Chapter 10

"You can start.", James said slyly.

"Why did you mix our blood yesterday, and why was it so painful for me?", I blurted out. He grinned, "That's two questions." He paused, "I mixed our blood because Sylas had instructed me to do so prior to the wedding; I was only recently turned, so I'm not sure of the significance, and it's not something that was written about in any of my readings. Sylas has referred to it as our blood bond."

I went ahead and asked the personal question, knowing that he was going to withhold the answer to the second question, "Did you want to become a vampire?" His eyes gleamed, "Yes, but I was very apprehensive when Sylas approached me years ago.", he chuckled as if reminiscing on the thought brought forward funny memories from his past.

"My turn!", he exclaimed. "What really woke you up this morning?", James grinned devilishly. My eyes widened, and my face turned as red as a beat. Shit, I didn't want to use my pass so soon. There was no way that I could tell him about my dream; goosebumps erupted from my skin at the thought. Thank goodness the server had returned. It gave me a moment to process my thoughts.

The waiter took the soup bowl away and replaced it with a salad: "Freshly poached pear and gorgonzola.", he announced before leaving. I quickly took a bite to give myself some more time. The salad was delicious, I would definitely eat this. Back to the dilemma at hand, I sipped my water before responding. "Pass.", I stated. His grin deepened.

He didn't push me further; instead, he asked if I wanted the prior question answered or to ask another. I thought methodically about my next move; this was going to be one hell of a mental chess match. I needed to ask questions that benefited my situation, and trivial questions would simply have to wait.

 "Why was I chosen to be your bride?", I inquired. He began, "When I was 18, Sylas approached me and promised you to me. All I know is that Sylas has been searching for you for a long time. He only located your whereabouts a year ago." He paused briefly, "There is more, but I don't know the full details yet." He stroked his hand through his sandy blonde hair and met my gaze. "Does that suffice?", he sighed.

I contemplated, "Will you tell me the rest when you find out?" I asked. He nodded in agreement. "Okay." I said, moving to the next question, "How old are you?" He let out a sigh of relief, "I was turned before my 25th birthday, so in a way, I will always remain 24." I took another bite of my salad, chewing as he asked his next question.

 "Are you happy with the current arrangement?", a slight tone of melancholy emerged from his words. I took another bite, followed by a sip of water. "You have been so kind to me and have treated me better than most people from my past.", tears welled in my eyes at the thought, "I was apprehensive at first for sure, but I felt a truth within the vows we spoke, and your actions have reflected them thus far." I sighed, "I can't say that I'm happy; I'm certainly not unhappy, per se; I just don't know. I paused inhaling deeply, this seemed more difficult than I had anticipated. 

The waiter came back, this time with an appetizer. He took my half-eaten plate of salad and placed the dish on the table. "Pan-seared crab cakes.", he stated, as he had done several times before leaving us once again. "It's your turn.", James said. "The blood bond, what are some of the side effects?", I asked. He inhaled deeply, "The side effects that I have experienced for myself.", he cleared his throat. "Vivid dreams and daydreams, increased libido, and a feeling of emptiness when I'm not around you.", he listed. "As far as your side effects, I've only witnessed the immense pain you felt after the initial mixing of our blood and your headache following, but that seems better now, right?", his eyes filled with concern.

I smirked, "Is that your next question?" He rolled his eyes, "No, it's still your turn." I pondered for a moment as I took a bite from one of the two crab cakes sitting in front of me. Taking another drink of water, I started, "How was I promised to you 5 years before Sylas even knew of me or where I was?" He smiled devilishly again, "That question is more about the situation, don't you think?" Damn, he had me again. "I'll answer it on one condition.", he said nonchalantly, "I get a dare."

I let out a frustrated groan, "Fine." His eyebrows perked up upon hearing my response, "Sylas…" I cut him off, "I'll ask a different question.", payback was a bitch, I could get under his skin too. I chuckled to myself, taking another bite of crab cake. "Why did you agree to turn into a vampire just to be forced into an arranged marriage?" His face twisted slightly, expressing his own frustrations.

He huffed, "As I said before, Sylas had come to me on my 18th birthday; he described you in such a way that I knew I had to meet you to witness your beauty for myself. I honestly thought he was mad at first until he proved to me that other things he claimed were true, like him being a vampire, among other things." He paused, thinking to himself, "If things could have been done differently, I would have chosen that route, but Sylas insisted this was the best way."

I took another bite. "What have you been dreaming about?", he asked. I almost choked on my food. Damn, he was good. Too good. Had he assumed that I was sharing some of the same side effects as he was? Regardless, I couldn't bring myself to tell him, but the dare was an unknown. He could literally ask me to do anything. What should I do?

Right on time, the waiter interrupted us, giving me a temporary hiatus. He swapped the dishes out: "Veal marsala." I took another sip of my drink and gazed at the dish, salivating at the aroma. "Well?", James interjected. "Pass.", I said; I helped myself to the food. It was amazing. James' eyes darkened; I guess he had just gotten what he wanted out of this dinner.

"My turn again?" I chimed in. James nodded eagerly; he had won, and he knew it. "Will I be turned into a vampire?", I felt like it might be better to know this information ahead of time. "Sylas hasn't said anything regarding that as of yet, but if I find anything out, I will let you know.", he replied. Moving on to my next question, I gave it some thought while chewing on my meal, "What were you like when you were human?" "Pass.", he retorted.

He didn't give me time to react before asking, "Are you attracted to me?" I blushed deeply. "Yes.", I responded without going into much detail. I still wasn't sure if the feelings were my own or the blood bond distorting my outlook. I ate the food eagerly as we briefly paused the Q&A. I was so stuffed afterward that I couldn't eat another bite. I wiped the corners of my mouth feeling satisfied.

The server came back, "I hope you saved room for dessert. Tonight, we have a lovely chocolate raspberry truffle cake." That sounded mouthwatering; one bite couldn't hurt. I smiled as he placed the plate in front of me. I looked up at James, "Do we have to keep playing?", I asked coyly. He smiled smugly, "Don't want to risk me getting another dare?" Blushing, I said, "Yes." He chuckled, "That's fair; we can stop if that's what you want." I nodded and ate my dessert without another care in the world; it was heavenly. 

The dinner was a good idea, I had gained some more information and got to see James' playful side. He was intelligent and he wasn't afraid to show it during the cat-and-mouse game we had played.

"Where to next?" I asked. He looked down at his watch, "I suppose we have time to walk along the French Broad greenway." He smiled as he got up from his chair and then guided me from mine. We walked to the front, where we were met by the door with our coats. He helped me to get into mine before putting his on.

He looked so sleek in his outfit; I had just noticed that it similarly matched mine. He tucked my hand into the crook of his arm, and we headed out the door. We had just started walking away when I realized that I was missing something. "The rose.", I gasped. I went to pull away from him to retrieve it. "Don't worry, I can have the driver pick it up.", he stated. "Thank you so much for everything", I said as I rested my head on his upper arm.