Chapter Seven

"Of course I give a sht!" Harry roared as he paced up and down his living room. Danny and Dougie had both agreed to guide me to my chosen destination. And now they were enduring Harry biting their heads off. Both boys stood in front of him, hands clasped behind their backs, standing up straight, tense. Why were they so frightened?

"They harm you?" Harry asked me, suddenly sounding friendly, comforting. Brotherly. I shook my head, watching the scene unfold in front of me from where I sat.
"I didn't lay a finger on her." Danny declared. "Doug was there before me."
"Shut it!" Harry scorned, then speaking to the both of them. "You both know the rules. No relations of any kind until she's officially accepted in to the clan." Then his glare grew. And I mean, totally evil. I mean if looks could kill… "And no blood mating until she's of age and her partner has been chosen!"

Over. My. Head.
Completely.

""Harry, this is the 21st century, not the 13th." Danny laughed.
"And another thing, Jones." Harry grabbed his friend by the collar, pulling him close, their noses inches away from one another. "You don't screw around with my sister to get a humans attention. Understand me?" Danny gulped and nodded. "If you want Jessi to notice you, find another way."
"Why can't I just blood her?" Danny asked, immediately regretting his question when Dougie lunged for him, fangs at full length, face fully changed in to that of the demonic being that shadowed us all. "Get off me." Danny choked, the hand around his neck seemed to only clasp tighter.
"Don't you dare do that to her." Dougie hissed. "Don't even say her name. You'll ruin her."
"Get up. The both of you." Harry snapped. "We're not here to discuss Jessi. I thought that matter was closed already."

Dougie retreated, standing up to lean against the wall he was stood in front of. Danny remained on the floor, gasping for air as he sat up, not even attempting to stand. It was at this point that Harry sat beside me, turning to face me, and grasping my hand in his.

"You're confused." He stated, his brow furrowing as he looked at me.
"Very." I nodded.
Harry waved his hand behind him in dismissal. The two boys also occupying the room grunted, obviously reluctant to leave, and sauntered from the room.

There was an unbearable silence I had to endure before Harry finally plucked up the courage to speak. He cleared his throat, his voice, a mumble to begin with.
"I visited Peachings twice to look for you." He bit his lip nervously. "The first time you'd been placed with a family in Devon."
"The Fishers." I chuckled a little to myself. "I was only with them for two days.
"And the second you were at the hospital." He continued. "Last year."
"Yeah, that didn't go down too well with Patty." I shrugged. "I didn't drink for a week. Induced my own coma."
"My point is, that I did look for you." Harry said, eyes pleading, as if asking for some kind of forgiveness. "You have no idea how long it took to find you. To know what I'd say when we met. To imagine what you looked like. And then find you weren't around."

I was silent. My brother is turning out to be pretty damn deep. Now I've had a few days to think since our first meeting, he doesn't seem to bad. If anything, he was filling the cliché protective older brother role just peachy.

"You have no idea who you are, do you?" He piped up. Woah now. De Ja Vu. Dougie said that to me. Right before he explained I was a vampire. Please don't tell me there's more. My head's already about to explode.
"Do I really want to know?" I asked. He nodded. "Then just tell me. I don't want a pretty story. I want facts."
"We're from a pure bloodline. In five days you come of age, and I have to introduce you to a suitable mate." Harry replied.

So totally not what I was expecting.
No. No. No. No.
My head screams.

"A mate?" I questioned. I sincerely hope he's talking about a friendly study buddy.
"An eternal partner. It's been tradition for over a millennium. I already have the name from dad's letter." Harry muttered. Something tells me I'm going to want to see this letter some time in the near future. "This match was made before you were born." I'm not getting my head around this. Somehow I think I was better off being oblivious to everything.
"Royal blooded females have always mated with aristocrat males. We don't break tradition." The firmness in my brothers voice scared me a little. I feel like a mail order bride all of a sudden.
"But what if…" I began to protest. Who's to say I'll even like my so called partner.
"The predictions are never wrong." Harry dismissed me immediately.

I'll refuse then.

"Refuse, and you refuse the right to live." He shrugged. "You can't bypass the law. There are no loophole in vampire tradition."

I'm silent.
He said Royal.

"I don't know why you're worrying so much." Danny remarked. He and Dougie had since joined us again in Harry's living room. Both being informed that I'd been told everything. That's everything? Of course it isn't. I'm not naïve enough to believe them. "This time five days from now, you'll be getting laid. Why complain?"

Huh?

"No thank you." I smiled.
"You have to." Danny shrugged. "It's hardly a bad situation."
"Harry, I swear, if it's him," I pointed to Danny. "I'll gladly refuse and put the knife to my neck myself."
"Charming." Danny rolled his eyes.
"I take it you're still not going to tell me who it is then." I looked at Harry who merely shook his head. "Figures. Then, who could it be?"
"Me or Doug." Danny grinned. "Tom already mated like two years ago."
"Is that it?" I asked. My options aren't looking too great. In fact, they're a tad bit dismal.
"Yeah. There's always been a higher female to male ration within clans." Harry explained.
"Oh. Well, that's just great isn't it?" I snapped. "And I suppose you get to choose who you shag then?"

He was silent.
Oh.
You have got to be kidding me.
How on earth is this fair? Seriously!?

I get the feeling that, although there are more girls, the clan is male dominated the majority of the time. How.. Archaic. Sexist. Unjust. Barbaric.
And down right rude!

And am I the only one who finds it highly disturbing that my brother is practically arranging for me to have sex? Oh god.. He expects me to…

I want to go home now.

"Doug, take Claire home." Harry sighed, sounding a little more than disappointed. I'd quite happily argue that I could go alone, if I had a clue where I was going. As it was, Harry lived a little out of the way from the Poynter house, and therefore I was already lost just being sat here.
"Sorry." I mumbled, getting up, venturing to the door. I turned, facing Harry once more. I smiled a little. "Stop reading me, Harry. Ask me first."
"She a quick learner." Danny chuckled.
"Come by the club tomorrow." Harry waved at us feebly, a smile edging up one side of his face as if trying to secrete it. Peculiar boy.

"Doug, you know your library..?" I looked at him as we walked out on to the street. He nodded. "Does it have books on vampire law?"