Author's note: this is from Seraphina's point of view

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Calista is an odd one, but I guess I am an odd one for someone else also.

It's an adjustment for everyone as we try to get along and I would love it if Calista turns out to be one of my friends. After all, Aldus asked me to look beyond her rough edges and she spent most of her day shopping while trying to make up for her lack of tact that morning.

I was hoping that she will drop the naked-Lazarus topic, but she leaned closer to me and spoke in a hushed voice, "I never saw a naked werewolf. Well, we are not supposed to mingle with dogs, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate a handsome bundle of muscles. The word is that werewolves are packing some serious weaponry."

She ended with a grin, obviously still expecting an answer because her palms were at her chest level again.

"I didn't see.", I responded, even though I was not sure how much I saw. I remember his muscle-packed torso, but did I peek at his crotch area? Oh, God! I did!

Calista giggled. "Why are you so shy? Was he the first man you saw naked?" Calista's smile faded in slow motion and her eyes widened. "It is! He was your first!"

"Can you lower your voice?", I asked nervously.

"That's adorable! How old are you?"

"Uhm.." How old am I? If my parents are fake, and my birth certificate is fake, and I am some kind of a shifter, then anything is possible. "Twenty-three. I think."

Calista made a thoughtful expression. "That is young."

I guess that for someone centuries old, twenty-something is not much.

She observed me with curiosity before asking, "Are you saving yourself for someone special? Or is there some other reason you are inexperienced? With your looks, I guess guys would swarm around you."

Duke's image flashed in front of my eyes. "I'm not exactly saving myself, but there is a guy…"

"And that's not Lazarus?", Calista guessed.

I confirmed.

"Why are you not with that guy then?"

I exhaled, not sure how to respond to this. Telling the truth would be too much, so I stuck to the short version. "It's complicated."

Calista threw herself backward on my bed. "You know… everyone talks about how there is time for everything because we have an eternity, yet intense feelings that make us feel alive like happiness come in short bursts. If you have a chance for love, you should jump on that ship before it sails away."

I was not sure if she was talking about me giving a chance to Lazarus or pursuing Duke, or maybe she was talking about herself because there was a veil of sadness that flew over her face.

I sat on the bed next to her and asked, "Do you have someone special?"

"I wish…", Calista said with a dreamy smile.

"What do you wish for?"

"I wish for a man who will make me feel special.", she peeled her eyes from the ceiling and looked at me. "You know about werewolves and mates. They see the person, and hear a whisper 'mate', and their whole world starts revolving around that person. That's what I wish for."

"I thought you were not supposed to mingle with… dogs.", I reminded her of her words.

"I shouldn't. Of course, for my family, it would be the most convenient if he is a pureblood vampire, but all of them are so boring and none of them invokes in me any feeling other than blah."

She grimaced and I giggled, realizing that I relaxed. Somehow, this girl-chat dispelled most of the awkwardness between us.

"But what will you do if you fall for a guy and you realize that he is a werewolf too late?"

Calista scrunched her nose. "I can smell them, you know. But to be honest, I never thought what creature that man will be, my fantasy is more about the feelings that will course through us. Love, devotion, possession, safety, passion. I want him to hold me, smell me, touch me, taste me, and never get bored of it."

"You are romantic."

Calista smiled. "My mother says that I'm picky. I like the romantic better."

She looked at me seriously. "I know he is out there and I just need to find him. He is a hunky man, extremely handsome. A gentleman in front of others, and a beast within bedsheets."

I stifled a giggle. "What if he is a horrible person and treats you badly?"

Calista shook her head. "Not possible. When you find the one, your soulmate… it's mutual. You will treat him with utmost care because hurting him means hurting yourself, and the same goes for him."

Calista and I chatted until the maid came to inform us that food is served.

Aldus was not present in the dining room, and I assumed that somehow he knew the mood between me and Calista improved, and he was giving us privacy in order to strengthen this bond that sprouted.

I did my best not to stare at the glass full of thick crimson liquid that Calista swirled lightly before taking a small sip. She smiled and closed her eyes for a second, enjoying the flavor before downing the glass in one go and asking the maid for more.

Calista licked her lips, her tongue dark red in color, making her lips the same color as well. I noticed that her eyes were a darker shade of red and I wondered if the color of her eyes reflects her hunger.

"You eat human food?", she asked me with curiosity.

I snapped out of my daze and turned my focus to the fish and wild rice with a side of vegetables in front of me.

"It's what I'm used to.", I responded.

"Did you try other food?"

I understood that she was asking me about blood, and the idea of drinking blood was repulsive. I hoped that it didn't reflect on my face. I shook my head, indicating that I didn't.

Calista accepted the second glass and looked at it. She clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction. "Back home, we drink from humans openly. It's the best when it's still warm and it flows into your mouth in pulses together with their anxiousness while they wonder if you will stop in time for them to save their lives. You can feel their fear increasing with every passing second."

I watched her drink from the second glass slowly.

Aldus mentioned that in Lemuria they have humans as servants, but to me, it sounded more like livestock because vampires would use them for snacks and meals when they are hungry.

Vampires prefer not to kill humans; by letting them live, humans recuperate and they can be used multiple times.

Aldus also mentioned that they don't convert humans (aka livestock) into vampires because vampire's blood is different and can cause addiction and sometimes invokes insatiable hunger. That is why purebloods usually refrain from drinking vampires' blood in an effort to keep their sanity (and their servants).

As much as Aldus told me, he never mentioned that he can experience feelings of his meal if he drinks directly. That was new.

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