Your Pretty Face Is Going To Hell ~ 'Destined Lovers' Book 7

Chapter 2 - Taken...

"I would." Alana smiled when he met her gaze again and was relieved when a hint of a smile touched his lips also. She frowned and bit her lip as a thought came to her. "Will you... tell me how you did that?"

"Did what?" Ville asked, his hint of a smile growing slightly.

"Showed me what you did before I ran..." Alana grimaced slightly.

"Oh, my talent..." Ville made a slightly displeased sound. "I wish I hadn't had to do that..."

Alana nodded slightly, her voice small and barely audible when she replied. "I know..."

Ville hummed in response to her acknowledgement giving her hands a gentle squeeze before standing and going to a closet. "I will explain as best I can anything you pose to me...but first," he came back out with several layers of clothes. "You'll get warm, eat something, and change into these..." he smiled as he laid the clothing he carried on the bed. "Can't have you freezing out there, now can we."

"No..." Alana agreed as she thought over what he'd said compared to what he'd shown her, and smiled gently. "I guess not..."

***

"So... the bond works more quickly where royal and noble blood is present... and our mating bond is how we find each other?" Alana asked as she walked, alone, with Ville through the castle gardens; the cold air making her cheeks pink and her breath turn to mist.

"Yes, and more often than not." Ville nodded. "On occasion, it has been known for a human mate - if they die before they are found - to be reincarnated until the vampiric soul that is a match for theirs finds them..."

"Reincarnation exists?" Alana asked dubiously then shrugged. "Figures."

"That's what you picked up from that?" Ville laughed. "I thought you'd question the fact we have souls!"

"You live, do you not?" Alana smirked when Ville nodded and she shrugged. "Then you have a soul."

"There's something you're not asking..." Ville pointed out as they stopped by a snow-covered tree.

"There's a million things I'm not asking... mainly because I'm not sure I want to know the answers yet." Alana replied honestly, looking up at him uncomfortably as she leant back against the tree. "Um..."

"Yes?"

"There was... a concept I saw in your mind... when you kissed me... something you had to properly consider doing now you'd found me..." Alana spoke in short bursts, trying to get her words right. "But you were trying to not think of it as much knowing I'd probably see it..."

Ville sighed and ran a gloved hand through his hair. "I have a feeling you're hinting at 'claiming' and 'marking'." He breathed out heavily through his nose as Alana nodded up at him. "Would you like me to explain?"

Alana looked off to the side for a moment before nodding. "Yes... if it's something I should know, that is."

"It is." Ville replied frankly, turning to walk back in the direction they'd come in. "Claiming is when we give ourselves to each other; body, mind, heart, and soul..." He paused for a beat before continuing. "Marking is exactly what it sounds like. It's when a vampire marks their mate as theirs and no one else's..." he took a deep, steadying breath. "It's a rather...intimate affair."

"Intimate how?" Alana asked as she followed.

Ville stopped and stepped behind Alana, pulling her up short. "It's done with a bite." He stated calmly, trailing a single finger down the side of her neck lightly. "Usually just here..." He murmured, letting her hair fall back to cover her neck again. "Sometimes during claiming..."

"Usually?" Alana swallowed as they began walking again. "As in, it can be done elsewhere if the couple so desires?"

"Anywhere else." Ville replied with a nod as his voice lowered dramatically.

"I see..." Alana nodded her head once, biting her lower lip. "So... you'll need to... bite me?"

Ville looked out over the frosted ground. "At some point, yes."

"Oh..." she replied, her voice small as she looked away again.

"Not until you want it." Ville turned her to face him as they stopped again, his hands cupping her face gently.

"How do you know I will?" Alana asked, her smile far more smug than she felt.

"I don't..." Ville's smile was genteel as he gazed down at her. "But I have faith in our ability to desire and fall in love." He chuckled softly. "After all..." he rolled his eyes. "It has been preordained!"

Alana laughed at his dismissal of the mating bond, catching herself actually admitting she liked him - more than mere attraction - she wanted him around, desired his company and opinion.

'Oh God...' she thought as he plucked a white rose, spell bound to forever be in bloom in the frozen temperatures of Finland's far north. 'It's working...he's not lying. The bond is... working...'

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Hey guys! I know this took me some time to update, but major case of writers block plus major assessments equals writers peril! But I'm back with a new chapter here, and hopefully some more for my other stories too!

So, now that's out of the way... you see that button up the top there? Yeah, the voting button! Click it! Go on, you know you want to! Or leave a comment and tell me how you think I'm going. It's always great to receive feedback from you guys and I'd really appreciate it - even if you just leave a 'good job' at the bottom there ;D

As always, oceans of love to you all!

Don't 'be' yourself, 'become' yourself.

Shan~Leigh