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ᴘᴇʀꜰᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ
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ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢꜱ:
ᴡʀɪᴛᴛᴇɴ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ʜɪɢʜ ᴏɴ ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴍᴇᴅꜱ
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Callidora's POV
I woke up with the smell of fresh Wisteria and roses lingering inside of our purple bed sheets where I slept the night before. Cuddled up with me, Marcus' eyes were wide open, glancing down at my half-asleep form as I brought myself closer to his hard chest. I wrapped more blankets around us, allowing the purple to devour me whole.
My mate smirked down at me as I opened up my eyes for the first time that day. Those calculating fingers of his ran themselves down my cheek, almost beckoning me to fall right back asleep in his strong arms. I resisted, barely keeping my pink eyes open long enough to stay awake.
Once he realized that I wasn't going back to sleep, he sighed. Taking away his hand from my warm cheek, Marcus carefully pulled me up, letting himself get a better view of my terrible morning face. "You look so perfect, my dear, even more perfect than before. I think I like this immortal form of yours."
Blush creeped up on me for the first time today, plaguing my cheeks. He always knew how to get me going. His compliments filled my chest with hope and happiness, two things I loved more than anything.
"Beautiful," he whispered, kissing my hot cheek, "Oh so beautiful. Oh so mine, my Callidora."
He never faltered in his ways of making me feel loved, always reminding me of how cherished I was, how I was his. I am his and he is mine. Most would not want to 'belong' to someone, but to have our bond meant just that. Equals, plain and simple. Everything was his and everything was mine, just as I wanted it to be.
"Good morning," I breathed out. My mate chuckled, kissing my forehead with care. "How long have you been here with me?"
"All night, my sweet," he informed, running a stray hand down my spine. "You looked so peaceful. I could not disturb such peace with my absence." I giggled, wrapping my arms around his neck. "I see someone is cheery today. What would you like to do, my darling? There is still so much to explore, but I suspect you will be a bit sore from last night."
My pale hips were in fact sore, but thankfully were not bruised from our actions. It didn't matter much, our newly completed bond was well worth the small bits of pain and tenderness that lingered throughout my lower half. Marcus had been as careful as he could with me, but with me being so small and generally fragile and him being a very strong vampire, I was bound to be left with some issues walking.
"No worries," I said, flipping my white hair out of my face. I looked up, giving my mate a sweet kiss. "I need help getting my stuff."
He nodded, slipping away from my tight grasp to make his way across the room where our shared closet lay. Opening up the doors, he took out a nice pink shirt and decided that he wanted me to wear one of my favorite pairs of leggings. "What shoes would be best for today? I have no clue what you women wear on your feet."
Giggling, I shuffle through some of the blankets in order to see what was inside of our closet. The floor was littered with various types of shoes, including both flats, heels, and boots for my small feet. I hum, thinking of all the possibilities. "Maybe boots. That shirt looks good with the heeled boots on the right."
Marcus took out the correct pair and I nodded in confirmation. I pushed those royal purple sheets out of the way, getting up in order to get my clothes on. Marcus smirked at my naked figure, to which I blushed and turned away. He was just as naked as me, but I wasn't inclined to stare at his physique, no matter how handsome he was.
A small gasp left my lips at the pain that shot through my hips. Marcus made his way over to me, looking worried as he checked me up and down. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Just a bit sore, Marcus."
"I should have been more careful with you," he said guiltily, "It was never my intent to make you feel such pain. You should never be in pain after a night with me-" I cut him off there.
"Marcus, it was my first time, it was to be expected. Plus, you made me feel amazing. Please, there's no reason to beat yourself up over this. Just give me a few minutes and I'm sure all of the pain will subside," I reasoned with him. He did not try and argue with me, simply frowning. I hated when he did that because I knew it meant he didn't believe me. He doubted himself, which was worse than doubting me. "What do you want to do today? I think we've been doing what I want for far too long. Not everything has to be about me, you know."
He took some time to think, at first not giving me an answer. It was not until he got his own clothes on that he gave me a clear answer, "Well, I know many places that I have not been to in many centuries, but I would not know if you would like to see them. Volterra is a large place compared to what I have heard about Olympus, and you are still recovering from last night. Pushing you out of your comfort zone is not my intent for today."
Treating me like glass, it was what everyone did. I should be used to it by now, but I wasn't. Even as a young goddess I have my own source of strength. Even without any domain I have power.
My parents, my mate, and my family have no idea what I am capable of. Nature, even I didn't know the full extent of my powers. I would have to wait to see what I would become.
"The lakes are beautiful, as is the beach," Marcus said, smiling down at the ground like he often did when speaking about things he likes. "There are no trials planned for today, or for the rest of the week, so perhaps we could go to the beach. Although I don't know if you have a bathing suit."
"If you want to take me to the beach you can just say so, Marcus," I laughed, watching as Marcus stumbled on his words.
"I- I just didn't know if that was something you would like." Oh, how I loved to see him like this, all stuttering and not knowing what to say. It was so cute. "Do you have a bathing suit?"
"Aphrodite made sure of that." Marcus let out a relieved sigh. "Have you not noticed any of them? I thought they were pretty obvious. They're right with my underwear and bras, my sweet king."
The nickname made him stumble once more, almost knocking over one of the many lamps in our room. I giggled once more, helping him find the white bikini top and bottom he hadn't noticed before. The outfit expressed my curves nicely while remaining decent and fit for any goddess to wear. I couldn't parade myself around like Aphrodite, but I would make sure I looked divine.
"This looks lovely," Marcus commented, giving me the white outfit, "I would love to see it on you."
Of course he did, the sneaky bastard. I only smiled and put it inside one of the many handbags that my cousin had lent to me. This one was a nice black leather bag, perfect for a day out. I didn't know how it would fare on the sandy beach, but I knew that I would be having an easy time fitting in whatever I needed.
My mate gave me a kiss on the cheek before I heard a knock at our door. Marcus was the one to open it up, revealing Jane. "What do you need, dear Jane?"
The girl took a sniff of the air and scrunched up her nose. "Just wanted to let you know that your mate has received quite a few packages over the past three hours and we are running out of space to store them down in the mail room."
I should have known that packages would be coming in for me soon, knowing how divine creatures work. Marcus thanked her and she left with little worry on her face, skipping down the halls. My mate turned to me, only to let out a chuckle. "Oh, little mate, what have you been up to?"
"It wasn't me!" I exclaimed, "Ugh! People are sending me birth gifts."
Marcus looked intrigued. "Birth gifts, now? Shouldn't they be sending those to your mother who, you know, was the one to give birth to your precious self?"
"Oh, they send them to her as well, but they also send them to me because... Well, I don't really understand why, but that's what the custom is and hey, free gifts!" Marcus chuckled once more, bringing me into his embrace. I melted under his hold, nuzzling my head into his comforting chest. "Why must you always do this to me, Marcus? I could just fall asleep in your arms."
He gave me no answer, simply running his hands through my unbrushed hair.
I sighed, knowing that we could be like this for a while.
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Overcast weather had become my favorite, as I did not like the way the sun felt on my pale mortal form. While brother Apollo would never let me burn, I still didn't like that fiery star in the sky. Never tell Apollo that, but he loves his little ball of sunshine too much. I wonder what will happen when it explodes. It will kill everything down here and brother Apollo will be very sad that he cannot share his little star anymore.
Marcus and I had made our way out of each other's arms by noon, two hours after I had woken up for the day. It did take us some time to get down to the beach in Volterra, but the time was mostly spent snuggling in the cab and complementing each other. We did that a lot, always telling each other what things we loved the most about the other. It was sweet, he's sweet.
The clear water was a bit chilled, likely due to the time of year we had found ourselves on the beach in. I hissed at the cold water, not wanting any more chills to run up my spine. Unfortunately, hissing at water does nothing to change the temperature. It stayed the same, meaning that Marcus took me away from the glassy sea and brought me over to a nice and warm beach towel.
"No more water for you," he said, wrapping me up in the towel, "No more cold water for you, my dear."
I whined, but agreed that cold water was probably not the best idea for me right now, especially since I was not used to it at all. My mate pulled me up on his lap with me still rolled in the towel, letting out low purrs as he nuzzled his head into the crook of my neck. I hadn't heard him let out a noise like this. Growls and hisses, perhaps, but not literal purrs. He sounded more like an animal than a human right now.
"I love you," Marcus whispered in between purrs, low rumbles coming from his chest as he held onto me sweetly. "My darling Callidora, how I love you so. With all of my heart."
Shuffling around in order to see him, I watched as his eyes turned from dark to light red. I smiled, freeing the upper part of my body from the towel before running a hand from his cheek to his jawline. Before I could say anything I noticed a small shift in the Earth, making my ears perk up. Marcus seemed to notice it as well, as he held me close to his body protectively. "What was that?"
"I don't know," Marcus mumbled, kissing my head. "No humans... I smell something-"
He cut himself off as I saw a man come out of the water and onto the beach, clearly divine. I sighed, seeing as this one man was in his mortal form. His divinity was obvious, but I had never seen him before. He couldn't be one of my brothers, as he didn't look anything like my parents.
His hair was cut at the shoulders, curly and washed away like the waves he came from. Deep brown, both his eyes and his hair. His skin tanned and his body radiating divinity, Marcus made sure to keep me as far away from this man as possible. If I didn't know better, I would think that my mate was jealous of this god.
"Cousin!" the man exclaimed. Oh, so he's one of my cousins. Who is his parent? I know Daddy and Mommy have many siblings... "I noticed that you were by the beach and wanted to introduce myself. I am Triton, son of Poseidon and your first cousin on both sides. You lay with a creature of the night?"
"Oh, yes, uhm, this is Marcus," I awkwardly introduced him to Marcus, who did not seem pleased by his presence, "He's my mate. I didn't know anyone would be visiting today, but I guess we are near your domain."
He smirked, which must have meant I guessed correctly. "You are a mere baby."
"She is full grown," Marcus snapped. I pressed a hand against his chest, knowing that his temper was starting to flare. "We don't have to listen to this, my dear-"
"Marcus, please, he didn't mean it like that," I placate him, not wanting him to get into a fight with a close cousin of mine, "It's alright, darling. Most of the family don't know that I am in fact full grown yet. No fighting."
"I apologize," Triton apologized, running a hand through his hair.
"Good," Marcus said sharply. I rolled my eyes as Marcus tried to rewrap me in the towel. His show of possessiveness was unlike him. Most of the time he didn't care what happened or what was said by other men in response to me. I was often the one out of the two of us that got jealous of one of us getting attention from others, male or female didn't matter. "Callidora, let's go back. I see some humans coming and it would be unwise to risk exposure. Farewell."
"Bye, Triton, fight for the sea," I said, knowing that Marcus would drag me away whether or not I wanted to leave.
"FIghting for the sea is what I was born to do, Callidora, and I shall fight for anyone who is willing to do the same," Triton said before Marcus picked me up in the towel. I yelped as my mate threw me over his shoulder.
Who knew that mates would be so aggressive with their claims?
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I was pretty sure that I giggled the entire way home. The giggles just wouldn't stop coming out of my mouth. Marcus didn't sound pleased with anything, growling at every single noise I made. I knew he wasn't annoyed at me, rather he was annoyed with the fact that my cousin had sought me out and called me a baby, which would be disgusting if I were in fact a baby. Marcus is a three thousand year old vampire madly in love with his month old goddess mate, the poor man.
"Why are you giggling?" Marcus asked hotly, taking off the towel and finding me in my bikini.
"You're so cute," I shot back, watching as his eyes darkened with annoyance, "Stop being annoyed, sweetie, you're too cute to be this annoyed with me. Be happy and cuddle with me! I want cuddles."
He sighed, knowing that I wouldn't relent in my cuddly ways. Wrapping his arms around my waist, he made sure that I was comfortable in his arms and on the bed. My sweet mate kissed my neck and got himself situated in the crook, his nose nudging at my ear. "You smell different today."
"I haven't used anything different," I said as he wedged himself into my body happily. "What do I smell like today?"
"Hmmm, I don't know," I laughed at his confused murmurs, "You just don't smell the way you did last night, Callidora. Smells more like me but not like this morning. I don't get it at all, my sweet mate."
His little confused noises were adorable. I don't think that he even realized how he was acting, just filled with his own instincts and love for my scent. I loved his as well, that scent that smelled of rosemary and old parchment. I could get lost in it for hours, filling my nose with that comfort and love that it gave me. Nothing compared to him. He always smelled the same, so why do I smell different to him today.
"What do I smell like today, Marcus?" He purred, keeping me trapped in his arms.
"Different than yesterday," I laughed, "No, it smells just different. You smell like Wisteria, but it has a twinge of roses and something else. It started a few hours ago. Do you feel okay?"
"I'm perfectly fine, Marcus," I insisted.
"Smells so nice. I love your scent," he mused, kissing along my jawline. I should have expected this sort of behavior from him, knowing just how affectionate he often is with me, but today was different. Perhaps it was the change in the bond. We had just completed the bond, so maybe that would change his mood. "I don't get how you can smell like this. It just happened out of nowhere."
"We did just complete our bond," I pointed out, "It could be that." He hummed, but shook his head. "Well I'm out of ideas, darling. We don't have anything else to do today, so I guess you can smell me. I'm tired, so I may take a nap."
His affections didn't stop, rumbling purrs erupting from his chest. I didn't expect a purring vampire, let alone for my mate to be this loud in his purrs. Why didn't Selene warn me about this? She could have told me that they purred. It's sweet and all, but he's going to put me to sleep if he keeps this up.
"Sleep?" It was posed more as a question. I nodded. "Okay. Just let me stay with you-" Marcus growled as a knock was heard at the door. "What do you want?"
Alec made his way into the room, looking a bit awkward. "Uhm I just wanted to ask you a question, Master."
"Ask away," Marcus said, not leaving the crook of my neck.
"Is Callidora smelling weird today?" Marcus looked very suspicious of the boy and the question he had asked. "It's just that Affie smells really weird right now and I can't seem to figure it out. She says nothing is wrong but something is off."
To know that this was not just something Marcus was experiencing calmed me. I did not feel off in any way, but according to my mate my scent was not the same as before. I liked that he seemed to like my new scent, but to know why I smelled different would be nice.
"She smells more like me," Marcus muttered, not giving Alec a single glance.
"Okay, so it's not just me then," Alec said awkwardly, "I'll just leave you two alone- Have a nice afternoon!"
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TWO WEEKS LATER
Marcus' POV
Over the past two weeks I had noticed many new things about my darling mate. Her scent, for one, had changed rapidly, smelling more and more like a mixture of me and herself. I had decided on not pushing the topic further with Callidora, as she was as clueless as myself and did not have the same acute sense of smell. Another thing that I had noticed was that she loved to dance. Not only did she love to dance, she wanted to dance with me. No matter the time of day, she wished to play some music and move her feet to the tune.
I didn't want to say anything, but I did sense that she gained a small bit of weight over the past week and a half. Whether or not this was normal for a young goddess, I had no clue. That was not something to just bring up with your beautiful mate. She looked radiant as ever, just a small bit more for me to carry over my shoulder. No non-vampire would be able to tell.
More issues were being brought up during leadership meetings. Caius had noticed a small uptick in disappearances and that had to turn into scouting out a potential newborn army up in the area. Siberia, what a place, definitely had the potential for a coven breaking laws or newborns clustering in the area.
Being a real leader again was overwhelming. Did I have any idea how to get back into the swing of things? No, but everyone expected me to do just that. Aro was putting more and more paperwork on me and Caius expects me to somehow come with him to Siberia to fix this missing humans problem. I can't just leave my Callidora! He may be used to leaving his mate here in the castle, but I am not and I will not have her leave my side for more than a few hours.
Having her near me meant more than anything, especially with this new scent problem. I couldn't put my finger on what exactly was going on. Callidora in all aspects was glowing, happy as ever, so why did her scent change? Why is it still changing everyday?
According to Alec, Aphrodite's scent is changing as well, and in the same ways that Calliodra's is. Why can't I just figure this out? You're a three thousand year old man, Marcus, this shouldn't be that hard. Damnit, I just want to make sure she's okay. She should be around here somewhere!
I snuck back into our room, finding my sweet mate lounging on the bed, reading a new book that I had gotten her. In Greek, of course, as she hated English with a fiery passion.
Her hair was tied up in a ponytail as she read the book, deep into her new hobby. I smiled, walking behind her. She glanced up at me, giving me a warm smile. "I didn't think you would be done with trial this early, Marcus."
"Oh, you know me, dear," she giggled at my words, putting her book down on the bed. "I just wanted to see how you were doing-" I cut myself off, listening in to the small change that had just occurred.
"Marcus, what's wrong?" I could barely hear the words of my mate, who started to freak out. "Please, please, what happened? What is going on-"
"Wait," I whispered, not believing in what I was hearing. It was so small, so faint. If this were any other situation, I would have brushed it off, this small sound coming from my mate. Lord, this could have been the sign I was missing. These two weeks of weird scents, of this mystery. It could all come to an end.
"Darling I don't understand!" She exclaimed, getting me to look into her pink eyes. Gods, those eyes, I loved them so much. "Marcus please tell me what happened? You've been acting weird for two weeks and now you're freaking me out!"
I didn't mean to freak her out, but Gods, that sound. It was like a holy grail coming from her. Everything started to make sense.
"Let me listen," I said, holding her hand. I gasped as I heard it again. "It's so beautiful, Callidora. So perfect."
I wished that my eyes could water. I had never heard something that wanted to make me cry such tears of joy before. My mate didn't understand why I was so far away from her chest and so close to her waist. "Marcus, what can you hear? What is it that you hear?"
"I didn't think it was possible!"
"Marcus!"
"A little heartbeat, Callidora, a baby."
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ɪ ᴄᴀɴ'ᴛ ʙᴇʟɪᴇᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɪ'ᴍ ᴀʟʀᴇᴀᴅʏ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜰᴀʀ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʏᴇᴛ ɴᴏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ɴᴇᴇᴅꜱ ᴛᴏ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ ʜᴀꜱ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴᴇᴅ. ʙᴏɴᴅ? ʏᴇꜱ, ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟᴇᴛᴇᴅ, ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ ɪꜱ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴏᴅꜱ ᴛʜᴀɴ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴛʜɪɴᴋ. ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ᴍᴜꜱᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ, ʏᴇᴛ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ɴᴏ ᴄʟᴜᴇ ʜᴏᴡ ᴛᴏ ᴍᴀᴋᴇ ɪᴛ ʜᴀᴘᴘᴇɴ. ꜱᴏʀʀʏ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇꜱᴇ ʀᴀᴍʙʟɪɴɢꜱ, ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴛɪʟʟ ᴏɴ ᴘᴀɪɴ ᴍᴇᴅꜱ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ.
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