The Binder and her Vampire

Chapter 13

Minho and Bada had spent the last week at his grandparents "cottage" in rural Gimpo. Bada had been training with Jihoon and Minho to use her trait properly.

The home had started out as a small wooden hut several hundred years ago. Nothing but four walls and a roof with only a small hearth for cooking. Over the years, slowly changing and becoming more modern as time went on. A large a-line roof broken up with a large gray stone chimney and wrap around porch.

There was a large lavender field across the dirt road that caused the air to be filled with the flowery scent.

"You never told me why I smell like I do." Bada said quietly as they sat on the porch swing. Minhos arm wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

"That's why..." he said pointing to the field. "My grandmother loved to make the house smell good. So she'd put lavender, vanilla, honey, and cinnamon sticks in a pot of water and boil it on the stove. Best smell of my childhood. I spent far too much time in this house growing up."

"That's a good memory." She said looking up at him with a big smile on her face.

"You never told me what I smell like." He said putting a finger under her chin and pecking her on the lips.

"Mm. I haven't" she said lowering her head and feeling a sadness come over her.

"What's wrong?" He asked confused. He didn't understand how his scent could be one that made her so sad.

"It's a good memory, it's just that it's the only one I have." She mumbled. "At the academy, they'd have a fathers weekend. The older students knew that none of them ever came, and it was hard to see the younger students get disappointed every single year." She sighed looking off towards the purple field of flowers.

"One year, I got called to the front office and there was my father. Standing there ready to take me out to town. At least I assume that's who he was."

"You don't know your father?" Minho asked confused.

"Nope. Men are more like sperm donors for Binders. Carefully selected based on their strengths and weaknesses." She explained.

"Anyway, he took me to this little Christmas market and bought me mulled cider. Then we sat down at a bench and just talked. He told me about my mom. He told me about how he wished he could have a better relationship with me. He told me about his life. I found out I even look a little like him." She said quietly. "Anyway, he was a very nice man, he told me he loved me and that I turned out well."

"I smell like your dad?" Minho joked, laughing loudly. She snorted and laughed loudly too.

"NO!" She yelled swatting him on his shoulder. "You smell like the mulled cider. It reminds me of feeling normal for the first time and talking to my dad and how safe I felt around him."

"Have you seen him since then?" Minho asked carefully.

"No, but it's ok. I get a letter once a year that tells me all about what he's up to." She replied.

"They really just make your lives crappy don't they?" He said staring out at the field of flowers.

Bada shrugged and snuggled up closer to her mate. "We don't know any different. We figure everyone lives like we do."

"You'll have a lot to write about in your letter this year." Minho joked.

"Oh yeah. Almost too much." She nodded.

"We should go in, it's getting cold." He said kissing her nose. He stood up and held out his arms for her. She stood up and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. She loved his smell. It had taken her a little while to figure out what his smell made her think of, but when she remembered it made perfect sense. Just like his tattoo it made her think of a time she was free.