Chapter 2
“Fuck! Am I going to imprint on all vampires I see?”
They all seem pleased and the principal is looking at me oddly.
“No. Only people your soul feels a connection too,” Lazarus answers. That doesn’t make much sense to me but okay.
“You accept me?” I look to the principal. “You accept me? My imprint?”
“This is crazy and I have no idea how it works. But I do feel connects to you all. I always have,” I say the last part looking at the principal. “But am I allow? I am your great niece. Well, most of you.”
That’s right, the woman he imprinted on is my grandmother and his older sister.
“Yes. Like it would stop us.”
“This isn’t my clothes. I stole them from the attic of a man I killed. I really hate them,” I blurt out. I tend embarrassed myself when I’m nervous.
They smile. “It’s alright. We can get you new clothes.”
“Yes.”
“Can I bath you?” They all look to the principal as though to ask ‘what?’
“I want to take care of you. I have been so cruel to you, I want to make it up to you and earn my place as your mate.”
I smile. “You weren’t cruel, principal.”
“Call me Mal.”
“You never said a word to me. You were the only person in school who wasn’t cruel. My sister is the Queen and I was the eighteen year old in an eight year old’s body. The teachers weren’t outright cruel, but they all treated me differently because I am seen as lesser. Even my daddies said…” Tears welled in my eyes and he pulled me into his arms.
“You have never been lesser. Even when you were little you were special. Strong.”
“You have us now. We are yours and you are ours. No one, even your parents, will hurt you ever again,” Jacob says and the others agree.
“Let’s bath.”
Despite the tears I begin to giggle. “Do you think me unclean?”
“You are a little sandy and bloody,” He answer amused and kisses my nose.
I frown and look down to see I am indeed covered in blood.
“It was a big guy and you barely drank any,” Issac explains. “His arterial blood sprayed all over you when you pulled back to look at us. It was very arousing,” He admits.
“I hadn’t even noticed. I planning on sitting on the beach until morning,” I think out loud. “It’s a good job you saw me. I usually kill people in their homes.”
“We wouldn’t have left you bloody.”
They lead me up some stairs to a large bathroom and Malachi began to run a bath.
“Were you sexual with my grandmother too?”
They quickly shake their heads. “She lead Mal along for over a century with promises but left while we were still babies.”
My heart broke for him. Promises about forever and children, all the time she was having sex with random men. Then to leave him for a human man who didn’t want her.
No wonder he was so hurt.
“I will try and be a good mate for you all. If I do anything wrong. I don’t know… I’ve always been treated as a small child until tonight, so this is all strange.”
They all reassure me and all appear happy. Each hugs me but none pressure me into anything else. Probably sensing my nerves.
Kicking off the sandals and pulling the dress over my head, I climb into the warm water.
It is a big tub. Bigger than I’ve ever seen. They look me over back never comment or try anything.
“Aren’t any of you joining me?” I ask nervously.
“This is about your comfort, Zelda,” Mal says. “We want to pamper you,” Jacob adds.
“We are going to do things the proper way.”
“The proper way?” I ask curiously.
“Yes,” Mal nods with a smile. “No mouth kisses,” He touches my lips with his index finger. “And no sex for five days. The next few days you’ll be pampered and not have to raise a finger.”
“Five days? Really?” They look amused but nod. “Why?”
“Ancient rules.” Seeing my blank expression he asks, “You remember ancient rules, Ms Ambrose’s class.”
I can’t stop myself rolling my eyes. “She’s a bit slow. I’m sure we’ll get to it before we graduate.”
“I will review that. It really should be taught the first year of senior school.” Senior school is ages seventeen to twenty-one.
“Why don’t you four teach me? You’re my teacher, right?” I ask teasingly.
“Flirt as much as you want, we aren’t giving in to you,” Says Jacob.
“It’s for the best, Zelda. It is a proven way make an everlasting bond.”
His twin nods his head, “Yes. Relationships built exclusively and instantly on sex almost never last.” My mind goes straight to my parents. My mother is always bragging how she and my daddies imprinted and had sex within the first hour of meeting. My grandmother hated her, I think she was jealous because my grandfather truly loved her but not my grandmother.
My grandmother tried to kill her and so my daddies parents took in my mother, adopting her as their own. My grandfather killed her and himself shortly afterwards.
“Then I am happy to wait. I want this to work.”
I am nervous the whole time but they seem content washing me. Never once do they touch me inappropriately. But clean every inch of me.
“We haven’t any women’s clothing. But I know a place we can get you some. There’s a vampire run store open every night.”
They have me out of the bath and wrapped in a towel
“You’ll have to wear one of our shirts or something for now.”
“Really? My mother always brought my clothes online.” I am pretty excited.
With brushed hair and dressed in an over-sized shirt and ugly granny sandals, not forgetting my bag of money we all leave the house.
“I like your smile, Mal,” I say making him smile bigger.
“Yes, it is good to see you happy. We were worried we’d never see you smile.” His brothers and Lazarus are clearly happy not only to be with me and Mal and see him happy.
“So have you been celibate since Jezebel?” I ask Mal as again a twin drives.
“I’ve been with some humans but only for stress relief. But they didn’t live to tell.”
I nod pleased to know there are no jealous vampires out there and look to the others.
“We share humans on occasion,” Jacob answers my unasked question.
“And with one another?” I guess.
“Yes,” Issak answers glancing back at me.
“You’ll find most group matings have sex with one another. But it doesn’t mean you are any less important or loved.”
“I know. I understand you all are imprinted on one another too. But you wouldn’t have imprinted on me so quickly if our souls weren’t connect in some way.”
They smile pleased. “Exactly. You can force an imprint but they never last.”
“Yes, I heard that is why the King’s imprints never last.”
Lazarus nods. “Only true, natural imprints like ours lasts.”
“Does it always happen straight away?”
He shakes his head. “You can know someone years and then it just suddenly happens.”
“That’s kind of what happened with us,” I look to Mal.
“In a sense, yes. I was fond of you despite my actions. But I could have never been with you as you were.”
“Mal!” Jacob tries to scold his brother but I stop him.
“No. I completely understand. I literally never went through puberty, I haven’t even had a period. I went to sleep a couple of days ago in the body of a child, no hint of womanhood and not even four foot tall. This…” I wave my hand over my body. “Is quite literally a dream come true and finding mates is another,” I say with a smile.
“You have us now. You never have to be alone.”
We arrive to the store a short while later and it is marvellous. Huge, elegant and sexy. Everything and more than I imagined.
“Growth spurt?” The woman asks approaching.
I nod and she held out her hand for me. “Come with me and I’ll have you measured. Then we can get you dressed in something as beautiful as you.” Innocent flirting but I like it.
“We’ll wait here from you, love.”
She led me into a private side room set out with all what she’d need to measure someone.
“Is it a whole new wardrobe?”
“Yes. I’ve grown out of everything.”
She nods, locks the door and has me strip.
“Are they your fathers or mates? Or both?”
“Mates. Fathers? Does that really happen?” I ask in shock.
She smirks and nods her head. “Oh, more often than you’d think. Men sense a connection with a woman and force an imprinting, rush into sex. Only to realize the connection they felt left the moment their child was born. They watch the child grow and when they reach adulthood they imprint and complete mating with the Ancient rules.”
“I had no idea. My mates are actually my great uncles,” I say remembering. “And one was briefly involved with my grandmother before she found her mate.”
“See. Another prime example of what I told you.”
She spoke more suggesting colours and styles that would suit me.
“What type of clothes did you like before?”
“I didn’t really have a choice. My daddies brought my clothes.” I open the bag I have with me and pull out a pretty frilly dress. Cute, but I want clothes more suited to my age and body now.
She stares at it for several seconds before looking at me with a serious expression. “Are you Zelda Sage?”
“I… How do you know me?”
“Oh my goodness, your daddies have been going frantic looking for you everywhere.”
Likely feeling guilty.
“I don’t know what happened but they are very worried about you. They are always on the streets, I see them every time I go to work and when I go home.”
“H..have you seen anyone else?” I ask hopeful. I really miss them and Zayda despite everything.
She shakes her head. “But it is clear you daddies love you deeply.”
I nod my head. I shouldn’t be surprised my daddies always adored me and babied me before their angry slip the other week. They always stood up for me against people speaking bad of me. “I will contact them once we are finished here.” This seems to please her and she finishes measuring me, jotting all down for me for future reference. Vampire are rarely, almost never overweight. So excluding pregnancy, my size won’t change.
