The Heir

Chapter 5

Rachel: I can't stop thinking about you.

Quinn's pulse quickened as she stared down at the message. Her thoughts went immediately to their compromising position at Incision a couple days earlier. She closed her eyes and shivered, still feeling the blaze of heat striking through her body. And she couldn't help but grin. She wondered if Rachel had felt that same fire she had whenever they touched. She never knew that kind of joy and connection with another person could actually be real.

She realized her palms were sweaty when her phone buzzed again.

Rachel: Come over. I miss you. I can't wait until Saturday before I see you. I need you now.

And that was all it took.

Twenty minutes later, Quinn was in a taxi on her way to Rachel's apartment. Her heart hadn't slowed down any and now she was beginning to feel nervous. When she'd been throwing on some halfway decent clothes, she'd decided that tonight she was going to put her heart on her sleeve. She was going to put herself out there emotionally for the first time. She was going to express to Rachel exactly how she felt.

She was terrified… yet excited at the same time.

When the cab pulled up in front of Rachel's building, Quinn's nerves were shot. She thought about just standing there on the sidewalk, hoping to regain some kind of composure but she knew she was just stalling and if she gave herself anymore time to overthink everything swirling around in her head, she'd probably turn around and leave.

I'm doing this.

She walked briskly into the building and was surprised to see that the guards recognized her. One of them—Mike, if she remembered correctly—pulled out his phone, no doubt calling Rachel. After hanging up, he smiled at Quinn and informed her that Rachel was on her way down. True to his words, moments later the elevator dinged and the most beautiful brunette stepped out. Quinn's heart almost stopped.

"Quinn," Rachel greeted, her voice soft and reverent like the blonde's name was a prayer on her lips. She looked relaxed in a pair of tight jeans and a tank top, which showed off her toned body. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she was barefoot. She looked the epitome of a casual night in.

"Hi. I uh… I thought I'd take you up on your offer to come over," Quinn replied nervously, but the doubt was quickly gone when a bright smile lit up Rachel's face.

"I'm so glad you did. Come on." She took Quinn's hand and entwined their fingers, leading them into the elevator.

Quinn couldn't help but stare at the toned muscles of Rachel's arms as the brunette inserted the key and pressed the button for the top floor. Her skin was silky smooth and Quinn wanted nothing more than to have those strong arms around her, holding her… fingers inside her…

Rachel turned and caught Quinn's dazed expression. She smirked as if she could read the blonde's thoughts, and heat surged into her dark chocolate eyes, taking Quinn's breath away. The way Rachel was looking at her—like she wanted to devour her—caused heat to pound through her body. Her heart was beating so loudly she was sure Rachel could hear it.

Rachel's dark eyes held onto Quinn's as she took a step closer to her, only pulling her gaze away when she buried her face in the blonde's neck. She took in a deep inhale and Quinn knew that the vampire was taking in her scent. There was something incredibly erotic about all of it, as if Rachel needed to absorb her into all her senses.

"You're here." Rachel's voice was low and husky, her breath like a cool breeze on Quinn's neck sending a shiver down her spine, straight through to the tips of her toes.

She leaned back so she could look deep into those captivating eyes she'd been dreaming about for the last several days. "I am." Her answer was just a whisper.

Rachel tucked a lock of blonde hair behind Quinn's ear. Cupping her face gently in her hand she slowly leaned forward and brushed her lips against Quinn's ever so softly, her tongue peeking out to taste Quinn's lips. The gentleness of her touch soothed every doubt in Quinn's mind. She pushed everything in her life away and just let herself feel. Feel the way this woman touched her, not only her body but also her mind and her heart. She would willingly give everything to her.

Rachel pulled back and rested her forehead on Quinn's. "You smell so good. And taste even better."

The elevator dinged and she led them to the apartment.

Rachel put together a bowl of fruit and both women lounged together on the couch, their legs intertwined as soft conversation flowed naturally between them. Quinn found Rachel to be quite funny, keeping the atmosphere light.

Quinn was having a hard time not ogling Rachel's body. She wondered if a perfect body came with being a vampire, or if Rachel had to constantly work out to keep looking like an ancient Greek statue. Her body began to heat.

There was a devilish glint in Rachel's eyes, and Quinn wondered how it seemed Rachel always knew when she was thinking something lustful and dirty.

Without over-thinking, she moved closer to Rachel on the couch and brushed her fingertips against the marble-smooth skin of the vampire's jaw. She slowly traced a path down her neck and over her collarbone, taking in every curve. Her fingers whispered between the brunette's breasts and she felt the rhythm of Rachel's breathing as her chest rose and fell. Rachel's eyes closed and a soft purr-like noise sounded in her throat. Quinn continued her journey over toned abs down to the button on her jeans. There wasn't an ounce of fat on the woman anywhere and Quinn felt the urge straddle her, rub her body all over that perfect body.

Rachel put a finger under Quinn's chin and forced her gaze up to meet her eyes. Quinn's mouth parted when she looked into those beautiful, soulful brown eyes. She clearly saw a reflection of her own need and she had to clench her thighs together to stop the throbbing between her legs. No one had ever looked at her the way Rachel was looking at her. She felt a burning in her soul and knew something had just changed in her forever.

It scared her, and drew her in at the same time.

Rachel leaned forward, guiding Quinn down on the couch, pressing a soft kiss to her neck. Quinn gasped, goosebumps erupting over her flesh as Rachel traveled downward. She didn't miss a spot. Quinn's stomach quivered as the vampire's lips gently brushed over her belly button.

Rachel's dark eyes peered up at her. "Is this okay?" she murmured softly.

Quinn didn't think she could force her voice to work at that moment, so she just nodded her consent instead. Rachel's lips pressed against the pale, unmarked skin of Quinn's hip bone just above her jeans before slowly trailing back up, caressing her skin with lips and soft strokes of her tongue. Rachel's eyes didn't leave hers once.

Her hands followed her mouth, coming to rest on the bottom hem of Quinn's shirt, which had been pushed up to just below her breasts. She searched Quinn's eyes again, and found what she was looking for. In the next second she lifted the material further up the blonde's body. Quinn eagerly helped, pulling it off over her head, her pale pink bra and jeans following after.

Rachel stared reverently at the body before her. "You're so beautiful, Quinn." Her dark eyes flickered up to meet hazel. "Can I touch you?"

Quinn let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Yes." Her voice was soft and airy, wrapped up in this perfect moment Rachel had created.

Rachel's hands were firm, but also incredibly gentle, as they explored Quinn's skin. Her thumb brushed against one nipple, and Quinn sucked in a mouthful of air as the pink peak pebbled under the touch. She forced herself to shakily exhale, but could hardly concentrate on something as mundane as breathing when Rachel captured the other pink bud between two fingers and gently tugged at it.

Rachel's pupils were blown wide as she watched Quinn's body react to her ministrations, and without another thought, her mouth was on a nipple, worshiping it with her tongue as she continued to brush her fingers over the other.

Quinn whimpered, helplessly arching into Rachel's touch as she became enraptured by the wonderful sensations the brunette's mouth and hands were causing to rapidly build in her lower belly. Teeth scraped against her breast, and a spark of desire so strong shot through her that for a second, she was convinced she was on fire.

"You taste amazing," Rachel murmured against Quinn's skin.

"Rachel," Quinn cried feebly in response.

Rachel shuddered and groaned. "Say that again," she demanded.

Quinn moaned. "Rachel," she breathed as her hands tangled in long brunette hair. It wasn't long before she realized that she was the only one without a shirt on.

Hastily attempting to remedy the situation, she tugged at the hem of Rachel's tank top.

Realizing what Quinn was trying to do, Rachel sat up and pulled the offending piece of clothing off, followed closely by her bra.

Then it was Quinn's turn to explore bare skin, relishing in the way Rachel trembled as her fingers roamed her breasts, circling her nipples then dipping into the natural grooves of her ab muscles.

All too soon, however, Rachel captured Quinn's hands, pressing them gently into the couch cushion above her head so that she could admire the blonde beauty again. Reverently, she leaned down and lavished Quinn's chest with open mouthed kisses, then moved to her neck, sucking on every inch of flesh.

Quinn was consumed by the earthly aroma that radiated off Rachel in waves as the vampire attempted to devour her. Her eyes glazed over in desire as Rachel's mouth covered hers. Lost in a lustful haze, she didn't recognize that the breathy moans she could hear were actually coming from herself. She arched into Rachel, attempting to get as close to her as possible. Raising her hips, she pressed the most intimate part of her body against Rachel's hard stomach. She just couldn't seem to get close enough.

She wanted more of Rachel. Needed more.

She ran her nails down Rachel's body, stopping when she felt the top of the brunette's waistband.

A low growl erupted from Rachel and she pressed her body closer. Quinn could feel every dip and curve and swore she might orgasm before their naked flesh ever met. Rachel was just that damn incredible to feel. A low moan came from Rachel and their kissing grew deeper, almost frantic.

Quinn was feeling like she was melting inside. Rachel's every touch sent sparks flying through her. Every nip of her lips, every brush of her fingertips on her skin shot directly between her legs where she felt the wetness pool. Rachel latched onto her breasts, nipping and sucking until the blonde thought she would come from that alone and moaned deeply, a sound that was the perfect symphony to Rachel's ears.

Rachel slowly moved lower, pulling Quinn's panties with her as she dipped lower and lower, lingering on her hip bones leaving marks until the blonde whimpered in desperation. Grinning, Rachel finally gave in to her own desire and dove in, Quinn moaning and screaming in approval. Every swipe of the vampire's tongue sent lightning bolts of pleasure straight through her body.

She cried out in frustration when Rachel pulled back. But quickly turned to lust when the brunette started pulling off her own pants and boyshorts.

Now as naked as the blonde, Rachel pressed her body down on Quinn's, inserting a thigh between Quinn's legs. She pulled the blonde in for a deep kiss and let her taste herself as they began to move against each other at a frantic pace. Quinn was close, Rachel could feel it with every cell in her body. The heat pulsing from the blonde was unmistakable and more arousing than anything Rachel had ever felt.

With one final push, Quinn screamed out Rachel's name.

The vampire dove into Quinn's neck with her fangs, the thick stream of the most potent blood she had ever tasted flowing into her mouth. The sensation of Rachel's bite took Quinn to even greater heights, and sending Rachel over the edge with her, moaning loudly.

When Rachel's fangs slid out, she licked the mark and collapsed on top of her lover, panting heavily, high on Quinn's crackling blood and energy. "Gods, you're amazing," she only just managed to get out before she was flipped onto her back. Deep green hazel eyes stared down at her.

"I'm not done. I need more of you."

~~o~~

Wanting to know more about vampires, Quinn borrowed a book from Shelby, who she'd met over dinner the previous week, hoping to get some answers. She'd known Santana for years, but it wasn't until she had been spending time with Rachel that she was serious about learning more about the secretive species.

She was honestly surprised she was allowed to borrow this particular book from Shelby. It looked old and well-worn, making it obvious it was an important book. But Shelby had seemed happy Quinn was interested in reading it.

So Quinn spent days reading and learning, taking countless notes. She was intrigued with the vampire species and the air of mystery it surrounded itself with.

One day, Santana was over at Quinn's apartment and Quinn decided it was the perfect opportunity to ask her best friend some questions.

"What is a 'vampire bonding ceremony'?"

Santana's gaze turned from the movie they were watching over to Quinn who was sitting on the opposite end of the couch, holding up an old book. "What?"

"Well, Shelby lent me this book…"

Santana paused the movie then leaned over and tilted the book up so she could see the cover. Her brows scrunched as she read the title — 'The Old History of the Vampire'. "Seriously, Q? I know you're a book nerd, but reading that must be torture. When I was younger, my Gran used to make me read books like that for punishment. Just looking at it sends dread through my heart." She got up and headed to the kitchen. "I need another drink."

Quinn rolled her eyes. "It's actually been really fascinating so far. I've had a lot of questions about vampires and now some things make sense. But right here," she pointed to a page, "in this chapter about immortal life, it mentions a 'bonding ceremony' and I was just curious if you knew what it was since the book doesn't give any specific details."

Santana fell back onto the couch with a sigh, a fresh drink in her hand. "You honestly want to know about this?"

Quinn nodded.

"Fine." She took the book from Quinn and read over the passage for a few minutes. "Well, a 'bonding ceremony' is like a marriage, but for a vampire it is much more than that. It's much stronger and much more binding."

"Like what your parents have?" Quinn asked. She'd met Santana's parents years ago and had instantly felt a part of their family. They were two of the kindest people she had ever known.

"Actually, my parents aren't bound in that way."

That surprised Quinn. "But I thought… The way they talk about their relationship, they are always saying words like, 'eternity' and 'forever'."

"Well yes," Santana began to explain. "But their relationship, like pretty much all vampire romantic relationships, is different from actual 'bonding'." She paused, trying to figure out the best way to explain. "My parents love each other deeply and promised each other that they would always be together, because they are each other's mate. That's what vampire couples do when they are in love or they find their mate. They make a deep promise, a claim on each other."

"Okay." Quinn took the old book from Santana's hands. "So then what exactly is the 'bonding ceremony'?"

Santana took a deep breath. "Well, we need to back up a little bit. First of all, vampires have a lot of secrets. We cultivate an air of mystery around us because it's important that humans and other species don't fully understand our culture. One of our more protected secrets is about the 'blood bond'. Vampires don't love in the traditional sense. Humans are capable of falling in love many times over the course of their lifetime. They can give and receive love essentially at will. This isn't the case for vampires, they don't fall in love easily. And even if—or when—they fall in love, most vampires don't make deep commitments. Being monogamous is very hard because depending on their strength or bloodline, vampires need to drink a lot of blood to survive. And it's hard for any one person to be enough to satisfy that hunger."

Santana saw pain flash across Quinn's face before the blonde was able to cover it.

She decided to move on and deal with that later. "There is an exception. When a vampire is born, their soul is paired with another. Basically this means that there is one person in the world that they are destined for. Their true mate. If the two souls were lucky enough to find each other—which is actually very rare—and they do decide to perform the blood bond ceremony, the love between the vampire and their mate will be the strongest, purest love imaginable. That connection cannot be broken. They become one in every sense, except a literal fusing of their bodies. But their souls become linked. It gives them both incredible power and creates a pairing that no one could ever match."

"Well," Quinn began, not knowing how she felt about this. "that actually sounds wonderful. I mean, if a vampire finds their true mate and really loves them and always wants to be with them, wouldn't everybody want to have that deep of a relationship? Why don't all vampires do it?" Quinn asked curiously.

"Because it's a very dangerous ceremony to perform. Many that have tried it, have failed. One, or both, of them have died. So most vampires don't want to chance it. They feel that the benefits don't outweigh the risks. Besides, when vampires are officially blood bonded in the ceremony, since their souls are literally bound together, if one of them ever deserted their mate or was unfaithful or… died, then the other one would never be able to romantically love any other person for the rest of their life. And vampires live a long time."

"Are you serious?" Quinn was appalled. "They could never truly love another person?"

Santana shook her head. "No. Because if the two soulmates are separated, it becomes extremely difficult to function for the one left behind. They each hold a piece of the other person. The piece of the soul where that intense ultimate love is held, it is given to the other person during the ceremony. So if one of them leaves, the other one doesn't have that piece of themselves to give to someone else. And, like I said, since most vampires live a very long time, they don't want to risk giving that part of themselves up in case their companion does the unthinkable."

"So, if a blood bonded vampire's mate is unfaithful or leaves, then the other vampire can never feel any type of love again?" Quinn asked in disbelief. She lifted her glass of wine from the coffee table and took a large drink of the dark liquid.

"Well, they could still feel love, but only the type of love that someone would have for a friend or a sibling. Not the deep, romantic love. Only a shallow version of love. And I've heard it's a fate worse than death. That part of the soul is important for the stability and sanity of the vampire. And they become shadows of who they were before, and they live in constant pain, because their soul has been ripped apart. It's actually quite tragic."

Quinn was silent, and Santana could see she was processing all the information.

"Why do I get the feeling that this is important to you, Quinn? And not just your usual curiosity." she asked, her eyebrow arched in suspension.

Quinn looked away from her best friend's intense, and accusing, gaze.

"This better not have anything to do with Rachel," Santana gritted between her teeth. And when Quinn still didn't say anything, she continued. "Quinn, you aren't supposed to fall in love with a vampire."

Quinn's eyes snapped back to the brunette. "I never said I was in love."

Santana scoffed then rubbed her forehead, not believing what was happening. She knew her best friend too well. "Shit, Q. Have a good time, yes. Have explosive sex, yes. But fall in love? No! Especially with Rachel."

Heavy silence fell in the room as the two women glared at each other. Neither wanting to give an inch. They were saved by a perky fairy dancing into the apartment.

"Hi!" Brittany's happy voice lifted the tension in the room. She looked at her girlfriend then over at the other blonde. "What's wrong?"

Quinn shot off the couch. "I'm going out," she announced before heading down the hallway toward her bedroom, not giving Santana a final glance.

Brittany looked at her girlfriend in confusion. "What happened, San?"

Santana pulled Brittany onto her lap and nuzzled her neck. "Q is just learning a hard lesson about the supernatural world she lives in. But it'll be okay. We're here for her, right?"

Brittany grinned and pecked her on the lips. "Absolutely."

~~o~~