The Vampire King's Hybrid Mate

Chapter 2 - Mate

"Mate...?" It came out more like a question than an assertion, as I met his gaze again. "You... You've been the one in my dreams, haven't you? You... You tried to kill me."

"I'd never do that," he said instantly, his voice sincere.

"How do I know?" I whispered, stepping away from him. "Every night, since years, you've been haunting me in my sleep. Your eyes..." I trailed off, gulping as the image crossed in my mind, "they were different."

"You still dreamt about him?" Mom asked, making me flinch slightly. I had almost forgotten that she was there too, and I glanced at her, guilt filling my gaze.

"Yes," I muttered, lowering my eyes. "Every single night."

"Draco," she said incredulously, scowling at him. "We agreed you'd stop doing that!"

"I didn't do it on purpose," he said defensively. "It just happened."

"Wait what?" I asked, frowning. "You know you were in my dreams?"

"I had the same dreams, Imara," he replied, looking me in the eye. "Every single night."

Heat crept up my cheeks, and I took another step back, my heart racing in my chest.

"I'd never hurt you, Little Dove," he added, stepping closer again.

Something about the nickname he used made my heart flutter. I stared at him unblinking, trying to decipher if he was telling the truth. But a loud growl from inside snapped me out of it, alerting me once again.

"You need to go," Mom said, taking my arm and pushing me towards him. Her fangs grew again, and her eyes gleamed, her gaze fixing on the door to the stairs.

"No," I shook my head, staring at her in disbelief. "I'm not going anywhere with him. I'm staying here, with you guys."

"Imara," she took my arms, "you need to listen to me. Leave."

"No," I said again, tears of anger pooling up in my eyes. "I'm not leaving you and Papa. I don't even know if I'll be safe with this guy, how can you trust him? Do you know the number of times he's killed me in my sleep?"

"I wasn't trying to kill you," Draco said, making me turn to glare at him.

"Shut up." I turned back to my mother. "You can't make me leave, Mom. I'm staying right here, and I'm fighting. To the grave if the need be."

"No you're not," she replied, getting worked up now. There were a few more growls, and they seemed to be getting closer. Mom pushed me back again, and my back collided with his front, making me suck in a breath. "Leave, Imara. Go. I'll find my way back to you, I promise."

"No," my voice broke now, as I shook my head. I tried to step towards her, but a pair of arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me back. "Mom, no," I cried, trying to push his hands off. He didn't budge.

There was a loud crash, and Mom let out a growl, shifting her gaze to Draco now. A tear left her eye, and I saw the hesitation, as well as the helplessness in her gaze. "Take her," she whispered, stepping away from us.

"No!" I yelled, trying to get to her, but his hold on me tightened. I let out a loud growl, digging my claws into his forearms, but he seemed unfazed.

"Stop fighting, Imara. I'm taking you with me, whether you like it or not."

"I'm not going anywhere with you! Let me go you jerk!" My voice was almost inhumane now, as I struggled with all my might to get his hands off of me. I didn't know why my strength felt low. I didn't know why it was so hard to fight him off. It was almost like my body was refusing to co-operate with me refusing to unleash the real power I had.

He turned me around and took hold of my wrists, trapping them behind my back. When I looked up into his eyes, I froze. They were completely red, just like the dreams. A chill went through me, and my heart beat quickened as I stared into those pools of blood red.

"That is enough, Imara," he stated, his voice deeper. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Love. You're going to be safe with me, because you're the only thing I have ever wanted. You're the one I've been looking for since centuries, because you're my mate, my bride, and my Queen. I am not a bad person, Little Dove. Just trust me."

An odd warmth spread in my chest, and I found myself calming down slightly. My struggles were even weaker now, as I blinked up at him, trying to find dishonesty in his words, trying to comprehend what he had even said. The only thing I caught from his tone was sincerity, and a hint of vulnerability. But when I tried to listen to his heart beat, I heard nothing. Not a single beat, no rhythm. Only silence.

"You... You don't have a heart beat," I whispered, my eyes widening. "How--How is that possible?"

He let out a sigh, his eyes returning to a pale blue shade. He leaned in closer to me, to my ear, sending shivers through my body.

"Go to sleep, Imara."

Something sharp pricked my shoulder, and a burning sensation filled my veins, my eyes widening. I screamed in agony, squirming against him as he pulled me tightly to his chest.

"Shhh, shh. It's okay. You're okay. Give in."

"N--No, no," I whispered, fighting to keep my eyes open. "Let me... Let me go."

"Never again." His voice was the last thing I heard, as my eyes rolled back, and darkness took over me.

- - - -

DRACO

I gently placed her down on the bed, moving her hair away from her beautiful face. She looked peaceful, her eyes gently shut, her plump lips slightly parted. I felt the urge to lean in and kiss her, but I did not want to take advantage of her. Every night I had dreamt about her, I had tasted that perfect little mouth, I had touched that flawless body. And then I had marked her as mine.

I moved her hair off her shoulder, revealing her clean, enticing neck. I could see the blood pumping through her veins, hear the faint sound of her rhythmic heart beat. I wanted to dig my fangs into her skin, drink her warm, delicious blood, claim her as mine for eternity. But I did not want to frighten her. I did not want her to hate me. So I had to be gentle, I had to go slow. I had to hold back, in spite of my urges.

There was a knock on my door, pulling me out of my troubling, yet exciting thoughts. I turned away from her, taking a deep breath to collect myself.

"Come in."

Eros walked in, and gently closed the door behind him.

"How are you doing?" he asked, stepping closer to me.

I turned to glance at her.

"I don't know. I finally have her here, but it didn't go as I imagined."

"Well, it was sooner than you expected." He shrugged.

"Yeah, almost a year too soon," I agreed, turning back to him. "She hates me."

"Hate is a strong word. You know she can't hate you. It's not possible."

"You didn't see the way she looked at me. She's afraid of me, Eros. She thinks I'm going to hurt her. She's been dreaming about me marking her, and she thinks I was trying to kill her."

An involuntary chuckle left his lips, but he quickly covered it up, lowering his gaze. "Sorry. Uh, it's not exactly her fault. I'm sure, eventually, she'll grow to trust you."

"I hope so," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "I separated her from her parents, so... I'm kinda the villain in her story."

"I've heard girls love attractive villains, so you should be fine."

I smiled, feeling slightly better. "Thanks mate."

"Don't call me that from now on. She may get jealous." He winked.

I chuckled, shaking my head.

"Let's go outside. I don't want to overwhelm her as soon as she wakes up. The wolfsbane must be wearing off soon."

"But that was a heavy dose. She should stay asleep for a day."

"A normal werewolf would. But she's a stronger one. Her birth father is from an Alpha bloodline, her mother is a Warrior Wolf. And, she's a hybrid. What makes her werewolf side weak, makes her revenant side stronger. So she'll be waking up sooner than you think."

- - - -

"Try harder, Imara," Papa said, pushing me against the ground. I was lying on my stomach, and he was straddling my body, his hand digging into my shoulder painfully.

"You're too strong!" I cried, trying to squirm out of his grip, but miserably failing.

"You have the strength inside you, baby," Mom said, kneeling down in front of me. "You're a powerful girl, you're my daughter. Try again."

I let out a groan, and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to find that 'strength'.

"She's drained, Monica," Papa said, his tone low and almost pitiful. His grip on me had loosened slightly, and I took a deep gulp of air, feeling anger course through my veins.

I hated being weak. I hated when people felt bad for me, I hated sympathy. I despised the looks they gave me, as I screamed in agony, my body tearing apart on the inside. Whatever made me different from everyone else, it was a curse to them. But Mom always promised it was a blessing. That it made me stronger than everyone else.

"Don't let go Tyson," Mom scolded, glaring at him. "Tighten your grip again."

"But Mon--"

"Tighten it."

Reluctantly, he obliged, and I hissed in pain again. A familiar face flashed before my eyes, and a fresh gush of energy washed over me. All of a sudden, the hold was not suffocating me anymore.

My eyes gleamed a bright purple, and I felt my claws grow. A loud hiss left my lips, and the next second, I was effortlessly throwing Papa off of me. The power I felt was unreal, it was as if it was coursing through me like blood. The second I projected it out, it became uncontrollable.

Papa crashed against a tree, letting out a groan of pain and falling to the ground. I gasped when I saw the c***k on the bark, and before I could, Mom was already rushing to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked, kneeling down beside him.

His back was broken.

I stepped back, tears filling my eyes.

"I'm okay," Papa cried, his gaze meeting mine. "I'm okay, baby. It's okay, I'll heal."

I shook my head, shaking with silent sobs, before I turned on my heel and ran off.

"Imara!" Mom called out, but I ignored her, turning into my wolf form and disappearing into the trees.

- - -

There was a foreign ache in my shoulder, and I stirred in my sleep, whimpering softly.

What time was it? Why did I feel so tired, yet my body urged me to wake up?

I opened my eyes, to find myself in an unfamiliar room, with a high ceiling and plain cream walls. Realization dawned on me, as memories of everything that had happened came crashing back. I jolted up, and climbed out of the comfortable bed, my chest heaving up and down as I breathed heavily. I looked around, noticing how there were no windows, nowhere I could escape from. There was a single, large door in the corner, and for some reason, I knew I wouldn't be able to leave from there.

"s**t, s**t, s**t," I whispered to myself, running a hand through my already disheveled hair. I wanted to go over to the door, to kick it open and rush out, but for some reason, I found myself frozen in the spot. My legs were shaking, and I had no idea why. It wasn't out of terror, because the anger I felt had suppressed every other emotion. But the second the door clicked and he stepped in, my senses numbed.

"You're up." His eyebrows shot up in surprise, as he so casually closed the door behind him.

"Stay away from me," I warned, trying to get my claws to grow. But for some reason, they refused to budge. I frowned, staring down at my nails.

"They're not gonna surface so soon," he muttered, walking closer.

I took a step back, glaring at him. "Stay back! What have you done to me?"

"Relax," he raised his hands in surrender. "What I injected you with was a dose of wolfsbane. I'm guessing it's hindering your werewolf abilities. But you have nothing to--"

"How dare you?" I whispered, staring at him incredulously. "I could've died, you jerk!"

He blinked, lowering his hands to his sides. "No, you couldn't."

"Yes, I could. You don't just inject a werewolf with wolfsbane."

"Yeah, you don't. But you can inject a Fallen pretty safely."

"A what?" My eyebrows furrowed.

"A Fallen. You, Imara. Your parents didn't tell you?"

"Didn't tell me what?"

He sighed, rubbing his hand over his face. "Alright, you may need to sit down for this one."

- - - - - -