I lie there breathing heavily, a thin sheen of sweat covers my body from our previous activity. I keep my eyes close as I took a few steadying breaths, after a few moments I opened my eyes and looked down. Staring back at me is an obviously amused Anastasia the faintest hints of a teasing smile tugged at her lips. Christ she is beautiful, I soon start to feel the pull of her Allure dissipate from me. Now fully in control of myself once more I separate myself from her and notice a rather cute pout coming from the vampire. I quickly squash the emotion coursing through me, the bond is already in full effect. I can feel her hurt through the bond as she brings her knees up to her chest. In this moment she looks small, fragile and I feel like an absolute asshole now.

  Gone is the confidant and seductive vampire and replaced is a hurt woman. Hurt because of my callous action, while I may not particularly care about my own life I do have a soft spot for beautiful women. I sit down beside her and put my hand around her allowing the bond to affect me once again. Immediately she perks back up leaning against me, bonds are integral to a vampire. So integral that they become dependant upon them once they are made. “Why me? Why would you make such a life altering decision with someone you’ve known for less than a day?” I can’t stop myself from asking the question, it’s been burning in my mind for a while now. Why even save me in the first place. She takes a couple of moments, I assume to compose herself because she soon has that regal aura about her once again. Her voice is patient and kind, the Russian accent sending a pleasant shiver down my spine, “How well do you know Vampires Jason?” I shrug as I rub my neck, the spot where she had drank from “Enough to get by, the sun weakens you to the point where you’re mortal but won’t kill you. In the night you’re near invincible, very little can even hurt you. Magic is fairly effective though.”

  A playful smirk tugs on her lips “So you know enough to kill us?” To which I nod, “Actually yes, my profession requires me to know these things. If I can’t stop a rogue vampire then I can’t do my job correctly.” She trails her hand over my chest causing an appreciative groan to leave my lips. God she knows exactly how to get through my defensives, it must have to be the link between us. “Well Jason, every vampire has what is known as a blood mate. Someone whose blood inherently calls to them, we know this instinctually. Most never get the chance to meet their blood mate, and those that do will do anything possible to enrapture their mate.” I can’t help but chuckle softly at that, it’s far too coincidental and way too cliche to actually be true. “I’m calling bullshit on that one Anastasia. Come on tell me the truth, I know the bond is real but what is your actual reasoning.”

  Her hand stops dead in the center of my chest and she let out a sigh and sits up straight. Gone is the sultry look on her face and I stiffen, in an unwelcome way, as she turns completely serious. The words coming out crisp and quick “I was hoping you would fall for that Jason.” She stands up and I cannot stop myself from staring at her body, her hips sway rhythmically as she strides over to the dresser in the corner of the room. From there she pulls out two glasses and an expensive looking bottle of scotch. She swiftly fills the two glasses with the dark amber liquid before offering one to me. I take a sip and immediately have to hide the displeasure on my face. It was certainly old, the alcohol was potent and burned at the back of my throat but I couldn’t afford to show any weakness now. In front of me was an apex predator and any move could be my last. She sits down beside me again, but I don’t feel at ease this time. Gone is the pleasant feeling and it is replaced with a cold fear, “You are quite perceptive Detective. What I said about blood mates is patently false. I chose you for a very specific reason, you’re quite talented for a practitioner of your age. I could use someone of your particular talents and I’m sure it’s quite obvious that the benefits are quite nice.”

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  She runs a finger down the side of her body drawing my attention to her breathtaking figure. The vampiress knows exactly how to throw me off my guard. I may throw myself face first towards death without hesitation, but I am still a hot blooded male in my twenties and beautiful women tend to make me a bit more apprehensive. I can’t help the hormones coursing through me, “I won’t lie, what we did was incredible. But, I’m still hesitant to trust you.” At this she lets out a hearty laugh and my eyes are drawn to the way her breasts bounce in tune with her melodious laughter. “I would consider you a fool if you were to trust me so easily Jason. Just know that the bond I created is very much real, and it would hurt me quite badly if you were to be injured or otherwise in pain. I’m taking quite a risk by doing this, and I’m hoping the reward will exponentially pay off. It would benefit me greatly if you would continue to grow as a Practitioner, so take solace in the fact that I do not wish to harm myself by hurting you.”

  I nod once accepting that answer as truth from the vampire. I’m not about to fall for some destiny bullshit, there is no such thing as destiny. Sure, I know for a fact that gods exist but even they cannot control our actions outside of slightly guiding us. At the end of the day we are all responsible for our own lives and what we do with them. After a couple of moments I finish my scotch and I return the glass to the corner cabinet. I start to stretch working out the kink in my neck before starting to get dressed. A small smirk comes to my lips as I notice the Russian vampiress shameless ogle my naked body. While I may not trust her, the boost in self-confidence certainly is nice. After I get my shirt on I look Anastasia in the eyes once again, “We are going to talk about what happened at the club later. First I need to go to my apartment to change and not smell like sex before reporting to the precinct.”

Before I could blink she is by my side once again, no warning, no signs besides the slight shift of my hair from her imperceptible movement. I stiffen once again as I notice her glare, centuries old vampires tend to not like being brushed off. I cannot stop the flinch as her hand comes up to cup my cheek. Her voice is soft “Jason, please stop suppressing our bond” The words were like velvet to my ear but there was no hint of magic coming from her. No Allure to blame on the effect she was having on my emotions. I sigh softly and let my mental restraints free, immediately I’m flooded with her emotions: pride, lust, avarice, joy, and love? That final emotion was rather surprising and clearly that confusion was felt by her end of the bond. Anastasia cups my other cheek with her hand, standing on the tips of her toes she kisses my lips softly. It was a chaste kiss, lasting but a moment, I had no time to register it and kiss back before she retreated with a gentle smile. “Jason, this bond means you’re my Chosen. I have chosen you to be my partner for eternity.”

Her words floor me, I would have to do more research into Vampire society. I did know that this meant she is now my...girlfriend? Fiancee? Honestly, I’m not sure which one fits or which one I’m comfortable with. Everything is just moving so quickly, and I’m far out of my league with what is happening. I let out an exclamation as the vampiress pinches my cheek a small pout on her lips “Stop that. You are MY Chosen, you are capable of handling this or I wouldn’t have chosen you.” The slight Russian accent in her voice along with her words starts to soothe my worries. I couldn’t help it, it was almost as if she was made to calm me down. Put on this world to ease my worries. The pout on her perfect face slowly turns into a smirk, something incredibly self-satisfied and I couldn’t bring myself to hate it. “We will talk later tonight I am rather tired. Return here at nightfall Jason.” With that she returns to the bed, the curtains doing their job of blocking out any hint of the sun. As I finish dressing I send a glance back towards my vampire before leaving. It wasn’t until I reached the driveway that I realized just what my mind thought of Anastasia.