"Is this necessary?" Evania questioned.
Sylvia smiled, holding the small bottle of vanilla extract. "I wanna see if I give you a drop on your tongue, if you can taste food normally. Cuz then you could just bring a bottle like this around and eat whenever you want."
"I guess."
"Open up!" Sylvia laughed, holding up the bottle.
Evania narrowed her eyes.
"At least stick your tongue out."
"Syl."
"Hold out a finger."
Evania sighed and did so, holding up a finger. Sylvia squeezed a single drop onto her finger which Eva then touched to her tongue. She shivered, as the flavor was very strong and pure and probably didn't taste too good.
Sylvia then pushed a bowl of soup towards her with a huge grin. "Right, let me know what you think."
Evania took a spoon, then tried a bite. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head before she stared at Sylvia like she'd just done a backflip or something, getting the succubus to look worried.
"Is it that bad? I thought I did pretty good. Does the vanilla not work?"
"How do you know how to make it the way my grandmother did?"
"What?"
"This tastes exactly like how my grandmother made it. Before she passed away. Before I was turned." Evania explained. "How did you do that?"
"I dunno." Sylvia shrugged. "I just made it the way I thought you would like it."
"How do you know what I'd like!?"
"I don't know. Maybe I can read your mind?" Syl smirked.
"I'm serious."
"So am I! I honestly couldn't tell you... But how's about that reward kiss?"
Evania rolled her eyes and continued eating her bowl with the biggest grin on her face. Sylvia poured her own bowl and smiled as she watched her new girlfriend chow down on a bowl of nostalga.
When Evania finished her bowl, she looked up at Sylvia curiously. "What's up hun?"
Evania went to say something, then seemed to change her mind. "Can you put some in a container so I can bring it to my mom later? She would really love it."
"Of course." Sylvia smiled. "That's kinda why I made so much. And I can make more at any time, just let me know."
"Will do." Evania put her bowl in the sink, then went and sat on the couch.
"Is everything okay?" Sylvia asked. "You can be honest with me Eva."
"I know. I just... I don't know if I'm being honest with myself."
"What do you mean?" Sylvia made her way to the couch where she sat beside the vampire, gently putting her hand on the girl's thigh, watching her expression as she tried contemplating what she wanted to do.
"I want... I want us to be more... but I also don't think I'm ready."
"You can't expect your memories to be overwritten so easily."
"What do you mean?"
"Well... you probably want to replace the memories of him, with good memories of me. The problem is, if and when I touch you, the first thing you're going to think of is him, and it's going to hurt you. This is something we're going to have to take really, really slow." Sylvia explained, running her thumb over Evania's thigh.
"But when you touch me like this... I don't think of him. When I think of us... together, I think of him."
"Then lets take it really slow." Sylvia smiled. "I'll kiss you, and get just a little touchy feely, and you say when, and we'll go from there. Okay?"
"And if I react really bad and hurt you?" Evania answered, looking nervous.
"You won't. Because I'm not going to push any barriers. I'm going to touch them, and see what happens. I'm not going to have sex with you, and I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just gonna cop a feel." The succubus smirked. "And I've been slapped for that before so what's the worst that can happen?"
"So what you're telling me is your a pervert?"
"Yep." Sylvia answered, leaning forward to brush their lips together. "But I'm your pervert now."
"Lucky me."
Sylvia's kiss wasn't reserved, and it certainly didn't feel like she was holding back. It was needy, and filled with want. Evania's hands found Sylvia's sleeves as they both turned so Eva was laying on the couch, with the succubus slowly pressing her back against the soft fabric. For a while Sylvia's hands remained beside Evania's head as they kissed, and only Evania's explored, trying to find something to touch.
The vampire quickly realized Sylvia was giving her all the space she needed. Was telling her that she had just as much control as the succubus did. If she wanted to do something she could do it, and the succubus could stop her if she wanted to. To prove her point, when Evania's hands travelled down Sylvia's hips her hands finally moved to stop the vampire's descent, getting them to stop kissing to smirk at each other.
"And I'm the perv?" Sylvia asked.
"Maybe it's contagious?"
"I hope so." Sylvia resumed her kisses, except now one hand moved to Evania's hip, and the other squeezed her thigh before ghosting her fingers higher. Evania didn't seem bothered by the action, allowing the succubus to continue moving as most of Eva's focus was on their lips.
Then they were a little too close.
Evania's eyes widened, and she pushed Sylvia up with a hand to her collarbone, nearly throwing the succubus off the couch. Sylvia held her hands up and watched Evania's expression. "No touchy the stomach. Got it."
The vampire sighed deeply, putting both her hands over her face in both embarrassment and self loathing. But the succubus only leaned back down, one hand back on Evania's thigh, and the other touching the side of the vampire's cheek. "Eva, I told you I would stop didn't I?" Getting Evania to nod a bit. "I stopped. I'm sitting between your legs, but I still stopped."
"Don't tell my mother." Evania said, not moving her hands.
"I will never tell your mother that we had or were going to have sex. I want to keep dating you, not see what the inside of a coffin looks like."
Evania chuckled, moving her hands away from her face to smile up at the succubus, revealing that her eyes were cloudy, and tears were slipping down her cheeks. "You didn't feel it?"
"Can I see it?" Sylvia asked.
Evania sighed deeply, then nodded. Sylvia leaned back, and slowly raised Eva's shirt, just enough to reveal her stomach. Sylvia's heart sank as she reconized one of the two scar's present on the girl's stomach.
She was purposely maimed, as to prevent her from ever having a child. Something that Agora did with many of his Daybreakers to prevent them from ever having something they cared about. Evania was young, she had her whole life ahead of her. And a part of it was taken from her before she had a chance to make a decision.
The other scar was higher, just under the right of her rib cage. It was clearly a knife wound, or a dagger. Something that was done before she was turned as the scar tissue looked very old. It was a wound that she was sure should have killed her.
"Can I touch it?" Sylvia asked, her voice cracking a bit as she spoke.
Evania didn't answer, but she leaned her head back and looked at the ceiling.
Sylvia let her fingers gently trace the knife wound, feeling the smooth, yet slightly high mark of the scar. "He did this before he turned you. So you would be in agonizing pain, and beg him to save you. Didn't he?"
Evania nodded a bit.
Sylvia's hand then traced the larger scar, the one just under her navel. "And this one, he wanted to break you."
"He did." Evania answered.
Sylvia lowered Evania's shirt and leaned forward so her face was hovering over Eva's. "You're still beautiful. No matter what scars you have."
"They're ugly."
Sylvia smiled and leaned back down, moving so that her face was above the girl's stomach before lowering herself so she could plant a kiss on Eva's stomach, over the shirt and over the scar. "But it's part of you." Sylvia admitted, raising her eyes to look at Eva who was staring at her. "And that makes it beautiful."
The tears that collected in Evania's eyes filled Sylvia's heart with both pity and joy. The vampire scrambled up and threw herself into the succubi's arms, holding onto her as tight as she could without hurting her. She pressed her face into the girl's chest and cried. Sylvia rubbed circles into the girl's back with a gentle smile, just letting her cry her heart out.
"I don't deserve you." Evania whimpered.
"You're right." Sylvia answered, rubbing the back of Evania's head. "You deserve someone so much better."
---
Evania opened her eyes and found herself laying on Sylvia's chest. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her succubus girlfriend, and the warmth that filled her usually cold body made her groan in contentment.
She closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek into the taller girl's shoulder, getting her arms to tighten around her torso.
Is it possible to fall in love so quickly? Or do I simply have a crush? Evania thought to herself.
She could feel every beat of Sylvia's heart like it was in her own chest. Every breath like she was the one breathing. This succubus actually made her feel whole, and human once again. Even this close, with the rushing of blood in her ear, not once did she crave it's flavor. Like simply being this close was all she really needed.
"My Eva."
Evania opened her eyes and stayed perfectly still, sure she imagined hearing the succubus speak as she exhaled. Maybe the succubus didn't know she was awake either?
Were they moving too fast? Why were they both in love? Was Sylvia in love? Sylvia knew more about mates than Evania did so maybe she was in love? Was she only being slow because she knew Evania would get scared? Did she want to go quicker?
"You're not ready." Sylvia muttered again, this time Evania was giving her her full attention. "Relax... it's okay.... we have forever..."
Could the succubus really not read her mind?
Sylvia hugged Evania a little tighter and Evania felt the tears slip down her face. She felt so safe, and happy here, and she wasn't even sure if this was where she was supposed to be. It felt so right to be here, too perfect. But she didn't know that this was where she wanted to be. But it felt like it should be. Like this was it. This was who she was going to spend the rest of her life with.
This had to be what love was. She was certainly in love with the succubus. They were certainly mates, and it was certainly meant to be. Evania was going to spend the rest of her life here and they were going to go through pain and happiness together forever.
I can't give you a family Sylvia. I can't have your children. You must know this after seeing the scar. So why stay?
She could practically hear the succubus's voice in her head. She knew exactly what she'd say without even really thinking about it.
I don't need to have kids to be happy. I have you.
"I don't deserve you." Evania whimpered, holding her succubus tightly.
"What makes you say that?" Sylvia asked, sounding groggy, but much more awake than she was a few seconds ago.
"You're too good to me, and you take all my pain away."
"You deserve that."
"No I don't."
"Eva. The things you may have done in the past don't matter to me. The person you are today matters. If I can help you forget what happened to you, or what you had to do, then so be it."
"I think I love you."
"Well, I'd hope so. I'm only trying really hard to get you to like me."
"That doesn't scare you?"
"Should it?"
"We just started dating."
"We're not getting engaged Eva. We're dating. Sometimes you fall in love before you start dating. It's not always real love, but we are mates, so it probably is." Sylvia explained, running her fingers through the hair on the back of Evania's neck. "Don't worry about it okay? You tell me anything you think I need to know. You wake me up in the middle of the night if you have to."
Evania blinked, realizing that the room was pitch black, and that it likely was the middle of the night. Her vampire eyes could see clearly though the darkness that was now apparent to her.
"I'm so sorry Sylvia. I didn't mean to wake you up."
"Evania, I just said it was okay." The succubus laughed, hugging her a little tighter. "I'm totally okay. You make a great blanket by the way."
"You make a good pillow." Evania agreed.
"Do you want to make the first move?" Sylvia questioned.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, normally I'm a top, but I can bottom if you want to try."
"Are you serious?"
"I'm asking permission instead of just stripping you." Sylvia noted with a smirk. "You can say no, remember?"
"How would this help me?"
"Because you'd be able to see what it's like. To know what real love is without worrying about getting hurt yourself."
"Is that your animal talking?"
"It might be, but I don't think it is. I just want you to know that you're safe. That you'll always be safe with me."
"I feel safe."
"Then we don't have to have sex now. We can just snuggle like this. I don't mind, I'm just wondering what would make you feel better." Sylvia shrugged.
"Okay. Stay."
"I will."