Tangled Hearts.

~Chapter 24~

~Raelyn~

~March 22nd, 2023~

Sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow on the entwined figures of us. The softness of the afternoon light was a stark contrast to the moon's cool embrace from the night before. My eyes fluttered open, and I was greeted by the sight of Colby, still deep in slumber beside me.

"Cole bear," I whispered, my voice a tender caress. His response was a contented hum, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he sensed my wakefulness.

"Good afternoon, sleepyhead," I teased gently, my fingers brushing a lock of hair from his forehead.

"Mm, is it afternoon already?" Colby mumbled, his eyes opening to the sight of my beaming face. "I must've been more tired than I thought." I laughed softly; the sound as soothing as the daylight streaming in.

"Well, we did have quite the night," I said, my cheeks flushing with the memory.

Colby propped himself up on one elbow, gazing down at me with eyes full of warmth. "The best night," he agreed, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on my lips as he moved a piece of my hair from my face.

"How did I get so lucky to wake up next to someone as beautiful as you?" Blushing even deeper, I playfully swatted his chest. "Bloke," I chided, though my soft eyes betrayed my delight.

"But I can't deny, waking up with you is like a dream I never want to end." I went red in the face as Colby smirked at me.

"So...you up for round 2"? Colby kissed my forehead as I laid my bare body on his. I looked up at him. "Wasn't one enough...you wore me out. My jaw still hurts." I said flopping my head on his bare chest.

"You're so cute, you know that." He said sweetly rubbing my bare back. I giggled. "That tickles." I spoke.

Colby chuckled softly then looked at my neck and gasped quietly. "Shit." He mumbled. I looked up at him confused. "What's wrong baby"?

"You might wanna go look at your neck baby." He said looking at me hesitantly with puppy dog eyes.

"Why? What's wrong"?

"Just go look at it baby." I chuckled. "Colby, what is it, you're making me nervous." I said as I quickly got out of bed rushing to the bathroom.

All our friends knew that we were together, but the look in his eyes wasn't sitting well with me. I got out of bed and went to the bathroom, I put on a robe on my way in. I looked over to see Colby sliding on his briefs as I smiled at him. Even though I was having bad anxiety, through it all, I remembered how lucky I was to be with someone like Colby.

He truly was my everything and he always would be. I made my focus back to my vanity.

As I sat down to wash my face, I looked up in the mirror and looked at my neck. My heart hammered in my chest, a wild rhythm that echoed the shock pulsing through my veins.

I stared into the mirror, the reality of the twin puncture wounds on my neck—a tangible, crimson-stained mark of my bond with Colby—sent a shiver down my spine.

The bite, a silent declaration of our forbidden union, was now a part of me, as undeniable as the blood that trickled from the marks.

He marked me on top of the blood fate.

My emotions were a whirlwind of fear and exhilaration, each one battling for dominance. The weight of our actions, the gravity of the laws we were defying, pressed down on me like a physical force. I was half vampire, and in the eyes of my society, what me and Colby had done was not just taboo—it was a crime.