Forever

Forever It was so long ago. The snowy winter of 910 AD and Aoife was busy as always in the house of Volkov. She had, a year ago, secured a job within the household as a cook. The Volkov household was well-known throughout the lands, and oddly, it was small. The estate was large; the land, the manor, the livestock and crops. However, only one person was still alive in the family: Alexei Volkov. The only surviving member of the Volkov family, he is very very secretive. When he hired Aoife, it was only because, as he worded it, "I'm hungry. I'm always, so so hungry." And yet, every day, as she bakes sweets for him, or cooks fine dinners, he doesn't eat. Sure he'll take a respectful bite or two, but never more than that. Aoife has no family. Her mother died to fever years ago, her father died shortly before her accepting the position within the Volkov household. He, along with most of the other men in their raiding party, was slain upon first landing on the shores of the Finns. Aoife considered herself lucky to have survived the m******e of her raiding party... and to have gotten as far as she had. Now she was carrying a tray up to Master Alexei's room. He, oddly enough, liked to have a steak every morning, very rare. It was a wonder she was hired to cook for him at all when she would barely cook the meat. As she took the last step towards the small, wooden servant's entrance to the Master Chambers, Aoife's heart fluttered a bit. The last time she went in there, a woman was on the bed, unconscious, and Alexei had quickly raged at her to leave. Aoife was afraid of being yelled at once again. Before she can knock on the door it opens, and she looks up from her short stature into the curious eyes of Alexei. "You have my steak?" He asks, a tired and gravely voice escaping him. Unable to find words Aoife simply nods her head, avoiding further eye contact. She hurries past his shirtless form to place the tray of practically raw meat on the bedside table. Turning to leave, her hasty exit is blocked by the tall figure of Alexei. "Why won't you speak to me?" He asks, trying to make eye contact with her again. When she refuses, he moves her head up to face him, her golden sweet eyes meeting his ever-changing green ones. In that instant, she was lost. Looking into his eyes was like peering into a dark well of ever-flowing pain, suffering; life. And for him, staring into her eyes was a stab to his heart, a throbbing, joyous stab that reminded him he still had one. He was never one to mix business and pleasure. Usually, he feasted and abandoned his meal in some cold village where she would be taken care of. But this girl was different. He pushed her lightly, just enough for her to fall onto the bed. She was startled, reaching her arms out for something to grab onto. And all that there was, was Alexei. And all Alexei wanted was his lips, on her neck. He pushed down the collar of her blouse, revealing the palest skin he'd ever seen. Soft, and begging to be bitten. He gleefully complied. Licking the spot first, his tongue danced across her skin, ushering a terrified yet excited gasp from Aoife. It was then that his fangs unfurled and he buried them into her, blood seeping into his greedy and awaiting throat. A bite from a Vampire is pleasurable, and Aoife was so surprised by the pleasure alone she completely forgot about the fangs that were previously unknown to her. As Alexei sucked and licked at her now gushing neck he nimbly began to undress her as best as he could whilst attached to her throat. Alexei gently traced the markings on Aoife's neck with his fingers. He almost felt bad for leaving them. Almost. Aoife's naked form curled up against his, a playful smile on her lips. It was the first time he'd ever seen her so relaxed in his presence before. But s*x can do that for a person. He kisses her neck softly, smiling against her skin. "Your skin is as pale as the lace on my bedding," He muses, the smile growing into a grin. Aoife can only mumble, completely breathless even still. "It's alright my pet, try not to speak." Alexei lovingly holds her body to his, playing with her curly brown tresses as she falls into a sleep. Alexei knew, as her breathing calmed, that he was in trouble. He was old, ancient. A Vampire. He fed off of humans and never would subject himself to such gratifications. Vampires don't believe in the act of pointless s*x as a means of staving off insanity as mortal men do. A Vampire lives a long life, and to his kind, mating was for life. He felt himself falling for Aoife the day he hired her. Her teasing smirks, soft expressions, caring nature, and the hidden fierceness she desperately attempted to snuff out of herself... but he could always see it; Aoife never ceased to give him those joyously painful stabs to his heart. Those pangs reminding him that he was, in fact, alive, and not some undead creature roaming the husk of the Earth. Alexei had always mentally yelled to keep his fangs to himself, not to feed off of Aoife, knowing once he did, he would never be satisfied. Now all Alexei wanted to do was change her, and bind her to him in the Vampiric equivalent of marriage. A handfasting ceremony to bind them in immortal life together. But Aoife was just a human, who would never understand the full repercussions of such a ritual. How could Alexei ask her to give up her mortal soul to spend eternity with him? It was cruel to even think it. As Alexei tortured himself with thoughts of her, Aoife began to wake. She didn't dare move, for fear of him leaving her side. She never felt so safe, and all of the bottled up emotions from the past year seemed to glow from her heart. A year of sneaking glimpses of Alexei, biting her lip whenever waking him with meals. A year of mentally barraging herself with ridicule over her thoughts. And now to have him holding her, to have such an intimate experience with him, she was overwhelmed. And he had fangs. Suddenly the reality of what happened hit her, and she sits up to look at Alexei. His strong and lean body lying on the bed, one arm still wrapped around her hips as he looked back up at her. His mess of curly black locks darkly contrasting the white linens of the bed. "Master Vol-" "Call me Alexei," He mumbles, sitting up immediately. His face right in front of hers. Their noses practically touching. She tries again, "Master Alex-" Only to have him put his lips on hers lightly, murmuring up against them, "Alexei, my pet. Call me Alexei." Embarrassed and flushed, she looks down at her lap. "Alexei," she starts slowly, pronouncing each syllable like a precious memory. "There were... teeth. Biting. Blood..." Her voice trails off, not sure of what to say. And neither does he. He's never had to explain before, never had to tell someone who and what he was. Other Vampires just knew, and humans never needed to know. Alexei pulls Aoife up onto his lap, her facing him, their eyes almost level. "Aoife," he barely whispers. "I don't want you to be frightened. But I don't want to tell you some romantic story either." Her spine tingles in fear and anticipation. "I am a Vampire. I know mortal men create quite the array of stories of my kind, but we are not as depicted." Aoife raises a brow pertinently. "For the most part of course." Completely expecting her to scream, or run, or hit him, or cry, Alexei braces himself for the oncoming human reaction, shutting his eyes and gritting his teeth. "Are you really dead?" A soft question carries its way to him, and he opens his eyes to meet hers, full of curiosity and worry. He shakes his head, moving her hand to his heart. "I have a heartbeat, I'm very much alive. My... well parts of my body are dead. I cannot age, I cannot die from sickness or weaponry. I'm... I'm very much alive, but it doesn't always feel that way." He removes his hand from hers, but Aoife keeps it on his chest, feeling the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. "That sounds very lonely," She mutters solemnly. She understands what it's like to lose people; her family dead, her only childhood friend missing. How lonely it must be to live forever, and see many a person die. Alexei is shocked. Here, this girl, this human girl is echoing the very thoughts he himself has every day. He eases himself towards what could be the worst or greatest moment in his immortal life. "It is very lonely, Aoife." He moves his lips closer. Aoife responds by kissing him. A short, sweet kiss, before pulling away just far enough to speak. "Alexei," she whispers breathily. "I think I would like-" And once again Alexei stops her from speaking with his lips on hers. The two fall back onto the bed, holding each other close as they both succumb to exhaustion, drifting off while in each other's arms. It was 4 more years of a sort of courtship between the two. Every night they'd curl up together. He'd feed on her, and they'd sleep deeply and peacefully, in a way neither had ever experienced before. Each night Alexei would practically yell at himself within his own head to ask her if she'd like to join him in eternity, and each night Aoife would almost ask, only to have him stop her. It was as if he was afraid, and Aoife understood that. Finally, as the 4th anniversary of their first time together rolled around, Alexei and Aoife managed to get incredibly drunk on French wine imported to the Volkov Estate. Alexei succumbed to his innermost desire and bit his wrist, shoving the bleeding flesh to Aoife's lips. "Drink," he mumbles, kissing her ear as he holds her close. And without a single hesitation, she does. His blood is unexpectedly sweet to her, and before she realizes it she's gulping down as much as she can. Her face is blood-soaked, her eyes are brightened, and the more she drinks the more heightened Alexei's senses are. Before long he can't take it anymore, and he gnashes into her neck. The two interlock in the closest form of intimacy two Vampires could ever be in, and it was on that night that Aoife became a Vampire. The next night, Alexei was overjoyed to bring her to a Vampire hostel, and within the night the two were united in a handfasting, binding them to one another for all eternity. Alexei and Aoife Volkov. This is the story of Aoife.