Sold To The Alpha
Hated Ties That Bind Chapter 44

Staring sadly at the door that Alessia had left through earlier, Terri sighed as she pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on them.

A soft knock on the door made her lift her head again, 'come in' she called out, trying to get some enthusiasm into her voice.

The door opened to reveal Abel who smiled down at her, a plate grasped in his hand that held a huge slice of chocolate cake.

Her eyes lighting up, Terri sat up, crossing her legs on the blankets, 'who is that for?' she asked hopefully.

'It's for you my little one' Abel replied fondly as he shut the door and took a seat beside the human, handing her the plate.

Taking it eagerly, Terri ran her finger along the centre covering the tip of her pointer finger with chocolate icing and lifting it to her mouth, sucking it off with a small groan of approval as her eyes closed of their own accord. 'What did I do to deserve chocolate cake?' she asked, opening her eyes again and raising her gaze to the vampire's who had watched her actions intently. His eyes were glowing slightly with a ring of red around the irises as he ran his tongue over his own lips.

'Uhh, umm, nothing' he replied hoarsely, wrenching his gaze from her lips and raising them to her own eyes, 'I just thought you might be hungry!

Terri nodded happily, 'I am a bit' she admitted as she broke a piece of the cake off and popped it in her mouth. Chewing the delicious morsel, she swallowed and gave the vampire a small smile, 'thank you Abel, this is my favourite cake' she said. Abel's face brightened at her words, 'I shall make sure that we always have chocolate cake for you my love, every day!

Terri laughed and shook her head, 'maybe not every day, I'll either be the size of a house or eat it so much that I'll get sick of it' she replied.

'hmm' the vampire frowned, 'maybe every other day then' he compromised.

Terri laughed harder and nodded, 'sounds good' she said, 'as long as you eat it with me' she added shyly.

Abel grinned, 'of course, chocolate cake is my favourite too' he agreed.

Terri's eyes lit up, 'it is?' she asked excitedly, 'you like chocolate cake?'

Abel nodded in amusement, 'who doesn't love chocolate cake, it has chocolate icing and its cake, what is there not to love?' he questioned. Tipping his head to the side, he asked, 'why does it make you excited that I like chocolate cake?' The human woman blushed slightly, 'I uh..I just realised.. I don't know much about you' she replied shyly.

Abel leaned back on his elbows, studying his match as he said, 'then ask me little one, anything you want to know, just ask!

Terri bit her lip nervously as she placed another piece of cake into her mouth to fill the silence that settled between them.

Reaching over, Abel rubbed his fingers on the young woman's knee affectionately, 'I mean it, you can ask me anything and I will answer truthfully..accept about why you need to decide in seven days' he added quickly as the human opened her mouth to speak. Huffing, Terri pouted for a second before sitting up straighter, her eyes meeting the vampires as she placed her plate on the bedside table, 'OK, what is your favourite colour?' she asked.

Abel raised his eyebrows in surprise but answered anyway, 'green' he replied with a smile, 'the colour of my little one's eyes!

Terri blushed, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, 'do you have a favourite animal?' she asked.

Abel sat up, furrowing his brow as he thought, 'I like rabbits' he said finally.

His match's lips started to twitch as she tried to keep a reign on her expression, her amusement finally won as Terri began to giggle, her body starting to shake as the laughter took a hold of her. 'What's so funny?' Abel asked confused.

Terri shook her head, 'you are a vampire' she finally gasped between giggles, 'and you like rabbits. I just had an image run though my head of you sat on the grass with a rabbit in your arms, stroking its ears, your fangs on display' she spluttered before falling backwards in peels of laughter.

Abel growled as he rolled onto his stomach and crawled up the bed toward her, 'stop laughing' he muttered as he watched her laugh.

'I can't' she wheezed, trying to breath through her giggles.

'it's not that funny' he grumbled, hovering over her, his muscular arms resting each side of her body.

'Yes it is' Terri squealed, 'my vampire the bunny lover' she added as she rolled around in a fresh wave of laughter.

Abel stiffened, his eyes widening as Terri looked up at him, the laughter dying in her throat, 'y.. your vampire?' Abel breathed in shock.

The young woman's own eyes widened as she slammed her hand over her mouth.

'you called me your vampire' Abel murmured huskily, holding her gaze captive with his own.

'It just slipped out' Terri mumbled.

A slow smile crept across Abel's face as he leaned closer to his match, his breath tickling her ear as he whispered, 'I like it!

The young woman shivered as she tentatively moved her hands from her face and placed them onto the vampire's broad, muscular chest. 'Why do you want me?' she finally asked in a small voice, 'you're this sexy vampire, and I'm just some boring, plain looking girl from a small town nearby.

Abel growled in annoyance as he sat up and grabbed her wrists, pinning her arms above her head as he pressed his chest to her own. 'Never call yourself plain or boring little one' he sighed, a frown creasing his forehead, 'you are my everything, there is no-one that is more beautiful, more interesting, or that I would want to spend my time with than you. I could listen to you speak for the rest of my life, staring into your mesmerising eyes and I would die a happy man. There is no woman on this earth that could hold a candle to you my little one, so I do not ever want to hear you say those words again!'

Terri studied the gorgeous face of the man above her, tears leaking out of her eyes as she read the sincerity in his face. 'I love you' she whispered, suddenly hit with the overwhelming certainty she felt in the words she was saying.

Abel's breath caught in his chest at her words, before he crashed his lips to hers, claiming them heatedly. Releasing her wrists, his hands cupped her face, as his tongue explored her mouth, Terri's fingers tracing their way down his back, as she discovered every contour through his shirt.

Pulling away, Abel rested his head, onto hers as he breathed, 'I love you Terri, so much it physically hurts.'

The young woman smiled up at him shyly, her hands running around the sides of his toned body to his chest where she idly played with the buttons, 'what happens now?' she asked in barely a whisper.

The vampire lay down next to her, pulling her closer to him as he breathed her in, 'I know what I want to happen' he replied huskily, 'but I don't want to rush you, not in any decision you need to make!

Terri nodded as she lay her head onto his chest, letting out a small sigh, 'if I give you a decision about staying, will you tell me what you stopped Cian talking about in the kitchen that night?' she asked.

Abel's fingers that had been tracing small circles on the small amount of skin of her stomach that was showing due to her shirt rising, stilled at her words. 'I don't want you to say you'll stay because you are curious' he said carefully.

Terri shifted onto her side, so that she was facing the vampire, raising her hand to brush his hair aside so that she could look into his piercing gaze.

'I'm not making a decision due to my curiosity' she replied softly, 'I also won't disagree that the secret is eating me, but I respect the fact that you want me to decide without anything swaying me, it makes me feel like my feelings are important' she admitted. Abel reached out and took her hand in his, bringing her fingers to his lips and kissing them gently, 'nothing in this world is more important that your feelings little one!'

'What about your feelings' Terri asked, frowning slightly, 'your feelings are important too!

Abel smiled, 'when you are content and happy, I am content and happy' he whispered, 'your feelings are my feelings and all I want is for you to get what you want in life.

Terri shifted, her gaze dropping to his chest as she blushed under his intense gaze, 'I want.. to be with you' she murmured. Raising her eyes again, she smiled timidly, 'here, with my family, I don't want to leave you!

The vampire grinned as he pulled her into his arms, his fingers lacing in her hair as he guided her lips to his and kissed her softly, pouring his feelings into the moment.

'Wow' breathed the young woman when he finally released her, 'I hope it will always be like that.'

Abel nodded sheepishly, 'I will always kiss you like it's the first time, because every time I am away from you and your kisses will feel like an eternity' he said huskily.

Giggling, Terri pulled away slightly, remaining in his hold but with enough distance that he could see her expression. 'If I'm staying, I want to know what the big secret is' she said pointedly, trying to look menacing as Abel chuckled. 'Anything you want my love' he replied happily as he patted his chest, silently asking her to rest her head on him as he talked.

Settling herself next to him, Terri placed her head over his heart, smiling slightly at the faint beating sound that felt comforting.

'When our leader was killed, we as a clan, were cursed by something, but we don't know who. Our curse means that we can only replace our true match if the clock's call us, we then have thirty minutes to get our mate and get out of the town before it disappears. We have long assumed that those who didn't make it back were eradicated from existence and you saying that Spike was not outside your door when you came out after your brother's claiming, confirms that thought.' Terri nodded silently, allowing him to tell his story the way he wanted too, taking a deep breath, Abel continued.

'Our curse does not end there, if our match does not allow us to mark them within seven days of being claimed.. the vampire dies and the match is left trapped in the community with no-one to care for them. Terri stiffened at his words, 'there are people here who's match died?' she asked worriedly.

Abel rested his cheek on to the human's head, 'there were' he whispered, 'but when the vampires realised what the repercussions were of not marking their match, they began to mark forcefully upon getting back to the clan. The vampire rubbed his hand down his face nervously, 'it was not one of our best times, we were taking people, marking them and binding them to us without them understanding why!'

Terri turned to face Abel, her features darkening, 'was my mother forced?' she asked angrily, 'my brother?'

Abel winced, 'your mother was, yes' he admitted, 'she wanted to return to her husband and her children, she missed you all desperately. Cassius is our leader, his death would have been catastrophic to our clan especially as we had lost our previous leader not that long beforehand. Once Irina was marked, she could no longer leave, the barrier will not let her past. It took Cassius many years to finally win her over and she forgave him, it helped when Steven was claimed, that filled part of the hole that she had carried for all these years.

'What about Steven' Terri asked pensively, 'was he forced too?'

Abel shook his head, 'no, Thane explained everything to him, he was sure that he would choose him, that he was too kind-hearted to let him die, It seems that he was right' he vampire said with a smile.

Terri laughed lightly, 'that's my brother, he can't bear to stand by when someone else is suffering' she whispered. Looking up into the vampire's eyes, she added, 'so why didn't you give me all of the details like Thane did?' she asked softly.

Abel pulled her closer to him as he inhaled the scent of her shampoo, 'I wanted you to stay because you wanted me, not because you couldn't live with the knowledge that you leaving would kill me' he confided. 'Maybe I was stupid, but I wanted you to pick me for yourself.

The young human shook her head in slight exasperation, 'you could have died, what would I have done when that happened?' she demanded, her lip trembling slightly, 'I would have been alone!

Abel nodded, 'I know, it was a gamble, but I had an inkling that my little one would save me even though she didn't know the stakes' he replied humbly.

Terri sat up, turning so she was glaring down at the vampire who watched her self consciously, pushing at his chest, the young woman growled loudly, 'if you ever put yourself in danger like that again, I will never speak to you again' she warned haughtily. The vampire laughed as he gripped her wrist and yanked her forward so that she fell against his chest, 'that is not a punishment I could ever take little one, so I promise to never risk my life frivolously again' he replied thickly. Raising his head from the bed, Abel captured her lips again, the young girl releasing a small moan as she melted into him.

As his hands encircled her waist, his fingers slid over her smooth skin, questing under her shirt, a smirk forming on his lips as Terri shivered under his touch.

Pulling away, the human sat up on her knees, reaching her hands around herself, gripping the bottom of her shirt as she lifted it up and over her head.

Abel licked his lips worriedly as his eyes trailed over her exposed skin, 'little one, we don't have to.. we have more time.. he started hoarsely.

Terri climbed on top of him, straddling his lips as she pressed her finger to his lips, silencing him, 'shh' she whispered, 'you need to mark me to live, and I am assuming that marking your match is a big deal in your world?'

Abel nodded numbly, unable to look away from her, leaning forward, Terri continued, 'then I expect this to be an experience to remember' she murmured. 'You said that my happiness was paramount to you, so prove that you weren't just trying to talk me round, make me happy, my vampire!

Growling hungrily, Abel crushed her to his chest, rolling her onto her back so that he was now on top of her. Kissing her heavily, he grumbled, 'I hope you know what you are asking for little one!

Terri smiled victoriously, 'I'm hoping I'm going to get more than I was imagining' she purred before her lips were consumed once more.