Notes:
- English is not my first language, forgive me for any mistakes.
- Your likes and reviews are always appreciated.
- Sorry for taking so long, I'm not in a writing mood right now and it took me while to finally feel inspired to finish this chapter.
- Since the first part of this story didn't have any smut scenes, I decided to keep the pattern with this one. But, if you really want it, I may post an alternate version of this chapter that includes a love scene ;)
*Special Note to Kamilah: Stay away from Mountain View, CA! I heard there are vampire captors out there 😨
New York City - June 14, 2022
Amy had been walking around the city for hours. Everything had changed now she was a vampire. It was like living in a whole new world. With her advanced senses she could experience things in a level she wasn't capable as mortal. Simple actions, like taking a breath or feeling the water against her skin were now felt intensily.
Tired, she sat on a bench at the Central Park. She wasn't supposed to feel tired, one of the advantages of being a vampire, but she hadn't adjusted yet. It was like her body was denying its new condition. Not even large amounts of blood were capable of making her satiated. She was thirsty and exhausted all the time, along with a feeling of emptiness that wouldn't go away.
No Clan leaders were also capable of branding her, after trying with Adrian and Jax, she seeked for Priya's help. Like the others, her brand faded away seconds after being marked on her skin.
"Well, there's still Lester and The Baron," the female vampire lamented. "I'd go for The Baron first."
Amy shook her head trying to forget her words. What kind of monster was she, if her body only accepted The Baron's clan brand? Was it anything to do with her personality or her insatiable bloodlust? Did it make any sense at all? A tear was about to run through her cheek, when something caught her eye. A small light shining brighter than anything she had even seen. A firefly.
Amy instantly opened a smile, observing that gracious little creature flying through the air.
"You're so tiny, fragile, but enchanting. Like a… little firefly."
Kamilah's words resounded inside her head again. She let out a deep sigh. It was like the Universe was constantly trying to remind her of her Maker.
In the last few days all she could think about was their argument before the could finally understand Kamilah's point of view. Years before, all she had to do was wait a few days to comfront the female vampire about her feelings. Instead, she ran straight to Adrian's arms, omitting and ignoring everything that happened between them.
"God, I was so selfish," Amy though.
For Kamilah, the pain of seeing them together became so unbearable she gave up on everything to move away. Even her company, Ahmanet Financial. The name suddently trigged a flashback. Amy was able to see herself inside Kamilah's office, right after graduating college.
"Bold decision, huh? But risky, for someone who has just been hired."
"I-I'm sorry… I…"
"Differently from many, I like those qualities."
"Uhh… you do?"
"Congratulations, Amy. Welcome to Ahmanet Financial."
"What?!" Amy stood up from the bench and walked, headed to that luxurious building. The company that used to belong to Kamilah. It was still open for the night shift. At the reception, nobody could inform her if any Amy Parker had worked there, many years ago.
"B-But it must be here… somewhere…" Amy sat down at a couch, heavily frustrated. She needed to remember more. Most of all, she needed proof.
Minutes later, a woman came to meet her. For many years, she worked as Kamilah's secretary.
"I remember you," she told. "She not only hired you, but offered you an apartment in Manhattan and took you out for dinner."
"And then?"
"She didn't come to work in the following day but… when she returned, she only said you had failed and hired someone new. I'm sorry, this is all I have. You know how Ms. Sayeed can be… private about her life."
Amy spent the rest of the night re-doing the steps the woman informed her. Nothing could trigger her brain to remember the rest of that memory. What could have gone so wrong, to the point Kamilah debriefed her for a third time? When she arrived at her apartment, Lily and Adrian were waiting for her.
"Amy, finally," Adrian wrapped his arms around her protectively. "God, we were so worried…"
"I'm fine," since she was Turned, couldn't feel the same way about him anymore. She felt some kind of repulsion.
"Where were you?" Lily asked. "Adrian had his entire Clan looking for you."
"I was searching for answers…" Amy's eyes flared in anger. "Those flashbacks… They're real! Did you know I was Kamilah's assistant for one day, six years ago? I didn't, because she erased it from my memory!"
Lily looked shocked, then she exchanged a glance with Adrian, who fell on the couch running a hand through his hair.
"Of course. That's why she was so devasted when we started dating. If only she had told me…"
"What are you talking about? You knew that, Adrian? You also fooled me during all these years?!"
He handed her a book, explaining everything about debriefing. The hypnotic magic only worked for mortals and it was broken at the time of their death. What meant, that as a vampire, she'd regain all the debriefed memories.
In the middle of the book, he placed a ticket to San Francisco.
"Go after her, Amy. She's the only one who can give you all the answers you want. Also, tell her I'm deeply sorry and that I hope there's still a way to repair what I did."
San Francisco, California - June 16, 2022
Since her return, Kamilah was locked inside her apartment. She wouldn't answer any phone calls or reply any emails. She didn't want to be interrogated or judged. She wasn't ready to face the consequences of her actions yet.
She knew Amy had survived and was doing well, apparently. Social Networks could be an useful source of information, Kamilah learned. On Amy's page, there was a ton of messages and pictures from her friends, thankful for the miracle that saved her life. Amy later wrote a short post, thanking all of them. But what really caught Kamilah's interest was the "engaged" status disappearing from her information. Anyways, it hadn't been replaced with "single" yet. She rolled her eyes in frustration, refreshing the page one more time.
"Kami?!" Louise appeared behind her in a stealthy, silent move.
"What are you doing here, Louise?" She jumped out of her chair, quickly closing the tab on her browser. "H-How did you enter my apartment?!"
"You gave me an extra key, when you were out of the country. Remember?"
"Well, give it back. Now!"
After handing her the key, Louise crossed her arms and studied Kamilah's face for a moment.
"Guilt," she let out a chuckle, making Kamilah roll her eyes again. "You ruined the wedding, didn't you?"
"Sort of," Kamilah grunted. She hated how Louise had the ability of knowing her so well. She wondered if that was a result of their long-time friendship or if she truly had mind-reading skills.
"Let me guess. The sexual tension between you and Amy led to an argument, that eventually turned into angst sex, boosted by the bounding effects."
"No, it started with a heated argument where Amy told me she never wanted to see me again. Then she went out on the streets insanely mad, what led to her getting hit by a bus and dying. So I had to Turn her."
"Oh."
"Don't give me 'oh', Louise. I told you it was going to be a disaster. But not even a cynical like me could've predicted these catastrophic proportions."
Louise remained silent, staring at her blankly.
"I mean… you turned your bound, Kamilah."
"And?"
"Aren't you aware of the effects of that?"
Effects. Kamilah had no idea about it so far. She was never able to learn much about bounding. Louise explained that, she not only should be the one to brand Amy, but the girl would need to drink some of her blood to complete her Turning process.
"Also, now your blood is running in her veins, bounding is stronger than ever. It's like you've become one… isn't it beautiful, Kami?!"
"Louise," Kamilah sighed. "You know most of it was romanticized during the centuries. There's no proof of what you're telling me. Otherwise, Amy would be here right now, not in New York, engaged to Adrian."
Somebody knocked at the door. Kamilah relutanctly got up and answered. She froze, seeing Amy was standing right at her door. The expression on her face was a confirmation of what she just told Louise. She looked furious.
"Amy," she tried to appear calm, as the girl stormed inside her apartment. "What are you doing here?"
"First, I came here to beg you for a brand. My body won't accept anybody else's because you're my Maker."
"Oh no, it's because she's your b–" Louise emerged from Kamilah's office, as soon as she heard what was going on. Kamilah censored her with a snarl. It wasn't the right moment to tell Amy yet.
"Of course."
Amy exposed her tight and she warmed up the amulet with a lighter to press it against her skin. After Clan Sayeed's brand was marked on Amy's skin, Kamilah pricked her finger, sealing it with her blood. The bounding sensation hit, passing though every inch of Kamilah's body, at an intensity she never experienced before.
"Will it ever go away?" She heard Amy complaining to herself, confirming she was feeling the same sensations. She couldn't hide a smile.
According to Louise, there was one more thing she was supposed to do. With one of her daggers, she opened a gash in her palm, dripping some blood inside a cup.
"Drink it," she offered Amy.
"It's not part of the ritual. Lily never had to drink Adrian's blood when she was Turned."
"Each vampire is different, Amy. Without this, you'll constantly feel weak and worned out. No blood will be able to satisfy your thirsty. Trust me."
Amy grabbed the cup from her hand in a violent manner. She hesitated before drinking it, staring at the content and then back at Kamilah. Her look was powerful and intimidating.
"Trust you?" Amy let out a sarcastic laugh, then started walking around Kamilah in circles. "For years, you lied and hid your feelings from me, always making me feel guilty for choosing Adrian over you. Well, then I died. And you Turned me without my consent!"
"Oh please, would you rather to be dead? I gave you a new chance of living! To spend the rest of your life with the man you love."
The girl went silent as she gazed Kamilah deeply in the eyes. Like if she was retrieving information straight from her soul.
"Oh I almost forgot," the sarcastic tone in her voice wasn't gone yet. "I believe I have something that belongs to you."
She handed Kamilah a jacket. A jacket she dressed Amy many years ago in her office, when she was freezing to death. Although she had debriefing lessons from Jameson in the past, she never researched further about the practice. She had no idea about what would happen once the debriefed mortal became a vampire.
"Y-You remember."
"Why, Kamilah?!" Amy shouted, shaking her head in denial. "Why did you erase my memories of you multiple times? Why do you have to be selfish like this? You only care about yourself!"
Caught by surprise, Kamilah didn't answer. She couldn't find words to explain her motivations. Not with Amy being angry as she was. The girl grabbed her arm, then she paralyzed. Her eyes went wide and unresponsive, like if she had been hypnotized.
"Amy?" Kamilah touched her shoulder gently. "What's going on?"
She took a long moment to respond.
"You took me out for dinner… And after driving me home, we went to the building's rooftop."
"That's right," Kamilah answered. In the moment she felt so connected to Amy, she could almost relive that memory too.
"Can I ask you one question?"
"Well, you're not the kind that just give up, are you?"
"What are you looking for, Kamilah?"
"I…"
"Oh, you wanted it as much as I did," the corners of Amy's mouth curled up into a smile.
"Out of curiosity, what are we talking about?" Louise whispered to Kamilah.
"Get out of here," Kamilah ordered, in a low voice.
The protégeé walked headed to the front door, signalizing Kamilah to call her later for details.
Kamilah turned her attention back to Amy. The smile disappeared from her face, she now looked tense and scared.
"My friends… I didn't remember them before. Oh my god!" A single tear ran across her cheek. "A feral killed them but… you protected me. Then… you drove me to the bus station and…"
"I debriefed you. You resisted, you were determined to keep your memories this time."
Amy came back to reality, feeling dizzy and lightheaded. Her hands were shaking cold.
"Are you alright?" Kamilah asked, concerned. "Do you need a glass of water or…"
"No," Amy grabbed her hand, preventing her from leaving the couch. "It was different this time, you… you left it up to me to decide if I wanted to come back or not. T-This is why I always felt I needed to come back to New York."
"That was the right thing to do."
"Kamilah, you didn't want to do it this time, did you? You only erased my memories to protect me, from what happened to my friends and from… your world."
"I guess it didn't work very well in the end, huh? I mean, you returned and had to face it all again. In the end, you also became a vampire. You should've stayed away from me, Amy… You made the wrong choice."
"Wrong? The only wrong choice here was you not telling me all of this before!"
Amy was right. If only she had told her before, maybe she wouldn't have started dating Adrian. That was the perfect moment to tell her about her true motivations. Bounding.
"T-There's a reason…" She stood up, ready to reveal the truth. But in a blink of an eye, Amy advanced in her direction, pressing her against the nearest wall and kissing her in a feverish mode. Showing all the desire she had been withholding during the last four years.
"Later," Amy muttered, before nipping at her lower lip with her recently adquired fangs.
Kamilah placed a hand on her waist, pulling her even closer as their tongues played a dominance game.
"You're quite strong for a newly Turned," she commented as they parted.
"You think? Maybe I've only caught you off guard."
"Let's test it then."
Using her advanced speed, Kamilah switched positions, pressing Amy against the wall.
"You were right…" she spoke, drawing a trail of kisses from Amy's ears until her neck.
"Partially," Amy smiled playfully, before tearing her clothes apart.
Without wasting no more time, Kamilah pushed her on the couch. Amy drew her for more kissing. At this point, stoping felt impossible. They couldn't keep their mouths and hands off each other.
"Amy… wait…" Kamilah interrupted their making out session. "There's something you need to know. It's important."
"Come on…" Amy complained. "Wasn't there a fourth time, was it?"
"No, I swear. Have you ever heard about bounding?"
"Yes, Adrian mentioned it once, how much he wanted us to have it. It's like a soulmate thing, isn't it?"
"Okay then. You're my bound, the idea terrified me so much I decided to erase your memories to keep you away from me."
"Serious?! How can you be so sure?"
"Because of this…" Kamilah's hand traveled all over her chest, triggering the electric sensation. "And this…" she caressed Amy's tight, where her brand was imprinted. "Since I Turned you, I'm the only one allowed brand you."
"Oh… and I suppose that's the reason why I should do this…" Amy smirked before carefully taking her wrist to her fangs, drinking some blood. Her bite was gentle and delicate, not causing any pain, only pleasure.
"How do you feel now?" Kamilah asked when she finished.
"I feel great… powerful and… I feel like I want you, all of you."
"Oh, do you?"
Grinning, Kamilah drove her to the bedroom, where they spent the rest of the night enjoying each other's company. Before falling asleep, Amy murmured:
"I love you."
"I love you too," Kamilah tightened the grip around Amy's waist, as if she was making sure she'd never go away again.