Their Beloved Mate.

Wake Up!

Tazanna shot to her feet and looked around the room. Finding it empty, she groaned and threw her head back. “You are finally losing it, girl!” she muttered to herself as she thought of the deep velvety voice that spoke to her through her mind. For some reason, the voice sounded so much clearer today, so much closer as if the person was standing next to her. “Stay away from my head!” She shouted to the empty room, looking around and waiting for a reply that did not come.

“I am not even asleep and already I am hearing his bloody voice,” she muttered as she sat down and reached for her beer. It had cooled down a bit, to just the way she loved it.

Taking a huge gulp, she tried to remember what the man looked like. She had seen him in her dreams so many times, he always made his presence known. Each night for the past month, he made it his mission to always get into her dreams, no matter how hard she didn’t want to dream about him, he was always present. It was so hard to explain, because sometimes it felt like he was controlling her dreams, that he wanted her to see what he wanted, hear what he had to say, all of which she forgot in the morning. What she did know was that it was the same man, each time. No matter what she did, it did not seem to help block him from her mind. The other was a quiet presence.

And every morning she woke up with a pounding headache, and nothing or no one to blame except that deep velvety voice.

Draining her beer in a few gulps, she walked to the fridge and got another one, in a bid to grow so tired that she fell asleep without hearing the voice.

All of a sudden, there was laughter in her head and it wasn't hers. This time it was so clear. Her eyes widened as she realized that she could hear his voice without being asleep.

“Hello?” Tazanna called out aloud. She looked around the room, trying to find the man yet knowing it was all in her head. “This is ridiculous. An imaginary voice has me talking to myself,” she mumbled as she turned around and made her way up the stairs. She needed to sleep. She walked into her room, removed the dress she had worn, and threw herself on the bed in only her underwear.

Even though she had feared it, sleep came so easily to her.

The dream started as it always did.

Tazanna was dressed in a white flowy dress, walking through the meadow, surrounded by white flowers. Her hair was blowing behind her as her hands outstretched, gently going over the long flowers. She turned, a huge smile on her face as she noticed the two men dressed in black following her slowly. All of a sudden, she fell. With a gasp she cringed her eyes, readying herself for the impact on the hard ground. But nothing happened. She opened one eye slowly, only to come face to face with grey eyes with a red circle around the pupil gazing at her.

“I’ve got you, beloved.” That deep velvety voice said with a trace of humor.

Tazanna looked over the man’s shoulder, to the other who was watching them with a scowl on his face, his usually dark eyes swirling with gold.

Tazanna righted herself, only to end up in another place. This time it was a huge room with hanging crystal chandeliers and huge windows that brought in the sunlight. She could see ice-covered mountains, but it was so warm in the room. Again, she was dressed in a deep red dress that reached her feet. Just like in the meadow, she turned around, seeing the two men following her as before. One had a scowl on his face while the other had an indulgent smile on his face. Just as she was about to turn and face her front, cold arms went around her, holding her captive. She tried to struggle but she felt paralyzed, her voice seemed to be caught in her throat. Her eyes searched for the two men who were always there to help her but she couldn’t see them. She thrashed around, trying to dislodge herself from the arms that were holding her, but she couldn’t. There was a distorted voice, she knew it was saying something but she couldn’t make out the words. She felt a cold shiver go down her spine. For some reason, she knew this person was meant to hurt her. She closed her eyes, hoping that she could disappear. From afar she could hear her name being called, the urgency in it making her try even harder to break free. With strength that she didn’t know she possessed, she broke free.

Tazanna sat up on her bed, breathing heavily. She was soaked with sweat, her body hurt as if she had done something so exhausting. Pushing back her short hair that was clinging to her sweaty forehead, Tazanna sniffled. This was a different dream. Even though they were the same people who had kept her awake most of the nights, they had never been violent with her. They had always protected her. But this felt like a direct attack on her, and she didn’t know why. Groaning, she threw herself back on the pillows but kept her eyes open. She was scared to close them, in case the nightmare came again. Turning her head, she glanced at the red blinking numbers of her bedside clock. It was half past midnight, she had a long way to go before the morning came.

Xander

This is exhausting, he thought to himself as he listened to the man he didn’t even remember his name-talk. They were in the middle of a business meeting but his mind was on it. His mind sorted out his brother.

Dustin, next time it is your turn to come and deal with these humans! He told him, voicing his displeasure. He could hear his brother's laughter through their link. It always amazed him how his brother was aloof with everyone else but so gentle and fun with him.

I don’t think so, bro. Dustin replied. There is a reason why our fathers thought it best that you were the face of the company and not me. I never learned the tolerance it takes to deal with them.

Xander snorted loudly, causing the room to quieten down and focus on him. The man who had been presenting for the past thirty minutes had sweat on his forehead and upper lip. Xander projected the image to his brother, causing laughter to erupt.

I guess we all need work, Dustin stated. Get back to work!

Xander sighed and cleared his throat, “please continue. I was merely clearing my throat.” He moved back in his seat, calling on all the patience he had learned over the years.

When the meeting finally concluded, he was ready to suck dry all those who were in the conference room, just to give himself something to do to pass the boredom. Taking a deep breath, he watched all of them file out until only his security was left standing by the door.

Xander stood up and made his way out, putting on his shades as a sign that he was ready to head out of the building.

Being a vampire had its quirks. The speed, the strength, but the downfall was the sensitivity to the light. It wasn’t that he could not walk in the sun as media, and movies have stated throughout the centuries. No. He could walk in the sun, and spend time doing what he loved, which was surfing. All he had to do was be freshly fed. Fresh blood gave him the ability to do all that he wanted.

“Where to, your highness?” The head guardian assigned to him asked.

“Hotel. I find myself looking forward to some alone time,” Xander smiled, his fangs slightly lowered.

The guardian inclined his head slightly before turning to the other guardian. A simple nod and they fell into formation, one on the side and one two steps behind.

As soon as they made it downstairs, the car was already open and waiting for him. As soon as he settled in, they were off. Reaching for his phone, he made a call to his personal assistant. Him being a human, there was no way that he could mind link with him, so they had to settle for technology.

“Sir?”

“George, I need you to get in touch with a marketing company as soon as tomorrow. I want this launch to be huge. Understand?”

“Yes, sir. I will have the shortlist sent to you in the morning.”

“I don’t need you to do that. Just get the best. We are already late as I want the launch by the end of the month.”

“I got it, boss.”

Xander disconnected the call before opening the files that were next to him. For now, he would concentrate on work.

By the time he got to his hotel, it was already dark. Excitement coursed through him as he thought about what he was about to do.

Getting to his room, he made a beeline to his bathroom, discarding the clothes on the floor as he walked. He got into the shower, cooling down his raging body.

“Brother?” Dustin’s voice rang in his head.

“I am ok. I think our beloved is closer than I originally thought.” He replied as he rested his forehead on the cool tiles.

Dustin was quiet for a few seconds. “Should I come to you? Dad said it was easier when they were together.”

Xander chuckled. “Let me find out where she is first. I feel the calling but I have not pinpointed where it is. But I am sure it’s close to this hotel because I feel it more when I am here.”

“Call on me when it’s too much to bear,” Dustin stated before he broke the link.

Xander groaned when a shudder passed through his body. Taking a deep breath, he let the water cascade down his back.

After a while, he turned off the taps and made his way to bed. Clad in only a towel around his waist, he threw himself on the bed. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander, searching for that one strand that was brighter than the rest.

It took a short time before he was able to find it. His mind clutched it, linking it to his mind and opening it to communication.

There she was. He thought. He could see her, but not as clearly as he would have liked. But he did know she had dark hair.

“Hello beloved,” he transmitted, chuckling when he saw her jumping up from her seat and looking around. This was the first time he reached out to her while she was awake. It was easier to mind link when she was asleep because her mind was calmer.

He was surprised when she was able to push him out of her mind so quickly. Usually, people could not do that. Those who were able to do that usually had natural barriers.

Sighing, Xander rubbed his face before he closed his eyes. Contrary to popular belief, vampires did sleep, just not the kind of sleep that humans were aware of. For Xander, sleep was entering a semi-conscious state by slowing down his heart rate. During this time, nothing could bring them back fast unless there was trouble.

The fact that his eyes shot up and his heartbeat increased to the point that he could hear it in the darkened room, meant that it had to be something urgent. Opening his mind, he reached out to his brother, mother, and fathers but found their minds calm. He frowned, tentatively reaching out to the woman he knew to be his beloved.

His breath caught in his throat as he was bombarded with fear and darkness. Her mind seemed to be caught in something dark and oily-evil.

“Tazanna, wake up!” Xander hissed as he sat up. He wasn’t even sure how he knew her name, but he held on to their link as hard as he could. “Wake up, Tazanna! Now!”