"Thank you," I said to Mallory on the way out.
"No problem. You're really smitten with this human, aren't you?"
I narrowed my eyes at her. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
She followed me as I hurried back to my bedroom where Scotty awaited. "Oh, please, Malachi. I’ve never seen you act this way before. You're like an obsessed puppy."
"I am not."
"'I simply must fetch my human a juice box,'" she said in her best impression of me, which was terrible.
"I do not sound like that."
"Yes, you do. Also I think it's totally adorable that you have a crush on a human. Totally support you, by the way."
My fingers curled tighter around the juice box. "I don't have a crush on him. It's something else."
"What, are you in love with him?"
I stopped walking. My sister didn't expect me to halt, so she bumped into me.
"Wait, Malachi, are you serious?" she asked quietly when she saw my expression.
"He's different," I murmured, staring at the juice box in my hand. It was such a human item. Holding it made me feel connected to Scotty. "I think he might be the one."
Mallory stared with her jaw agape, her fangs glinting. "Wow. You think… He's your fated mate?"
I met her gaze gravely. "Yes. But it doesn't matter. I can't be with him."
I strode towards the direction of my bedroom as Mallory made a flabbergasted sound and quickly caught up with me.
"What do you mean you can't be with him?" she demanded. "You've been searching for your fated mate for decades, you think you finally found him, and you're just giving up?"
I spun to face her. "I am not giving up. What other choice do I have? He's a human and I'm a vampire."
Mallory crossed her arms, raising a brow at me. "So? That's never stopped you fromnotacting like a vampire. You've never drank a drop of blood in your life."
I ground my teeth. How could I admit this to her? I was so ashamed of my urges.
I'd judged other vampires for desiring blood for so long. I never realized the urge was quite this powerful.
"I wanthis," I said under my breath.
Mallory squinted as if she couldn't hear me. "Come again?"
"I want his blood."
"Oh." She was quiet for a moment. "Oh."
Now she was starting to get it. She flashed me a sympathetic frown. "And he's anemic too?"
"Now you understand my predicament," I mumbled.
Mallory ran a hand through her silky black hair and let out a heavy sigh. "Geez, that's rough. That really feels like the universe out to get you…" She frowned as if remembering something. "Hang on. Doesn't being fated mates come with some magical mumbo-jumbo?"
I'd heard of magical traits accompanying fated mates before, but I assumed those only apply to shifters and not unholy abominations like myself. If there was magic in this world, it felt like bloodsucking vampires should be exempt. We had enough power over our prey as it was.
But I had to admit, I’d never considered what Mallory was saying. It sounded too good to be true.
