by Helen Bright
During the early days after bonding, couples found it hard to be apart and often needed sex and to take blood more, to help with the bond. So it was better that Keeley’s daughter was away when the couple bonded, as the four-year-old tended to take up all their time, as children often do.
Keeley was gracious enough not to ask me about Chloe, even though I could tell it was on the tip of her tongue. But, although I adored Keeley, there was one other person that I felt I needed to discuss this with, one who knew me better than any other, and luckily I had just heard her car pull into the driveway.
Keeley and I walked to the door and greeted Freya with a hug. Keeley’s brother Daniel was with her, and I shook his hand before guiding them both back towards the kitchen. Mrs. Timmins had made another pot of tea and produced a lemon drizzle cake from a tin on the counter, before she left on her lunch break.
We each took a slice and proceeded to eat while Freya told me about her morning visit with Julia and my little godson Rory. Apparently the midwife had visited, and all was as it should be. But Julia was quite tired today, so was off for a nap while Alex took care of Rory.
Freya had stayed a while, but could see that Alex wanted to spend time alone with his son, without visitors. I could understand that. He had waited a thousand years to become a father, so would want to treasure these moments with his child.
Daniel had proved to be a talented artist, although he had only used pencil and pastels so far. Freya had discovered just how good he was when he had drawn a likeness of her daughter, from Freya’s description. It was a beautiful thing to do and a surprise for Freya.
Both Freya and Alex had openly wept when they had seen it, as the likeness had been uncannily accurate, from what Alex had told me.
I wondered whether Rory had a look of Freya’s daughter, Brisa. If he did, Freya had not let herself give in to any melancholy, and was staying here to support her brother and his wife in these early days of parenthood.
I had asked previously if Daniel had any objections to doing some sketches of the Manor and the grounds. He said he would be happy to do it, so I asked if Keeley could show him the areas that I thought would make good spots to sketch.
I did inform Daniel that I would leave it up to him which areas he finally selected, as long as he included the front aspect of the house and the secret garden.
“Come on then Gregor, spit it out. What is it that’s bothering you?” Asked Freya when Daniel and Keeley had left the room.
“How do you know I have something bothering me?” I asked curiously.
“Because I know you better than you know yourself, Gregor Antonov. Also, because you get a line appearing in between your eyebrows, and you have a small muscle twitch in your jaw line,” she said as she poked the areas she had mentioned. I smiled and threatened to bite her finger, which she laughed at, before taking my hand in hers.
“Freya, I did something last night that I should be very ashamed of, but I find that I am not. I do not wish to discuss my sex life with you in detail, but as you appear to be the oracle of all that is immortal, I know you will speak with me both as a friend and as an advisor on this matter.”
“Go on,” she prompted.
“Last night Chloe and I made love for the first time. It was beautiful and special and meant even more to me than I thought it would!”
Freya was quiet for a moment, and I looked into her beautiful grey eyes to try and determine what she thought of my statement. First and foremost, she seemed shocked. But then she broke into a huge smile before jumping up and hugging me.
“Oh Gregor, Chloe must be it for you then, the one you are destined to bond with. I have known you for centuries, and that’s the only time I’ve ever heard of you making love with a woman, instead of simply fucking, or having sex.”
“Freya, we have rarely discussed my sexual preferences, but obviously you are aware of where they lie. I used to think that if you were more submissive, that maybe we could have had something. And that, although we were never ‘in love,’ in time, we could have learned to love each other in that way. But, of course, you are a very dominant woman, so that would never have worked.”
Freya was a strong female who would find it hard to let a man dominate in any aspect of her life. It just wasn’t who she was.
“I used to think so too, but then Daniel came along and although he also works for me, he is most definitely the dominant force in our relationship, especially in the bedroom.”
That was something I never expected to hear. Freya had made it clear we would be incompatible in that respect, so we remained the best of friends instead.
“What changed?” I asked, not sure how I felt about this whole conversation.
“Nothing changed Gregor. I just found the one for me, and I was happy for him to take control. I like not having to be in control all the time. If I’m honest, it was just so tiring to maintain over the years.
“But I trust that Daniel loves and respects me enough to give me what I need, both in the bedroom and in life in general, whether that be control or submission. In fact, I don’t like to call it submission. I prefer to see it as handing over the reins, and letting the other person lead for a while. Whatever you believe is right, a relationship is built on give and take, whatever that relationship may be. Be it friendship, or love, a partnership has to be equal.
“Think about your night with Chloe. You said you made love. There was a reason that this happened on your first time with this woman Gregor. I think you recognised that she is the one, and as such, you wanted to show her this by making her feel loved and special when you first took her body, something you would have never done otherwise.”
Freya was right in that matter. What happened between us by the fireside last night was something truly beautiful, and something I hoped to have again. But it was the third time I was inside my little flower girl that my once famed control had slipped.
I did not want to see the judgement on Freya’s face when I told her that I had nearly bonded with Chloe without her consent, so I told her all that had happened without looking into her eyes. When I finished telling her last night’s story, I did not hear a gasp of shock or a tut. Instead, Freya squeezed my hand and asked me to look at her. As I raised my blue eyes to her pale grey ones, I did not see any judgement. Only understanding and love.
I should have known that my best friend would not find me lacking moral code, despite what I had done, but the guilt I felt over what had happened still came from within.
“Gregor, I think that you should tell Chloe what nearly happened, and what made you act this way. I think that when our vampire side, which can be quite animalistic in its focus, recognises its’ mate, it instinctively wants to claim that mate by bonding. Obviously, at this particular time, your vampire side took over from your human side, and you lost control of the situation. Something else I’ve also never known happen to you. I think if you can explain your feelings to Chloe, it will help.”
“But that’s just it Freya. I don’t know what my feelings are exactly. They don’t have a name that I can identify.”
“Not love, then?” Freya queried.
“Love is something pure and gentle. What I feel is anything but. It’s like she has become an obsession to me. She is in my thoughts constantly. I want to protect her and see her smile, give her the whole world if I can.
“But I also want to possess her and bind her to me, so she can’t escape. I want to hurt anyone that has ever hurt her, and I would kill anyone who tries to take her from me. The only time since meeting her that I have felt truly whole was when I was buried deep inside her and when I awoke with her in my arms. Does that sound like love to you Freya?”
“Well, yes it does, actually. Love isn’t always pure and gentle, Gregor. And it doesn’t always make us act that way, either. Love can twist our hearts and minds, just as much as it can sooth our spirit.
“I loved my father. But his heinous actions brought about by his own twisted version of lo
ve caused me to lose my daughter, son, and husband. The people I loved most in this world.
“My father had lost the woman he loved and thought he would lose me and Alex, as we weren’t going to take the blood and become immortal. His push for us to do so became his obsession. He had no balance to his love for us. What you just explained to me had balance.
“You said she was your obsession, and that you wanted to possess her and bind her to your side so she couldn’t escape. But you also said that you wanted to protect her and see her smile, that you would give her the world if you could. You also said you had moments with her that make you feel whole. That’s balance Gregor, and that’s what keeps love healthy. That and respect.”
“So, I’m in love with her then?” I asked, not only Freya but myself also. Is that what had happened? Had I fallen madly in love with my flower girl, as well as recognising she was the one I should bond with?
The two don’t always come hand in hand, but I was glad in my case that it had. I was always quick to tell both Freya and Keeley that I loved them. It seemed easier to accept that I loved in that way, a deep friendship and almost familial. But in over five hundred years on this earth, I had never truly fallen in love with a woman, until now.
Chapter Eleven
Gregor
I had decided to call on Maggie’s niece Chelsee, to see if she needed any help with moving her furniture, but it appeared that Josh, Nik, and Sergei had organised everything earlier. So I took her out to the Italian restaurant that Chloe favoured, and we chatted about her upcoming job.
Chelsee was an extremely witty young woman, and despite the fact that she was blind, she had an uncanny ability to read someone’s character. I asked her if she would accompany Nik, Keeley and I to the meeting about the supermarket; so she could give her thoughts about the main objectors to the proposal.
She agreed to do so and at seven fifteen we took our seats next to Keeley and Nik at the front of the community hall on a sort of stage area as the room began to fill.
I felt her presence in the room before I saw her. I turned towards the door and saw my little flower girl being guided into the room by a tall, blond, red-faced fellow who had his hand on her back.
I felt a tingle in the ends of my fingers as my claws began to emerge, but I managed to keep them hidden. Despite how laid back the people of Yorkshire were, I’m sure they would take objection to me slicing the local butcher in half. I smirked at the irony, as I imagined the man trussed up and hung from one of his butchering hooks.
Chloe looked radiant in a pale lemon sweater and beige linen trousers. I found myself wanting to stride over to her and kiss her full lips in front of everyone here, but then I saw that fucking butcher move to brush something from her cheek, and anger swept over me once again.
Chelsee took my hand and asked if I was ok. She had felt me stiffen in my seat as I noticed his hand on Chloe’s back. I instinctively turned to Chelsee and smiled, for the moment forgetting her blindness. On realising my mistake, I raised the back of her hand to my lips and kissed it, before reassuring her I was ok.
I turned back to look at Chloe and found she was scowling at me. It wasn’t until I noticed her look down to where my hand was still joined with Chelsee’s, that I could see why. She was jealous.
As far as I was concerned, this could only be a good thing; although in the past I would have never encouraged such behaviour in a woman. Indeed, if any sub I had in my club ever became jealous or possessive, I made a hasty retreat, and she would not be invited to sub for me again.
Of course, it rarely got that far, as I would lose interest before anything could develop on her part. But I found I liked the fact that my Chloe was jealous and possessive. They were the same emotions that were still flying through my mind every time the meat man leaned nearer to my woman.
I let go of Chelsee’s hand, and took a pen and paper out of my pocket to make notes about the meeting. Of course, I did not need to do this, as Keeley was already waiting with a pencil and notepad in her hands. But holding on to these gave me a purpose, and kept me from crossing the room and punching the man at my flower girl’s side into the next county.
Ten minutes had passed from what should have been the start of the meeting, and I was even more irritated than I had been earlier. Tardiness is not something that I deal well with.
There were about forty or so people in the room facing myself, Chelsee, Keeley, Nik, and local councillor Sherman. A woman taking notes for the council sat at the side of the stage.
It did not surprise me, from what Keeley had told me earlier, that Dave Higgins the butcher seemed to feel that it was his sole responsibility to lead the meeting. Unfortunately for him, I was born to be a leader.
I shot him down with every objection he sent our way, from car parking and traffic increase, to job creation and the effect on local businesses. I outlined the same proposals that Keeley had put forward, and I even offered concession space for local businesses, so that they could keep a presence in the store and recoup any lost revenue that way.
Nik had stayed silent so far, but I could feel that he was getting ready to explode when once again Dave Higgins began to sound off about us only offering this in the short term, and then telling everyone we would likely increase rent on these concessional stands within a few weeks of opening.
A man who identified himself as Ken Fearn from the bakery asked about the concession stands we were offering. This angered Dave, who called Ken a Judas.
Nik stood and said “Mr. Higgins, clearly you came to this meeting to hurl insults at us and our proposals, after the last few meetings we had come to expect this type of behaviour from you. However, I do object to hearing you call someone who is asking a perfectly reasonable question a Judas. I would ask that the wonderful lady from council, who has been working so hard to take notes on the meeting so far,” he said with a wink and a grin that always used to get females to drop their panties whenever he was around. “If the lovely note taker, Selena, could highlight Mr. Higgins rude behaviour towards other business owners, I think it would be a great help to whoever reads them.”
Apparently all the other ladies in the first three rows had also been blessed with Nik Harding’s well practiced sexy grin, as most were looking at him with adoring gazes. The idiot Higgins blustered a little; but after being glared at by a number of the attendees, he closed his mouth and was quiet, for once.
“To answer your question Mr. Fearn, we would be willing to offer a six-month rent-free concession stand or stall. I feel that six months would give you enough time to know whether it is worth it to you as a business to have a presence in the store. If you do not feel it is worthwhile, we could go with our original plan to purchase items from your bestselling ranges and sell them as part of our local produce range.
“If the stall does seem to be financially profitable for you, we could look at providing you with an affordable rent agreement that we can guarantee will be less than market standards. We are not building this supermarket as a way to close down local businesses, but to enhance the lives of many in the community who have to travel so far outside of the local area to buy things they need on a weekly basis. Transport is still very limited in such a rural area, and not everyone drives. The supermarket is just outside of Rothley town, and there are at least half a dozen business owners from Barrowfield village.
“This could mean that whoever signs up for a concession will benefit from getting trade from those in Rothley, who would not normally travel to your shop in which to buy something, and the same is true in reverse.”
“I would be happy to read more into these terms,” nodded Mr. Fearn, and many more followed; angering the huffing red-faced Higgins even further.
Chelsee leaned towards me and whispered, “I would love to see the look on his face right now, Gregor. Describe it to me and make my week.”
“I would like to ask a question,” fumed Higgins. “What relevance does she have to this meeting, other than to sit up the
re lording it over everyone and whispering things about us,” he yelled pointing at Chelsee.
Both myself and Nik jumped up so fast that our chairs fell over. Immediately Keeley stood in front of us with her hands reached out in front of each of our chests. I was seething, and I could feel Nik’s anger was barely hanging on by a thread.
To my surprise, I saw Chelsee stand and take a small step forward.
“I assume, Mr. Higgins, that the ‘she’ you referred to was me?” She asked. Higgins glanced at both myself and Nik before nervously nodding his head.
“I’m sorry Mr. Higgins, I didn’t hear you answer,” Chelsee said calmly.
“It was,” replied Higgins, sounding much braver than he looked quite then.
“Well, Mr. Antonov did state at the beginning of this meeting, when he introduced me, that I was here to give advice as a mediator. Did you not hear that in the introduction, Mr. Higgins?”
“I did hear that but you….” Chelsee interrupted his blabbering.
“So you heard and accepted my presence here as a mediator at that time, but now you have a problem with it.”
Once again Higgins tried to speak, but Chelsee cut him off mid-sentence.
“Now, I have to wonder, Mr. Higgins, if you have a problem with me because I am sitting up on this stage with whom you clearly see as the enemy from your behaviour this evening. Or do you just have a problem with blind women in an authoritative position?”
Everyone in the room gasped at that statement, then turned to glare at the now scarlet faced Higgins. I heard Keeley whisper, “Oh my God, I don’t believe you just said that Chelsee!”
“Did it work?” whispered Chelsee, trying to suppress a smile.
“If you meant, does everyone look like they want to chase Higgins out of the meeting with pitchforks and blazing torches, then yes, it worked.”