Author's Note: I know I seem to be teasing this dinner night but I promise you all that it's coming and that it will be crazy. Thank you all for the crazy amount of reviews and kudos! *blushing*
Lexa was nervously moving around the room, the dress Clarke had gotten her for the evening lying on the bed. It was so strange for her to be pampered and showcased like this. But then again, Clarke was no ordinary girlfriend.
Girlfriend?, Lexa realizes she thought and she can't help herself from blushing at the implications of saying such a thing. But they were soulmates, and from what she got told earlier, they would always belong to one another. 'Girlfriend' seemed too insignificant for the weight of her emotions and feelings. She had already accepted that her fate was interwoven with Clarke's and that, in her opinion, was the hardest part of her new reality. She was used to being independent and self-reliant and to never take a significant other into consideration before making a decision. She was used to being alone although she had a family that cared about her. It was just the way she was raised by her parents and the trust her aunt and uncle gave her once she moved in with them. So to now have another person knowing her every thought and emotion was a little disconcerting. Not unwelcomed, but something that she'll have to get used to. Just like she had to get used to Clarke's emotions. The vampire, although she appeared cool and composed in the presence of others, was the opposite when it came to her feelings. She felt so much: Anger, fear, longing, love, lust, hunger- that it was causing Lexa a sense of despair that would only be appeased by calming her mate. This necessity to keep Clarke happy and comfortable was too overwhelming for her that at times that she was sure her own emotions were being sent back to the blonde in a never ending cycle.
There were still many things that Lexa wanted to know about her mate's world and what it meant to be a part of it. She was not afraid, for some strange reason, because she knew that Clarke would always protect her. She had no doubt of how much she meant to the blonde vampire and that warmed her heart. But she did question herself: Would she be capable of loving a vampire? Could she make Clarke happy? Could she, at one point, abandon her family by choosing Clarke? Before meeting the blonde, her answer would have been no. She would have always chosen her family first. But now she was not so sure. Clarke, in comparison to her family, seemed to mean so much in such a short amount of time; almost as if being without her would be like not living at all. Lexa knew her family was capable of living without her, and she also knew that neither Clarke or her would be capable of surviving without the other. In all honesty, the choice was a simple one to make and that was what terrified the brunette: How fast she had been capable of choosing her mate over her family.
Hearing a knock coming from outside, Lexa immediately moves to the door and looks through the peephole before opening it.
"Lexa." she sees Castian exhale in relief while entering her room. "I'm so happy to see you're well."
"Castian." Lexa says carefully while noticing the way he was scanning her room. "What are you doing here?"
"I came to see if you were alright. I had to know nothing bad happened to you."
"Well, nothing did." she says strongly. "But what I meant was what are you doing inside my room. I didn't invite you in and I want you to leave."
This makes Castian stare at her with incredulous eyes and that's when he notices the dress on the bed.
"You going out?" he snarls while pointing at the dress. "With that vile woman again?"
"Don't talk about her like that." she surprises herself by threatening him. "And what I do and who I hang with is not your business."
"Of course it is! When I saw you two in the park talking I realized that I needed to do a better job at protecting you."
"You followed me to the park?" Lexa whispers completely scared.
"I care about you." Castian says while grabbing her hands.
"Don't touch me!" she takes her hands away from him. "Listen, I was trying to be nice because you're a child but what you're doing right now is harassing me."
Clarke, she thinks and immediately feels her mate's response. I'm coming.
"You're in danger Lexa! That woman can hurt you and I can't let that happen. It's my duty to protect you."
"No one is asking you to do so." she says while trying to create space between them. "Now, please leave before I call the police."
"No, I won't leave you alone. I must protect you." he insist vehemently.
Before Lexa can answer, she feels the presence of her mate and that makes her exhale in relief. When her gaze falls on the blonde vampire, she notices the way her eyes are red and her brands are softly appearing on her skin. Her mate was mad and she seemed ready to kill the young man that was holding her hands. When he finally noticed that someone else was in the room with them, he froze in fear and dropped his hands in surrender. Taking advantage of that, the brunette woman immediately moved behind her mate and hugged her from behind, a move that Clarke tried to prevent because she knew it would calm her down. She wanted to kill this stupid and rude mundane and her mate was doing everything to prevent that from happening.
"Clarke..." she whispers softly while kissing her ear. "Don't."
"He was hurting you." she hisses with hatred. "I can't let that go."
"You must. Unless you want him to know what you truly are."
"If he does, he won't live to tell anyone about it." Clarke threatens the boy who is close to peeing himself.
"Let's not make a mess of things. You must think about your dinner and a missing bellboy will make the hotel start an investigation. And that's the last thing you want dear."
Clarke huffs in annoyance but feels herself calming down. Damn Lexa and her strange ability to make her beast retreat.
"What would you have me do?" she asks and surprises herself by the submissive tone she uses. She was the Queen of the Coalition and yet it was clear that Lexa held control over her.
"Can you make him forget about this?" she whispers softly. "Like in the movies?"
"Yes." Clarke smirks darkly while getting close to the boy and forcing him to stare at her. "You won't remember anything about tonight. You will go to your room and fall asleep. When you wake up tomorrow you'll believe you had too much to drink and you passed out because of it. And you'll stay away from Lexa." she orders him and smiles when the boy nods and leaves the room in a hurry.
"Shit... " Lexa moans and can't help herself from closing the distance between the blonde and her. "That was so sexy." she murmurs and kisses Clarke who hums in delight and returns the kiss.
"So things like that, me being dominating, turns you on?"
"You turn me on." Lexa says boldly and Clarke loves it.
"Your confidence is turning me on." the vampire exclaims while biting her mate's lips softly. "I felt earlier that you were scared." she says while separating from the brunette.
"I was just thinking about the Bond." she admits. "Doesn't it scare you sometimes? How much we seem to feel for one another in such a short amount of time?"
"Sometimes." Clarke admits while smiling softly at the younger woman. "But I have lived for quite a long time and from all I have seen and experienced, being with you just feels right." she blushes.
"I feel the same way Clarke." Lexa admits while smiling. "It's just that it surprises me how much I find myself being willing to do for you."
Clarke looks at her mate and waits for her to further explain what she means by that.
"You know, you said I would always be the first person you think about. That you would be capable of doing anything for me." the brunette explains and Clarke nods in agreement. "And I love that."
"But?" the blonde encourages the mundane to be honest.
"Nothing, it's just that I have never been used to feeling that my happiness depends solely of another person's happiness." Lexa grabs her hand and kisses it. "What I mean is that the thought of you being happy makes me be happy."
Instead of answering the brunette, Clarke simply holds Lexa close, hugging her tightly and warmly, letting the smell of her mate comfort her. She had closed herself to love all those years ago, and to now feel so much for the brunette was making her forget that she was the Queen. All of her duties, responsibilities and obligations disappeared the moment she got close to Lexa, and for a while, she could see herself as just Clarke Griffin, a woman in love. And that had been what she always wanted from life; to feel like this, like a person without masks and walls.
"I resented Marcus at first for giving me the Gift." Clarke murmurs. "I felt empty and hollow, and all I wanted was to cease existing because I had nothing to live for. My family was gone, the man responsible for their deaths was in prison and my life as Clarke Griffin could be no more. I rebelled against him and his teachings. I abandoned him and I went on my own, seeking pleasure and feeding my hunger. I did unspeakable things." she whispers while looking down. "And for a while, I forgot about the values my parents spent their whole lives teaching me."
"Oh Clarke..." Lexa says sadly while hugging her mate close.
"But he came back for me." she smiles sadly. "Marcus found me one night and talked to me. I was so happy to see him and know he cared about my wellbeing. He told me about a project he had, one in which he wanted to unite all the covens and create an alliance."
"The Coalition." Lexa murmurs.
"Yes. I thought he was naive for wanting that, but when he spoke of what it could be like to have vampires living in peace, it made me feel something I had not felt in a long time: A purpose. I knew his idea was crazy, but so was I and perhaps I was hoping to get killed in the process of building the Coalition." Clarke shrugs. "But then he started to teach me what he learned during his travels, the many views of the ancient philosophers and the utopian dreams of the fallen martyrs. I became enchanted by it all, and like Marcus, I started dreaming of the possibility of a better world for us."
"And you succeeded Clarke, you built the Coalition."
"Indeed. And after that was done I again felt that something was missing from my existence. I should have been content with what I had done, cause many tried and perished in the process, including my mentor. But I still felt that it was not enough. I still felt incomplete." she stares at Lexa and smiles brightly. "Until I met you Lexa."
"Clarke..." Lexa whispers with complete awe but the blonde shushes her by placing a finger on her lips.
"I may not completely understand how the Bond works." she continues saying. "And sometimes it does scare me to realize how much power you have over me." she caresses Lexa's cheek. "But every moment I spend with you makes me further realize that you are my soulmate. Not because of a bond or destiny, but because you as a person enthrall me Lexa. I'm drawn to you, you fascinate me and you make me want to be better. You make me feel complete." she whispers vehemently and waits for Lexa to say something.
What happens instead is the brunette crashes their lips together, making Clarke moan in delight and desire. Closing her eyes, and for the first time in a long time allowing another to control her, she feels Lexa pushing her backwards, towards the bed.
Lexa can only think of one thing and that is to have Clarke touch her. Shockingly, she's the one pushing the vampire towards the bed and the one that is very close to taking her clothes off. Moving her lips and hips in tandem, Lexa can feel a soft pang on her neck and she knows that it's Clarke's fangs. The touch, instead of scaring her, further turns her on and she finds herself moving her neck to the side in a sign of clear submission. She knows that they should probably discuss this further- what it could mean for their relationship and for Clarke's needs once they complete the Bond. But with the way Clarke's body feels under her own and the way her strong hands are grabbing and squeezing her butt, Lexa finds herself not caring about the consequences. She, the one person that always thought before acting, was humping the vampire Queen like a teenage boy and moaning in delight with each bump of their fronts. She would have been embarrassed of herself were it not for the way Clarke seemed to be whining in desperation.
"Lexa..." Clarke tries to stop herself from taking the brunette's blood. "We need to stop."
"Do you want to stop?" Lexa retorts while pushing her hand downwards so she can raise the blonde's dress.
"Of course I don't." the vampire moans in delight when she feels Lexa's hand moving over her thigh. "But we haven't talked about this." she points at her fangs.
"Will I become like you if you bite me?" she asks and Clarke shakes her head.
"Will it hurt me?" Clarke shakes her head again.
"Will it hurt you?" the vampire shakes her head.
"Then why are you worried?" Lexa moves her hand away from Clarke's thigh.
"Because the moment I take your blood the Bond will be complete." she admits softly.
"And what happens once the Bond completes?"
"We are bound forever. To me, it would mean that I can no longer drink blood from another."
"And is that so terrible?" Lexa feels jealous and starts to separate herself from the blonde who holds her tight.
"Of course not." Clarke whispers vehemently. "I have not fed from another since the day we first touched."
"Clarke!" the brunette admonishes her softly. "Why? You need to be alert and at your best. You must feed."
"I can't." she admits. "My inner beast only wants to feed from you Lexa. It wants its soulmate."
"Then why not mention that to me when I first asked you about feeding? It's almost been two days since we first touched."
"Because I didn't want to pressure you into doing something out of obligation. I want you to be ready Lexa, and I will wait as long as I have to."
"You silly vampire." the brunette laughs warmly. "I have wanted you from the first moment I laid my eyes on you."
"You know what I mean." she blushes. "I want all of you Lexa: Your body, your mind, your soul and your heart. And I'm ready to offer you all of what remains of my broken heart and soul." Clarke confesses. "I'm yours Lexa."
Staring at the vampire, Lexa can feel nothing but love and passion for the woman staring at her. She was so beautiful, understanding and warm that it surprised the brunette how it had been possible for Clarke to maintain all of these attributes while becoming the Queen of the Coalition. She knew that not many people were privy to their queen's true nature, and for that Lexa was thankful. She could understand how much this moment meant to Clarke, and how she could consider it an abuse of power to take from Lexa without explaining to her what it truly entailed to complete their bond. Clarke was giving her a choice even when they both knew that they were destined for each other.
"Clarke Griffin." Lexa whispers vehemently and she allows the blonde woman to see and feel all of her. "There's no one else in this world, or in the next, that I would wish to be bonded with. I know you sometimes think of yourself as a heartless monster." she whispers calmly. "But to me you're the opposite of that. Because each time I look at you I see a beautiful woman that gives me so much without asking for anything in return. I don't want to wake up another day without knowing that you're by my side. I want you Clarke. Not only because of my lust and desire, but also because of what you make me feel here." she points at her heart. "I want to be yours."
Clarke groans after hearing her brunette confess her feelings and it makes her inner beast purr in contentment and pride. She was not being rejected, in fact, she was being asked by Lexa to complete the ritual because the brunette wanted to belong to her. Lexa wanted to be hers. The implications of such a thing made Clarke's fangs become more pronounced, and she felt the younger woman's excitement at watching her inner beast show itself. Markings were appearing on her skin and her hair was becoming blonder while her eyes turned to a deep red. She was still in control of herself and she knew that she would never be capable of hurting Lexa, which was why Clarke allowed her beast to take what her mate was offering.
Moaning at the sight of the vampire changing in front of her, Lexa knew that this woman was not the same soft spoken and concerned Clarke that had been resisting her advances. No, that one had blue eyes and a gentle smile. But this Clarke, the one that was licking her lips and moaning at the sight of her quivering in need, this was her mate asking to taste her blood. And how could she refuse? Moving her neck to the side in a sign of submission, Lexa can feel the way Clarke's emotions are pouring out of her. She can feel the woman's desperation, hunger and love all crashing with one another and asking for only one thing. A craving that the vampire no longer feels the need to suppress.
Expecting her to continue what they started, Lexa is surprised when Clarke stands up from the bed and quickly opens the door of her room, hissing and roaring at the person on the other side. Lexa knows that whomever it is has just been surprised by finding their Queen's inner beast controlling the vampire's body.
"Clarke." Lexa says and that makes the blonde stop her attack. "Please come." she asks and the vampire runs back to her side. "My sweet Clarke." she kisses her cheeks, eyes and lips while stroking her hair.
"Lexa..." Clarke moans while returning the kiss and this makes the brunette know that her mate had regained control of her beast.
"Welcome back." she smiles softly while kissing her again.
"I will kill you." the blonde vampire promises the intruder while allowing Lexa to continue touching her, making the threat become moot.
"Seems that thanks to Lexa you won't." Octavia retorts while entering the room and giving Lexa a nod. "I came to find you because the dinner will start soon."
"The dinner." Clarke groans in annoyance while hiding her face in Lexa's neck. "Cancel it."
"No can do." the brunette vampire smiles softly. "Think of it as the last time you get to see those other Primus eating your food and acting like misbehaved children."
"So fun." the queen says bored.
"Besides, you said you wanted Lexa to come so she could see how our society functions. If you cancel the dinner that won't happen."
"I hate it when you use my own words against me." Clarke murmurs and Lexa chuckles.
"It's very sweet of you to want me to get to know about your people and your customs." Lexa tells her and this makes Clarke give her a dashing smile.
"You're disgusting Griffin." Octavia finds herself joking and it surprises her to see how easy it has been for her to start forgiving the blonde.
Clarke also seems surprised by Octavia's camaraderie but decides to not mention anything and just growl playfully at her. Lexa's presence was making her do strange things and she was not sure she wanted to understand why. She was just going to go with it as long as it didn't place her mate in danger.
"Are you here only to insult your Queen?" Lexa jokes and it makes the two vampires stare at her with surprise and mirth.
"This one's a keeper." Octavia tells her warmly. "Not only is she willing to fight a vampire for you but she can clearly get away with mocking the Queen."
"Shut up." Clarke murmurs while kissing Lexa's neck softly and purring at the taste.
"If you don't stop doing that we won't get to the dinner." Lexa chokes out.
"Ok." the vampire pouts before kissing her one more time. "I must go reapply my makeup." she smirks at her mate. "Octavia and Miller will stay with you and escort you to the dinner. I'll meet you there." she promises.
"Ok." Lexa smiles softly and kisses Clarke one more time before watching her leave.
"I have never seen her like this." Octavia tells her while sitting on the empty couch. "So open and vulnerable."
"She's had the pressure of being a Queen." Lexa tells her calmly. "That kind of power always brings a burden to the bearer."
"I'm aware of that now." the brunette vampire murmurs.
"She's surprised." the mundane can't stop herself from saying. "She wants to trust you but she doesn't know if she can. Your presence here has her confused."
"And why's that?" Octavia pretends to be uninterested.
"Because she thinks she doesn't deserve your forgiveness." the brunette moves to the bathroom to put her dress on.
"Has she told you why?"
"No." Lexa admits. "I don't think she would want to even if I asked."
"But she would do it if you asked." the vampire can understand what is not being said.
"Clarke honors her word and she said there would be no secrets between us. I just don't want her to tell me what she clearly doesn't wish to share."
"I never knew it affected her like this." Octavia murmurs mostly to herself.
"Well, now you know it hurt her very much. I don't know your bond with my mate." Lexa gets close to her and Octavia can't stop herself from examining the brunette mundane. She was beautiful. "But if you're here to hurt her then think again."
"Are you really doing this? Threatening a vampire without anyone to protect you?"
"I don't need protection." she hisses surely. "Because believe me, the moment I suspect your intentions here are not good ones I will find a way to finish you."
"For being a mundane you're quite brave. Stupid..." Octavia recognizes. "But brave."
"Your brother thought so as well and look where that led him." Lexa doesn't know who is saying these things but it makes the brunette vampire lose her composure.
"If you think I care about my brother then you're mistaken." the vampire gets closer to Lexa. "Don't speak about things you don't understand."
"Likewise." Lexa doesn't retreat. "My bond with Clarke makes me stronger than what you think." and how do I know that?
"That may be." Octavia admits. "But don't let your pride get you killed. That would hurt Clarke more than any betrayal or assassination attempt done on her."
"I know you don't want to hurt her." Lexa says. "I can feel it in you. Whatever your reasons are for having abandoned Clarke's coven, you're now here because you want to protect us."
"A task you're making quite difficult by antagonizing me."
This makes Lexa look down in embarrassment.
"I won't apologize for caring about my mate. I would do anything for Clarke and I trust you'll do the same as well. Please, don't break that trust." she begs and it makes the brunette vampire's anger dissipate.
"Clarke was my best friend. We were offered the Gift by the same Sire."
"Marcus."
"She told you about him?" Octavia asks surprised.
"She did." Lexa smiles sadly. "I'm sorry you lost him."
"He was a good sire. Kind and patient. Understanding and yet determined. When Clarke left us he was devastated. He thought he had failed her. Anyways, when she came back and we started to make plans for the Coalition, we discovered that I had a biological brother. I was excited and saddened by the news because his medical records said that he died from the yellow fever. So imagine our surprise when we entered an Azgeda village and we see a man that looks just like me. Clarke, stupidly enough, lowers her guard and calls his name, which makes him turn around and attack us. Only when Marcus intervened and used his Charm against him, we were capable of apprehending him. He remembered me from our childhood and explained how we were separated after our mother died. I was sent to her sister's house and since he was older he was left on the street. He wanted a new start and Marcus offered him a place in the coven in exchange for information about Azgeda and the Primus." Octavia chuckles bitterly. "We were still at war, but I felt some peace at knowing that I had reunited with my brother. But there was something within him that I didn't see until it was too late."
Lexa stays quiet, knowing that the brunette vampire didn't want her to say anything until she finished her story.
"I had a mate during that time, a vampire named Atom who was from our coven. We had just started talking, but it was a good match and he treated me well. Apart from a soulmate bond, that's what vampires want to find. Anyway, one day I'm with Atom kissing and Bellamy separates us, claiming that I was his sister and that until I found my soulmate I belonged to him. Atom of course refused to stop seeing me and for a while we sneaked around, not wanting to make a fuzz when Kane was worried about Azgeda attacking us. We were caught yet again, but before Bellamy could admonish us we were attacked by vampires from Azgeda. We started to fight against them but we were outnumbered. I got told to run for help and that's what I did. When I returned with Kane, Clarke and a few others, Bellamy was the only one left standing. We thought that it had been the Azgeda the ones responsible for killing Atom, but when I returned to the field to get his body for the burial, there was one vampire that was still alive. He begged me to end his life in exchange for information about the natrona's betrayal."
"The traitor?" Lexa asked and surprised the brunette vampire and herself for knowing what that word meant. The Bond.
"He said that Bellamy and Atom had gotten rid of them all before Bellamy turned around and attacked him from behind, deciding to make it all seem as if Azgeda had been responsible for killing my mate. When I found out I was devastated. I immediately went to talk to Kane and he told me that the moment we launched our offensive move on Azgeda Bellamy would be tried for treason."
"But Kane died and that made Clarke become the Queen instead." Lexa now understood better.
"Yes, and she had no idea of what I told Kane before the battle. So, in order to secure peace with the covens, she decreed that any vampire that joined a coven that formed part of the alliance would be forgiven for the crimes they committed during the war."
"And hence Bellamy was forgiven for killing your mate." the mundane says sadly.
"When I told Clarke about what happened she was devastated. She refused to believe it at first because Bellamy was always so nice and kind to her. But when I challenged him and he was incapable of denying his fault, I expected Clarke to punish him for his betrayal. But as the Queen she had given her word and the crime committed against me was at the coven level. She was obstructed from getting me justice by her own self. It was ironic." Octavia chuckles darkly. "Being the Primus of Arkadia had no say when the Queen had already ruled the pardoning of the war criminals."
"I'm sorry Octavia." it's all Lexa can say because her situation sucked. And she felt sorry for both, her mate and the brunette vampire, for being victims of their circumstances.
"Don't be. I blamed her at first for it all, that being the main reason that made me leave Arkadia. But with time I realized that she was a victim of the circumstances just like I had been. The real person at fault was Bellamy." she says surely. "I was going to return to the coven." she admits softly. "But when I heard that Clarke made my brother her second in command that truly upset me. I couldn't understand how she would be capable of forgiving and trusting him when he murdered my mate!"
"Because of the same reason she's trusting me with you." Lexa tells her and this makes Octavia's anger dissipate. "Because she wants to believe the best of her friends and she's willing to give second chances. But even she can make mistakes. And she knows this as well."
"I never thought of it that way." the brunette vampire murmurs. "I guess that's why I'm here. Because even with everything that happened between us, there has never been a better Queen than Clarke. We can't lose her. Or you."
"Then let's do our job and keep her safe." Lexa extends her hand and Octavia stares at it for a moment before squeezing it surely.
"Thank you Lexa." the vampire says to her and Lexa knows why she's saying that.
"Thank you for trusting me with your story." she replies and Lexa's phone chimes. "It's Clarke. She's asking why we're not there."
"Tell her we're on our way." Octavia says while texting Miller. "Not a word to anyone about what we just talked about."
"I was intending on taking it to my grave." Lexa jokes and it makes Octavia chuckle.
"If you even get one." she murmurs and now takes the time to look at Lexa. "Because from the sight of you I think we will need to be more worried about Clarke dying."
"Are you flirting with me?" the brunette mundane winks at her.
"I would never." she smiles. "I don't have a death wish, thank you very much. Now move before your mate does come here and kills me for not getting you there on time."