chapter 11

Alric had slowly put me down onto my feet. The joy we both felt leaving us both breathless. We both leaned in and gave each other another tight hug. Enjoying the sensation of Alaric's body so close to mine. "Should we go back to the auditorium?" I ask softly looking up into Alaric's deep red eyes. "That's up to you princess, are you feeling tired?" Now that I was feeling my body, I could feel how much heavier it had gotten. Exhaustion had been slowly starting to creep in and now I found my eyelids struggling to stay open. "Now that you mention it, yeah I'm quite... exhausted." Alaric nodded and slowly picked me up, holding me tight against his chest as he made slow strides towards the dormitories.

"I'm so glad you chose me Rose bud." The pet names, they made my heart swell and my brain swim in euphoria. "Funny enough...It would have been you whether I said something or not...the school chose me for you. The woman...the processor...she said we are soulmates?" Alaric seemed to pause at that, his walking came to a halt as he looked into my eyes. "You've never heard the story?" I shook my head suddenly feeling embarrassed. He suddenly began to walk again, but oddly it felt more like floating then walking as his speed was quite faster than before. As we reached my dorm he put me back down on the ground and opened my door. "Alright, in bed young lady." I felt...odd. like I had disappointed him, I felt suddenly iced out. "I-im sorry if I made you upset by not knowing it Alaric." I said looking down at the ground as I slowly walked into my room.

"Shh, I'm not mad. Come on, get into your coffin so I can tell you the story." I nodded softly walking to the coffin and slowly lowering myself in. I grabbed the blanket and pulled it over my frame, Alaric smiled softly down at me before disappearing for a second. He came back with a stuffed animal, a strawberry with little fangs and bat wings. A strawbat if you will. I took it from him cradling it in my arms as I looked up at him utterly intrigued, ready to listen to his story.

"Alright, let's begin. Once upon a time there was a vampire princess and a vampire prince. Madly in love, blessed by the goddess of the night, these two were connected in ways that could not be explained easily. When they touched it was like the world disappeared to them. Their voices are an immediate comfort for the other. They are far more powerful together than apart. This is what they referred to as a soul mate bond, something that couldn't easily be broken. One day...the prince had grown greedy, he began thinking of his soulmate as property. Something he owned, something he didn't want anyone else having. He had locked the princess deep underground where no one else could see her, hear her, take her...his greed for the power of the mate bond... ended in tragedy. As the people began worrying where their princess had gone the prince became more desperate to keep them quiet. He made up lies, punished those who questioned him, but alas most of his subjects did not believe him. An uproar began, the people wanted their princess and they didn't understand how the mate bond was still so powerful despite the princess being "away". The people knew better and began rioting. Demanding the prince brings their princess back. Feeling threatened now by the mass of villagers who were angry at him the prince did just that...he brought out the princess who was now dirty...covered in dust, dirt, and grime. Adorned in just a thin lace undergarment. Blood trickling from her wrists and ankles. Her body was thin and her face looked hollowed. He not only disgraced her by trapping her...but also by keeping her somewhere unpleasant, physically wounding her, and starving her of the blood she needed to be healthy. For that action the townspeople...killed the prince. Tore him to shreds for what he had done to his own soulmate. Unfortunately...when the soulmate bond broke due to the prince dying...it killed the princess with him. The village buried both the prince and princess next to each other. Unfortunately the mate bond ended with them. The goddess refused to bless another pair after witnessing what had happened. Instead she left it up to the elders to make the decision of who belongs with who. Without any other powers or connections. And that my little blossom, is the story of the soulmate bond."

I looked up at Alaric, mesmerized by his story. "Do you...think we might be like that prince and princess? Like what the professor was saying?" Alaric smoothed my hair with his hand. "I think it's just a story, something for dads to tell daughters to keep them weary of boys. Never in my family history was there a prince and princess who had died together. It's possible they came from another land...but then there's the question of how it reached here." I nodded feeling more and more sleepy by the second. "It would...be nice if you were my soulmate...I really...really...like you." Alaric chuckled and continued to pass his fingers through my long wavy black locks. "I like you too little one. I hope you find me just as utterly enamoring as I find you." He says softly, his lips soft and moving slowly as the words come out. I couldn't deny the pull I felt for Alaric. He was becoming the only thing...I wanted to think about it. The only person i wanted to please. When I spent time with him it's like I didn't have to worry. As much as Alaric was brushing it off...how I feel around him...is exactly the way the prince and princess felt from his story. I didn't dare say that though. He seemed almost afraid of that being a reality. My eyes began to drop, closing completely as I felt my breathing even. I opened my eyes, just a slit. To find Alaric gone, with no trace of him, except for the soft feeling of his lips leaving the pale greyish blue skin on my forehead. I fell asleep oddly at peace, safe and sound.