Chapter 14 – Aurora
Iwalk back to the desk where I placed the necklace and pick it up.
Leaving it there makes me anxious. It’s as if a missing piece of me has been found. Not to mention that it gives me a sense of… vigor. A burst of serotonin every time my fingers graze over it.
It still hums and glows with magic.
“Here,” Rorik says, holding out his hand.
Hesitantly, I place the jewelry in his hand and turn around. He crowds my back, my heartbeat thrumming at his nearness. He puffs out a laugh behind me.
“What?”
“I have supernatural hearing, my love.”
Oh. Oh. Right. He can hear my heart beating. He can hear how it responds to him.
Fuck.
He can also smell how badly I need him right now.
He gently threads the necklace around my neck, leaning in closer than necessary.
“You smell divine, Little Lamb,” he whispers, his breath fanning over my skin.
A shiver rolls through me, but I can’t let this vampire distract me with his frustrating charm.
I need to look through these boxes. If one necklace can bring back a memory, then there has to be more here that will do the same.
Once he clasps the chain, he rubs his palms over my arms, then places a soft kiss on the side of my neck… right on the mark he left when he bit me last night.
Not going to lie. I want that again.
But I won’t ever admit it to him.
I step out of his grip and return to the box where the necklace had been stashed.
I graze my fingertips over the pendant, and it responds with a little shock.
Nothing painful. Almost like it’s saying, ‘hi, I’m so glad you found me.
’ The harsh glow fades now that it’s around my neck, even with Rorik standing next to me as we begin sorting through boxes of ancient items.
My box has a few bottles full of liquids, some candles, herbs, other spell-making materials, and a beautiful dagger. I pick up a jar with a gorgeous neon purple liquid. Suddenly, I’m hit with a vision: a woman’s smiling face as she peers down at a baby that adorably giggles.
“Oh!” I nearly drop the bottle.
Rorik turns to me, brow raised.
“That’s a fertility potion,” I say, gently placing it on Rorik’s desk. “I’m just going to keep that there… far, far away.”
When I glance at Rory again, he’s frowning.
“You don’t want kids?”
I open my mouth, then snap it shut.
Honestly, I have no idea. That’s a detail about my life I can’t remember. Did I have a boyfriend? A husband? Children?
Did I have a life that was taken away from me?
I’m forty-three. If I don’t have those things, it’s likely too late because I’m pretty sure I’m perimenopausal.
Tears prick my eyes, and I turn my head away from Rory. I don’t want to cry in front of him. Of course, it’s no use hiding my emotions from this man because he takes hold of me and pulls me to his chest.
“Never feel shame for showing sadness.”
“Don’t tell me what to do,” I say, my voice muffled against his body. I’m not sure why I said it. I think it’s a defense mechanism around this man.
Rorik chuckles, and I love the way it vibrates throughout his chest. How it fills me with a sense of belonging. How it takes away a little bit of my sadness.
When I pull back, Rorik cups my face in his hands.
“I’m sorry I asked you that. I’m not sure why I asked you since I’m not able to have kids myself. You know, being dead and all.”
I smile sadly and shake my head. “It’s fine. I just can’t remember if I wanted kids. Or if I had a family before my mother took my memories away.”
What if I did have a family and they’re looking for me? Or worse, my mother did something bad to them?
“I can’t understand why some of my memories remain while I can’t remember others. It feels so random.”
“If it’s true that your mother made a deal with a god or a demon, and for whatever reason she broke their rules, then they could be weakening her magic. If that’s the case, the spells she placed on you won’t remain long. And they’ll be… flawed, of sorts.”
Rorik releases me and steps to a wall that has a floor to ceiling bookcase. I swallow the tears that threaten to turn into full-fledged sobbing.
“I have a theory.”
He picks up a picture frame that has a miniature painting inside of three figures, though I can’t make out if they’re human or monsters. He stares at the image and smiles, then sets the frame face down.
“What is this theory?”
“We should mate.”
I laugh and scoff, the combined reaction resulting in a strangled sound from my throat.
“What does… um… what do you mean?”
“It means we should complete a mating bond. Our souls are destined to be together, and it’s possible that whatever is blocking your memories could be released if we mate.”
“Like… have sex?”
He shakes his head. “It’s more than that. There’s a ritual. Yes, we fuck, but we must reach orgasm at the same time and once we do, I will drink your blood, and you drink mine.”
“Will that turn me?”
“No.”
I nod, slowly, while considering his words.
I mean, sex with Rorik sounds amazing. And the little taste of it I had in our dreams and on the club’s dance floor last night was… the best I’ve ever had.
But still…
“That’s a big decision. It sounds like a permanent one too. I still know nothing about you or your life. And I don’t fully understand what being your mate even means. How does it work? Why was I chosen?”
“Why one is chosen as a mate is a question that has no definite answer,” Rorik says, returning to the book he had set down to comfort me. “I can explain what I do know though. I can tell you about my life as well. I have no secrets.”
“No secrets, huh?”
He smiles, and it’s a genuine one. Not his cocky smirk. Not the adorable tilt of his lips when he’s being an asshole. But a smile that brightens his face and makes those damn butterflies in my stomach restless.
“Okay. So, talk,” I say, smiling in return, then continue sorting through the spells and other items in my box.
“Tell me about fated mates. I vaguely know of the existence of soulmates amongst supernatural beings, though if I learned more about it, that information is being suppressed. How does it work with vampires?”
“For one, the term for vampires is technically ‘blood mate.’ They’re rare, or at least, they were. Before Millie met her mate, Teddy, there had only been two before her. And having two mates is near unheard of. Before Layla mated with Vara and Thorne, there was only one other.
“A fated mate means being destined to be with the one who claims your soul, but it’s been long believed that vampires don’t have souls. We’re cursed.”
“By my mother?”
“Yes. She cursed us to the night, to thirst for blood, and to never experience love. We lust. We desire. But we never yearn for an eternity of companionship.
“Having a blood mate changes the entire belief of our curse. The vampire who completes a mating bond is still a vampire and drinks blood to survive, but their heart restarts. Their tears no longer bleed. They can withstand the sun’s rays.”
“Your heart beats now. That’s because of me?”
He smiles at that.
“Yes. My heart didn’t work until you.”
A blush spreads over my face and chest. His words spark a memory.
Well, a backstory. My love life. It’s been…
lacking. I’ve dated and had boyfriends but never has a man made me feel so complete.
I’ve also never been with anyone so… infatuated with me like Rorik is. It’s terrifying but also exhilarating.
“Blood mates are typically turned to become immortal as the bond is for life. As if they’re giving part of their soul to their mate. To complete one another.”
“But I don’t want to be turned into a vampire.”
“I know. But I suspect that your mortality is false. Which means that we could still be together for hundreds of years after bonding.”
I sigh. “It all sounds romantic but for life? We basically just met. What if you get tired of me? Hate me? I mean, you’re just now growing on me, but for the most part, you drive me insane.”
“I would never get tired of you or hate you. The bond won’t allow it. It’s very selective. It won’t pair two souls together only to split them apart.”
“I guess. But what’s the catch? There’s got to be some downsides of us bonding.”
He drops the book he’s holding into the box and turns to me. The fire in his eyes is both terrifying and extremely sexy. I back up.
“I will be highly protective of you.”
“You already are.”
He takes another step forward. I take another one back.
“I would kill for you.”
“Please don’t.”
Another step. My ass hits the desk.
“You don’t understand, Aurora.” Rorik leans in. I tilt back, and his arms box me in place. “Your blood could become desirable to other supes. The vampires who’ve successfully turned their mates went into hiding. Millie has bodyguards for Teddy when they’re out in public.”
Rorik’s fangs have dropped, his eyes darkening to black. It’s nearly irresistible, but I can’t give in.
“I’m doing everything in my power not to kidnap you again and whisk you away to one of the remote islands I own.”
“You own islands?” I ask, the words breathy and shaken.
“Two.” He smirks and runs his nose along my jaw.
“What if I don’t want to go to an island with you?”
It’s not exactly true. I’d love to spend weeks or even months on a beach, in the sun—with lots of sunscreen since I burn easily. I’d love to read in a hammock or have sex under the moonlight.
I just don’t want to move away from other living beings. I want that sense of community and friendship. Something that I’m not sure I had before losing my memories. But something I want now that I’m here in this massive, beautiful city.
“Then we stay here. But know this, Little Lamb, if you accept to bond with me, you will never leave my side.”
I’ve gone full Stockholm because him demanding I never leave his side should piss me the fuck off. Instead, this possessiveness kinda turns me on.
“And if I don’t accept?”
A low growl emanates from his throat. He grazes his fangs over my neck and my breath hitches.
“The bond won’t stick,” he says, his breath fanning over my skin.
Then he stands up straight. I frown at the sudden move and how I miss his nearness. Which is a bit ridiculous. My body needs to calm the fuck down.
“You must verbally consent. Though, that wasn’t the case for the gargoyle soldier, Locheran, and his mate, Farrah.”
“How were they able to bond then?”
Rorik shrugs. It’s such a human reaction that I almost forget he’s a terrifying 3,000-year-old vampire.
“Their bodies and souls gave permission.”
I don’t even want to think about how a body or soul gives permission to make such a permanent decision.
I must make a face because Rorik laughs. My favorite sound from this intense man.
“Okay, so if I accept, how does it work? We fuck, come together, drink from each other and that’s it?”
“That’s it.”
I never imagined drinking blood would be appealing. But with Rorik…
“Careful, Little Lamb,” Rorik says, inhaling deeply.
Inhaling me. “The fated mate connection will do everything in its power to be completed. Our need for each other will grow, and I already desperately need you. The ability to stay away from you, from each other, will become painful. The shared dreams will likely return, and they’ll last longer. ”
“It’s not my fault. You’re the one talking about biting and sex,” I say, giving Rorik a wink.
His eyes widen before he turns away to focus on his box.
“I think you might be blushing,” I tease. His cheeks do have a little more color to them.
“Impossible. I’ve never blushed a day in my life.”
“Mhm.”
“You’re teasing me?”
“Maybe I like seeing you squirm.”
He scoffs. “My dear captive, the only one who will be squirming is you.”
I don’t respond to that because I’m already hot and bothered. Though that could be the perimenopause. I’m not sure.
We work in silence for the next few hours, until the sun sets.
I categorize everything by candles, herbs, crystals, potions, jewelry, writings that need translated, books—which also get categorized based on genre: historic texts, journals, spells—and various items used to anchor spells like animal bones, flowers, and things I have no clue what they are used for.
About ten minutes after the sun had set, Rorik straightens.
“We have visitors,” he says, sighing.
He holds his hand out for me to take.
My hesitation is brief, but I place my hand in his. A shiver rolls through me, and I’m not sure if it’s because his skin is cool or because we’re blood mates. My body really likes being near him. And touching him? She loses her fucking mind.
It’s annoying to be honest. I’ve never been so… clingy to another person. This new feeling is overpowering and exhausting.
Rorik leads me out of the hidden room and to the front door, answering it without releasing my hand.
At the entrance are two women. One who is beautiful and plus-size with brown hair and cute bangs wearing an equally cute sundress that has purple flowers dotted all over the white fabric.
It allows the gorgeous tattoos of flowers along her arms to stand out.
I’m not exactly sure what type of flowers they are, but they’re vibrant enough that they nearly glow.
She appears to be around my age, but she’s short compared to my five-foot-eleven self.
The woman beside her could be her twin, but she’s older with gray hair and a few wrinkles. Her mother, I assume.
“Evangeline. Mira,” Rorik says, waving his hand at each one so I know their names. “I wasn’t expecting any guests today.”
“Well, when you kidnap a witch with no memories,” a deep voice says, “the coven is going to send in reinforcements.”
A massive gargoyle appears behind the women. My eyes widen as I take him in. All of him. He’s got to be at least seven feet tall, not including the horns or wings. They’re not spread out or anything, but even in a relaxed state they are massive. His tail swooshes behind him as he crosses his arms.
“King Basque,” Rorik says through clenched teeth.
“What my husband is saying,” Evangeline begins, “is that we’re here to see if we can help this woman get her memories back.”