2nd chapter
The vampire walked slowly through the thick forest; the dry leaves rustled under each step of his feet. Birds chirped loudly, trying to get the attention of others during that year's mating season. It was unusual warm that day, the sun burnt from the sky, which made the woods a welcoming cool place. Vladimir didn't mind the temperature, unfortunately he was bound to that rather small part of the woods until the sun would set, but he wasn't annoyed. He went there to be on his own, after all. He wanted to calm himself, to think and Stefan needed the same. They trusted each other the most, but that didn't mean they would spend every minute together.
He didn't bother walking the paths in the wood as he tried to avoid any contact with humans. He paid no attention to the country he was in or the duration of his absence at all. Vladimir came to a halt under a large tree, his eyes travelling over the open field in front of him. It was a beautiful sight for sure, yet something seemed to trouble his mind, but he couldn't point out what it was. While his mind raced, trying to figure out the reason for his want to wander, his nose suddenly caught a scent that appeared oddly familiar to him. He frowned, attempting to localize the source, when he heard someone walking through the forest. The smell of blood mixed with the sound of a beating heart, but there was more. It wasn't just the blood he smelled, that person's own scent even almost completely covered it. That was new to him; in all his years he had never encountered anything like that. Everyone's scent was different, but to the sensitive noses of vampires, the smell of their blood was always the most prominent part.
The vampire remained on his position, but turned around, letting his eyes scan the area for whoever would cause that strange sensation. He fixated a direction, knowing that person would appear there any second. When his eyes caught the first movement, he involuntarily lifted an eyebrow looking at the person that slowly but steadily came into view. In that moment, he remembered, the last time he had seen her, her scent was all that had lingered, that had reached his senses. His mind continued to race, wondering about that odd sensation.
She kept her gaze to the ground, trying not to trip over fallen branches or roots in front of her. Her long, auburn hair was bound into a ponytail and fell over her backpack. She took deep breaths to cool herself down, the heat was getting to her more and more. Even though, she was glad to be in the forest and not on the field at the mercy of the sun, she couldn't help but groan with every step she took. Sweat was clearly visible on her skin, as a last resort form of protection against the heat. She followed the path a little further, until she felt watched. She stopped, still breathing deeply as she slowly lifted her gaze to look around.
For a moment, she looked at the man with a frown on her face; they watched each other for a few seconds until she forced her attention away. Her curiosity got the better of her once again and with a peculiar feeling she allowed herself to get a little closer once more; all under his watchful eyes.
"Hello, stranger," she said with a small smile on her lips, looking at him for a second, before she eyed the field in front of them. She stood around two metres away from him, though something inside her wanted to get closer, she resisted the urge. He was a stranger after all, a very mysterious stranger, that piqued her interest unfortunately.
"Self-preservation is foreign to you, isn't it?" Vladimir couldn't quite hide his amusement. He was generous enough to let her leave unharmed days ago and yet she couldn't take a simple hint to stay away from him. A low chuckle left his lips and he turned to face the field as well. There was no harm done in talking and if she got annoying, he could easily dispose her. Though, the thought of it didn't sound as appealing as it usually did.
"I don't know what you mean," she said and sighed. She closed her eyes for a short while, enjoying the upcoming soft breeze. "It's the middle of the day, what could possibly happen out here in the woods?" She lifted an eyebrow but her face still showed her content expression.
Vladimir couldn't help it; he shook his head in slight disbelief at her naivety. A smirk crawled on his lips. "You know that there are creatures in these woods that can be dangerous." He was fully aware, that today's times differ immensely from when he ruled or even when he grew up. Nowadays women could take care of themselves, they didn't need to rely on a father or husband anymore, but being that reckless was new to him. He was almost tempted to reveal his race, just to see her reaction, but he didn't.
The woman turned over in his direction, her hand on her hip again as she looked almost challenging at him. "I do admit that boars live in this region and they do raise piglets this time of the year, which makes them pretty aggressive," she said and made a small step in his direction. She looked directly into his strange red eyes, that somehow had an alluring effect on her. "But those boars are the same threat to me as they are to you. I know you think, because you're a man, you can handle everything, but face it, you wouldn't stand a chance against them as well." She rose her chin, a proud smile on her face. "So, what's the talk about self-preservation."
The smirk on his face quickly turned into a playful one, the temptation to tell her rose immensely, but he could control himself. "I believe, I can manage," he said, the amusement clear to be heard in his voice. It was at that moment, that he realized how calm his mind was. The troubling thoughts were gone, leaving him with a feeling of content and relaxation. As the realization hit him, he let his eyes roam the forest, his brows were furrowed and hate fueled him. He hated that he didn't know what it was that caused all of it, obviously, he was glad that his mind calmed down, but he couldn't grasp why it happened suddenly.
The woman noticed his change in behavior, she wanted to make a snarky comment about equality but her eyes were glued on the man and his suddenly tense form. She saw how his hands clenched into fists, the way he straightened his posture even though he had an almost unnatural, military stance before. Now that she took a closer look at him, she realized his uncommon clothing, she didn't judge his way of clothing, but the thought alone of wearing that made her sweat even more. "Is everything alright?"
Her voice was low and unsure, but to him it felt as if she screamed at him. His head snapped in her direction, the pained expression on his face was met by her concerned one. He even realized that she came a little closer as well. Vladimir studied the woman, staring at her nonchalantly as he felt her growing nervous, fiddling with the strings of her backpack, switching from one foot to the other. His expression changed into a confused one until his mind finally put all pieces together and his inner turmoil silenced in the same process. He scoffed in disbelief, wondering why fate would be such a cruel thing.
When he didn't answer, the woman moved a little, on one hand she wanted to get closer on the other hand, she couldn't decipher the way he looked at her and she wanted to get more distance between the two them. It all resulted in putting her weight from one foot to the other. She glanced at the ground in front of her, blinking heavily, before she looked at him again; at his unmoving form that somehow seemed threatening now. "Can I," she started but didn't continue.
When the silence was almost unbearable, he spoke up again. "What is your name?" His voice was low, but sincere. He had to know, there was no way out of this, not for him and certainly not for her, even though she had absolutely no clue that her fate was sealed as well. His eyes pierced into hers and for the first time, he saw discomfort. She was a fragile human being anyway, no matter if today's society treated women and men equally, they still handled certain situations differently.
The woman was completely taken aback by the change of his demeanor. A frown appeared on her face and she forced herself to look away. She let her eyes roam over the field once more, taking in the beauty of nature; the insects flying and crawling over the wild flowers, simply doing what nature expected them to do. She felt his stare on her, waiting for an answer. She breathed heavier each passing second, somehow totally unsure what to do. A part of her would be willing to tell him everything he wanted to know and that part scared her deeply. Her mind fought an inner war, but she finally decided, that there would be no harm done in telling him her name. She turned her head in his direction, only then realizing, that she stood only one metre away from the stranger. "Amanda," she whispered. The confusion, due to the change of the atmosphere between the two of them, was written all over her face.
Vladimir took a deep breath, repeating her name in his head multiple times. His gaze softened a little as he noticed her tense behavior. He didn't want to scare her away, as he knew he would look after her from that day to his last. He knew full well what happened to those losing their special one, his companion was the perfect example. Vladimir might have lost someone he had loved as well, but she hadn't been his mate, they had known back then, but they couldn't have cared less. History couldn't and wouldn't repeat itself. A soundless sigh left his lips, he was aware that he had to inform her, not just about his race but also about those bonds. She had to be turned soon, all those dangers lurking around that could easily kill her fragile human body. He hardly suppressed the low growl that wanted to emerge. For once in his existence, he didn't really know what to do, how to proceed in that situation. He couldn't just snatch her away, she had to come willingly and that would be the most difficult task for him to achieve. "Are you working somewhere in the area?" He asked carefully, trying to get her to talk. He already discovered, that she trusted him easily, so he hoped she wouldn't give him just a plain answer, but that she would tell him more. He relaxed his stance, taking his eyes off of her to show her, he didn't mean to frighten her.
The frown on Amanda's face intensified. It was an interesting but strange question to ask, but she felt the tension subsiding to a more relaxed one, when he finally looked away. "Well," she started, confidence rising inside of her again. "I'm here to study." She glanced slightly at him, but quickly looked away. Silence filled the air between the two and she slowly started to relax as well. She had no idea what it was, but she was glad they returned to a normal conversation. It was then, she realized that she finally got accustomed to the temperature in the woods. "I, erm, I moved here a few months ago. I used to live with my parents in the north, but here are the best options to study." She couldn't help it but smile. "I have my very own, very first flat." The moment, she said that she immediately scolded herself. How could she possibly tell a stranger, that she was living alone? Whatever it was that told her mind to trust that man, it needed to stop. She didn't know him; she didn't even know his name. Amanda straightened her posture and looked at the man next to her. "You didn't tell me your name, stranger," she stated, a smirk spreading on her face as she turned her head to look at him again. The red of his eyes suddenly calming her, instead of telling her to run.
An amused chuckle left his lips at her question. He noticed her more relaxed expression and he deeply enjoyed it. "You never asked," he stated simply, but mirrored her smirk. The way he looked at her implicated his playful nature. But it was still strange to him, to meet someone, to actually talk to someone worthy enough, who didn't know his name. Most of his kind knew about Stefan and him, about their coven and their reputation that still stood to that day. And yet, there she was, an unaware but open-minded human, a woman, who had absolutely no idea that fate bound her to him, intertwining their souls in an almost mischievous game of Russian roulette. His smirk widened at the thought and he turned his body completely to Amanda. He held out his hand to her, with his other hand held firmly on his back.
Taken aback once more, Amanda looked from the offered hand to his face and back again. Hesitantly, she lifted her hand, the slightest trembling of her fingers visible. Her breathing intensified once more, until she reached his hand. The sudden coldness of his skin made her flinch instantly, given the current temperature, she didn't expect his hand to be as cold as ice. Before she even had the chance to pull her hand back, he quickly caught her; his hand closing firmly around her shivering hand, but not with more force than needed. Amanda had no time to react in any way possible, as he turned her hand slightly. Without missing a beat, he put a featherlight kiss on the back of her hand, his eyes stayed on her the entire time. Heat rushed to Amanda's cheeks in an instant at his behavior, painting her face in a deep red blush. Her ears barely caught his introduction as she was too focused on his demeanor and the cold, she felt on the skin of her hand. When he finally let go of her hand, she blinked while her mind tried to process what just happened.
The silence between the two of them was disturbed by some birds, chirping in the distance and a very pushy mosquito that tried desperately to find a place on Amanda's skin to land on and nurture itself. As it finally settled on her arm, she was quick to kill it. "Sorry, nasty little creatures," she apologized for her actions, which resulted in an amused chuckle from him. "May I ask you a question?" She looked inquiringly at him, but let him no chance to answer. "Why are you so cold? You wear such warm clothes and yet your hand is freezingly cold." When she finished, she noticed his change of stance again, he straightened himself as if he tried to ready himself for whatever he wanted to answer.
Vladimir knew perfectly well, that there was no way out of it. He wouldn't lie to her; he was known to be brutally honest but he had to prepare her for what was to come. She had a right to know that her life, she knew until then, was over, but she would gain something else entirely. She had to make sacrifices, though. Despite the popular belief, that Stefan and Vladimir had no idea about nowadays society, they knew quite a bit about it. Consulting with others of their kind who lived closer to civilization and traveling over the whole globe let them at least get glimpses of the pressure on today's mankind. He had to admit that he lived in easier times, more simple but easier overall. But it mostly amused him to an extent, since he didn't have to deal with any of it personally, except for when a certain stubbornly curious human stumbled her way into his life.