Twenty-six Years

All it took was one look and I nearly lost all control of my animalistic nature.

The moment she looked into my eyes for the first time, I knew I’d never be the same. But my life had already been changing, so much so that I hardly recognized myself. It had been twenty-six years since I first caught her scent. Twenty-six years since I began to shed the layers of solitude I’d wrapped around myself like a shell to protect me from this cruel world.

Standing here now, with our eyes locked on each other, I could hardly believe we were officially meeting. Palms sweating, heart beating louder and faster than it had in five-hundred years, I gulped thickly. Saliva pooled in my mouth, fangs threatening to descend. Just a small taste of her blood, that was all. One little taste and I’d leave her be. Even a single drop would sate this piercing hunger I had for her.

Thick copper curls bounced upon her shoulders, blocking my view of that long, tantalizing neck. A neck so perfectly crafted for me to feed from. I imagined how silky those plush curls would be as I drew them away from that delicate skin below her ear. Not nearly as soft as that milky white skin but pleasurable just the same.

She blinked.

I watched in slow motion as long eyelashes brushed against wind-burned cheeks and pale freckles. Glittering gold shadow painted her eyelids, rimmed with a darker brown that made them look wider and emphasized the yellow flecks in her sage green irises.

My whole world stopped with her eyes upon me. Twenty-six years I waited for this moment. Twenty-six years I watched her. Kept her safe. Now she would be mine. She would by my haven and my salvation.

Long ago, I’d resigned myself to live out my endless days hiding away from a world that hated my kind. I turned away from civilization and all the people that dared discriminate against vampires. I shunned the world exactly as it had done to me.

It had been a peaceful existence in my fortress of seclusion. No humans to cower in my presence. No shifters to fight off while going out for a simple meal. No witches to cast spells upon me simply for existing. It had been pleasant, if not a tad lonely.

It was my loneliness that drove me out of my home one afternoon. It was that overcast day that I first encountered my mate. The lingering clouds and puddles from the previous night’s storm kept most inside which is why I dared to brave the world again. As I walked through town to gather small indulgences, I ignored the stares of other shoppers and the fear from the shopkeepers as I paid for my wares.

Sat on a bench, enjoying a buttered croissant, I heard her. It was the joy of a child that alerted me to her presence initially. She squealed and laughed while jumping through puddles. Vibrant red curls bounced with each movement concealing most of her face. Then her scent struck my nose. My entire body went taut.

Any vampire would know that scent. They would know the scent that instantly drove them to both madness and utter peace in the same breath. I had never felt so conflicted in my entire life than when I discovered my mate. My vampiric side yearned to sink our teeth into her delicate neck while also warring with myself to protect her at all costs, including keeping her away from me.

I craved the calmness she brought into my chest. I wanted to bask in the serenity of her effortless happiness and trilled laugh while feral protectiveness ran deep in my bones. This human female was my mate, and I could not claim her. It pierced my soul, the realization that I could not take her for my own. She was only just a child. An innocent that I could not take. But that didn’t mean I would leave her.

From that day on, I protected her from afar. I let her grow into the astounding woman she is without my influence. It had been enough time though. Enough time for her to claim independence and live a life she was satisfied with. Now it was our time. I had waited long enough. Which is why I followed her through town today.

She’d been shopping with her friends, buying frivolous things. As she departed from them to walk home, I made my approach.

The white of her off-the-shoulder blouse and gold-beaded accents along the collar blinded me further in the bright sunlight. I’d been wearing sunglasses before, my eyes too sensitive for such brightness, but for this to work, for her to feel the connection as well, she needed to look into my eyes.

As she turned down the cobbled road, the line of brick buildings shadowed the lane. I crossed the road and walked toward her. Simply looking at her took my breath away. The long line of her neck and the soft curve of her shoulder revealed by her low blouse had my mouth watering. Nerves had my pulse pounding so hard I thought a horse might be barreling down the street behind me. Vampires didn’t sweat. If we did, I was sure to be drenched.

She walked lazily down the road, hugging closer to the buildings to avoid the motor scooters that zipped past. Rosy cheeks tinted by the sun also darkened her freckles each summer and made those sage green eyes sparkle.

She was close now. So close that my heart nearly stopped all together from sheer excitement and anxiety.

I stepped into her path. Eyes snapped to mine, and my heart really did stop. Hers widened in response as she clutched at her chest. Terror struck me in that instant. Would she reject me? Would she reject our bond because of what I am? My mate made a career working in interspecies politics so I'd hoped she would not hate me. Hoped she wouldn't disapprove.

“Happy birthday, Sienna,” I told her, attempting to keep my voice even despite my dry tongue scraping against the roof of my mouth. I held the bouquet of marigolds toward her. I’d picked them myself from the garden at my castle. I’d personally tended them over the years because I knew they were her favorite. This morning, I picked twelve of the most vibrant ones to bring to her. The center of each flower boasted a beautiful, burnished copper while the rim of each petal shone with a vibrant yellow.

She only stared at me, and I found that I had no other words. Twenty-six years of replaying this moment over and over again yet here I stood, dumbfounded and speechless.

Her mouth opened and closed as she grasped for words. She gulped before closing her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, resolution shown in her eyes. Not the emotion I’d been hoping for but at least it wasn’t revulsion.

“Are you…” she started then paused, her voice quivering. “Are you my…” She couldn’t finish. She couldn’t ask.

“I am your mate,” I told her so there was no doubt between us.

“You are a vampire,” she stated. I nodded in confirmation. When she said nothing more, I gestured with the flowers again.

“I’ve brought these as a gift.” Reluctantly, she took hold of them.

I examined her as she inspected the flowers. Her heart beat faster than usual and a slight tinge of fear tainted her delicate scent.

“These are beautiful. My favorite type of flower.” I loved the sound of her voice. Loved the Scottish lilt compared to my own English accent.

I nodded. “They remind me of you. Remind me of your hair, your beauty and your vibrant life.”

She raised a curious brow. “What do you know of my life?”

I didn’t want to scare her away, but I also could not lie to her. “I’ve known who you are to me for a long time.” Her brows furrowed as she digested that information. “Will you do me the honor of accompanying me to supper? We may dine wherever you wish, or I will cook for you at my home.” I gave her both options to make her feel safer.

She bent her head to sniff the flowers again, a private smile tilting her lips. When she looked back up, a glimmer of excitement shone in her eyes.

“There’s a quiet café down the road,” she suggested which made my heart soar. She didn’t reject me. She wasn’t completely revolted by what I was. It was more than I’d hoped for.

“Is it welcoming of my kind? I would not like to cause you any trouble.”

She nodded. Hesitantly, she took a step closer and turned to stand beside me. She wrapped her palm around my upper arm. “It is safe.”

As she led me forward, I kept looking down to make sure my feet were still on the ground because my steps were far lighter than they had been in years. If it weren’t for her holding my arm I surely would have floated away on a breeze of ecstasy.

I looked to her; a smile I couldn’t control plastered to my face. How ridiculous I must look right now. I didn’t care though. My mate was beside me. She knew who I was. Perhaps I would finally be able to claim her. Perhaps I’d finally find my happy ending with her by my side.

She looked up at me with a smile blossoming on her face. My entire body clenched seeing her happy. It was an effort not to wrap my arms around her to hide her away from the rest of the world, to keep her to myself.

“How long have you known who I am?” she wondered.

“Do you truly wish to know?” I countered, to which she nodded. “Twenty-six years. Twenty-six, very long years.”

Teeth bit down on her bottom lip as she frowned. She was silent for many moments before her hand squeezed my arm. “Thank you for waiting so long,” she whispered.

In that moment, I knew my world had officially changed completely. This was my mate, and nothing would ever part me from her.

My heart rate slowed. My breathing eased. Muscles loosened and my gait slowed. With her beside me, I finally calmed. No longer did I have to live in solitude, nor did I have to live without her. She was my salvation. My perfect marigold that I will tend to day and night for the rest of my life.