Page 16 of Stolen By Dragons

“Vampires can move insanely fast, a gift of ours. Faster than any other supe.”

“Oh, right. Can you turn into bats?” she asked as she glanced at the bat symbol over my hallway.

“No, that is a myth, but I guess the Dracarians didn’t care about that. Bats are always associated with vampires, well, until they started sparkling,” I said, my own mouth quirking up as she managed a dry chuckle.

As we talked, I found myself drawn in by her. The way the firelight played across her features, the depth of emotion in her eyes – it was captivating in a way I hadn't experienced incenturies. And beneath the fear and uncertainty, there was a strength in her that was undeniable.

She asked me about my kind, and how old I was, which had caused her brows to attempt to leap into her hairline. I could tell she wanted to ask more questions and was using the knowledge of what I was to distract her from the big elephant in the room.

“Centuries, wow, that’s crazy. Did you ever hear of the Dracarians in your lifetime then?”

“No, this is completely new to me.”

“Right… It's all so overwhelming," Aria said, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm in another world, surrounded by creatures I thought were myths, and apparently, we're all that stands between two worlds and total annihilation."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that. "When you put it that way, it does sound rather insane.”

She smiled, a small, fragile thing that nonetheless lit up her entire face. "Doesn't it? Sometimes I think I must be dreaming. That I'll wake up and everything will be back to normal."

"And if you don't?" I found myself asking. "If this is all real?"

Aria's smile faded, replaced by a defeated acceptance with a hint of determination. "Then I guess we fight. What other choice do we have?"

In that moment, I saw her not just as a potential source of sustenance, but as a person – brave, vulnerable, and utterly fascinating. I reached out, brushing a tear from her cheek, curious as to how she’d react to my touch.

Aria froze at my touch, her eyes widening. We were suddenly very close, the air between us charged with an unexpected tension. I could hear her heart racing, smell the intoxicating scent of her blood just beneath her skin.

What happened next was pure impulse. One moment we were staring at each other, and the next, our lips met in akiss that sent shockwaves through my entire being. It was brief, barely more than a brush of lips, but it left me reeling.

Aria pulled back first, her face flushed, eyes wide with surprise and confusion. "I... I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that," she stammered.

I stepped back, equally shocked by what had just transpired. "No, I... it's fine. I should go."

Without waiting for a response, I retreated, my mind whirling. What had just happened? How had a simple plan to feed turn into... that?

As I made my way back to my quarters, I found myself more intrigued than ever by Aria. Her immunity to my compulsion, whether magic related or not, her curiosity about me, the unexpected connection between us. The way she’d kissed me, even as briefly as she had. It had sparked something inside of me that had my undead heart fluttering, which was bizarre considering it hadn’t so much as missed a beat in two hundred years.

She was an enigma that called to me.

And for some strange reason, my hunger had settled slightly.

How intriguing indeed.

7

ARIA

Iwoke with a start, my heart pounding as if I'd been running. For a moment, I couldn't remember where I was. Then it all came flooding back - Dracaria, the Void, the revelation that we were all part of some ancient bloodline. And... Ossian.

My fingers drifted to my lips, remembering the unexpected kiss we'd shared in the dark hours of the night. I shook my head, trying to clear the memory. How had that even happened? One minute I was crying by the fire, and the next... I’d kissed him. We’d been talking about him, how he was around six hundred years old, and then he’d touched my cheek, and I’d reacted.

Was it just the overwhelming emotions from this entire situation erupting in some weird impulse? That was my only explanation, and yet, thinking of it had my heart fluttering.

Had he been disgusted or hated it? Crap, I had no idea, he’d just left me there, looking rather startled and confused.

Yep, I’d just scared off a centuries old vampire.

Go team.

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