Chapter Eight
Callum
I parked my SUV in a grassy patch at the base of a hill and kissed my mate's knuckles again. "Brodie, wake up," I requested while giving his hand a squeeze.
He raised his head from the window and blinked sleepy eyes. “Are we home?”
“Not yet. I’ve got a very special place I’d like to show you.”
That woke him right up. Brodie and I both climbed out of the vehicle and I retrieved a thick blanket from the back. I took his hand and we began climbing up the side of the heather covered mound in front of us.
“This...is...pretty...steep,” Brodie gasped when we were about halfway up. I hadn’t noticed since I had greater strength and stamina than my human mate, but poor Brodie was struggling.
“I’m sorry, m’anam.” I held out the blanket and asked, “Will you hold this please?” Once he took the fabric in his hands, I hoisted him into my arms, carrying him bridal-style. “How’s this?”
“Mm, this is nice.” I chuckled as Brodie nuzzled his cheek against my chest.
I carried him to the top of the tall hill before placing him on his feet and spreading out the blanket on the ground. I settled myself on the soft red fabric and helped Brodie down so that he sat in front of me. I wrapped my arms around him to keep him warm against the cool breeze around us.
“It’s beautiful here,” Brodie exclaimed as we looked down over our village.
The sun had set, blanketing everything in darkness, but lights below illuminated the homes and businesses in a soft glow.
The cozy town was set against a backdrop of millions of dazzling stars.
Brodie looked especially beautiful under the light of the full, silvery moon above us.
“This is one of my favorite spots.” I liked seeing everything my people had built for ourselves in our tiny corner of the world.
“It’s even more special now since I’m sharing it with you.
” Brodie rested his head back on my chest and squeezed my hands.
"I brought you here to talk about something very important. "
"What is it?"
"First of all, I want you to know how much I love you."
"I already do," he answered with a chuckle.
"Good, because I need you to understand that I love you with everything I am. No matter what happens, that will never change."
Brodie's anxiety filled the air as he looked back at me. "Is something wrong?"
"I need to tell you something." I took a deep breath and searched my brain for the best way to begin this conversation. I decided to jump in with both feet. "Brodie, do you know of vampires?"
He nodded. "I'm terrified of them." Well, fuck .
"Angus and Joseph told me about them when I was younger.
They said vampires were nasty, evil creatures that were drawn to the blood of men who were too weak to fight them off.
They thought it was funny to cut me before my father sent me to my room for the night; they all said I better make sure my window stayed shut tightly or a vampire would hunt me down by the scent of my blood and drain me dry while I slept.
I spent most nights wide awake, staring at my window to make sure nothing came for me. "
A low growl rumbled in my chest; the only nasty, evil creatures were Brodie's family.
They used a dirty trick to terrorize my love and keep him bound to the house.
They made up scary stories to keep him from running away in the night.
It was no wonder Brodie reached out to me for comfort as he slept.
Little did he know, he was being protected by what scared him the most.
Unfortunately, the sound of my growl only raised Brodie's discomfort. I felt his fear and uncertainty when he asked, "Why did you bring up vampires?"
Before I told him my truth, I wanted to soothe his fears, so I asked him, "Do you feel safe with me?”, though I already knew the answer.
“Of course I do. You’re the first person who has made me feel safe.”
“Do you believe I would ever hurt you?”
“Never!” He put his hands to his stomach as if the very idea made him ill.
“And you trust me to take care of you?” He nodded rapidly, and I turned him around so that he faced me with his legs wrapped around my hips.
I cupped his smooth cheeks in my hands and looked into his eyes.
“Brodie, your brothers were wrong about vampires. We don’t hunt people for their blood.
We would never hurt anyone unless they attacked us first. We also don’t tell people of our identity because of the rumors and stories like your brothers told you.
If people knew we truly existed, there would be widespread panic.
But truthfully, we just want what anyone wants; peace and prosperity. ”
Brodie swallowed hard. “We?”
“Yes, m’anam. The village below us is a coven of vampires, and I am their master. I am a vampire.”
I felt no emotion coming from him at all as he stared at me for several long moments. “Are you teasing me?” he asked finally.
“No. I speak the truth.” I thought of a way I could prove my identity to my skeptical mate. “Don’t be frightened.” I opened my mouth and stretched my lips so that Brodie could clearly see my fangs drop. As they descended, his eyes widened until they were perfectly round and full of shock.
He leaned closer and inspected them, as if looking for the trick. “They’re real?” I nodded and he lifted his hand. “Can I touch them?” I nodded again and when he pressed the pad of his finger to my fang, I let out a quiet moan. A vampire’s fangs were an erogenous zone when touched by their mate.
At the sound, Brodie touched his own teeth with his free hand. He rubbed across his canines, but shrugged when he didn’t feel the same pleasure he was giving to me. Unfortunately, he dropped his finger from my mouth and watched as my fangs retracted.
He was strangely calm as he sat on my lap in silence.
I expected some concern (if not all out terror) from Brodie when I told him my identity, but he showed no signs of distress.
I couldn’t stop myself from asking, “Are you not afraid? Even though I just told you that I’m the monster you’ve always feared? ”
Brodie’s lips ticked up into a half-smile. “Callum, I’ve lived with monsters my whole life. I know what they are, and I know you’re not one of them.”
Guilt rocked through me; I greatly underestimated my mate.
His grace and compassion came through in every situation.
I kissed him softly and whispered against his lips, “Thank you for accepting me, my love.” I backed away so he could see the seriousness in my eyes when I told him, “I know you have questions; I want to tell you everything.”
Brodie chewed on his lip as he thought. “Why do you have fangs if you don’t drink blood?”
Shit. “Though we don’t hunt or hurt people, we do drink blood.
” I paused for a reaction of disgust, but Brodie just remained quiet, listening intently.
“We eat food like humans to nourish our body, but we must drink blood to fuel our life force or we perish. Once upon a time, we had to feed directly from humans, though we never drained them. We took only what we needed while they slept, and they were never the wiser.”
“But now, things are different. Do you remember the building I showed you on our tour yesterday that I said was used for storage?” He nodded.
“It stores blood, and it’s where my coven gets our nourishment.
We receive bagged units that are collected at blood drives, but can’t be used due to defect or disease. ”
Brodie gasped. “Callum, that’s so dangerous! You’ll get sick.”
I caressed his cheeks to soothe him. “Vampires are immune to diseases and illness of any kind. We also can’t carry or transmit them, so you aren’t at risk either. Immunity is one gift we’re granted by Fate.”
“What other gifts do you have?”
I smiled at his curiosity. “We have great strength and speed, although when we’re exposed to the sun’s rays, we are stripped of them and are not unlike humans in our abilities.
We are difficult to injure and heal quickly.
We’re also granted immortality. The battle I told you about with the ex-king Leon?
” Brodie nodded. “I fought in that battle.”
“You’re a warrior?” he asked in awe.
“Aye. I fought alongside King Felipe and it’s one of the proudest moments in my life. After the war, he appointed me as the Coven Master to this area.”
“Wow. Wait a minute; you said that battle was centuries ago. How old are you?”
“Four hundred ninety three,” I answered proudly, and Brodie’s jaw dropped. “But there are many vampires much older than I am; Flynn and Fletcher are twenty years older than me.”
He blinked in surprise. “Flynn and Fletcher are vampires too?”
“Yes, as well as Dante and Bastian. Dante is King Felipe’s son, and was born after the war, though he's seen conflict himself. He and Bastian grew up together in Spain and moved to the United States later on, where they met Ben and Milo. Sam is a vampire too, but he is much younger than the rest of us.”
“Wow,” he whispered again, seemingly at a loss for words.
“But the greatest gift that any vampire can receive is a soulmate. Everything I told you about them is true; mates are meant to be together and love each other very much. But what I didn’t tell you is that they’re matched together by Fate herself; they’re perfect for one another in every way, and are a gift exclusively for vampires and other paranormal beings.
An eternity is a long time to live alone, or to watch lovers pass on before us. ”
“So, Fate searches the souls of the earth for the one who will make us happy for all time. She fills us with the desire to find, protect, provide for and love them. We recognize them by scent and instinct, and form an instant bond of love with them. That is how I found you, Brodie. I knew you the moment I saw you in that prison cell. I knew you were mine and that I’d spend forever with you. ”
I rubbed my chest when I was overtaken by Brodie’s sadness. “What’s wrong?”