23 What a Mate Truly is

"What is a mate? I know that Alice is not human, but I don't completely understand everything that has to do with vampires. I am assuming that it is safe to talk about this with you, Brielle?" Blake eyes Brielle suspiciously.

Sighing, Brielle looked at the boy, "yeah, it is not like I will go and blab to the next person. The only ones that need to know are my ward, boss and me. I think that you should talk to him. Blake may be young compared to you, but compared to when I learned everything, I was younger than he is now."

"Mate? That is a different term, but if that has anything to do with romantic feelings, then I want to hear more. I have told Alice that I love her a few times, but I get the feeling that she is holding back because of my mortality." Blake looks between the two and eats another pizza slice.

Alice looks away, blushing, "do you think it would be wrong of me to date someone so young? I mean, I have already lived a hundred or so years."

"You only get one shot at a true mate. Do you think that you would be able to survive as he became old and withered away on you? Although I can understand why you are waiting. I would wait until he looks like he would match your age, so twenty-five or so." Brielle looked at Blake. "It is not my place to explain, but I can if Alice is uncomfortable doing it."

"No, that is okay. I will go over it, but can you help me if I get stuck?" Alice says this to Brielle. She sees her nod and lets out a small sigh. "Blake, as you already know, I am not like you. I am a vampire that feasts on blood. I stopped drinking human blood before you came into my life. Instead, I was drinking animal's blood. Although not as delicious, it is life-sustaining. A mate is someone that is one's, destined partner. When a supernatural being finds their mate, they feel the mating pull. I was drawn to you when you were a baby, and that is why I became your nanny. I could tolerate the pull if I were nearby. You may not remember this, but you would only be calm in my arms as a baby. It frustrated your mother to no end, but she was so grateful that I was there to take care of you. I loved watching you grow up, and I was blessed with being able to care for you. Although that may actually be a strange thing to say."

"The thing with supernaturals is that they can sense their mates. From what I have understood, seventy percent of the time, the mate is already like them, but those numbers could be wrong for vampires because I think that choose humans more often." Brielle looks at Alice for confirmation.

"For other supernaturals, that would be true, but for vampires, they usually match up with humans, so about seventy to eighty percent. It is not easy to find another vampire to get tied to, but then again, the vampires turn their mates to match. In other words, we turn our mates, but turning someone that is not destined to be our mates runs the risk of creating a damned vampire. A damned vampire is a type of vampire that is a monster that kills. I refuse to turn someone accidentally. The closer the vampire is to the royal family, the easier it becomes to turn someone with less risk, but only a direct descendant is able to turn someone without consequences." Alice covers her mouth and looks at Brielle, shocked, "I'm begging you to keep that to yourself."

Brielle looks at Alice, shocked. "For the record, I will not record anything that you are saying in front of me, nor will I make it known to others. You are telling me this is good faith, and I would rather that you feel free to talk in front of me than to be guarded."

Blake looks between the two, "okay, I understand what a mate is like now and some more about vampires. This would also explain why I am so protective of you. I thought that it was because you took care of me after my family passed away, but that is not the case. I am your mate, the one destined to be your partner for life. If this is true, then I will turn whenever you need me to." He places his hand on Alice's.

"I-I do not disgust you? I thought that once the truth came to light, you might not want me anymore. I am a lot older, and every single time you said that you loved me, I thought that you meant as a family member. Thank you for loving me, Blake." Alice started crying while covering her face with her hands.

Blake stood up and hugged Alice. "No, it is I that should be thanking you. You are the one that sacrificed so much to save me. Brielle, I would like to accept your offer if Alice is comfortable with it."

"Yes, please. I would like that a lot as well. That is if that offer still stands?" Alice wiped the tears away and patted Blake's arm.

"Of course! There are zero issues with that. There are plenty of stores that are still open. I can't leave the apartment at this time, but I can give you cash to get everything you need or my bank card. Alice, do you know how to drive?" Brielle smiles at the two, happily nodding.

Cocking her head to the side, Alice thinks. "I know how to drive. What does that have to do with this apartment?" She looks confused.

"Perfect. Here are the keys to the moving truck in the basement and my bank card forget the cash; a card is easier. You two have until midnight for some stores. Go and get whatever you need for the apartment. That includes food and clothing. Blake, make sure to get everything that you need for school as well. You and Tina can start on the same day. I will take care of the paperwork from my laptop when I get back to my room." Brielle hands over the keys and card.

"How do you know that I will not take the card and run?" Alice looked at Brielle holding the card and keys close to herself.

Shrugging, Brielle got up and stretched. "I don't, but I also know that you are in a bind and if your mate says no, you will not be able to ignore your request. We may not know everything, but we have some knowledge. If you are ready, I can guide you to the truck, and you two can go and get what you need from the store."

Closing the pizza box and shoving everything in the fridge, Blake stands and looks at Brielle. "Thank you. I really mean that. Come on, Alice, let's go shopping to get what we need."

Alice smiled at Blake and got up. "Lead the way, Brielle. Thank you for this. You could've just done me in, but you have compassion. I hope that most hunters become like you in the future."

"We are hoping to connect with the advocate, but they are not an easy person to get a hold of for hunters. If you hear from that person, could you let them know that the hunters would like to discuss what to do and how to go forward with the plans?" As they walked to the elevators. Brielle pulled out a card and tapped to get to the basement. She handed two keycards to Alice. "These cards are connected to your floor, and you will have access to the elevator now. There is a pool downstairs as well that you can use with the card."

"I was wondering about that. I saw the pool but never asked about it. I knew that we were not supposed to be here." Blake scratched the back of his neck, looking embarrassed.

Taking the cards, Alice hands one to Blake and pockets the second one. "Are you okay if I get a few outfits? I do not need a lot."

"Pffft, get what you want. That card is unlimited, and you need some clothing as well." Brielle stepped out when the elevator opened and walked up to the moving truck. "This is the truck."

"You are too kind to me. I will grab only what I need. Blake, we are on our way now; please get in. Brielle, we will be back soon." Alice got in and waved. Once Blake was inside, Alice pulled away.

Brielle pulled out her phone. ~Vampire and human are under my watch and protection now. I will be transferring the unit in their names, and they are borrowing the truck to get furniture for their place.~

~What else do you know about them, and do you think they will cause you any issues?~ Leo replied promptly.

"Pffft." Brielle climbed into the elevator before replying. ~No issues from those two. They just want to live in peace. So long as we offer them a place and protection, they will not care. Alice is the vampire's name, and she is not a daywalker. The boy is the same age as Jenna and will be attending school with her, and I will be doing his paperwork. His name is Blake.~