Soulmates AU: All at Once

Summary: Neither of them ever expected this. A soulmates AU, set within the first few chapters of Bloodbound.

They find out entirely by accident late one Thursday. It’s nearly four in the morning, and it’s been a long night. Cam is exhausted, and even the strong black tea she likes to drink isn’t keeping her awake like it usually does.

Adrian has been working away steadily, though he’s starting to look irritated. His brow furrows, his mouth pinching into a thin line. She says his name three times at one point, until he finally snaps his head up.

“What?” His voice is clipped and short, lacking its normal warmth when he talks to her.

“I think I found something,” Cam says.

“Oh. Of course. Thank you,” he says, offering her a weak smile.

She hesitates, then asks, “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Cam,” he says immediately.

Adrian keeps working, until he must sense her repeated stolen glances at him and looks up with a sigh. His gaze flickers to the clock.

“Nicole is…out,” he explains. “I haven’t fed in a while. That’s all. I’ll be fine.”

Cam frowns. “Don’t you have anyone else you can ask?”

That pinched look returns to his face. “Yes, but no one I would call at this hour.”

“Oh.”

They return to work for a few minutes, quiet, until Cam says, “You could feed on me. If you want to-need to,” she corrects herself.

Adrian shakes his head. “That’s not necessary.”

“Adrian.”

He glances up again. “I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t,” Cam points out. “I offered.”

She can see him internally debating, struggling.

“It wouldn’t be-“ he begins.

“-professional?” she interrupts him.

Adrian gives her a wry smile. “Yes.”

Cam considers him for a minute, the way he lets his gaze linger on her.

“But would it help?” she persists.

“Yes,” he admits. “But I promise, I’ll be fine for now.”

Cam fidgets with her pen, then pushes back the chair she’s sitting in on the other side of his desk. She stands next to him, shifting her weight.

“Adrian,” she says softly.

He leans back in his chair, looking like he’s considering giving in.

“If it’ll help…just do it.”

She’s undeniably nervous. She’s overheard enough whispers by now to know that the experience is intense and typically painful.

“Are you sure?” Adrian asks.

Cam nods. “Positive.”

“You really are braver than I remember sometimes,” he says, standing and leading her back to the other side of the desk.

She sits back in her chair, watching Adrian move the other chair closer to her.

“Thanks. I think?” she replies.

Adrian laughs, a light-hearted sound. “It’s a compliment. I’m just still surprised sometimes at how remarkably well you’re handling all this.”

He sits in the chair next to her and squeezes her shoulder lightly. “This will be intense, Cam. I’ll try to make it…”

Adrian stops, clears his throat, and says, “I’ll try not to make it too unpleasant.”

“Okay,” she says, her emotions getting the better of her and making her nearly whisper.

“I’m fine,” she reassures Adrian when he looks at her with concern. “Really. What do you need me to do?”

“Not a thing. Just try and relax, if you can.”

He squeezes her shoulder again, then tilts her chin to the side. His fingers brush against her neck when he moves her hair, then trace a line along her jugular vein.

Relax. Right. Easy, she tells herself.

Adrian leans in, and she can feel his mouth hovering over her neck. He tilts her chin a little more, and she closes her eyes.

“It’s okay, Cam,” he murmurs, and then she feels soft, warm pressure on her skin.

It’s brief, feeling for all the world like he’s just kissing her neck, and then suddenly it’s gone and Adrian is leaning back.

“Adrian?” she says.

“I can’t,” he says, sounding almost shocked.

“What? But I’m fine,” Cam protests.

“No. I mean I can’t,” Adrian emphasizes.

He turns her chair, facing her, and gently takes her wrist.

“Do you trust me?” he asks, and laughs quietly at the look she gives him.

“Of course I do.”

“Look,” he says.

He lifts her forearm to his mouth, his eyes glowing red and his fangs descending, and she sucks in a breath, anticipating pain. But there is none. Adrian presses his mouth to her arm, hard, and…nothing. Just the warmth of his mouth. His fangs press into her, but they refuse to puncture her skin.

“But…I don’t underst-“

Cam halts, shaking her head. Adrian sits back, his fangs retracting and the red of his eyes turning back to brown, but he keeps a gentle grip on her arm.

“It can’t be,” she says, staring at him. “Can it? How?”

“It’s possible,” Adrian says.

He sounds a little in disbelief himself.

“It’s not common, for a human and a vampire to be soulmates, but…it’s happened,” he continues.

“That’s why you can’t feed on me,” she says, a little shocked and a lot amazed.

“Yes,” he agrees. “Your soulmate is unable to physically hurt you.”

There are a million thoughts and questions running through her head, in every different direction. Adrian’s thumb runs soothing lines over her wrist.

“How are you going to feed?” Cam asks.

Of all the questions she could have asked, that’s the one that chooses to come out, she laughs to herself.

Although it is the most pressing matter at hand, she supposes.

Adrian laughs a little. “Well…I can wait. Or…”

“Or?”

“There’s a way,” he explains. “With some soulmates.”

“What is it?” she asks.

“It’s rare. But If you can relax enough, where you’re not anticipating it hurting, I may still be able to feed on you.”

She’s heard of it before, though Adrian’s right about how rare it is.

“Okay,” she says.

Cam takes a deep breath, trying to will her mind to relax, to not think about it.

You trust him. This is for him, to help him, she silently chants.

Adrian shifts her chair again, his fingers gently brushing her hair off of her neck and turning her head.

“Relax, Cam,” he murmurs soothingly. “I won’t hurt you.”

She takes a slow, calming breath, letting her eyes drift closed again. Adrian’s lips press softly against her neck.

“Okay?” he asks.

“Mm-hm,” she hums quietly.

He kisses up to her ear, slow, soft pressure against her skin, then down to her collarbone. One of his hands gently squeezes her thigh.

“I’ve got you,” he says softly.

Cam bites her lip against the noises of pleasure that threaten to spill out at the feel of Adrian’s fingers against her and the way he’s kissing her neck. She feels him kiss a little harder over her pulse point, then tilt his head down.

“Adrian,” she whispers.

There’s a sudden stinging sensation against her skin, one that makes her tense momentarily and suck in a breath before relaxing again. It does hurt, but not as much as she was expecting, and the pleasure she’s feeling nearly drowns out the pain. Blindly, she reaches for his hand that’s resting on her leg, threading their fingers together.

“Mmm,” she whimpers.

It’s like nothing she’s ever felt before. It’s intimate and feels incredible, almost arousing. Cam can feel his fangs just under the surface of her skin, and it finally registers that he was able to feed on her, before all she’s thinking about is how good this feels and that she doesn’t want him to stop.

When he does, gently detaching from her and then sealing the wounds, she feels almost drunk off of the sensations rolling through her. Adrian wipes his thumb gently over the fading marks. He’s watching her when she opens her eyes, his fingers still cupping her neck.

“That was…” she begins, then stops, laughing a little and shaking her head. “I don’t even know.”

“Are you alright?” Adrian asks, his brow furrowed in concern.

“Mmm,” she sighs. “I’m fine.”

His fingers are soft and soothing over her neck, then move up to caress her cheek. The pleasure slowly ebbs away, and Cam leans forward. Their fingers are still tangled together, she realizes.

“It’s nearly sunrise,” Adrian says. “Let me take you home?”

“Okay,” she agrees.

At the door to her apartment, he waits while she gets it unlocked. Cam plays with a strap on her purse, a nervous habit, before Adrian gently covers her hand until she stops. He cups her cheeks in his hands, searching her face earnestly.

“Are you okay with this?” he asks her.

The question surprises her, although she has to admit she hasn’t thought much about her soulmate and what that bond meant until she met Adrian. Until then, there was no one who’d really captivated her like he has, no one she’s felt so drawn to. She’s never thought about what would happen if her soulmate was someone she didn’t want, and she’s certainly not thinking that now.

“Of course I am,” she answers. “It’s unexpected, of course, but I’m okay with it. I’m…happy.”

She loves the soft smile that crosses his face when she says that. Adrian leans in and brings his lips to her forehead, his mouth warm, the sensation and his proximity making her sigh and lean into him. He lingers for a long moment, then lowers his hands and steps back.

“Good night, Cam. I’ll see you later tonight.”

“Good night.”

Cam steps inside the apartment and locks it, leaning against the door. She brings her fingers up to her neck, tracing over her skin. The marks from Adrian feeding on her are gone, and she knows she’s imagining it, but she swears her skin is a little warmer where his lips were.