CHAPTER NINE

two years ago

The feeling of the sun radiating down on my body was complete bliss. A small smile lingered on my face as I closed my eyes and basked in the warmth. Although I usually favored colder climates, a relaxing trip to Corfu was exactly what I needed.

This was my first time setting foot on a beach and I was absolutely fascinated by everything. The waves were mesmerizing and I loved the feeling of sand between my toes. I had been rather unsure of how I was supposed to behave so I copied everyone else. When I saw several girls lay their towels down on the ground and lie on them, I did the same.

So far, the day has been absolutely perfect. The only thing that would make it better would be some company.

I let out a sigh as I sat up and removed my sunglasses. For the past several months, loneliness had begun to sleep into me at the most inopportune moments. I would be perfectly happy and then a wave of sadness would rush over me.

I had no friends, no family and no social skills. I did not know how to make friends or start conversations. I was most comfortable on my own because that was all I knew.

I dropped my sunglasses into my bag as I looked at a group of girls laughing as they sipped on drinks. An ugly feeling formed in the pit of my stomach as I watched them. They looked so happy and that made me feel so sad.

Maybe being alone was my punishment?

I stood up and packed away my things. I no longer felt confident or sexy in the bikini I wore. Instead, I was uncomfortable and insecure. It was truly remarkable how your own thoughts could ruin your day.

Intending on going back to my hotel, I slipped my dress over my head and grabbed my bag. I decided to take the scenic route and therefore walked along the beach. The more I walked, the less people there were. I felt my body relax and I smiled slightly as I listened to the waves.

I reached a part of the beach where no other human beings lingered and paused my journey back to the hotel. There were no eyes on me here so I no longer felt like I needed to behave in a certain way.

Over the years, I had noticed that I behaved in a rather different way to most humans. It was partly due to not understanding social etiquette due to being raised away from society but I also found that strange things bothered me. Certain noises, sounds and lights had the ability to render me inconsolable. It was one of the reasons why I hated living in cities.

Now that I was away from the crowds, I felt like I could truly be myself.

Dumping my bag on the sand, I sprinted towards the ocean. It felt so freeing to run without cause. I grinned as the souls of my feet collided with the water. I did not dare go too deep since I was unable to swim, however, I thoroughly enjoyed letting the ocean caress my ankles.

I let out a squeal of excitement as I spun around in a circle before jumping up and down, causing splashes. It was a simple kind of fun that I lacked in my regular life.

I bent down and held onto my thighs as I caught my breath. I was smiling wider than I ever thought was possible. Coming down from the high, I brushed my hair from my face and looked back towards the beach.

That was when I saw her.

My breath hitched as I caught sight of a lone figure watching me. They were standing a good distance from me on the sand and it took me a second to make out their features. My heart began to beat frantically when I recognised who it was.

Rebekah Mikaelson.

The moment she realized that she had been spotted, she hurried away. Despite everything I found myself chasing after her. I felt the bond flare to life in my chest and I realized that my joy moments ago must have been a byproduct of it.

"Wait!" I called, panting as I came to a stop.

Rebekah froze, a shell shocked expression on her face. She visibly swallowed as she took in my body. Without the distance between us, we could probably look at each other. Unsurprisingly, Rebekah was unchanged from when I saw her for the first time last year. She was still absolutely gorgeous and I felt the shocking urge to wrap a hand around her blonde hair and tug on it.

Like me, she wore a bikini, however it was significantly more revealing than mine. I pushed down the feelings of lust that accompanied the sight and kept my eyes on her face. I opened my mouth to say something before closing it again, not quite knowing what to say. I wasn't even sure why I had followed her in the first place.

Rebekah finally found her voice, "I am so sorry, I know we had a deal but I promise that this was not intentional! I arrived here yesterday for a holiday. I came down to the beach and by the time I noticed the bond flare to life, it was too late. I'm sorry, I will leave now."

She turned to leave but I grabbed ahold of her arm, shocking both of us. Her touch was accompanied by a myriad of feelings that absolutely terrified me. I released her arm and jolted backwards, my eyes wide. I took a deep breath in before meeting her eyes, which were wide with hope and fear.

"You don't need to go," I said slowly as I pushed down my irrational fear of her.

"Yes I do." Rebekah whispered sadly but she made no other attempts to leave.

"I have been meaning to call you." I said shyly before I could probably think things through. "I mean, I considered calling you but I hadn't quite decided whether or not I was ready."

"You don't owe me an explanation, Kresley." Rebekah said softly.

"It's true though!" I answered with an uneasy chuckle, "Being free is more lonely than I expected. Maybe I would like some company?"

She gave me a tight smile and replied, "I should probably go."

"You don't have to leave the island." I said with a shrug, "It's big enough for both of us and I doubt that we will even run into each other. I would hate for you to abandon your holiday on my account."

Slowly, she nodded, "Okay."

As she walked away from me, I felt like I was losing a piece of myself.

***

Apparently, the island was smaller than I thought. Despite our best efforts to avoid one another, we kept accidentally bumping into each other. We discovered that we were staying in the same hotel when we got into the same elevator. We proceeded to run into each other at several different restaurants at several different times. It seemed that fate was trying to push us together.

"Oh, for goodness sake!" Rebekah cursed when our eyes collided in the stairwell of the hotel, "I purposefully took the stairs so that we wouldn't have another elevator incident."

"So did I." I said sheepishly.

"Well, from now on, you take the elevator." Rebekah said decisively before moving past me.

"Rebekah, wait!" I called after her, "This is getting ridiculous! We don't need to keep avoiding one another."

"I'm just trying to keep the deal that we made last year." Rebekah answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Given that I was the one who proposed the deal, it seems fair that I can make amendments." I argued, "You have my permission to be near me."

"How generous of you." Rebekah drawled, rolling her eyes.

I let out an exasperated sigh, "Look, I don't know if I am ready for a romantic relationship but that doesn't mean that we have to hate each other. I would like to be your friend."

"That would be rather difficult, Kresley." Rebekah said through gritted teeth.

"Why?" I said, throwing my arms up in the air in annoyance.

"Because every time we cross paths, I want to pin you to the wall and fuck you."

I inhaled sharply and my eyes went wide at her declaration.

I thought back to our multiple interactions over the past week and I now saw her animosity for what it really was: self-restraint.

A tense silence fell over us as I tried to process everything. I bit my lip and Rebekah's eyes strayed downwards, following the movement. I felt like prey as she watched me with an extreme intensity that sent pleasant shivers down my spine. I had the dangerous urge to test her self-control.

"I would not be opposed to that." I said slowly.

Rebekah sucked in a breath and narrowed her eyes at me. "You can't be serious."

"I am." I said honestly, "I'm not ready for a relationship but I think I am ready to be... How did you put it? Pinned to the wall and fucked."

"Are you absolutely certain?" Rebekah asked, taking a step towards me, her eyes dark.

Suddenly, I became nervous.

"Having sex won't cement the bond, will it?"

"No," Rebekah shook her head, "You have to willingly exchange blood to accept the mating bond."

I let out a sigh of relief and then I nodded. "Then yes, I am certain."

I had barely got the words out before our lips furiously collided in a desperate entanglement. I held on for dear life as Rebekah grabbed my waist and sped us up to her room. She placed a 'do not disturb' sign on the door before slamming it shut. I bit my lip in anticipation as she slowly approached me like a predator hunting prey.

When she kissed me once more, I let out a low moan that caused her to grip my hips tighter than before. Rebekah trailed rough kisses down my throat, turning me into a pleading mess. She sent me a mischievous smirk before she unceremoniously threw me onto the bed. My breathing hitched when she began to remove her clothes, keeping her eyes fixed on mine.

"I am going to have a lot of fun with you, sweetheart."