Book 2: The Unexpected Duo- Chapter 5: Vladimir

“Darling, you haven’t been the easiest person to find.” I said smiling at Myra. She looked absolutely dumbfounded to see me standing in front of her.

“Maybe I didn’t want to be found,” She said glaring at me crossing her arms. “Did you come looking for your favorite dessert, because if so, you can leave, I’m still not going to let you bite me.”

I tried to hide a slight chuckle, my mate was still as sassy as they day I met her, the only thing ten years had changed was her scent. It smelt less like the forest and more like freshly baked chocolate brownies, if only she new how true her statement was about my favorite dessert. She was still as beautiful as the day I met her, with the same fierceness and determination in her eyes.

“Myra, no matter how delectable you smell, I won’t drink from you until you’re begging me to do so.”

“Well you can turn around and leave then, because I won’t be begging you ever.”

“You say that now,” I smirked stepping a little closer to her, “But you’ll be begging me to bite you, when I have you beneath me.”

She grimaced in disgust. Taking a step back. “I’ll never be beneath you Vladimir, Even if we were to ever have sex, you’d be the one beneath me. I don’t bow to anyone.”

I let out a loud laugh, feeling happier now than I’ve ever felt in my entire life. “Is that you consenting,” I asked giving her a wink and turning on my charm.

“No.” She responded curtly, glaring at me and trying to hide the increase in her heartbeat at the thought of us coupling. I could scent her arousal but decided not to comment on it.

“Who’s the little girl?” I ask changing the subject.

“What, are you stalking me now?” Myra asked, completely ignoring my question. I could tell by the way her heart skipped a beat that the little girl was someone special to her. But I decided not to push the subject for now.

“I was simply admiring you from afar Моя дорогая.” I said, grabbing her hand and bringing it to my lips, smiling when I hear her breath hitch, at my nearness and the feeling of my lips on her skin.

“No,” Myra says pulling away from me, “You do not get to come here after two years and uproot my life.”

She turned away from me and started walking hurriedly up the stairs to the apartment above the bakery.

“Myra.” I called after her, causing her to stop right in front of her apartment door. “You’re the one who ran away from me and everyone else. I begged you for a date and you accepted it. I went to look for you after the war, but I couldn’t find you. But I’m here now, and I’m ready to take you on that date.

“Sorry, Vlad, I can’t, you’re to late.” Myra whispered, opening the door, and slowly walking into her apartment.

My heart broke watching Myra walk away from me, did she not feel this connection between us, did her heartbeat increase due to her fear of me, and not due to the fact that she wanted me as much as I wanted her. I started to head back towards my hotel, when I heard the sound of crying coming from Myra’s apartment. Her cries sounded like someone whose heart had broken time and time again, someone who craved love and affection, but had never truly experienced it. My heart yearned to comfort her, and before my mind could stop me, I found myself walking briskly up her stairs. I knocked on the door.

“Myra, please let me in.”

“Go away Vlad.” She sniffled.

“You can let me in or I can force my way in.”

“You can’t come in, not unless I invite you in.”

“Myra, you lived around vampires your entire life and some how you still believe the myths that come from young adult romance novels.” I asked chocking back a laugh.

“No! I just thought you were more of a gentleman and you wouldn’t enter a ladies living space without her permission, but I guess I thought to highly of you blood sucker.” Myra hissed out, some of her spunk showing through her tears.

I quickly picked her lock and opened the door, walking inside. “ I usually am a gentleman, but not when it comes to you sweetheart, my thoughts are very ungentlemanly like.” I said as I silently closed the door behind me and stalked over to her.

She was sitting curled up on a old beaten up couch, her legs pulled up to her chest, her head laying down on them. She lifted her head to sneer at me, but all I could see was the hurt and betrayal in her big brown eyes.

“What’s wrong,Myra?” I asked walking over to the couch, and picking her up before sitting down with her on my lap, surprisingly she didn’t resist me, instead she curled into me, inhaling deeply, my scent must be calming to her, complete opposite of how her scent was for me. I was struggling to control my vampiric side. Everything about her scent screamed for me to sink my fangs into her neck and drain her. I moved my face slightly to the side, trying to inhale fresh air and not let her scent overwhelm me. I didn’t want to scare her off, by having my fangs come out. I knew she was already cautious about vampires, I didn’t want to give her another reason to hate me.

Myra took a deep breath one more time, before pulling away and looking into my eyes. “You want to drink from me, don’t you?” She asked, but I could tell it was a question she already knew the answer to. “Your beautiful eyes keep flickering to red, I can see your vampire trying to break through, and your veins on your face are protruding,” She whispered, raising her hands and tracing the veins on my face. “I should hate you. I should hate you more than any vampire in the world, you’re their king, you’re therefore responsible for their actions, but I can’t bring myself to hate you. My body, My heart, My soul, they crave everything about you.” She whispers tracing my lips with her finger, causing me to inhale. “But I can’t give in to this urge.” She says climbing out of my lap and pulling away from me unexpectedly. “To give into this craving, would be a betrayal to my family and everything I was taught growing up.”

I looked at her confused. “How would you be betraying your family by giving into your mate bond. Doesn’t every wolf wish for a fated mate provided by the moon goddess?”

“Usually yes,” Myra whispered, her tears flowing again. “But my family would never forgive me if I mated with a vampire.”

“Life is different now Myra.Things have been changing. They aren’t the same as they were twenty years ago, hell they aren’t the same as they were two years ago. Mixed species mates are accepted more now than they ever were.” I responded desperately, trying to understand how our bond could be a bad thing.

“It’s not the fact you aren’t a wolf.” Myra said, her eyes asking me to just drop this conversation.

“If that’s not the case then what is it? Would they be upset that I’d outlive you, or that you wouldn’t be able to have children of your own, because if thats the case then there’s no need…”

Myra interrupted me before I could continue. “Thats not the reason, Vladimir. It’s because you’re a vampire, and not just any vampire but because you’re the king of vampires. Your kind has slaughtered my family over and over again. Every generation of Faerie has been slaughtered by a vampire, and you and the other kings have done nothing to stop it.” She cried out. “I can’t betray my family by mating to a blood sucker.”

I stood there stunned at her words. “Myra…”

“Don’t Vladimir. Don’t try to justify the vampires actions, don’t try to make things better, nothing can change the past. I can’t change the past no matter how badly I want to. There’s something I should’ve done to years ago, that I didn’t have the strength to do, but now I know how unfair it is of me to keep stringing us along. Vladimir, I, Myra Elizabeth Faeire, release you from this mate bond.”