The man was dressed in a pristine charcoal coloured suit that looked like it cost more than my college tuition. He had one leg crossed over the other and the firelight cast reflections on his perfectly polished black shoes. He was tall and as he shifted his weight in the chair to look up as we entered the room. he moved with a fluid grace I had never seen on any living creature before. His skin was pale and held a slight luminescence to it. His hair brushed his shoulders and was as black as a ravens wing. But it was those eyes that had my breath catch in my throat. They were intense pools of crimson, and as I gazed into them every instinct I had screamed MATE.
"Fuck" I breathed as I felt my legs start to tremble.
Kade's mouth twitched in a faint smile. "You're not the first one to greet me that way." He chuckled softly and his voice was like a caress of silk against my skin that made a shiver race down my spine. "Marcus said much the same thing when he met me, but I'm sure it had quite a different meaning."
Kade gestured to the chair across from him. "Come, sit. I'm sure you have many questions for me."
I took an unsteady step forward and was worried that my legs wouldn't make it to the chair. I stubbornly willed my body to work and sank into the chair without the need to be carried there. Small victory I guess.
"Thank you for the potions. They saved my life." I started once I was settled.
"They were created to keep you stable. Not to save your life." Kade replied as he watched me with an unreadable expression. "Your blood will forever be bound to me now."
"My blood?" I looked at the vampire that the very blood in my veins recognized as its equal, its other half.
"Yes, your blood." He repeated as he leaned forward in his chair. "What did you think the potions were made from?"
"I... I don't know. I never stopped to think about it." I admitted as my mind started to race. What exactly was I given? And what did it mean that my blood was now bound to him?
"I am a vampire, Riley. We deal in blood. It is our power, our currency, and our curse. The potions were created from a mixture of my own blood and a few choice herbs to help your body accept the changes that were happening."
I thought back to the metallic scent and the darker, richer taste. It all made sense now. "What changes are you talking about? I thought it was the suppressants that were causing all the problems."
"It was." He confirmed as he leaned back in his chair. "Or at least part of the problem." He paused for a moment and seemed to think about how much he should tell me. "The other part is from when I saved your life in the forest."
"So it was you." I breathed. "Why would you saving me cause my body to deteriorate like that?" I was trying really hard to keep as calm as possible as I was trying to sort through all of this information.
Kade rested his chin in his palm as he watched me with those crimson orbs. "It is because I had to use my blood to stabilize you. Your wounds were fatal and you were bleeding out. If I had moved you before I stopped the bleeding you would have died." He took a deep breath before he continued and I watched as his pupils dilated as he caught my scent. "I did not think your body would react the way it did. Most shifters can then use their own healing factors to continue the healing process and absorb the backlash of such rapid healing. At the time I was not aware that you didn't have that ability so your body took the energy from anywhere it could to finish healing all of the internal damage."
I sat there in silence. I did not know what to say to this ancient being that sat across from me.
I didn't even know how to feel.
"Is this what you meant by my blood being bound to you? Because you used your blood to save my life and again to stop my body from eating itself alive?" I had to make sure I understood what was going on before I made any decisions.
"Yes and no." He paused again as he watched me. "The potions have helped to create a more permanent bond between us. I can now feel your emotions, your pain, and your fear. Also a side effect of being bound to me is that your body has started to change. Your senses are heightening, your body is becoming stronger, and your need for food is changing."
He was right about that last part. I had started to notice over the last week that normal food was starting to taste bland and unappetizing, but the thought of a raw steak had my stomach twisting in knots. I also had started to notice small things, like the way the dust particles danced in the beam of light that came through the curtains, or the way the wood grain on the table had whorls that made a pattern.
"However..." His words brought my attention back to him. "This is happening faster than expected because of the mate bond."
"Wait so the mate bond is not because of your blood?" All of this was starting to give me a massive headache.
Kade shook his head. "Not entirely. The blood bond would have been inevitable, the mate bond as your pack elders would say is a gift of fate granted by the moon goddess." Kade stood walked over to a side table and poured two glasses of amber liquid. He placed one of the glasses in my now shaking hand and when his cold fingers brushed mine I felt a jolt of electricity run through my entire body. "Drink, it will help to calm your nerves."
I took a sip and the liquid burned as it went down and settled warmly in my stomach. I took a second sip and noticed my hands stopped shaking as I placed the glass on the small table that sat beside the chair.
Kade settled back in his chair and nodded in satisfaction as he watched me drink. "Better?"
"Yes." I nodded. "So what happens now?"
"That all depends on you Riley. You may reject the mate bond. The rejection would be painful but we would both survive it. However that will not get rid of the forming blood bond. It is already too strong to fade on it's own and will continue cause issues if it is not completed." He placed his untouched drink on the table and leaned towards me. "You must also remember that should Cynthia learn you survived she will come for you."
"Why? I am a nobody. All I wanted to do was finish college, have a normal life. Live has a human." I felt as tears of frustration pricked my eyes and I fought to keep them from falling. I would not let this beautiful creature that sat before me see me break.
"It is because you are your father's son. Even if you hold no power you still have more influence than you realize. And that is what concerns her. You could undo all of her careful planning."
"What exactly is she planning? Why is my death part of that plan? If I don't know anything how could I have stopped something I didn't have any knowledge of?" I rubbed at my temple as the headache got worse.