Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Christen Press had made a lot of adjustments in her life since moving to Portland, Oregon.

She had left behind her beloved California with its everyday sunshine, endless beaches, and thousands of delicious culinary experiences. Portland was nice, in its own way, it was definitely progressive, and outdoorsy, and knew great coffee, but it was no Los Angeles. She was in no way prepared for any dip in temperature, especially in the winter when it started to rain. She was a Cali girl through and through, so living in the Pacific Northwest was very different.

She had moved out of her parents’ house for the first time and was now living alone. Living in a safe neighborhood was super important to her Dad, so she had extensively researched housing in the city and had decided on a townhouse in the Northwest District. People called it Nob Hill and her neighbors told her that it was a great area for people her age. Christen liked that it was such a nice neighborhood to walk through with lots of great shops and cafes.

She had taken a job at a brand new restaurant and was responsible for creating an exciting, signature menu in a city full of interesting places to eat. Portland was certainly trending upward in the food world and a new owner was placing a lot of faith in her, hiring a young executive chef was sometimes a risk. It was a lot of pressure, but it challenged her imagination and pushed her creativity. She had slowly begun to cook some of the best dishes of her life.

Moving to Portland was easily the biggest risk that she had ever taken, both personally and professionally.

But all of those things seemed easy when she compared it to the new presence in her life – the friendship of a happy-go-lucky vampire named Tobin.

She had never met a vampire before, but before moving, she had known that Portland had a thriving vampire community, (she had learned that it was because it was one of the cloudiest cities in the United States, with well over two hundred days of the year with heavy cloud cover), but she had never expected to meet and befriend one as she adjusted to her new life. But one day, Tobin had just appeared in her life. Literally.

And shattered all of her vampire expectations and stereotypes.

She had expected someone mysterious and sullen, but Tobin was happy, always with a big smile on her face, and she was kind, thoughtful, and funny. She had patiently explained to Christen so many things that she had gotten wrong from watching movies and hearing vampire stories. Sunlight didn’t hurt her, it simply made her lethargic, and it was just easier to live somewhere where she wasn’t exhausted all the time. She could see her own reflection and be photographed, like the ones saved on Christen’s phone. Someone couldn’t shoo her away with garlic or holy water or crosses, that was a myth and proven by the gold cross that Tobin wore around her neck. Most importantly, blood didn’t consume her every thought. In fact, she was pretty sure that Tobin spent more time thinking about soccer than blood.

The girl born in New York City during the Second World War, but would forever be twenty-five, was definitely an odd vampire.

As Christen fished her house keys out of her purse, she squealed as something fell off of the roof to land beside her.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!”

With a hand over her heart, she took a deep breath and looked at Tobin smiling sheepishly at her. “Tobin,” she exhaled. “I asked you to stop doing that.”

Tobin contritely pushed her hands into the front pockets of her black jeans and rushed to apologize again. “I know, I’m sorry. I thought I landed softly enough not to startle you. I’m sorry. Can I help you?” She easily lifted the bags that Christen was carrying with one hand.

Tobin’s best friend, Allie, had once told her that Tobin was strong, fast, and agile, exceptionally athletic, even by vampire standards.

With her hands now free, Christen easily turned the key in the lock and pushed open the door. She didn’t need to, but she had learned Tobin’s habits and she knew that Tobin would never set foot in her home unless she allowed it, so she called over her shoulder, “You can come in, Tobin.”

Tobin walked through the door and followed her into the kitchen with an easy smile. She placed the bags of groceries on top of the island counter and asked, “What are we cooking tonight?”

Tobin loved to watch Christen cook and Christen had taken the opportunity to teach her new Portland friend all about food. It was just incredibly ironic that Tobin didn’t actually eat any of it.

“I was thinking simple today,” she smiled. “Steak frites with a local beer. Would you like to cut some potatoes?”

“Sounds great,” Tobin grinned.

Christen got to work in the kitchen, speaking all of her steps and thoughts out loud, and Tobin looked at her the way that she had from their very first meeting, like she couldn’t decide if Christen was speaking another language or if she was one of the most interesting people in the world.

It was strange.

“Did you hear what I just said?”

Tobin nodded and she looked almost embarrassed for a moment. “Yes, I’m sorry, I’ll just get back to my chopping.”

When Christen placed the steak in the hot frying pan, Tobin looked at her with another big grin. “That smells delicious.”

Christen arched an eyebrow. “I don’t think that’s the spices you’re smelling, I think it’s the blood left in the meat.”

The vampire furrowed her brow. “Oh.”

Christen was focused on making her accompanying gravy when Tobin spoke again.

“Is this the kind of meal you would cook for a date?”

The chef chuckled to herself. “I’m not sure the last time I was on a date.”

“Why not?” Tobin asked curiously, and sincerity was evident in her big, brown eyes.

“Just too busy, I guess,” she shrugged. “Working in a restaurant is very demanding and at home I lived with my parents, which is not great for a dating life, and now I live here.” It looked like Tobin was going to say something else, but instead she asked, “What do vampires do on dates?”

“Vampires don’t really date,” Tobin answered slowly.

Christen knew that she was getting distracted from her cooking now, but she couldn’t help it. She was intrigued by this conversation. “What do you mean?”

“Well, vampires either socialize to feed or we have mates. There’s no in between.”

“Vampires have mates? Like monogamous mating? Like wolves?”

“I prefer beavers,” Tobin retorted playfully as she flashed her fangs.

Christen giggled before she asked, “Do you have a mate?”

Tobin nodded as she focused on the cutting board. “I do.”

Christen smiled to herself as she whisked her gravy. “That’s nice.”

“You think that sounds nice?” Tobin asked, and there was a hint of excitement in her voice.

Christen hummed as she raised her head and felt a flush on her cheeks. “Maybe I’m a bit of a romantic.”

A gentle smile graced Tobin’s face before it was replaced by a frown. “Alex is here.”

Christen turned her head when seconds later there was a knock on her door.

Alex Morgan was another new vampire addition to her life. She was almost always with Tobin and she came looking for Tobin every evening that they cooked together.

Oh…

Christen looked at Tobin before turning her gaze back in the direction of her front door. Everything made a little more sense now. Alex had to be Tobin’s mate.

And Alex was the most beautiful woman that Christen had ever seen in real life. Dark, glossy hair. Piercing, ice blue eyes. She had a body that was the perfect blend of strong and athletic, and curvy and sexy. She knew that vampires were naturally attractive to humans, it was what made them such dangerous predators, but she was sure that Alex had been just as beautiful in her human life.

Tobin was a lucky vampire.

“I’ll get it,” Christen announced. “Can you keep stirring this, please?”

Tobin nodded so Christen headed for the door.

Now Alex fit more of her preconceived notions about vampires. She was sullen and mysterious, and she tended to look at Christen like she was some kind of inconvenience.

“Tobin’s here.”

It wasn’t a question.

“Yes,” Christen answered softly, “we’re cooking.”

Alex rolled her eyes before she spoke again, and she didn’t elevate the volume of her voice. “Tobin, it’s time to go.”

Tobin appeared behind her before Christen could even turn around. “Is something wrong?” She asked evenly.

“You need to hunt,” Alex said firmly.

Christen watched Tobin slowly lick her lips. “I’m fine,” she assured the woman on the other side of the doorstep.

“It’s been weeks. Stop being stubborn.”

Christen shifted uncomfortably. She had not planned on being in the middle of a tense vampire argument this evening. The two were locked in some kind of staring contest when she turned to Tobin and gently touched her forearm. “You should go,” she spoke understandingly. “You shouldn’t be hungry.”

Again, it was ironic that the one thing that Christen was truly excellent at, the one thing that she loved to share with people – food – she couldn’t share with her new friend.

“I’m not hungry,” Tobin protested with a smile. “I wouldn’t lie to you, Christen.”

“Will you promise that you’ll hunt tomorrow?”

“I promise.”

“Okay.” Christen smiled at how easily that had been settled. “Would you like to come in, Alex?” She asked as she turned back to the scowling beauty.

“No,” she answered before she disappeared, leaving just a rush of cold air behind.

Christen closed the door without much more thought on the matter and returned to the kitchen. Tobin seemed pensive, and perhaps a tad agitated, as they finished cooking the meal. Something that Alex had said had really bothered her, but Christen replayed it over and over in her head and she couldn’t figure it out. It had been a short conversation; they had only exchanged five sentences, and some loaded looks. She wanted to ask what was wrong, but she hesitated for some reason. She didn’t want to push her new friend. Tobin had already become a part of her life that she didn’t want to replace.

When it was almost time for Christen to head to bed, she walked Tobin to the door with a smile.

“Did you have a good day, Christen? Did today make you happy?”

Christen tilted her head with a soft smile as she leaned on the doorframe. It was such an odd way to phrase a question about happiness, but Tobin asked her that every single time they spent an evening together. “Yeah,” she answered on a sigh. “It did.”

Tobin grinned, like that answer was all she needed to hear. “Good. That makes me happy. Can I see you tomorrow?”

And she always asked that question as well. She was so polite and considerate.

Christen nodded with her bottom lip between her teeth. “Mm hmm, you can. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Tobin walked down her front steps with ease, like she was walking on air, and she looked over her shoulder, with another big, infectious smile, when she reached the sidewalk.

The chef fluttered her fingers with a chuckle. “Goodnight, Tobin.”

“Goodnight, Christen.”

Chapter Text

Tobin practically floated home.

When she reached the front door of her house, she was not surprised that she could not sense Alex anywhere nearby. She was probably brooding on the other side of town, which was definitely not her problem to deal with. Alex had been… difficult (that was a nice way to say it) for weeks now.

Allie, from her place in the kitchen scrolling through her phone, greeted her as soon as she walked through the door. “Hey, buddy.”

“Hey, Al. How are ya?”

“Not as good as you,” the blonde grinned.

Tobin didn’t even try to hide her smile as she gracefully flopped back onto the L-shaped couch in their living room. Allie was across the room from her in their open concept living room and kitchen, but, with their enhanced hearing, it was easy for them to have a soft-spoken conversation. “She’s so amazing, Allie.”

Allie laughed at what was surely her lovestruck expression. She hadn’t even been able to explain the monumental shift in her life to her two closest companions. She had opened her eyes one day and something had felt entirely different. It was a feeling that her world had forever changed and there was nothing that she could do about it. Her instincts had screamed at her that there was something that she needed to find. She had immediately left the house and followed her exceptional instincts, without question, and it had led her to a beautiful Black woman moving into a townhouse in Nob Hill. Tobin had watched from the roof of the house across the street before she had gotten up the courage to ask if she needed any help with all of those boxes. The brunette had turned to her with a shy, apprehensive smile. Tobin would forever remember the moment when she had tucked a wayward curl behind her ear before nodding. Tobin’s entire body had filled up with warmth at such a small action.

The feeling that she had had upon seeing Christen for the first time wasn’t comparable to anything that she had ever felt before. Not harnessing her vampire abilities for the first time. Not having a soccer ball at her feet. Not being with a woman, as a human or a vampire. Not even the taste of fresh, human blood.

It was magnetic.

“Tell me more,” Allie encouraged.

“I just,” Tobin began, “I want to hang on every word she says. She’s so smart and spiritual. She’s so passionate about cooking, and I could watch her do that for hours. She creates these beautiful pieces of art on a plate, and I’m sure they taste just as good. She’s curious, and kind, and accepting. She was concerned that I was hungry, Allie,” she stressed as her voice got a little bit higher. “It was so sweet. And she’s so beautiful,” she finished with a sigh.

Lovely skin. Pale green eyes. A perfectly imperfect smile. Hair that seemed to shine whether it was curly or straightened. Long legs, and delicate bones, and a shapely behind.

“And she smells good too, huh?” Allie laughed.

Tobin rolled her eyes. That was no secret. Scent was the very first thing that vampires picked up on, and long before she had seen Christen, she had smelled her. Christen smelled better than any human that Tobin had ever encountered. Christen’s scent was a complicated mixture of a vanilla body lotion, a multilayered shampoo that had hints of lavender, rosemary, and dozens of different flowers, and the food that she cooked throughout the day that clung to her skin. Not to mention the unique, signature smell of her body that could not be missed or replicated. It was what would draw other vampires to her and that greatly concerned Tobin.

“She smells amazing,” Tobin admitted in a murmur. “Does she smell that good to you?” She asked curiously.

Allie tilted her head and paused for thought. “She definitely smells delicious, but it makes sense that she smells so good to you. Mates are supposed to be irresistible and all that. It appeals to our animal instincts, or so they say,” she shrugged nonchalantly.

Tobin nodded slowly as she sat up. She wasn’t exactly an expert on this subject matter either. She had come across dozens of mated pairs in her lifetime, but she had only ever grown close enough to one couple to ask them questions. And she had not inquired about smell.

Allie interrupted her thoughts by unknowingly broaching a sore subject. “Alex thinks you’re hungry.”

“I’m not!” She groaned as she threw her hands in the hair. She smoothly jumped off of the sofa and with one stride, she was standing in the kitchen. “Look at my eyes!”

Allie leaned forward slightly and looked her dead in the eye. “You’re right. They haven’t gone black yet, they’re still brown. Brown and adorable,” she teased.

Tobin smiled triumphantly and crossed her arms over her chest. “Tell Alex that when she gets home, please. I don’t need a babysitter,” she grumbled.

“Regardless, I brought you home a pack of O neg.”

Allie was one of the few vampires that Tobin knew that was able to work around readily bleeding humans. She was a nurse and she possessed exceptional self-control. Tobin had known Allie her entire vampire life and she had never witnessed Allie have a slip up of any kind, but she supposed that Allie did have decades more experience. She had already been plenty comfortable in her supernatural skin when she had stumbled upon a newborn Tobin outside of Newark. Still, it was incredibly impressive. So few vampires passed the rigorous process required to work in healthcare. Tobin had it easy; she flipped houses and she could work alone if she chose to.

Due to her work, Allie was able to bring home an emergency bag of blood every now and then, but Tobin really didn’t need it.

“Tobs, can I ask you the question,” Allie spoke softly.

“What question?” She responded.

“Do you think about it?” Tobin looked at her with a furrowed brow. “When you’re around Christen, and she’s all you can smell, and you can hear every beat of her heart, do you think about it? The blood?”

Tobin slowly shook her head and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “Surprisingly, no. I thought that I would, but I don’t. Well, um, sometimes I think about…” She abruptly stopped talking and looked down at her shoes in embarrassment. If she had the blood flowing through her body to blush, she would have. “Never mind.”

Allie grinned devilishly. “You know you don’t have to say it, Tobin. I know what you’re thinking about.”

Not all humans that vampires used to feed died. There were definitely repeat customers. In fact, some of the most intense vampire feeding happened during, well, sex. There was a whole subculture and club scene around it.

…Twilight really had done wonders for their community social life.

But Tobin had never indulged in anything like that (despite the many, many, many offers) and she seemed a little uncomfortable just thinking about it. She and Alex had had a convenient arrangement for years, but that’s all it was for Tobin. Convenient.

“I think it’s okay to think about that with your mate,” Allie said comfortingly.

“Not yet,” Tobin replied confidently. “Not when she doesn’t know.” She bashfully fiddled with the hem of her t-shirt before she spoke again. “But I asked her about dating tonight and we got to talking, and she said that the idea of mates sounds romantic.”

“That’s good!” Allie exclaimed with a smile.

Tobin nodded, looking all bashful again. “Yeah, it’s really good.” She stretched her arms above her head before she announced, “I should get some rest. Christen plays soccer in the park on Sundays and she said I could see her.”

Allie nodded with a big smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Tobs.”

Tobin slowly made her way to her bedroom and laid down on her bed. She threaded her fingers together on her abdomen and closed her eyes. Vampires didn’t sleep but Tobin had mastered a deep, meditative state that felt an awful lot like sleeping. It helped her feel more human and it allowed her mind to stop running a million miles a minute. She could slow down, and reflect, and stop when she needed to.

It was as close to peace as she could get.

Christen played rec league soccer on Sundays and she was very good – for a human. She was fast and elegant on the field, a true goal scorer, and Tobin was happy to watch, from her perch at the very top of the bleachers. She was an avid soccer fan and Christen Press was now her favourite player.

When the game was over, Christen moseyed towards the sideline, brushing her hair back from her face, and looking adorably sweaty.

And smelling fantastic.

Tobin patiently waited until her teammates dispersed and people seemed to be untying their cleats and getting ready to leave before she galloped down over the bleachers.

“Hi Tobin,” Christen smiled softly.

The vampire smiled shyly back. “Hi Christen. Really good game.” She pulled her backpack down over her shoulder and opened it. “I brought you some orange slices.”

“Oh, that’s very sweet.”

Christen plopped down in the grass, sitting on crossed legs, and Tobin sat down next to her. The chef took a swig from her water bottle and squirted some over her hair and forehead before she dug into the Ziploc bag of orange slices.

“Need to cool down?” Tobin questioned.

Christen nodded, “It is a little hot out.”

Tobin tentatively reached out and placed her cold hand on Christen’s knee. “How’s that?” She asked nervously.

Christen stared at her hand with a quirky little smile. “You’re cold,” she practically giggled.

“Yeah,” she murmured self-consciously. It was not a feature that many humans enjoyed.

If she had breath to hold, she would have done so when Christen gently took her hand and raised it to wrap around her beautiful, elegant neck. “Like my personal ice pack,” she grinned. “And it feels really nice.”

They sat in silence for several minutes, her hand on Christen’s neck, and it was peaceful, until the clouds shifted and a harsh ray of sunshine made her wince.

“Are you tired?” Christen was quick to ask in concern. “The sun is kinda powerful today.”

Tobin blinked several times in quick succession, she could already feel her limbs growing heavier, but she didn’t want to leave yet. She reluctantly nodded and shifted her position, hoping to find some more shade.

“Are you hungry?” Christen asked softly.

She slowly dragged her tongue over her bottom lip and nodded reluctantly once more. She had finished the bag that Allie had brought her this morning, but it seemed to only have reignited her appetite. Probably because she had been drinking much more animal blood lately.

“You should go home and rest,” Christen continued. Before Tobin could object, she spoke again with a smile. “We can hang out tonight?”

Tobin grinned broadly and excitedly. “Allie wants to know if you would like to come over for a movie night.”

“I would like that.”

Tobin smiled even brighter and she knew, without intending to, that Christen was pulled in by her alluring expression. She really tried not to do that around her mate, it wasn’t fair. She always wanted them to be on an even playing field. Humans said that vampires could hypnotize the unsuspecting, but it was really much more complicated than that. It only worked on people who were at least a little interested already. She couldn’t just walk up to anyone on the street and charm them.

Tobin finally looked away, thus breaking the connection, and she brought her gaze down to the grass beneath her. “I’ll come and pick you up,” she declared with another wide smile.

Chapter Text

Christen was not accustomed to hanging out with a group of vampires. Nice girls like her from nice neighborhoods were taught not to hang out with vampires, one-on-one or in groups.

But Tobin was so sweet and Allie seemed really nice as well. Alex was the most intimidating person that she had ever met, but she trusted the other two vampires.

Still, she couldn’t help but grip her purse a little tighter as Tobin led her into her home with a hand on the small of her back.

“Hi Christen!” Allie greeted her excitedly.

“Hi Allie, it’s nice to see you again.”

Interestingly, Alex was nowhere to be found.

(Sullen and mysterious.)

Christen looked around the living room that was surprisingly warm. It had been wrong to expect something more like a dungeon – what a stereotype. With a little encouragement from Tobin, she took a seat on the sofa and Allie quickly asked her if she wanted anything to drink. She must have looked up at the blonde with an alarmed expression because she quickly burst into laughter.

Allie immediately assured her, “We have orange juice, Coke, red wine if you want some.”

Tobin ran a comforting hand down her arm as she spoke. “We’ve been trying that new synthetic blood, but the texture is a little chalky, mixing it with some red wine helps.”

Christen nodded in understanding before she turned to Tobin with a smile. “The red wine seems to be the house special.”

“Red wine it is,” Allie stated with a mischievous smile.

Allie brought her a glass of wine before she returned to the kitchen, where she was probably mixing the rest of the bottle with synthetic blood. Christen had never heard of that before and she had to admit that she was intrigued. She hadn’t realized that companies had started to cater to vampires. But the idea was kind of brilliant. How could humans be scared of vampires if they bought their groceries like everyone else?

Allie did return with a glass of red liquid for Tobin, but she also brought out a stunning charcuterie board. She placed it on the coffee table in front of Christen and she leaned forward in awe. There was salami, prosciutto, pepperoni, gouda, mozzarella, brie, and several other cheeses. There were slices of celery and carrots, olives and peppers, grapes and dried apricots, crackers and a spread in a bottle that smelled delicious. It looked beautiful and like it was prepared with a lot of thought and planning.

“This is beautiful,” she exhaled.

“Tobin went a little overboard,” Allie chuckled.

She quickly turned to Tobin with another expression of awe. “You did this, Tobin?”

“I just looked it up online,” she answered modestly.

“Still, this is amazing. Restaurant quality,” she complimented as she rubbed Tobin’s knee.

The two had become quite physically friendly. Christen was just happy that her new friend communicated with touch the way that she did. Physically expressing her affection was a big deal for her, and she had been that way as a child.

“Thank you,” Tobin replied shyly.

Christen dug into the food, savouring the different meats and cheeses, and Tobin watched her like a proud, pleased student. It was way too much for her to eat all on her own, being the only person who actually consumed food in the house, but she picked at it as she drank her wine. She really appreciated that they had gone through all the trouble of buying and preparing something just for her.

She knew that three people lived in the house and yet she was still startled when the door opened and Alex walked in.

And she looked just as happy as she always did.

There was a pronounced frown on her face as soon as she set eyes on Christen.

“Hey Lex,” Allie greeted with a gentle smile.

“Hi,” Tobin parroted in a murmur.

“Hey,” Alex replied dully.

“We were just about to watch a movie,” Tobin offered. “Want to sit with us?”

Even Christen could see that Tobin was extending some kind of olive branch.

Alex just nodded slowly. Then, she looked at Christen with a cheeky grin. “Awful brave of you to be in a houseful of vampires, isn’t it?”

Christen forced out a laugh. “I hope not.”

She felt Tobin run a soothing hand along her forearm and she smiled in thanks. When she turned back to Alex, the vampire was no longer in the doorway, but standing in front of her.

“You’re in my spot.”

Christen blushed and she moved, in a flustered mess of limbs, out of the corner of the L-shaped sofa and closer to Allie. She really didn’t want to challenge Alex for a spot on the sofa in her own home.

They turned on what was supposed to be a vampire genre of horror movie, and while the three vampires in the room thought that it was more of a comedy, the human definitely did not agree.

Allie did her best to hold in her laughter as Christen clung to her side and covered her face with her hands.

It would have been even more hilarious if she couldn’t hear Tobin practically growling at her on the other side of the living room. Her friend was feeling very jealous and protective – for no good reason. And she was pouting about it, sitting on the sofa with her feet propped up on the coffee table and her arms crossed over her chest. She hadn’t even finished her glass of blood.

Stubborn child.

Allie pushed an idea to the forefront of her mind and focused on it. So that Tobin could hear it.

Relax, Tobs.

Tobin just grumbled and tightened her arms over her chest.

It was clear that reassurances would not do. What she wanted was to be the one cuddling Christen, and she was probably mad that Alex had made the woman change the seating arrangement.

Her roommates were really so predictable.

There was another jump scare on screen and Christen yelped before she pushed her face against Allie’s shoulder.

“This movie is awful,” Christen murmured.

“Sorry, sweetheart,” Allie chuckled as she rubbed Christen’s back. “It really is a terrible exaggeration. Vampires don’t make those sounds, for one.”

Christen nodded, but she didn’t open her eyes.

“Would you like to go for a walk, Christen?” Tobin inquired.

“Yes, please,” the chef squeaked.

Allie watched with a smile as the two stood up and headed for the door.

Alex, on the other hand, scoffed as soon as the door closed.

“Aren’t you happy for her?”

Alex scoffed again and crossed her ankles primly on the coffee table. “For going all goo-goo eyes over a human? I think it’s sort of pathetic.”

Allie shot back quickly. “You’re just saying that because she won’t sleep with you anymore.”

“Of course,” the brunette grumbled. “I haven’t gotten laid since she came to town.”

“You’re 102 years old. Grow up,” she chirped.

“I’m sorry about the movie,” Tobin apologized softly as they slowly made their way around the block.

It was a warm summer night. A nice night for a walk. It was also a nice night for vampires to wander, so Tobin kept her senses sharp.

Christen grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. “It’s okay, Tobin. I’m sorry that I’m such a baby,” she laughed.

Tobin was quick to defend her. “There’s nothing wrong with not liking those kind of movies. We should have asked. Vampires really aren’t like that.”

Christen turned to her with an unbearably pretty smile. “I know. Or at least, you’re not. Thank you for having me over tonight, Tobin.”

“Of course. Anytime. At night, preferably,” she joked.

Christen giggled and it was a glorious sound. Tobin was definitely open to hearing it for an eternity.

She looked down when she realized that their hands were still joined and she could have sworn that her palm was beginning to sweat and clam up. “Is this okay?” She asked shyly.

“Yeah,” Christen laughed, “it’s fine. It’s a lot nicer than that movie.”

Tobin chuckled, but her attention was still firmly on the hand in hers. This had been all that she had been able to think about all evening.

Chapter Text

A smile instantly took over Christen’s face when she heard a knock on her door.

Right on time, as usual.

Tobin was so punctual. She liked that.

She was in the bathroom, dealing with her high maintenance hair, but she quickly abandoned her battle and pulled her curls up into a bun. She opened her front door and immediately marvelled that Tobin looked that good all the time. It took her over an hour to get ready sometimes and yet every time that she saw Tobin, regardless of the time of day, her honey brown hair looked wavy, silky, and soft to the touch, her clothes fell perfectly off her frame, and her skin was flawless. She was sure that Tobin in her black jeans, white t-shirt, and black leather jacket was straight out of some lesbian’s vampire fantasy.

Maybe being that good-looking was a vampire thing.

She allowed Tobin over the threshold before she pulled her into a tight hug. Tobin was a great hugger and she found herself craving the hugs more and more. “Hi Tobin, nice to see you.”

“You too, Christen. How was your day?”

“It was great! The restaurant was so busy!” She grabbed Tobin’s hand and started to drag her towards the kitchen. “Come, I have a surprise for you.”

She dropped Tobin’s hand to grab a tall glass off of her counter and she placed it on the island with a smile.

“Blood and wine?” Tobin inquired with an arched eyebrow.

Christen shook her head and bit down on her bottom lip. “No. I did something different. I mixed it with warm milk. I read online that some think that’s really good.”

Tobin looked at her with fondness and gratitude, and it made her blush.

“I never thought that I’d buy anything like that,” she laughed nervously. “I was worried that the cashier was going to stare, but he was just some bored teenager.”

“Thank you,” Tobin exhaled sincerely as she reached for the glass. “This is truly very kind.”

“I really wanted to make something for you since you can’t eat any of my cooking. Cooking is taking care of people and I like taking care of people. I want to take care of you.” She could feel herself blushing again as her mouth spilled out unfiltered thoughts. So she swiftly changed the subject. “I picked a great meal for tonight. Fried chicken and mashed potatoes. Perfect comfort food.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Tobin smiled.

“I’ve already separated the chicken so let’s focus on that!”

She moved towards the stove with a flourish and Tobin followed her excitedly.

As she preheated the oil, she turned to Tobin earnestly. “Tobin, can I ask you something?”

Tobin immediately nodded with an equally earnest expression. “Of course.”

“Well, I’ve told you so much about myself,” she began to ramble, “about my parents, and my sisters, even my dogs, and growing up in California, and I’d like to know a little more about you, not just the vampire things. But about you, as a person.”

“Ask away,” Tobin replied openly.

“What was your human life like?”

“Really happy. I had two older sisters and a little brother. Not long after Daddy came back from the war, we moved to New Jersey, out to the new suburbs. I had a really happy life, a happy family. I spent hours in the backyard playing soccer with Jeffrey, my little brother, and going to church and Bible study, and listening to music I wasn’t supposed to listen to.” She smiled to herself, remembering something, before she spoke again. “I didn’t, uh… I didn’t,” she stumbled over her words as she scratched her cheek with an awkward chuckle. “I didn’t know I was gay until just before I turned. I probably would have had a harder time dealing with it if I didn’t become a vampire around the same time. Liking girls seemed like something pretty insignificant while I was grappling with being dead.”

“That makes sense,” Christen murmured thoughtfully. She grabbed a large bowl and started to talk Tobin through some spices. “I like keeping my spice mix for fried chicken fairly simple. It lets the flavour of the chicken shine through.” As she mixed the spices with flour, she asked, “Can I ask how you became a vampire? You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to!”

“No, it’s okay,” the vampire assured her softly. “The truth is that I don’t really know.”

Christen furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I was walking home one night, from a friend’s house, and I remember feeling uneasy, and then nothing. I woke up and my throat burned, and I couldn’t figure out why everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. I just started running and eventually, I found Allie. I have no idea who my maker is, but Allie raised me.”

“Maker?” Christen repeated the strange term.

“Someone who turns a human into a vampire,” she explained. “Most makers take their new vampires under their wings.”

“And yours just left you? That’s so sad.”

Tobin chuckled, “It’s alright. Allie’s the best. No one could have shown me the ropes better.”

Christen bathed the chicken in buttermilk before she coated it in her flour and spice blend. Once the potatoes boiled, they were easy to whip into a mash as she waited for the chicken to cook and then cool.

While she made the gravy, she listened to Tobin’s stories from all the different places that she had lived – New York, Alaska, Canada, Paris, London, Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, Brazil. She had already lived the life of her dreams and she had forever to explore. Christen knew that she could listen to Tobin for hours.

“Why Portland?”

“It’s very vampire friendly here. Very progressive.”

“And it’s not like that everywhere,” Christen responded quietly, knowingly.

“No, it definitely isn’t, but it has gotten better over the past ten years or so.”

“I’m sorry!” Christen blurted out suddenly.

“Whatever for?” Tobin laughed.

“I’d never met a vampire before, you know that. Growing up in Southern California, all the stories that you hear about vampires are the awful ones. Like that movie. Any time something happened to a young woman, someone would say that it had to be a vampire.” She laid down the spoon in her hand and turned off the stove before she flung herself at Tobin, wrapping her arms around the vampire in a tight hug. “I was one of those people that thought vampires were unnatural creatures who couldn’t focus on anything because they’re so bloodthirsty, which is crazy,” she murmured regretfully. “I should know better; I’m Black! So I’m sorry,” she punctuated with a squeeze.

Tobin just laughed and hugged her back. “It’s okay. I am grateful that you have taken the opportunity to get to know me. And honestly,” she added, “there are plenty of vampires that think they’re better than humans too.”

Christen pulled away, refilled with curiosity. “Really?”

Tobin nodded. “Of course, especially the ones that have seen centuries of civilization. The ones that will argue that vampires have never owned slaves, have never persecuted religions, have never pillaged villages.”

“Oh shit,” Christen sighed. “Humans do suck.”

They eventually moved into the living room and Christen got Tobin another glass of the synthetic blood and warm milk mixture that she had apparently perfected, and she poured a glass of wine for herself. It was a Friday night and she didn’t have to go into the restaurant tomorrow until well in the afternoon to prepare for the dinner rush.

They sat on her couch, with a late night talk show on in the background, and nothing was off limits. Christen was pretty certain that she had never had a conversation with someone who was willing to be so honest and open. About being a vampire. About her life. About God. About humanity.

She rested her arm on the back of the sofa and threaded her fingers through her hair. “I feel like you’ve told me all these deeply personal things and I don’t have anything to trade.” She laughed softly as she dropped her hand back down to rest on the furniture.

Tobin laid her arm across the back of the sofa as well and the tips of their fingers touched. “You’ve told me so much about yourself,” she smiled.

“Nothing really interesting,” she argued.

“I profoundly disagree.”

Christen thought for a moment before she grinned. “Wait, I have something. Stay right here.”

She hopped off of the couch and ran down the hallway to her bedroom. She grabbed the item that had popped into her mind off of her bed and slowly made her way back to the living room. In the blink of an eye, Tobin was off the couch and standing in front of her. She giggled as she clutched the item behind her back.

“What ya got there?” Tobin asked playfully.

“Can you keep a secret?”

The vampire nodded with a big smile. “Vampires are excellent at keeping secrets.”

“I may have taken one or two safety blankets from home, a little embarrassing for a grown woman.” She slowly pulled the stuffed animal from behind her back with a flush on her cheeks. It wasn’t just a stuffed penguin, it was a stuffed penguin wearing a knitted pink and blue sweater. “This is Mr. Penguin, one of my very first toys.”

Tobin looked quite pleased with her rather childish revelation and she reached for the penguin toy so that she could hold it. “This is so cute.”

“Now you know my most embarrassing secret,” Christen declared.

“I am honoured,” Tobin spoke with that pretty grin.

Christen yawned not long after and Tobin took that as her cue to leave. Before she reached for the door, Christen pulled her in for another hug.

“Thank you, Tobin,” she whispered. “I don’t know anyone in Portland, and you’ve been such a good friend to me.”

She had never had the easiest time making friends, it wasn’t that she thought she was particularly weird or anything, but perhaps she had always been a little reserved, and caught up in her hobbies. And making friends as an adult was just odd. She wasn’t sure what she would do in a brand new city if Tobin hadn’t come into her life. Human or vampire, it really didn’t matter.

“I just want you to be happy,” Tobin whispered back.

Chapter Text

“What are you doing here, Alex?”

Tobin sighed dramatically as she walked into her room and found Alex lying on her bed – in a matching set of lace, baby blue underwear.

“What does it look like, genius?”

“Alex,” she sighed again, “you know that I’m mated now. I can’t do this anymore. Besides, I wouldn’t even enjoy it.”

“Oh, I doubt that,” Alex argued as she sat up. “Besides,” she emphasized smarmily, “you’re not having sex with her, so what’s the big deal?”

Tobin straightened her back and tilted her chin up. “How do you know?” She questioned defensively.

“Come on, Tobs,” Alex said with a roll of her eyes. “If you were, I would smell her all over you. Instead, her scent is just… faint.”

Tobin firmly shook her head and looked down at her feet. She was not surprised when Alex moved to stand in front of her and started to run her fingers down the front of her t-shirt. And she wasn’t even affected. She wasn’t tempted in any way. It was actually kind of extraordinary to feel so disinterested in what she rationally knew was very good sex with a very attractive woman.

“Just go out and find some fang-girl, Alex. I’m sure it won’t take long.”

“But,” she hummed as her fingers reached Tobin’s belt, “it’s not the same. As sweet as they taste, you just can’t go as hard.” She finished with a petulant whine and then pushed against Tobin’s chest with a grumble. “Just think about it.”

She breezed past Tobin with a flip of her hair and Tobin closed the bedroom door behind her.

She knew that Alex was just horny, but that didn’t make her recent actions any less frustrating. The woman had absolutely no respect for Tobin’s connection with her new mate. Actually, Alex struggled to respect any human that she wasn’t fucking or sucking. She was a tad more animalistic than her housemates.

Tobin hopped onto her bed and turned on her television. She watched some TV movie before she grabbed a book off the bedside table and began to read. When the sun began to come up, she pulled over her curtains and laid down to get some rest. Before she closed her eyes, she wondered if Alex had gone out to find a plaything or not.

She had no idea what time it was when her eyes flew open. She felt stress, and anxiety, and fear. She slowly sat up as she assessed her surroundings. Those feelings were definitely not coming from her or from anyone else in the house. The feelings went through her again like shockwaves and her senses had never been so attuned to something before. She had no idea where it was coming from, but she needed to find out. She jumped off of her bed and raced out of her room, and out of the house.

Christen used the rear staff entrance of the restaurant to step out and catch a breath of fresh air. She had butter poached at least a dozen lobsters this evening and she needed to feel a cool breeze on her face for a moment. The kitchen was running smoothly and the service rush was almost over. All that were left in the restaurant were the ones at the bar and the ones that liked to take their time eating their dessert and sipping their coffee.

She found the air rather chilly so she wrapped her arms around her torso and bounced on her toes. She quickly turned her head to the side when she heard a rattling from behind one of the dumpsters. She took a step back towards the door and it was quickly blocked by a hand attached to a very skinny, dirty vampire who already had his fangs out.

“Hello, darling,” he grinned.

“Uh, hi,” she gulped.

“And where are you going?” He crooned as he leaned in towards her.

“I was just going back to work,” she answered timidly.

“You work in a restaurant? How ironic,” he chuckled, and she realized that he had a bit of an English accent.

Christen opened her mouth to respond, or scream, she wasn’t entirely sure, when there was another noise behind her and she squeezed her eyes shut in terror.

“Can I help you?”

The voice was rather gruff, protective, and very angry.

And just the voice that she wanted to hear.

“Tobin!” She rushed towards the vampire in relief and grasped her leather jacket.

“Can I help you, sweetheart?” The male vampire retorted mockingly. “I was here first. Dibs,” he stated as he pointed at Christen.

Tobin took a step forward, Christen’s hands now on the back of her jacket, and shook her head. “No.”

“No? No?” He repeated as he tilted his head and took a step forward to meet Tobin. “I don’t exactly make a habit out of taking orders from baby vampires like you. So, if you will, leave and let me get back to my dinner.”

Christen was stunned that Tobin seemed so firm and stoic, and authoritative.

“No,” she said again. “It’s best if you leave.”

They stared at each other, almost nose to nose, and Christen was becoming increasingly worried that they were about to get physical. Whoever this vampire was, he looked a little crazy, rabid even, and she didn’t want to see Tobin get hurt. She couldn’t even imagine what a vampire fight would look like, but she reckoned it would be vicious.

So she grasped Tobin’s jacket a little harder.

Then suddenly, the male vampire growled in annoyance before he fled.

Her eyes widened and then she gasped, “What was that? What happened?”

Tobin turned around and softly brushed Christen’s hair out of her face. “Are you alright?”

Christen nodded, but she felt her body shaking. “I’m okay,” she forced out. She took a deep breath before she admitted, “I was a little scared.”

Tobin wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into her strong chest. “You’re okay,” she whispered soothingly. She rubbed between Christen’s shoulder blades with one hand and ran a hand over her hair with the other. “What are you doing out here?”

She looked at the vampire with wide, innocent eyes. “I was just taking a break!”

“I’m going to stay here until you’re done work and then walk you home. Would that be okay?”

Christen clutched Tobin’s leather jacket with both hands once again. She wanted Tobin nearby, it was the only time that she felt positively safe. “Would it be okay if I stayed with you tonight?” She mumbled shyly.

“Yes, of course,” Tobin answered quickly. “I’ll wait out here for you.”

“Tobin,” she laughed, “come inside, please. I’m not going to make you wait out here. You can sit at the bar.”

She was so flustered that it didn’t even occur to her to ask Tobin how she had known that she was in trouble.

After she had finished prepping for the next day, Tobin walked her to the three bedroom home that she shared with Allie and Alex. The house was dark and quiet, and Tobin led her to a bedroom without a fuss.

Tobin’s bedroom was not what she expected. Tobin was so full of life and personality that she imagined that her living space would reflect that. But her bedroom was… dull. Blackout curtains covered the windows. A metallic grey covered the walls. The only indication that someone lived here at all was the television and the few books stacked on the nightstand.

“This room is yours?” Christen asked apprehensively.

Tobin frowned. “Is something wrong with it?”

“I… uh… didn’t expect something so minimalist, I guess. I expected more art, more colour, more… just more.” She slowly walked towards the single bed pushed against the far wall and sat on the edge. “You have a single bed?”

Tobin awkwardly scratched her chin. “Yeah, I, uh, don’t mind, Allie and Alex have big beds in their rooms, I guess.”

Christen nodded slowly as she smoothed her hand over the black duvet. That made sense. Tobin probably spent more time in Alex’s bed anyway.

“Tobin,” she began curiously, “how did you get that vampire to go away?”

“I’m super intimidating,” she joked with a grin.

Christen laughed with a fond roll of her eyes. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

Tobin shrugged as she took a small step forward. “There are certain… rules that vampires have, and I just reminded him of that is all.”

Christen furrowed her brow in confusion. “But you didn’t say anything except ‘no’.”

Tobin chuckled and gracefully moved to sit down beside her. She raised an index finger and tapped her temple twice. “Vampires can project thoughts to one another.”

“Wow. Really?”

Tobin nodded. “It’s easier, almost second nature, when you have a bond, but any vampire can do it. So I simply informed him of the rules and that he should leave, and he did.”

She was obviously leaving out a crucial element of the truth, but Christen had a feeling that was all the explanation she was going to get and it was built on a rather fascinating piece of information.

All of the silent conversations that Tobin and Alex had made a lot more sense to her now. They didn’t even need to talk.

“Do you need anything to be more comfortable?” Tobin asked considerately.

Christen shook her head with a smile. “No, this is great, thank you.” Tobin accepted that answer and stood up, and it made her frown. “Wait.” Tobin turned to look at her and she continued nervously. “I don’t want to, um, overstep any boundaries or anything, but would it be okay if you stayed? With me?”

The vampire seemed shocked before she smiled softly. “Yeah, I can stay. But I’m cold,” she added with a frown.

“That’s okay,” Christen assured her immediately. “Having you close makes me feel safe.”

Her statement made her blush and she quickly recovered by asking Tobin if she could borrow something to sleep in. She was given a sweater and a pair of shorts, and she went into the bathroom to change, wash her face, and borrow a toothbrush.

When she returned to the bedroom, Tobin was lying on the inside of the bed, against the wall, on top of the covers. She smiled, with her bottom lip between her teeth, and slipped underneath the sheets. She turned off the bedside table lamp and her eyes slipped closed.

“Thank you, Tobin,” she whispered. “I don’t know what I would have done if—”

“Don’t worry,” the vampire interrupted her calmingly. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Tobin stayed as still as she could as Christen slept. She listened to her even breathing and the beating of her heart that Tobin could hear so clearly it was as if it was in her own body. It was healthy, and rhythmic, and perfect. She could feel her warmth, which in comparison to Tobin’s body temperature felt like a fire on a cold, winter night. It was beautiful. She never thought that she would be able to lie next to her mate while she slept. It was simultaneously exhilarating and peaceful.

Chapter Text

Christen woke up from easily the best sleep of her life with a smile on her face. She stretched her arms above her head and her toes. She slowly turned her head to the side and found Tobin looking at her with a gentle smile.

“Hi,” she greeted shyly. Christen was sure that she had morning breath and bedhead, and it wasn’t exactly how she wanted anyone to see her, especially a physically flawless vampire.

“How did you sleep?”

“Wonderful,” she answered honestly. “Did you, uh… rest?”

“Yes,” Tobin smiled. “I like listening to your heart.”

Christen swallowed thickly – that was quite an intimate statement. She became nervous again as she slowly started to move out of the bed. “I just have to go to the bathroom and stuff.”

It was also embarrassing to mention that to a vampire since they didn’t need to do that kind of stuff anymore.

When she exited the bathroom, still a tad drowsy, she came face-to-face with Allie.

“Oh hi!” The blonde exclaimed excitedly. “You stayed the night! Oh you look so cute in the morning!”

Christen chuckled as she ran a hand through her curling hair. “Uh, thank you.”

“Would you like some coffee? I bought some, just in case!”

“That would be fantastic.”

She followed Allie into the kitchen as she played with the hem of the sweater that Tobin had given her. It was certainly comfortable and well-worn, and it smelled like the vampire, something sweet mixed with pine trees.

The vampires had purchased a coffee pot, which was, again, awfully considerate of them. She took the lead on making the coffee and Allie stood next to her, leaning against the counter in a pair of blue scrubs. She looked at the blonde out of the corner of her eye as she fiddled with some buttons, and it looked like the vampire was bursting to say something.

“So you said yes then?” She finally asked with a great deal of excitement.

Christen glanced up at her in confusion. “Said yes to what?”

“Well Tobin must have asked you if—”

They were interrupted by Tobin’s sudden appearance in the kitchen.

She ran a tender hand down the middle of Christen’s back and looked at Allie with slightly narrowed eyes. “Good morning, Al.”

“Hey, Tobs, did you have a good night?”

“Chris almost got attacked by a vampire last night.”

Allie’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Oh shit!” She exclaimed. “By who? Anyone we know?”

Tobin shook her head with a frown. “No, I’d never seen him before.”

“I’ll ask around.” Allie nodded resolutely before she turned to Christen with a softer expression. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Her fear had definitely subsided with a good night’s sleep and a strong, sweet someone beside her. She instinctually reached for Tobin to feel reassured, and she grasped her hand. “Tobin was there.”

“Convenient,” Alex chimed as she stepped through the front door.

“Well I’m sure your vampire Spidey senses had something to do with it,” Christen laughed.

Alex wrinkled her nose at the joke and went straight to the refrigerator for one of those bottles of synthetic blood. “Yeah, sure,” she snipped, “it’s just like that.”

“Couldn’t find anyone to bite?” Tobin asked dryly as she turned her attention to Alex.

“No, I did. Still a little thirsty is all.”

It looked like Tobin and Alex were having one of those silent conversations again, maybe a silent argument, and she got the sense that she had worn out her welcome.

“I should go,” she rushed out as she walked in the direction of Tobin’s bedroom. “I have some errands to run and stuff.”

She quickly changed back into her clothes from the night before and left Tobin’s clothes neatly folded on her bed.

“Let me walk you home,” Tobin offered when she returned to the kitchen.

Christen waved the phone in her hand with a smile. “It’s okay, I ordered an Uber.”

As soon as Christen expressed her gratitude and left, Allie and Alex turned to Tobin with two very different expressions.

“Nothing happened,” Tobin explained with a sigh. “She was just scared so she asked if she could stay. I slept on top of the covers.”

The faces of her two companions changed once more. Allie looked disappointed while Alex looked smug.

“She doesn’t want you, Tobin.”

“Alex, don’t be cruel,” Allie reprimanded.

“Come on, Al, you know it’s true. With that kind of connection, a mate connection,” she spoke wistfully, “don’t you think something would have happened already?” Tobin’s body visibly deflated and Alex appeared rather contrite. “I’m sorry,” she apologized with at least some remorse. “But she’s not your mate.”

“Lex,” Allie whispered. “Stop it.”

Tobin felt like her windpipe was constricting and something was twisting terribly in her stomach. “I think I… I think I need to be alone.”

She walked in a daze to her bedroom, Alex and Allie were still talking behind her, but she didn’t register any of their words. She collapsed on her bed, where her sheets were still pulled back and where she could push her nose into the pillow and breathe in Christen’s special scent.

She slowly opened her eyes when she felt Allie smoothing her hair back from her face.

“Is Alex right?” She asked sadly.

She knew that Allie wouldn’t lie to her so she had to ask the question.

“I don’t know, sweetie.”

Tobin practically whimpered and pushed her entire face into the pillow. It’s not like she needed to breathe anyway.

Allie climbed onto the bed next to her and started to run a hand through her hair, just like she had done when Tobin had been a sad, newborn vampire missing her human family. “Do you want to go hunting? Just the two of us? We could find a bear, or we could run all the way to Alaska. I know you like it up there.”

Tobin stayed silent, with her face still hidden, and it prompted Allie to speak again.

“Why don’t you just ask her, Tobs? Ask her if she wants to be yours, the old-fashioned vampire way.”

“That’s what I told that vampire last night,” she mumbled. “I told him that she was mine so he couldn’t touch her. I lied.”

“To protect her,” Allie stressed.

Tobin whimpered, fully this time, and rolled over so that she could hide her face in her maker figure’s chest. “I’m such a pathetic vampire.”

Allie couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “No, you’re not. You just need to be honest with her. You don’t need to get to the heavy mate stuff right away. Ease into it.”

“Can I come in?” Alex called from the other side of the closed door.

“No,” Allie answered quickly. “You were being an ass, Alex.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I don’t know if what I said is true, maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. I don’t know. But I am sorry. I’m sorry, Tobin,” she said louder, even though it was completely unnecessary. “Why don’t we all go out tonight? Christen can even come with us. It’ll be good for her to make her a part of things, Tobs.”

Tobin tilted her head back to look at Allie with a pouty bottom lip. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea.”

“No, it doesn’t,” Allie responded thoughtfully.

Christen wasn’t exactly sure what she was supposed to wear to a vampire bar, but she had decided on a dress that she hadn’t gotten the opportunity to put on in a while; a tight, black number with a top that was nearly all lace. It was sexy, and although she wasn’t dressing up to impress anyone in particular, it still felt nice to think that someone could, maybe, find her desirable.

Even if it was just a vampire that wanted to suck her blood.

She finished styling her hair in loose curls before she walked into her living room, where Tobin was patiently waiting for her on the sofa. The vampire jumped to her feet as soon as she saw her and her wide eyes began to make Christen feel self-conscious.

“Is something wrong? This is too fancy, isn’t it? I’ll go change.”

“No, no,” Tobin replied quickly. “You look lovely. I promise. What you’re wearing is… perfect.”

Christen blushed and smoothed her hands over the front of the dress. “I don’t look like vampire bait?” She joked with an awkward laugh.

Tobin chuckled, “You always look like vampire bait.”

Christen decided that was a compliment… or maybe just a statement of fact since her throbbing pulse made her walking vampire bait, all day every day.

“You are very beautiful,” Tobin added meekly.

“Oh, thank you, Tobin,” she flushed. “That is very kind.”

Now even the vampire looked a little flustered as she shuffled her feet and pushed her hands into her back pockets.

“We should probably go?” Christen prompted.

Alex and Allie were already at the bar waiting for them and Christen didn’t want them to think that she was being rude; she was usually a very punctual person, maybe she was just a little nervous about her first trip to a vampire bar.

Tobin nodded and stepped forward with a smile. “Ready to see The Crypt?”

“You’re thinking so loudly you’re projecting to me,” Alex groaned as she shoved Tobin’s shoulder. “I don’t need to hear your rambling inner monologue about how pretty you think she is.”

Tobin just grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest. “Sorry.”

Allie rolled her eyes at the pair of them and placed a hand on her forehead. “Children, behave. Christen is coming back from the bathroom.”

Christen walked back to the table with a giggly smile and took her seat next to the blonde. “The bathrooms here are so clean!”

“Human friendly,” Alex smirked.

“Why don’t we order some drinks?” Allie suggested to break up the building tension.

“Great idea!” Alex agreed. “Christen, why don’t you come to the bar with me?”

Christen nodded eagerly and followed Alex to the bar, through the very packed crowd of both humans and vampires. People seemed to know Alex, and they allowed her to get to the very front of the bar, with Christen by her side.

And a pretty blonde bartender immediately approached them with a smile.

“Hey Alex! What can I get ya?”

“Hey JJ, I’ll have three bloods and whatever she wants,” she answered as she tilted her head towards Christen.

“I’ll have an old-fashioned, please.”

The bartender’s smile widened and she leaned on the bar top directly in front of Christen. “And what’s your name, gorgeous?”

“Uh, Christen,” she answered shyly.

“Christen,” the blonde repeated slowly. “I’m Julie. I’ve never seen you in here before.”

“No, it’s my first time.”

Julie turned to Alex with a chuckle. “Lexie, did you bring her for me?” When she spoke again, she was looking at Christen once more, with an intoxicating smile and crystal blue eyes. “You’re the prettiest thing I’ve seen in a long time.”

Christen surely blushed from head to toe and tried to regain her wits as Julie focused on their drinks. She was pretty sure that the blonde bartender was a vampire because the way that she was feeling, suddenly overwhelmed and turned on, was certainly not normal.

Alex took money out of her purse and Julie promptly shook her head. “These are on the house.”

Then she sent a wink Christen’s way.

When they got back to their table, Alex was excited to share the news. “Someone is very interested in our human friend.”

“What?” Tobin questioned.

“Oh,” Christen replied in embarrassment. “The bartender, Julie, she was just very nice.”

Alex swiftly projected a thought to Tobin with a devious smile.

“Christen, can I talk to you for a second?”

Christen nodded without suspicion and followed Tobin to a corner of the bar where they could have some semblance of privacy.

“Is something wrong, Tobin?”

“No,” she answered softly. “There’s just something I should have told you about vampires before I brought you here.”

Christen reached out and gently stroked Tobin’s forearm. She didn’t like seeing her friend look so troubled. “What is it?”

“Vampires are really possessive.”

“Okay?”

“You smell really good and you’re… someone is bound to ask you, bound to, uh…” She pinched the bridge of her nose, like she had to think really hard about what she was going to say next. “If a vampire is drinking from a human, regularly, another vampire cannot. It’s one of our most important rules. I would not be surprised if a vampire here tonight asked you if you would be interested in that kind of arrangement.”

Christen had just gotten used to being around vampires and now she had to think about one regularly drinking from her. She reflexively raised a hand to wrap around her neck. “Is that a romantic thing?” She asked hesitantly.

Tobin nodded. “Almost always.”

“Is that what you meant when you first told me that vampires socialize to feed?”

A laugh escaped the back of her throat. “Yes, or they do it with their mate.”

“Vampires can have human mates?”

“Of course,” Tobin exhaled. “Do you want to be mine?”

Chapter Text

“Do you want to be mine?”

Christen giggled at the sweet and absolutely adorable way that Tobin acted out the vampire proposal. No wonder she had always been told that it was impossible to say no to a vampire. How could you say no to those kind eyes? She smiled as she sighed and wrapped her hand around Tobin’s muscled forearm. “Is that how they’ll ask?” She laughed. “All charming and sweet?” She looked over her shoulder, towards the bar, and she was surprised to see Julie staring back at her. “I think she’s interested,” she whispered conspiratorially to Tobin.

Tobin’s nose twitched. “Yeah, I think she is too. Are you interested?” She asked slowly.

Christen genuinely pondered the question. She imagined a vampire biting her and she felt strangely aroused, but also…

“I think it would be really intimate,” she answered softly as a hand went to her neck once more. “I don’t think I could do that with just anyone. Is there… I mean, do you have someone like that? A human?”

“I haven’t in a very long time.”

Christen chewed on that piece of information for a while before she asked another question, fuelled by curiosity. “Alex would probably get jealous, huh?”

“What?” Tobin responded in confusion.

Before Christen could explain, they were interrupted by the vampire in question.

“Come back to the table, you two,” Alex smiled. “Your blood is getting cold, Tobin.”

Christen turned to head back to the table and Tobin had no choice but to follow her. But the vampire was aware enough to sneakily hang her leather jacket on the chair that Christen was sitting in so that when the other vampires in the room sniffed her out, they would also catch Tobin’s scent, and hopefully back off.

And maybe it worked because the rest of the night went smoothly.

Christen clearly had fun despite being the only person at their table drinking alcohol. She was a cute drunk, smiley and giggly with her curls bouncing. When Tobin took her home, she was practically lifting the smaller woman with one hand around her waist.

“I like that you’re cuddly,” Christen giggled into her neck. “I like cuddly.”

“Am I as cuddly as your penguin friend?” Tobin joked as she opened the door of Christen’s townhouse.

Christen laughed melodiously. “I’ll call it a tie.”

The vampire chuckled to herself. “What do you need before you go to bed?”

“Water,” she answered matter-of-factly. “And a snack!”

“Oh God. What kind of snack?”

Christen tilted her head and looked at her seriously. “Can you make grilled cheese?”

“Oh, um, I don’t know,” Tobin answered unsurely.

“I’ll talk you through it!”

Christen sat at the island and tried her best to give simple, step by step instructions to someone that hadn’t cooked in over fifty years. Tobin started to slice some cheese, very slowly and very unevenly, and Christen knew that she could do a better job, even intoxicated.

“Here, let me help,” she announced as she hopped off the chair.

“Chris, I really don’t think you should…”

Tobin trailed off as blood spilled over the cutting board. Christen reached for the paper towel, but Tobin’s vampire reflexes were much faster. She gently cradled Christen’s hand in her own and wrapped her finger in the paper towel, applying pressure. Christen watched Tobin’s face carefully for a reaction, any kind of reaction, but she just looked concerned.

“Tobin, you’re not… you don’t…?”

Tobin raised her head and looked at her with warm, brown eyes and a small smile. “I can control myself,” she chuckled. “And yes, you smell wonderful, but you’re also hurt.”

“It’s just a nick, doesn’t even need stitches. You can, uh,” she gulped, “taste if you want. I trust you.”

“First,” Tobin spoke slowly, “what did you mean earlier, when you said Alex would be jealous?”

“Because Alex is your mate,” Christen replied confidently. “She would probably get jealous if you were going around sucking on human girls.”

Tobin was still confused, but she smiled gently. “Alex is not my mate. We were companions, yes, but not mates.”

“Oh…”

Tobin smiled again, but this time it turned into a wide grin. “How about I finish this sandwich, get a Band-Aid on this cut, and then get you to bed? We can talk in the morning.”

Christen awoke slightly parched, but she was thankful that her hangover wasn’t any worse. She was lying in comfortable sleepwear – shorts and an old t-shirt – with her hair pulled up into a bun, and she rolled over and found Tobin sitting in the armchair by her window.

“Hi,” she greeted groggily.

“Hi,” Tobin smiled back. “You snored last night.”

Christen groaned and covered her flushed face. “God! You didn’t have to tell me that, you know?”

“Yeah,” the vampire shrugged, “but then I would have missed that adorable reaction.”

Christen groaned again before she rolled onto her other side and found a tall glass of water waiting for her on the bedside table. She drank the water slowly as she stared at the Band-Aid on her finger. “We were having an important conversation last night, weren’t we?”

“We were.”

She furrowed her brow and tried to arrange her own thoughts. “And I asked you to drink from me?”

“Well, uh,” Tobin cleared her throat and scratched the back of her neck. “You asked if I wanted a taste.”

Christen blushed again and stared at the blankets covering her legs. That sounded startlingly sexual.

“And you told me Alex isn’t your mate,” she remembered.

Tobin nodded in confirmation. “Alex has been in my life for a long time, but she is not my mate. There are these feelings that you get when you’re with your mate,” she explained as she raised a hand to place on her chest. “It’s like this unshakeable confidence that everything feels right. I dunno,” she mumbled timidly after a pause, “it’s hard to explain.”

“Like feeling safe,” Christen finished in a whisper.

“Yes, I suppose.”

They talked a bit more about Alex and how long she and Tobin had known each other, and what exactly their relationship meant, before Christen needed a coffee and a shower before work. Their conversation was eye-opening, but Christen was left with even more questions.

If Alex wasn’t Tobin’s mate, then who the hell was?

She tried to decipher the answer to that question for her entire shift at the restaurant.

“Chris, your lover is here.”

Christen lifted her head in confusion as Megan Rapinoe, her sous chef, walked into the kitchen with a big grin on her face.

“She says that she’ll have whatever the chef recommends.”

Christen stopped what she was doing and stared at her new co-worker and friend. “What are you talking about? I am so confused.”

“The hottie that’s come in a couple of times since you started working here. She’s all brown eyes and pouty lips and gorgeous arms,” Pinoe described.

“Tobin?” Christen questioned. “My friend, Tobin?”

“Your friend?” Pinoe repeated with a chuckle.

“Yeah, it must be her, right,” Christen continued. “She’s kinda tall, looks like an athlete, has a big smile?”

“Yeah,” Pinoe grinned, “it’s definitely her. I just mean that she can’t be just your friend. For one, she is super sexy. She has our new waitress, Emily, tripping all over her own feet. Two, she does not look at you like a friend.”

Christen felt her face flush. “Then how does she look at me?”

“Like she’s starving and you’re the most delicious meal she’s ever seen.” Pinoe laughed to herself before she added, “It’s super sexy. Someone who looks at you like that has to be fantastic in bed. So if you’re not jumping her bones, you should.”

Christen felt like the skin of her face was on fire as she washed her hands and stepped towards the door. “I’m just gonna talk to her for a quick sec.”

“Sure,” Pinoe smirked. “Take your time, girl.”

Christen, still in her chef’s coat, made her way to the table at the back of the restaurant where Tobin had sat before. Tobin, who didn’t even need to eat or drink, when she came in always ordered a cocktail and one of the most expensive entrees on the menu. And she always left her server a generous tip.

“Tobin?”

The vampire closed her menu and shot her an infectious smile. “Chris, hi! What should I try tonight? Maybe the tortellini?”

“Tobin,” she spoke quietly as she sat in the empty chair at the table for two. “You really don’t need to buy meals and expensive drinks at my restaurant that you don’t eat.”

“It’s like buying art,” Tobin grinned. “I can appreciate it.”

Tobin opened the menu once more and Christen took the time to really look at her. She had met people that she found attractive before, obviously. She had had two boyfriends in high school, she had had exactly one one night stand while in culinary school, and one kinda serious relationship afterwards. But Tobin was different. Sometimes, looking at Tobin up close was a tad overwhelming. She was gorgeous, in a way that was entirely unexpected. Her hair was such a beautiful honey brown and it was long and silky looking, the kind of hair that you never wanted to stop running your fingers through. Her eyes were also a shade of honey brown, but more towards the side of yummy chocolate. Her skin was lovely, absent of any blemishes or distinguishing marks and she had a perfect, even tan. Her lips were so pouty and inviting. Not to mention the way that she looked in simple jeans and a black leather jacket.

Christen couldn’t stop staring, and maybe she had just missed the way that Tobin stared at her.

Maybe she was only now putting all of the pieces together.

Her sisters had always told her that she was terrible at picking up when someone was interested in her.

“Tobin,” she whispered, “have you been waiting for me?”

Chapter Text

“Tobin, have you been waiting for me?”

Tobin closed her menu again and neatly placed it on the table. She perfectly arranged every utensil in front of her before she spoke carefully. “When Allie first told me about mates, I thought it all sounded too much like a fairy tale, like how beautiful would it be to live in a world where God has chosen someone just for you? It sounded too good to be true, but then I met a mated vampire pair and I saw it for myself and it was all I wanted… and then I met you. And everything felt right.”

As soon as Tobin finished speaking, she looked shy. Shy and nervous, and a tad fearful.

Christen felt a fluttering in her chest and a little suffocated in her chef’s coat. She sat up slowly and fanned her face. How could anything be more romantic than that? Everything she felt around Tobin made perfect sense now. The ease with which the vampire had become a part of her life. The desire to always be honest around her and learn everything about her that she could. The way she melted into the vampire’s physical touch. The constant feeling of safety. How quickly she had started to become nervous and flustered around her.

What she had mistaken for affection, fondness, friendship, and, frankly, a level of intimidation, was actually much deeper.

“I would very much like to kiss you now,” she whispered, “but I have to go back to the kitchen.”

Tobin chuckled, with bright eyes and a gorgeous smile. “That’s okay.”

She slowly stood up, though her knees felt a little wobbly. “Order whatever you want, on the house.”

“Okay,” Tobin nodded. She smiled, but it was obvious that she was repressing a mischievous grin.

Christen returned to the kitchen and something in her facial expression or body language must have given her away because Pinoe grinned before she made a zippering motion over her mouth and focused on her cooking.

Christen focused on her cooking too, but her mind didn’t leave the vampire sitting in her restaurant.

The walk home to her apartment was surprisingly quiet. It seemed that Tobin didn’t want to spook her or scare her off, and she wanted Christen to take the lead in this in some way. The vampire just held her hand and walked her all the way to her doorstep. Tobin, forever chivalrous, patiently waited for an invitation.

She turned and slowly ran her fingers down the lapel of Tobin’s jacket. “Tobin, will you please come in?”

“I would love to,” she answered huskily.

Christen unlocked her front door and Tobin followed her inside as she turned selective lights on while on her way to the kitchen. She placed the takeaway bag that Tobin was holding in the refrigerator and turned back to her shyly. She stepped up to the other woman and placed both of her hands on her waist. She was actually taller than Tobin, but Tobin carried herself like some towering, graceful supernatural figure. It was odd to be practically nose to nose with her.

“Hi,” she whispered.

Tobin smiled and tucked Christen’s hair behind her ears. “Hi.”

“What are you thinking?”

“What are you thinking?” Tobin retorted with a chuckle.

She tilted her head and one of her hands drifted upwards to cup Tobin’s cheek. “I’m thinking, ‘How about that kiss now?’”

Tobin finally closed the distance between them and Christen sighed into the much anticipated kiss. The vampire softly kissed her bottom lip and then her top one, and then teased her with her tongue, over and over and over again until Christen felt like her limbs were jelly. She took a step closer to Tobin and draped her arms across her shoulders. She sighed in pleasure as she ran her nose across Tobin’s tan cheek.

What a first kiss.

No kiss had ever felt like that. There was just a different kind of energy to it.

“I don’t know why we waited so long,” she mused.

Tobin smiled gently as she brought Christen’s mouth closer to her own again. “Sometimes waiting is not such a bad thing.”

They made their way to Christen’s sofa and sat side by side as they learned how the other liked to be kissed. This series of kisses was longer, harder, and more passionate. Christen felt a hand in her hair and another on her waist as she pressed herself against the toned planes of Tobin’s body. The vampire wasn’t initiating anything new or pushing anything further, she was just taking what Christen was giving her and doing a hell of a job giving it back. Christen felt like she was being kissed silly.

And she wanted more but she didn’t know how to ask for it.

She pulled away to take a deep breath and then she pulled all of her hair over one shoulder. “Do you want to…” She started shyly as her gaze fell to her lap. “Do you want to bite me?”

Tobin lifted her chin and gently stroked her face as she smiled softly. After moving along her cheekbones, the fingers moved to stroke the tendons in Christen’s neck before they settled on her pulse point. “I don’t want to rush anything with you, Christen. I want to, I just… let’s take things slow, okay?”

Christen nodded thoughtfully. “Okay, if that’s what you want.”

“May I stay the night?”

“Yes,” Christen exhaled.

Christen moved into the bathroom to get ready for bed after she showed Tobin her bedroom. She took her time moving through her bedtime routine so that she could slow her breathing and piece together her thoughts. She slowly brushed her teeth, and changed her clothes, and washed her face, and applied some moisturizer, and pulled her curly hair up into a bun. She took a deep breath before she opened the door and stepped into the bedroom. She instantly erupted into a smile at the sight of Tobin lying on her bed holding her stuffed penguin.

“Comfortable?” She giggled.

Tobin nodded as she pulled Mr. Penguin closer to her chest. “Very much so.”

“Are you going to sleep in your jeans?”

“Would it be okay if I take them off?” The vampire asked considerately.

Christen nodded as she bit down on her bottom lip. “Uh huh, that would totally be okay.”

Tobin gently placed the penguin in the center of the bed before she stripped down to her boxers and t-shirt, at vampire speed. She settled back on the bed before she said, “You look beautiful by the way.”

Christen laughed nervously as she tugged on the hem of the old, oversized shirt that she was wearing – one of the only items of clothing that she was wearing. “It’s just an old t-shirt.”

“Yeah, but it’s… uh, sexy.”

Christen was sure that the vampire would be blushing if she was capable of such things.

“Everything about you is pretty sexy.”

Christen was the one blushing as she crawled onto the bed and leaned over Tobin for a kiss. She practically collapsed on top of the vampire, with her arms around her shoulders, as Tobin placed two hands on her lower back and gently urged her down.

“Is this okay?” Christen asked in a murmur as she settled on Tobin’s chest.

“Yeah,” Tobin whispered back. “You’re so gorgeous,” she added with a cute smile while running her fingers along Christen’s shoulder blades.

They kissed for several more minutes. Tobin’s hands never strayed below the waist and they never drifted too close to the sides of her breasts. The vampire didn’t seem at all effected by their make out, so when Christen pulled away for a breath, she was stunned to see Tobin’s fangs.

“Tobin,” she gasped, “are you thirsty? I might have something in the fridge.”

The vampire slowly ran her tongue over her fangs before she responded. “No, I’m not thirsty.”

“But your fangs?” She questioned in confusion.

“It’s because I’m turned on,” she admitted.

“Oh.” Christen smiled coyly and pressed her face against Tobin’s neck. “I didn’t know that happened,” she muttered.

“Yeah, it does,” Tobin chuckled. She continued to rhythmically run a hand along Christen’s back. “I can control my thirst, but I can’t always control that.”

Christen breathed slowly, and consciously, against Tobin’s skin before she spoke in her ear. “I kinda like it.”

“Wow,” Tobin laughed. “You’re trouble.”

Chapter Text

“Can I touch them?” Christen giggled.

Tobin rolled her eyes while she sported a wide smile. “Yes, but be careful. They’re functionally sharp.”

Christen giggled again as she curled up against Tobin’s shoulder. Their entire morning had been like this – laughing and teasing, and lots of kissing. Christen had woken up early, before dawn, and of course Tobin had been looking down at her with open, alert eyes and the cutest smile. Christen hadn’t found any reason to leave her bed when Tobin was holding her in her chiselled arms and looking so effortlessly attractive.

And now, after some deeper, moan inducing kissing, Tobin’s fangs were out again.

And Christen thought it was both hilarious and adorable.

She slowly traced Tobin’s perfect pouty lips with two fingers before the vampire opened her mouth just wide enough to show her fangs. She touched the lengthened, sharpened teeth very carefully and yet it was still enough to prick the tip of her index finger. She instinctively flinched away to assess the damage, but Tobin softly cooed and held her hand to her mouth.

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I got you.”

The vampire ran her tongue across the pad of Christen’s long, slender finger and all of a sudden, she wasn’t bleeding anymore.

“There,” Tobin murmured with a smile. “All better.”

“Wow,” Christen sighed in disbelief. “That just happened.” She closely inspected her finger before she spoke again. “It’s like there’s no mark there at all.”

“Vampire trick,” Tobin winked.

She curled up against Tobin’s shoulder again, with an arm thrown across her abdomen, and this time she hooked an ankle around Tobin’s as well. She felt comfortable and protected, and very desired.

“Did I taste good?” She wondered quietly.

“The most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted.”

Christen hid her blushing face in Tobin’s t-shirt and repeated, “Wow.”

What an odd, fantastical, sexually charged thing to say.

Christen felt Tobin’s fingers massaging the back of her neck and the sensation was quickly lulling her back to sleep.

“Sweetheart, before you doze,” Tobin started, “is there a room in your house that’s a bit, um, darker? There’s been a lot of light coming in through your curtains.”

Christen shot up into a sitting position. She loved her big windows, it was one of the things that had attracted her to this house. She had imagined doing early morning yoga in front of the windows in her bedroom and living room. But she had not stopped to think how her big windows and sheer curtains would effect Tobin in the daytime.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I’ll have to get blackout curtains.”

“It’s okay,” Tobin assured her with a smile. “I just need to rest somewhere a little darker, dingier, for a few hours.”

She frowned, “I have a small basement.”

“That will do.” Tobin placed a sweet kiss on her forehead before she jumped off of the bed. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”

Still sporting a frown, Christen moved to the edge of the bed and reached for Tobin’s hand. “Hey, wait, I’ll come down with you.”

Tobin smiled softly and used her free hand to brush stray hairs out of Christen’s face and push them behind her ear. She slowly dipped her head and tenderly pressed their lips together. “I won’t be far,” she promised. “Go on, do yoga, run errands. I’ll be up as soon as I can. You have my word.”

After a pause, Christen reluctantly agreed. A day ago she would have shown Tobin the basement with a smile and now she was pouting at the thought of the vampire being more than a foot away from her for a couple of hours. She could already feel the connection between them growing stronger. She wondered if any supernatural dealings had anything to do with that.

She kissed Tobin one last time before she let go of her hand.

She fell back to sleep, very briefly, before she did exactly what Tobin had suggested. She went about a morning routine. She did a yoga session and brief meditation before she did some cleaning and finally dressed so that she could run out to the store. She would pick up a few groceries, but she really only had two items on her shopping list: 1) blackout curtains; 2) synthetic blood.

She returned to her house, ate the tortellini that Tobin had taken from her restaurant for lunch, and was on the phone with her sister when she heard light footsteps approaching.

“Chrissy, you should get a dog!”

“I do miss Morena and Khaleesi,” she sighed.

“Of course you do,” Tyler murmured. “They’re great company. A pup would be great for you, all alone in a new city.”

She opened her mouth to reply when she felt a gentle kiss to the back of her neck. She immediately broke into an uncontrollable smile and placed a hand on top of the arm that had snuck around her waist. “Yeah, I… I, um,” she stumbled.

“Chris?”

She laughed to herself as she flushed. “Sorry, Ty, I have to go, but I’ll call you again later! Love you!”

She quickly ended the call and placed her cell phone on the kitchen counter. “Hi,” she grinned.

“Hi,” Tobin whispered in her ear.

“Did you have a good rest?”

She felt Tobin nod and then brush her nose against her jaw and down her neck.

“Good,” she exhaled. “I’m glad. I bought some blood if you’re hungry.”

Tobin whispered again. “I’m not.” And then she lifted Christen’s hair to push her nose behind her ear. “You smell so good.”

Christen shivered and felt her body relax against Tobin’s. “Oh, thank you.”

“Mouth-watering,” the vampire murmured.

Christen shivered again and felt that she was about to pounce on the other woman, but then Tobin pulled away with a playful smile and moved to stand in front of her. “So you’re getting a dog?”

The chef collected herself with a chuckle and a deep breath. Of course Tobin would have been able to overhear her conversation. “I’ve been thinking about it. I love dogs and my family has always had dogs. I miss my pups.”

Tobin reached out with a smile and stroked her cheek. “Whatever makes you happy.”

“You’re always very concerned with my happiness,” she teased.

“Of course,” Tobin answered seriously. “Your happiness is my primary concern.”

Christen felt her heart flutter in a way that she was becoming all too used to, and she stepped forward to wrap both of her arms around Tobin’s waist. “Because I’m yours?” She asked cheekily.

“Yes. You’re mine, and I’m yours.”

“And how will other vampires know that I’m yours?” She asked curiously.

“Well,” Tobin responded slowly, “most vampires are respectful enough to just take my word for it. But bite marks are important.”

Christen tilted her head, in a way that she hoped was inviting and tantalizing. “You said you’re not going to bite me yet.”

“That is right.”

She kissed Tobin’s chin and allowed their bodies to press against each other. “Can I change your mind?”

Tobin wrapped her arms up and around Christen’s back so that her hands were almost touching the tops of her shoulders. “I’m sure you could,” she laughed, “but you won’t. I have waited a long time for you. I’m gonna do it right.” Then, she cupped Christen’s face with both hands and kissed her softly. “Now, what else can I do to make you happy? Wanna go look at puppies?”

The problem with dogs was that they didn’t particularly take to vampires. They were wary and suspicious, sniffing out the vampires’ place at the top of the food chain. As a result, Tobin was not surprised that all of the dogs began to bark loudly as soon as she stepped foot in the animal shelter. They knew that there was something dangerous nearby.

“I should wait outside,” she murmured as she held Christen’s hand.

Christen turned towards her worriedly and squeezed her palm. “Stay,” she replied quietly.

“Dogs don’t like vampires, Chris.”

“Well I’m going to need to find one that likes you,” she smiled.

Tobin felt like a cartoon character that was about to melt into the floor due to how utterly, unbelievably adorable her mate was. She was so lucky.

They followed a young girl down a hallway to where they kept the rescued dogs. Most of the dogs, regardless of size, age, or breed, stayed towards the back of their cages, barking and growling.

Until they reached a Siberian Husky puppy. He was growling at Tobin, but he was doing so from the very front of his cage, with his little nose poking through the chain. Christen, seeing that he was a brave little thing, knelt down and he promptly licked her hand and let out a happy yap.

“God, he’s cute.”

Tobin agreed with a smile as she looked down at his big ears and bright blue eyes. “He is, and he thinks he’s fearless.” She chuckled as she took a tentative step closer. She crouched beside Christen and the pup growled before he curiously sniffed her fingers.

Christen turned to her with a bright, happy smile. “He seems to like you.”

The puppy stared at Tobin and tilted his head. She was sure that the small creature was using every sense that he had to try and figure Tobin out. “I think he’s confused,” she offered in rebuttal.

Confused about why she smelled like that and yet appeared non-threatening.

They asked if they could take him out of his kennel for a little while and it was abundantly clear that the dog was enamoured with Christen. It was a sight to behold.

“Do you have any names in mind, darling?” Tobin questioned.

Christen stared at him as she stroked his tiny paws. She looked up at Tobin with a grin and said, “What about Spike?”

“Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer?” Tobin smirked.

The chef bit down on her bottom lip with a mischievous nod.

“Spike it is.”

Chapter Text

Tobin walked through her front door with a dopey smile. Allie called it her ‘Christen smile’ and she wasn’t wrong. She was always unshakeably happy after spending some time with her mate.

She was so distracted by those thoughts that she almost missed two of her favourite vampires sitting on the sofa. “Ash! Ali! Hey!” She exclaimed in surprise. “What are you two doing here?”

“Oh, you know,” Ashlyn chuckled, “just passing through. How are you, Tobito?”

Tobin hugged both of her friends before she answered the question. “Good. I’m really good.”

That was all she said as she pushed her hair out of her face.

Allie, who was also sitting on the large sofa, just grinned before the statement exploded out of her. “Tobin found her mate!”

“Oh my God, Tobin,” Ali, the pretty, long-haired brunette gushed. “That’s wonderful.”

Ashlyn was a bit more playful with the news. She pushed Tobin’s shoulder and pinched her stomach before the younger vampire took a seat. “All grown up!” The 400-year-old vampire teased. “I remember when you were born.”

“Wasn’t Tobin just the cutest newborn?” Allie continued.

“Afraid of her shadow that one,” Ashlyn grinned.

“Okay, okay,” Tobin groaned. “Enough about me.”

She asked Ali and Ashlyn about their travels and how long they would be in Portland, but the mated couple were definitely far more interested in her mate, which was understandable.

“So,” Ali began with a mischievous smile as she scooted closer to Tobin. “Tell me all about her.”

Tobin ran another hand through her messy hair and looked towards Allie and Ashlyn having a serious conversation about God knows what. “She’s amazing,” she answered on an exhale. “So amazing.”

Ali continued to gaze at her with bright, knowing eyes.

“She’s a chef, and she’s kind, and understanding, and beautiful.”

“Human?” Tobin promptly nodded. “And have you bitten her yet?”

Tobin blushed and this time she shook her head. “No, I haven’t. I don’t want to rush anything or let anything get out of control.” She scratched the back of her neck and stumbled over her next words. “I don’t… well, I don’t want it to be like… uh, I don’t want her to think she’s just another meal.”

“It’s in your nature, Tobin,” Ali told her softly. “When Ash first bit me…” She paused and gently touched her neck, reflecting on a very cherished memory. “It was so much more than a meal, Tobin. Trust me.”

Tobin looked at her hands thoughtfully before she began to smile. She knew that Ali Krieger gave excellent advice, and she knew what Christen was feeling, and would experience, far more than she did. She had always sought out Ali and Ashlyn for all of her mate related questions, and now that she finally knew what it felt like, she had so many more. As much as she wanted to go with the flow and figure everything out with Christen, she was scared of screwing it up. She didn’t want to do anything to hurt the human.

She had a feeling that she would end up talking to the two vampires for hours.

Christen was on the sofa with a book when Spike began one of his little howling sessions. She knew that could only mean one thing.

He smelled a vampire nearby.

The soft knock on the door that followed alerted them that it was their vampire.

Christen pranced to the front door and greeted Tobin with a smile and a kiss. As had become routine, Tobin stood perfectly still while Spike sniffed around her ankles and until he deemed that she had passed whatever inspection he was conducting.

Christen watched the entire show with a smile and a suppressed chuckle. Tobin was so patient with her new puppy. Spike gazed up at Tobin and let out a small bark before running back to Christen. She picked him up and pressed her nose into his soft fur.

“He approves,” she joked.

“Reluctantly, I think,” Tobin laughed.

She placed Spike back on the floor and he immediately ran to the dog bed that she had purchased for him. It looked like he was swimming in the fabric currently, but he would grow into it. She then stepped up to Tobin and wrapped her arms around the vampire’s waist.

“I missed you,” she murmured.

Tobin had been entertaining vampire friends the past few days and as a result, she had led a much more traditional vampire lifestyle – up all night, resting all day. It hadn’t left much time for their burgeoning relationship.

“I missed you too,” Tobin answered as she caressed Christen’s cheek.

“Yeah?” She asked rather nervously.

“Of course,” the vampire continued with a small smile. “I yearn every second I’m not around you.”

Christen blushed and she felt that comment throb between her legs. It was so earnest, and old-fashioned, and sexy.

She covered her embarrassment by moving the conversation into what she did best. “Let’s cook something tonight? Something we haven’t before?”

Tobin grinned excitedly. “That sounds great.”

They set to work on homemade pizza and Tobin really did look adorable with flour dusting her cheeks and nose. Christen tried a few times to clean her up, but she only succeeded in making it worse.

She hadn’t laughed so hard in the kitchen in a very long time.

When Christen took the pizza out of the oven, she cut a piece to taste test with a glass of wine and she prepared a glass of blood for Tobin. They moved into the living room to eat and drink, and catch up, but it wasn’t long before they were kissing.

They were certainly still in the new and exciting phase of their relationship where the urge to be physically affectionate was just overwhelming, especially for Christen. She found herself wanting to kiss, and hug, and touch Tobin practically all the time. And Christen had never experienced anything like it. In her last relationship, she had not kissed like this. She had not found herself feeling so needy.

“I have a question,” she began breathily.

She was sitting in Tobin’s lap and she started to brush Tobin’s hair off of her forehead in a soft, repetitive motion that Tobin seemed to really enjoy.

“Go ahead,” Tobin whispered back.

“Am I so attracted to you because you’re a vampire?”

“That is certainly a part of it,” Tobin answered honestly. “But not everything. Allie’s a vampire and I hope you don’t want to kiss her like this.”

Christen laughed before she asked another question on her mind. “And are you attracted to me because I’m human?”

“No,” the vampire chuckled. “There are a lot of humans.”

Christen laughed and rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. The smell and the warmth.”

“No,” Tobin persisted. “Do I like that your skin is warm? Yes. Do you smell good? Yes, but your scent is unique to you, no other human smells like you.” To prove her point, she pressed her face against Christen’s neck and stayed there in contentment. “And you’re so beautiful, Christen. Inside and out.”

“So are you,” Christen spoke against her hair. She wrapped her arms around Tobin’s shoulders and held the vampire against her. It was odd to hold someone and not feel them breathing against you, but she felt Tobin’s lips on her neck and that was more than distracting. The kisses that Tobin placed in the crook of her neck were so soft that she barely felt them at first, but then she was tilting her head and whimpering, and squirming in the vampire’s lap.

She worked a hand into Tobin’s hair and the vampire looked up at her with brown eyes that had turned black and fangs where her upper canine teeth should be.

“Bite me,” she purred.

Tobin groaned and pulled her into a hungry kiss. “Are you sure?”

Christen nodded and dug her fingers into the top of Tobin’s shoulder. “I want you to,” she whispered.

“Okay,” Tobin replied slowly. “Promise you’ll tell me to stop if you want to stop.”

Christen nodded again. “I promise. I trust you.”

Tobin wrapped an arm around Christen’s waist and arranged her in a comfortable position in her lap before she cradled her head with her other hand. With gentle fingers in her hair, she tenderly maneuvered Christen’s neck to expose one of her most vulnerable places. The vampire slowly lowered her own head and opened her mouth.

Christen felt like time dragged as she waited to feel the effects of Tobin’s fangs piercing her skin. She held her breath in anticipation and stayed as still as she could.

…Then she felt something like the prick of a needle and she gasped.

A shiver raced through her and she gripped Tobin tighter.

It was hard to explain what it felt like to have Tobin drink from her. She would have a hard time putting it into words if asked. It created a sensation quite similar to the buzz felt off of the first few drinks of a night out and it was definitely more intimate than sex. Her fingers clenched and unclenched against Tobin’s shoulders and upper back and she let her eyes fall closed.

After a few minutes, Tobin pulled away with a hum and Christen felt her tongue move over her skin.

“Are you okay?”

Christen nodded and rested her head on Tobin’s shoulder.

“You’re going to feel a little weak,” Tobin whispered in the most caring voice. “Let me help you get ready for bed.”

“Hmm, okay.”

She started to move her leg to begin to stand up, but she was swept into Tobin’s arms at vampire speed and then carried down the hallway. “You’re not walking anywhere,” Tobin grinned.

She walked Tobin through her bedtime routine and the vampire barely let her lift a finger. She helped her change her clothes, she pulled her hair back, and washed her face and neck. Christen felt completely pampered as Tobin carried her to bed and gently laid her down. Tobin took a literal second to change her own clothes and then she climbed into bed with her.

The vampire stroked her cheek with her thumb and pecked her lips. “How are you feeling?”

“Very spoiled,” Christen admitted with a giggle.

Tobin laughed and continued to stroke her cheek. Her fingers slowly moved along her jaw and then down to her neck, where her fingers traced the bruising fang marks. Christen watched Tobin frown before she leaned forward and kissed the same spot.

“I don’t like seeing you like this,” the vampire murmured regretfully. “It looks like you’re hurt.”

“I’m not,” Christen assured her. “The last thing you did was hurt me.” She grinned mischievously before she asked, “How was it for you?”

Tobin laughed and it was a lovely sound. “It was amazing.”

“Good,” she replied with a smug little smile.

Tobin continued to laugh as she arranged the blankets around her so that she wouldn’t get cold. She only moved into a big spoon position when she was satisfied that her human would stay warm in her sleep.

“Now sleep, darling,” the vampire whispered. “I’ll be here to hold you.”

Christen hummed with a smile firmly on her face and her eyes fluttered closed. “Spike,” she called softly. “Come here, boy.”

Four paws stampeded down the hallway and the puppy jumped onto the bed to cuddle into Christen’s other side.

Tobin laughed softly at the protective puppy. She perfectly understood his instincts to be near the human, and guard her. She couldn’t even be offended by the tiny growl he emitted that was so obviously directed at her.

Chapter Text

When Allie had first explained the concept of a “vampire birthday” to her, Christen was sure that she had never heard of anything like it. Vampires didn’t celebrate the day they were born, their human birthday, they celebrated the day that they were changed.

Tobin had been changed in 1968, so Allie had the idea to make the whole gathering 60s themed. There would be a small birthday party and then, as per tradition, Alex and Allie would take Tobin hunting and camping for a few days in Alaska. Christen was excited to experience something so new and different, and to take time to celebrate Tobin, but she was definitely a tad disappointed that they would be apart for a few days.

Things had just started between them. That was the hardest time to be apart.

But she was still determined to make the day special for her vampire.

She arranged for Allie to distract Tobin for a few hours, and take her out of the house, so that she could have Tobin’s bedroom all to herself.

Re-decorating had been on her mind since the first time she had set foot in the room. It was far too sparse and bland for Tobin’s quirky, infectious personality.

She had put together a collection of things that she hoped Tobin would like based on hours of conversation.

Tobin loved art so she had found some small pieces to hang on the walls.

Tobin loved soccer so she had purchased some Thorns gear.

Tobin spoke fondly of the concerts she had attended over the years so she had hunted down some vintage band posters.

She had bought burnt orange bedsheets to put on the bed to offset all of the black and a set of multicoloured lights to hang along the wall next to the bed just for fun.

She was putting finishing touches on the room by placing two framed photographs on the bedside table – one of the two of them together and one of her and Spike – when she heard a voice in the doorway.

“What are you doing?”

Christen spun on her heel with a blush on her cheeks. “Oh, it’s… um… Tobin’s birthday present,” she answered shyly.

Forever intimidating Alex Morgan simply nodded.

“Do you think she’ll like it?”

Alex shrugged disinterestedly. “I’m sure you could give her dirt and she would think it’s wonderful.”

Christen didn’t exactly feel reassured by that statement.

“Typically vampires only do two things for their birthday,” she added after a pause.

“Which are?” Christen questioned curiously.

“Fuck and feed.”

Christen hid her shock well as she brushed her hair behind her ears… unknowingly showing off her fresh bite marks.

“Nice fang hickey,” Alex pointed out quickly.

Christen blushed and murmured an acknowledgment. She really didn’t feel like discussing her and Tobin’s private life with Alex of all people considering their history. Her bite marks were none of Alex Morgan’s business and she felt an immense sense of relief when the vampire turned and left.

She returned to her very important task with a smile.

Tobin walked through her front door and burst into laughter at all of her friends wearing clothes from the 60s. Allie always went overboard for her birthday and this year was no exception. Their vampire friends filled their living room, but this year there was one very important difference, and Tobin sought her out immediately.

Christen was meticulously, and adorably, arranging bottles of blood on the “snack” table and Tobin silently approached her. She slipped her arms around her mate’s waist from behind and pulled her back against her chest when she let out a surprised giggle.

“Hi,” she whispered in her ear.

Christen giggled again. “Hi. I didn’t want to steal you away! I want you to mingle with your friends.”

“I wanna be stolen away.” She slowly turned Christen in her arms and smiled. She wasn’t at all surprised to see that Christen looked gorgeous in 60s garb with untamed hair. With the space between the long flowery skirt and the white crop top, Tobin’s hands rested on bare skin and she took the time to slowly rub her thumbs along Christen’s ribcage. Christen pressed into her at the contact and she continued to whisper in awe. “Wow, you look beautiful.”

“Oh, thank you,” she blushed shyly. “Happy birthday!”

Tobin playfully rolled her eyes. “Thank you. Allie always takes these things a little too far.”

“I like it,” Christen responded quickly. “Your present is in your room.”

“Can I see it now?” She asked impatiently.

“No,” Christen giggled. “Now go, entertain your guests.”

Tobin sighed dramatically before she cupped Christen’s cheek and tilted her head. “One more thing first,” she murmured. She gave Christen a kiss that was chaste enough for public, but deep enough to convey a message. “Come, let me introduce you to Ash and Ali. Ash is one of the oldest vampires I know and Ali’s her mate. She was a human when they met.”

Christen’s eyes widened in intrigue and Tobin led her away with a smile.

After cake (a cheesecake that Christen had ingeniously made with synthetic blood), the guests quickly cleared out and Tobin was able to pull Christen away to her room without much notice. She marvelled over her new bedroom while Christen changed into clothes that belonged to her.

And then Tobin was able to kiss her without prying eyes.

“So they’re taking you away from me this weekend?”

Tobin just nodded mindlessly as Christen pushed her back onto the bed. She wrapped her arms around the human’s waist and tugged her down on top of her. There was a returning question on the tip of her tongue, but she was distracted by kisses.

Very distracted by kisses.

Her beautiful, intoxicating human.

“Did you like your present?” Christen asked against her mouth.

Tobin hummed loudly. “So much. Few people have done something that thoughtful for me. Thank you.”

“You are so welcome. You deserve it.”

She kissed Tobin one more time before she flopped onto the other side of the bed with a laugh.

“So, is drinking blood from the source better than sex?”

Tobin blinked at her owlishly, slowly processing the words. “What?”

“Sex has to be kind of boring for you now, right? You’ve had so many years of being young and hot to practice.”

“What?” Tobin repeated. A part of her truly did not understand what Christen was saying. “I heard blood and I heard sex and everything else is kinda muddled,” she admitted candidly.

Christen laughed again and curled into her side, with a hand on her chest. “I’m just curious, about what it feels like.”

Tobin tumbled over thought after thought, her mind racing at top speed. And then she felt her fangs drop and she groaned in embarrassment. A hand moved to cover her mouth as Christen laughed so hard that her entire body started to shake.

“You know that is so cute,” Christen teased as she ran a finger along the collar of Tobin’s shirt.

“It feels very… teenage boy,” the vampire lamented.

She hadn’t had a problem with unwanted fangs since she was a newborn.

“It’s not,” Christen assured her as she slowly moved to crawl on top of Tobin once more.

Tobin laid perfectly still, in awe, as Christen dropped kisses on her collarbone, chest, and abdomen, all through her clothes. Sweet, chaste, closed mouth kisses, and then they turned into more sultry, open mouth kisses. She tangled a hand in Christen’s thick, curly hair and pulled her up for a kiss. She slowly slipped her tongue into Christen’s mouth and tried to regain some control.

“I haven’t even taken you on a proper date yet,” she whispered.

“It’s 2020, you don’t need to wine and dine me.”

“But I want to,” Tobin insisted.

“Then,” Christen started with a laugh, “do you want to make out, like a teenage boy with fangs?”

Tobin laughed, a shade of embarrassment still coloured her demeanour, and she covered it up by pressing their mouths together.

After a few minutes of kissing, Christen spoke in a husky voice with a mischievous smile. “But I will be upset if you don’t at least try to feel me up.”

Tobin laughed again and slowly crept underneath the t-shirt that was far too big for her mate (girlfriend?). “Like this?” She whispered as she gently cupped Christen’s right breast.

The chef replied while biting her bottom lip. “Uh huh. Like that.”

“You’re beautiful,” Tobin told her as she caressed her cheek with her other hand.

“Do you want to bite me?” Christen asked through kisses. “For your birthday?” She giggled.

“Did you like it?”

Tobin watched Christen swallow before she nodded bashfully. “Yeah, I liked it,” she vocalized in a husky whisper. “It made me feel very close to you.”

Tobin, consciously or subconsciously, licked her fangs and ran her fingers down Christen’s neck. “It made me feel so close to you too. Holding you, and taking care of you afterwards, and feeling how the beat of your heart stuttered, just slightly, when I first bit you.” She hummed to herself and tenderly touched the fresh bite mark. “Here again?” She whispered. “Or somewhere else?”

“Where else would you bite?” Christen’s voice had dropped an octave and Tobin could sense how turned on she was becoming.

“Blood flows pretty freely from the femoral artery,” she explained.

She watched Christen swallow slowly and then try to shift discreetly. “The femoral artery, so between my legs?”

“That turns you on,” the vampire teased. “Your heart rate just accelerated.”

“You know your super senses are kind of infuriating.”

“Are they?” Tobin continued mischievously.

Christen decided to shut her up by kissing her again and Tobin wasn’t about to complain.

Chapter Text

Alex groaned loudly for what had to be the hundredth time since they had left Portland. “Thank God we’re heading home,” she muttered petulantly. “Because I can’t take any more of Tobin’s ridiculously loud thoughts.”

Tobin rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Alex.”

“Christen, Christen, Christen, all the damn time.”

“Alex,” Allie chided. “She’s mated now. Give her a break. Her brain only wants her to think about one thing.”

Alex groaned again regardless. “Doesn’t make it any less insufferable.”

Tobin turned towards the blonde with a curious pout. “Am I really that bad?” She questioned quietly.

Allie smiled softly. “You do think very loudly these days, Tobs.”

Tobin was all too happy when Allie and Alex brought her right to Christen’s doorstep. She knocked on the door with a wide grin and patiently waited for a response.

Her mate answered the door with a smile, with Spike peering from between her legs, and Tobin leaned forward and puckered her lips for a kiss.

Christen obliged with a giggle and pulled her inside with a fist in her hooded sweater. “I missed you,” she murmured against Tobin’s mouth.

“I missed you too, love.”

“Are we just left to stand in the cold?!”

Tobin pulled away from the kiss and looked over her shoulder to send her two friends a wry grin. Christen laughed as she looked down to the sidewalk with both of her hands still on Tobin’s chest.

“You are more than welcome to come in,” the chef smiled.

Tobin followed Christen inside and she could hear Allie and Alex behind her. She trailed after the gorgeous human, the sway of her hips leading her into the kitchen. She only lifted her head when she heard the familiar sound of Alex growling in frustration and then she registered a series of smaller, more high-pitched, more irritated growls.

“Spike,” Christen began to reprimand as the puppy circled Alex’s legs, growling and barking.

Tobin laughed uninhibitedly and Alex looked at her with narrowed eyes. “What is with this dog?!”

Tobin continued to laugh as she circled her arms around Christen’s waist and pressed her nose into her hair. “He’s naturally suspicious,” she joked.

“Spike!” Christen called again.

He looked over his shoulder before he bounded towards Christen obediently. “So, how was your trip?” The chef asked to shift the topic of conversation.

“Apparently I think very loudly,” Tobin explained with a serious expression.

“Super loudly,” Allie laughed. “God, Christen is just so pretty,” she teased. “She smells so good and I love holding her in my arms.”

Christen blushed and even Tobin looked embarrassed by the honest ribbing that she was receiving.

“She’s like a bad romance novel,” Allie continued.

When Spike finally calmed down, Christen was able to redirect their conversation once more and they settled in the living room as Allie told how Tobin had almost let a mountain goat sneak up on her.

There was a lot of laughing, and more stories from their short trip before Christen yawned and Tobin was able to silently let her friends know that it was time for them to leave.

They stayed curled up on the sofa and Tobin gently brushed Christen’s hair back as she heard the disappearing sounds of Allie and Alex’s footfalls. “Tired?” She questioned softly.

“A little. I missed you in my bed,” Christen admitted with a cheeky little smile.

Tobin hummed and scooted impossibly closer. “I missed being in your bed,” she muttered as quickly as she could so that she could immediately lean into a kiss. She wrapped an arm around her mate’s shoulders and pulled her body against hers. “I just want to be near you all the time,” she spoke through kisses. "I'm a kept vampire now."

With a hand on her face, Christen answered with, “You’re sweet.”

Tobin’s kisses intensified and Christen started to grip her shoulders and biceps. The human eventually draped her arms over broad shoulders and tangled her fingers in Tobin’s long brown hair. The vampire slowly dragged her lips across Christen’s sculpted jaw and then down to her neck. Where she lingered unabashedly. She kissed the crook of Christen’s neck, and then she pressed her nose into the skin, and then she slowly ran her tongue over the bite mark that was almost entirely healed.

“I wanna see,” Christen whispered hotly in her ear.

Tobin hummed in question, but didn’t lift her head.

“I wanna see,” she repeated. “The next time you bite me, I want to be able to see. Maybe we could go to the bathroom and I could watch in the mirror?”

This time, Tobin did lift her head, and she was sure that her eyes were black as night and large as saucers. “If that’s what you want,” she replied huskily.

“It is,” Christen confirmed.

Tobin knew that her mate was confident in her decisions so she followed Christen throughout the house and waited patiently as she went through her nighttime routine. Spike was sleeping soundly in his bed and he didn’t even miss them when they disappeared into the bathroom.

Tobin stood behind Christen as she brushed her teeth and then approached her slowly. She ran her fingers along the hem of the large t-shirt that Christen had changed into and she wanted to sink her fingers into the curls contained in a bun. The chef splashed water on her face before she sent a coy smile over her shoulder. Tobin took that as her invitation to move even closer. She placed a hand on Christen’s hip and wrapped the other around her midsection. She kissed underneath Christen’s ear and down to her pulse point as she maintained eye contact in the mirror. She moaned deeply as Christen sighed contentedly and tilted her head.

There was nothing sexier than feeling so wanted, especially for a vampire in this very specific context.

She dropped her fangs and slowly opened her mouth as her hand slipped underneath Christen’s t-shirt to rest on her warm belly.

Christen raised a hand and tangled her fingers in Tobin’s hair once more – to keep her in place perhaps.

And the human let out a lovely gasp when Tobin sank her teeth into her.

Tobin had enough self-control not to suck too hard or for too long, but she wasn’t about to say that it wasn’t hard. It was excruciating. She was fairly certain that what kept her from draining Christen was every mated instinct that had blossomed in her.

Pretty green eyes fluttered closed and Tobin took that as her sign to pull away. She stroked the soft skin of Christen’s abdomen with her fingertips while her tongue lapped at the droplets that had rolled down her mate’s neck.

“You okay, sweetheart?” She whispered.

Christen hummed as a smile graced her face and her fingers tightened slightly in Tobin’s hair. “Mmm hmm, take me to bed?”

“Of course,” Tobin answered quietly.

She smoothly lifted Christen into her arms and carried her to the bed. She made sure that the human was happy underneath the covers before she crawled in beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. Christen immediately rested her head on Tobin’s shoulder and made herself comfortable practically tucked underneath her chin. Her hand wandered across Tobin’s torso as she muttered faintly.

“Take me out on a proper date soon so I can get you naked.”

Tobin laughed to herself as she stroked Christen’s back.

“It’s really not fair that you get to do all that sucking.”

Tobin held in a fit of laughter by biting down on her bottom lip. “Okay,” she acquiesced. “A proper date it is.”

Chapter Text

Tobin had told her not to dress up, so she had decided on a white crop top and black skinny jeans. She neurotically agonized over her hair before she accepted that her curls would not be tamed to her liking this evening, and that Tobin probably wouldn’t care anyway. She put the finishing touches on her makeup before she walked into the living room – where Tobin was lying on the floor, on her stomach, engaged in a serious staring contest with Spike.

“Tobs?” She called with a laugh.

Tobin responded without lifting her head. “One second, love. He’s about to surrender, I can smell it.”

Spike did not surrender, but he did yawn (a cute little puppy yawn), and Tobin took that as a victory. She raised her arms in triumph before she jumped to her feet with a grin.

“Wow,” she began breathily. “You look amazing.”

Christen opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, Tobin was standing in front of her. Tobin typically contained the speed of her movements in front of Christen, but every now and then, she found it hard to consciously slow herself down. Christen squeaked in surprise when Tobin held her waist and pressed her nose against her neck.

“Wow,” she repeated. “You smell even better than usual.”

“It’s a new perfume,” Christen explained slowly.

It was completely animalistic, but she kind of loved the way that Tobin stopped to smell her.

Right now, with Tobin’s nose nuzzling just beneath her hairline, she couldn’t help but be turned on.

“Do you like it?” She questioned breathily.

Tobin hummed in the affirmative and started to kiss the side of her neck.

“Okay,” Christen laughed as she placed her hand on Tobin’s forearm. “If you keep doing that then we’re not going to leave this apartment.”

Tobin chuckled and playfully squeezed her hips. “Okay, then we should be off.”

Dinner was an odd date activity when you were a vampire, so Tobin had decided to avoid the whole thing altogether. They went for a walk in the park, hand in hand, and when they passed an ice cream cart, she bought Christen a mint chocolate chip cone and grinned as the girl giggled and accidentally got ice cream on the tip of her nose.

Tobin was more than happy to lick it off, even if it was a totally cheesy move.

After that, they dropped into The Crypt for a drink so that their human-vampire dynamic felt much more normal. Tobin could get a bottle of synthetic blood and Christen could sip on an alcoholic beverage, and they looked just like other couples littered throughout the room.

They sat in a booth in a somewhat dark, intimate corner and Tobin draped an arm across Christen’s shoulders.

Everything was incredibly normal and cozy, and domestic, until Tobin heard annoyingly loud thoughts from somewhere in the bar. Her nostrils flared and she fought against the urge to drop her fangs in warning. Mated instincts were hard to control, she was learning, especially the feeling that she needed to show this vampire that Christen was hers. She tried to ignore it but she became increasingly more uneasy under the gaze of the dark-haired male vampire across the room.

As Christen threaded her fingers through Tobin’s hanging over her shoulder, she seemed to pick up on the slight change in demeanour. “What’s wrong, Tobs?” She asked quietly.

She contemplated lying or playing it off before she tilted her head in the appropriate direction and murmured, “He is curious about our relationship status.”

Christen laughed softly and snuggled further into Tobin’s side. She turned her head to nibble on the corner of the vampire’s jaw and then she giggled in her ear. “You can tell him I’m taken and that he can see the bite marks if he wants.”

Tobin chuckled huskily and dropped her head to nuzzle against Christen’s neck. “He can see them from over there with his vampire eyesight,” she joked. “He’s just… persistent, and inappropriate.”

The chef hummed and tugged Tobin even closer. With a hand on Tobin’s chin, Christen guided her into a kiss that quickly became too steamy for a public venue.

Tobin tore herself away with a modest chuckle and grinned happily at the blush covering Christen’s cheeks. Her grin widened even further when Christen brought a thumb to the edge of her mouth and giggled, “My lipstick is all over you.”

“Worth it.”

“I think we should get out of here,” Christen announced slowly as her hand brushed Tobin’s thigh.

Christen seemed to deliberately run the fingers of her other hand over the marks on her neck as she looked over her shoulder. She wanted to know who was staring at her and Tobin really couldn’t blame him for looking. Everything about Christen was… hypnotic. To vampires and humans alike.

“Okay,” she answered quietly, “I can take you home.”

They walked out of the bar, with Tobin’s arm still around Christen’s shoulders, and Tobin sent a wink to the now surly vampire along the way.

On Christen’s doorstep, Tobin impishly acted as if she was going to say goodnight and go home until Christen commandingly tugged her inside by the belt loops.

Christen knew what she wanted and Tobin loved that.

And her intentions were clear when they immediately moved into the bedroom.

Laying on their sides on the bed, Christen curled into Tobin when the vampire pulled her into a long, slow kiss. Her fingers danced along the small of the human’s back, soft and exposed by her crop top, and the chef whimpered in delight. Her fingers twisted in Tobin’s t-shirt and she shifted so that she was lying on top of Tobin’s lean, solid frame. The vampire hummed, happily in agreement with the new position, and moved her hands up Christen’s back, through her hair, and then she gently traced the bite marks on her neck with the tips of her fingers.

“I wish we could have done something more exciting tonight,” she murmured.

Christen pulled away with a nose wrinkled in confusion. “What do you mean? I had a nice time.”

“Vampire activities can be limited sometimes,” Tobin said regretfully.

“I had a nice time,” Christen said again, this time much more forcefully. “I always do with you. Always.”

Tobin opened her mouth for another rebuttal, but Christen cut her off with a passionate kiss that had them rolling onto the other side of the bed. The vampire moaned distractedly as Christen hitched a leg over her hip and pressed their bodies close together.

After several more minutes of kissing and heavy, teenage petting, Christen pulled away with a gasp.

She placed her hands on Tobin’s shoulders and spoke softly. “I’ll be back in a minute, okay? I’m just going to change.”

“Is it time for bed?” Tobin questioned sweetly – obliviously.

Christen nodded with a soft chuckle. “Yeah, time for bed. Why don’t you get under the covers?”

When Christen got off the bed and headed to the bathroom, Tobin obediently slipped into the bed in her t-shirt and boxer briefs. She settled on her back, playfully stretched her toes, and waited for her mate to return.

The bathroom door opened with a soft creak and Tobin was pleasantly surprised when she lifted her head. Christen’s bedtime attire typically consisted of baggy, old t-shirts and tank tops, soccer shorts, and big sweaters when she got cold. She did not usually wear silk, cream coloured nightgowns that showed off her long legs and hugged her curves.

“Oh.” The vampire quickly shifted and moved into an upright sitting position. “Wow.”

Christen skipped towards the bed and Tobin was able to see up close that a rosy blush coloured her cheeks. She was grinning and her body language appeared confident, but Tobin could hear her heart pounding and the blood rushing through her body. Her human was anxious and she immediately wanted to put her at ease.

Tobin reached forward, hands on her hips, and pulled Christen into her lap. “You look beautiful. This colour makes your skin look really good,” she added as she fiddled with one of the spaghetti straps over her shoulder.

“I’m obviously not playing hard to get here,” the chef joked as she clasped her hands together behind Tobin’s neck. “Breaking out the lingerie.”

“That definitely doesn’t bother me.” She slowly ran her fingers down Christen’s bare arms as she gathered hundreds of thoughts together. “You may have to stop me if I get too excited.”

“What do you mean?” Christen asked as she nudged Tobin’s nose with her own.

“I don’t get tired. I don’t need to rest. I don’t need to breathe. That can get intense. I’m going to want you for hours once we get started.” She tugged Christen further into her lap and started to kiss her chin and jaw. “Just smelling you right now is driving me crazy,” she revealed in a throaty whisper. “So you need to tell me if you want to stop, at any time, and we’ll stop.”

“Okay,” Christen spoke against her lips.

“Okay?”

“Okay.”

With that understanding, Tobin used her vampire strength and speed to effortlessly flip Christen onto the other side of the bed and settle between her legs.

Christen squealed, and then giggled, and then moaned as she processed every action in chronological order. Tobin’s eyes were suddenly black and she felt goosebumps erupt across her skin as the vampire stared down at her.

Christen gulped.

Intense was definitely the right word.

Chapter Text

“Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh GOD!”

Christen practically screamed as her hands tugged at her own hair and her hips sprung off of the bed.

Maybe intense wasn’t the right word at all. She was pretty sure that six orgasms in a row went a little beyond intense.

Damn vampire stamina. And damn her hands, and her fingers, and her mouth. Tobin made love with her entire body and it was almost overwhelming, it was certainly overstimulating. She let her eyes fall closed and her limbs fall in whatever direction they wanted. She didn’t hear Tobin get up off of the floor, from where she had been kneeling in front of the bed, but she felt the mattress dip beside her and that gentle hum of safety that she always felt around the vampire.

“Wow. Look at you. You look exquisite.”

Christen struggled to crack open one eye when she felt tender fingers slide across her bare belly. Tobin looked as beautiful and flawless as ever, not a hair out of place, not a shimmer of sweat, and a smile that was just a teeniest bit smug. She knew that she looked ridiculous in comparison – tired and sweaty with wild, curly hair everywhere. “I must look like a mess.”

Tobin quickly shook her head. “Never.” The vampire leaned in for a quick kiss before she shifted to nibble on her shoulder. “Naked, and gorgeous, and mine.” She cuddled in close before she pulled the thin bed sheet up to cover both of them. “Can I get you anything?” She asked sweetly. “Water? Or a snack?”

“No,” Christen giggled softly. “I’m okay.”

Tobin’s eyes were still black as night, and her fangs were down, and her body felt so strong and muscled, and she looked a thousand times sexier than every seductive vampire that had ever been depicted in popular culture.

Christen instantly realized that she really hadn’t stood a chance tonight.

“What about you?” She questioned softly. “Can I get you anything?” She wrapped a hand around Tobin’s bicep and whispered huskily, “Are you thirsty? Do you need to drink?”

Tobin licked her lips thoughtfully. “If I bite you now… it might be too much.” Before Christen could ask for clarification, the vampire gripped her hip and added, “It will bring alive every nerve in your body that’s already sensitive.”

The chef pondered that idea with her lips pursed. “You’re saying it’ll make me come again?”

Tobin laughed, a tad arrogantly, with her head cutely tilted to the side. “Yeah, pretty much,” she admitted.

She shifted her hand up to Tobin’s shoulder and tugged until the vampire got the idea that she wanted her on top of her once more. “And will it be that good for you?”

Tobin didn’t answer, but Christen felt a rumbling in her chest. Somewhat animalistic, but totally hot. She took that as a yes. She guided Tobin into an eager kiss, one with lots of tongue, as her hands skipped down Tobin’s strong back and landed on the waistband of the boxer shorts that were still on, somehow.

“Take these off,” she murmured.

Tobin didn’t need the instruction to be any clearer or any louder. With her vampire speed and agility, to the human eye she barely moved as she removed the last article of clothing between them. She settled one muscled thigh between Christen’s legs and the human whined.

Christen could feel her cheeks flush as she held Tobin tight to her. She was almost embarrassed by how wet she was, but Tobin had been resolutely focused on making her comfortable and as turned on as physically possible since she had walked out of the bathroom in lingerie.

“Is this okay?” Tobin whispered hotly in her ear.

Christen simply nodded against her head. She thought that the way she was cocooned around the vampire was a fairly obvious answer.

They started to gently rock against each other, hands and mouths focusing on anywhere they could reach.

And then Christen felt Tobin’s mouth start to become much more concentrated on her neck. She tilted her head to provide better access and tightened her fingers in her girlfriend’s silky hair. “Tobin,” she breathed. “You can… Go ahead.”

The vampire made a small grunting sound that somehow managed to be cute before she sunk her teeth into the soft flesh of Christen’s neck.

Christen was pretty sure that her eyes came close to literally rolling into the back of her head. It was just like Tobin had described it, tiny shocks jumped all over her body and spread like wildfire over her already overheated skin and settled in her most sensitive places. She arched her hips, which brought Tobin’s thigh against her again and again. She locked her ankles around the vampire’s calves and climaxed again before she even finished drinking.

She was a sweaty, breathless, boneless mess as Tobin stroked the bite mark with her tongue and nibbled on the corner of her jaw.

Tobin hummed in pleasure and then started to laugh. “You taste so good,” she chuckled.

Christen barely had the energy to hum back, but she wrapped her arms around Tobin’s shoulders and touched the back of her neck.

“You’re tired,” the vampire stated. “You should get some sleep and I should get some sugar in you.”

Before Christen could say anything, Tobin was out of the bed and back with a glass of orange juice.

“Tobin,” she cooed while blushing. “You’re so sweet to me.”

Tobin handed her the glass before she knelt on the bed and leaned forward to place a playful kiss on her nose. “When vampires say forever, they have to mean it.”

Christen didn’t know what to say – all of the energy had already been sucked out of her… literally and figuratively. But she tugged on Tobin’s wrist and pulled her in for a soft kiss. “I need to sleep, but you’re all mine in the morning,” she warned with a grin.

“Can’t wait.”

Tobin’s attempt to feign sleep was foiled by Christen’s adorable giggles. She couldn’t keep her eyes closed while she heard that lovely laugh.

“Tobs!” She laughed as she kissed the vampire’s shoulder. “Stop pretending to sleep!”

She dramatically opened one eye and faced her mate with a big grin. “I’m resting.” Christen continued to giggle as her fingers skittered over Tobin’s abdomen. “I worked really hard last night.”

“You did,” Christen murmured with a little grin. “It was so good. You deserve so much attention this morning.”

Tobin mischievously arched an eyebrow. “Oh really? I do?”

The curly haired woman nodded and pressed closer. “Yeah, definitely,” she breathed. “You were so good to me. I wanna be that good to you.”

She started to kiss Tobin’s neck and the vampire rolled onto her back to get more comfortable. Christen immediately took charge and shifted on top of her. Tobin had absolutely no problem with that, or with following the pace of her kiss while a hand cascaded through her curls, the other dipping lower to settle on her ass.

After one particularly slow kiss, Christen pulled away with a shy smile. “I just wanna say that I… well, I’m in love with you.”

“I’m in love with you too. I love you,” the vampire replied without hesitation.

Tobin had never said the words out loud, but from her perspective, the sentiment had always been clear. Every single thing that she did in Christen’s presence was filled with love. It was difficult to doubt when every instinct that she had honed for decades finally told her that she was home.

Christen, still feeling shy, buried her face in Tobin’s neck and giggled. “It feels soon, but I dunno,” she trailed off. “It also feels like it fits. Like we fit.”

“We definitely fit.” She gently tugged on Christen’s hair and placed a series of kisses on her temple. “You were made for me,” she whispered.

Christen wrapped her in a tight hug and Tobin slowly, ever so gently, rolled her onto her back. She started to kiss her cheek and she gradually moved the placement of her kisses down, down, down.

“Tobin,” Christen spoke breathlessly, “this morning is supposed to be about you.”

Tobin shrugged with a laugh. “I can wait. This is way better.”

Christen’s head fell back onto the pillow with a sigh. “God.” Tobin chuckled to herself while her mouth found the jut of her mate’s hipbone. Fingers tightened in her hair and she appreciated the encouragement. “You’re making me want to never leave this bed.”

“That sounds totally doable.”

“We have to walk the dog,” Christen argued weakly.

“Uh huh, after this one.”

Chapter Text

Tobin finally opened the door of the bedroom only to be met by a very displeased Spike. The poor puppy was howling and growling, and she could feel the suspicion rolling off of him in waves. He was not happy at all that she had kept Christen behind a door for so long, making sounds that he probably perceived as discomfort and distress.

“Oh my goodness! What’s wrong?” Christen cooed over her shoulder.

Tobin chuckled, “He’s worried about you.”

Christen slid past her and lifted the puppy into her arms until he was cuddled against her chest. “It’s okay,” she spoke in a high-pitched voice. “It’s all okay.” She started to scratch behind his ears and he began to lick her face, all worries seemingly forgotten.

“He still doesn’t know how to feel about me,” the vampire joked.

“That’s not true,” Christen responded in the same baby voice. “That’s not true, is it Spike?”

She placed the dog back on his feet and then they followed him to the kitchen.

Christen filled Spike’s water and food dish before she turned towards her coffee pot. Tobin approached her slowly and stroked the back of her neck with the tips of her fingers. “Tired?”

“Need caffeine.”

Tobin chuckled and sweetly kissed her cheek. “I can take Spike for a nice long walk and you can stay here and pamper yourself?”

Christen glanced up and wrinkled her nose as she looked out her kitchen window. “It’s pouring rain out there.”

“My favourite kind of weather. Cloudy and dreary,” she laughed.

Christen laughed along with her and spun around to face her. She wrapped her arms around Tobin’s shoulders and pulled her closer. “You would do that for me?”

The vampire smiled sweetly and, without hesitation, answered, “Of course. Anytime.” She slowly moved her hands until they were cradling her mate's face. “Make yourself a nice breakfast. Maybe take a hot bath. I will take Spike for the longest walk of his young life.”

Christen laughed again and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “You’re the best.”

“You’re just saying that because of last night,” she whispered playfully.

Tobin threw on a light windbreaker, even though she didn’t really need a jacket at all, and she followed Spike around with his leash in one hand until he was so tired that she could see him stumbling on his stubby paws. She scooped him up with a chuckle and headed back to Christen’s at a brisk jog.

The house was quiet, still, but Tobin’s ears picked up the gentle sloshing of water in the bathtub. She grabbed a towel from the linen closet to dry Spike’s fur before she deposited him in his doggy bed and then headed towards the bathroom. The various pleasant fragrances hit her nostrils but it did nothing to overwhelm the natural scent of her mate. That scent pulled her into the room and she was greeted by the sight of Christen in a bubble bath where just her head and a pile of dark curls were visible.

“Hey beautiful.”

“Hi, how is he?”

“Exhausted,” Tobin chuckled as she knelt down next to the tub. “I put him in his bed and he curled right up.”

Christen smiled happily and sank further into the bubbles. “Is it cold out there?”

Tobin shrugged her shoulders and laughed. “I dunno. Spike seemed to really like the puddles.”

Christen smiled again, but this time it was a tad mischievous. “Want to get in?”

The vampire arched an eyebrow in intrigue. “Do I want to get in the bath with you? Absolutely.”

Tobin slowly peeled off her damp clothes, relishing in Christen’s eyes trailing over her, and she slowly stepped into the water on the other side of the large ceramic tub.

“You’re so hot,” Christen spoke, and then she laughed almost in disbelief. “Sometimes I think my eyes are playing tricks when I look at you.”

“Not half as beautiful as you,” Tobin responded charmingly. “My perfect mate.”

Christen rolled her eyes, but she also scooted closer until her hands rested on Tobin’s thighs. “How do you know I’m perfect?” She teased. “You’ve barely let me touch you. You’re so… giving.”

“I like giving,” Tobin replied with a slow lick of her lips.

“Well I do too.” She scooted closer once more and murmured lowly, “You’re so far away.”

Tobin laughed, but she definitely got the hint. She reached forward to grab the petite woman’s waist and pulled her forward until Christen’s long legs were wrapped around her. Once Christen’s arms were around her shoulders, she tilted her chin up for a slow kiss.

“Does this feel warm?” Christen asked in a curious whisper. “Me? The bathtub?”

Tobin nodded and tugged her impossibly closer. “So warm.”

“You like it?”

“Yeah,” Tobin chuckled, “I like it. It smells nice in here too.”

“That’s the bubble bath.”

“No, I think it’s you.”

To prove her point, Tobin dragged her nose up Christen’s neck before she started to nibble on her jaw. The chef tilted her head and hummed approvingly, giving Tobin permission to continue. She ran both of her hands up Christen’s smooth back and relished in the way the human pressed her center against her strong abdomen.

They kissed again, slow, but definitely not soft, until Christen pulled away with a sigh.

“You’re making me all shivery again.”

“Shivery? Is that new human slang?”

“Yes,” Christen replied with a chuckle.

She opened her mouth to speak again, but then she felt the gentle press of two of Tobin’s fingers on her clit. She gasped and dug her fingers into the tops of Tobin’s shoulders.

“Tobs,” she whimpered.

She took a deep, steading breath before she carefully maneuvered onto her feet and stepped out of the tub.

“Chris?” Tobin questioned with an adorable pout.

“Follow me to bed,” she whispered as she made a show of grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her torso.

She giggled to herself as she heard water spill out of the tub and onto the floor, and a figure that she knew was Tobin sped past her in a blur. She found the vampire’s enthusiasm to be nothing short of hilarious, and also a major turn on. For her part, she sauntered to her bedroom and found Tobin under the covers sporting a cheeky grin.

“Hi,” the vampire sing-songed.

“Hi,” she laughed.

“You told me to get in the bed.”

“I told you to follow me to bed,” Christen corrected with another laugh.

“Oh. Well I skipped a step.”

The chef smiled fondly and dropped her towel before she crawled into bed. She settled on top of Tobin and held her face with both hands as she started a slow kiss. “Keep your hands to yourself,” she murmured between sucking Tobin’s bottom lip into her mouth and kissing the top one.

Tobin whined, “But that’s so hard.”

Christen chuckled, completely enamoured with Tobin’s playfulness, and slowly ran her hands over her shoulders and down her arms until their fingers were intertwined. “Just keep them here.”

Tobin made another slightly unhappy noise that Christen ignored as her kisses trailed across Tobin’s sternum, between her breasts, and down her abdomen.

“Oh,” the vampire gasped softly.

“Oh, indeed,” Christen replied with a dorky snort. She laughed at her own awkwardness and pressed her face against Tobin’s hip. “Okay, you can’t make me laugh.”

Tobin pushed herself up onto her elbows and grinned. “I’m not.”

“I’m trying to be sexy.”

“You are sexy. No need to worry.”

Christen raised her head and worried her bottom lip between her teeth as a tidal wave of insecurities washed over her. “What if it’s not as good for you? It’s not going to be vampire sex.”

“No, it isn’t,” Tobin confirmed quietly. “It’s mated sex,” she added after a pause. “So much better.”

The elated grin on Tobin’s face was enough to put Christen at ease. There was no need to doubt or second guess Tobin’s feelings for her. Christen had never felt so sure about anything in her entire life.

Chapter Text

Christen giggled loudly as she tried to squirm out of Tobin’s hold. “Tobin!” She squealed while the vampire peppered her neck and face with kisses. “I really have to clean the house.”

Tobin lifted her head to take the briefest of glances around the living room. “It’s already clean,” she declared. “Spotless even.”

They were cuddled up on the couch with some morning talk show playing on the television and blackout curtains pulled across the windows. Tobin returned to her neck, pressing soft kisses to her pulse point and running her nose along the tendons. Despite Christen’s moment of distraction and the reality that she really did need to clean in preparation for her family’s arrival, she wrapped her arms around Tobin’s neck and fell back onto the cushions, guiding Tobin on top of her.

“You always smell so good in the morning,” Tobin whispered.

All that Christen could do was laugh. “You say that all the time, Tobs.”

“Well then I guess it’s true all the time.” She pushed her nose into Christen’s wild, curly hair and hummed. “So good.”

Christen slipped her hands underneath the back of Tobin’s t-shirt and pushed them up to her shoulder blades. They still hadn’t done this enough for it to be anything but thrilling. The way that Tobin changed the way she kissed her based on how intense she wanted the moment to be, the way that she touched her with such tenderness and intent, the way that she whispered her name, the way that her eyes turned black as a starless night when she was turned on; it was all so new and exciting, and yet comfortable and familiar.

Tobin read her body and her reactions like it was a childhood favourite that she had already read a thousand times. She supposed that it had something to do with their connection. Tobin could feel when she was near and when she was anxious, so it made perfect sense that the vampire could also sense when she was excited, stimulated, and aroused.

She nibbled on Tobin’s earlobe before she whispered, “Wanna go back to bed?”

The vampire lifted her off of the sofa and into her arms effortlessly. Christen wrapped her legs around Tobin’s waist to hold on, but it was unnecessary, Tobin was not going to drop her. The vampire was supporting her weight with just an arm underneath her butt.

“Wow, so strong,” she teased.

Tobin grinned and sent her an exaggerated wink. “This is nothing. Do you want to go to the bedroom at vampire speed or human speed?”

“How about an urgent human speed?”

Tobin gave her a soft kiss before she responded, “You got it, sweetheart.”

The vampire took long, graceful strides to the bedroom and gently set her down on the edge of the mattress.

Christen wasted no time urging Tobin’s shirt up and over her head before her hands fiddled with the material around her girlfriend’s waist. “Take all this off,” she giggled.

“Patience,” Tobin teased.

She jutted out her bottom lip and looked up at Tobin with big, pleading eyes. “Please.” She knew that Tobin had an incredibly difficult time saying no to her and she was willing to use that to her advantage in this situation.

Tobin sighed, “That’s not fair, sweetheart.”

She curled her fingers over the waistband of Tobin’s track pants, her fingers brushing against the taut, sensitive skin above her pubic hair. “I’m not doing anything,” she spoke coyly.

And then she flirtatiously batted her eyelashes again.

Tobin leaned down to press their mouths together and she growled playfully before she placed both of her hands underneath Christen’s thighs and carefully tossed her onto the top of the bed. Christen giggled until Tobin smoothly moved her body over hers and kissed her slowly, with thought and finesse.

“You shouldn’t tease a vampire,” she whispered after she had pulled away from the kiss.

Christen smiled happily as she raised a single finger to tap against Tobin’s nose. “My vampire.”

Tobin’s whole body seemed to respond to that statement. Her eyes softened and her body seemed to float above hers, and a smile engulfed her entire face.

“Wow,” she breathed after a moment. “You can say that all the time.” There was another significant pause before she spoke again. “But you still shouldn’t tease,” she said before she moved both of her hands to Christen’s waist and pressed her fingers between her ribs.

Christen giggled loudly and tried to roll onto her stomach to protect herself.

“Are we clear?” Tobin whispered hotly in her ear as she tried to catch her breath.

The chef nodded, but a giggle slipped past her lips.

Tobin hummed and sat up, with her knees planted on the bed so that she was straddling Christen’s lower back. “You don’t sound very sure.”

She turned onto her back once more and stared at Tobin with a playful, but convincing smile. “I’m sure.”

Tobin looked thoughtful before she dropped her fangs and dove back in to tickle her again.

After spending far too much time in the bedroom, Christen walked Tobin to the door with stupid, dopey smiles on both of their faces. Standing in the porch, Tobin held both of Christen’s hands in hers and leaned forward for a soft kiss.

“What time are your parents getting in?”

“I’m heading to the airport at four.”

“And what time should I come over?” Tobin questioned after another kiss.

“Why don’t you come over at six?” She slipped her hands out of Tobin’s and wrapped them around her shoulders. She knew that they were minutes away from running to her bedroom again, but she really didn’t care. “We’ll eat at six-thirty.”

“What kind of flowers does your mother like? I would like to bring her something.”

“It’s cliché, but she loves roses.”

“And what does your dad like? What can I bring him?”

Christen chuckled and placed a sweet kiss on Tobin’s cheek. “He would really enjoy some of the local craft beer. Something he can’t get in California.”

Tobin nodded with a smile. “I have a few ideas. I’ll pick something up at The Crypt.”

“That is very sweet.” She leaned forward and pressed her mouth to the vampire’s yet again. “You’re sweet.”

“You taste sweet,” Tobin quipped with a self-satisfied grin. She raised a hand and gently touched the fresh bite mark on her mate’s neck. “You should cover that up.”

“I will. I don’t want my parents to get any crazy ideas before I have a chance to actually tell them.”

Tobin nodded in agreement and leaned forward for one last kiss. “I will see you in a few hours, beautiful.”

Christen led her parents through her new home with a broad, proud smile. Her younger sister, Channing, a much welcomed surprise, trailed behind them.

On the way back from the airport, she was able to tell them about life in Portland. Her dad fired off questions about the city and her neighbours, and she highlighted her new favourite coffee shop, the park where she liked to walk Spike, and the soccer league that she had joined. All of her answers seemed to satisfy her protective father. Her mother leaned more towards inquiring about her emotional well-being – the demands of the restaurant, her work schedule, and if she had had the opportunity to make any new friends.

She did not bring up the v-word, but she did talk about one of her new friends who was a nurse.

As they all stood in her bedroom, her mother came to stand beside her and she wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Stacy kissed her cheek lovingly before she spoke.

“This house is beautiful, honey.”

“Thanks, Mom. Let’s go out to the kitchen and I can get you all something to drink.”

Her mother nodded and they all walked into the kitchen. Christen grabbed a beer from the fridge for her dad, poured a glass of wine for her sister, and made a cup of tea for her mother.

“So,” she began slowly once they were all seated in the living room. “I’ve invited someone else over for dinner tonight.”

Her sister turned to her with a knowing smile playing on her face. “Someone special?”

That caught her mother’s attention. “You’re seeing someone?”

Christen rolled her eyes. “Well don’t sound so surprised, Mom.”

“Sorry, sweetheart,” her mother laughed, “it’s just… well…”

“It’s been a while,” Channing happily supplied.

“I am aware,” the older sister answered patiently. “But this is really good, it’s already more than any relationship I’ve ever been in.” She could see the way that her mother was effected by her words and it made her turn away in slight embarrassment. “Anyway!” She tried to change the subject, but noises of protest filled her living room.

Her family wanted to know all about her mysterious someone special and she knew that she wasn’t ready to tell them everything.

“Her name is Tobin,” she offered. “And she’s the sweetest. And she’ll be here at six! So I am going to start cooking.”

She headed to the kitchen with the perfect excuse not to take any questions about her new relationship.

Her dad jovially made jokes from the living room about how good it felt to have his daughter ‘the chef’ cooking for him again, her sister played with the puppy, and her mother stood beside her rinsing arugula for the beet salad she was making while she worked on the vinaigrette.

She had decided on meat and potatoes with a little flair for her family’s first dinner in Portland: steak, her Mom’s garlic mashed potatoes recipe, and a beet salad, with a spontaneous vegetarian alternative for her sister.

Her mother broke her professionally crafted concentration with soft words.

“Sweetheart, where are your Band-Aids?”

“Did you cut yourself?” She asked in concern.

“No, just a sore nailbed.”

“In the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.”

She was focused on the salad dressing once more when her mother posed a question that made her shoulders tense.

“Christen, you’re taking iron supplements? Have you not been feeling well?”

The truth was that the pills had been Tobin’s idea; another precaution to keep her healthy now that she had a vampire drinking from her regularly.

“Just something to help my energy level,” she answered without making eye contact. Her mother could read her rather well and she wasn’t sure what the other woman would see when she looked at her. “I’ve been feeling really good lately,” she added after a short pause.

“Is that because of a certain someone?” Stacy teased.

Christen laughed, “Get back to the salad, Mom.”

Promptly at six o’clock, there was a knock on the door and Christen rushed to answer it. She threw the door open and wrapped both of her arms around Tobin’s waist.

The vampire laughed and did what she could to hug her back, even with the items that she carried under her arms. “Hi, darling,” she cooed.

“Come on in,” Christen smiled excitedly. “They’re excited to meet you.”

The chef wrapped both of her hands around Tobin’s arm and gently pulled her into the living room where her family was waiting with great anticipation. “Mom, Dad, Chan, this is Tobin.”

She introduced Tobin to each person individually, and watched as she gave her mother a bouquet of white roses, her father a case of beer, and her sister a bashful explanation that if she had known that she was coming she would have brought her something too.

Tobin was polite, courteous, and sweet – everything that Christen had expected her to be. The vampire held her hand, tried to call her dad ‘sir’, and made her sister laugh. Spike curled up at their feet as they sat on the sofa and her mother gazed at them like they were the cutest little family.

“What do you do, Tobin?” Cody inquired.

“I’m a real estate agent and I flip houses.”

“You do the remodels yourself?”

Tobin nodded. “Yes, sir, I mean, uh, Cody. It was something I was interested in, and then it became a hobby, and then I turned it into a career.”

“A self-made woman,” he grinned. “Good catch, Mo.”

Christen giggled and squeezed Tobin’s hand. “Yes, she is.” She leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to Tobin’s cheek. The action embarrassed Tobin and it made Christen’s smile even wider.

“How did you two meet?”

That question came from her mother and she gave Tobin’s hand another squeeze, this one was of support.

“I was out for a run and I saw her moving in.”

Christen was quick to add on to the slightly amended version of their first meeting. “And she offered to help.”

“How chivalrous,” Channing smirked.

“How long have you lived in Portland, Tobin?”

The vampire hesitated just slightly. “Almost five years now.”

Her parents asked Tobin a few more ‘get to know you’ questions before they decided it was time to sit down for dinner.

“How do you like your steak, Tobin? Or did Chris have to make eggplant for you too?” Cody asked jokingly as he shot Channing a look.

Tobin sent Christen a weighted, meaningful glance before she swallowed and said, “Actually, I don’t eat.”

Christen addressed her family’s puzzled looks before the silence could stretch on too long. “Tobin’s a vampire.”

Her mother audibly gasped.

“Oh… we’ve… well, we’ve never met a vampire before,” Cody fumbled.

Tobin smiled awkwardly and Christen caressed her arm. “There’s a pretty thriving vampire community in Portland, Dad.”

“Oh, interesting,” Stacy offered.

They had dinner and the mood had tangibly shifted. Her parents weren’t rude or discourteous by any means, but they weren’t as enthusiastic as they had been before dinner. They weren’t firing questions Tobin’s way or sending Christen teasing remarks. Dinner was so quiet that she could hear the forks scraping the plate; she could only imagine how loud the grating noise sounded to Tobin.

After dinner, Christen walked Tobin to the door and tried to kiss the pout off of her face.

“I will talk to you soon, okay?” Christen whispered in her ear.

Tobin nodded, reluctantly, and she gently pushed the vampire towards the door. The last thing that she wanted was for Tobin to loiter around her house and overhear what was surely to be an interesting conversation, so she gave her girlfriend a pointed stare before she gave her another kiss.

As Tobin walked down the front steps of her home, she whispered into the air, “I love you.”

The vampire turned and offered a soft smile over her shoulder before she disappeared.

“The eggplant parmigiana was fantastic, Chris!” Channing exclaimed as soon as she returned to the living room.

A short laugh escaped her. She appreciated her little sister’s swift attempt to change the topic. However, the pensive look on her parents’ faces told her that they were about to get right into it.

So she beat them to it.

“You loved her before dinner!” She exclaimed as she threw her hands in the air.

“It’s not that we don’t like her, Mo. It’s that… well, we’ve never met a vampire before.” Her father repeated the same thing that he had said to Tobin with a small smile. “I spent my teen years trying to stay away from the vampires and the police,” he joked.

Her mother rolled her eyes fondly, but she certainly seemed much more concerned than the man beside her. “Christen, sweetie, it’s not about her, specifically. I’m worried about the power dynamic.”

Christen slowly sat down next to her sister and crossed her legs. She was intrigued; that was not what she had expected her mother to say. She had not expected to hear something quite that serious. What she had expected was stereotypes, exaggerations, and movie references.

“What do you mean?” She questioned quietly.

“She’s stronger than you. Faster. Her senses are sharper.”

“Physically superior to you in every way,” Channing chimed in. “Like her jawline.”

“Not helping, Chan,” Christen spoke out of the corner of her mouth.

“That scares me, Christen,” Stacy finished softly.

The older Press daughter didn’t know what to say. She nervously chewed on her bottom lip before she murmured, “Did you know they make synthetic blood now for vampires? You can just buy it at the corner store?”

Stacy sighed. “Does that mean she’s never bitten you?”

Christen was relieved that ultimately their conversation did not escalate into a full blown argument. Her parents still kissed her on the cheek and whispered words of love and promises to see her tomorrow before they headed back to their hotel room. Channing offered to stay with her, but she shook her head with a gentle smile and they made plans to have a yoga session before breakfast tomorrow.

She told herself that she would accept Channing’s invitation tomorrow night, but tonight she really wanted to see Tobin.

She was still on the sidewalk in front of Tobin’s house when the vampire appeared in front of her.

“Chris?” She asked with an expression of concern. “What are you doing here? It’s late.”

The chef immediately slipped her arms around Tobin’s waist and hugged her tightly. “I wanted to see you.”

“I would have come if you had called,” Tobin spoke softly as she brushed some of Christen’s hair behind her ear. “You didn’t have to come all the way over here at night.”

“I wanted to.”

“Come on, let’s go inside.”

Tobin took her hand and led her to the house and into her bedroom. They curled up on the bed, Christen’s head on Tobin’s chest and Tobin’s hand in her hair. After a long period of comfortable silence, the human was the first one to speak.

“My parents just need some time. To process.”

Tobin didn’t bother to protest.

“It doesn’t change anything,” Christen continued.

“Doesn’t it?”

Christen firmly shook her head before she propped herself up onto her elbow in order to look down at Tobin and observe every detail of her face. “It doesn’t,” she confirmed steadfastly. She lifted a hand to trace her fingers across Tobin’s brow, down her nose, and over her lips. “I just figured out I love you, I’m not giving you up now,” she smiled.

That made the vampire smile as well. “I love you too.” Her face promptly fell into a frown and she spoke her next sentence very quietly. “Sad things happen to vampires who lose their mates.”

“Well that’s not happening.” Christen leaned down to kiss her girlfriend before she curled into her side once more and made herself comfortable. “I’m keeping you.”

Chapter Text

Tobin tangled a hand in her mate’s thick, curly hair and listened to her stuttering, desperate breaths. The human’s body moved above hers, warm and soft, and perfect. As Christen’s hips rolled against her, urgently searching for that release, she placed a hand on the small of her back and a kiss to the side of her head.

“I got you,” she whispered, “you can let go, Chris.”

Christen whimpered and pressed her face against Tobin’s neck as she climaxed.

Tobin rubbed her mate’s back and peppered kisses all along the side of her head while she caught her breath. “So exquisite.”

A quiet giggle escaped before Christen snuggled even further into her. “Good morning,” she greeted with a louder giggle.

Tobin laughed as well as her fingers continued to draw patterns on Christen’s bare back. “Good morning to you too.” She paused before she added, “I like sleeping next to you.”

“I think you’re using the term sleep a little loosely.”

“I am,” she chuckled, “but you know what I mean.”

“I do,” Christen replied softly. “I like it too.” She punctuated her statement with soft kisses to the underside of the vampire’s jaw. “You should move in with me.”

“Chris,” she exhaled. “You don’t have to ask me that to prove something to your parents.”

“I’m not,” was the immediate protest. “I’m saying it because you make me feel so safe.”

Christen slowly lifted her head and Tobin gently held her face in both hands. “I’m not saying no. I’m saying let’s wait a little bit to talk about it.” Christen nodded before kissing her again. She tried to pull away with a laugh when the kiss quickly turned into something that would keep them in this bed. “You’re gonna be late to meet your sister, Chris.”

The human giggled and kissed her a little harder. “Okay, I’ll stop. For now.”

Christen slid out of the bed so that she could head to the bathroom to clean up and Tobin used all of her self-control to stay rooted to the mattress and not leap off of the bed to devour all of that naked, tantalizing skin. Christen wore one of her old t-shirts to the bathroom and Tobin waited patiently for her return.

They sweetly kissed goodbye and then Christen was off to go to yoga with Channing. Tobin was left in her room to contemplate, alone, until Allie poked her head around the doorway with a devilish grin.

Tobin opened her mouth to speak, but the blonde beat her to the punch. “Bow chicka wow wow.”

“Allie,” Tobin warned.

“No jokes,” Allie smiled as she entered the room at vampire speed and sat next to her on the bed. “Just know that it makes me happy.”

Tobin wrinkled her nose. “Gross.”

“Not that, you perv.” She laughed as she smacked Tobin’s shoulder. “I’m happy that you’re happy, and all wifed up.” She leaned forward again and this time, instead of hitting Tobin, she playfully tapped the tip of her nose. “Happy suits you, Tobs.”

“I think Christen is happy too,” she smiled wistfully. “Except…”

“Except what?” Allie questioned quickly.

“Except that I met her parents last night and they were not happy about the whole vampire thing.”

“That’s not exactly something you can change, Tobin.”

“I know that,” she sighed. “I don’t want her relationship with her family to change because of me.”

Allie thought for a moment before she spoke. “Ultimately that is her decision, but you can definitely help ease their minds.”

Tobin perked up at that idea and sat up so excitedly that she was practically shaking. “How?”

Allie grinned excitedly. “Sometimes I have to show my patients a few tricks.”

“Vampires aren’t just what they are on TV,” Christen huffed. She took a long sip of water, to rehydrate from yoga, while she and Channing waited for their parents to join them for breakfast. “She’s not controlling my mind or anything,” she added with an exaggerated wiggle of her fingers that was meant to be spooky.

Channing playfully gasped and asked, “You mean you’re not a vampire sex slave?”

“Please tell me Mom did not say that!”

The younger Press laughed and shook her head. “No, she didn’t, but she is definitely worried about your sex life in a weird way.”

Christen huffed in frustration again. “That’s a first.”

Channing nervously cleared her throat before she posed her next question. “How is that by the way?”

Christen smiled, tilted her head, and subconsciously bit her bottom lip. “The sex?” Channing’s eager nod gave her permission to elaborate. “Unbelievably fantastic. I’ve never felt so seen, and safe. Tobin is the most attentive, athletic, talented lover I’ve ever had. It’s not even fair to call it the best I’ve ever had because there’s no comparison.”

“Okay. Okay. Stop bragging.”

The chef giggled and gracefully moved across her kitchen. “Would you like a coffee, Chan?”

“Yeah, whatever,” her little sister pouted. “You’re so happy and satisfied that I can barely look at you.”

Christen laughed again and tried to bask in that happy, satisfied, absolutely overjoyed feeling for as long as she could.

Or at least until her parents arrived.

They had not finished their coffee before there was a knock on the door. Christen opened her front door with a rather stern expression, an expression she immediately dropped when she realized Tobin was the one standing in the doorway.

“Tobs,” she whispered softly, “what are you doing here?”

“I’m sorry to just show up like this,” the vampire answered nervously. “I don’t mean to intrude. I want another chance with your family, if that’s okay with you?”

Christen pulled Tobin into a tight hug and placed a kiss on the corner of her jaw. She loved the multitude of ways that Tobin showed she cared for her. “You’re not intruding. Come in.”

“Allie showed me some tricks to appear less scary,” she chuckled.

Christen laughed heartily and, with her arms still around Tobin’s waist, she pulled back far enough to see her wary but hopeful expression. “You’re not scary, Tobin. In fact, you may be the least frightening vampire ever.” She playfully whispered the last word before she led Tobin into the kitchen.

“Oh! Tobin, hi!” Channing greeted excitedly. “Can I get you something to…uh…drink?”

Tobin shook her head with a smile. “No, thank you.”

“So, do you not eat or you can’t eat?”

“A little bit of both,” the vampire answered honestly.

“Oh cool. What about the sun? Does it hurt? Will you turn to dust?”

Christen chuckled as her sister fired questions at Tobin, and Tobin patiently answered, like she had when Christen had asked her these kinds of questions. She entertained Channing with vampire lore until their parents arrived.

Tobin politely stood up when they entered. “Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Press, I don’t want to butt in on your family breakfast. I just wanted to see you again and tell you that I love Christen and all I want is to keep her safe, and I would never hurt her. Not to be dramatic, but I would rather die. That’s kind of the way vampires are, they can’t live without their mates.” Tobin anxiously wrung her hands in front of her and shot a glance towards Christen. “That’s all I wanted to say, but I can also show you that fresh blood won’t make me go crazy if you want?”

“Tobin,” Christen interjected. “You really don’t have to do that.”

Seemingly out of curiosity, or a streak of irrational thought, Channing grabbed a kitchen knife and pricked the pad of her index finger.

“Channing!” Stacy gasped.

Christen became equally panicked. “Chan, what the hell?!”

Channing waved her finger in front of Tobin’s face, like she would with a treat for Spike the puppy. “See, she’s totally chill!”

Only Tobin’s nose flinched and then she pursed her lips. “That’s not exactly what I had in mind, but it makes the same point.”

Channing’s eyes widened in amazement at the vampire's stillness. “So cool.”

“Okay, Channing,” Stacy sighed. “That’s enough.”

Tobin used her vampire speed to grab a kitchen towel and she handed it to Channing with a sheepish smile. “There you go.”

Christen slipped an arm around her waist and leaned in to place a sweet kiss on her cheek. “You okay?” She whispered.

“Yeah, love, I’m fine. I’ll leave you now, enjoy your breakfast.” She turned to Channing with a bright smile before she faced Christen’s parents with a smile that was a tad more subdued, a tad more reserved. “It was a pleasure to meet you. Enjoy the rest of your visit.”

Christen had already started to walk Tobin to the door when Stacy spoke up.

“Tobin! Why don’t you stay?”

Tobin spun around slowly, with big, hopeful eyes. “Yeah?”

Stacy nodded and Cody spoke with a grin. “Mo promised she would make me her famous meatball sandwiches for lunch and she could use a sous chef.”

“Hey,” Channing laughed, “what about me?”

“Your knife skills could use some work, Chan,” Christen smiled. She could sense a small shift in her mother’s attitude in particular and she wanted to nurture it like a burgeoning fire. “And Tobin has gotten really good at shredding cheese.” She sent her mother a meaningful look as she waited for someone to respond.

Stacy seemed to pick up on her intention and she offered an olive branch. “And after lunch we’re going to the Columbia River Gorge. We could use a tour guide?”

“I can do that,” Tobin responded eagerly.

Christen walked Tobin back into the kitchen and, along the way, she placed a kiss on her mom’s cheek and whispered, “Thank you for trying.”

Stacy squeezed her arm and returned the kiss. “Because I love you.”

Christen whispered but she knew that Tobin could still hear her. “I love you too, and I love her.”

Chapter Text

Christen stepped into the New Orleans hotel room and her mouth immediately dropped open. When Tobin had said “vampire hotel”, she hadn’t been sure what to expect. Dungeons and cellars, maybe, like the movies. She had not expected the hotel receptionist to be openly showing her fangs while she checked them in, as she laughed with Tobin and complimented her on her taste in humans. She had not expected a room that looked like a presidential suite, with a large clawfoot tub and a minibar full of liquor and synthetic blood. The bed in the middle of the bedroom was a king and the blinds were tightly pulled closed, remote operated to block out all natural light.

“Do you like it?”

She spun around to face Tobin with a smile. “It’s incredible. Are all vampire hotels like this?”

“Yeah, pretty much.”

She wrinkled her nose in thought. “Do they have a restaurant?”

Tobin laughed and wrapped an arm around Christen’s waist. “We can order room service if we want, yes.”

This time she chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully before speaking. “Vampires seem very open here.”

Tobin nodded. “The vampire community is definitely different here than in Portland. They stick to themselves a bit more and don’t hide who they are. They are more forward about their predilections.” She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Christen’s pulse point. “You should see some of the nightclubs here.”

Christen felt her face flush. “Oh.” She sucked in a breath before she quietly asked, “What are they like?”

“Always so curious,” the vampire chuckled after another kiss. “Why don’t we order room service tonight and then we can explore the vampire night scene tomorrow if you’re still curious?”

Christen blushed a shade deeper and she was sure that Tobin could hear and feel the change in her body. “Okay, that sounds good,” she responded softly. “I’m pretty tired anyway.”

Tobin gently brushed her hair behind her ears before she effortlessly swept her off her feet and carried her to the bed. “We can eat in bed,” she grinned. “Order whatever you like.”

“I might take a shower first. Get the smell of airplane off me.”

“Great idea, love,” Tobin smiled. “Would you like me to order for you?”

“You know I want to critically analyze that menu,” she grinned.

“Right,” Tobin laughed. “Why don’t you take a bath and I’ll bring you the menu?”

Christen answered with a kiss. “Now that’s an idea.”

So she did just that. She sat in the large, deep tub and used the bubble baths provided in the hotel bathroom to have a lavish bath as she perused the menu for room service. She finally decided on a lamb burger with sweet potato fries and her girlfriend, and now waiter, placed the order. She had just put leave-in conditioner in her hair and was slipping out of the tub and into one of the hotel bathrobes when she heard a knock on the door.

She poked her head around the door to see another vampire with their fangs out. This time it was a young man and he was pushing the room service cart into their room. He and Tobin were also laughing and joking about something as she pulled a few bills out of her pocket to tip him.

“Something in here smells absolutely delicious,” he commented.

Tobin looked over her shoulder and awkwardly cleared her throat. “That’s my mate.”

He politely held up his hands. “No disrespect intended.”

Tobin offered a smile and he left without another word.

Christen hesitated for a moment before she walked into the room.

“There you are,” Tobin smiled widely. She swept her into her side and pressed a kiss to her temple before her nose rested in her wet hair. “Hungry?”

“Starving.”

They ate in bed, just as Tobin had suggested, and the vampire gazed at her with a smile.

“Is it good?” She finally asked as Christen chewed her meal.

“Yeah,” the chef answered excitedly. “It’s really good actually.”

“I’m glad. So talk to me about New Orleans food? What would you like to eat tomorrow?” Tobin eagerly rolled onto her side and awaited a response.

“Well, this city definitely has a few signatures. We need to go to a restaurant to either get gumbo or jambalaya. Lots of spices, sausage, seafood, you name it. And we will need a po’boy sandwich. You’ll never see anything like it,” she laughed. “We could probably look into a few desserts too,” she smiled.

Despite knowing that their choice of meals was ultimately irrelevant to her, Tobin smiled brightly. They had taken this weekend getaway to explore somewhere together, and in the process get to know each other even better, and food was a big part of Christen’s life. Tobin was looking forward to discovering all the new food with her.

When Christen placed her dishes back on the service cart, she jumped back into bed and looked at Tobin a tad seductively.

“Are you going to eat?”

The vampire chuckled and arched an eyebrow. “The way you just asked that was too freakin’ hot.”

Christen blushed and pushed her curly hair out of her face. “Well, are you?”

“Is that an invitation or are you about to bring me something from the minibar?”

Christen giggled before she slowly untied her robe and laid back on the bed. “Come here,” she whispered.

Tobin moved so quickly and so seamlessly that she practically floated on top of Christen, and started to pepper her naked thighs with kisses.

The next day, they waited for the hot Louisiana summer sun to lower in the sky to leave the hotel and explore the city. They walked through the French Quarter and Tobin took her to a very nice restaurant where they had dinner and dessert. Christen was wearing a yellow summer dress, her hair pulled back into a slick ponytail, while Tobin was in white shorts and a black, V-neck Henley. As always, she looked effortlessly gorgeous with her soft brown hair flowing down her back and all of the muscles in her legs flexing as they strolled into a vampire neighborhood.

It was loud and dark, a street with no streetlights, and Christen instinctively clutched Tobin’s hand tighter.

“You okay?” Tobin questioned sweetly.

Christen nodded and self-consciously touched her neck. “Just… stay close?”

“Of course.” They took another step forward before Tobin stopped and turned towards her with a concerned expression. “We can go to Bourbon Street, or back to the hotel even?”

She shook her head repeatedly. “No, I’m curious, just… intimidated.”

“Well, just tell me if you want to leave and we’ll go, no questions, okay?”

Christen nodded again and Tobin smiled softly before they shared a soft kiss.

Tobin led her into a nightclub and they were greeted by a female vampire wearing bright red lipstick. “Welcome to Bloodlines! The entry fee is fifty dollars for vampires and thirty for humans. Would you like a private table this evening or one of the tables in the main viewing area?”

Tobin pulled several bills out of her wallet as Christen stared wide-eyed at the cost and every word that the host was saying. What exactly was the main viewing area? Why was she looking at Christen like she wasn’t obviously taken?

They were shown to their table with a message that a waiter would soon come by to take their orders and Christen marvelled at the expensive looking black leather furniture and thick red curtains that currently obscured a view of the stage. The lights were turned down low, with candles on every table, and the other guests around them were seemingly couples or groups of couples. The entire atmosphere of this club was incredibly sexy, incredibly intimate.

“Is this a sex club?” Christen whispered shyly.

“No,” Tobin chuckled as she took her hand. “But it is a place where vampires and humans can meet.”

“And they come here with an understanding?” She questioned as her brain filled in the gaps.

“Yeah,” Tobin answered as she leaned back in the booth and pulled Christen closer to her. “Like the vampire version of going out looking for a one night stand. I think it reminds evolved vampires of the hunt,” she spoke thoughtfully. “And the hunt feels good.”

The waiter came by to take their order and promptly delivered Christen’s old-fashioned and a bottle of warm blood for Tobin. The human had just taken her first sip when the red curtain was pulled back and a beautiful woman appeared on the stage in something white that resembled a showgirl costume.

“Oh! It’s a burlesque show,” Christen said more to herself than anyone else.

And it went exactly how a burlesque show would go, until an attractive male vampire joined her. They danced together for a minute or two, quite sensually, his hand trailing along her thigh and the centers of their bodies brushing against each other as he pulled her close. Then, he opened his mouth and descended on her neck and Christen audibly gasped.

He was drinking from her. On stage. In front of all these people.

Christen felt her face flush. She glanced around to see the reactions of the other people in the room, especially the humans, and saw that other vampires had started to drink from their companions. She definitely blushed a shade deeper, and she squirmed and pressed her thighs together. She was definitely embarrassed, her mother would almost certainly die if she learned what her vacation was currently entailing, and she felt like she was spying on something very private, but it was also… kind of… turning her on? The expressions on their faces, like they were in the absolute throws of passion…

Tobin placed a hand on her knee and brushed her thumb into the skin. She slowly moved her hand up her leg until she was touching the hem of her dress. The vampire leaned in to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth before whispering, “Your heart is racing.”

Christen turned towards her and, even in the dimmed light, she could see how large and dark Tobin’s eyes had become. She had dropped her fangs and was running her tongue along her bottom lip.

Apparently she was not the only one that was turned on.

“I think I’m a little in shock,” Christen spoke slowly.

Tobin moved closer to her, so that their thighs were touching, and she worked an arm around her waist. The show in front of them continued with new humans and vampires and Christen’s eyes stayed glued to every movement. She couldn’t look away.

She politely clapped when the music stopped and the red curtains were drawn together. Their waiter stopped by to bring her another drink, but she missed his presence entirely. She was distracted by the dancers on stage who were now making their way through the crowd, mingling with the guests.

“Enjoy the show, beautiful?”

Christen turned her head and looked up at the woman now standing in front of their table. It was the second vampire that had graced the stage, a very attractive Black woman in racy, red lingerie who had the audacity not to wipe away the blood at the corner of her mouth.

“Oh, um,” she stammered, “it was, um, enthralling?”

The vampire laughed and continued to size Christen up like she was a single serving dessert. “We aim to please.” She turned towards Tobin and the grin on her face remained in place. “Would you be interested in a private room? Maybe you would like to watch someone feed from your stunning companion?” She purred.

Tobin firmly shook her head. “We’re just here to enjoy the show.”

Christen swallowed and blinked furiously when another vampire, this time a male, suddenly appeared in front of their table. She suddenly understood why Tobin had told her not to cover up any of her fang marks with makeup; vampires may be naturally possessive, but vampires in New Orleans had no qualms about asking to share. She placed a hand on Tobin’s stomach and rubbed soothingly. She knew that Tobin could get a little protective around nosy vampires and she wanted to relieve some of the tension. But it was too little too late apparently, Tobin’s fangs had already been present and now she had started to emit little growls – adorably similar to Spike when he was frustrated with his toys.

Seeing the expression on Tobin’s face, she decided to step in with another nervous, babbling statement. “You are both lovely, and wonderful professionals, and I’m just going to finish this drink before we go, and we’re from Portland!”

And somehow, in the world of vampires, that explained everything.

“Oh,” the woman pouted. “Well enjoy the rest of your night.”

“Wow,” Christen chuckled as Tobin held the door to the hotel room open for her. She loudly exhaled before she laughed again. “So, New Orleans vampires?”

Tobin managed a laugh as well as she pressed the door closed with her back. “What can I say? They really buy into the vibe of the city. And you,” she breathed as she stepped forward and grasped Christen’s hips, “are vampire bait.”

Christen giggled and placed a hand on the center of Tobin's chest, where she could still feel the vibrations of some instinctive, protective baby growls. She leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Tobin’s cheek. “Deep breath, sweetheart.”

The vampire smirked. “I don’t take deep breaths, remember?” After Christen smiled back at her, she spoke again. “I am relaxed though, my body just hasn’t caught up with it yet.”

Christen rested her head on Tobin’s shoulder and softly mouthed at her neck, up towards her ear. “Is there anything I can do to help with that?” She lifted her head and slowly raised her arms to wrap around Tobin’s neck. “What can I do to take care of my vampire?”

“Are you trying to kill me? I’m pretty sure I read a case where a vampire died from something similar to this.”

Christen giggled. “Stay here, make yourself comfortable, and I will be right back.” She teasingly trailed her hands down Tobin’s arms as she stepped backwards and out of the vampire's hold.

Tobin sat down on the bed, at the slowest pace she could manage, as Christen disappeared into the bathroom. Her hypersensitive ears were buzzing, she could hear Christen’s breathing and the rustling of clothing. She could even hear the sound of her mate pulling the elastic out of her hair. To distract herself, she turned down the bedcovers and removed her clothes until she was standing in her bra and boxer briefs.

It felt like ages to her, but finally the bathroom door opened.

Christen stood, rather shyly, with a hand on the doorframe, with her hair down, in orange lingerie. Pale orange, like the sunset – the vampire’s favourite colour.

“Wow,” she whispered. “You’re exquisite.”

Christen opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get a word out, Tobin was standing in front of her with two hands on her waist. She giggled and leaned forward to press their foreheads together. “That was fast.”

“Can I take you to bed?”

Christen nodded, so Tobin scooped her up and deposited her on the middle of the mattress. She placed a soft kiss on her mouth and then one on her forehead before she knelt between her legs and turned her head to kiss Christen’s raised knee. She blazed a trail of kisses up Christen’s inner thigh and nipped at the skin enough to draw the faintest amount of blood. She lapped at it with her tongue as she listened for the hitch and stutter in the human’s breathing.

“Tobin,” she exhaled. “Are you gonna…?”

Tobin glanced up at her with a teasing smile. “Do you want me to drink from there? Is that what you want?” She distinctly heard Christen’s heart give an off rhythm ‘thump thump’ and the rushing of blood through her veins was the most comforting of sounds, like the steady, grounding cadence of waves hitting the shore. She pressed her thumb into the skin above Christen’s kneecap, nowhere near her full strength of course, but enough to apply pressure and rub pleasurably into her mate’s soft skin. As much as Christen’s body told the story, she desperately wanted to hear Christen ask for what she wanted. “Chris, love,” she called softly. “What do you want?”

Christen reached forward, tangled her fingers in Tobin’s long hair, and started to guide her head between her spread legs. “Bite me there, please. Right now.”

Tobin nodded and eagerly dipped her head. Her fangs had been exposed all evening, a rather freeing experience, so all she had to do was open her mouth – not too wide, she didn’t want to drink too much. She heard Christen gasp when her teeth pierced the skin and the warm liquid freely flowed into her mouth.

Fact: All human blood did not taste the same. It depended on a myriad of factors. Unfortunately, she had tasted some pretty foul blood in her early years as a vampire. Not anymore, now that she was only drinking from Christen. It was no surprise that Christen’s blood was the most delicious she had ever tasted – everything about Christen was made for her. Her perfect match in every way.

She drank for no more than twenty-five seconds before she cleaned the bite with her tongue and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Christen looked down at her, with a hand tangled in her own hair and a flush in her cheeks.

“I don’t want you tired already,” Tobin responded to the unanswered question.

The human blinked slowly and Tobin moved, methodically, to hover above her. Christen pulled her down for a kiss and she obliged, comfortably settling between Christen’s spread legs. Christen kissed her slowly, with both hands on her back, and sucked her bottom lip into her mouth with a giggle. Tobin grinned as well, she could practically feel the excitement rolling off of her mate. The pheromones that could only be picked up by her vampire senses were making her nostrils flair excitedly, hungrily. What had been calling out to her to drink was now calling to her for a very different reason. Completely unbeknownst to Christen.

“Darling,” she whispered, “you look so gorgeous in this.” Christen breathed thank you in her ear as she moved her mouth to plant kisses on the corner of the chef’s neck and press her nose into her thick, dark hair. “Do you have any idea how good you smell?”

“Only based on what you tell me,” she laughed.

“It’s intoxicating,” the vampire murmured. “Your hair. Your skin. Your perfume. Everything.”

“Big vampire aphrodisiac, isn’t it? Smell?”

“The biggest,” Tobin confirmed. “Especially the smell of a mate.”

“Is that why you were growling earlier?” Christen asked with a soft smile. “Because other vampires were smelling me?” Tobin opened her mouth to apologize but then Christen spoke again. “No, don't apologize, I liked it. It was cute.”

The vampire groaned loudly and hung her head bashfully. “That’s so embarrassing. I am an embarrassing vampire.”

Christen hugged her tightly and kissed the side of her head. “No,” she laughed, “I love it. I like my vampires cute and sweet like puppy dogs.” She placed both her hands on Tobin’s face and lifted her head so that she could see her bashful expression. “Can you growl again?” She asked with her bottom lip between her teeth.

Tobin ran her tongue along her fangs. The mood of their night had somehow shifted from sexy to playful back to sexy, even though her mate was questioning her threatening growls. “You want me to growl again?”

The human placed a hand on Tobin’s chest, between her breasts, and rubbed softly. “Please, just a little.”

Tobin obliged and faintly growled, or what she believed was a growl, as she pushed her face against Christen’s neck. She could feel the vibrations in her chest and she knew that Christen could feel them as well. The little giggle she released was proof of that.

“So cute,” Christen repeated.

“Okay,” Tobin groaned. “Can I get back to seducing you now?”

Christen was still laughing, and perhaps still processing, when Tobin swiftly moved between her legs and pulled down the skimpy, orange underwear. The smell of Christen’s arousal overwhelmed her and she took a moment to take it in. The human gazed up at her, with laboured breathing, and Tobin slowly ran both of her hands up the outside of Christen’s long legs.

“Still cute?” She teased.

“Yes,” Christen gasped, “but also really hot.”

Tobin grinned in satisfaction before she dipped her head and ran her tongue the full length of Christen’s dripping center.