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Willow laughs. “You don’t have to be embarrassed, truly. We’re the last people who can judge someone. And I think it’s wonderful whenever someone finds happiness, finds love. I didn’t always have it myself, and I’m grateful for it every day, for the way fate brought my men to me.”
“Fate’s been pretty shitty to me,” I admit. “But I’m glad for them, yeah. It’s just very new to me. Having people in my life again.”
It’s easier than I would’ve thought to tell her this. Willow just exudes warmth and when I talk, I feel like she’s really listening to me. It makes me feel like I’m safe in opening up to her.
Willow nods in understanding. “I’m sorry for whatever loss you’ve suffered.”
It’s probably not tactful of me to bring up exactly how my parents were killed, so I simply say, “I lost my family at a young age, so I was alone for a long time. I’m really grateful to have my mates even if I wasn’t sure about the whole fate thing at first.”
“Totally understandable,” Willow agrees. “I wasn’t sure what to do in my situation at first either. You just have to work it out as you go along. You’ll figure it out. And for what it’s worth, I think that any confusion or frustration is worth it in the end. I got my happy ending, after all.”
None of us will get our happy ending if we don’t take care of this magic-hungry lunatic, but I don’t say that. I know that’s not the point Willow’s trying to make.
“I hope it’s worth it, because I really don’t know what to do with this responsibility,” I admit. “I mean, finding out you have three fated mates is crazy enough, but I’ve had to work this out while on the run for my life. Not exactly ideal.”
Willow hums in appreciative understanding. “I know it can be a lot of weight on your shoulders. But we don’t get to choose what life brings us, only how we handle it. Everyone’s in their own jam with their own struggles. All we can do is embrace the good that comes to us and focus on it rather than on the bad. And there’s quite a lot of good that you can get if you fight for it.”
Willow looks over at the three vampires and smiles. “Tell me, would you choose to go back and undo your choices that led you here?”
I think about that. What would’ve happened to me if I hadn’t stormed off to the dive bar that night? If I had just gone home and drank alone in my apartment or if I’d gone somewhere else, a non-supernatural place? I would have probably had to stay in hiding from Donovan for a while until I’d found something else to give him. Maybe I would’ve had to pack it all in and move to a new city to avoid him.
Without the Immortal Key cutting me, Donovan wouldn’t have smelled my blood and tasted it. Which would’ve meant he didn’t take me to Roanac and Roanac wasn’t after me, and Roanac wouldn’t be all powerful right now.
But he would be completing the ritual through the Aurora Gems, which was his original plan. And he’d be attacking people eventually, with no warning from anyone. So maybe, even though I might’ve made him powerful sooner, it’s a good thing that I ran into him because now I can warn people about him and the vampire community, at least, can be prepared to try to stop him.
More than that, though, if I hadn’t walked into that bar, I never would’ve met Raven, Cain, and North. My mates. They got me the Immortal Key, the domino that fell and led to all of this, but that’s not something I can really say is their fault. I don’t blame them at all.
They care about me, and they have from the moment they met me. They’ve been there for me, protected me, and made me feel valued. If I could go back and change things so that I never dealt with the Immortal Key, and Roanac, that would mean I never met my mates.
And I don’t want that. I’d rather have them and deal with all the rest of this, than not have them at all.
Something of what I’m thinking must show on my face, because Willow smiles warmly and knowingly at me. “The bad can be overwhelming, but there’s good too.”
I look around at all of the vampires who are sitting and chatting with one another. Wait, none of them are drinking blood. They’re just talking. Except for roughly half of them, who are actually eating food the way that Willow, and I am.
What’s going on? Vampires don’t eat regular food, do they? I mean, perhaps some of them do for pure recreation, but it doesn’t actually do anything for them. Blood is where they get all of their sustenance.
So, what gives?
Willow follows my gaze and smiles. “Ah. I see. Well, not all of us are vampires, I don’t know if you hadn’t noticed. We have humans here too who live with us and volunteer as feeders. When done the right way, being fed on by a vampire can be very pleasurable. So the humans volunteer and get great, ah, pleasure, while the vampires get to feed. Nobody dies and nobody is hurt.”
I can feel my jaw dropping open. “Uh…”
“I know, I know, it’s unconventional.” Willow shrugs elegantly. “But we found it to be an excellent solution to the problem of vampires killing people. I like to think of it as a demonstration of how vampires are capable of coexisting with others peacefully, without dominating them or having to hurt anyone.”
Honestly, I find the whole idea creepy, but if it works, then it works. I just don’t want to be a part of it.
“You actually might want to leave,” Willow points out politely. “I’m not sure that you’ll want to watch this.”
“Is it dangerous?” I ask. “To stay, I mean?”
“Oh, no, not at all.” Willow shakes her head. “You’re perfectly safe as long as you’re our guests here. We take the rules of hospitality very seriously. But when I say that feeding off of humans can be pleasurable for them, I… well.”
Willow smirks and glances over at her three men, and I can feel the heat in that gaze as if someone stuck me in front of an oven. Damn, okay. Well she’s right, I have no interest in seeing anything like that.
The servants clear the food away from the humans, and I can see that it’s going to be time for the vampires to, uh, have dinner. I stand up. “Thank you very much for your hospitality, your majesty. I think I’ll take your advice and we’ll retire now.”
My mates look confused for a moment, but then we hear a kind of moaning from one of the far tables. I look over and see that one of the humans is spread out on the table, a vampire feeding from her. She’s clinging to him and the look on her face is…
