Blood Ties

A/N: Okay, lovelies. I'm sad to say that this will be the last of the daily updates. I will now be uploading a new chapter every Tuesday and Friday until the story is finished. I was enjoying being able to load a new tidbit for you daily but now that I'm running out of finished chapters, I have to slow it down. But twice a week isn't bad, right?

Hermione sat there stunned. She couldn't believe the words that had just tumbled from between his lips. She was mostly clueless to the customs and ways of vampires, but she was pretty sure that this mate bond sounded a whole lot more serious than just a blood bond.

"What?" she asked carefully. "Exactly is a mate bond?" She was almost afraid to hear the answer. Deep in her heart, she already knew what it meant.

"It's just as it sounds," he answered quietly. "But unlike a blood bond, it is entirely unbreakable. Not even death will sever our ties to each other."

"Meaning what exactly?" she asked as she tried to quell her rising panic. He wouldn't do that! Would he?

"It means that if one of us dies, so will the other. Our very souls are linked together."

Hermione was horrified. This is not what she signed up for. "Why would you do that, Malfoy?" she asked, her voice shrill as her fast moving mind turned over the implications of such a tie. "Isn't it customary to get the other person's consent before initiating such an irrevocable act. What if I didn't want to bond with you?"

She ignored the hurt swimming in his pale eyes as she waited for his answer. She felt he owed her that much. She looked at the wall over his shoulder stubbornly as he crouched down in front of her. He reached out and cupped her cheek as he tilted her face and finally met her gaze.

"Is it really so bad to love me?" he asked softly.

"That's just it, Malfoy!" she said exasperated. "You don't know anything about love. Your heart seems like it's darker than your soul. I mean, you manipulated me from the start, masterfully maneuvering me into your trap. And I fell for it; hook, line, and sinker. I never really stood a chance, did I?"

"It's much too late for regrets now, Granger," he murmured as he traced her lower lip with his thumb. "There's no going back. I can't leave you alone, Granger. I realized that after I tasted you. I wouldn't now even if I could."

Her lips trembled as her emotions blossomed into an all out storm within her. Tears pooled in her eyes and she quickly blinked them away. The action was futile, she knew. He could feel everything that she felt. Her life was tied to his now. But it went both ways. If she died, so would he.

A new weight descended upon her as she thought about it. If she was killed in the upcoming war, which was a likely scenario, he would die as well. She may not like the prat much, especially after he tricked her, but she didn't wish him dead.

He pulled her into his embrace as her carefully constructed façade crumbled, leaving her breakdown there for him to see as well as feel. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore. He hadn't really given her a choice. It seemed that he knew her better than she thought he did. He'd backed her into a corner and there was no way out. She knew in her heart that there was really only one option for her. She would just have to hope that everything worked out for the best.

"I surrender," she whispered quietly as her tears rolled slowly down her cheeks. "There is no point fighting you. You win."

As Malfoy latched onto her neck for the final time in her human life and she felt her life slowly draining away, her last thoughts were centered on Harry and Ron. She just hoped that some day they could forgive her.

End Note: I know my cliffhangers are going to bit more cruel now that the updates are a little further apart. But it's worth it in the end. Leave me review, I need something to read over until Tuesday. ; ) Just kidding. No, I'm not. I love reviews. See you Tuesday.