Chat with snuggles

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

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After dinner, Zoe, Luca, Duke, and I went to my apartment.

Zoe and Luca stayed in guest bedrooms while Ash and Sergio went to their apartments that are in the residential building where Duke owns the whole fifth floor.

Since the shooting incident, I didn't go to Duke's apartment. In the garage of that building, Magda shot Duke. My mind replays images of Duke lying in the pool of his blood so often that I don't want to see it in person. Yes, the gory scene is not there anymore, but the aura of death still lingers and I'm not sure if I can cope with it.

Due to the promise of celibacy, Duke and I showered separately.

Six more days.

We will sleep and wake up and then it will be five more days. Five more eternities.

I snuggled next to Duke in bed and exhaled slowly while enjoying the way his arms circled around me, and his scent of pine trees mixed with the ocean made everything better. This is my home, right here... in his arms.

"Will you tell me what's weighing on your mind?", Duke asked, and I blinked at him. "Your mood is off since your mystery chat with Serge. What did he say? Should I beat him up?"

I smiled. Duke is always ready to punish people who upset me. Even if that person is his guardian-bodyguard-assistant of eleven years.

I'm unable to hide anything from Duke. He can read me like an open book. He was always able to do so, and it made me wonder if he is so perceptive or maybe that's one more effect of the mate bond.

"Sergio asked me to invite Calista for the oath ceremony."

Duke cocked an eyebrow at me. "There must be more to it. It's just an invitation. Why is that troubling you? And how much I know, your Aunt loves parties."

I took a deep breath and said bluntly, "Calista is Sergio's mate."

Duke didn't react and after a few long seconds of silence, I asked, "Did you hear me?"

"I'm not sure. I thought you said how Calista is Sergio's mate, but that's not possible."

"Why do you think it's not possible?"

"Sergio is a party animal. He always has several women flanking him. If he has a mate, he would not sleep around like there is no tomorrow."

"Sergio WAS a party animal. He always HAD several women flanking him.", I corrected Duke. "Didn't you notice that lately his behavior changed?"

Duke's eyes moved randomly, and I could see that he was putting the clues together.

"Wow!", he exclaimed after some time. "I thought that Serge straightened his act because of Ash or maybe because of the possibility that these are last few weeks before he gets to move back to his old villa and wants to leave a good impression, but this… I'm not sure what to say. Does Calista know?"

"No.", I said dejectedly. "Calista likes to party and… she is a female version of Sergio."

Duke chuckled. "Serves him right. Karma."

I pinched Duke's arm. "How can you make fun of that? Can you imagine if I love to party, and I ignore you?"

Duke's face darkened. "I would chase away all the guys, break their legs and any other part of their body that touched you. Your eyes are made to look only at me, love."

Oh, God! His domineering words made my core pulse with the need for him to claim me. This is not a good time to get aroused, we are having a serious conversation!

"Can you say how that would happen if I'm a vampire princess and you can't approach me without risking your life?"

Duke didn't think it's a big deal. "Even if you are a dragon princess, I would sneak into your den and pillage your treasures." He cradled my cheek with his palm and looked me into the eyes while saying, "I would gladly risk my life for you because there is no point in living if you are not by my side."

A warm and fuzzy feeling filled my chest. My Duke is a sweet talker.

"I know, but if I don't know your intentions, I would probably think of you as a stalker."

"Ha… ha… ha…", Duke let out a hollow laugh in slow motion. "If only you knew, baby."

My eyebrows shoot up. What is that supposed to mean?

Duke saw that I was scrutinizing him, so he cleared his throat. "Why are you worried about Sergio's mate? It's his business. Did you forget that Sergio is more than four hundred years old? You only need to invite Calista, and as long as we say that it's a party, she will definitely come. We can add how we need a witness to the oath, and she is someone we trust. Other than the witness thing being a lie, everything else is kind of truth."

I liked this plan. It might work, but… "Calista doesn't know that my father is absent."

This was the part that bothered me the most. I had no idea how Calista will react when she finds out that Aldus is in eternal sleep, and that he wouldn't be in that state if Duke was not shot. It's my fault. if I didn't overuse my ability, I would be conscious and help out and... there is no way to know what would happen in that case, but it's the fact that my father risked his life to save Duke because of me, so it's my fault.

Duke shrugged. "Then, don't tell her. Say that he has some important business to attend to, it wouldn't be the first time."

I let out a long breath. He made everything sound so easy and it probably would be if I didn't have a guilty conscience.

Actually, even Duke doesn't know that my father is in eternal sleep. I didn't find the courage to tell him.

It's three months since the incident and the only ones who know about my father's state are Krob and me.

I decided to change the topic. I will invite Calista and tell her that father is busy and the rest will be up to Sergio.

Sergio is a grown-up, and if he rejects the mate bond, it won't have any effect on Calista while Sergio will manage. Hopefully. And if he doesn't reject the mate bond then… I hope the Moon Goddess will help him because my Aunt is a handful, and no one can predict how her family would react if he actually marks her.

I saw Vito's mark on Tessa's neck. It looked like an intricate tattoo that was a few shades darker compared to her skin, and Tessa explained how every mark is different and it represents the couple.

I wonder how Duke's mark will look on my neck. Once his wolf awakens, Duke will be able to place his mark on me, and I will take it happily.

Since our vacation in paradise, when Duke explained all the signs that I'm his mate, I never had dark thoughts that are stemming from the possibility of us not being mates. It must be because his words made sense. The two of us feel the attraction, we can sense each other's scents among millions of others, and only when we are together our worlds are at peace. He can't be wrong. We are mates.

"Did you notice that Ash was distant from Zoe and Luca?", Duke broke the silence.

"They are all nervous."

Duke didn't understand. "Why?"

"Zoe's eighteen birthday is coming in a month. She hopes that she and Ash are mates, and Ash probably feels differently about it while Luca fears how that will change his life. Right now, Ash is free, and a mate bond will force him to be with Zoe. As for Luca, he is with Zoe almost all the time, and if Ash is Zoe's mate, Luca will abruptly take the back seat."

"Luca and Zoe are siblings. No matter what, they can be close.", Duke said. "But if Ash loves Zoe, he should embrace it, and not be afraid."

"If the mate bond kicks in, he won't have a choice.", I clarified. "Yes, it will pull him toward Zoe, but at this point, he doesn't feel it and it scares him. Their birthdays are only months apart, and they all fear how crossing that milestone will change them."

"You are calm about this."

Was I? I guess I was. "There is no point in stressing about this. If Ash and Zoe are mates, both of them will feel the bond. Luca will probably sulk for a while, but he is a smart kid."

"All three of them are smart.", Duke said with a smile. "It was nice listening to kids talk about the town. They have wonderful ideas and I believe might work."

I agreed with this. "They grew up listening about the glory of the Bluemoon pack, and they got a chance to impact rebuilding the town that was part of those stories. I'm sure they are excited."

"I will get Sergio to draw me a map of the town and to mark where the stores were. This is our chance to strategically place points of interest, and we should also decide where the hotel will be…"

I listened to Duke talking and I melted into him.

We were back to two of us, planning about the future, and I cherished these moments that made me feel normal.

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