Renaissance felt the flow of energy that pulsated in her hand, the one that was wrapped around Lyselle’s like a cocoon. There was a pleasant heaviness at their connecting palms, a reminder of the bond that sizzled from their touch. Their fingers were tangled, tying themselves around one another like satin ribbon. It felt like something they’d done many times before, despite this being the first. As if it were a comfortable habit, the Slayer and the Vampire’s hands slinked together effortlessly. 

Ren stole glances at her bonded Human, still drinking her in like a warm cup of hot chocolate on a winters day. She wondered if Lyselle’s beauty would be something she grew accustomed to one day. Would she cease to be compelled by those high cheekbones or the glossy hair or the golden brown eyes that found her own so often? They’d catch one another stealing long gazes at the other, small smiles of acknowledgment passing their faces as if they knew a secret no one else did. 

The forest had begun to thin out, the spacing between the trees widening and the path becoming less scattered with roots and branches. Ren felt the sunlight cutting through the canopy of leaves overhead, slicing little streaks of light into the ground beneath their feet. She braced herself for the inevitable discomfort of feeling that sunlight on her skin, the itch that would tingle beneath the surface. 

[b]“It brings a lot of questions to mind—like what it is, how it formed, why us... and seeing you...”[/b] Lyselle’s soft voice was laced with curiosity, her face pinched with wonder. Trailing off thoughtfully, the Huntress scanned the horizon, the sun refracting in her glassy eyes. The rays caused the golden flecks in Lyselle’s hazel orbs to glimmer entrancingly. The Ancient Vampire nodded pensively at her Huntresses unfinished sentence. [i]“I’m sure I have some kind of documentation of this in my archives,”[/i] Ren stated, mentally scanning the shelves back at the Loft. [i]“I’ve heard of vampires sharing telepathic connections and soul ties, but that’s the blood bond - This is different. It’s all consuming. The scholar in me wishes to work it out, like an equation. We’ll do our research. We’ll figure it out.”[/i]

A moment passed, the pair settling into a steady rhythm, their shoes crunching leaves in harmony. At a quick glance, they were two women hand in hand taking an early morning walk through the forest, little did a passerby know that they were so much more than that.

Lyselle went on to explain the vampire stigma she’d been raised with. Of course the Vigil demonised vampires, how else would they encourage their Hunters to so actively pursue them? And in part, the Vigil were right. There certainly was vampires out there with an unquenchable thirst for blood. The Covens were full of elitist vampirism, enslaving humans and building blood farms. Those creatures forgot their humanity completely and surrendered to the bloodlust, becoming beasts driven by hunger and power. Ren had never stretched her soul to the point of breaking. She’d clung to what little was left of herself, determined to give purpose to her new undead life that wasn’t centred around blood. Ren was glad to hear Lyselle had always questioned the Vigil narrative, even before they’d met. She was bright. Perceptive. A mind like hers would’ve proven foundation-shattering if permitted to grow within the Hunter’s organisation. Would she have ever mustered the courage to share her doubts? Would she have repressed those challenging retorts she so badly wanted to say out loud? They’d never know. But Lyselle had been proven right, there was such thing as a vampire less grotesque than the ones she’d imagined. In fact, here the Huntress was, hand in hand with her natural born enemy. 

[b]”Even more so... you care so deeply for my comfort and my feelings, I—”[/b] 

The ancient smiled softly as the forest cleared and they came upon a quiet residential close, deserted at this early hour. Ren caressed Lyselle’s hand with her thumb, tightening her grip a little in agreement with the Human’s observations.

[i]“Regardless of this link between us, my feelings for you are insatiable”[/i] Renaissance’s voice was laden with emphasis, as if she were speaking in emboldened lettering. [i]“These feelings, they’re making me soft”[/i] a little chuckle fell from the Vampires lips and she shook her head incredulously at what she was about to say. [i]“It almost feels as if being this bonded to you is making me feel closer to my human spirit. I feel protective, over you, over your happiness… It‘s quelled my thirst for you completely. When I hear your heart beat, I don’t want to rip it from you. When I smell your blood, nothing within me feels compelled to drink. You’re changing me, Lyselle…”[/i]