Sweet Revenge With My Billionaire Vampire

Adeline groaned, dropping her head back onto the pillow. "Is it morning yet?" she murmured groggily.

Enzo chuckled, his hand moving to take the phone from her, placing it down on the bed before grabbing her waist and turning her to face him. His hand rose to her cheek, giving it a light tug as he gazed at her fondly. "You fell asleep while we were on our way back, and you went to bed way too early, which is why you’re awake so soon."

She hummed softly, staring up at his face with heavy blue eyes. Unlike her, he didn’t look the least bit tired. He looked like he hadn’t gone to sleep at all. His face was still beaming with a smile, full of energy.

"How are you awake at this hour? Did you even sleep?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

Enzo shook his head, pulling her even closer until their foreheads touched. His voice dropped to a soft whisper, filled with warmth. "I wanted to, but the sleep disappeared the moment I laid down beside you."

But that wasn’t actually the reason. Vampires in Enzo’s world did sleep at night, but not like humans did. An hour or two at most—was all they needed, and after that, they were fully functional. They could be active both during the day and at night, but just like humans, their bodies still require rest. Just far less of it.

Ever since Enzo had started living with Adeline, he had been forcing himself to sleep longer, just to appear more... human. It would be strange to Adeline if he spent only two hours asleep every night and then stayed up the rest of the time. It wasn’t normal.

As for tonight, he had already slept for an hour but woke up shortly after. Since then, he had simply been holding her close, watching over her while she slept. He had been listening to the soft sounds of her breathing while humming the tune of one of his favorite classical music against her skin.

Adeline’s brow shot up, an expression of doubt crossing her face. "Uh-huh. Is that so?"

Enzo nodded, though his focus had already drifted elsewhere. She looked so adorable half asleep. Her voice was soft and slightly raspy, her lashes heavy over her drowsy blue eyes. Unable to help himself, he tightened his hold around her, trapping her arms against her sides.

Then, he leaned in, pressing a kiss to her cheek. Then another. And another. His lips squished her soft skin repeatedly as he peppered her face with affection.

Adeline chuckled breathlessly, wiggling in his grasp, trying to free herself. "Stop that, fool," she laughed, her voice muffled against his shoulder. "You’re going to crush me!"

Enzo laughed along with her, finally releasing her from his grip. He rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him, letting her head rest against his chest.

She settled comfortably, her head tucked beneath his chin, and her index finger idly tracing small shapes over his shirt.

The storm outside rumbled softly, filling the silence between them as Enzo absentmindedly stroked her hair gently.

Then, all of a sudden, something made Adeline pause.

A frown formed on her face as she lifted her head, pressing her palm against Enzo’s chest and staying like that for a moment, concentrating. She blinked.

No, she must have been imagining things.

She pressed harder this time, but still nothing, her brows knitting together in confusion.

"Am I crazy," she asked, her gaze lifting towards his face, "or do you not have a heartbeat?"

This time, she pressed her ear against his chest, listening closely, but there was still nothing. No rhythmic thump-thump. No soft pulse of life beneath his skin. Nothing but an eerie, unnatural stillness.

"Enzo...? I’m serious. I don’t hear a thing."

Enzo, on the other hand, was trying to think of an excuse. He knew this moment would come eventually. His mind raced for a convincing answer.

A medical condition? No, too complicated. There was no way he would explain this without making any sense. In the end, he went with the simplest option.

With a shrug, he said. "It’s been like that since I was young."

Adeline stared at him, her face frozen in an expression of sheer disbelief. A full ten seconds passed before she finally exhaled, shaking her head.

"In all my twenty-four years of being alive, I have never heard of someone not having a heartbeat. That’s literally impossible. Have you never gone to a hospital to get that checked out?"

Enzo shook her head, pulling her up so their faces were level. "No. It’s never affected me, so why would I?"

Adeline gawked at him, utterly dumbfounded. "What kind of logic is that?"

She wanted to call him an idiot, but honestly, she’d called him that so many times that she didn’t even have the strength to say it anymore. "You know what? Forget it. If you did go, the next thing you’d know, you’d be thrown into and locked in some underground lab, being studied like an experiment."

Enzo chuckled. In truth, Adeline had no idea how right she was. If doctors were to find out about Enzo’s dormant heart, they’d start poking and prodding, trying to figure out why a man who looked perfectly healthy didn’t have a heartbeat.

The way she was lying on him, draped over his body, with one of her legs bent strangely, wasn’t exactly the most comfortable.

Holding her tightly, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, bringing her with him, his back resting against the tall headboard. His hands slid down to her thighs, gripping them as he adjusted her position. He spread her legs apart, guiding them to his sides, so she straddled his lap.

"Much better," he whispered.

Adeline scoffed, slumping forward. "You don’t even know if I’m too tired to sit up."

He leaned in, his face tilting toward hers as he nuzzled his cheek against hers, his lips brushing her skin. "Do you need some of my energy?" he teased, his voice dropping lower. "I can lend you some if you want."