”A fine partnership I’m sure it will be,” Serafina said rather cordially as she escorted a well-to-do looking gentleman towards the exit of The Second Circle. The man had a roll of parchment clutched in one hand and what looked to be a wine decanter in the other. ”Thank you for thinking of us as the exclusive vendor of your new varietal,” she said with a toothy smile. The man looked a bit uncomfortable and shuffled on his feet, looking as though he felt rather intimidated.

”Not as though you’ve given me any other choice,” he said, to which Serafina’s eyes blazed red for a moment. ”Not that I would have made any other decision!” he added hastily, and Serafina’s eyes returned to their normal hue.

”That’s the spirit,” she said, patting the man on the shoulder. ”Jasuin will be by next week with the final details and your first round of payment, assuming you bring the first shipment on time,” she said, and with that the man was out the door.

Serafina felt rather victorious after having just secured sole access to a prominent Adelunan winery’s newest varietal that they had concocted. It had taken a bit of threatening and coercion, of course, but it would be well worth it, as it would most certainly bring a new clientele to her establishment. After Sirona’s little rampage, it seemed like some of the non-regular people in the area didn’t care to visit her establishment, fearing that they would be judged for doing so. This was a step in the right direction.

Serafina walked from the exit back towards the countertop, where Jasuin, one of her most trusted employees, was tending bar. ”That went well,” he said, and slid her a glass of whiskey across the counter, tinged more red with some added blood that she kept on reserve. She gave him a nod of thanks and took a drink before replying.

”Indeed it did, thank you for your… convincing visit that you paid him,” she said with a grin. He held his hands up jovially. Serafina just laughed. ”I’ve had enough social interaction for the day. I’ll be upstairs in my quarters if you need me. I think I’ll stay topside tonight, I have another merchant to meet with rather early tomorrow,” she said, to which Jasuin nodded. Serafina scooped her glass back up off the counter and walked away, heading up the stairs towards her private quarters.

She hadn’t been in her room long, just having relaxed at the table and not even having a chance to finish her drink before a knock sounded at the door. ”What is it?” she huffed, her voice sounding rather exasperated as though she were bothered by the interruption – which she was.

”Excuse me, my lady, but you have a visitor asking for you downstairs,” the voice replied, the girl who was answering sounded as though she were terrified that Serafina was going to rip her head off for interrupting her.

Serafina sighed exasperatedly. ”Listen, little girl. Go back downstairs and tell them I’m not to be bothered. You should be checking with Jasuin before coming up here and bothering me,” she said, through gritted teeth. These interruptions were becoming a more and more common occurrence, and she was beginning to grow tired of it. She was going to have to have a conversation with Jasuin about keeping the lower employees in line, perhaps create a rule that the people would not be allowed to her level of the establishment.

The girl replied in a rather scared sounding tone. ”Ma’am… Jasuin is the one who told me to come and find you. He said to tell you that it was someone you would have something to say to,” she said, and Serafina furrowed her brow rather cryptically.

”What?” she snapped. ”Fine, whatever, go away. I will be down shortly,” she said dismissively. She stood up from the ground and straightened the top of her corset. She had been dressed rather elegantly for her meeting with the vintner. A rather extravagant black lace skirt fell to the floor, a large slit nearly extending all the way to her hips on one side. Her feet were wrapped in slippers made of black ribbon, and a blazing red corset acted as the bodice. Her hair fell in blonde, curled tendrils around her shoulders, and her face was made up as usual. A black lace choker emblazoned with her symbol – a wolf with a snake coming out of its mouth – rested at her throat.

She grabbed her glass of whiskey and took a drink, making her way back downstairs. She could see Jasuin talking to someone at the bar, and an air of familiarity washed over her. Perhaps it was someone she had met before, and that was why Jasuin thought she would want to speak with him.

Another patron walked in the bar at that moment, and a wave of air rushed through the room. That was when Serafina caught the man’s scent, and her senses went on high alert. Her grip loosened a bit too much on the crystal glass she held, and it crashed to the floor, shattering. Serafina remained steadfast at the bottom of the stairs for a moment even as two of the working girls scrambled to clean up the mess that her spilled drink and broken glass had caused.

Paying no attention to the shattered glass on the floor, Serafina walked right over it after a moment, making her way towards the bar. She finally made her way to stand directly behind the person who had requested her presence.

She said nothing – he would know she was there. Instead, she stood there, a cold, yet hurt look on her face, waiting for him to turn around and face her – something she had never thought would happen again.

Xerxez made his way through the doors that signaled the entrance to The Second Hell. Immediately he was greeted to the extravagant interior. The smell of alcohol and sweat attacked his sense of smell, partially overtaking him. The main area was clean enough, considering The Second Hell’s reputation. He was certainly dressed for the part. He was accompanied by a black undershirt that fitted a little too tight around his chiseled frame. A deep maroon leather vest was tightly fitted around his chest. He was greeted by a rather well looking gentleman at the bar cleaning the inside of wine glasses. He made his way over to the bartender and sized him up.

“I’m here to see the boss lady.” Xerxez a gruff, light hearted voice. He held a wolfish grin on his tanned face, as he leaned on to the bar, his back to the main room of the building. The bartender simply opened his mouth to spout some nonsense about after hours. Xerxez let him finish, keeping the grin throughout. He simply pointed to himself with a thumb and mouthed the words, Ex Boyfriend. This got a little rise from the man, seeing his eyebrows lift ever so slightly. He nodded accordingly, summoning a chore girl who looked too pretty to simply be a chore girl to summon Serafina. He turned his focus to the bartender and struck conversation. “I’m going to be honest with you… This isn’t going to be pretty. If you’d be so kind to keep those special drinks she likes to sip always coming, both me and the boss would be greatly appreciative.” He said lightly, letting the thoughts hang in the air. “Actually. Keep yourself watered too. You need some. “ He was acknowledge only by a nod before he heard a sharp crash and feel her presence behind him.

He grabbed the first wine glass the bartender slid towards him and inhaled slowly, turning on his heels to face the woman he had been dreading to see. He was surprised in the distance she gave him, but also the look of hurt on her face was more painful than any punishment she could’ve doled out to him. “Good to see you, Sers.” He said, keeping her burning crimson eyes in lock with his. He held that silly grin she was used to, but to no avail as she stared him down with the pain in her eyes. Calling out from behind him. “On second thought, bud, I might be kicked out sooner than I thought.” The man stopped making two blood drinks at a time and continued to focus on just one. Xerxez handed the drink out to her to only be met with cold silence. He sighed, placing the drink on a nearby stool, pushing himself off the counter and towards Serafina. An arm length way, he lowered his voice and spoke sincerely. “It looks like you've been doing alright for yourself.”

This close, he could smell her. Everything about her was inviting. The way his senses kicked into overdrive from her smell. Her alluring appearance. The memories they shared. It was almost too much to keep up his jester persona, almost faulting and showing the hurt on his face as well. Gods, how he missed her. “I gotta be honest with you, Sera. At first, it hurt leaving. For the both of us, I'm sure. It makes it a little easier though, knowing how far you’ve come without me.” There was a comforting smile on his face as he breathed his words, though reading Sera when she was like this was near impossible.

WIth a large inhale, he figured he'd drop his aloof act and approach her with honesty. He slowly approached her, the closer he came, the harder it was to fight the desire to take her in his arms. He was so close their noses almost touched. For the first time, he spoke without masking his pain. His voice cracked as he spoke with a breathy whisper. “I've missed you Serafina. We should talk.”

Serafina almost felt as though her feet were glued to the floor. She had never expected to see Xerxez again, let alone have it be by him wandering into the bar that she now ran. One would think that after her ascension, holding an almost infinite amount of divine power, she would have been able to just remove every last piece of him from her mind. It simply was not that easy, and this encounter was proving that.

She had tried to move on – not quickly, by any means, but it was a slow burn and had not yet burned enough to get rid of the hold that her past with Xerxez had on her. Seeing him standing before her, his scent burning in her nostrils… it was nearly enough to make her want to forgive him for everything without even hearing his side, to forget the relationship she was currently forming with Kebeche – but there was enough animosity and pure hurt left inside of her to hold her back, just enough.

As he began to speak to her, she remained silent, her eyes still filled with the hurt he had set upon her. She could hear Jasuin in her mind, asking her if she needed to remove him. No, she thought back to Jasuin. He could kill you almost as quickly as I could, she added, and she swore she could hear him cringe.

She let Xerxez speak uninterrupted, and even advance towards her, without so much as batting an eye. She just stared at him, penetratingly so, not really sure what she should do. As he reached his spot to stand so near to her, where one quick movement would have made it so she could have been in his arms once again, she drew in a sharp breath and took a step back. Somehow, it pleased her to hear the pain in her voice. So, his actions had caused him pain, too, not just her. It was… poetic justice, somehow.

”You’re right, we do,” she said, making an attempt to make her voice as even as possible. ”But we are not going to have it out in front of my patrons. This way,” she said, and instinctively she shot her arm out, clutching his wrist with her hand. The touch of her skin to his sent fire through her veins, but she managed to keep her composure, at least for the time being.

She led Xerxez towards her private chambers. Although it resembled a bedroom, it also had a nice sitting area, and it would do well for them to have a quiet place to talk rather than to have a row in the middle of the bar. She pushed the heavy, ornate door open, and walked in after Xerxez. She motioned for him to take a seat at the table, and walked over to a bar on the side of the room, pouring two glasses of a thick, red liquid into two crystal glasses. She carried them over and set one in front of him. She was pissed at him, but she wasn’t going to throw all propriety out the window – at least not yet.

She did not sit down right away, but rather stood beside the table, staring at Xerxez as though she almost did not believe he was there, but perhaps a figment of her imagination. While there was a part of her that wanted to tear out his throat, the other part of her wanted to tear off his clothes and entangle herself in him like she had in the past. She shook the thoughts from her mind. After a moment, however, she let out a heavy sigh and sat down at the table finally.

”So,” she began, sounding as though she were choosing her words very carefully. ”You’re back, just as abruptly as you disappeared. Tell me, Xerxez, because I absolutely am dying to know… why did you leave me, at a time I needed you more than anything?” she asked, allowing her voice to sound hurt for the first time in front of him. She did not offer any further explanation, hoping instead that he would explain before she had to make herself vulnerable by explaining to him how she had felt.

Once he had heard her speak for the first time in so long, he felt his bravado collapse. Who was he to barge into her life after leaving her. That small, cold, thrilling voice of hers was all it took for Xerxez to lose his smug attitude. His smile faltered, revealing a cold stone expression as she grabbed his wrist. This small contact sent sparks running through him. On Reflex, his hand wanted to snake around the back of her neck. He wanted to be near her. He wanted her hot breath on his. Yet, he was ashamed of what he felt. It wasn’t his place. He was no longer her partner. He had given that up when he ran away. He had no right to come in and expect them to rekindle what they once had.

On the subject of her patrons, he winced slightly. Serafina had grown without him. She was a different person. Still his Sera, but grown apart from him. When he had decided to visit her, he expected as much. He knew of her godhood, he knew she had made a life without him. But the pain of living without her was too much. What he had learned from his travels was that he needed her, but seeing her now… She didn’t need him. She led them to a heavily decorated door and inside. At once he recognized this as her private quarters. The irony of it was a painful slap to his face. Was there someone who warmed her bed with her in his place? Even if it was the case, he would have to accept it.

He waited patiently for Sera to speak. He owed her that much. She went through the motions of pouring glasses, looking at him, processing he was back… feeling the pain of his abrupt absence. After processing whatever thoughts were going on in her head, she sat opposite of him asking him the hardest question of all. Why did he leave? He knew the answer would only hurt more. However, if he wished to have her in his life, in any capacity, he would need to tell her the truth. He took a large gulp of the blood and rum mix, the rum mellowing the blood, satisfying his craving without driving him into a frenzy. He stared into Serafina’s cold, porcelain face for a quiet moment before speaking.

“If I’m being honest, Sera, I didn't expect to get this far.” He took another large gulp before standing up walking in front of her. He dropped to his knees, showing the pain in his face. “I left because I was having doubts, ‘fina.” He let the sentence hang in the air as he remained motionless. He locked eyes with Sera, hoping she could see the pain in them. “I never doubted my love for you.” He whispered softly, “But Nemesis became a god, the family was flourishing, I was finally understanding this new life you gave me. Life was finally making sense and I felt… out of place.” His face contorted ever so slightly. He paused pushing the tears from forming in his eyes. “So I left.”

“I won’t try to twist my words to paint my actions in the right, but my life before I met you was fight after fucking fight. It was me against the world, and the world stuck first. And then you change my life and everything’s fucking peachy? It didn’t sit right with me. So I left.”

He let his words hang in the air. The reason for their parting sat in the air until it became stale. “I won’t pretend it didn’t hurt, Sers. It was hole in my heart. But you’ve always been such a strong, independent person. I left without a worry, because I knew you’d do fine without me.” He pushed himself off his knees, walking back to his seat, finishing the rest of his glass in one large gulp. “And I'm right.” He said, proudly. “Look at what you’ve accomplished without me. Look how far you’ve come with your own strength.” He walked over to the counter, walking around Serafina as he did, her eyes on him like a predator about to strike its prey. He refilled his glass and offered to refill hers with a small gesture. “So yes, It hurt, Sera. it haunts me to this day. But you sell yourself too short. And Im gonna speak fucking blunt, because I can, but you are perfectly capable of great things by your self. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that you’d be okay without me. You’d do great things, find another love, fuck and hunt to your day’s end.” His eyes were on fire as he spoke. The crimson red turned to a dark black as he continued on. “But what I didn't expect was how much I needed you.”

He moved to his chair, taking it from its side of the table and placing it in front of Sera. “I won't bore you with details of what I’ve been up to. But to ease any thoughts you might have, It was a very alone, quiet and desolate life. And what I learned from it was how much I needed you.” He paused, to show her the sincerity in his eyes. “So imagine my surprise while I was hunting with some bears and I came across a traveler wearing the same mark you are and talking about the goddess Serafina.” He reached his hand upwards to twirl the small necklace between his fingers. “So I kept him talking, and sure enough, my Serafina had grown up and became god. The same thing we used to mock under the stars. Well. I could hardly believe it.”

“And that's when I realized, Sera. Life is just gonna happen. And I could be with you, or without you when it does.” He stopped playing with the necklace around his neck and dropped his hand onto his knee.. “I understand… things are different, Sera. But I want to fix what I destroyed. Tell me… Honestly… Is there a chance you could let me in.” His eyes were determined, his voice slow as he spoke. “I know it will take time, and I have sincerely hurt you, but I ask you… would you have me back?” He reached out his hand to place on top of hers, unsure if she rejected his advances of not.

She watched Xerxez without blinking – watched him as he took a drink and stood from his seated position and watched him as he fell to his knees before her, almost in a pleading motion. She listened as he spoke, soaking in the sound of his voice, but she was unsure how much meaning his words held anymore. After all, had he not abandoned her without so much as a word? Regardless of how much he had hurt her, she still had enough respect for him where she kept silent as long as he kept talking, all the way until he had moved his chair in front of her and sat down again.

She watched his hand as it fidgeted with the necklace around his neck and dropped to his lap. In the past, it would have almost been reflexive for her to reach out and take his hand into hers, and she certainly felt the urge now, but instead she clenched the fabric of her skirt, listening as he continued to speak.

He wanted her to take him back. Of course he did. It was almost laughable, in her opinion. But she could not possibly do such a thing, could she? She had been spending time with Kebeche as of late, though… where had he been? It had been quite some time since she had seen him as well. It seemed she had a penchant for becoming attached to those who could not be there for her – but she shook that thought from her mind. Surely Kebeche’s absence would be explained rationally. He hadn’t given Serafina any indication otherwise… but then again, when Xerxez had disappeared, there hadn’t really been any indication there, either.

”I can’t do that, Xerxez,” she finally said, after moments of silence. ”Not right now, anyway.” The tone of her voice gave way that it was not an impossibility. It just couldn’t happen now. ”I wish it were so easy, that I could just forget everything and we could move on… but it’s not, and I’m sure you know that,” she added. The pain was both visible in her eyes and audible in her voice as she looked at him.

She drained her glass again and got up rather abruptly, walking towards the small bar cart where she proceeded to refill her glass. ”I don’t want you to leave, though,” she said softly, her back still towards him. Any mere mortal would not have been able to make out what she had said, but she knew Xerxez would be able to. After all, she had made him into what he was.

She drew a deep breath and exhaled loudly, before turning to look at him once more. ”I’m not the same Serafina I was when you left, you know,” she said. ”Who I was before was a cold, ruthless, callous killing machine. I am all of those things still, but I have so much more depth to who I am,” she explained, though she was unsure whether or not what she was saying to Xerxez would make much sense.

”Look. Let’s have a drink, and drop this serious shit,” she said, finally relaxing somewhat. She did not know what was going to end up happening between the two in the future, but she knew she didn’t want to push him away, not now anyway. ”And why don’t you… stay, for a while, anyway,” she said, quietly again. ”Not here, with me, I mean… but I can have quarters made up for you,” she added quickly, not wanting to give him the wrong idea. ”It will give us an opportunity to catch up, I suppose… and I can show you how I’m running this place,” she continued. ”And a little bit more about everything I can do… it’s crazy, to be honest!” she said, before walking back over and sitting back down.

Serafina leaned slightly towards Xerxez after she had sat again. ”So what do you think? Will you stay, even if it isn’t with me?” she asked, hoping that he would say yes. She would not betray Kebeche’s trust, but she didn’t want to see Xerxez go, not yet… and possibly not ever.

Serafina said the words he feared. He had built himself up to this point, to hear the words he didn't want to hear. To hear the words she needed to say. And for the first time in his new life, in front of Sera. Xerxez cried. He buried his hands into his rugged hands and has massive shoulders heaved up and down as short, abrupt sobs filled the room. He knew this was the right choice, he had left her. He had crushed her heart, knowing how close she was to him. It was the right choice. She had built a life after him, and despite how content he was with that, the pain of not having her pulverized him. He couldn’t blame Serafina, if anything he agreed. The pain that came with that truth was enough to bring him to his breaking point. It was the right choice.

There was a long silence that followed where Xerxez sobs slowly faded away before wiping his face with his arm. He ran his fingers around his eye, desperately trying to dry his eyes. He looked into Serafina with the most sincere expression since arriving. He saw his life reflected into her eyes. He leaned slowly in, wanting one last embrace before she was cut from his life, but stopped short. It would be wrong, he thought. He sat back, running his arm around his face. She got up from where she sat and turned his back to him, a movement that hurt more than any wound he’s experienced before. He figured it was the best time to make his exit. However, she spoke softly to him, words that he didn’t expect. She wanted him to stay.

She spoke briefly about her godhood, changing the subject to something more light, pouring him a drink as she did. With a large sniff, he dried his face and took the glass. She offered for him to stay for the night which he considered. It was either stay here or go back to the bears. It was quickly decided when she offered for the two to catch up. “I’ll stay, Sers.” He said, softly. He cleared his throat, adjusting himself more comfortably in the chair before speaking again. “I'm curious about what a day on the job is for you.”

“I’d like a tour of your new set up, hell maybe I can help in some way.” He brought his eyes to Sera and spoke slowly, avoiding hitting a nerve. “I’m probably not too much help host wise, but you know I’m a damn good fighter. I heard whispers of a fight between you and another god.” He stopped to gauge her reaction and then continued. “I’ll be honest Sera, my life has been pretty solitary. I’m pretty ignorant of what’s been going on since I left. I can't but help thinking you might need someone with a different kind of payroll. Not that I want to be paid or anything. Muscle. It’d be just like old times.” He said without thinking, though now in the air, brought him down.

“Show me around, tell me about your new life, and perhaps afterwards we can think about dinner.” He said, quickly changing the subject.

Serafina had not wanted to hurt Xerxez, but what she told him had to be said. She wasn’t overly dissatisfied with her life at the current moment, so she saw no need to change it – not yet at least. It pained her to see the sob wracking his body, pained her to see him wiping fervently at his eyes in an attempt to hide his emotions. Perhaps it would not have pained her as much, had Xerxez not proven his emotion-masking capabilities in the past. She knew how much it took for him to exhibit his pain in such a way.

It seemed to take a lifetime, but when he finally accepted her offer to stay, Serafina had to hide her elation. She hadn’t felt that excited about something in a long time, but the prospect to catch up to with him after so long apart was certainly enticing. ”Wonderful,” she said, attempting to keep her tone as flat as possible – though it would have seemed a bit odd since the excitement exuded in her tone somewhat. She cleared her throat, almost as though to detract from the slip.

After a moment of silence in which the two were able to drink a bit more of their beverages, Serafina finally spoke again. ”A day in my life is never the same, not anymore,” she said. ”I am not even able to go hunting nearly as often as I wish I could, which is a bit of a let down, to be perfectly honest. But there is no monotony, hardly at all. Vendor meetings, client meetings… they get boring, but that is why Jasuin handles a lot of those meetings. He’s the one you were speaking to downstairs. He handles the day to day operations for me when I am not around.”

She winced slightly when Xerxez brought up the altercation, so to speak, that had taken place between her and Sirona. ”It wasn’t just between me and another god. Sirona, that self-righteous bitch, took it upon herself to eradicate all the sin from the world. Didn’t go over very well, especially when she decided to have her minions, or whatever they were, destroy my bar. She injured me… but I took a good chunk out of her, as well,” she said with a smirk, speaking both metaphorically and literally. She had indeed ripped a chunk of the angel’s arm out with her teeth when she had been in her wolf form.

’We don’t normally have anyone who acts as a bouncer or anything of the like… for two reasons, really. First of all, it’s common knowledge that I own this establishment, and I don’t think that many of them wish to get on my bad side. Secondly, the patrons we do get tend to be of a higher class, even with our location here in Vilpamolan. I’m sure you noticed that the décor is quite a bit more… aristocratic than what you find here, for lack of a better word.” She got up from her seat and moved toward the doorway.

”Come, lets take a bit of a look, shall we?” she said, giving him a grin that would have been reminiscent of earlier days between the two. After he stood and joined her, she proceeded to show him around, taking him down to the bar and introducing him to the staff. Jasuin seemed to have figured out who he was, though he did not know all of the dirty details from Serafina. She had told him quite a bit of her life, but had also left a good amount out as well.

She then proceeded to show Xerxez around the less public areas of the establishment – some of the rooms with her best girls in them, explaining to him with little detail about those business practices. It was a brothel. She knew that he was aware of how a brothel functioned.

A little while later they were done with the tour, and had ended up back in her quarters. Serafina sat walked back over to Xerxez where he stood near the doorway, holding both of their glasses which she had refilled – as a vaewolf, she knew that Xerxez could hold his liquor much as she could, so there wasn’t really a chance of him over imbibing. ”As you can see, not much different than your average tavern with a brothel, though perhaps a bit nicer,” she added, holding the glass out to him. After he took it, she took a drink of her own before setting the glass down.

”Now I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking it might be time for a little dinner,” she suggested. For a moment, she had forgotten the transgressions between them, forgotten Kebeche, forgotten anything other than the two of them being there. ”Would you like to hunt tonight? Or… shall I have something delivered, like we used to?” she said, a bit of a devilish grin painting her lips. ”The hunt has always been fun, but I think we used to make our own fun when we dined in,” she said, taking a step closer to him. There was little distance left between the two, and Serafina moved as though to close that little remaining distance, her hand reaching up to trace the outline of his jaw, neck, and shoulder - before a look washed quickly over her face and she stepped back at an ethereal speed.

She cleared her throat. ”Old habits die hard, I suppose,” she said, attempting to laugh it off. ”But which is it? Shall we dine out, or dine in?” she asked, trying to play off the situation even though her face had taken on a red flush, which was unusual with a pallor such as hers.

Sera talked with a soft enthusiasm as she showed him around. He could tell she enjoyed her business, and a soft pang of pain ran through him, imagining what his part in her new life would’ve been if he had not ran. It truly was the nicer establishments of the area, to be honest, fit Sera’s sophisticated tastes. She showed him rooms upon rooms of gorgeous girls, ready to be put to work. They giggled as he passed, frustration showing on his face. They thought him an ordinary customer. Eventually, the tour led back to Sera’s quarters. Somehow, it felt nostalgic, though this being the second time he had entered her new personal bedroom.

The subject of dinner was brought up. During his time away, his wolf had hunted to its heart content. In truth, there were times where the wolf would take control, pushing Xerxez further away for weeks on end. Occasionally an unfortunate traveler would venture to close and the wolf would relinquish control for Xerxez to feed. If he was being honest, dining in sounded almost foreign to him. However, as he thought, both he and Sera remembered their times when it came to dinner. The urges, passion, and sweat were all too real. It was a somber thought, knowing that wouldn’t be the case anymore. “I’ve missed home delivery.” He said with the same devilish grin Sera held. Perhaps it would be easier to feed separately than hunt together. It was surprising they weren't tangled in each other's arms, much less accepting a new friendship. The thought of them progressing as friends was something he was having trouble comprehending.

However, his heart dropped when there was a light rasp on the door and dinner was served. There was only one human. This isn’t what he meant when he expected dinner. Were they not going to eat separately. Did she honestly expect him to eat with her? Was this her idea of his punishment? She was in the business of punishment, after all. Reminding him of all the memories they had together, knowing he is what ruined their relationship. Did this not torture her as well? Despite his best efforts, the confusion showed on his face as he tried to wrap his brain around the situation as if it was some sort of puzzle. With a deep exasperated sigh, he mentally agreed to eat with Sera. If he wanted to be in her life, he would need to be whatever she needed. If she wanted someone to eat with, he would be her companion.

He admired dinner slowly, a tanned young man, with shaggy blonde hair that covered his eyes. They fixated ahead, fear covering every facet of his features. He backed away from Serafina, small whimpers coming from his mouth. Unfortunately for the man, he should’ve known to fear Xerxez as well. His undoing being when he backed straight into Xerxez’s arms. They quickly enveloped the man’s thin frame, holding him in a death grip as Xerxez picked him up effortlessly off the ground and carried him towards Serafina’s devilish giggle of excitement. Her eyes were black, she could barely contain herself. This hurt to watch. Pushing the pain he was feeling inside, he dropped the man. His left hand snaked up the man's back, grabbing a fistful of shaggy hair yanking the man’s head back, his eyes on the ceiling as Xerxez’s right arm was fixated around the man’s waist, rooting him in place. It was a slightly awkward position to feed from, but Serafina will have a comfortable approach to the man’s neck, Xerxez’s way in on the other side of the neck.

“Dinner is served.” He said, trying to sound upbeat. As lips closed the distance, he could feel the heart beat in his exposed artery. Sharp canines punctured the soft flesh as the metallic taste of blood flooded his mouth. Immediately, euphoria washed over him. He pushed himself further into the man, hearing the faint sounds of the man’s useless protests. Blood pooled into his mouth as his crimson eyes ran black, his feeding becoming more aggressive. He felt Serafina’s tendrils of blonde hair brush his shoulder, the two shifting and fidgeting as they fed, bumping into each other felt like stolen touches. This hurt to feel. He continued to feed harder. Serafina moaned with pleasure, this hurt to hear. Even with the frenzy, the pain was still crushing. He repeated in his mind he would be what she needed him to be over and over again, until he almost believed himself. The two had shifted and contorted in a way where Serafina’s lips lie only a breath away from his.This hurt him to taste. This close, his body screamed in pain as he willed himself not to gather her into her arms. He could smell her, this close, and the man she was seeing. He smelt it all over the room, all over her. This crushed him to smell.

Finally accepting defeat, he let his sorrow at letting the only woman he had ever loved slip through his fingers flow through him. His feeding began to slow, his black eyes dulled to crimson. He no longer clawed and eagerly gripped at the man, but merely let the blood to pump into his mouth with a pained expression.. No longer feeling the drive to eat, but not wanting to be rude, he stood motionless waiting for Serafina to finish. Everything about her was an assault to his senses. It was perfect irony that this was his judgement, and Serafina herself was his punisher and punishment.

A large part of Serafina had been hoping that Xerxez would have opted for the pair to go out hunting rather than to have someone brought to her quarters. If they had been out in the wilds together, hunting their prey in that method, they would have been much more spaced out than they would be “dining in,” so to speak. With the openness of the wilds while they hunted, there would have been less of an opportunity for Serafina to make an incorrect move, less of a temptation to let herself fall into Xerxez’s arms as she had so many times before.

”It’s settled, then,” she said, forcing a smile. She sent a telepathic wave to one of her staff and within moments, their dinner had been delivered to the door. Upon opening the door, however, Serafina frowned. She had communicated that she wanted two humans delivered for them to feed upon – one for each of them. However, at the door, there was only one. For a moment she contemplated whether or not she should communicate back to her staff and have them send another one up, but she thought the better of it, deciding that she could restrain herself and hoping that Xerxez would be able to as well – though there was a part of her that really wouldn’t have minded if he didn’t. She just wasn’t ready to go down that path, not yet.

The man that had been delivered to be their dinner seemed to be terrified of her, and rightfully so – it was most likely overly apparent to the boy that he was going to be dead following this rendezvous. Serafina narrowed her eyes and smiled devilishly, advancing on the boy. He did not seem to like that, starting to back up from the position he had been left in, finding himself backing straight into the open and waiting arms of Xerxez, who gripped him in a sort of sadistic bear hug.

Within moments, the pair both had their fangs sunk into the man, draining him of his blood. Serafina felt almost as though it were the old times, felt hat rush spreading throughout her that she used to get when she fed with him. She hadn’t felt such a thing in so long that she had nearly forgotten what it felt like. She had become so engrossed in feeding that she had hardly noticed when Xerxez had slowed, only stopping herself when she could taste the death in the man’s blood.

She tossed him to the side when she was finished, assuming that Xerxez had tasted the end as well. In a heated moment of memory, she moved towards Xerxez with the ethereal speed that being a vaewolf granted her, her former lover now with his back pressed against a wall. Serafina pressed her body into his and inhaled deeply in a moment of sheer loss of control, her face coming within mere centimeters of his own, her eyes shut as she inhaled. However, as her face moved even nearer to his, she opened her eyes and saw the sheer look of despair on his face.

That look was enough to jar her back into reality, and she stepped back, a flush coming to her otherwise pale cheeks. ”Sorry,” she said hastily, wiping at a dribble of blood escaping the corner of her mouth, the back of her hand merely smearing it more than anything. ”The blood, I got… carried away I guess,” she said, quietly, turning her back and taking a few steps away, feeling the heat burning in her cheeks.

When she finally turned around, she could see the hollow expression on Xerxez’s face, and it pained her to see him like that. ”This… this hurt you, didn’t it? Feeding together?’ she asked him, frowning. Was this a moment of realization? Perhaps being around one another was not going to be a good idea after all… it seemed to pain Xerxez, and it was clear to Serafina that she was going to be no good at controlling herself. And then, Kebeche popped into her head, and she felt all the more guilty.

”It hurts me too, you know,” she said quietly. ”I don’t even know how to tell you how much it hurts me, but it does,” she continued, her voice quieting to naught but a whisper. Silence befell the room for a moment. ”I don’t know what to do,” she said, sounding utterly defeated. She walked to the table on the side of the room and sat down, feeling the bloody tears forming in the corner of her eyes. ”Do you?”

Xerxez’s was slammed against the wall with a muted thud. If it wasn’t for the break,, Xerxez would’ve ran his hands up and down Sera’s soft body, drinking in her scent. But he stood there, letting Serafina go through her motions. It was all the self control he had to not gather her in his arms and throw her in the bed inches away from them. He scrunched up his face in pain, only managing to mutter Sera’s pet name in rejection rather than pleasure. His hands fell to his sides, a defeated look on his face. With a deep sigh, he walked to the drained body on the floor and tore a small section of the shirt with no effort, making his way to the table where Sera sat. “Any pain that I feel is inconsequential to the pain I’d feel without you.” He breathed low. He took Sera’s hand in his, holding it gently, feeling the heat radiating off her skin. He took the improved cloth and dabbed at smeared blood on Sera’s hand.

“I do.” He said, giving her a smile, perhaps the first genuine smile he had given her tonight. “We start with small steps.” He leaned in, taking the cloth and wiping near the curve of her eyes, taking in the blood that was slowly pooling out. He brought his lips to her forehead, his large hand snaking around the back of her head for reassurance. “We don’t throw ourselves at each other at every opportunity.” He breathed, as he stepped back, glancing at the corpse on the floor. “Perhaps… dining together should be put on hold for the time being while readjust to being in each other's lives.” He said with a small pause. He brightened his smile and crouched down, his hands resting on her knees as he gave her a joking smile. “Honestly Sera. We’re not beasts.” He said with a small exhale through his nose. “We can control ourselves.” He says, speaking abastance to the goddess of desire.

He pushed himself up and sat next to her on the table as it moaned with the extra weight. He took Sera’s hand in his and gently kissed the top of it. “We’ll be alright, Sera.” He said with feeling. He dropped Sera’s hand and leaned onto her, resting his head on shoulder. “If it’s time you need, I’ll give it to you. If it's something else entirely, I’ll walk that road with you.” He let out a deep sigh and let the moment hang, content in the silence with Serafina. “For what it’s worth Sera, I did enjoy tonight, and I hope this isn’t the last.”