1. Soulmate

His soul is as dark as the abyss and he is ancient of days. 

Evil resides within him as much as the darkness consumes his soul.  

He has his reasons, very good reasons from his past to the present. His enemies have haunted him throughout the centuries and taken from him his one true love.

His soulmate!

These things have shaped him into the evil that he has become.  

Most fear him and those that don't are just fools.  

There are a few that he kept close to him but mostly out of self preservation.  Somewhere deep down inside of his black soul and vengeful heart, he might actually love them, or at least he tolerates them to some degree without wanting to destroy them on a daily basis.

In the moment, he is free of all hate and evil as he flies over the river as a shadow of himself.  Invisible to human eyes, he travels freely.  The water soothes his tortured soul as he feels the spray agaist the shadow of this body.  After the last few weeks, he needed this calm or he just might have destroyed his stupid family and their mates.  

They are so infuriating!

The water is as cold as ice and wakes his senses.  

He thinks to himself, ‘I could fly all day with the sun’s rays and the mist of the water upon my shadow’ but he decided to return to his hotel room.  He passed through the window and appeared in his human form, in all of his glory.

Alone. 

Thinking, ‘I am always alone but alas, today I am having drinks with Viktor, my very batty friend’.   

He strip out of his soaking wet clothing and let them fall to the floor and headed into the shower, thinking about what to do upon his return home.  Mumbling to himself, “My damn brothers.  So infuriating!”

He wanted to scream but stopped himself before the desire got the best of him.  

He knew that things must change but he had no desire to change who he was. Why should he?  He was the one that was wronged! Vengeance was still his after all of these years. 

The hot spray of the shower warmed his body but not his heart, for he was still seeking revenge upon the Toten and for that his brothers didn’t approve..  

He put on another expensive suit tailored to his perfect body and headed down to the bar.  As he sat across the table from Viktor, his most ancient and best friend, he realized how tiresome life has become.  All of the trivial things that he is expected to do as an Elder of his people.  He thought, ‘Maybe, just maybe it’s not for me’.  

Too boring.

Then Viktor’s voice broke the inner conversation going on inside of his head.

"Matthias, really you need to go to this event.  The Elders will be there and they are already thinking of passing you over.  You need to fix your damaged reputation, and fast." Viktor cringed as he finished when he saw my reaction.

He almost crushed his wine glass as he replied, "So, they want to skip the line of succession.  Is that it? Why?"

"Because of your reputation.  It's not good and you know it.  You need to show up with a nice girl by your side.  Show them that you have changed and you don’t think that their ways are antiquated and boring!  Matured.  Improved." 

He pounded his fist on the table and glared at Viktor, before exhaling loudly and screaming "You best sprout your stupid little bat wings and fly away, bat boy or I will destroy you!"

The room became silent as other patrons turned their way after his little outburst.  

With a flick of a hand, he reorganized their memories to forget his bat laced tirade.

Viktor just laughed at Mattias’ antiks and replied, "Oh, how droll.  Listen shadow dweller, I am not joking.  Get yourself a mate to rule by your side or you will be passed over."

"I already had a mate and the damn Toten killed her.  That's why I am in this mess.  Do you  think that I have not been trying to find my soulmate?  Do you?" He was flipping angry, not just with Viktor but with the entire situation.

It was over a thousand years since his mate was cruelly taken from him and, well, nothing.  A lonely and cruel heart, festering in place has grown crueler over that last thousand years. He was still alone. Yes, there had been women in his bed but a soulmate, that was something different altogether. The missing something.

Viktor didn't have that problem.  He just acquired souls by trickery and every woman wanted to wake up by his side until they realized what he truly stole from them in the morning.  He seemed to be perfectly content with just sleeping around for vampires didn’t have soulmates.

He just shook his head as he looked at Viktor and growled, "Why are you not required to have a mate to remain as an Elder and yet, I cannot take my place until my soulmate is found? You stupid, bastard! You blood sucker!"

"Stop calling me names! You're just jealous. You know damn well, vampires don't mate for life.  It's the souls that keep us going." Viktor teased Matthias and then stood up and walked over to the window, looking out at the view of the city and all of the human souls to be gathered to him.

Viktor turned to him with his mind racing with wild thoughts. He had an idea and he knew that Matthias would not like it, but he said it anyway.

"Get up and we are going out for a walk in the park."

Matthias looked at him like he was a fool before he negatively responded, "Umm, NO!" 

"I will let you play with the little humans as we get some fresh air.  You will not be able to yell at me out there and make a scene.  Maybe then, just maybe, I will get through to your feeble little shadow brain." 

Standing up, Matthias poured another glass of wine and drank it in one gulp before answering him.

"Fine, we can go for a walk but if I torture any humans, it's all your fault.  You shall take the blame with the Elders, not I."

Rolling his eyes, Viktor threw down cash on the table to pay for their drinks and walked out of the bar into the lobby of the grand hotel.  With humans everywhere for Matthias to torment, Viktor tried to usher him out as quickly as possible. 

Viktor remained very silent as we walked to the park and he fell behind Matthias, pretending to stop and admire the flowers and the scenery.  He was playing some game that was all in his head and Matthias did not understand the rules, nor did he care to.  He just knew one thing.  

Viktor was infuriatingly annoying this evening.

But as they had been friends for over a thousand years, Matthias wasn't a novice when it came to being manipulated by a soul stealing vampire. 

"What are you doing?" Matthias grumbled.

"Nothing.  Just keep walking." he retorted.

But that look.  It was in Viktors eyes.  He knew something or he was setting someone up for a fall.  Matthias’ suspicions grew as he turned and Viktor was nowhere to be found, yet that smell.  

What was that smell?

It stopped Matthias in his tracks. 

He couldn't breathe.  His heart started to race and he felt a bit lightheaded. 

He knew this feeling.

Turning slowly around, 360 degrees, he was searching. 

Searching for what?

For her.

She was here. 

His mate. 

But where?

He walked as if in a trance, following her scent.  

Jasmine and roses.  

His heart skipped several beats as their eyes met.  

She was magnificently beautiful with long red hair and green eyes, high cheekbones and a body to die for.  He realized that she would be an amazing mate, standing out among all of the women walking in the park. 

She was wearing tight leggings and a light jacket, yet everything about her screamed perfection from her luscious lips to her long legs.  

Every ounce of manipulation that was coursing through his veins, needed to be reigned in.  He stood there, temporarily confused, for her proximity to him tamed every evil instinct to take her right then and there.

She stopped and stared at him, slowly she licked her lips.  Almost instinctively.  She must have thought about turning around to walk towards him but she was strong.  

As she was struggling with her decision, her friend tapped her on the shoulder and broke her connection with Matthias.  She managed to walk away, laughing at her friend’s joke.

Even though she fought it off, the mating connection started to knit their souls together, but she was only human and was unaware of what these new feelings meant.  

Quickly, he scanned her memories and found that she had a stupid boyfriend and a job that she enjoyed.  

Obstacles that could be overcome, but how?

Matthias stood still and watched as she continued down the path and noticed that she turned around again, seeking one last glance at him before she disappeared from view.  

He knew right then and there that he needed to win her over and quickly.  He needed a plan to win her over. 

Immediately!  There was no time to waste!

Time was of the essence.

But how?

Pure and simple, manipulation. 

Manipulation.

Reader Notes:

Welcome to the world of Das Schatten, aka, the Shadows.  The Schatten can turn into shadows and travel through walls and objects, unless they are bound with silver chains.

The Schatten are allowed to turn only one human in their long lifetime and they wait until they find their soulmate, when the turning is initiated with loves first kiss.  

They also can manipulate the minds of humans by casting into our thoughts and changing our memories. Fortunately, they find living among humans to be too tedious for they can hear our every thought.  

They can't read each other unless they are investigating a crime when they can use spells to probe into the mind of another but the Schatten can cast words to each other instead of speaking out loud.  

They are ancient of days, manipulative and dangerous if we get in their way.