The Vampire King's Hybrid Mate

Chapter 4 - Cooperation

Ever since I was a young girl, there would be moments I would black out. One second I'm laughing, the next second I wake up in bed, my body sore with pain. Mom always told me it was completely normal, that it happened to one in a hundred werewolves. That the few people who experienced it grew up to be extremely strong and powerful, with special abilities like greater speed, and longer fangs. I never understood it, but believed every word. It was easier to do that, than spending nights wondering what was wrong with me.

Even as I would hear pack members whisper about me, even as I found some of them oddly fearful of me. Believing Mom meant I could lead a normal life. But not believing her would have led me to the truth.

As shitty as my situation was, things were starting to make more sense now. I could see the similarities in him and I, like the cold skin, for example. And the dreams he claimed to have every night. My cheeks tinged pink at the thought of it. If he was telling the truth, our situation was already pretty awkward. Imagine kissing a stranger in your dreams every night, and then being brought face to face with that man, only to discover he had been having the same dreams as yours. And then you're forced to live in his house, with nowhere else to go, and no way to escape.

But as much as I hated to admit, his explanation, however crazy and absurd it was, would explain everything wrong in my life. The fits of pain, the odd outburts of strength and power, even the dreams. If I was half revenant, and he was my maker, the connection made a lot of sense. The man's blood was in my system. And on top of that, he claimed I was his mate.

I wasn't entirely sure, but I did feel extremely drawn to him. The attraction was undeniable, nothing like I'd ever felt before. Or maybe I was just a desperate teenage girl with raging hormones, begging to be laid and to lose my virginity.

Was he the reason, though? That my mother never allowed me to date, or get too close to any other man? Had she promised me to a revenant all along, and been lying just to give me a sense of normalcy? That bit hurt the most.

I was no special werewolf, I wasn't even one entirely. I was an odd creature, a mix of two different kinds, that hated each other. Was this rivalry the reason my body shut down so often? Did my two sides reject each other?

There were too many possibilities, too many questions. And only one man seemed to have the answers to them all.

I sat up, pushing my hair away from my face. I had to stay patient if I needed answers, or if I wanted to get out of there. I had to be reasonable, and I had to keep my temper in check. Repeatedly calling him a jerk wasn't going to help either, even if he was one. I took a deep breath, before getting up and walking over to the door. I knocked on it gently.

"Draco?"

"Yes, Milady?" someone replied without opening the door.

I frowned. The voice wasn't his. And why was this person referring to me like that?

"Uh... Who are you?"

"I'm Eros, Lord Draco's most trusted companion. I'm here to get you anything you might need."

I raised an eyebrow. Lord Draco? Really?

"I need you to open this--"

"Anything, other than that, Miss King."

I clenched my jaw.

"You prefer Miss King, right? Or do you like Miss Ryder better? Lord Draco said you love your mother more, so Miss King would be preferred. But I can call you whichever one you want."

I let out a huff. "Just call me Imara."

"Sure, I'll do that in privacy. But I still have to call you Milady in front of others. Draco insisted we maintain your respect and status before the clan."

Respect and status. Wow.

"Yeah, because locking me in a room is so respectful," I muttered, sarcasm dripping from my tone.

He chuckled nervously. "I'm sure he'll let you out soon."

"Where is he? Call him here, I want to talk to him."

"He is not in the castle right now. I will let you know as soon as he returns."

I frowned. "Castle?"

"Yes, Milady. You're at his castle, the one he took over after killing the last King."

A chill went through me, and I bit my lip. Is this dude even on Draco's side? "Okay... Just... send him here when he's back," I said softly, before returning to the bed. I lay down again, hugging myself.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful little girl, with flawless skin, twinkling eyes and golden hair. She lived in a huge mansion, surrounded by people she loved, and people who loved her. She was strong, and kind, with empathy and compassion running through her like blood."

"What was her name, Mom?" I asked, my eyes shining in excitement.

Mom smiled at me, running her hand through my hair. "Can you guess it?"

"Yes! Was it Imara?"

"That's right, honey," she replied, bending down to kiss my forehead. "Her name was Imara."

"So what happened to her?"

"That girl was very special, and very unique. She had powers and abilities that no one else understood. She was faster, stronger, and luckier than everyone else. You know why?"

"Why?"

"Because she had another admirer, someone she didn't know, who would go to any lengths to keep her safe. He didn't love her for her powers, but for the person she was. He was a Prince, charming and handsome, and he lived in a huge, black castle."

"Do they get married? Does she become a Princess?"

"They do," Mom laughed, nodding. "And then they live happily ever after."

I could feel my stomach clench, and I pulled my knees to my chest, frowning. Had that been about me and him all along? The Prince Charming I had hoped to find one day... was it Draco? The man who so rudely sedated me, and kidnapped me when my family needed me the most? The man who tried to kill me in my dreams every night? The man who made me feel all kinds of emotions, all at once?

I sat up again. No. How could that be? He was a murderer.

But so were my parents.

But my parents killed for their pack, for their family. They didn't kill their own King or their own Alpha just to be leader. Draco was a traitor. He was selfish, and vile. He couldn't be the one I was destined with.

There was a knock on the door, pulling me out of my thoughts.

"Who is it?"

"It's me again, Milady. I have a question for you."

I walked over to the door, leaning my back against it.

"Ask away."

"Would you like a tour of the castle?"

My eyes lit up. "Yes!" I turned around to face the door. "Yes, please."

"But there is one condition."

"Mhm?"

"You have to promise that you will not attempt an escape. And if you do, we have your explicit permission to sedate you or do anything that's necessary to stop you."

"Did Draco say that?" I scowled.

"He told me to warn you beforehand. He is very concerned for your safety."

"He's not concerned about mine," I chuckled. "He's concerned about yours. But sure, you can go ahead and lock me up again if I go loose."

"Please don't say it like that, Imara. You're not a prisoner, we'd never treat our future Queen like that," Eros replied.

"Okay, sure. Just get me out."

There was a click, and then the door opened, bringing me face to face with a tall, brunette man. He was dressed in a plain brown T-shirt, and dark jeans. His eyes, a soft green shade, were filled with excitement as he smiled at me. He actually proceeded to bow down, grinning from ear to ear.

"Milady, it's an absolute honor to finally meet you."

I couldn't help but smile back.

"Okay?" I chuckled. "It's good to see what you look like."

"Thank you." He gave me a respectful nod. "After you, Imara."

I stepped out of the room, and my eyebrows shot up at the beauty of the hallway. It was long and elaborate, with high walls, all covered in different kinds of intricate paintings. Contrary to what I expected, it was pretty well lit, and well furnished. The lights on the ceiling were modern, yet the ambiance still held an odd, medieval hint to it. The air was thick with Draco's scent. I felt my stomach do a flip. Has he done this on purpose? It does smell good though.

I shook my head, to cast away all such thoughts. I had to get out of there. I hurried down the hallway, with Eros following closely behind. I could feel his eyes on me; he was watching my every move. If I had turned around, I'm sure he would quickly look away, pretending to be calm and collected. He was lucky he didn't have a heart beat. I could have called him out on how alarmed he was.

"You can relax," I said, as we came to a beautiful marble staircase. "I'm not going to run. Wouldn't create problems for you."

"Good to know," he replied, trying to sound cheerful. But something about his tone just felt off. I could feel the tension of his body. Why was he so afraid?

"You know I can sense your fear," I stated, slowly descending the steps. They led to an enormous hall, with a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The room had an orange hue to it. Reminded me of sunsets, but it wasn't the least bit calming.

"You can?" He seemed taken aback.

"Yes." I turned to meet his eye, descending the stairs backwards. "Why?"

"Werewolves can't do that," he replied, his eyebrows furrowed. "I mean, not to us."

My expression mirrored his. "I think they can."

"No, they can't," he repeated, shaking his head. "I've never heard of it."

"What do you know about werewolves? You're a revenant."

"We know everything about werewolves. Our King, the one before Draco, hated the kind. Swore that werewolves are our enemies. So we were trained to fight against them, and hence we know all of their special senses. They're fast, strong, they have enhanced hearing, great sense of smell. But they can't sense emotions. Unless it's through the heart beats, of course, and we don't have heart beats."

I paused. "Your last King hated my kind?"

"Yes." He nodded. "He had some personal vendetta against them."

"Oh," I nodded in understanding. "That makes sense. What about Draco? Does he not hate--"

I stopped mid-sentence, as I felt a gush of cold air behind me, and bumped into a hard chest. His scent filled my nose, and I let out a sigh. I turned around, to find Draco standing right behind me, a bit too close to my liking. Just as my heart sped up, I felt Eros relax, as if he had been freed of a heavy responsibility.

"Look who decided to return," I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "And I see Eros has rudely disappeared." I didn't have to turn around to make sure of it.

Draco's face was blank, as he climbed onto the same step as me, standing beside me. I turned with him, my back touching the railing as I looked up at him.

"Look who decided to co-operate," he mocked.

I raised an eyebrow, my eyes narrowing. "This is not your win, Draco. Don't fool yourself. I made a promise to you, and I have every intention of keeping it."

"Oh yeah?" He closed the space between us, and my breath hitched instantly. "You're gonna set my world on fire?"

"If something happens to my family, yes."

"Then my world will just heal. I told you, she's a hybrid. A little fire won't hurt her." He smiled.

My heart fluttered again, and my cheeks tinged pink. "Your flirting isn't going to work on me, so stop trying. I keep my promises. I will destroy you, if anything--"

"And how will you know that something happened to them?" His hand travelled to my hair, as he casually twirled a strand around his fingers. "Who's gonna tell you Imara?"

My jaw clenched, and I felt my eyes blaze purple. "Don't try to play with me, old man."

He laughed, showing off his perfect, white teeth, with the exception of his canines that were slightly more pointed than normal.

"Old man, you say?"

"It's what you are. You've been living for centuries. Makes you pretty old. In fact, the right word is ancient. I'm sure you kept dinosaurs as pets."

He laughed again, before calming down and eyeing me carefully.

"Or maybe," he leaned in, his eyes twinkling with mischief, "you keep reminding yourself of the number of years I have lived on this earth, so you can dismiss the exciting attraction you feel towards me."

- - - - - -

Hehehe I'm excited for the next few chapters. A lot is going to happen. Stay tuned, loves! Imara sure has a lot of growing to do. She can't just call him an old man and not expect any responses. 

Also, can we talk about how adorable Eros is? 

Next update on 13th!