Blood Mates

The Bloodline of a Wynter

Daniel Wynter had an admiration for Eric Knight. Admiration and respect. Two things a man earned from him, and Eric had earned it. Daniel liked the fact, that like him, he hadn’t gone after a status or title trying to build his name. 

He had instead kept his family together and pushed them to be happy. And has kept them safe in doing so.

After Paulette served tea, Daniel thanked her, and she vanished as Eric’s dam of questions broke. “So your William’s father? Biologically? How is that possible if you’re a vampire? Unless you were just turned? But you said your father was a vampire…I’m sorry I’m lost on this whole ordeal.”

Eric was lost, as he realized the starting point to his questions were nowhere near his end. But Daniel just laughed unbothered as he put his teacup down, “It’s fine young man, I understand. Let me shed some light yes?”

Alaia listened in the attic as she laid crying on Jasper’s chest. His grandfather’s voice in her ear’s filling her mind with the story.

“I was born as a human to a vampire father and a human woman. My mother died in childbirth; my father had my mortal uncle raise me. He kept his distance well into my adulthood. I knew nothing of the supernatural world until I was thrown into it.”

Daniel took another sip of tea before explaining, “I had spent majority of my entire existence as a human. I had married William’s mother, had him, and was at the end of my life, happy in that life. But then one night I was in a car accident, I died on the scene, but my father had been closer than I thought. He brought me back before it could be seen.”

Politely interrupting, Loren asked, “How is that possible? I mean I know of saving someone when they were already dying. But completely dead?” Daniel nodded in agreement, “A special thing my father had found out in mating with my mother. He took me that I wasn’t supposed to be a vampire. That I had a choice in changing unlike a child who was born of two vampires.”

Eric slowly took this in, “Until you died.” Daniel smiled sadly, “Yes. Because when a vampire mates with any human, the child bared can live a completely mortal life. But if they die before they’re time, you can bring them back, all you must do is give them the blood of someone turned in their bloodline. But you only have twenty-four hours or they’ll remain dead.”

Exhaling surprised, Sophia whispered, “Like you did to William and Jasper?” Daniel agreed and Desmond finished a blood bag before asking, “But you were human when you mated William’s mother? How is it that they were able to come back? For two generations it’s been dormant.”  

Daniel smiled as he thought of that, “It was in my blood to be a vampire. And while William’s mother was human, as Jasper’s was, both of them are Wynter men through and through. Our genetics are rare, if tested you would have seen the strand that makes us vampires already in their blood.”

Alaia looked up at a sleeping Jasper, his breathing uneven as his heart thumped off beat. Seeing his veins racing under his skin as his blood changed, Alaia whimpered in pain for her mate. She had failed to protect him, and she had almost lost him.

Kissing him gently, Alaia laid her head back down on his chest.

“So how come you never told William or Jasper? Why not just change them?” Haven asked politely. Daniel had been asked that a thousand times by others. Had asked himself why he hadn’t. And he always came back to the same conclusion.

“After I was turned I distanced myself from my son and ex-wife. She died hating me thinking I left her for nothing, and he silently resented me for not being there for him.”

Daniel looked down in slight anguish, “I just wanted him to have the option to live a life of love, happiness, and peace. No interference or pain because of me. And I thought I had gotten lucky. Until I got notice that vampires had moved into the immediate area of them and were both romantically involved with one.”

Sophia observed the older man carefully, “But you weren’t shocked.” Daniel hadn’t been, “It was something my father had said to me before he died.” He admitted softly, “He told me that when a true vampire is born mortal, fate will do everything in its power to right their nature.”

Unsure if he heard right, Desmond wondered out loud, “Basically saying that no matter what, William and Jasper were going to be turned regardless?” Daniel nodded in confirmation, “Yes. My son made it so long without turning, I thought he and Jasper would be fine.”

Waving to the stairs where he’d seen the woman he knew as Arden had taken him, Daniel told them, “But now he’s found his mate,  and either she would have turned him or he would have died. Accident, murder, any number of things to make him turn.”

Haven slowly realized, “Makes sense on why both of them are mated to our kind.” Eric agreed since he had found that puzzling at first as well. Facing Daniel, Eric asked, “And what is your connection to Wraith Harbinger?” 

Daniel made a noise of disgust, “None, I associate with a more civil breed. It was my father, Sir Theodore Wynter, who changed Wraith’s grandfather in the late 14th century. If only he knew he would raise his son to be a callous brute who has no regards for a woman’s opinion. Which is honestly the most idiotic thing, I’d be mitch matched and lost constantly without my assistant.”

Sophia and Haven both laughed as Loren preached his amen. But it was both Desmond and Eric however that stayed silent, more worried than anything now. As Arden and Alaia laid with William and Jasper, for now they were sated. But they knew eventually both would wake up.

And both would be out of control.

“We should make plans to move them tonight.” Eric said thinking of the blood bath they needed to avoid. But Daniel wasn’t worried about that a bit, “Oh no need.” He said finishing up his cup of tea.

Eric looked at Daniel bewildered, “Why is that?” Daniel smiled a little relieved by the simple facts, “I’d be more worried if they were alone. Being alone is what makes them feed and attack. I learned the hard way because I was alone. I isolated myself from my family. The people I needed to anchor me to my humanity.”

Daniel sighed as he gratefully said, “But with both already having found their mates, they have their anchors. We won’t need to move them and as far as the mortals go, they won’t notice a difference after they settle.”

Eric didn’t believe that was possible. But as Daniel gladly accepted a refill, he held the cup up to his lips and told Eric, “Wait for it.” And with a knowing twinkle in his eye, they all waited, until they heard new undead heartbeats beat for the first time.