His Vampire Mate

Chapter Four: Killing Me Softly

♡ Grayson’s P.O.V. ♡

Alex tackled me with a snarl. I growled, rolling around with him, and dodging his attempted bites. Suddenly, he was pulled off of me.

I gasped as I sat up, and looked around to see nobody around- I was alone in this parking lot. I swallowed, not exactly knowing how to process what was going on. My hand drifted to the bite mark on my neck, still seeping blood from the wound…

My mate was a vampire? A f*****g vampire? Why, how… I cursed to myself, getting up and going to my car. When I got to my house in the neighborhood, I ran in and didn’t even check to see if my parents were home or not.

Thank God for them having a small cabin in the pack territory- It was optional for us wolves, and some chose to stay permanently there in the woods, while some like Xavier chose to stay in town.

I didn’t bother turning on the light in my room, the natural moonlight illuminated my room enough and I didn’t want the bother of that yellow lighting- it would only annoy me further. My mind raced as I sat in my bed, and then got up as I felt myself become restless. I paced back and forth for a long time, not knowing what to do. My mate- Nina, was a vampire. She was a part of those who attacked our pack- she had to be! Her being in town just a month after it all went down couldn’t be a coincidence. I had to tell Ryder-

“Thinking of me?”

I stopped pacing, standing in front of my bedroom door before turning and raising a brow towards Nina. She stood there, the outline of her body lit up from the moon, and having changed into denim shorts and a baggy hoodie. She looked human- innocent and pure. I scowled, “You shouldn’t be here.”

“That’s not what you were saying earlier.” She turned with a smirk, and I bristled at the thought of our encounter from earlier. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders as she went to my desk- examining the knick-knacks I had on display. Small football memorabilia, bobbleheads… She spoke without looking at me, “I see your wound is healed. Must be those werewolf genes, huh?”

“What do you want from us?” I asked, glaring at her form. “Why are you here?”

“I couldn’t have moved here for the scenery?” Nina remarked, turning to me as she leaned back against the desk, a hint of a small smile on her soft lips.

My jaw clenched, and I crossed my arms. “Be honest with me. Please.”

She slightly tensed at the way I pleaded.

“Are you with the vampires who attacked us?”

Nina stayed silent, looking down with furrowed brows. I looked at her expectantly, and she sighed heavily, “No, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I moved here because I wanted to live as normally as I can- and my only brother followed me.”

“How did you know I was a werewolf?”

She looked up, her doe-like eyes making things stir inside my chest. “I watched you. I… was intrigued by you, by Ryder, and I wanted to know everything I could.”

I was still skeptical- the fact that she was my mate made it harder for me not to trust her. If she was two-faced, and I blindly trusted her, I could end up unintentionally causing my whole pack’s annihilation. I moved, sitting on my bed just across from where she stood.

She swallowed, looking back down as she spoke. “What did you mean earlier? When you said we were soulmates?”

“We…” I trailed off, not knowing if I should tell her. I felt like she’d use it to her advantage. But… what else could I say? “Werewolves have soulmates- when we turn eighteen, we can meet our mate. But it’s mostly potential- we can reject them if we want, so it’s not final.”

“We’re soulmates?” She scoffed. I shrugged, and she huffed. “How do you know?”

“Wolves know from the first time we see them…” She shakily exhaled when I said that. “This attraction between us- that feeling when we were against each other? That’s how.” I looked at my hands, swallowing. I felt oddly vulnerable.

“Are you going to reject me just because I’m a vampire?”

Her voice sounded scared. I looked up at her from my bed, and she was breathing slightly faster than normal. I sighed, and shook my head. “I don’t know. I’ve never really known a vampire- unless I was killing them.”

Nina tensed, and her eyes looked at me warily with her lips in a scowl.

I smirked at her annoyed expression, “But I’m willing to get to know you.”

“I’d be okay with that too…” She feigned disinterest. I rolled my eyes, and chuckled as I continued.

“But maybe without the crazy make-out sessions?”

“If you insist...” She sarcastically stated, and I chuckled again. Nina bit her lip, looking at me with a slight sparkle in her eyes, “I mean, normal make-out sessions sound good to me.”

I shook my head with a smile. I didn’t want this to be a s*x-driven relationship. I had that with Selena, and it had ended horribly. I stood, making my way over to her and grasping her hand softly. She looked up at me in confusion as I led her back to my bed, and laid down. She laid beside me, still confused as I got comfortable on my side, laying close to my bedroom wall. My head lay on my arm, and my other arm rested on my abdomen as I looked at her. She frowned, as she laid on her side, her head resting on her hand. “Is this your weird way of saying you want s*x?”

I huffed in amusement, “No. It’s my weird way of saying we should just talk.”

Nina pursed her lips, moving to get more comfortable. Her cheek rested against my pillow, her body curling up as she looked back at me with an amused expression. “Okay. What do you want to talk about?”

“How are vampires made?”

“As far as I know, we’re turned. I've never heard of one of us being born.” She spoke softly, her voice sweet against the silent of the night. The fresh cool breeze made me feel refreshed, and I listened attentively as she continued to speak. “I used to be human- I used to go to school before… everything happened.”

I swallowed, “How were you turned?”

She licked her bottom lip, and sighed again. Her eyes turned sad, never leaving mine. “My dad turned my brother and I. He fed us his blood, and then strangled us to death.”

I furrowed my brows, clenching my jaw at the thought of her being harmed. Her own dad did that?

“Then when we woke up… he forced us to feed on people.”

I frowned, “But you don’t anymore?”

She smiled softly, “I use blood bags. But before, I had to manage where I could.”

“Where’s your dad now?”

“I have no idea…” She trailed off. I nodded, looking her up and down.

“So what can you do? As a vampire… I mean, you obviously have speed, and strength… but what else?”

“All my senses are heightened. Hearing, touch… smell, sight. I can compel humans… I have better agility. Better reflexes, better dexterity… I heal wounds easily, like you, but faster. I feel everything more… intensely.”

“Huh.” I was fascinated with her, entranced by her. “How old are you?”

“Physically- I’m eighteen. But technically… I was born in 1934.” She smirked as my eyes widened.

“But that would make you-”

“Eighty-four years old.”

“Ew. I can’t believe I kissed someone so old-”

She swatted my chest playfully. “Not funny.”

“It was kind of funny.” I grinned, and she rolled her eyes. There was a slight pause.

“So how about you?” She asked, and I furrowed my brows.

“What about me?” I asked.

“Well, Ryder never really told me about Selena- I heard everything.”

“Oh.” I stilled, biting my lip as I looked away from her and to the ceiling.

“It’s not that bad- I mean, you just had an on and off fling with her, right?”

“It’s complicated- I started going out with her because of a bet, when I was going through this stupid player phase, but then I fell in love. Nobody ever told her until a year later… it slipped out of one of my friends when they were drunk. And she got pissed.”

“Ah. Rightfully so.” She giggled. “So Lindsay told me that your friend Trent was away- when is he coming back?”

My face turned to shock. Lindsay had said he had… gone away? God… “Oh, uh… No… Trent…” I sighed heavily, closing my eyes as I swallowed back the tears. “Trent is dead.”

Saying those words still made my chest ache. But it didn’t hurt as bad as before… time did help in some ways.

“I’m sorry.” Nina said, and I opened my eyes to see her supportive expression.

“It’s okay.” I half-smiled, and she smiled back.

I moved my position, laying on my side and examining her face with further fascination. Her sharp yet gentle cupid’s bow, her thick lashes, and her sparkling brown orbs. Her lips were very pink, looking as soft as the moment before I had kissed her earlier. Her hand lay just inches from her own face, and I placed my hand on hers, intertwining our fingers. It spread shocks and soothing vibrations simultaneously across my skin, and I had never been more excited and calm in my life- let alone at the same time.

Her cheeks slightly flushed, and her face suddenly shifted to one of worry. “How are we supposed to be soulmates if I live forever… and you don’t?”

I blinked at the realization. Would I have to turn if I wanted to live forever with her?

“I don’t know.” I said, “But there must be a reason we’re meant to be together, right? So there must be a way.”

“What if we can’t have kids?” She asked. “I mean, I’ve never tried and…”

I furrowed my brows, and squeezed her hand that I held. “We can worry about that later, Nina. Right now, let’s just… let’s take our time, okay?”

Silence enveloped us as her hand moved to massage mine instead of the reverse. Our eyes moved to our intertwined fingers… Her fingers played with mine, and I raised a brow as she suddenly looked at me again with pleading eyes.

“You can’t tell your pack about me being a vampire. Not even your friends-”

“I wouldn’t. Even if I wanted to.” Nina bit her lip. I moved my hand to her cheek, grazing it softly with my thumb. “I couldn’t ever risk them hurting you.”

She smiled, nodding in acknowledgement to what I said. I moved my hand back to her hand, gently grasping it before I found myself being lulled to sleep by the comfort of her touch.

When I woke up… I found myself nuzzling against something. I sighed in content, squeezing something soft closer to my chest. It fit against my body just right, its curves complimenting my lean and muscular body. I frowned as my brain registered the details of what was pressing against me- remembered the only thing that could be pressing up against me.

It was Nina. She was entangled with my body, her leg draped over mine, her chest pressed on my abdomen and her head on my chest. My cheek was pressed against the top of her head…

I could hear and feel her breathing. Her cheek nuzzled against my chest in her sleepy state, and I gulped as I tried to go back to sleep- I didn’t want to think about this too much at all.

I couldn’t even remember if there was school today or not… The sun hit our bodies, warming us up.

“Are you going to keep pretending to be asleep?” Her voice grumbly said.

I chuckled, opening my eyes. I winced slightly, adjusting to the bright sunlight. “How did you know?”

“Your slight hitching of breath, and the way you squeezed me tight.” She sassily quipped, her voice sounding like a murmur with her cheek still laying against my chest.

“You were listening to my breathing?” I was smug, of course. She huffed in annoyance.

“I’m literally laying against your chest, i***t. I don’t exactly have a choice.”

“Hmm. If it’s so bad, then maybe you should-”

“I didn’t say it was bad, Gray.” She said, moving to look at me with a raised brow. “I just said I hadn’t chosen to do it.”

“Huh.” I pursed my lips, my hand playing with the ends of her curly hair. “Is your brother mad at me?”

“Not really. More like disappointed in me. He acts like I’m supposed to be some eternal virgin, or something.”

“Are you?” I asked, moving a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She smirked, “I’m eighty years old, Grayson. Of course not.”

“Me neither. So, I’m guessing you’ve lost some people in your lifetime, then.” I furrowed my brows, suddenly saddened at the thought of her immortality.

“Yeah, I have.” She mused; her face slightly impassive as she sat up. “I mean, not because of old age if that’s what you’re thinking. Mostly because of the death that follows my brother and I.”

“Hm.” I thought to myself, wondering what the cause of death was she meant- and exactly how it followed her. “Well, good thing I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”

“Especially if I have a say in it.” Nina smirked, moving away from me, getting up and stretching sensually. I looked her up and down, examining the way her back arched as she groaned in relief.

I frowned as she went to the window and hitched a leg over the sill. I leaned on my elbow on my side, looking at her with a raised brow, “You’re already running out on me?”

She looked back at me with an amused expression, “I’ll see you later, Gray.”

She was gone in an instant, her body a blur as she disappeared from my view. I sighed, laying back down. I got up after a bit, running a hand through my hair as I went to grab a change of clothes- I felt dirty from being in the clothes from last night.

After showering, I dialed up my mom as I walked down the stairs. She picked up cheerily, “Grayson! Good morning, sweetheart.”

“Morning, mom. How’s dad? How’s the pack?”

“Everyone’s good here. We’ve just been getting ready for the full moon next week, you know. Preparing some of the new wolves to be integrated into the pack- Seth has been trying to get used to shifting manually when he comes here after school. It’s a little tough for him.”

“Xavier is doting on him, isn’t he?” I smiled in amusement at the thought of my lovesick friend.

“Yep. Kind of annoyingly too, but it’s endearing. Gotta go- do you have gas money?”

“I’m all good, mom. Thanks, though.”

“Of course. I’ll send you some extra allowance at the end of the week for keeping the house clean, alright?”

“Sounds good. Love you.” I hung up after she said ‘Love you too’, and grabbed my bag by the stairs as I went to my car. My mom did her best to be the best wolf and human she could be, providing money as she worked as an Uber half the week, and switched with my dad the other week. This was one of those rare weeks where they relaxed- I was usually in charge of helping cook and cleaning. Not all of us were wealthy wolves…

As soon as I pulled up to the school, I saw a crowd of students gathered in the parking lot. Normally, I wouldn’t pay much mind, except that there was a police car and ambulance parked nearby them. I got out of the car, rushing over with curiosity.

My eyes widened as I finally pushed through the crowd. There were EMTs zipping up a black body bag, and I looked around to see Nina with a worried expression. I gave her a questioning stare, and she huffed as she turned away and disappeared from the crowd.

I moved away, following the direction she had turned to. She was walking into the school when I caught up to her, and I suddenly pulled her into the first classroom I saw. She scoffed as she pulled away from my grasp, “Let go of me.”

“Did you do that?”

“Of course not, Grayson.” She glared at me.

“Then why did you look so worried?” I asked, annoyed.

“Because-” She scoffed, before sighing and speaking again. “Because when the kids found the body, they were talking about bite wounds and blood loss-”

“So it was a vampire. Was it your brother?”

“No- my brother wouldn’t do it. He only hunts at night and-”

“Well, then who was it?!” I asked urgently.

“I don’t know, Grayson!” She yelled at me.

I groaned in frustration. There were more vampires in town- and I had to keep Ryder from finding out that Nina was one of them.