Cassius had been alive for a long time. He knew better than most that some things are inevitable. The sun will rise, time will pass, and the seas will remain in their vastness. Just as all of those things are assured, so was it that he would eventually have to reveal the truth to his Destined.

Despite knowing that this day would come, he had hoped for more time. He had boyishly hoped to have dealt with the imminent threat so he could bring her into his world on a peaceful note. It was not meant to be and although he would like more time, he was also proud to have a mate who would not only start piecing things together but would also come right out and demand answers. He owed them to her after all.

"I will give you the answers you seek love, but...you must keep an open mind. We are, contrary to what Zoya believes, not involved in the mafia" he jokes lightly, hoping to add a little humor before rocking her world and not in the way he wants to. "We are vampires. Please, let me continue" he requests as Sofia opens her mouth to say something.

"My family lived in a small village if you could even call it that. Only a handful of families lived there but it was beautiful and peaceful. My mother was pregnant with me when a plague started spreading. It killed thousands all over what is now known as Europe. It was devastating. Entire families fall ill and died. When my pregnant mother got sick, my father fell into despair. What was left of the village inhabitants could not take watching any more of their own die. In their desperation, the heads of the three remaining families took the bodies of the dead and spilled whatever blood still remained, and used it to create a ritual circle that my ancestors had used to offer sacrifices to the Gods. Food, drink, oils, things like that."

Cassius looks into the distance trying to recall all of the details his father had once told him many years ago. "They laid the dead in the middle of the ritual circle and set them ablaze while praying to Pluto, the God of the dead and ruler of the underworld. They begged for our sick to be freed from death's grasp and for our village to be blessed so we would be immune to the plague that persisted. For the entire night, they continued to pray and chant while adding dead body after body until there were no more. You could hear it in their voices, their dwindling hope, tears streaming down their faces."

Sofia had tears in her eyes and he wished he could comfort her but he needs to get through this explanation and remaining as detached as he can is the only way.

"Just when they thought the prayers would go unanswered just before dawn, my mother started coughing. She later described to my father that it felt like she was drowning, her lungs filled with blood and filth instead of air. Blackened blood that smelled like death and sulfur started pouring out of her mouth, ears, and eyes as she doubled over. The coughs felt like they rattled her bones. She barely registered the screaming that surrounded her. Everyone was blind to everything but the searing pain rushing through their veins."

A delicate hand slips into his and he squeezes it but continues "At some point, it became too much and my mother went into labor. No one could later recall what happened then only that they at some point lost consciousness. When they finally woke up, everything felt different. Colors were apparently too vibrant, every sound too sharp and smells were overwhelming. My mother panicked when she remembered going into labor only to find me on the ground crying and being gently picked up by my father. The Gods had answered, we were different, the first of our kind, and I was the first to be born a vampire. Not all transitioned though. Maybe it was a toll, a price taken so the rest could be reborn as something new. Or perhaps they hadn't been strong enough to survive the change.

"Regardless, the survivors had to grieve and move forward while trying to cope with the changes. It was rough at the beginning and it took years to realize they had stopped aging among the rest of our new abilities. I actually grew normally but stopped aging at 25. Decades, centuries, millennia passed and our kind was turned into legends and myths. We had to create our own traditions, customs, and laws. It was a struggle. Our vampirism is a blessing as well as a curse. I know it is a lot to take it. There is so much more I want to share but I don't want to overwhelm you all at once. I understand if you can't accept it. It will destroy me to lose you before you are truly mine but I will respect whatever you want to do."

Sofia sat there, frozen and seemingly shell-shocked. Throughout the explanation, there had been a myriad of emotions flowing across her eyes. Empathy. Horror. Sadness. Understanding. Fear. Now she is as still as a statue, completely blank. Cassius can't help the nerves now overtaking his mind but waits patiently until his Destined is ready to say something.

Pride has never been one of his major faults, which is why Cassius could freely admit that he is scared shitless. The possibility of rejection is very real. If his Destined should choose to reject him, it would destroy him. The unfulfilled bond would slowly eat away at him but he would quietly endure it and the broken heart that would come with it. If never laying eyes on him will make Sofia happy then he will forsake his own feelings to make that happen.

For a Primordial, their Destined is everything. Our center. Our world. While all vampires have Destined mates, their bonds are not as deep and all-consuming. That does not mean he will put that burden on her shoulders. His Sofia will never be forced to love him simply so he can be spared the agony the rejection would cause.

When the silence is finally broken, Cassius has to stop an incredulous laugh from bubbling out. Whatever he was expecting, it was not for Sofia to ask "So...you don't burn in the sun?" He really does love this girl.

"I and those who were changed that night who are referred to as Primordials, and born vampires can walk in the sun without issue and so can those we turn. All other vampires unfortunately can not day walk without burning. We have studied our biology throughout the years as science advanced and concluded that it's simply due to the dilution of our genes. Only Primordials and born vampires have the ability to have children but only with their Destined mates" Cassius patiently explains, slipping in that last bit of information.

Sofia honestly seems as if she is still partially in shock but he can see her mind working, curiosity too powerful to not keep digging and he will answer anything she asks of him.

"What about blood? Do you bleed? I've seen you eat regular food and I know Javier loves making his famous herb and garlic flatbread so the garlic thing has to be bullshit."

"We can eat small amounts of food for pleasure but do need blood for sustenance. Blood will always be more delicious to vampires than anything else. If you cut us we do bleed although our skin is nearly impossible to penetrate under normal circumstances. While we are hard to kill, it can be done. Our biggest weakness is Henbane. Vampire hunters discovered through experimentation some few hundred years ago that the plant is lethal to vampires. Hunters started coating their weapons in a pure oil made of Henbane. It makes our skin easier to cut into and will kill a young vampire if they do not extract the poison and replenish their body with fresh blood. Someone like me will be weakened, perhaps incapacitated if the amount is large enough, but my body can overpower the poison if I ingest large amounts of blood. If not, then with time it could kill me as well."

Sofia bites her lip, her eyes now flitting away from his. "You mentioned Destined mates before. Is that...does that have anything to do with this pull between us?" she asks hesitantly and Cassius sighs. As much as he wants to tell her, he had also hoped that she would let it slide given the barrage of information he has just dumped on her. His gorgeous Sofia is handling things well so far but this may just be too much. He can't lie to her though, never to her.

"Vampires have what most would call soulmates. We call them our Destined or Destined mates. For the bond to manifest, both must have reached maturity. When you meet your other half there is an instant pull and connection. With time as the bond grows you start sharing dreams and feeling their emotions. It is possible to even speak to each other telepathically and track the other down in the case of extremely strong bonds. I knew you were mine from the moment I laid eyes on you on that road just inside the town limits. I didn't mean to hide anything but this is not something you just dump on a person, especially with everything you had going on. I also did not want you to feel pressured. You are under no obligation to be with me love, although I would want nothing more than to spend my life with you."

Ripping his heart out of his chest and offering it to Sofia on a velvet pillow would probably leave him feeling less vulnerable but he will not shy away from the truth. It feels as if Sofia is peering into his soul as she looks into his eyes and he meets her stare, his gaze open and steady.

"This...This is a lot, Cass. I'm not saying I don't believe you. So many things make sense now so I would be stupid not to. That doesn't mean that it isn't the shock of a lifetime. I'm completely sure that I'm not currently processing any of it. This isn't me turning you down but, I need a few days to just sort it all out in my head."

"Take all of the time you need sweetheart. I will be here waiting for you. Always." Cassius seals the promise with a kiss on the back of her hand and relishes the beautiful blush that blooms across her light olive skin. She seems to hesitate for a moment, looking at the spot he had just kissed before leaning forward and kissing his cheek. "Goodnight Cassius" she whispers and Cassius has to restrain himself and the beast within from trying to grab his mate and keep her there. He has waited a lifetime for her, he can wait a little longer.