Thrones of Astoria - HEAVY EDITING-

Chapter 8

Astoria sat up rather quickly. She instantly felt cold when the covers fell from her naked chest. She looked over at Alexander who was sleeping like an unbothered cat. She realized that she must have given in last night. The redhead had noticed that her neck felt sore. She lightly ran her fingers over the faint healed bite mark that is now there.

A knock on the door was heard. That caused Alexander to wake up and rub his eyes. Astoria climbed out of the bed and looked for her red underwear and bra, and something to fully cover herself. Alexander stayed in bed and tossed her a black tee shirt that was not her size. She changed into it quickly and another knock was heard. Astoria walked over to the door and opened it wide.

"Barbie?" Alexander was surprised when the door was opened.

"Father wants you out of bed and downstairs, along with the tramp." She rolled her eyes at the sight of her naked brother and Astoria.

"I've been here how many times, and you still can't remember my name?" Astoria questioned the younger sibling.

"I know who you are Astoria Thorn, I simply don't care," Barbara says, shrugging.

"You'll care when she puts a stake in your heart." Her brother laughs.

"Fuck you, Alexander." His sister hissed and left their sight.

Astoria walked back onto the bed and jumped on top of him. He caught her in a kiss and flipped her back on the bed. Her hair was spread out across the black sheets. Alexander Blackwood used to be the playboy type, but ever since he met Astoria Thorn, he was different. He was so in love with this girl that it hurt him to be without her.

When Astoria was spelled by Damien, she only thought she was in love with Oliver because of him healing her. The werewolf felt the effects of the spell and only loved her because of it. Oliver Royce's true love is Sabrina Star. It's unsure of who Astoria is meant to be with. Everything in the universe changed when Ashton Star brought her to the Civitas Amissa.

She opened her green eyes to see the vampire looking down at her. She ran her hand up and down the side of his face. She wished she could spend more time like this with him. She wished there was some way to be free of Ashton Star. The veins underneath his eyes were surfacing which meant he was hungry, but he said nothing of it.

"Go ahead," She encouraged him.

"I fed on you last night, it wouldn't be right to do it again." He refused.

"I have a high pain tolerance, you know that." Astoria had kissed him hard.

She's right about him. He knows so much about her. Talia taught Astoria a harsh method on how to tolerate pain. Talia shocked her and burned her. Astoria could handle a simple bite. He moved her to sit on his lap. He took off the shirt he gave her so no blood would get on it. The redhead moved her hair over to one shoulder.

She gasped when he first bit into her, but the pain had passed by. The vampire wrapped his thick arms around her waist to keep her still. He kept taking her blood and she let out a small cry. He stopped once she let go of his brown hair. His fangs went back into his mouth, and he placed kisses on the marks left behind.

"The mark on your back?" He traced a finger over it. "Does it hurt you?"

"No, but it did when it first appeared. It felt as if I was burned by Hellfire."

Another knock was heard on the door. The door flew open, and Talia Star came into view. Astoria climbed off the vampire and reached for her clothes. She glanced back at him and realized they both had the same thought of hoping that Ashton wasn't here either. She couldn't imagine what it would be like if Ashton caught her with Alexander.

"You should put on some clothes before my brother arrives. I'm all for fighting for love, but I can only do so much to hold him back." Talia warned.

Astoria covered herself with Alexander's shirt, "Why are you suddenly on my side?"

"I was once in your position, Stori, with the whole fighting for love, so I know how it feels. I brought your clothes. I figured you might need a long sleeve shirt and a jacket." Talia smirked and threw the bag of clothes at the redhead. "It's cold outside today."

"Can I go shower?" She asked her lover.

"Of course, I could just use my blood to heal you. Make it easy on yourself and the scars." He suggested.

"The scars remind me of you, but I also hate the taste of blood." Astoria winked and ran into the bathroom

"You'd feel better." He argued. "Stronger even!"

"I'll be fine." She smiled.

She quickly turned on the hot water to scrub off all the dried blood on her skin. The dark wings had a burning sensation to it. Of course, there always must be a problem with her. She shut off the water and grabbed a towel. She changed into a black long-sleeved shirt and black jeans. She wrapped the black and red flannel around her waist and pulled on the black combat boots.

She walked down to the living room of the castle and saw that Ashton was already drinking. All the group of friends was downstairs. They were in their clothes from last night and looked like a complete mess. Sabrina looked to be suffering the most. Valentina was taking this loss hard. First, Charlotte went missing and now Bianca is dead.

"Out with-it Ashton, why are you here?" Talia asked him.

"My girls didn't come home last night." He slammed down his drink. "And I was told a human was murdered. Things like that are very important to me."

"We are not your property." Sabrina finally spoke.

"I think otherwise with Miss Thorn." He glared at her. "She's only alive because of me. Until she is dead, she is my property."

"Fuck you, Ashton." She stated.

Talia looked over at the young redhead with a lightbulb going off inside her head. Alexander must have had the same thought because the older Star sister and he made eye contact once. Astoria tried to walk out, and Ashton grabbed her arm roughly. She was pushed against a door, a hand wrapped around her neck. Alexander used his vampire speed to move over but Ashton's magic kept him still.

"Let me go." She commanded as she tried to force him away.

He leaned into her, "You are my property."

"I will never be your property. I belong to myself."

Talia released Alexander from Ashton's magic. She ordered everyone to leave the room, dragging the Vampire Prince with her. He kept trying to turn around to go back to Astoria, but Talia kept him from doing so. Talia sat at the head of the dining table, thinking as the vampire paced.

"I see that you're thinking, what's your idea?" He asked her.

"As much as I hate Astoria, I do feel pity for her. My idea comes with risks, but it's exactly what Ashton told Astoria to do for her freedom." Talia sighed.

"You want me to turn her?" He wondered, making sure they shared the same idea.

She nodded, "Yes, Xander, that's precisely what I'm saying. If she becomes a vampire, she has to die first."

He leaned against the wall, "I will pass along our idea to her, but I can't promise she will willingly want to die, most don't. I learned from my mistake last time. This will be on her terms and only her terms."

"She'll be free that's all that matters." Talia smiled to herself.

He stopped for a moment to think, "And what about the mark of Lucifer?"

"One problem at a time, darling."