Bloody secrets (1)

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

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Calista checked the rooms and picked one of the unfinished ones. Of course, she didn't pick the one that was already prepared for her, but that's Calista.

Surprisingly, Calista was quite excited when I told her that the suite will be hers and she is free to decorate it any way she wants. Calista said that she will send me the color scheme and any specific requests as well as some furniture for that room. Calista really wanted to make it her own. I didn't mind.

After showing Calista the room that was prepared for her and she went to change, I realized that everyone was busy with their things, so I decided to use this breather to grab a snack. The evening (and night) will be busy, and I was not sure how much barbeque will fill me up.

I headed to the kitchen where my stash of blood was.

The blood was sealed in airtight pouches that prevented coagulation and maintained it as fresh as possible. I didn't bother with a glass. I tore the edge and started drinking directly from the pouch.

The thick liquid slid down my throat and I could immediately feel the energy dancing through my system.

Between gulps, I released small hums of satisfaction. I couldn't help it. It was like when you really crave some food and then you finally get that perfect bite. Exhilarating.

I was also aware that I started preferring blood over other food, and I hoped that it will stop at strong preference because if it becomes an addiction, it would be troublesome.

I was about halfway through the pouch when I lowered it and smacked my lips.

My past human self was grossed out, but the larger part of me ignored it and enjoyed the sensation of vitality that fueled me up.

The only other thing that left me sated was when I extracted vitality from a living creature, but I didn't want to feed in such a way and risk leaving a trail of dead bodies and dried-up plants.

"Mhm…", my attention was drawn to someone forcibly clearing her throat and I turned to see Calista standing at the door of the kitchen and looking at me with an unreadable expression.

How long was she standing there?

"Serina, is there something you forgot to tell me?", she asked while gesturing toward the pouch of blood in my hand.

Oh, boy. Where do I start?

- - -

Author's note: This is from Calista's point of view

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Serina showed me the room and asked me to rest and freshen up, but there was no need for either.

I quickly changed and sat on the bed with a nagging feeling that I'm missing something important, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Was it about Drago's assistant? No, probably not. That was just one night, not worth mentioning. Sure, he is a handsome bundle of muscles, and it was good. Wolf-boy confirmed that werewolves are gifted in more than just stamina and size, I mean… he knew what he was doing. But no matter how good of a lover he is, he is NOT a boyfriend material (and I'm not talking only about his womanizing), so I decided to push that experience to the back of my mind with the label, 'pleasant memory'.

Yes, I was aware that wolf-boy was trying to reach me, and I ignored him on purpose, but I didn't want to say that to Serina. I knew that she was mingling with werewolves, and I didn't want to blurt out something potentially offensive.

It's not that I care about offending others, but Serina is an exception and there was a time when I thought that she will end up with Lazarus, so I didn't want to alienate myself from Serina. Well, Lazarus didn't work out, but now it turned out that Drago is a half-werewolf.

What can I say? That girl loves dogs.

Well, I was not surprised about that, but Aldi tolerating his daughter dating a werewolf, made me question if I'm too backward in my beliefs. But we were raised in the same way. Is it possible that Aldi changed his way of thinking in the centuries he spent with humans?

Aldi is one of the most hardheaded people I know, but just like a river can break through rock, maybe the time changed my brother.

I hope that Sergio will not make a scene, but it seems that Serina is not aware of our night in Paris, so… as long as he keeps his mouth shut, it will be fine. If Serina finds out that I shagged a werewolf, I will never hear the end of it and I can already imagine Aldi giving me hard time. What if he sends me home?

Why did I agree to come here?

Right, I wanted to check on Serina because I had a feeling that she was avoiding me recently. She seems to be doing fine. I was surprised to hear that her Duke is a half-werewolf, a son of an Alpha. But Serina is happy, and I didn't want to spoil it, so I brushed it off. Besides, I was confident that my brother did a thorough background check on the boy.

Serina said that Aldi is supportive, and I wouldn't care if it's casual, but Serina and Drago are really into each other, and now moving in together, and I have my doubts that Aldi would just allow Serina to tie herself to a werewolf.

Even if Aldi doesn't care, our parents will go ballistic. After all, Serina IS a Mezzanotte, and she should follow our rules. Mezzanotte family is royalty and we don't create unions with creatures that are not vampires.

I will need to talk about this with Aldi. Or maybe I should pretend that I have no idea about anything. In any case, Aldi will deal with this. But I don't want Serina to face our parents' wrath because of her choice of partner. Family is troublesome.

I know that Aldi kept Serina shielded from our parents and what it means to be a Mezzanotte, but our parents know about her existence and that Aldi adopted her officially, making her one of us.

Damn it! I wish that she didn't tell me that Drago is a half-werewolf.

He smells human, not that would make it much better, because human is still not a vampire, but he could be converted, and it wouldn't be so bad compared to a werewolf who is just an animal that has an eons-long feud with vampires.

All this made me anxious, and I felt an urge to eat. I guess I'm a stress eater.

I remembered that during the tour of the kitchen, I saw a good stash of blood and I decided to help myself. Serina told me that they are running low on maids until the house is completed, so I didn't want to add to their workload.

I found my way to the kitchen with ease, and I paused at the sight of Serina drinking blood.

My first thought was that it's impossible, it must be some juice, but it smelled like blood… human blood.

What the hell? Since when is Serina drinking blood?

I vividly remember Aldi telling me to keep my feeding away from Serina because she has a human mindset, and that person in front of me definitely looked like a vampire.

Did she turn into a vampire? No, she doesn't feel like one.

Why is everything confusing today? Did I step into a different dimension?

Is this why she was avoiding me? To hide the fact that she feeds on blood?

I cleared my throat to get her attention. "Is there something you forgot to tell me?"

Serina turned toward me and blinked. "Like what?"

I couldn't believe this. "Like what are you holding. Don't try to hide it or make up lies, Rina. I can smell it from here. Why are you drinking blood?"

Serina let out a long breath.

"Uhm… there was an accident."

I sat on a chair at the kitchen island, and patted the chair next to me, indicating for Serina to sit. "I'm listening."

Instead of sitting, Serina took two glasses and filled them with blood. One for me and one for her, and then she sat on the chair and started talking.

"About three months ago, Drago nearly died. He was shot in the heart. I had the ability to give my vitality, so I used it while trying to save his life. Unfortunately, I overused my ability and I lost consciousness. When I woke up, it was all over. Father saved Duke's life and sealed my ability."

I knew that this was a short version, but she didn't answer my question. "How does that relate to you drinking blood?"

"I believe that the seal father put on me reversed my ability so now instead of giving vitality, I take it. Blood is rich with vitality so…", her voice trailed, and she lifted her glass of blood in an air-clink before taking a sip.

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