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

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​​

I was touched by Duke's concern, and I knew that he would try to dissuade me from going to the event tomorrow.

I didn't want to keep him in the dark about this, especially because he might be impacted as well.

I felt guilty that I'm concealing one part of my life from him, and the excuse of how humans shouldn't know about the existence of creatures didn't make me feel better.

I decided to tell him the truth about this event.

"I don't have a choice, Duke. I need to go."

His brows furrowed deeper. "What do you mean?"

"At this point, I'm not sure if this was related to Magda or not, but Giantshade Industries sent us a proposition for cooperation with Notte Pharmaceuticals. They asked us for help in finishing their products and the deal they offered is generous which is against their nature. The only logical conclusion is that they are baiting us to get closer and based on their history, if we refuse, they will turn aggressive and start attacking my father's company."

Duke agreed with me on the last part. "Based on their history, Giantshade Industries will turn aggressive the moment Thompsons don't get what they want."

I was glad that Duke understood how Giantshade Industries works and that I can't ignore them.

"And that is why I need to attend this event, before they turn aggressive. I plan to scout the situation and see if I can use anything to my advantage. I am aware of their tactics, and I will not go alone. My father will be there."

Duke looked at me with an adorable pout. "I don't trust Richard or Jonathan. What if they try something underhanded? I will go with you."

"No, please…", I urged him. "If this is Magda working behind the scenes in order to keep us apart, your presence will provoke them. It's only one event and I know how to take care of myself."

"Do you?", Duke looked at me suspiciously. "You look frail and skinny. Do you know how to defend yourself against a guy who is twice your size? What if there are two or three of them? What if they spike your drink or find some other way to incapacitate you? You might wake up in a dark place with your toes missing!"

I thought that he was exaggerating. "It's a business party in a fancy hotel and not a gathering of gangs in a shady alley. They will not do anything openly, and I won't go without security."

Of course, there was also the part that Aldus and I are immortals and that our security consists of individuals like Marius. With our abilities, Aldus and I are perfectly capable of protecting ourselves, and the role of our security is mostly to watch from the side and warn us about irregularities noticed so that we don't end up ambushed.

I wondered if Duke is aware of creatures, at least to some degree.

I was not sure how he grew up, but for the last decade, he was living with a werewolf watching over him, and considering how observant Duke is, I would expect that he noticed something strange about his guardian.

"How much do you know about Sergio?", I asked.

Duke was visibly confused by this change of topic. "What about him?"

"Did you notice anything strange?"

"Sergio drinks and womanizes. Would you classify that as strange? Other than that, his spare bedroom is full of plants, but that's not unusual because he cared for the garden before we came here…", Duke's voice trailed. "Why are you asking about Sergio? Did he threaten you? Or did he make a move on you?"

My mind was processing Duke's words. Sergio was a gardener? Why would Duke's father send a gardener to watch over his son? And why would a werewolf tend to a garden? Considering that Sergio is a werewolf, I thought he was security or a muscle-man or… Wait! Did Duke insinuate that Sergio was hitting on me?

"No, no, no! It's nothing like that!", I said with haste.

Sergio wanted me to leave, which was quite the opposite of what Duke thought. How did things end up like this? I needed to clarify the situation.

"It's just that Sergio was your guardian for a long time, and I was wondering…" I stopped talking when I saw Duke looking at me suspiciously. "What?"

Duke narrowed his eyes until they became slits. "I see. So, you were only trying to divert the topic from your event tomorrow."

Before he could say another word, I put my hand over his mouth.

"Duke, this is business and nothing more. Giantshade Industries is making a move against Notte Pharmaceuticals and I'm going with my father to find out what they are after. I need to understand their motives in order to come up with a good strategy to repel them. I have no intention of keeping you in the background and once I know more, I will tell you about it. I promise. Actually, I hope you will help me, and we handle Thompsons together. For tonight, let's not talk about this because other than arguing, we won't achieve anything. I don't want Magda or any member of her family to ruin our time together."

Duke kissed my palm which was covering his mouth and I took that as an agreement.

"I didn't mean that you are incompetent. I hope you know I am worried about you.", Duke said when I removed my hand.

"I know. Thank you."

Duke's arms circled around me, and he pulled me to lean on him. "I wish to protect you, Serina. I failed too many times already. I can't imagine what you went through in my absence. Ruby, Willow, Adele, and Magda still need to suffer for what they did to you."

I was touched by his words. Duke always made me feel safe and this time was no different.

If I need to describe my time without Duke in my visual range, I could do it with one word: lonely.

Being with Duke is all kinds of things, but lonely is not one of them.

I knew that we will need to talk about Magda and her father and brother, and about Ruby, Willow, and Adelle, but not now.

My time with Duke was precious and I didn't want anyone to stain it.

"I wish to protect you also, Duke.", I responded dreamily. "This relationship will work if we are equal. Maybe I don't know how to beat up a guy, but I am not your average damsel in distress."

Duke hummed ambiguously. "I would be more at ease if I knew that you can fight. Will you allow me to teach you?"

I was surprised by this suggestion. "To fight?"

"To defend yourself.", he corrected me. "Your man is proficient in several martial arts and I am more than happy to teach you some moves."

Oh, Gosh! Duke said that he is my man!

The image of me and Duke rolling on the exercising mat with our limbs tangled flashed in my mind. Damn! That's hot.

"I would love that." My voice came out a bit breathy.

"I won't go easy on you." His voice was low, almost like a hum.

The heat in my cheeks told me that I'm blushing but I didn't break eye contact. "I'm counting on it."

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