"I was turned when I was 24. Back in 1865." My eyes widened and my jaw dropped causing him to let out a chuckle.

We sat at the window seat, talking and sharing.

"Wow, well. I'm nineteen, I was born in 2034." I tell him and he nods sipping the drink he brought. "Do you miss being human?" I question and he smiles. "Occasionally." He says nodding his head. I smile back as Benson smiles. "I miss the warmth. It's horrible, when you first change and you can just feel your soul, your warmth, leaving."

"But, I'll spare you those sad details. You look like you're about to cry anyways." He says laughing.

I pout, "Who turned you?" I ask, tilting my head. His eyes cast over, "Ida Rose." My eyebrows came together in confusion. "Wouldn't she had been in her coffin by then?" He chuckled. "She was put in there because she didn't prove to be mature enough to handle her own self." I nod, understanding now.

"Is she back yet?" I question and he shakes his head no.

"May I ask why you care about that little brat so much?" I smile, "She's different, once she trusts you. She loves to love, she just needed that affection...where are her parents?" Benson scoffed, drowning in his liquor.

"You don't want to meet them, Opal." He shakes his head. "But they've been put to rest, The Queen in Greece and the King in Romania." I chew on my food and swallow. "Why are they kept so far apart?" Benson smiled, "The Queen, Irina and the King, Vlad. Are very, very romantic, and fully in love with each other. They've been at rest for more the two hindered years. So when they awaken they run back to each other, to where they met."

My heart swells. "Wow." I whisper.

I press myself into the wall.

"Have you found your mate?" His eyes darken. "I-I'm sorry, Ben-" He cuts me off. "Yes. I have. She's rejected me." He looks at me with a surprised face. "Rejected?" He nods. "If you don't want your mate you can reject them. It hurts, and in some cases the mates have died. But if you're that desperate." He says with a shrug drinking some more.

"Why would you do that?" I whispered more to myself.

"What?" Benson asks, looking at me. "Your kind believes in gods right?" He nods, "If the gods made you a perfect half, why would you throw it away?" He smirks, shaking his head.

"Wouldn't you?" Benson asks and I shake my head. He leans in closer, chuckling darkly. "Even if your mate was the King?" My heart sank. "If. He is not." Benson shakes his head, leaning back.

"Oh, Opalescent. You're a young human, very mature." He states. "Thank you." He laughs. "That wasn't much of a compliment. When I was your age," he says with a groan. "I was everywhere. I traveled absolutely everywhere." I straightened up. "You have? Where?" He laughed. "I fell in love. Made friends, took risks." He said ignoring me.

"Everywhere." He says shrugging. "France?" He nods. "Um, um-" He takes in for me. "Greece, Mexico, Italy. Everywhere." My eyes widened. "Wow."

"Well, before your mate. Have you ever been in love?" Benson laughed. "Opal...nothing exist once you find your mate and you make that connection. Nothing can ever be even a memory, competition, when it comes to your mate. I can barely remember the woman before my mate."

I frown. "That's upsetting." As he takes a sip he raises his eyebrows. "How so?" I play with my fingers taking in a breath.

"You make these memories with these people...and it all forgotten? How do you know that persons treating you right? What if...that mist it puts over you is masking you from seeing the good and the bad in that person? I'm guessing even if they've hurt you you'd still be back with them in an instant?" Benson stared and gave me a slight nod.

"What if it's all just that. All just mist. That mist...is it true love?"

"It is." Benson said nodding. "I know it's hard to understand, there's a part of you that makes mates seem like a dream, and the other half make it seem like a trap. It isn't something, it's not a mist, it's that person. You first feel so calm, almost like a weight has been taken off your shoulders. Then a smell, a smell you've smelt before and it's your favorite but you can never put a name on it,"

He wraps his hands tightly around the cup.

"And then you see them. You look into their eyes and you can see your happiness and theirs." He shakes his head, "It's real. It's the person you've been looking for all your life. The gods don't force you to be with that person, they have a little part in choosing, well Selene." I stop him.

My heart racing. "Selene?" He looks at me and nods. "She controls the creatures of the night. She's the goddess of the moon." My shoulders slump.

"Oh, I see." He looks at me and tilts his head. "I've heard your blood is one so rich a vampire would drop to there knees and beg for it. Not even kill you, because it's one too pure to waste." I blush, shifting uncomfortably. I look down at the deep bite marks in my bruised wrist.

"I don't understand the rave." We laugh, Benson stopping suddenly. I ignore him and look out the window. Watching the dawn take over.

"He's fighting himself within." I look back to Benson. "Sorry?" He shakes his head. He stands, causing me to stare up at him. He smiles at me drunkenly. "Thank you, friend." I giggled. "You're very welcome, Benson." He winked at me and flashed away.

I yawned, hopping off the window seat and walk to the bed, falling into and falling into sleep.

But just as I slip I'm persuaded awake, as I peel open my eyes a see a silhouette. I groggily prop myself up with my hand as I rub my eyes, squinting. "Sleep." It commands and I fall, my eyes close.