Soulmates?

On the way to the Winter Fete

After that shock of figuring out that yes, General Kirigan was a vampire I went home quickly. At least I thought I would get home quickly but before I knew it he was right in front of me. I looked at him quietly as he pinned me to the wall and I saw he'd already removed the blood from his mouth. My heart was starting to pound in my chest and I could see he was just looking at me for now.

"Hello Ms. Silina, out a little late tonight, aren't you?" General Kirigan asked, I kept my calm even though I knew my heartbeat was beating fast. I willed it to calm down. "Just running late, I was getting the groceries for my grandparents." I said calmly. He seemed to be taking in my presence as he leaned in close so that I felt him by my neck and I worried a bit.

What is he doing? Can Vampires track a person by their scent? I thought

I felt him pull away as he let me go as he turned from me, I knew I'd more than asked to be caught by my plan. He seemed to be thinking as I didn't move before he turned back to me and lifted my necklace revealing the initials. "Aleksander Morozova." I said, as his eyes widened in shock that he backed up. He seemed irritated that I knew what the initials stood for and at the same time he was surprised. "Till the Fete." That was the only thing he said before leaving.

I went home and stayed there. Since I had no words to tell my family, I could never say that General Kirigan was a vampire. I knew how he was doing this, he was using his shadows and he had to be invited into homes. My grandparents' place was the safest but we were soon going to the Little Palace. A couple of days passed as some boxes were presented and we were expected to attend. One of the boxes had my name on it and I looked at it then at my parents a bit nervous.

"Well we didn't have anything to really wear to the Fete." Mother said

I went to my room as I wondered what was inside the box as I opened it to see a dress, pulling it out I looked over it seeing the color of it. I was staring at it for some time but I heard the door open as I looked back seeing my grandmother in hers, it was dark blue with no special markings on it while my mother came in with a similar dark blue dress but hers had a light blue design on it. They both smiled at me then their eyes went to the dress in my hands as their mouths dropped.

"It's black." Grandma Catalina said

"Then tonight, he'll make his move." Mother said

I didn't understand but they helped me get in the dress, then we all looked into the box since there were shoes and accessories with the box. Mother got the dress shoes out of the box helping me in them and then she went for the accessories when she stopped.

"Is something wrong?" Grandma Catalina asked

"He wants her to wear his symbol instead of her necklace." Mother said

I didn't understand why it was so important to them and the confusion was clear on their faces. I figured this had to do with exposing him the way I did. His initials on my neck, then he probably figured he had a right to me. I wasn't choosing this but we didn't have a lot of time to debate this. My current necklace had nothing to do with this outfit and I wasn't staying there, right?

We debated it as we heard the knock on the front door and we knew we didn't have a lot of time. Mother took my necklace off as the new one was placed around my neck. A shadow summoner's symbol around my neck, or another way of looking at it a vampire's symbol on my neck like he was claiming me.

I won't give in just because the saints said we're soulmates. I thought

After we were all done and we walked out to join everyone we had to walk to the carriage. I saw that heartrender I detested from his last visit as he looked at all of us. I was gonna say something when I heard the sound of another carriage coming and that tingling on my neck. I realized before everyone else he was planning to escort me himself.

"The Dual Summoner will ride with General Kirigan, the rest of you will be in this carriage." Ivan said I knew I had time to refuse as I looked at Ivan "Who made that choice? I am not going anywhere with your General!" I said

Ivan went to put his hands together just as the general's carriage stopped and he got out. "Ivan!" General Kirigan said, Ivan realized he was caught and I was amused by the fact I could get under his skin. I could tell Grisha was not ever bitten by the Darkling. Then he looked at me, I felt uncomfortable under his gaze knowing the truth about him. "Ms. Silina, might you do the honor of riding with me to the Fete?" General Kirigan asked

As much as I knew that we were going to this Fete because we were a Grisha family outside the little palace, he was asking instead of demanding. I looked at my grandmother and mother who both just nod that I should. I still had hesitations with everything but I walked over as he helped me into the carriage and I saw my family being led inside the other carriage. I questioned why he wanted me to ride with him alone when there were other people. Once the carriage started to move I looked anywhere but him.

"Your heart is racing, do I make you nervous?" General Kirigan asked, I refused to answer him and he seemed to not like that. "You look good in Black, Amira." I was surprised he said that and I knew that he chose the fabric color. "My mother says it's your color, so why did you decide to make me stand out?" I asked

I couldn't look at him knowing I was alone with a vampire but I felt a shift in the carriage as he made me look at him. I felt like I could get lost in those eyes that were brown but so close to black like an abyss. I wanted the answer so even though I had a feeling of being lost in his eyes I kept looking. "I decided to give you this dress because my soulmate should stand out being the prettiest at the Fete." General Kirigan said as he smirked "And I want you to call me Aleksander when we're alone Amira. I find the way you say it intriguing but this." He made a motion to the new necklace on my neck. "Doesn't come off no matter where you are, I want people to stare at it and know you are going to be mine, some way somehow."

I laughed a bit knowing he was serious about this and I was just looking at this as a one-time moment between us. Yet I felt him close to my neck above the necklace and for the first time, I felt his vampire fangs gliding over my neck. "You don't drink off of Grisha." I said as he pulled away looking in my eyes again. "You're right, I don't. If I bite into a Grisha's neck they will start to go into transition unless I feed them my blood." Aleksander said

He has to have bitten a Grisha before to know this...so who was the poor girl or guy? I thought

"Vampires can't walk in the sun, you can." I pointed out a bit bravely, he smirked as he relaxed against the carriage while it kept moving. "You're right, but the Durast can work around that but if the Grisha was a sun summoner well they'd be a daywalker like I am, but you know how I am doing this." Aleksander said and I couldn't deny it cause I felt the shadows that people were always talking about. "Shadows. To Conceal the sun but only visible to you." I said

Aleksander smirked a bit, seeming eager for my knowledge and he laughed a bit. "I think you should move to the little palace Amira, you could have friends and a good teacher." Aleksander said and I scoffed a bit. "Never, I like where I am and I have a good teacher!" I said

"You might change your mind before the night is over." Aleksander said just as the carriage came to a stop.

we're here already at the Winter Fete? I thought