Chapitre 34: Mate
[Bonus Chapter for reaching 100 votes! ^^]
[Catherine's POV]
Watching my own funeral across Benjamin's window, I didn't know what to feel. A priest was making her final prayers while the ashes of some stranger were scattered across my tomb beside my mother's.
Being a noble and a duke, we have our own graveyard where our ancestors were laid to rest. It was hidden from view and gated, of course, to prevent grave diggers from stealing the jewels of our dead.
I hummed a tune when I felt Benjamin wake up from my arms. I kissed my little boy's forehead and hugged him closer against my blossom. I wanted to be near him every day for the remainder of my stay here.
He was the only joy in my life, and to protect him and be with him, I would do anything.
Rocking and humming him to sleep, I cradled him close in my arms. I sat on a rocking chair and watched him yawn with his little mouth. He was so cute that my heartfelt big against my chest.
I wish time with him would stop . . . and when I came too, it was already passed an hour.
*sigh . . .
Why can't my power be time stopped instead of speed and strength?
My nostrils flared, and my eyes bled crimson when I smelled a distinct scent. Not flowery perfumes and strong scent of wine and Tabaco, but something else entirely.
A mixture of cinnamon, fresh mint, and blood. The smell of death beneath the artificial scent.
And it came from my father's room!
Making sure that Benjamin was alright, I bolted towards my father's office. Within minutes I reached the interior of the study, and my eyes zeroed on a man who was casually sitting on the couch.
It was him!
The man who turned me and made my life miserable!
"You!"
Anger cursed through my veins. Anger that was foreign to me before and only felt now when I was turned into a vampire. There was another, too, a feeling of overwhelming devotion that I dismissed with great effort.
My emotions were intensified with my bloodlust.
I must have his head!
"C-Catherine?" My father was surprised to see me, but I didn't spare him any attention.
I leaped forward, claws extending and fangs barring.
Instead of fear, the man smiled and uttered only one word, "Stop."
I halted.
I willed my body to move, but I couldn't. I was frozen in time, and fear shuddered through me when I realized I couldn't go against him.
"Catherine!"
"Sit."
My father's eyes turned dull, and he sat without a word.
"F-father." My fangs and claws retracted, and my bloodshot eyes returned to normal. "W-what did you do to him?"
The man made his way towards me — elegance in his movement and confidence in his every stride. I never saw such a man carry himself with such regality until him. Not even the nobilities in the kingdom nor the king or Saintess could match him.
"Don't worry," he said, voice clear and deep. Like a caress of a lover and my heart thudded hard against my chest.
"Your father is fine."
He stopped inches from me, and I had to strain my neck just to meet his eyes. He looked human. All parts of him looked human, but his scent gave away that he was a creature of the night.
He stroked my cheek, and I could do nothing but be hypnotized by his beauty.
"How are you, my love?"
. . . My love? I frowned at his words. What does he mean by that?
He leaned closer, and his breath tickled my ear. "I was worried about you that's why I came early . . . but it seems that I worried for nothing."
He straightened his back and smiled, eyes turning crescent. He looked kind, but I knew that he was a demon underneath his disguise. Else, why did he turn my life into a living nightmare?
"My dear, Catherine," he started, and my knees almost gave way at the husky sound of my name from his lips.
"I didn't know how you can control your thirst in just a matter of days, but I don't care nor plan to find out."
His pupils constricted, and I cowered before him.
"I'm here to take you away."
". . ."
I knew this day would come, but it was too soon.
"What if I . . ." I looked away. Even I was turned into a vampire, my timid nature wouldn't just disappear, especially since my newly found anger was nowhere to be found.
He was intimidating and exuded confidence, while I was . . .
Well . . . dull and meek.
It took everything I had not to fall to my knees in his presence.
"I don't want to . . ."
". . ."
The silence that soon followed was unbearable, and I knew he was staring at me with narrowed pupils. I felt the burn of his stair even without looking.
". . . Not too soon . . . ," I added. My voice croaked into a plea when I thought of Benjamin, and my tears pooled in my eyes.
Why am I so helpless against him even with all these acquired powers? Was it because he was the one who bit me?
He pinched my chin and made me look him in the eyes. His expression softened, melting, and my tears rolled on my cheeks.
He wiped them gently and said with a soft voice like a whisper. "You can't, my love. I have already given you enough time to be with your family."
Is that why he left after biting me?
"I have endured these days worrying about you that any seconds more, my blood will burst from my nerves."
I was confused.
"Why?"
Why me? Why call me like I was his long last lover? Why was his voice so soft and his gestures so gentle?
We didn't know each other. I hated him, but there was an invincible thread pulling me towards him. An escapable bond that I couldn't ignore.
"Why . . .?" He blinked, surprised by my question like he didn't expect me to ask why.
"Oh, I see . . ." His pupils constricted once more, "It's because you're originally a human, and you don't feel it."
He huffed a laugh, and I was amazed how everything dimmed but him when his handsome face turned divine.
"I oftentimes forget that you're a human. But now that you've turned into a vampire . . . you should feel it too."
"Feel it?"
He held my hand and interlaced our fingers.
"The bond. My love. You and I are fated. You're my mate."
". . . Huh?"
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A/N
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L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
MiuNovels
MiuNovels What do you guys think?
Is Catherine really Charles's mate? Or is there something more to it? ^^
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