The hour was early, and the sun had only just decided to grace the Earth with it's light.
Animals scurried away in fright as two pairs of feet beat across the forest floor at unfathomable speeds.
When the Tanya and her newborn mate came across a herd of deer, she ordered her to stop.
The young woman, Eden, as she so ironically asked to be called, watched her intently for permission to attack. Her throat ached and burned terribly.
Tanya held her gaze with a small smile, admiring her progress. Usually, she would have blindly massacred the herd without pretense.
"You may feed, but keep it clean," she whispered.
The ancient watched her mate attack the herd with speed and agility. She saw her trying to remain mindful of her strength, even in the haze of primal hunger.
Eden drank her fill, grimacing at the underwhelming taste of the animal's blood, but thankful that it quelled the burn in her throat.
When she finished off the last deer, she sat back on her knees. Her head turned up to the sky as she gasped for unneeded breaths. The thrill of the hunt never ceased to send her into a daze that was difficult to come down from.
The sound of a twig snapping caused her to jump into a crouch.
Tanya smiled, thoroughly amused.
The girl had blood all over her mouth, but her clothes weren't as destroyed as they normally would be after a hunt.
"You did better this time, Kate and Irina will be proud of you," Tanya praised her.
The woman straightened slowly, inhaling her jasmine scent. It beckoned her forward like a Siren. She blinked slowly, feeling the desire to tackle her to the ground and have her way with the beautiful blonde.
When Eden smirked and started forward, a growl stopped her in her tracks.
"Don't you dare," Tanya warned. "I like this shirt."
The blonde watched her struggle with herself for a moment. The newborn stopped breathing, thinking that would help her regain control over her primal urges.
However, she still failed, unable to keep the powerful newborn lust at bay.
The ancient sighed and prepared for impact.
Eden slammed into her with the force of a wrecking ball, but her mate did not budge.
She growled in confusion as she tried to slam the smaller vampire into the dirt. Her defiance was a slap in the face.
"You might be a newborn, but you forget that I am a millenia older, my love," Tanya said, amused.
In an instant, she found herself in a chokehold so tight that her eyes bulged out of the socket.
She thrashed unaffectually, growling and snarling like a rabid feline. The arm did not loosen.
"Breathe for me, love," Tanya said calmly. "Breathe."
Eden fought for a moment before the urge to obey her coven leader won out. She inhaled deeply, recieving a lungful of that delicate, irresistible aroma.
Tanya felt her body slowly relax, until she was lightly purring in her arms. Her own body mimicked the sound and, soon, the newborn's eyes were heavily lidded.
She let go of her slowly, making sure she wouldn't try to attack again. When the newborn showed no signs of it, she backed up a few steps.
"When I tell you no, you need to listen to me," Tanya said sternly. "I know it is difficult, but you have to try harder to maintain control."
The woman looked down sheepishly.
"I'm sorry for attacking you again."
"It's okay, Eden. It's only natural," she reassured her. "Now come on, Kate and Irina are probably considering coming to retrieve us by now."
When they arrived back at the cabin, the two blondes were waiting inside for them.
Eden rushed to sit between them on the couch and they welcomed her eagerly.
"Wow, you're actually wearing the same clothes you left in," Kate said, grinning.
Irina squeezed their mate's hand fondly and the girl looked like she might blush.
"That means you're making great progress."
"I still almost tore them apart and I got blood all over my face," Eden said, rolling her eyes. "I want to be able to feed like you guys."
Irina shook her head.
"You will, eventually. You're only a few weeks old, sweetheart. We've had many centuries of practice," she said, caressing her hand.
Eden looked to her coven leader with a shy expression.
"And I keep attacking Tanya, even though I know it's wrong," she muttered. "Is that why you guys won't hunt with us? Do I...scare you?"
The three blondes shared a sad look.
They knew she was afraid of being seen as a sadist after the way they first met.
The massacre that she committed still haunted her thoughts daily, and she did not want them to think she was an uncontrollable monster.
"Absolutely not. When we hunt our inner beast comes to the surface. It's only natural that you would feel lust during that experience," Kate said softly.
Irina nodded in agreement.
"If we were to join you and Tanya, it would only distract you even more. Imagine her scent, but multiplied by a hundred."
Eden sighed, understanding their reasoning.
"It's because of the whole mating thing right," she said, looking between them.
Sometimes it was difficult to control herself around them, even when she wasn't hunting. But, that was something she wouldn't divulge as it embarrassed her to think about.
Tanya smiled fondly at her.
"Precisely, Eden. You're a newborn, without any memory of being human, and you just found out you're mated to three people," she chuckled dryly.
"Honestly, I am amazed at how well you've been progressing. You should be proud of yourself."
Eden ducked her head sheepishly under the praise of her coven leader and oldest mate. She felt a swell of pride in her chest as she accepted that she wasn't doing as badly as she thought.
"Thank all of you, for helping me through this," she said with watering eyes. "It means so much to me. I can't explain..."
"Oh Eden. Trust me. We enjoy every second of it," Irina said, smiling brightly.
Kate kissed her cheek and noticed the way the newborn's eyes darkened.
"We wouldn't want it any other way."
The three blondes closed in on her, surrounding her with the love and affection they knew she needed right now.
As all four of them began to purr, Eden realized that being a vampire wasn't as bad as she thought.