The Vampire's Fated

Chapter 1

EMMETT

The light in the room comes on. Like many nights, I watch from afar and wait to see her.

This has been my life for the last fifteen years, keeping an eye, making sure she is safe.

"I knew you would be here," Gage grumbled as he stood beside me. I didn't even hear him coming.

My eyes never left her room. We stood there in silence for a moment until he sighed. "The girls are taking her to that party tonight," he said. "Like you suggested."

I grinned. It is not every day that you turn twenty-five. Her birthday is on Halloween today. So attending a fancy dress party was only fitting for my stunning mate. I planned everything. There are more humans there, but a few vampires too—we will feed the humans who will know about our kind.

Most humans who know about us are only curious as many believe in the shows such as Twilight and True Blood, which can be so frigging annoying. The only human who won't know what's going on will be my mate.

I say nothing as he grunts. "I hate this," he gritted out. "You have been doing this for years. Why now?"

I turn to look at him.

Gage is one of these people who likes to do things straight away, whereas I wait till the appropriate moment to strike. There were countless times I could have put a claim on her, taken her, and made her mine, but it wasn't meant to be when I first saw her. She was too young to claim. Initially, I had a good reason to wait, but many questioned why I didn't when she got older.

I shake away my thoughts. "The blood moon," I murmured, looking back at the window as she stepped into view, which caught me off guard. She is laughing at something, but I don't want to listen, even though that has been a pastime of mine many times over the last year.

"The blood moon," Gage whispered, sounding surprised.

I nod and look back at him. His eyes widened. "You know if you claim here on a blood moon, she will be strong," he said, glancing back at the window.

I knew that, and I didn't care.

My eyes lingered on him for a moment and then moved back to the window. "I know she will," I murmured. "But my reasons for having her are selfish. I know how we all act on a blood moon, and I will find it hard not to be around her. I have lasted this long in claiming her, and I don't want to risk it all now just because I was bloodthirsty and craving every damn inch of her. I don't want to reveal myself that way, not to her. I have waited too long to throw it away for her to be afraid or, even worse, reject me."

The last part was more rasped than it should have, but it was true. Our kind has never had much luck with mates. There was a scarce amount of them for us. It is like someone forgot about us. I witnessed many vampires choose their chosen mates and live a loving life with them, but I was one of the lucky ones to find mine, even if it was in a gruesome way.

Gage sighed, making me pull from my thoughts. "I know," he murmured. "And I understand. Hell, everyone back at the compound does. We have watched you for these last few years. The number of times you have protected her and even wiped her memory of you and all that has happened. You have tortured yourself, my friend. I believe it's your time to have what's yours and to be happy."

I said nothing as I glanced at him with a weary smile. "Thanks," I muttered.

My eyes darted back to the window. It was quiet, so I listened in.

"Come on, Lena," Whitney called. "Let's see the outfit."

There was silence for a moment, but a door opened, and someone wolf-whistled. "Damn, girl," Sasha murmured. "Who would have thought red lipstick and a short witch's costume could be so damn hot on you?"