Predestined (18+)

Speculation

By the end of day two, I would have sworn I was dying. My heart was on fire in my chest. My head spent most of its time hanging over my toilet. I hadn't stopped vomiting since my return to the apartmemt. The attempts to sleep off the effects of the bond went in vein. No meds would suppress the anguish either.

Every part of my being begged me to go back to Damion, but I refused. Even if I had allowed the drain to take me over, I was in no condition to drive back to my true home. I would have to wait for him to come to me, and the fact he hadn't, made me more angry.

He should have told them by now.

The words ran on repeat in my mind. Two days was far more time than he needed to tell the fold. Even if they hadn't taken it well, he should have told them. He should have been able to return to my side, but he was gone.

Tears stained my pillow as I passed out from the corrosion of my mind and body. The effects may have taken longer for a human to feel, but they were far more unbearable once they sank in.

My skin tingled in the night. I was sure it was a new phase of pain, but the sensation seemed to be centered around my waist. My eyes flew open when I felt my clothing being removed. I didn't have much strength, but what I did have left was used to throw my elbow behind me. My heart nearly stopped beating when a hand grabbed it and pulled me to turn around.

"Damion!"

My voice was horribly rasp, but I was more than relieved. At least I wanted to be, but the dark swollen flesh around his eyes, and the dampness of his skin threw me into a panicked state.

"Damion, baby you look terrible." I whimpered, running my hands over his face.

"You still look beautiful." He whispered in return, sounding soothing as he always had. "Sorry it took me so long to get here. We had a complication."

"Complication?" I could feel my strength returning, but it was coming in so slowly, and the concern wasn't helping correct the damage.

"Yes baby. Its about your friend from work. Do you recognize her as a vampire?" His question caught me completely off guard. I only had one friend, and I had no idea if what he was suggesting was true.

"Stacy? No. I don't know her. Well, I know her from reality as a coworker, but nothing from a dream."

His skin was returning to the cool smoothness it once held after a fresh feed, and I stroked his arm out of habit, trying to keep myself calm in the moment more than him.

"She's a vampire Jo. I've been watching her for a while. Its why I started coming into the bar." He gave me a moment to reflect on his words before he continued. "Nicole caught her feeding in a bar one night. She waved it off at first, thinking Stacy was just a passer by or new in town, but after a few weeks, we noticed how many humans she was taking home. Doesn't take much to work out what she was doing, but she would release them after she fed."

"She can compel." I gasp. This meant Stacy wasn't a new vampire. She was at least two-hundred years old.

"Yes, and we didn't start having so many other vampires until she moved to town either." He explained, sweeping a lock of my hair behind my ear as he did.

"Then she can turn them, too. How old is she?" It wasn't something that should have been possible. Out of what I knew, the rulers had eradicated most of the older vampires over the centuries. Too, many had broken the laws and were put to death. Spencer was one of the few still remaining, and she was gone now as well.

"That's the thing. We went to Nathaniel about it weeks ago. He claims her records show her as not much younger than Xander and myself. She can't be the one turning them."