an eternity with wings

Distressed and Blessed

I tucked my wings in right before I tumbled through the limbs making an awful lot of noise. Soon I hit the ground on my stomach, and winced at the pain. I shifted around, and rolled to my back. "Shit." I tried sitting up, but everything was hurting. So I laid on the ground for a while, waiting for the pain to subside. Jenna told me that vampires can heal abnormally fast, I hoped she was right. This hurt like a bitch. I squeezed my eyes shut and remained on the ground. I was alone, on the ground and vulnerable. Bad things could happen. My thoughts started to take over. I tried to shut the door, but it overflowed, and eventually opened. I wanted them gone, but once they invade, it's hard to get them out. I opened my eyes and looked up at the the leaves of trees. I heard sticks breaking and turned my head to the source. I saw a shadow of someone under the trees. They jogged toward me, and it was him. He was just in the sky a minute ago with me, for reasons I didn't know, but here he was. I guessed he was a vampire considering the wings, but who was he? He was gorgeous. His skin was almost white in the starlight, and his blue- black hair fell perfectly above his eyes. His eyes were- I couldn't tell, maybe I'd find out soon. He jogged to me with a worried expression as I pried myself up from the ground grunting. I sat up as he crouched down and clasped his hands on my shoulders. I was getting a little scared now. I had no idea who he was, and he was just inches from me. Now I could tell that his eyes were a deep shade of blue and violet. I had never seen anything like them. He darted them around, then with a velvet voice, he said, "Are you alright?" The violent thoughts cleared away like fog in sunlight as he said that. I paused for a moment. I wasn't sure if I was ok, I hadn't even tried to walk. "I think so, let me try to-" His hands grabbed mine and boosted me so I could stand. "Thank you." I said "Not a problem." He quickly realized that he still had my hands in his, and dropped them. "Sorry, you know, for scaring you up there." He added "No, it's okay, really. Honestly I've been through worse. You just startled me, that's all. I haven't really gotten my flying down quite yet. I'm..... new." I shouldn't have told him all of that. I had no idea who he was. Or why he was here. But for some reason, I felt I should. I need to find out who he is though. "What's your name?" He seemed startled by my sudden question. He replied, "Reese. And who might you be?"
"I'm Selene." He shook my hand firmly, but pulled away quick. "Do you know your way back to your house?" I didn't. I thought I would just fly back in the direction I came, but the crash landing got me off-course. "Umm, well actually, I sort of got misdirected and now I'm not sure which way to go." I said. "Well, I can show you if you'd like. I was on my way somewhere, and I passed by and noticed the two of you staying here. I thought I might watch you for a bit. I didn't know who you were." Well that explained a lot. Except for the fact that I didn't know where he was going, still. "I'd appreciate it if you would show me the way, but where exactly were you going passing through here?" "I was flying to... Austin." It sounded like a lie, but I'd 'believe' it for now. "Oh. Well, let's get going, my friend is probably worried." "Okay, follow me then." I did, we walked to a clearing in the trees, and spread our wings. As mine opened I felt a twinge of pain in my right wing. I looked at it and saw it had blood dripping down the side on the tip of my wing. "Shit." Reese heard me and walked over. He glanced at my wing and whispered, "Shit." As well. "That could really affect your flying. We should probably walk." I didn't believe him. I could fly perfectly. "Just let me try." I started flapping, Reese yelled "Selene, wait!" I got airborne, but when I banked right, the pain got worse, and the wing went taut. I descended quickly, too quickly, and fell on my hands and knees. I got up and dusted myself off. "Ok let's walk." I said. So we walked. And walked. And walked. Until finally, we were standing next to a stream I recognized. Reese asked, "So how long have you been turned?" It was going to sound odd coming out of my mouth but, "Since last night." He looked at me with a surprised expression. He let oust a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "Are you alright?" I asked. He looked worried. "Yes, I'm fine. It's just- I had no idea you were that young. I thought you must have been a couple months or so. You fly well for someone your age." I raised my eyebrows in surprise. I thought my pace was normal. Apparently not. "Thank you." We passed by a bridge where people used the concrete as a canvas for spray paint. I looked at to top of the bridge and my heart dropped into my stomach. Barry. He was standing on the bridge, leaning his face on his hand propped on his elbow. I tried to run, but Barry was in front of me in an instant. "There you are! I've been looking all over creation for you." I cringed as he grabbed my arms. I tried to jerk them away, but I was helpless. "How about we finish up that deal? What do ya say?" An evil smile creeped onto his face. "Barry stop. Stop!" I screamed. Right as his hand began pulling down my pants, Reese rushed through limbs and bushes and stopped dead in his tracks. "Selene." He whispered. His face turned feral as he saw what Barry was doing. He ran to us and ripped Barry off of me and held his throat in one hand. I fell to the ground shivering with fear. "How do you do? I'm Barry." Barry held out a hand. Reese grabbed it with his free hand and squeezed. I heard cracking. Barry yelped in pain. "What the shit man? Chill. It's not like you even know the bitch." Reese snarled and lifted Barry, still holding his throat. "Actually I do know her. Now apologize. Or I'll kill you right here." Oh my god. "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry. Damn. Put me down." Reese tightened his grip. Then let go. Barry fell to the ground. When he got up, he looked to Reese. Then me. Then he ran and flew away. Reese tried to go after him. "Reese wait!" My voice cracked. Reese turned and I said, "He's not worth it. I won't let that happen again. He won't find me again." I closed my eyes. When I opened them, Reese was in front of me while I sat on the ground. My pants were still below my hips. Embarrassed, I tried to pull them up, but before I did, Reese helped me up while I buttoned and zipped my pants. I should have kept my leggings on. I was taken by surprise when he hugged me to him. And even more surprised when I hugged him back. Something happened. It felt like a fire being lit for my shivering soul. A fire that had been absent for a long, long time. He gripped my arms and moved back a step. "Are you really ok?" No "Yes. I'm fine" He closed his eyes. When he opened them he said, "I can tell when you lie to me. Who was he." It was a demand, not a question. I hesitated. Then answered. "Barry. He turned me. He's been acting... awful lately. Since he bit me." Reese looked up. Then back where Barry flew away. "Damnit. The turning bond." Jenna said that. She didn't explain it though. "What is the turning bond exactly?" Reese looked at me. "It's... let's get out of here. I'll explain it on the way back." Fair enough. We started walking. When we got on the road that led to the house, he started talking. "The turning bond is a thing that binds whoever turned a vampire and the person they turned. In this situation, it binds you and Barry. There are certain things that snap into place when the bond occurs, like Barry's... lust towards you. You don't feel the same, which is normal. The feelings Barry has for you will eventually wear off, sadly, it could take a while. Until then, I would advise you avoid him. Do you know how many people he turned before you?" He did tell me, I'd just forgotten. "He told me there were two before me, they were guys, but he had to kill them because they told people." He pursed his lips. "That explains a lot. He probably never felt the bond between the other two since they were boys. With you, I guess it was stronger." I felt uneasy at his words. I hated Barry. He used to be a nice guy, but after...this, being near him made me sick. I was scared of him. I've been scared to face a lot of things lately. Like meeting other vampires, and putting Jenna's plan into action. Those things intimidated me, but I knew I would have to get them over with. Meeting new people was usually a burden to me. Having to keep track of an entirely new life, and knowing what they like can weigh you down. But what I felt with Reese was more like openness. I had been honest to him, and for some reason, I feel like I could trust him. He spoke again. "I'm not trying to make you feel uneasy, I just thought you may want to know. Barry... I have a feeling he'll come back. And I know this sounds weird, you hardly know me, but I don't think your friend is strong enough to protect you from him. Barry has probably been around longer than she has, and..." I didn't know what he was trying to say. "What are you implying?" He bit his lip. "I'm implying that I stay with the two of you for a while. I don't want you to get hurt by him." This wasn't part of the plan at all. Jenna would undoubtedly say no, but, Reese wanted to help. Maybe we could figure something out. "Reese, I really don't know about that. Jenna isn't good with new people, and she might not trust you." We were coming up on the house. "I'll just have to convince her, then. I only trust myself to protect someone as perfect as you." I saw his face redden in the dark. He was being so nice and I'd only known him for about an hour. I wasn't even trying to act kind. I'd just been asking questions and getting into accidents. "I mean- well I don't mean it like that, but, uhm." He stammered. "Reese, I understand. I get that Jenna may not be capable of protecting me like that. I trust you." His face softened at that. He looked at me. He was so perfect. Thousands of desires rushed across my mind in less than a second. If my heart still worked, it would be beating faster than it ever had. I ripped my gaze away. My face reddened. He ran a hand through his hair and looked ahead, we were almost to the front yard when I heard flapping followed by a crash, and looked beside me to find Jenna on top of Reese's chest, pinning him on the ground, and glaring at him with fury in her eyes. "Jenna! Quit, he's a... friend. We can trust him." She looked at him once more, then hopped off of his chest, and hugged me. "Damnit Selene, you had me scared." She pulled away and sniffed the air. I didn't even know vampires could smell like that. She took one more whiff, then put on a very perplexed look, then grabbed my arm. She looked at Reese, and said bitterly, "Don't you even think about going anywhere. You've got explaining to do. First, I gotta talk to Selene. Stay here." He nodded, then sat on the ground, and let his massive wings droop behind him. Jenna pulled me inside, and into her room. I sat on a bed while she paced the room. "I didn't tell you about vampire mates, did I?" I furrowed my brow, then shook my head. She hadn't. "Damn, well, ok. So vampires have this, like unbreakable bond between another vampire that ties them together in love. It is the ultimate bestowment to even find your mate. Vampires have travelled across the world and back just to meet theirs. When a vampire is a newborn, their mate may already exist as an adult vampire. The adult usually feels a pull, like a string that is tied to their new mate, and when they're close, they can feel it. The newborn may not feel it at first, but when it snaps into place, people have said it's like seeing an entirely different world. It is the ultimate connection to your equal, and the gods themselves pick mates to be with one another. I never really worried about it, but I've travelled around and still didn't discover mine. But, I've seen it before. Some vamps I know have discovered their mate, and you can feel their connection. And in this case... smell it. When you were walking up to the house. I thought I smelled something, I thought it may have been the bond with Barry, but, this was way stronger. It was so powerful that I could feel it. I can't really explain how or why, but, your mate found you. And... it's not Barry." I felt like I was in shock. My mouth was hanging open. I had heard stories about mates before. In fairytale books, and stories. Not with vampires, though. It's like the most powerful connection to someone in the world. Never in my life did I expect one shot at love. Not one. I always dreamed of having a soulmate. I didn't think I'd come close. I wasn't sure I could take all of this in at once. The thing I didn't understand was that Reese knew. He knew the whole time and didn't even hint. That's why he followed us. He could feel it, and I couldn't. He didn't tell me. My mind couldn't hold the capacity of this situation. Neither could my stomach. I ran to the bathroom. I gripped the sides of the toilet and vomited. Mate. I vomited again. The only contents were blood and some ungodly food I forgot I'd eaten. Tears rushed down my face from the force coming from my throat. I puked one more time. Mate. This was horrible. I hadn't puked since I was in third grade. Finally the hurling ceased. I felt weak. I sat on my feet. Then I leaned back into a cabinet, my eyes fluttering. Jenna walked in, and flushed the toilet. "Ugh, that's awful." She looked to me. "Oh shit. You need blood. Ah, it's in the car. I'll be back." she rushed out. A minute later, I got up and rinsed my mouth to get the taste out. When I was done, I shut my eyes and sank to the ground once again. When I opened them, Reese was in the doorway. Mate. My mate. I watched him as he sat on the ground next to me. "I take it you're not feeling well." I lolled my head to the side to stare at him. "No, I feel perfectly peachy, thanks for stating that." Reese huffed out a small laugh. "Charming even when you've puked up your guts, huh." I couldn't help it, a smile crept onto my lips. Jenna ran into the bathroom with her hands full of bloodbags. I sighed in relief. She handed one to me. I bit the top and drained the bag. I held out my hand. A request. She handed another one to me, and I downed it faster than the first one. I felt so much better, but I still needed time for that to settle. I leaned my head back against the cabinet. Thoughts went rushing behind my eyes, but they weren't bad ones. They were like dreams. Soon I fell asleep. I still felt drained from my puking. Later, I felt cool hands lift me up, and hug me into a strong, comforting chest. I was half awake as they laid me down onto a large bed and pulled covers over my frail shoulders. I mumbled a thanks, and I heard Reese laugh gently, then he brushed a lock of my hair away, and tucked it behind my ear. A wave of sleep rushed over me as I relaxed and slept soundly for the first time in years.