Blood Bond

Adelaide stood her ground, as much as her brain told her to run. As much as her heart racing within her chest told her this was a bad idea…her curiosity got the best of her. Her want to do something right…got the best of her. She wanted to help, and if she could do just this one thing to help repay him for saving her life…she would. She didn’t flinch as he stepped toward her she simply looked up to him. A bit of a smile curved up her lips. “I should be absolutely terrified, yes. I know this. My body knows this, my heart races…but…” She shook her head. “It isn’t you I am afraid of…just the thought of the things that have happened in the recent days. In my life in general.” She searched his eyes carefully.

As he began to explain what him feeding on her truly meant, she still stood her ground. Almost defiantly. She refused to flinch away. She refused to let her fear get the best of her. Adelaide drew in a breath as she took in the information that he gave her. “I…truly have no one Ivan. If anything I would make the perfect familiar for you. There is no worry about anyone searching for me since I am from the orphanage. Lilian knew exactly what she was doing when she sent me to that ball last night…” She shifted her weight a bit, her heart had slowed slightly as she gazed into his eyes. The medical kit slipped from its position upon the table that Ivan had set it on, it made a loud thud as it fell to the floor. Adelaide flinched, a shimmer of light shown within her iris’ once again as she stared to the kit. She let out a breath and a laugh came over her lips. “Perhaps…I’ll be more comfortable…if I can sense your presence…would I feel more safe?” She asked and gazed to him with her hazel hues once again.

Adelaide gazed to Ivan as the silence settled in over them. Though when he did move she drew in a breath, her eyes lifted to him a moment before she allowed him to tilt her head. Her hands moved to rest upon his chest as she let out a long breath. “I’m not. You’ve saved my life, I owe you at least this.” She whispered softly. A shiver ran down her spine as she felt his lips against her neck. There was no returning from this point. She simply closed her eyes as her heart began to race within her chest.

As she felt the sting of his fangs pierce into her skin her fingertips curled into the cloth of his clothing as she gripped onto him. At first, it hurt. Her entire body tensed. Every atom of her being told her that this was a mistake. But she didn’t push against him, she didn’t fight…Adelaide drew in another breath and with each breath the pain seemed to disappear. Her body began to feel warm, as if she was wrapped up in a warm fuzzy blanket. A smile curved up her lips as the euphoria filled her head, an almost drunken feeling filled her body. Her head began to feel light. Her grip upon his shirt loosened as she leaned her head even more to the side and a sigh came over her lips.

The minute that he drank from her felt as though it lasted a lifetime, and yet it felt like only a few seconds had passed. Adelaide opened her eyes as she felt him straighten slightly. She shivered as she gazed up to him, her eyes swirled with light for a moment before the hazel color returned. Magic. Yes. Magic was very much alive in her blood. It was an old magic that was once attributed to that of the strongest mages. The truth was, Adelaide was the daughter of a great mage that had died to protect her. His name was Alonzo Bennett. He’d placed Adelaide upon the steps of the orphanage in an attempt to hide her from the dangers of the world. The danger with her blood was that it would give strength and power to those that drank it. Her kind had been used in the past. That was much of the reason why her family line had dwindled out. Once long ago her kind was viewed as angels. Whether they were or not. That was the true mystery.

Adelaide had a soft smile upon her lips that turned into a full grin when Ivan smiled to her. She took a step back and as she stepped away from him she realized just how light headed she was. She placed her hand upon the back of the chair that she stood near. She smiled as she looked to his arm that no longer had deep punctures within it. “Of course. You’ve saved me. It…it’s really the least I could do.” She watched him as he looked to his arm in confusion. The smile fell from her own expression. She tilted her head slightly as he spoke.

She searched his eyes as her brows furrowed, a bit of a laugh came over her lips. “Perhaps it is just because you haven’t had fresh blood…um…” She shifted slightly a slight laugh came over her lips. The drunken feeling was nearly overwhelming. It was a high like none other. She could see why those that serve as familiars become addicted to the feeling. It was unlike anything she’d ever felt. “There’s nothing special about me. I was abandoned as a child. Not even my parents wanted me.” She gave a sad smile to him before she laughed lightly once again. “This…is truly a high like nothing else.” She giggled as she sat down in the chair heavily, another giggle came over her lips then. “What exactly causes that? Is it something that you do? Is it the loss of blood?” She hummed the words.

After a long moment Adelaide looked back to Ivan with a soft smile upon her lips. “If you think…that I’m so different…why is it you think that?” She asked as she stood and walked to him. She touched his arm where the wound had once been. “You’re healed. Isn’t that what drinking fresh blood does?” She questioned as she looked up to him. “You keep mentioning my eyes...” She smirked to him, clearly much braver in this state than she had been before. “They’re just hazel eyes, Ivan. Nothing special about them at all.” She pat his chest and let out another slight laugh before she returned to the chair and sat down in it heavily once again.

Adelaide watched Ivan with a bit of a curious look in her eyes. “Hm….” She hummed as she leaned her head back against the chair, everything seemed so much more vibrant now. Alive even. “I’d rather not.” She smirked to him. She then gazed to him with her hazel hues as he spoke of the light in her eyes. “Magic?” She laughed then and shook her head. “Ivan don’t throw too much at me, first you show me that vampires are real and now…you say that magic is in my veins?” She looked to him with her drunken expression, a warm smile upon her lips.

“No…” She shook her head slightly. “I have asked Lilian I would bet a thousand times about my parents…” She scrunched her brows. “There was a letter, just that.” She stood and went to one of her boxes. “I’ve always kept it. Lilian kept it and gave it to me when I was around…” She paused to think as she swayed slightly. She rummaged through a box that was sitting upon her bed. “16 I think…” She pulled an old leatherbound journal from the box and walked over to Ivan. She nearly collapsed back into the chair and then giggled slightly to the feeling of the plush chair against her body. “Ah yes here.” She slipped an old piece of paper from the journal that looked as though it had seen many tears.

Adelaide held the page up, her eyes moved to Ivan a moment. “I’ve read this time and time again. Hoping to have answers. But I’ve never found any from it…” She cleared her throat slightly before she began to read the hand written note out loud.

“It pains me to do this, but I know that you will keep my dearest daughter safe. I have heard great things about you Lilian Stone. I have come to a crossroads and I have chosen to keep the only thing that I love left safe. Her name is Adelaide Lyra Bennett. She’s just shy of her first birthday. She’s not much trouble, she sleeps through most nights, just as she is sleeping as I write this. She enjoys the summer storms the most, especially when there are bolts of lightning. She takes a bottle well, as her mother died when she was only a few months of age. Terrible accident. You may have seen it on the news. The pile up on the highway. I digress.

Lilian I have placed plenty of money within this basket to care for my daughter. I hope that one day I may return to bring her back into my life. But, the dangers of her existing with me without her mother to protect her are far too great and I fear that I will lose my little girl also. So please, take this money. Raise her. Nurture her. I’ve seen you do so well in the past…and for years I’ve given money to the orphanage. I will continue to do so. Thank you for all that you do.

A.R.Bennet.”

Adelaide drew in a breath. “I spent several years after I was given this letter. Trying to trace the initials to someone within the city. Someone from a neighboring city. Hell…I paid to track this man down. I looked up the accident on the highway…Lilian remembers it. It was a terrible fiery accident. One car. My mother’s car. Her body was said to have melted within the fires of the crash, but that was what the report said because apparently there wasn’t a body truly recovered from the accident…” Her eyes were glassy as she fought back tears. “I’ve spent the past 10 years of my life trying to uncover who my parents were…but it seems that they never existed. My mother’s name was Evelyn Lyra Bennett…” She paused a moment, her voice shook slightly. “They gave me the same middle name…” She let out a soft laugh and shook her head as a tear rolled down her cheek. She brushed it away and finally lifted her eyes to look to Ivan once again. “There you have it. The tale of an orphan.” She gave a sad smile to him.

Adelaide looked to Ivan as something seemed to spark within his eyes. “Yes, Bennet…” She spoke as he rushed from his seat. She stood and hurried after him. It felt strange to run in her condition, but she fought against the haze as she slowed near his room. She stepped into the clean room and gazed about, she anticipated the gore from before but the blood had been cleaned away as if it never happened. Adelaide questioned if she had been attacked at all. At this point…it certainly didn’t feel like it. She crossed her arms over her chest as she watched him thumb through the books until he pulled down an old book that looked as though it was older than the city itself. Maybe it was. She raised a brow slightly as she looked to the old page. Her fingertips moved over the name and her brows rose slightly. After all these years of wanting to know something…anything about her family…this was what she found.

She lifted her hazel hues to look to Ivan as he spoke of magic once again. A soft smile curved up her lips. “I may not believe it. But if you say it is so. Then…it must be.” She took the old tome into her hands and ran her fingertips over the name again. “So…my family was very powerful?” She questioned as she looked up to him. “Why would my father abandon me then…it doesn’t make any sense. If I am from a strong line of magic…then…why would he leave me like that?” A sigh came over her lips then as she held to old tome out to Ivan. “He spoke of wanting to protect me…what can Lilian do that he couldn’t? If he had magic wouldn’t he be the best one to protect me?” She raised a brow and then let out a soft laugh. “Lilian is the furthest from magic. That poor woman gets on her hands and knees to scrub the tiles in the bathrooms of that orphanage.” She smirked slightly and then shook her head before she crossed her arms over her chest again. “Why would someone so powerful have to abandon their only family?” She stared to him for a long intense moment. “You said that family lines have died off…why?” There was a spike of fear in her voice as her mind began to run the possibilities. Were they hunted? By humans? What caused her father to be so afraid that he was unable to protect her? Did Lilian know? The questions began to swarm her mind.

Adelaide held a hand to her head slightly as she sucked in a breath. “I need to sit.” She spoke as she stepped over to the couch and nearly fell onto it. “This feeling is quite great…but I do believe that chasing you through the house was not the best idea, Ivan.” A laugh escaped her as she closed her eyes. “How would I know if I have magic? I’ve never…used it…you have to know something.” She gazed to him once again. “Did you know my father?” She asked then after a long moment.

Adelaide frowned slightly to his first sentence. “Well…I suppose I should expect it, hm?” She gave a soft smile. Her hazel hues searched over Ivan as he began to speak more. Her family was hunted by vampires? Her brows rose slightly and she tilted her head as she listened to his story. “Do you think…” She pressed her lips into a line. “How many strong vampires are there in this city? What if they found out about my father…and…that is why he gave me to Lilian…if he were ambushed…would he be able to protect himself?” She sighed softly to the thought.

“But if you don’t feel any different…” She frowned. “Perhaps I don’t have that same magic that you’re speaking of.” She was starting to come down from the high now and her mind was running a thousand miles per hour. “But…if one of the lesser vampires found out that I could be of such a lineage…or perhaps…you are too strong to feel the effects?” She raised a brow slightly. She fell quiet then as he spoke of the man Arthur Bennet. A soft smile curved up her lips. “I’d help you too, Ivan.” She spoke with a soft smile. “Perhaps…it is you and not what you are that caused my ancestor to help you?” She let out a soft laugh.

When Ivan asked if she had ever left the country before a laugh came over her lips again. “Are you humoring yourself or me by asking that question?” She searched his eyes a moment. “I haven’t even stepped foot outside of this city…let alone left the country.” She shook her head. “I barely even left the Fairhurst district…I’ve been pretty busy trying to help Lilian with the orphanage and all…” She bit her lip slightly. Part of her felt guilty for leaving the orphanage behind. "What is your home country?...how long has it been since you were home?"

Adelaide drew in a breath to Ivan’s comment. The thought of finding her father. Alive. “If he was alive. He would have come back for me unless he has been taken by someone of your kind.” She frowned slightly as she watched him carefully. “There are many wars that are waged below the visibility of the public. I’ve seen plenty of them. Those between the gangs of the city. Those between the rich and the poor. The city that tries its best to shut down the orphanage at least twice a year simply because it is an eyesore as the mayor calls it.” She huffed slightly. “I’ve helped Lilian fight off Timothy Cutler for nearly 3 years now. He went straight after the orphanage once he was elected.” She scoffed and shook her head.

She smiled to him then as he mentioned Arthur. “I would. Just as I offered my blood to you. As dangerous as this all might be. You’ve saved my life twice now. If not more that I haven’t counted.” She smirked to him slightly. “So I owe it to you. Perhaps fate has found its way through the tangled web of yarn and placed us together for that exact purpose.” She leaned against the back of the couch as she watched him.

When Ivan spoke in his Scottish accent Adelaide grinned, she may have even blushed slightly. A chuckle came over her lips. “Why on earth would you hide such an accent from the public?” She grinned to him. “You know that half the girls at that party would have been dangling off of your arm if you spoke like that?” She chuckled and shook her head. “I get it though, unwanted attention.” She nodded.

Adelaide stood and sucked in a breath as she gazed over the dark city. “Did you run here from your past?” She asked and looked to him curiously. “Was it like you said before…with the sires and how those that are created loath their sires? Did you run away from that? Or was it something else?” She then bit her lip slightly. “I’m asking too many questions again…aren’t I?” She looked back to the beautiful view of the city then. Adelaide paused a moment as she saw headlights coming up the driveway of the home. She crossed her arms over her chest. “Ivan…are you expecting someone?” She asked then and turned to him a moment before she gazed back down to the drive. It was a luxurious sports car that held cherry red pain. She watched as it came to a stop in the drive. A moment later the vampire from the night before, the younger one that had bitten into her neck stepped from the car. His eyes looked up to her and he had a grin upon his lips. Adelaide felt her heart nearly stop within her chest. “Ivan…” She turned and looked to him the light danced within her eyes almost like lightening this time. The doorbell rang and she jumped slightly to the tone.