The Vampire and Her Human Mate

21| Planning

"How can a human mark someone?"

"Good afternoon to you too, Bianca."

"Oh right. How are you?"

Freya laughed. If abrupt calls were a part of this new relationship with her daughter she was all for it.

"I am well. Have you used any of the items yet?"

"Not yet."

There was a pause. Freya sighed. "Humans marking. I think I just read…" She scanned the shelf. "There." She picked up the book. Clicking to the speaker on her phone, she set it down and flicked through the book. With Cordon's pursuit to secure a mate, Freya had dug up and found every piece of literature she could find, in this world and beyond it.

"Here. Humans are likely blah blah, innate life magic… hmmm. Okay, so it's a spell- a compound introduced to the bloodstream… the usual exchange of body fluid and- ah yes, it's a dual intent spell- you need magic to kick it off though. I'll message this through to you"

"Great. I'll let you go."

Freya smiled. "Hope to see you again soon."

"Sure. Uh- thanks moder." Bianca's tone sounded genuine.

Freya grinned at the term. She hadn't called her mother without an edge to it for a very long time.

"Goodbye Bianca."

~*~

Bianca spent the Friday with her crew while Beau went to school. He had a catering job later that night, which she told him to quit but he said it would be hard to get a replacement for him so soon.

She explained that he would never have to work again but he hadn't looked too keen. It had bewildered her.

"So. He's human." Rose was sitting with her arms crossed tightly. Her snobby French accent dialed up to eleven.

"Yes."

"Completely?" Raven asked. "Not a hybrid?"

"I don't think so."

"It's kind of gross boss." Bronson shrugged.

"Loads of vamps f**k humans," Raven argued. Bianca knew for a fact that Raven had bedded humans.

"How many take them as mates?" Rose asked snidely.

Bianca sighed. "I thought that I could resist it, but it's so much more than I ever thought… just wait until you meet yours."

Rose scoffed. "So now what?" Rose's voice pitched, "Hmmm… bad enough he isn't even strong enough to be of any use around here- how are you imagining this will run with you mooning over your boy toy. How long are you planning to stick around?"

Raven and Bronson glanced at each other. They had been angry that Bianca had withheld this from them too but they hadn't really thought anything would change.

Bianca shook her head. "I don't know yet. All I want is to make sure that Cordon and the council can't get to him."

"Mon Dieu, Bianca! You are so stupid. They will kill him and then you!"

Bianca pursed her lips. "Perhaps. I'm hoping I can work something out before that happens."

"Reject him," Rose threw out, flicking her hand.

Bianca shook her head. "I tried it and he wouldn't accept it." Rose opened her mouth, Bianca guessing she would just say to make him. "But I've marked him now."

Her three friends were silent. Bianca watched them. She could see Bronson just not getting it. He hadn't had a connection like that. He stared at her with his dark eyes- the red of his vampire genes only at the center- it meant that when he went into a frenzy his pupils would expand so his eyes would appear black. He was half dragon, but it was dormant in him.

Bianca shifted her eyes to Raven. They had a wistful smile on their beautiful face. They're usual mohawk was down, their hair the black of their namesake. They were half demon. Brilliant mind.

"How was it?" They asked.

Bianca blushed. She rubbed her neck where she would soon have Beau's mark. Raven and her made eye contact. There was a twinkle there in their demon and vampire swirl, red chasing indigo.

They both cracked up- Bronson joining in. And just like that, Bianca felt like they were back at school- up late at night fooling around. She had made friends with them each as they started a year after her. Bonding over being hybrids- often ridiculed for not being pure.

Rose started at twelve as a pure blood aristocrat. Somehow they had come together.

Bianca wiped a tear from her eye. She looked at Rose. She saw what was behind the woman's anger- she was scared.

"I can't explain it Rose. It's beyond all reason."

Rose shook her head. "He better be worth it."

~*~

Thankfully Beau was set up in the kitchen so his night was just busy work. Bianca had made him wear a necklace and swear to keep it on and hidden. It was actually three necklaces that were twisted together, one a pouch, another what looked like a bone and the third a small medallion. He had accepted her insistence saying it would keep him safe. He saw no reason to fight against it so he'd popped it on under his shirt.

Toby swanned in in-between the starters and the mains being served. "My boy blue, how do we do?"

"Busy," he stated the obvious. Toby was being a d**k. Kitchen staff didn't walk up and talk to them when they were under the pump out there serving.

"Let's get a drink after this. Becks is frothing and we could do with getting to know Bianca." He over pronounced her name.

"Don't make me punch you in the throat Tobias."

"So… yes?"

"Sure, now piss off." Other kitchen staff echoed his sentiment and Toby walked off chuckling.

Beau planned to message her in between the mains and dessert. He wasn't allowed his phone during work so would need to get to the dressing room for it. They were staying at this hotel that night- it was the same one the event where they met was held. She had wanted their first night's hotel room but it wasn't available.

He fought to stay focused. Since the night before and her marking him, she was all that was on his mind, even more so than before- if that was possible. Every moment she wasn't with him he had an ache. He hoped that with his symbolic mark it would soothe him.

The mains plated up and out, he hurried back to his pigeon hole and messaged her the plans for a drink after the event. He waited a minute to see if she would message back. She just replied with, if you want. It made him smile. He thought that it could be good for her to hang out with humans. And he wanted her to get along with his friends.

Once the desserts were done, he was finally able to relax and he and the rest of the kitchen staff let out a collective sigh- the dish pigs still had work to do but they were done. Beers were handed out and Beau took one but only sipped it. He didn't want to be half cut by the time he joined people and the kitchen staff took their complementary after work drinks seriously. He ambled to the back room to clean up and change.

He saw that his phone had lost signal. Frowning he wandered out to the hall, the opposite direction from the event so that he wouldn't bump into any customers. He ended up in the opening of a hallway just off from the more public area. His phone beeped as he got out into the open.

Leave there now.

He stared at the message dumbly. What was that supposed to mean? He leant against the wall.

He rubbed his throat, brushing his mark as he did so. If he'd been a waiter that night he would have had a collared shirt on. Working in the kitchen he just wore a white crew shirt with black jeans.

Did she want him up to the room? She hadn't told him the room number yet.

Sensing movement he looked up and saw Cordon Boucher walking towards him. He tensed. s**t.

"Why, Signore Vorp, the fox in the flesh." He chuckled.

Beau nodded hello and put his phone in his back pocket.

"I see your intel was worth the break in protocol. I trust Bianca proved all that you had imagined."

"Indeed," he responded.

"I would hope that next time you will trust to work with me directly- I have many different operatives for all manner of assignments."

Beau realised Cordon didn't know his offer had been a bluff. What had Bianca done? Cordon still thought he was someone- this was a prestigious hotel, he must have thought Beau was just a guest there.

"Most definitely," Beau responded. He was trying to act cool but his mind was drawing a blank on how to untangle himself from the situation.

Cordon reached into his inside pocket and withdrew a card. "For next time. This line comes directly to me."

Beau took the card and marveled at how steady his hand was.

"I look forward to doing business with you again in the future." Beau spoke around numb lips. He couldn't help but scrutinise the man in front of him. He noticed the contacts he wore for the first time.

"You know-" Cordon stopped talking abruptly. Beau noticed his gaze had landed on his mark.

"Yes?" Beau asked, trying to prompt the man to say what he needed so they could end this interaction.

"I had wondered how a human had come to understand our hidden world. I think I can guess now. You are mates to a… witch?"

"Uh, yeah." He didn't know if that was an appropriate response. s**t. He didn't know how all this worked. A witch- they were real too?

The look on Cordon's face became strange. "A hybrid." He started to turn away before he spoke. "If you'll excuse me, I have an engagement to attend."

Beau watched as Cordon stalked away from him- he could see the tension across the man's shoulders. Beau couldn't tell if that went okay or not, but he was thinking not. s**t.

~*~