Bonded With Love by Tiffany Heiser (the giving tree read aloud .txt) 📕

born to sit at the throne and govern beside the king. Her powers would exceed all others but be an equal to my own. It is said that I would have to wait until my lady was at her peak, then I could start the bond.
“Their are two different rituals of bonding that must be completed. First, is a bonding tradition that you and I have begun but not yet completed. Which is the passing of my blood to you. The second, would be a ritual ceremony held on the homelands which welcomes us to the throne.
“That red juice you have been drinking is what will calm the pain and nausea. The pain, however, will worsen if the bond is not completed, as I said before. The juice, is an old family recipe, an elixir as they call it. It is for initializing the bond process, you must drink this in order to start the bond, but that is all it is good for.” He took a deep breath, still so calm, and filled with a pride I had never seen in anyone before.
“Do I have to leave my friends and the life I'm use to?” That question surprised me. It sounded like I was accepting the idea of becoming a vampire-I wasn't. “I mean the powers are crazy enough, and now you are adding mind reading, drinking of the blood, and me becoming a queen to the mix. I can only handle so much, and this is a lot to take in. Also, shouldn't there be romance, flowers, and even a first date? Especially before all the craziness comes into play?” I let every thought jump from my mouth.
Cryder's pride left his face at my last statement. A crease formed between his brows with confusion. “How can you go from obvious fear of me and what I am, to undeniable acceptance? And how can you sit in front of me, not running, with the gruesome facts thrown in front of you? When it was not too long ago that you ran terrified from me. Now you sit with a straight face, talking to me, after you have learned everything.”
I giggled nervously, “I want to run from you, you have no idea. But I came here to listen, to understand, and go from there. Wherever there might be after this. Will I be able to live the same life, and what will happen to me once I change? I have to know these answers.”
His eyes, filled with compassion, stared into mine as I spoke. “We all will have to move on from this small town. Staying in one place, tends to be dangerous, especially outside of our community. You will not age as a normal human, so your appearance will stay the same. Once the bond is complete, your appetite will change. You will be able to eat normal food, but your body will require blood to survive and keep healthy. Your self-control will be...well obviously as you have seen it's already starting to be a bit out of control. It will take time to be able to grasp everything, but I will be by your side through it all. With my help and support you'll become the strong queen you are destined to be.”
Right then I heard the front door creak open, and my pulse quickened. I hoped zombie guy hadn't found his way in. My thoughts skipped away from that when I heard a familiar voice followed by the most annoying giggle. My frustration with Cecile still lingered.
“Hey, did we make in time for the group sacrifice?” Drake laughed obnoxiously.
“That's enough Drake,” Cryder responded.
Cecile giggled again, but stopped immediately once she saw me sitting there. “What the hell are you doing here?” I asked. “Apparently you're use to just walking into this house?”
“Yes...I've been here a couple of times.” Cecile held onto Drake's hand.
“So, how many more secrets do you have? I can't even trust you any more.” Anger spat from my tongue.
“She's allowed to keep secrets. She won't be able to hide them from me for long though.” Drake tickled her sides.
“Drake, enough,” Cryder repeated.
“What does that mean?” I asked Drake specifically.
“It means we will be swapping blood soon. Want to watch?” Drake words hit me like a brick wall.
“Enough,” Cryder growled. His booming voice raised the hairs on my arms.
“What? She needs to get use to this. She's going to become one of the freaks soon. Isn't that what you called us?” A smirk formed on Drake's thin lips.
“Shut up, Drake.” Cecile whined from beside him.
“Oh, you need to shut up too Cecile. Don't try to be nice now, after all the secrets you've kept. You want to change into a blood sucking fiend, go for it. I'm outta here.” I stormed past Cryder without looking at him, but harshly stared at Cecile as I passed.
She started to put her hand out to grab onto mine, but I side-stepped her touch. “Don't.” My only word while I marched out the door and into the normal world, wishing I had gone straight at the stop sign.


Chapter 6

Chapter 6


I stormed down the porch, and made my way to the car. Before I could get the door opened, the crunching of dead leaves exploded behind me. In a haste to open the car door my keys fell from my hand landing with a jingle at my feet. I spun around with fists up ready to fight for my life, until Cryder's face popped into my vision. With a determined look he said,
“Rena, you mustn't leave.”
“And why not? What else could you possible have to say?”
Crossing my arms, I said, “my best friend is already acting like a monster because of you both. I'm done with all of this.”
“There's still a lot more for us to talk about. And even more for you to understand. It is imperative that we discuss the details.”
“Well, what else is there? I can't walk in the sun or I'll sparkle in front of humans?” I laughed loudly, but inside a chill filled me. The thought of not being human terrified me.
“That is why we need to talk. There are mainstream vampires and real vampires. We are real, and there is no sparkling. You don't attack humans for their blood. It is all much different than what you think.” He took a step closer.
I took a step back. “I don't care. Get it? I want to go home and live my life like I was doing before I met you.”
Hurt filled his eyes, but his tone stayed neutral. “That's impossible. It can not happen.”
“Excuse me? When do you get to decide what can and can't happen in my life?”
“Rena, I am not trying to push you into anything. This is your life. As a vampire and with me.” He took another step closer.
I tried to step back, but I was already pressed up against the car. With each deep breath, Cryder's scent filled me. He stood so close that I felt wrapped in his sexy aroma. My fingers ached to touch his skin, and my eyes flitted shut. A wave of calm settled into my body. For the first time this week I felt relaxed. My shoulders drooped, and my breathing went back to normal.
I opened my eyes to find that Cryder had his eyes closed as well. “Did you do that?” I whispered. His eyes opened and he nodded. “How?”
“We can send emotions to each other. And once we are bonded, we will also be able to transfer images to one another.” His breath tickled my nose as he spoke.
My stomach tingled and it felt like hummingbirds were rapidly beating their wings- inside of me. “Oh.”
“That's all you have to say?”
“I can't think with you so close.” I placed my hands on his chest to push him away, but an electricity pricked my fingertips. My fingers wanted to travel their way down his sculpted form, but I forced them to curl into fists as they fell to my sides. “There's something there between us. I can feel that, but I hate the way it's making me feel and act. You make me weak.” I hated to admit it.
“You would not think that if you let your real feelings come through. You belong to me. And before you complain about how demanding I sound, this is what I know to be the truth. If you leave now, walk away and never look back, I know those headaches and all the pain you have been feeling will worsen. Only I can make the pain stop. No human doctor and no other vampire.”
“What? Why will they worsen?”
“You need my blood, whether you want to accept it or not. Your body will eventually shut down without it.” I cringed, “this is insane. What else is...” Before I could finish my sentence, the hair on the back of my neck stood straight up.
My head whipped around toward the woods, along with Cryder's. A cold sensation slithered up my spine. Cryder's arms went around me. I felt someone watching us from the woods.
Anger immediately warmed my blood. The anger wasn't mine, but I could feel it corrupting my emotions. Revenge against all vampires filled my thoughts, and Cryder's closeness suffocated me. I wanted to drain him of his blood and watch his tanned color fade.
A cough racked my body, ending all horrific thoughts as the need for blood rose and my throat started to burn.
A hiss flew from Cryder's mouth and he crouched protectively in front of me.
A few heartbeats later the hair on my neck settled, along with every random feeling that had overpowered me. My body collapsed back against the car, and Cryder turned to face me and pulled me into his warm body. His eyebrows furrowed with concern. “You felt all of that.”
“Ugh, yeah.” I shivered against his body. “W-what was that?” I rested my head on his chest.
Cryder grabbed onto my hand and pulled me toward the house. “That was someone I had truly hoped you would never have to meet, Rena.” We walked through the door, and Cryder slammed it with force.
“Shouldn't you lock that?” I gestured to the door.
“He can not come in. Our house is guarded from them by ancient power.” He then took me to sit on the couch.
My movements were slow. “Why is he here? What does he want? Who is he?”
Cryder picked up the blue water bottle off the coffee table, and brought it over to me. “Here drink this. It will make you feel better, I promise.”
I popped the lid and the smell immediately set my taste-buds into watering mode. My stomach rumbled