A little green. Not nearly wild enough for my tastes.”

Marcus laughed. “Well, she's been hopelessly devoted to you since she was a kid. Never even dated.”

Then Damon’s voice lowered. “Don't tell Serena about Elena. I have to marry a noble vampire like her in the end, and I don't want her upset.”

“A little human like Elena… she's just good for practice.”

But Damon didn't know I'd secretly learned Latin just to feel worthy of him.

Hearing that, I didn't say a word. I just quietly changed my college application from the University of New Orleans to my dream school, University of Oxford.

For ten years, I served the vampire prince Damon as his blood servant. The night I turned eighteen, he finally made me his woman. My dream come true. Except now I know the truth: I was just his practice run before he married into vampire nobility.

"One more time."

Damon’s voice echoed in the dark. His cold fingers gripped my chin, forcing my head up.

My body was limp, and I was gasping against his chest.

"I… I can't," I rasped.

"You can." He bit my earlobe, his fangs grazing my skin. "The night is young, Elena."

I closed my eyes and let him pull me back under.

This was my eighteenth birthday, and the tenth anniversary of the day I met Damon. Ten years ago, a rogue vampire attacked me in a dark alley. He appeared out of the shadows and saved me. To repay him, I became his exclusive blood servant.

At 3 a.m., Damon finally let me go.

He sat up, pulling me into his lap, his hands stroking me, still not satisfied.

"The Blood Moon Ceremony is tonight," I said, looking up at him with hope. "Will you… give me the Embrace?"

Damon’s hand paused. "We can talk after the ceremony."

My heart sank, but I quickly told myself he was just planning a surprise.

His phone buzzed on the nightstand. Damon glanced at it, answered, and said something in Latin. "Marcus, how are the preparations for the ceremony?"

I’d secretly studied the language, hoping to one day stand by his side as an equal. I’d never told him.

On the other end, my foster brother—or rather, the lesser vampire Damon had turned—answered, "Everything is