Rey opens her eyes in the morning, her head is pounding and stuffy from crying the night before. She squints as the sun hits her face turning her head she closes her eyes hoping to fall back asleep, when she feels the bed shift she sits up quickly causing her vision to swim slightly. At the end of her bed is an older woman she has never seen before. The woman is looking at her with piercing green eyes, she sniffs in disdain looking down at her nails.
"I wondered when you would wake up, for a half breed you sure do require a lot of sleep."
Now she's on edge, her hackles rising as she glares down at the older woman.
"Excuse me? Do I know you?"
The woman looks back at Rey, disgust evident on her face.
"Well child I sure hope we don't know each other, I didn't ever want to meet the spawn that my son had with that human Bitch."
Now it all makes sense, Rey is staring at her grandmother, Elouise Winters.
"How dare you speak of my mother like that! You come into my room, sit on my bed like some creepy fucking stalker and belittle my mother?"
Rey is on her feet in an instant her eyes turning red, her fangs elongating. A small smirk twitches at the corners of Elouise's lips.
"You have spunk kid. I may come to like you yet."
She stands and leaves the room in a flourish, leaving Rey staring after her in disbelief.
'Did that just happen?'
She questions herself thinking she is going crazy, walking into the kitchen she notices her mom is standing at the stove her body ramrod straight.
"Hi honey, how did you sleep?"
Her dad asks cheerfully from the counter, drinking his cup of coffee.
"Great, up until I woke up to a creepy old hag at the end of my bed."
Her mother chokes softly trying not to laugh. But she can see the corners of her mouth are up in a smile.
"Rey!"
Her father is now glaring at her over his paper.
"Sorry dad." She sits down next to her dad grabbing her cup of coffee taking a big gulp of the liquid.
"Hm, I didn't know anyone else to call you a hag but me."
Almost choking on her coffee Rey looks up, standing by the wall is Elouise and Edmond. Edmond is grinning at his wife, nudging her with his elbow but Elouise is too busy glaring at Rey.
"Who knew you would have such a spitfire child son."
Her dad rubs the back of his neck.
"Yeah... sometimes I don't even know where little Rey came from."
Rey bristles at being called little, looking at her dad.
"Don't call me little dad, I'm twenty-five."
Her grandmother snorts.
"And yet she has no mate? Let me guess, she's going to mate a human too?"
Her dad turns to his mother.
"Now mother, we talked about this. Speaking of mates. Mother, father please explain to Rey why she can't be the soul mate to Ben Solo."
Edmond steps forward sitting down grabbing a bagel off the plate eating some of the bacon her mom was cooking.
"Why can't she date a Solo?"
Her dads hand twitches slightly.
"Dad."
"Edmond."
Looking in between his wife and son Edmond gets a sly grin.
"Ivan the feud with the Solo's ended a long time ago. Yes, I still despise that bastard Han, but what can we do?"
"Han tried to steal my wife."
"Should have let him."
Elouise now comes and sits down at the table.
"Have anything stronger than coffee?"
Amalie glares at Elouise.
"I have firewood. I can build you a pyre, that would be stronger than coffee."
"Amalie! You can't threaten my mother!"
"Well Ivan I don't really understand why our daughter can't date that Ben boy either."
"Because it isn't dating, daft idiot. Becoming someone's mate is for life."
Elouise and Amalie are now standing toe to toe glaring into each other's eyes.
"Son listen, if they are truly soul mates what can you do about it?"
Her dad is now hyperventilating.
"Because Ben Solo is a mass murdering psychopath!"
And there it was, Rey feels black swimming in her vision, the room tilts upside down. The only thing she hears before she fully faints is her mom and Elouise screaming at each other.
—
Ben stood in his parent's kitchen looking over some final papers that had to be signed to release the house to his parents.
"How have you been Ben?"
Glancing up at his mother Ben sighs heavily.
"I think I may have found my soul mate."
He grumbles slightly looking back down at the papers.
"Oh? How did you meet her?"
"We work together."
"What's her name?"
Glancing at his dad he bites his tongue at the dark remark he wants to say at his dad.
"Rey, Rey Winters."
"Ivan and Amalie's daughter? Huh, isn't she ten years younger than him Leia?"
Leia's whole body is tensed as she stirs her spoon in her tea.
"I can't stand that bitch Elouise. Always wanted me to marry that brat of hers."
"Ivan wasn't so bad."
"You tried to sleep with his human wife before we met, I'm sure Ivan hates you."
Coughing slightly both turn to Ben.
"So, what is the deal between our families?"
"Long time ago, before your dads' parents got mated, his dad was promised to Todlia, which would be Rey's great aunt, but you see your grandfather turned their family down because he had already met and mated during his third Heat, which sparked a huge feud between the two families. But old Edmond doesn't hold it against us, it's more like Elouise. She was raised up with Todlia, so she would be the one to add fuel to the fire."
Ben thinks this over, he guessed that wasn't too terrible. Considering his grandfather on his mother's side was a psychopath and was in the war that almost wiped out all humans. Not like Ben was much better, he had joined the First Order military right after graduating high school he was a high-ranking Assassin. He was very good at his job, which is unfortunate, because who wants to be good at killing people?
"It doesn't matter, I don't think she wants me to claim her anyway, she is a very independent woman and she doesn't seem to be the type to settle down."
His mom smirks at him, as his dad snorts.
"Hm, sounds like someone else we know, doesn't it dear?"
"Yes, it does."
He lets out a growl as his parents continue to tease him.
"I'm going to work."
His mother tenses.
"Ben, I thought you quit working with Snoke?"
Looking back at his mother Ben smiles softly.
"I did mother, I asked Amilyn if she would give me a job."
"Holdo gave you a job? Hm... that seems a little unlike her."
"Rey works there too."
"Ah, now that makes more sense. She always was a helpless romantic that one. Well, have a good day sweetie, I'm off to the Council meeting. Some of the elders are working on a cure for the Heat."
Ben perks up at this.
"Really? How is that working out for them?"
"It's not going very well. They are starting to see that it is integrated into our genetic code at birth. Which makes it next to impossible to cure."
"Unless they can find a way to cure vampires from being vampires."
Han jokes looking at his wife.
"Or unless they can find a way to take apart the vampire DNA and rework it back and erase the code that makes us go into heat."
His mother nods jotting this down on paper.
"This is why you should have been a scientist Ben, not a mercenary."
She kisses both on the cheek, heading out the door to her car. Looking over at his dad Ben watches him reading his book.
"Well I'll see ya dad."
"It was a joke."
"What?"
Sighing looking up from his book Han looks at his son.
"It was a joke when I tried to steal away Amalie from Ivan. He and I were rivals in mechanic school and when he met Amalie, I admit I was a little jealous. Both our families despised the idea of their heirs to the family line dating a human, and here he was getting married to one. It was just a joke, but Ivan took it to heart and never spoke to me again."
"Why does everyone hate the idea of humans and vampires getting married?"
"Because of some stupid bigotry idea that humans tainted the vampire lines. Your grandfather all but beat it into me that I had to mate a vampire, the idea of having a halfling as a grandchild appalled him."
"So, if I were to mate with Rey you would be okay with that? I mean she's only half vampire."
"Kid do what you want. I don't care about the old ways. Never really liked the idea that they keep us mostly separated, I think Ivan and Amalie's wedding was only the fifth vampire and human marriage at the time. Now I think they are up to about fifty, most male vampires to sleep around with human women during their first two heats. Then they find a suitable mate to appease their families during the last three of them."
"How did you meet Leia?"
"Our parents had an agreement upon both our mothers getting pregnant. Now Luke is a whole different story."
"I don't want to talk about Uncle Luke."
Ben is angry the second he hears about his retched Uncle. He despised the man, wished he never survived the wars.
"I'm going to work."
He storms out of the house, leaving his dad watching after him in disappointment.
—
Rey slowly comes to, her mom and dad's face slowly coming into focus.
"Oh man what happened?"
She croaks out, her throat dry. Her mom helps her sit up handing her a cup of water.
"You passed out Rey."
"Oh... why?"
Her dad looks away rubbing at his arm slowly.
"I told you why you couldn't be with Ben and you fainted."
It calls comes rushing back to her, Rey becomes nauseous.
"Why did you say he was a murder?"
Sighing her dad sits back on the floor.
"Ben used to be in the First Order."
Rey sucks in a breath.
"He was one of the top best assassins they had. He was well trained, and he was ruthless, which makes sense because of who his grandfather is."
Gulping Rey top sits up all the way crossing her legs.
"Who is his grandfather?"
"Anakin Skywalker."
Rey's eyes bug out of her head, as she stares slack jawed at her father.
"The Anakin Skywalker? The one married to Padmé Amidala? The ex-leader of the Empire before it became the First Order Anakin Skywalker?"
Her dad nods slightly looking off in the distant.
"I knew Padmé back in the day."
Turning to look at Edmond, who has a small smile on his face.
"She was a beautiful woman, and she was powerful. One of the best vampire queens we ever had. When she mated Anakin Skywalker, everyone wanted to dethrone her. It wasn't until after Luke and Leia had been born that she stepped down from the throne. She died a little after they were born though. Sad times for the vampire world."
Elouise snorts shaking her head she sits down by Rey.
"Padmé wasn't as great as everyone makes her out to be. She manipulated her way into the Skywalker line. I don't know if you father taught you anything about the top five elite vampire lines. But Padmé was determined to get into the top line."
Intrigued Rey turns to her grandmother.
"Who are the top five?"
"The Skywalker's are number one, then the Organa's, then the Solo's, then us, the Amidala's, and finally the Kenobi's."
"The Solo's are above us?"
Shrugging Elouise picks at some lent on her pant suit.
"Mostly we are tied. But unfortunately, with your birth it did drop us to last behind the Kenobi's."
"Mother."
Her father warns shaking his head to make her stop.
"What? It's the truth. If I would have mated Anakin like my parents wanted, we would be close to number one and I would have made damn sure you didn't bed a filthy human woman."
Rey's anger is building up inside her. She can feel the vampire side rising to the surface, glancing up at the calendar she realizes its just day three of the Heat. Which means only two more days and she can go on with her life for two more years.
"I have had enough!"
Her mother shouts standing up.
"Amalie."
"No Ivan! I am tired of your family coming here, or sending you letters every damn Heat and demanding you leave me. Why can't I be good enough? What would it take for you two to realize I am Ivan's true soul mate. I love him with everything I am and with everything I have."
Elouise looks up at her mother, standing up she looks Amelia in the eyes.
"Become a vampire."
The room falls dead silent.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. The only way I will finally accept you into this family is if you become a vampire and give birth to a full vampire child."
Amalie glares into Elouise's eyes.
"I can't just become a vampire."
"Exactly. And I can't just accept you into the family. So please stop asking that I do."
Looking over at Rey, Elouise begins to slowly grin evilly.
"Actually, I can accept you into the family on another condition."
"And what is that?"
"Rey has to become mates with Ben Solo and give birth to a child before the next Heat. If not, then Ivan must leave you and come home, so he can find a proper mate to give us a rightful heir to our line."
Her dad sucks in a breath, he opens his mouth to argue with her.
"Deal."
All eyes turn to Rey, some with shock and some with sadness.
"I am tired of you always treating us like we are nothing. They are happy and in love. And if you can't see that, then fine I can mate with Ben Solo. He's already my soul mate anyway so it won't be a problem."
Determined to get her family to get a long Rey races up to her room, changing into her normal everyday clothes she brushes her hair and teeth grabbing her bag she heads for the door.
"Where are you going? We need to talk about this Rey!"
"I'm going to find Ben."
"No! Absolutely not, I am not allowing this to happen."
"Dad you can't stop me."
Her dad stares at her wringing his hands in anger.
"Fine."
"Thank you, dad. I want everyone to get along. Besides, I think Edmond is growing on me."
Smiling she turns away climbing up into her truck she pulls away from the driveway heading off to the store, hoping to find Ben at work. Biting her lip her stomach has knots forming in it. With only one thought racing through her mind Rey races through the city. What am I getting myself into?