You don’t remember when it started, but you’ve come to expect the feeling of eyes watching you from the shadows. At first you figured it was paranoia, that you were staying up too late or working too hard. When you hear the scraping sounds on the ceiling or the clicking of footsteps behind you, you know he’s near and it was no longer delusion.

You thought it was some kind of demon, so you spoke with local priests and shamans to figure out methods to get him to go away. Your house is surrounded by a salt circle, sage and other protective herbs hang in your windows, holy water and incense always sit at your beside.

On a full moon night, you sit on your bed with the candle illuminating the space on your bed. Nothing is working so you got your hands on a book of spells. It’s either going to work or be a waste of time, but you are desperate at this point. The wind howls against the window as you draw the red circle and symbols and then prick your finger, letting a single drop of blood fall onto the center.

All of a sudden, the candle flickers and the shadows seem to take shape, pooling in the center of the room until it forms a massive silhouette. The darkness falls away and you lock eyes with Gaur. His tail wags and he smiles, his fangs peeking past his lips.

“I didn’t know you felt the same way. I accept being your bonded mate.” He exclaims gleefully as he bites his thumb and lets his own violet blood drip onto the circle. A strange feeling of connection grows between you and Gaur, as if your very souls are tethered for eternity.

The shock and confusion consume you, but it’s already too late. You poor unfortunate soul. You have tied yourself to a monster. But don’t worry, Gaur will take care of you from now on.