The Fated Bond

A Proposition

[Violet’s POV]

I guarantee that I can help you find the perfect man.

Lance’s words repeat themselves in my head as I stare at the man who spoke.

Was he being serious, or was he simply trying to play with me, and who exactly was this perfect man that he was speaking of? Was he referring to one of his friends or maybe… No! Stop it, Violet! This is the reason you keep falling for the wrong men. You jump to conclusions, and when someone shows a little bit of kindness, you decide to try to be with them.

“Let me explain.” Lance says when I continue to not speak. “I mentioned it earlier, didn’t I? I helped Noel and Trevor meet.”

Nodding, I take in his words as my gaze shifts to the happy couple who sit together. Even from where I sit, I can feel the happiness, trust, and love that radiates between them as Trevor says something and Noel giggles while leaning into him, her body melding perfectly with his, and in this moment of pure bliss, I can’t help but feel a bit of envy.

I’d like to feel that type of love one day. I find myself thinking as my heart aches bitterly. But is that really somewhere out there for me?

“You see,” Lance continues, snapping me out of my head. “I run a matchmaking business that specializes in working on connecting species. Like you said, it isn’t very common for species to mix, and when that happens, things get a bit… Uneasy, to put it nicely. I too experienced that in my youth with my mother and father. It was because of what I witnessed that I made it my sworn duty to try to bring the species together so that we can all live together harmoniously. So far, I have a success rate of 100%, so I am absolutely certain I can help you too.”

Help me too. Could he really help me find someone who would actually love me for me? I wasn’t sure, but given what I saw with Noel, who was known for running from weddings, and the things he was saying, I just couldn’t stop myself from hoping.

Careful, Violet. I tell myself as that single word appears. Remember what happens when you hope. When you hope you get hurt, but sometimes wasn’t that hurt worth it?

“If you aren’t sure you want my help,” Lance says slowly, once again taking my silence as a rejection. “I can give you my card, and you can give me a call when you’ve decided.”

“Alright,” I say, deciding that maybe right now wasn’t exactly the best time to be jumping into something new. “I’ll keep what you said in mind, and if I decide that I want to give it a shot, I’ll definitely give you a call.”

“Of course,” he beams, reaching into his pocket and then pulling out a small white card with silver writing on it. “Keep this handy so you know where to find me.”

"Thanks," I say, taking it as my ears and tail suddenly disappear due to the comfort and safety I feel from him.

"Oh," he chuckles, eyeing me. "Seems that you're feeling better."

"Yeah, thanks to you." I smile. "Thanks again for everything. If there's anything I can do in the future to repay you, please let me know."

"I'll think about it," he winks. "But for now this is more than enough."

Later, I arrive home utterly exhausted mentally and emotionally. All I want to do is take a shower and go to bed, but before I can even get my shoes off, my phone starts ringing.

“Who could be calling this late?” I sigh, pulling my phone out of my purse and feeling my heart dropping as I take in the name on the screen. “Why is she calling?” I continue, swiping the answer and bringing the phone to my ear.

“Honey!” My mother chirps from the other end. “Am I interrupting?”

“Of course not.” I respond, kicking my shoes off and then flopping down on my couch. “I was just about to shower and go to sleep.”

“So, you’re home from the wedding?” She asks curiously. “How was it? Did Noel finally tie the knot?”

“She did,” I confirm, bracing myself for what I was certain would be coming next. It was always the same conversation between the two of us, and no matter how many times I tried to explain that now just wasn’t the time, she wouldn’t let me off the hook.

“That’s wonderful,” she sighs in relief. “I was really beginning to worry that that poor girl would never settle down. But I suppose that’s a trait of a succubus, isn’t it? They like to play around and…”

“Mother,” I hiss, stopping her before she can insult Noel. “Did you call just to confirm that Noel has finally found somebody?”

Of course, my mother knew about my dating history and was aware that a lot of the men that approached me were just after Noel. Because of that, she always warned me not to get too close to Noel, but I didn’t listen. Noel was the only one who accepted me for me, flaws and all.

“Oh honey, I’m just worried about you.” My mother continues. “You’ve been hurt so many times. Anyway,” she says, like what she was just saying wasn’t too heavy. “Don’t you think that it is about time that you got married?”

Here we go. I sigh, rolling my eyes. I was beginning to feel like my mother’s only purpose in life was to see me married, especially since that was the thing she focused most on when we would speak.

“I’ve still got time.” I say slowly. “Plus, I’m very busy with the shop. We just had our grand opening not too long ago, and requests for special scents are coming in constantly. I don’t really have the time or the energy to think about getting married.”

“You don’t have the time, or you can’t?” My mother asks, hitting me right where it stings. “Weren’t you dating someone seriously? How are things going?”

At her question, I feel my heart squeeze painfully. Of course, with Noel’s wedding and the shock of what happened, I hadn’t had the chance to tell my mother that I broke up with Devin.

“About that,” I respond, wondering what would happen when I told her the truth. Would she try to force me into some blind dates or try to introduce me to her friends' children? I didn’t want to deal with that, especially since my mother was quite persistent when she wanted to be. And maybe that’s what led me to answering dishonestly. “We’re doing great.”

“Really?” She asks, perking up immediately. “That’s great to hear, honey! Since things are going great, you should really bring him home so I can meet him. My birthday is right around the corner. Wouldn’t that be the perfect opportunity?”

“Um…” I begin, knowing that if I refused what she was saying, she would find a way to pop up and surprise me. “Sure, let’s do that.” I say instead while pulling Lance’s card from my bra, where I stashed it, and take in the number on it while remembering the man who gave it to me. Maybe this was the universe's way of saying that I should let him help me, or maybe it was my hope getting the best of me, but now that I made this deal with my mother, my next step was very clear.

“Then I’ll see you both then!” My mother chirps, snapping me out of my head. “Have a good night, honey. I love you, and I'll see you soon."

"Yep, love you too." I respond and then hang out. "f**k. What did I just get myself into?"