Paranormals

Chapter 12: Hospital Gowns Really Don't Make Me Look Good

"Fuck the code. The code has been disobeyed before, I'm sure that there will be no major consequences."

My mouth dropped to the floor. How could he say that?

"No! That's the problem Nate, you supernaturals see the code as some piece of paper that you can just disobey whenever you choose. It's a formal document, and I can't just go against it. It's a perversion of my paranormal duties."

Nate rolled his eyes at me.

"You're being ridiculous. If it makes you feel better, you can just give up your paranormal duties entirely. You're going to have to eventually, because as of right now, you aren't immortal. If getting it out of the way now works better for you, be my guest."

"Wha-What do you mean? I can't just stop being a paranormal."

"No, but you can give up your duties through the cleansing process."

My eyes widened. He couldn't possibly be advocating for me to do that. The cleansing process allowed a paranormal to give up their position, but it was incredibly dangerous. Few who underwent it survived, and for hundreds of years, it had been considered almost sacrilegious in the paranormal community. Those who voluntarily went through the cleansing process were often shunned for their choice, and although I didn't have to fear that type of social isolation, I certainly did not want to take a chance with my life and my powers.

"No. Absolutely not. No way. Not now, and not ever."

"Casey, whether you do it now or later, you're going to have to so that you can become a vampire."

"I don't want to be a vampire."

"It doesn't really matter what you want. As my mate, you need to become immortal."

"I don't want to be immortal. Paranormals live longer than the average human, remember?"

"They do, but I'm immortal. And paranormals, however long they may live, will still age and eventually, will die."

A wave of despair crashed over me. This was why we couldn't be mates! Why couldn't he see that and just reject me already.

Rejection was what occurred when two mates decided to ignore the mate bond. It was a complex ceremony that involved the severing of the bond and the acceptance of the loss of a lifelong mate. It was incredibly painful, and although it was rarely preformed, there was enough evidence from past cases that quite a bit was known about it. As time passed and bonds strengthened, it became more dangerous to reject a mate, and infinitely more painful for both parties.

Nate came to the side of my bed and pushed a strand of my hair away from my face, and involuntarily, I leaned into his touch. I couldn't help it, it just felt so good.

"You aren't going to get away from me Casey, so you might as well just accept that you're stuck with me."

Pulling away from him, I shook my head.

"That may be how it is right now Nate, but I will never give up my paranormal duties, and I will never be a creature of the night. There are precious few paranormals as it is right now; if we want to survive as a species, we need all the people we've got."

"Why wouldn't you want to become a vampire? I've had so many people beg me for the oppertunity over the millenia. You become faster, stronger, you live forever, and you become incredibly attractive. What's not to like?"

"Did you forget the part where you have to drink blood to sustain yourself?"

"Everybody gets so stuck on that part, but it really isn't that bad. You get used to it. Also, it tastes really good when you're a vampire."