It would also be interesting to explore this unusual mate bond. If his enemies ever found out that he had a mate, they would surely use it against him.
There was no doubt in his mind. His decision had been made.
Mikhail slowly released her chin and ran a finger with a sharp nail through his wrist, drawing blood.
Josef’s and Sarim’s eyes widened in realization.
“S—Sire!” Josef exclaimed.
“Sire, your blood… you can’t…” Sarim began, alarmed.
As an elite vampire, Mikhail’s blood was naturally priceless. Unlike ordinary vampires, his blood had the special ability to heal whoever drank it.
In the transformation process, vampires needed to drain as much blood as possible from the human to weaken their condition. After that, they had to force the human to drink their vampire blood. The human would turn into a vampire within three days, and after that, the turned humans had to drink human blood or they would die within 24 hours.
This meant that Mikhail should not bite and then drink from this beautiful woman for at least three days, or else she would turn into a vampire against her will.
Vampires could drink the blood of other vampires, but that was considered taboo and disgusting, so Mikhail had no intention of turning her.
After this, he would have to find another human to feed on. It was a small price to pay for having this woman at his side for the rest of her mortal life.
“Drink,” Mikhail commanded, offering his wrist towards her.
The woman just stared at him. She looked dazed, but there was still a flash of defiance in her eyes that intrigued Mikhail even more.
‘What an interesting human,’ he thought to himself.
“I won’t turn you into a vampire,” Mikhail said. “My blood will help you heal from your wounds. In exchange for your life, you will be mine, and mine only.”
The woman’s gaze narrowed. “…I would rather die,” she snarled.
Even her voice was charming, despite its quiet anger.
Mikhail began to like this human. She would be a good and interesting blood source.
Possibly even a worthy mate.
“What’s your name, human?” he asked.
The woman’s eyes flashed with surprise for a fraction of a second.
Then, she glared at him.
“I’m not falling for that,” she said. “I’m aware of what happens when we give our names to vampires.”
“How awfully brave of you despite being on the verge of death,” Mikhail remarked in amusement. “This is quite admirable.”
“I’d rather die than be indebted to a vampire!”
There was pure venom in her voice, which only made exhilaration run through Mikhail’s veins. Though she tried her best to hide it, there was a hint of fear in her tone, something Mikhail’s sharp ears didn’t miss.
She was trying to be brave, the poor thing. She even glared defiantly into his eyes.
It only made him want her more.
“I’m afraid you’re mistaken about something, human,” he said softly. “I don’t need your name in order to control you.”
His smooth voice seemed to trigger a change in her. Her eyes suddenly glazed over a little, and her features started to soften ever so slightly.
He smiled.
Vampires could use mind control if their abilities were strong enough. However, they needed the human’s name — their real name, not a fake, and not an alias — to control their mind. Some vampires were cunning enough to get it out of a human’s lips, while others were able to do so through deep persuasion.
After all, vampires were natural charmers. It usually did not take them long to wrap a human around their little finger.
But elite vampires like Mikhail didn’t need to. They could control humans with their voices alone, which was much easier and faster.
He only asked her name because he found her interesting.
“Now drink from my blood and heal up.”
He pressed his bloody wrist to her lips. She still refused to drink it, so he spoke to her again in his gentle voice to make her obey his command.
“Drink up,” he repeated softly.
Josef and Sarim just watched the whole scene, unable to stop their master. Mikhail was much more powerful than both of them combined, so they had no chance.
Of course, they were loyal to Mikhail. They just couldn’t understand why Mikhail wanted to keep this human.
“Why aren’t you drinking?” Mikhail suddenly asked, and for the first time, there was a hint of emotion in his voice. An emotion that was akin to genuine confusion.
Even though he used his persuasive voice, the woman still didn’t obey him. She still stared at him defiantly, breathing heavily through her nose instead.
Beads of sweat poured down her face, a testament to how much pain she was enduring. The cold helped slow the bleeding, but it wasn’t enough to buy her more time.
She was clearly suffering and in desperate need of medical attention, but she refused to be helped by a vampire.
“How can this be?” Mikhail wondered aloud, puzzled and slightly fascinated at the same time. “Are you immune to my mind control?”
It quickly made sense in his head, though.
How could he have forgotten? She was, after all, his human mate.
Josef and Sarim stared in shock, unable to believe what they had just heard. A human, being immune to mind control? It was unheard of!
And Mikhail Ivanov’s mind control had always been flawless!
“Could it be…” Josef said, his voice filled with uncertainty. “That she’s…”
“But it’s merely a myth!” Sarim argued.
“…It’s called a myth by most people, but it’s not unheard of,” Mikhail suddenly interjected, gazing at this woman with newfound interest, one that grew stronger as the seconds passed. “Wyonne and Quintus had human mates before, many decades ago. Those humans had also been immune to their mind control, and they even claimed that those humans’ blood tasted the most delicious of all.”
Suddenly, Mikhail grabbed the woman’s chin and tilted it upward, causing the blood from his wrist to drip onto her lips. When she still refused to open her mouth, Mikhail effortlessly parted it, forcing her to drink his blood.
“Your strength cannot compare to mine,” Mikhail told her with a smile. “A mere human cannot contest a vampire’s strength. Resistance is futile.”
The woman glared at him, but she couldn’t do anything at all.
She wasn’t stupid. If she struggled and fought back, Mikhail would apprehend her like it was nothing. Not only that, he also had two strong bodyguards with him.
She would never stand a chance.
“I’ll take you with me,” Mikhail said in a smooth tone of voice. “To my home, my darling.”