Chapter seven

Jeff

Ipace.

As I walk back and forth around Axel's living room, the moment we'd shared plays over and over in my head. I'd kissed him. I'd kissed Axel right on the lips. And he didn't seem to mind it at first. He seemed to enjoy it.

Fuck, his lips had felt so good against my own. They'd felt like they were exactly where they should be. And then he pulled away.

Axel had kissed me and then immediately regretted it.

I've had bad dates. I've had my fair share of shitty hook ups. I'm no stranger to rejection. So why the fuck does this one hurt so badly? Why does it feel like my unbeating heart is being literally ripped from my chest? Why can't I stop thinking about that kiss?

I rub tiredly at my eyes, trying to shake this feeling. What the fuck is happening? Is this a vampire thing? Will every emotion feel like I can barely swallow them down? Will everything from here on out be pain and guilt and overwhelming?

There's a knock at the door and I spin around, my eyes finding the door. Without my permission, my fangs drop and there's a barely there hiss leaving my lips. I take a deep breath and my body locks up. I know that smell. I know that scent.

I rush to the door in the blink of an eye, just barely keeping myself from ripping the door open. I look through the peephole, my chest loosening with relief as I see Cooper there.

"I told you to just leave the supplies at the door."

"I know what you said but I wanted to see you."

"I cannot open this door, Cooper. I can't. I don't want to accidentally hurt you."

Cooper sets down a large box, crossing his arms over his chest. "You're really worried about hurting me? Fuck, Jeff. I know you'd never hurt me. Never."

"I wanna believe that. I really do. But I can't guarantee that."

"Because you're a vampire."

It's not a question. I lean my forehead against the door. Fuck. How did this all get so fucking jumbled up? How did everything get so complicated? I used to fight evil. And now I'm a monster.

"Yes," I tell him, the word coming out in a choked gasp. "Yeah, Cooper. I'm a vampire."

There's a long pause where everything goes still before Cooper is clearing his throat. I look through the peephole again, preparing myself to see a sneer of disgust but instead I find a look of understanding.

"I'm glad you're okay, Jeff. Truly. We'll get through this, okay? We're a family. We stick together and we fight not only side by side but also for each other."

I swallow around the lump in my throat, pushing back tears. Can I even cry anymore? Does my body still produce tears? I have no idea and that uncertainty brings a broken sob rushing out of my throat.

"Thank you," I grit out through clenched teeth. "I love you guys. Please make sure the team is up to speed and please stay on the lookout and don't go anywhere alone. The vampire who did this to me is still at large."

Cooper nods his head, gently touching the door. He can't see me but I still place my hand on the door the same way. I love my team. I love that they're the family who's chosen me the same way I picked them. With them behind me, I know I can do this, I know I can learn to tame the hunger and learn self-control. Their strength leads me on.

"We'll stay on this hunt until it's taken care of," Cooper promises me. "Take care of yourself, bossman. We need our leader, alright?"

"I promise," I tell him seriously.

I wait until I can no longer smell Cooper before I open the door and grab the box he's left me. I bring it into Axel's room, closing the door behind me. No, I'm absolutely not hiding from him. Nope. Not at all. I just want to give him his space for when he gets back home. That's all.

I continue to lie to myself as I open up the box, finding a pile of old looking books. I pick them up carefully, handling them with the care Cooper would expect. These are precious to him and therefore, they're precious to me as well.

I notice he has some things flagged with little sticky notes so I carefully flip through those pages first. The first page talks about the very first vampire created. Apparently vampirism was initially a curse brought on by a powerful goddess who was jilted by a man. He cheated on her and in return, she cursed him with the need for drinking blood. Later on, Lady Fate looked upon the vampire and decided to show him mercy. She gifted him with the ability to live forever and sire a family through transforming people, or through birth.

I'm fascinated as I read over the words, almost forgetting that this is relevant to my life now. I read about the bond a vampire has with their sire. A freshly turned vampire often feels attached to their creator. Lady Fate wanted this bond to be something special, like a pair of best friends sharing eternity together. I clench my fist, thinking about the way the woman who did this to me took something initially beautiful and corrupted it so thoroughly. That fucking asshole.

I flip through the pages, finding the next tag that Cooper has left me. I read the words ‘true mate' and my stomach flips. What's this?

My eyes scan the page, devouring the words before me. Another gift from Lady Fate. She looked at her supernatural children and felt the way they longed to not be alone. She intervened and began to intertwine their soul lines. Every supernatural creature has a true mate out there, the one who would complete their soul.

True mates are drawn together. A tether ties them together, pulling tighter and tighter until they're falling into each other's laps one way or another, destined to find true love once they're together.

I bite my bottom lip so hard it draws blood.

Is that what I'm feeling? Is Axel my true mate? But why wouldn't he say something? Why wouldn't he just tell me?

I put on my hunter hat, trying to look at this logically.

Axel took me in when I was at my most vulnerable, promising to help me with my transition into the supernatural world. I'm sure he didn't want me to feel like he was forcing himself on me. He was trying to protect me.

My stomach is fluttering with butterflies as I sit back against Axel's sheets, letting this new information truly sink in. Axel is my true mate.

Even as I think the words, they sing with truth inside of me. He's my true mate. That's why he smells so good, that's why I feel so at home here in his space. This is why I feel so fucking drawn to him, which is a relief because I was worried I would always feel so fucking overwhelmed for the rest of my undead life but it turns out it's because I'm around my true mate.

A started chuckle escapes me as relief hits me full force. I'm not out of control, I'm just meeting my mate.

I continue to read everything that Cooper has left me, wanting as much information as possible. I get so lost in reading that I don't register Axel's arrival until he's knocking on the bedroom door. I startle for a moment before relaxing, setting my book down on the bed.

"Come in."

Axel walks in, looking all matters of shy. After tucking his hair behind his ear, he nervously rubs at the back of his neck. "Hey," he says, his shoulders so tense they're practically touching his ears. I really shouldn't find this so endearing. All of these feelings welling up inside of me finally make sense and I can't stop myself from smiling. "I just wanted to apologize about earlier."

I shake my head. "You have nothing to apologize for," I tell him seriously.

"No, I really do. I shouldn't have let things get so out of hand. You're still learning how to be in this body. I shouldn't add complications to that, Jeff."

"You know what?" I ask, cutting him off and standing up. "I changed my mind. You have one thing to apologize for."

Axel's eyes widen and he stands up a little straighter, hanging on my every word. Good. I want his full attention.

"Anything," he says.

"You can say you're sorry for not telling me sooner." I take another step towards him until I'm right in his space, almost nose to nose.

"Tell you what?"

"That you're my true mate," I say right before I'm kissing him and this time, Axel doesn't pull away.