“Just a scratch. Nothing to worry about,” I said, my voice perfectly calm.
Clarence’s hand froze mid-air, suspicion in his eyes.
But I was no longer the naive human painter he’d turned five centuries ago. I had learned to hold a perfect smile through Coven political games, to survive with grace amidst blood and betrayal.
“I have a gift for you,” I said, changing the subject. From a hidden compartment, I retrieved an ornate obsidian box and slowly slid it toward him.
It was heavy. Inside was a crystal orb that held a memory of our first meeting: under a Christmas tree on a snowy night.
It was supposed to be his anniversary gift. But I had already smashed it to pieces.
Clarence took the box, a look of surprise on his face. “What’s the occasion?”
He didn’t open it, instead placing it on the table and reaching out to touch my face.
I took a step back, my smile never wavering. “You truly don’t remember, do you, Clarence? Today is the five-hundredth anniversary of our bonding.”
His expression froze, as if he’d been struck.
I saw the panic and guilt flash in his eyes.
“Gods, Molly, I…” he reached for me. “Coven business has been so demanding lately, I completely…”
“It’s fine,” I said, deftly sidestepping his touch, refusing to smell another woman on his skin. “I understand.”
“No, it’s not,” he insisted, grabbing my hand, his grip tight. “We have to celebrate. Let’s go to the place where I first turned you. You love the blood moon there, don’t you? We can dance under it, just like we used to.”
Used to? The last time we danced was a century ago. Back when he would still kiss my ear and tell me I was his forever.
Now, he couldn’t even remember our anniversary.
But I nodded. “Alright. That sounds lovely.”
To get away clean, I still had to play the part of the devoted, oblivious mate.
At 4 a.m., Clarence was speeding through the night in his vintage Bentley, the classical piece that had been playing on the street when we first met filling the car.
“I really am sorry I forgot,” he said, glancing at me. “You know how much I love you.”
I didn’t answer.
My hand was in the glove compartment, my fingers closing around a silk stocking.
I didn’t need to guess who it belonged to. Seraphina’s scent clung to it.
I put it back, pretending I’d felt nothing.
I had no interest in his meaningless excuses.
When we reached the cliffside overlook, a massive blood moon hung in the sky.
We stood in silence for a long time while Clarence tried to recreate the warmth of the past.
He hugged me from behind, pointing at the moon and whispering romantic nonsense.
Then his phone buzzed, a specific vibration pattern.
“Sorry, my love. Coven emergency. I have to take this.” He gave me a quick kiss on the forehead and vanished, reappearing at the far end of the cliff.
I quietly slipped back to the car, where Clarence kept his burner phone.
I found the chat log. The contact was saved as “Kitten Seraphina.”
Kitten Seraphina: I miss you, daddy… Can we try that new position and the new toys you mentioned tonight?
Clarence: Of course. Seems I didn’t quite fill you up last time.
Kitten Seraphina: You didn’t like it? I have other surprises planned. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.
Clarence: I look forward to your performance.
More messages flooded the screen, filled with filth and details for their next tryst.
They had a date for tonight. The Waldorf Astoria. He’d already booked the room.
When Clarence returned, he was once again the devoted mate.
“For a second, I couldn't feel your presence. It terrified me,” he said, reappearing beside me and taking my hand. “I thought you’d left me.”
My stomach churned.
A powerful wave of nausea washed over me.
“Molly, are you alright?” Clarence asked, his face a mask of concern. “You look pale.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. The lewd videos, the stocking reeking of another woman, his hypocritical concern.
It all made me physically sick.
I shoved the car door open and stumbled out, heaving violently into the bushes by the road.
The blood in my stomach came up, as if I was trying to purge the last five hundred years of my life.
“Molly!” Clarence cried, rushing after me. “What’s wrong?”
I knelt on the ground, still retching, tears mixing with the bile streaming from my mouth.
