Ramona

"She suspects something, she must."

Kira hums at my statement, her eyes almost flickering with the visions that are going through her head. Part of me has always been curious about the extent of what she sees, and used to wish that I could 'see' through her eyes for even a brief period of time.

Until I realized there are probably many visions she's received that haunt her, that live in her mind like Shades in the Screaming Woods.

It is both a curse and blessing to see into the future like she does.

"I believe so." She answers after a moment, turning towards me slightly, her expression almost guarded.

I already had an inkling she did, the intensity in her brown eyes laced with curiosity as I returned to tell her that her friends wished to see her now that she was awake. It was like she was looking at a puzzle instead of just me.

"How much?"

She goes quiet again.

"It's difficult to say. The only things I know for certain is one: She knows that creature was real and not just a bad dream, and two: you aren't human. Everything else is unclear."

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"I wish I knew more of her mindset. This is not going to be an easy conversation."

"I wish I could tell you more Ramona, but my gift only goes so far. I get visions that change with each small decision the person makes, not set in stone prophecies that happen regardless of any attempt to change or avoid them."

"I know Kira, I do not blame you. I just do not know how to approach this. I certainly did not expect to tell her about myself this quickly, especially after meeting the way we did."

A stress induced headache begins to throb painfully, and I groan.

"I know, but you have to now. She knows there is more. And regardless of how it ends, your mate pull is intact now that you've met, staying apart will be painful for you until you either embrace being mates, or..."

She does not finish, she does not have to. Rejection was the worst possible outcome of this, but if she leaves without knowing the truth about what I am, and how we are tied to each other we will both suffer for it in the long term. And I would rather her reject me here and now instead of letting her suffer without knowing why, regardless of how much it would hurt.

"If you want my advice. Be honest with her."

I look to see her twisting a strand of hair around her fingers.

"In every future where you lie, or try to keep it a secret, she loses trust in you. I can't say for certain that she won't reject you if you're honest, but the only futures where both of you are together, are the ones that start with you telling her the truth."

I inhale deeply, processing her words, and she is right. Dancing around the truth will not help her trust me, and that is the worst thing a mated pair could lose, especially so early after meeting each other.

Dear Goddess, give me strength.

I glance at the door to the room my beloved is in, the sounds of her talking to her friends muted, but still audible. Once they leave her room, me and Josephine will have to talk.

~~~~~~

It took a while for her friends to leave, but eventually all of them needed to be checked over by a healer and then go back to their rooms for rest, so they all reluctantly leave Josephine alone.

Well, no time like the present.

I knock on her door, hoping I did not wake her from sleep...for more reasons than one.

"Come in."

I peek in, seeing her sitting on the side of her bed, hunched over with her elbows resting on her knees, and her face in her hands. Concern flickers through me, the tense look of her shoulders and the thudding of her heart anything but calm.

"Are you in pain, love?"

She jumps at my voice, looking up from her palms in surprise. Her eyes are not red or watery, so she has not been crying, good.

"Ah, no, just a headache." She sighs, glancing over me in an attempt to be subtle. I would tease her for it, if not for her current state. It's still cute though.

"I understand, I get them myself quite frequently." I walk over to her slowly, trying my best to contain my urge to touch her. No doubt her pain is linked to my stress, it's an unfortunate part of an early mate bond.

"They suck, especially when I'm trying to think." She groans, rubbing her head as I stop in front of her, and I suppress one myself as her scent surrounds me once more.

Self control Ramona, you are a person, not an animal.

"What exactly has you thinking so hard?" I question, as if I don't know.

"Well, to be truthful I- agh, fuck!" She exclaims, clenching her head in discomfort. Unable to restrain the impulse to comfort her, I reach out to hold her head, carefully cradling it.

"Here, allow me." I murmur, gently rubbing my fingers over her scalp in a circular motion, my thumbs massaging around her ears.

"You don't have to-ahh~"

Her protests halt as she looks up, her cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink as we lock eyes.

Adorable.

She seems a little transfixed as I continue to touch her, lips parted and eyes half closed. I so badly want to just kiss her, to savor the warmth tingling through me in not just my hands.

Dear Goddess she's perfect.

Those eyes, light brown like the fallen leaves crunching under your feet, or the rough hewn wood in a fireplace, illuminated by a flickering flame just before it's lit.

Eyes that come with inquisitive looks, and dark circles beneath.

"Ah, thank you." She murmurs, glancing away shyly. I laugh quietly to myself, enjoying the moment. It is reassuring that she is flustered around me, and I dare say, attracted to me. At least, as far as I can tell.

"You are very welcome."

As I drop my hands from her face, she catches me off guard, reaching out to catch my wrist in a movement that's pretty quick for a human, making me question for a moment if she is something more.

No, I would have figured that out before now. Most likely it's from her training as a Ranger, fast reflexes are crucial.

She looks back at me, her eyes locking with mine almost...nervously.

"What troubles you?" I question, and she clears her throat.

"Your, well, your eyes. Why are you hiding them with contacts?"

I stay quiet, in shock despite myself. I knew that she knew, but how bluntly she asked the question still catches me off guard.

"I saw them last night. They were red, like blood...but now they're an ugly mud color, like you've covered them with brown contacts." She continues, reaching to touch my face as she contemplates out loud. I shudder at the contact, the warmth, her scent quite literally pulsing under my nose.

It is almost too much.

"Josephine~" I start, trying to regain my composure.

"Don't you dare tell me that I'm imagining things, I know what I saw! Your eyes, that creature, your friends destroying it. It was real. Maybe my friends can be convinced it was a bad dream, but I can't!" She says fervently, and I swallow hard as her fingers trace near my lips, it is all I can do to keep my fangs from coming out.

"I, no, we would've died if you hadn't shown up when you did. I know for certain we would have. What I don't know is what you are, and why you're hiding things from me." She murmurs, her tone softer now.

"And why the idea of you lying to me hurts more than my injuries."

My heart twists at that, returning my lapsing control. This is why Kira said it was important, why lying would drive us apart.

All cards on the table now.

"I know I probably sound crazy now but-"

I cut her off, gently pressing my thumb to her slightly quivering lips, and she jumps in surprise.

"Shhh Love, it is alright." I reassure, sighing as I gather my thoughts.

"You are not crazy. I did not want to hide the truth from you, but I was unsure how much you would remember, and how well you would accept it." I start, her eyes widening at my words.

"This is not how I wanted us to meet, how I wanted you to learn about my world, but what's done is done. All I can do now is move forward, and hope to the Goddess that you want to stay with me."

The confusion in her eyes breaks me out of my own reverie, and I clear my throat.

"What I am about to tell you is the truth. The explanation behind everything you are feeling, the things you saw, and why I have been hiding it. I will happily answer any questions you have, but you have to promise me that nothing we discuss gets repeated to anyone, not even your friends. Okay?"

She nods, and I sigh again as I remove my finger from her mouth. She stays silent as I sit next to her on the bed, facing her as I cross my legs.

"First off, since you clearly know now, I do not have to wear these atrocious things." I grumble, removing the contacts from my eyes and dropping them in the trash, I blink a couple of times before I look at her again, and she seems almost transfixed. Adorable.

"They don't frighten you, do they?" I ask, and she shakes her head.

"A little at first, but not now. I think they're beautiful..." She murmurs, and I do not stop the grin this time.

"I am glad, most people I deal with find them unnerving. Especially humans."

The last part grabs her attention.

"What are you?"

Ah, the big question.

"Well, I am a vampire. More specifically, Queen Ramona Valentine of the Royal Coven. But you may call me Ramona, if you like." I explain, watching as she processes it.

"So...vampires are real." She says quietly, and I can almost see the gears turning as she pieces everything together.

"Very much so."

"And if you're the Queen, that means there are a lot of you..."

"Yes. You would be surprised how much of the 'human population' is made up of vampires." And other non-humans, I add mentally. That can be saved for another time.

"How much of vampire myth is actually, well, myth?"

I chuckle.

"Quite a bit. We do not burn in the sun, or turn into bats, or hate garlic. Well, most of us do not, our preference in food varies just like a humans."

"Wait, you eat food?" She interjects, and I can't hold back a laugh.

"Yes, we do. It is what keeps us from needing to drain a person dry, which leads to my next point. We do drink blood. We can drink animal blood, but we prefer human blood until we reach a certain point in our lives. But eating human food allows us to go for longer periods without blood, and lets us live amongst humans, and not have to hide." I explain, and she seems genuinely intrigued.

"To be truthful, most vampires do not feed on humans directly anymore. Some get it from special blood banks, but most hunt animals, like deer and large predators."

"Wow...so, what do you, uhm, do?" She hedges.

"I hunt animals, mainly deer."

"Is it personal preference or?"

I'm genuinely surprised at how well she's handling this.

"Well, some vampires prefer the taste of human blood, which is why they take donated pouches. But once blood leaves the body, it changes, it loses its value nutritionally, no matter how well it is stored. I hunt because the animals I take down are fresh, warm, nothing is lost in the process. It does not taste the same, and I have to consume more animal blood than I would if I drank donated human blood, but it is my preference."

I clear my throat as I realize how this must sound to her. Goddess Ramona, think.

"I apologize. That must have been-"

She raises a hand, shaking her head.

"It's fine. I asked, you answered honestly. I'm not disgusted, just, processing."

"Well, maybe we should move away from that subject a little?" I suggest, and she nods.

"Everything that's been done with your kind, was so that you could live amongst humans, right?"

"Yes."

"Is that the reason you don't want my friends to know about this?"

"Yes, the only way we can live amongst humans peacefully is by keeping our existence secret. The Salem Witch Trials taught us that, and almost all of those poor people were innocent humans, and the ones that had magical abilities could not control them for lack of teaching, or were unaware they had them. Even if we are stronger, that does not mean innocent people would not get caught in the crossfire." I answer.

"If that's the case, then why are you telling me?"

I sigh, giving myself a moment to brace myself. Here comes the most crucial part of all this.

"Because, you are an exception to the rule. You fall into the very category where you are allowed to know, provided you do not go telling our secrets."

"And what exception is that?"

I lock eyes with her, wanting to make sure I do not miss any of her reaction.

"The one where the human is a vampires mate."

A full minute passes before she speaks, her expression confused.

"Mate? As in-?"

"A Beloved, or Soulmate."

Another minute of silence passes, this time with her cheeks flushing a beautiful pink. Goddess tell me that's a good sign.

"Oh..." She whispers, almost dazed. I decide to explain it a bit better.

"We vampires believe in the Goddess Persephone, and that she gave each of us a perfect match, a person to be paired with for the rest of our existence. When we find them, we crave their closeness, their affection and love. And traditionally, a mated pair stays together for the rest of their lives."

She stays quiet, and I can't help but wonder if I dumped too much on her at once.

"So, what you're saying is, I'm your mate?" She says after an unnerving silence.

"Yes, Josephine. It is why you felt so hurt at the idea of me lying to you, and why this-" I emphasize by gently cupping her cheek, the warmth radiating through me almost immediately, "-feels so good. At least for me it does. The moment I saw you, and your scent filled my senses, it was like that cheesy rom-com love at first sight, but in reality. And when I saw that thing on you, I could not even think about hiding what I was. All I could think about was destroying that monstrosity, and keeping you safe."

The sound of her heart racing in her chest, and the sight of her cheeks going from pink to red, fills me with hope.

"I know you do not know me well, and I've dumped a lot of information on you very quickly, but I would love for you to stay. To see my world, and for us to get to know each other." I hesitate, "But, if you do not want to, that is entirely up to you. It is your choice, I will not force you to accept me."

I swallow hard, waiting as she seems to process everything. I close my eyes, trying to steady myself, feeling like a lovesick newborn instead of a Queen. Goddess help me, I certainly need it.

The feeling of her hand sliding over mine, which is still cupping her face, snaps me back to the present. And my body almost hums with anticipation and excitement at her leaning into my touch, her eyes half closed as she inhales deeply.

"I'll stay. I would really like to know you better." She murmurs, and I fight every instinct to hug her close, settling for pressing our foreheads together.

"Thank you, Love. You have no idea how much it means to me."

We stay like that for a moment, and I take advantage of the opportunity to breathe in her scent, engraving it into my memory.

"So, what happens now?"