It began on a warm autumn afternoon, Sofia made a game of chasing shadows in the gardens, filling the air with laughter to carry along the breeze. She was deep in the maze of plant life, likely in a spot she'd never before ventured because a certain dark corner caught her attention. Thick with overgrowth, the area was foreboding, and yet beckoning, drawing Sofia nearer.
As her little hand reached forward to pull the brush aside, a soft yet distressed squeak caught her attention, followed by the fluttering of webbed wings that sent the young girl falling backward in surprise. A bat had managed to get itself entangled in some thorny vine and was struggling to get loose. The poor thing looked absolutely exhausted and the new irritation from the sun wasn't helping.
"Oh no, I'm sorry," Sofia apologized as she cast her shadow between the small creature and the unbearable light. Bats weren't usually in her entourage of friendly critters, in fact her mother told her to be wary of them, citing health risks that such vermin bring, but Sofia held no prejudice towards any animal. It needed help and she'd do all that was in her power to do just that.
The bat's continued squeaking finally slowed as its energy gave out again, allowing Sofia to make her move, using the gathers of her skirt to both free and contain the creature before sneaking it up to her room.
"Right, let's get you somewhere safe," she told the bat, fetching a small basket from her closet and lining it with cloth. She slowly lowered the winged beast into the makeshift nest and pulled the excess cloth over the top to wrap him in the cover of darkness. The bat was contented, making no more squeaks and deciding to stay put.
Not knowing what all bats required, Sofia excused herself to the royal library to get a book on the subject and then returned to her guest looking quite puzzled.
"I'm not sure what kind of bat you are…" she confessed as she flipped through the pages of the book. The odd face shape of the creature ought to have been a give-away, but Sofia couldn't find an exact match to known species in the area. The only thing close was the vampire bat, but her friend in the basket was a bit larger than what the book said they should be. "Hm… Could it be a new species?"
Glancing towards the basket she had with her on her bed, she contemplated getting one of the adults to help her, but feared they'd only toss it back outside calling it dirty and a nuisance. Sofia wouldn't chance it. Besides, the poor thing likely only needed a day's rest and maybe a meal to recover. That much she could handle on her own, although when fruit and bits of meat were refused by the critter, she feared he was worse off than she anticipated. That was until she recalled the passage on vampire bat; they only drank blood, hence the name.
No one would argue Sofia didn't care for the animal if she didn't feed it while temporarily in her care, but she was the sort of child who gave up when things got difficult. She fetched a letter opener from her desk and took a deep breath before stabbing the tip into her pointer finger.
Pulling back the corner of the cloth over the basket, she lowered the bleeding finger inside and pushed her thumb along the finger, increasing the flow and creating a sizable droplet she let drip. The smell must have caught the creature's attention because she heard it squeak and chirp before seeing it crawl towards the blood, its little tongue first inspecting the stain from the droplet before lifting its head up towards her finger.
"Here you go," Sofia smiled and lowered her finger further, giggling slightly to feel a light lapping at the wound and its wings' claws latch around her hand. She felt relieved and somewhat honored she could do the bat this kindness. It was a fascinating creature, she mused as she watched him for what was only a few minutes before he squeaked and curled back up in the shadows of the basket.
Assuming he'd had his fill, Sofia drew the cloth back over the top to let him rest while she went to the bathroom to wash and bandage her finger before going about the remainder of her day.
Once the sun had set and Sofia returned from dinner, she moved his basket from her bed over to the window and popped it open before pulling back the protective cloth. The bat still appeared to be asleep, his rear the only part of his visible as he managed to nestle under his bedding for added darkness.
Sofia giggled and resisted her urge to pet him, though this might be her last opportunity to do so. She hoped the call of the wild would draw him out when he woke up. She got ready for bed and checked his basket again, still finding him there, fast asleep.
Again, she fought the urge to pet him and bring his basket to bed with her, but bats weren't meant to be pets, and reluctantly she crawled into her bed, facing the window and his basket, hoping to see him off so she could rest easy, but sleep came first and she drifted off unaware of the change in her charge.
It took another hour or so, but with the castle lights growing dim, the darkness was sufficient for the vampire to awaken, and he did with gusto, nearly breaking the basket as he jumped up and returned to human form, stretching himself out in a brief hover before delicately landing on his feet and surveying his surroundings.
"What is all this?" He thought with some amusement, unable to recall his memories in the daytime clearly.
A subconscious lick to his lips and the feint taste of blood caught his attention, the sweet taste of innocence and something more… something that brought him to panic when he next heard the sound of rustling bed covers as Sofia turned in her sleep.
"No…" He muttered out loud, approaching the bed and noticing the girl's bandaged finger curled near her head. Flashes of memory returned to him, but brought no comfort. "You fool, what have you done…?"
His presence alone must have disrupted the child's sleep as she began to stir and the man became a bat once again and flew for the window.
Sofia opened her eyes to catch the expanse of his wings flutter as he took off, her own form hurrying to the window to wave him off, still blissfully unaware his utterance was directed at her and not himself. A bond had been forged with willing blood that ignorance would not annul, but it would be years before Sofia realized the ramifications of her actions, and so returned to bed to sleep with ease.
A child! A bloody child! Oh, if his fellow vampires were to hear of this, he'd be twice the laughing stock he already was, Cedric lamented in the moonlight. The whole point of being cursed as a blood-sucking demon was that your food was taken, not given. The selfless act the child unknowingly performed now meant he was bound to her. Damn blood rites, he cursed over and over to himself. He'd not be bound to a child!
Unfortunately, the magic in blood rites made him unable to ignore it. No other blood tasted as sweet, no night felt as freeing, and his indifference towards his loneliness began to shift. It wasn't a question of want, but of need. He needed to be with his bonded for the sake of his sanity. To deny the gift she'd willingly given only increased his curse and he knew it, and so returned to the castle one night and the window he knew to be hers.
He raised a hand to pane of glass and from within unlatched the lock with an unseen power that allowed him to open the window and slip inside, silent as darkness itself. He moved swiftly to the edge of her bed, staring down at the girl in wonderous curiosity. He slowly reached a hand toward the sleeping maiden, his fingers lightly caressing her hair as his brown eyes studied her. She was bigger than he remembered, more… 'womanly' now.
How long had it been? Years, surely, perhaps a decade. It came as a pleasant surprise; a woman he could deal with as his bonded, she might even understand, although he surmised she'd be as thrilled to learn about their engagement as he was.
But what was done, was done, and both of them were powerless to resist ancient magic. And so he placed his hand before her sleeping eyes and cast a spell of deep sleep to insure she wouldn't awaken prematurely. He then wrapped her in a blanket to protect her from the chill night air and fled onto the wind as both shadow and man, his burden clutched close to his chest as he fled for more familiar lands.
Sofia awoke in a daze feeling drained and out of sorts. It took her a few moments to realize the canopy her eyes opened to was not her own and gasped, sitting up only to feel woozy for doing so.
"You ought to rest, my dear," a voice in the corner told her.
She turned her head towards the source, but saw only shadow. "Who's there? Show yourself!"
"That would be ill advised, all things considered," he answered.
"Why? You don't sound shy or self-conscious."
The voice chuckled. "Not usually, no, but who am I… rather, what I am, might frighten you."
"Now I'm just curious," Sofia admitted honestly. "I don't frighten easily, I assure you."
Cedric had his doubts, but the gentleness in her voice did reassure him. He slowly made his way to the bed, the light from a single oil lamp burning on the nightstand serving as his only illumination.
Sofia half expected a beast to emerge from the shadows, but upon seeing a man was only confused. He looked rather ordinary: pale skinned with a long, aristocratic nose and dark hair coupled with gray bangs and a worn expression. He looked more in need of the bed than she did and so said nothing when he took a seat at the edge of the mattress. "Who are you?"
"Cedric," he answered. "And your name?"
"Sofia," she smiled a little, feeling some familiar air between them. "…Have we met before?"
"Yes," he nodded.
"Strange, I think I would have remembered…" She blushed as he leaned closer to her. The proper response would be to scream and strike him with her pillow, but that didn't seem necessary. He didn't mean her any harm, but how did she know that?
"You bonded yourself to me when you were but a child." Cedric explained.
"I did?"
"You gave me your blood," he explained.
Sofia searched her memory for the instance of which he spoke, but all that came to mind was the little bat she nursed for less than a day. Her eyes widened in realization and shock at the impossibility.
"Do you remember?" Cedric reached for her hand and lifted it to his lips, sucking the tip of the pointer finger into his mouth for a few moments before he grinned at her, his pronounced canines showing.
"A vampire…?" She squeaked.
"That's right," he nodded, still smiling and now moving right to her side. "And while I appreciate what you did for me, you also invoked a blood rite. Blood that is given, not taken, is to be treasured. It binds me to you as your intended. The ritual is complete when you willingly drink from me. You'll become a vampire of sorts, a halfling, though the curse won't limit you like it limits a pure blood."
"Oh…" Sofia averted her gaze to her covered lap. What a mess she'd gotten herself into. "I'm… I'm terribly sorry to have dragged you into such a predicament not knowing any better."
Cedric sighed, knowing he couldn't lay all the blame on her. "You're not entirely to blame. I was too weak to realize I was accepting blood rather than taking it, so some of the fault lies with me. Unfortunately, the rites don't take ignorance as grounds for annulment. The only way I know of to break it would be for one of us to die, which I'm guessing neither of us want."
"Yes, that's certainly out of the question," she nodded, surprising him, figuring most women in her position would be reaching for the stakes about now, yet he felt compelled to be honest with her, knowing he could trust her judgement.
It must be another side effect of being bonded, he thought.
After fiddling with her fingers a moment, she managed to look up at him, blue eyes softening. "Um, so… M-Mr. Cedric."
"Just Cedric is fine."
"Cedric…" Sofia slightly blushed before distracting herself by glancing around the low lit room. "What do we do…?"
"I'm in desperate need of a proper meal having denied this bond for so long… If you'd be so kind."
Sofia gulped nervously and put a hand to her throat. "You mean…?"
"I'll be gentle," he assured her, his eyes narrowing in on her neck while his hand slowly took hers to place over his shoulder.
Sofia blushed brightly as he leaned in and squeezed her eyes shut once his breath tickled against her neck.
Cedric nestled his head against her neck, preparing the skin with a few licks of his tongue, before latching onto her with one swift bite, making her gasp before the numbing agents in his saliva sent her into a state of euphoria, allowing him to drink unopposed. She tasted heavenly. The rush of coppery fluid down his throat sent pleasurably chills throughout his body as his own veins began coursing with liquid fire, igniting a hunger for more than her blood.
"Oh…!" Sofia moaned, lolling her head to the side and curled her hands into the material of his shirt. This incredible feeling of her life rushing into him set her body a flame, the tingle in her neck teasing of further pleasures her new husband could give her if she allowed him.
Cedric made a sound akin to a growl and tightened his grip on her, his hips instinctually dipping down to grind against her. This feeling was nearly unheard of in vampires, arousal being unnecessary in their lives, save for one exception, to prove devotion to their bonded. Her blood itself was cause, allowing him something to offer his wife in return. Cedric had nearly forgotten that little detail, but this tightness in his trousers served as a fair reminder.
He unlatched from her neck, knowing he'd taken more than enough, yet he kept his tongue at the wound, licking the droplets until clots formed. He groaned at the lost, but made due with their closeness, continuing to intoxicate himself on her scent and the heat of her skin. He wanted more of her, but feeding was one thing. Coupling with her was something foreign to him and his memory failed to recall any useful knowledge.
However, his body seemed to know what it wanted and he obeyed, pulling one of her legs to the side so he could crawl between them and nestle his pelvis against hers. He hissed in satisfaction. Yes, this was what he needed. Her.
Sofia's mind was spinning, but her body felt warm and fuzzy and was at Cedric's mercy when he parted her legs and began pulling up her nightgown. She gasped in shock, but didn't stop him. Part of her knew she ought to, but another part was curious to see this through. She was swept up in the heat of the moment and passion from this pale stranger, yet he didn't feel like a stranger. Perhaps this was all some fantastic dream, too absurd to be real. She surrendered without forethought, not put off at all by his opening his trousers and guiding his hips back down against hers.
"Ah… Sofia…" He gasped her name as their sexes touched, the length of his manhood rubbing up and down against her, occasionally pushing forward when she felt a little wetter, until finally the tip slipped in. What followed was a gentle intrusion, back and forth, until at last, one thrust plunged him deep inside her, causing her to cry out.
She reached out for him, needing to latch onto him for comfort, but she barely had the strength too. Mercifully, the pain was only slightly worse than his bite's, and the euphoria that followed was far beyond her mere glimpse earlier.
Cedric tried to speak as he rocked his hips forward, trying to ask after her wellbeing, if what they were doing felt as good to her as it did to him, but there weren't any words. Only sounds, breaths and gasps, sweet cries, and the rustling of their clothing as they began to paw at the other.
Sofia managed to get his shirt open and slipped her hands inside to touch his skin, all parts of him equally pale and smooth, and surprisingly warm.
"Yes…" He managed to hiss, having his own hands follow suit beneath her night dress. She was so soft with plenty to grab onto, not like himself. No, she was the epitome of health, nice round breasts and buttocks, though why he focused on those two areas specifically he wasn't certain. He liked her eyes, he did note, as they gazed up at him in half hooded wonder. Whatever he was doing, she seemed pleased with, and so he continued, back and forth, his hands down planted on either side of her as he put more power to his thrusts. He was nearing something. Something wonderful, he just had to keep going.
"Cedric…!" Sofia cried out to him, gripping the end of his shirt tightly as she came and triggered his own release.
He moaned loudly, hips locked forward, his manhood buried deep inside her quivering walls. It was the most amazing sensation he'd ever felt, pleasure ran through his body and out his cock like some peculiar strike of lightning. It was incredible. Pure bliss. He felt alive, though being a purebred vampire, he had never actually been 'living', and yet he was certain this was what Sofia felt.
Sofia! His mind reminded him this hadn't been a solo endeavor and he bent down with the intent of asking after her well being once more, but this time he noticed her lips, all plump and slightly parted with her panting. They were beautiful. She was beautiful.
He stroked her hair back, admiring her beauty a moment longer, before their lips slowly locked together. This was a kiss, he knew that much. An expression of affection, and love. Love reserved for a wife, and that was Sofia now. Suddenly being bonded seemed a very good thing indeed, if he had kisses and this activity to look forward to with her.
"Cedric…" She said his name in a whisper as he pulled back, and drew him back to her lips, needing more than just one kiss. No, she wasn't going to have a sex dream end without there being some kissing.
Cedric happily obliged her desire, but tempered his fervor when he felt her drifting back to sleep, drained of blood and now exhausted from lovemaking. How he wished she could have stayed awake even a few moments more, but as he pulled away from their last kiss, she'd fallen unconscious.
Still, he managed a smile and tucked the covers around her before getting out of bed and tucking himself back into his trousers. He had new business to attend to, and not wanting to disturb his wife, slipped into the vestibule between the bedchamber and hallway and stood before a particularly large mirror.
He extended a hand toward the glass and chanted a spell, the surface stirring and shifting not to a reflection, but to another mirror in a cottage across the kingdom where a stout brunette clad in periwinkle appeared in the foreground. "Hello, Mummy."
"Cedric!" The older woman beamed. "Oh, it's been ages! You know, just because we're immortal doesn't mean you can go decades without calling, dear."
"Forgive me, but the past decade has proved… interesting," he smirked, knowing his mother loved tantalizing talk.
"Oh? How interesting?"
"I've accidentally taken a wife."
Winifred quirked up at eyebrow. "There are no such 'accidents', darling."
A quick explanation confirmed otherwise.
"Oh dear, the things you get yourself into Ceddy," Winifred sighed. "But she's a nice girl then? Someone you can be happy with?"
"I think so," he reluctantly admitted. "That's more the reason why I called… when I drank from her, it felt… oh, it was… I… I don't think there are any words in any language to describe it, Mummy."
"Yes, the first nip after bonding can be especially potent," Winifred giggled and put a hand to her cheek as she reminisced. "Your father, dreadful noble that he was, I should have drained him dry after he tricked me into thinking I was merely taking his blood."
"You'd been terrorizing a village for five years," Cedric reminded her.
"Details, details, but oh, that man… He took his duty seriously, was willing to be my meal without any hesitation, but I did make him flinch the first time~," she smirked triumphantly.
"And were you overwhelmed by it?"
"I don't know if I'd call it 'overwhelmed', more like it awakened something in me our kind aren't familiar with. Arousal. Lust. Sex. Something we can give back to our partner and have a small taste of ourselves. After all, to give us blood is to give us life itself, Cedric."
"Yes, but I didn't think it'd be so… I mean, I enjoyed it, but I thought we only… ahem, 'awakened' to give our partners children if they so desired? I don't have any inclination to get her pregnant, nor do I think she'd want to so soon after meeting me, but I wanted to… to be closer to her, I suppose. Is that because we're usually alone?"
Winifred's smile widened. "Oh Ceddykins, 300 years old and still my innocent little boy. You're already falling for her."
"Falling?"
"In love, dear."
"Love?"
"You know, that pesky do-goody feeling for people we treasure. How I love your father, stubborn old man that he is. Took forever to consent to becoming a halfling and what does he do? Complains that his back always hurts. That's what you get for waiting until you're 70, Goodwyn!" She huffed.
"Ah, so I should probably try to complete the bonding before she ages too much then?"
"If you want to be together, dear. No need to rush on your part, but you must consider your wife's feelings. Is Sofia amiable to such a commitment?"
"I'm not sure."
"What do you mean 'you're not sure'?"
"W-Well I only retrieved her, oh, about three hours ago? Maybe less. I can never tell."
"CEDRIC GOODWYN ACASTER," she scolded loudly. "If there's one thing a vampire can afford to be, it's patient! What are you doing abducting, feeding, and mating with a girl you barely know in three hours?! Goodwyn? Goodwyn! Come here and see what your son has done!"
"What's the boy done now?" He heard his father out of shot and felt a shiver down his spine.
"Uh, sorry Mummy, but I feel I best attend to my wife now, bye," he spoke quickly and cancelled the spell before Winifred could drag his father into this discussion. He'd catch hell for it later, but later could be years, and by then, maybe they would've forgotten.
And besides, he was eager to get back to Sofia's side.
He returned to bed, still mesmerized by the sight of her. His wife, his brain reminded him, as he crawled back onto the bed and lay at her side, his fingers toying with her hair after he'd only been looking at her a while. This was hardly a problematic situation now, wasn't it? A beautiful wife, a decent meal, things to look forward to in their future together. No, this could be good. So long as Sofia was agreeable to the arrangement, which he sincerely hoped she would be.
Author's note: I gave Cedric a full name simply to be scolded with. No doubt he has his father's name as a middle, and Acaster is just because it's like "a caster" as in a caster of magic. Plus any of ya'll seen James Acaster? Funny comedian. Love my British stand-up. Anyway, I wanted to get something out for Halloween and I've been working on this sucker all month. It was meant just to be a smutty one-shot, but my muse never operates on time restraints. Bitch. So they'll probably be one more part with more sexy times. Yay!