He waited patiently and praised her for every step she took as she edged closer to him. “That’s it. All I want is for you to be comfortable, safe, and satisfied. You’ll never go hungry in my care, Cassie.” 

“Your care?” She stopped just out of reach of his offered hand and tears dribbled down her chin. 

“Yes.” He promised her the world with his eyes as they lit up red. “I care for you, and I will take care of you.” Sylas desperately wished that she would believe him. “I know this wasn’t your choice, it was mine, but it’s the one and only time I’ll do something to you without asking for permission first. As long as your life isn’t in danger, you have full autonomy over your life. I will only ever step in if you’re about to do something that will get you in trouble, or hurt.” He slowly leaned forward in his seat so he could reach for her arm. “I swear to you, I will be a good and kind sire. I really meant it when I promised you a job and a career. A real future.”

“A future as a vampire?” She sniffled and darted her red eyes down at the first tug of his hand at her sleeve. 

“A future that is yours, Cassandra.” His smile was the same, charming, boyish one that drew her in in the first place. His raven hair slipped over one shoulder as he cocked his head to one side. “But you can’t enjoy that future with an empty stomach.” Said stomach felt like chicken wire was twisting in on itself, she was so hungry. Cassandra hissed with it, nearly in pain she was that hungry. “You’ll be very hungry for a while. All new spawn are. Come on.” Sylas tugged her closer and at the first touch of her knees against the sofa, she gingerly lowered to sit beside him. “Here you go.” He offered her the Yoda cup of blood. 

“…” Cassandra stared down at the red liquid she knew was blood, and the coppery taste in the air called to her like a succulent meal waiting to be tasted. Only…her eyes drifted upward. They came to a stop on Sylas’s neck, and she thought once more of how she bit him during the throws of her transformation. 

“Aren’t you hungry?” 

“Yes.” She admitted on the exhale and swallowed a lump in her throat. Yes, she was so hungry her gums ached and she couldn’t retract her fangs even if she wanted to. Sylas started to lift the cup up, intending on bringing it to her lips, but paused when she leaned closer to his neck. He watched her with a brow raised. Cassandra licked her lips between her fangs, and her pupils were dilated. She moved slowly towards his neck, and he realised what his spawn wanted. 

“Oh?” Sylas blushed and moved the cup out of the way. “Do you want to feed from me?” 

“…I…yes?” Cassandra watched as he pushed his hair out of the way and offered his neck to her. With the same hand he cupped the back of her head and reeled her closer. 

“You have my consent, Cassandra. You may feed from me.” She hissed and launched forward to do just that. “Be warned?” He sang with a chuckle and tugged at the back of her hood to pull it back. “There is a special bond between us.” She darted her red eyes up and saw something possessive and hungry staring back at her. “You won’t get anything nutritious from me. You’ll still need to drink this once you’re done.” He nodded towards the cup of human blood in his hand. “Vampires can’t gain nutrition from other vampires. As my spawn, however, you will experience a very special benefit from drinking my blood.”

“And what’s that?” He held the back of her head, smiled tenderly at her, and started to coax her mouth towards his throat. 

“As your sire, my blood will fill you with comfort and passion. You’ll enjoy it, and feel better once you’ve fed from me. If I were to feed from you, my spawn, I would have the same experience. You are welcome to feed from me, Cassandra, but I won’t feed from you unless you give me your permission.” No way in hell. Her eyes said it all, and Sylas averted his gaze so he didn’t have to acknowledge what he saw there. “My body will also react to you feeding from me, so please don’t hold that against me.” He brought her lips to his neck and then released her. If she bit him, it would not be because he made her, but because she wanted to. 

“React how?” She asked before she could stop herself. At some point, she’d snuggled up to him and her hands rested on his shoulder and his chest. His left arm held her loosely around her waist, and he still offered the left side of his neck to her. 

“In the same way I did the last time you fed from me.” He meant when he got horny and I could feel his erection. She also remembered becoming aroused too, but it didn’t go any further. They didn’t have sex. And we never will. “But I will be a gentleman, as always. So feel free to indulge and bite me when we’re in private. You’ll just need to have human blood afterwards to keep up your strength. I’ll top up as well once you’re finished.” Wait…what would happen if I drank lots of Sylas’s blood? Would he become weak? Weak enough that I could escape? She hissed and bit him before he could change his mind. If she drained him past the point where he could command or stop her, then perhaps Cassandra could escape. I’ll find the nearest bus stop and get the hell out of this freak show. I will not be his pet project vampire bride. Take this, you bastard. 

Cassandra bit him. Hard.