Still

Meetings And Memories

He had set me on my feet at this point and as we walked to an unknown location, my mind raced. I had been lied to my entire life. I had no inkling that this could ever be real, yet here I am living in this new reality. There was still so much I needed to learn.

“Where are you taking me?”

“Are you afraid?” He answered my question with a question. How infuriating. He smirked.

“Yes, I am.” His smile faded and he stopped walking. He turned to me and tipped my chin up, forcing my eyes up to his. Was he this tall when I first saw him?

“I don’t want you to fear me, Cassandra. I will never harm you. I need you to believe that.” He was so gentle, so sincere, that I had no choice but to trust his words. “I’m taking you home.”

Home. I didn’t know where I was, but I knew I belonged there.

When we came to a clearing, he stopped, set me on my feet again and took my hand. I’d never seen a place so beautiful. In the middle of this massive space was a villa. Brick and mortar were painted white and in pristine condition, the building seemed untouched.

“Welcome home, my sweet.” Kieran breathed into my ear. A delicious chill crept up my spine.

“This is where you live?”

“Yes. Along with my parents, my little sister and her mate. We’re a small clan, but we have separate lodgings here. Come. They’ve been waiting to meet my mate almost as long as I have.” I could only smile because I was sure my words weren’t going to come. Why was I being so calm about this? “You’ve been waiting for me too, Cassandra.” he said softly. I shivered. The way he spoke my name was far too sexy. Kieran led me to the villa like a man on a mission. He was, though. In a sense.

“Is there a certain thing I should say when I meet your family?” It was a valid question, since I had never met vampires before. He smiled at me and I felt like jumping him. I found everything about this man sexy. Dangerous, of course, but so sexy.

“Be yourself. When introductions are done, we are going to get to know each other better.” I knew what that meant.

His family was waiting for us when we walked into the lavish villa. His mother, Victoria, was a dark-haired beauty, and he clearly took after his father, Silas. They were also very pale.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Cassandra. Finally, you’re here. What took you so long?” his mother asked.

“I wasn’t aware I had a mate. I thought I was just getting into relationships that never worked out. Now I know why.” His parents looked at me like I had just sprouted another head.

“You weren’t told?” Silas wondered.

“I was never told about my heritage. My parents probably didn’t want me involved in this world. I learned the truth earlier today.”

“I knew Alessandro. He was a good friend of mine despite the fact that he’s the prince. How is he?” I glanced down.

“I wish I knew. I spent the past four months mourning my father’s death, yet they’re telling me he’s alive and well. Today hasn’t been the greatest day.” His sister, Kharis, and her mate, Trenton Alnwick eyed me. What were they thinking?

“Who is your mother?” Trenton asked, his gray eyes narrowed.

“Mercy Grimwold.” He hissed at me. It all happened so quickly. Trenton rushed me, but I was suddenly behind Kieran with his parents beside me. Kieran’s hand closed around his throat as he took Trenton to the ground with a growl.

“This is my mate, Trenton! Try that again and I will rip your head off. You know the rules. No mate can be harmed, especially not by a member of the same clan.” He looked up at his sister, who looked terrified, and I watched his features soften. “I love you, Kharis, but I will kill him if he ever hurts Cassandra.” He lifted Trenton to his feet by the scruff of his collar.

“Her mother’s coven killed my brothers and father, Kieran. I’m wondering if I was even supposed to make it out of that battle alive. I was 3 years old at the time and I will never forgive that witch.” Victoria spoke up, clearly very annoyed by Trenton’s outburst.

“If you bothered to pay attention or ask questions, you would know that Alessandro married Mercy and united our people. They both hated the constant fighting between vampires and witches and warlocks, as we were once one community of powerful beings. Turns out she was his mate to begin with. The child of a vampire and a witch is called a dhampir, and they are even stronger than witches. You should watch yourself, Trenton. She doesn’t seem to know it yet, but she can kill you with no trouble.” I was shocked to hear that.

“How am I supposed to know how powerful I am? I don’t know any spells or anything.”

“I can teach you how to control your strength and your thirst. I’m guessing you can survive on either food or blood.” Kharis offered.

“I think I’ll stick with food. I have never drunk blood and I don’t think I’m ready for that.” Kieran, still glaring at Trenton, took my hand.

“If you’ll excuse us, I’m going to take her home now. There’s a lot we have to talk about.”

“Of course, son.” With that, we left.

The first thing I noticed was that his house had a kitchen.

“You cook?” He smirked.

“I can cook, yes. My mother told me that I needed to install a kitchen because of what my mate could be. Could’ve been a vampire, werewolf, witch or human with a bloodline like my mother. My parents knew exactly who my mate was before I did. I just never thought my mate would be a dhampir.” he responded. He looked a bit dazed.

“Your mother said my parents were to bring peace to this supernatural world when they married. Did that happen?”

“Yes. You were born. Alessandro brought you to meet myself and my parents when you were only a few months old. I was already in my second year on this earth. He lay you down on my play-mat, and you started to cry. Mercy thought you were hungry, so she started reaching for you but he stopped her and told her to wait. I came to lie beside you, put my hand over your heart, looked into your eyes and the crying stopped as you gazed back into mine. That night we became mates, promised to each other in every lifetime by a most unbreakable bond. It was the night my heart beat for the first time. You are my heartbeat, Cassandra.”

I felt traitorous tears stream down my cheeks at how softly he spoke to me. The way his hand was nestled between my breasts to touch the heart that was now racing in my chest. The way he held my hand to his chest so I could feel his heart beating. God, he’s a solid man. The way his words took me back to a night I didn’t remember, like it was a moment that passed only the day before. The way my body was burning under his every caress in a way it never had during my past or current relationship. The way everything disappeared, and it was just the two of us. The way he looked at me. The way I looked at him. The way this was destined to be our destiny. Then I closed my eyes as he wiped my tears away while cupping my face in his hands. He kissed me and everything else that had ever been, became non-existent. This kiss was a seal. A solemn vow that there would never be anyone we could want or need more than each other.