Her Unexpected Mate

Chapter Two

Tristan was completely enthralled by the woman in front of him. He had been from the moment he saw her across the alley after he had taken down that Shadow scum. She was standing there completely frozen to the scene she had witnessed. Her long strawberry blonde hair falling to her waist and her green eyes were sparkling in the dark.

He had seen her before the others, though she didn't see him. He was mostly hidden behind the dumpster, but he had sensed her presence well before the others. Elihu had gotten to her first. He was the Sovereign's second in command. Elihu was the leader of their guild and he was right. She wasn't human. Not completely anyway. She resembled the part, they all did, really. But it became more obvious the closer he came to her but her scent was the giveaway. Humans typically smelled Earthy; this woman smelled like the ocean. It was a sweet-smelling aroma, one he'd never imagined could come from a person before.

She smelled more of it right now, under the effects of the smoke. She wasn't polluted by the smell of her fear or desperation. She was calm. Content.

His.

Tristan shook his head. Not his. Not yet anyway. As much as he wanted to claim her, he would wait. He needed her completely conscience and willing otherwise it was against their law. Right now, he contented himself with providing her smoke to breathe and tortured himself by smelling the vein at her throat in the minutes between. The effects of the smoke lasted two to three minutes and in those minutes, she was his. He wiped the tears from her face and combed the tangles from her hair with his fingers.

Upon the realization of his brothers that she wasn't easily succumbed by the сметнути, the forgetting spell, that was attempted on her it was then decided that she was to come with them. A decision he was excited by. He regretted her reluctance but it was in the best interest of his clan. They couldn't be exposed by any outsiders. Too many lives were at stake and the human world knew absolutely nothing about the war between the Vampires and the Shadow Demons.

Tristan glanced down as he heard her breathing quicken and her arms raise against his chest. Taking another great pull from his dwindling hand-rolled he breathed out into her again. Using the moment to bring her face to his and stroke her cheek on the exhale. She relaxed again, her hands dropping down to her lap.

He was grateful that the smoke had this effect on her. Her not-fully-human status made her a wild card with all the tricks they used to get by in the human world. She walked through the отава fog that Silas had lain down and that was something human's always perceived negatively. Like a gut feeling they get that discouraged them from heading that way, but she walked right through it. He'd have to ask her why when she was calm.

He looked down at the tape that bound her hands. For a moment he was glad for her sake that her whole hands were covered. He doubted that he'd be able to resist tasting the blood from her hands. He could smell that her bleeding had stopped but some remained, dried there. He busied himself with adjusting her skirt and sitting more comfortably to avoid thinking about what she might taste like.

Vampires bonded for life. They could feed off of humans for sustenance, and did frequently, but it was no intimate affair. There was no permanent bond. It was a simple transaction that humans would not remember. Any possible memories were seen in a dream-like haze. It was how his species were able to go undetected by humans for centuries. Sure, some myths had been leaked but on the whole no one really believed Vampires were real.

Tristan finished the hand-rolled and blew the remaining smoke into the woman's face, stubbing out the rest on his shoe. It was made by a plant kept secret to his clan. Лек was usually used on humans when needing to feed, occasionally it was used recreationally by the younger members of his clan but over time it failed to give the user a high.