Dr. Luna
The Vampires Promised Bride Chapter 13

Lucy stared into the amber eyes in front of her. Maybe he didn't really know? How could he possibly know, right? Unless she called out his name? Oh gosh. She has been told she has talked in her sleep before. She wished she could become invisible right now She cleared her throat slightly and pushed herself up into a sitting position. She tried to play it cool and hide the stomach turning embarrassment inside of her.

instead of pinned against his heated gaze.

"It is perfectly natural. Nothing to be embarrassed about. It is normal to dream about your mate." He flashed her a wide cocky smile. "It would just be nice for it not to be just a dream..."

"What are you talking about?" Lucy was still trying to play it cool though her heart was racing.

Ryan reached his hand up to the back of his neck and rubbed it lightly. He looked up at the ceiling and breathed in through his teeth making a hissing noise. "I know Lucy. Well... we have a connection as mates. And we must be really connected because suddenly these visions started popping into my head. At first, I was confused with what I was seeing but then I realized I was getting it from you. That somehow, I was seeing these images from you. And when I went looking for you you were in here sleeping...dreaming." He peaked down at her as he continued to look upwards. He knew she would be embarrassed.

"I've been wanting to talk to you actually. And since we are finally alone I think this is the perfect time for that."

Lucy was mortified. She immediately swung her legs over the bed and got up. "Wait Lucy."

"No. No. No. We aren't talking right now." She held her hand out as she took a few retreating steps back until she reached the bathroom door. Then she spun around and ran inside. It hurt her legs to push them like that but she had to escape. She quickly shut the door and locked the latch. She heard Ryan chuckle and the soft thud of his head leaning against the door.

"Really Lucy? You know I can just break the door down, right? No need to lock it."

She could hear the cockiness in his tone and rolled her eyes. She took a couple steps back from the door and buried her face in her hands. This was so embarrassing. She peeked through her fingers to take a look at the room she was in. It was an impressive bathroom. There was a large stand in stone shower with multiple shower heads and she could also see a large white porcelain bathtub. Was this really a cave?

She stared at the door cautiously for a moment. If he was going to break down the door he would have done it already... right? It seemed like he was going to at least respect her privacy. She walked over to the tub and turned the water on. She adjusted the temperature and shed her clothes onto the floor.

"You uh sure you don't want company in there? You know with your injuries I should be in there to help you get in and out of the tub... and to wash you."

Lucy let out a quiet airy chuckle. "I'll manage." After the dream she had she completely doubted herself. She didn't have the confidence in herself to stop things. And she was sure he had a newfound confidence after seeing that dream as well. She needed to get her mind right so that she could face him as level headed as possible. She listened to the sound of him leaning against the door and the gentle thud of his head against it again.

"This hurts Lucy. I really need to talk with you."

She looked at the door and felt a pang in her heart. She could hear the pain in his voice and the memory of his pained face in her dream flashed across her mind. She squeezed her fingers together and bit her inner lip. After hearing about the kind of guy he was from Tonya she really didn't want to hurt him.

"We can talk about it after I get cleaned up." Lucy stepped into the tub sucking air in through her teeth as her wounds clashed with the water.

"I'll have some clothes sitting for you right outside of the door for when you are done. I'm sure you want fresh clothes."

"Thank you." Lucy listened as he walked away from the bathroom door, and she heard the sound of the bedroom door opening. She sighed and sank down deeper in to the tub, so the water covered just below her nose. She blew air out in frustration creating bubbles.

She felt exposed since he had seen her dream. She frowned as she felt this empty feeling deep inside of her. She felt... disappointed. It was only a dream. And while it was probably a good thing she couldn't help but feel cheated. She had decided in her dream to allow that moment for herself. But now after having the dream she felt like she couldn't play with Ryan's emotions like that. He was a mate she couldn't have. And she hated the flame of hope that flickered inside of her as it wished to be with him. Ugh, girl get ahold of yourself. You don't even know this man he is a stranger. Well, she tried to rationalize that with herself. But it wasn't like that with your mate. Your mate was like the other half of yourself you didn't know you were missing. And once you find them you can never be whole again, not now that you know what you are lacking. And she felt it. She felt like she knew Ryan. She felt connected to him, and he was familiar to her.

She leaned her head back on the tub and closed her eyes. Ryan couldn't go against the royal family so why did he feel that it was okay for him to keep the prince's bride? What did he have up his sleeves? Did he really think that because she was his mate and he was pureblood that it would be okay? Maybe that is one of the things he wanted to explain to her. She really did not let him explain his situation.

She had to hand it to Ryan for his self-control though. Her own father had forcibly marked her mother not giving her the choice in the situation. It was an accident, and her father was not like that. He had just gotten his powers as the werewolf king, and they took over him. His wolf was able to seize control of the moment. That was something her and Aiden wouldn't have to worry about since their wolves were not separate from them. And vampires weren't separate either, but she has been told several times that their primal instincts can take over. Which is why newly turned vampires have accidentally killed before. It is also the reason why they usually end up marking their mate immediately. They are not able to control themselves.

What she couldn't get over was Ryan's gaze. How he already looked at her like Harley looked at Destiny. Like how her parents looked at each other. There was a possessive tenderness in his eyes. She wondered if her eyes betrayed her when she looked at him. She raised her hand up and played with the surface of the water making a trickling sound.

She would have to reject the mate bond. She had to marry the vampire prince and then Ryan could go and find someone...else. She bit her bottom lip as a wave of anger flashed over her. The very idea of him being with someone else not only infuriated her but it sent a wave of hurt in her. It would be different if they rejected each other, right?

Though to be honest she was not sure. She knew from her father who was rejected that it was an incredibly painful experience. And that if her mother hadn't come into the picture, he probably would have taken the she wolf that rejected him back. It is a strong bond that can continue to last even with the rejection. And she has heard of the rejection not working for some. What if she couldn't sever this feeling inside of her?

She didn't want to think of it. If she still had these feelings, she was not sure how she could bear to be away from him. She had no idea how she would be able to walk into another man's arms and to his bed. The idea of laying with another man made bile rise up into her throat. It repulsed her. Already the mate bond had fastened her to Ryan. It had convinced her that there was no life without him. He was her oxygen and without him she would die.

She realized how naïve she had been all these years. She had thought it was just a feeling she could push aside. She thought for sure she could easily reject her fated mate for her duty to her people. Now she was saying the words but wasn't meaning them. There wasn't a part of her that wanted to reject Ryan. But it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to their species or to Derek who was waiting for her. This wasn't just on her end. Derek was also sacrificing his fated mate too.

She wondered if he had met her yet and how that meeting would have gone. It just depended on if she was born yet or not. It wasn't unheard of for it to take decades or even centuries for a vampire to meet their fated mate. Vampires (who are born vampires) stop aging physically in their twenties. This was the same for werewolves and fairies.

Though usually werewolves were not immortal but lived a long time. But her parents were not normal werewolves since they were also part vampires. The king of the vampires had confirmed that while they are not invulnerable, they were both immortal from their vampire blood. And in another weird turn of events, they also found out that her aunt Rhea (Wyatt's sister) was also immortal now. Apparently, there was a gift from the moon goddess called the Ocean's Tear. This object was supposed to connect her life with her mate who is a deity. But what the object did was connect her aunt's life to the deity's. Which means she will live as long as her mate lives but if either one of them are killed then they both die. And since her mate is immortal as long Rhea wasn't killed, she would also live eternally. Which makes things interesting as the fairy queen.

As for her and Aiden? The vampire king wasn't sure yet about Aiden. He said he would need to test his blood as he ages. And with Lucy it didn't matter because once Derek marked her she would be his immortal bride... for all eternity.

That is enough to let reality really sink it. What she was about to do wasn't just for a short amount of time. She was promising to be with the vampire prince for eternity or until death they part. What if Derek never changed how he acted with her? What if he continued to be cold and uninterested?

She bit her bottom lip as her chest squeezed. Eternity. An eternity of a loveless marriage? She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She knew what she wanted at that moment. She wanted Ryan. She wanted to be wrapped in his love and to be his world.

But life is what it is. And what she wants? Well, who said you get what you want in life?