“What do you want from me, Wulf?”
His large frame dwarfs the furniture around him.When I look at this man, I believe I can hear the roar of bloody battles as two sides clash.If there ever was a war, there is no doubt in my mind that this man would be a victor.No, he would bethevictor.
“Don’t be so fucking pedantic and predictable with your questions, cousin.You’re better than that.”
His words needle me.My fighting spirit rises.
“You abuse me in my dreams.You murder my aunt, your own mother.And now you have the gall to sit here and criticize the line of questioning I choose to take?!Fuck you!”
He smirks.“Iabusedyou?You loved it.And you would have continued to love it until that narrow world view of yours was twisted by Mr.Tran-Sylva-nia.”
I am momentarily sidetracked by the origin of Shadow’s surname.Sylva: Transylvania.Why didn’t I ever notice that before?But then I recognize the siren call of Wulf trying to gaslight me.Classic manipulative move.
Despite the loathing I feel, my curiosity gets the better of me.
“I thought Shadow’s roots are in the Arctic Circle?”
“Roots, yes.But he branched out.My father told me how the Seven would trek from place to place, trying to find the origins of the death cult uprising.Their search took them past the Ural mountains to the Carpathian mountains.That was where the Red Queen first rose to power.”
“She couldn’t have beenthatpowerful.I mean, Shadow’s brother took her out.”
Wulf can be really engaging when he wants to be.I have to focus not to be sucked into his story.
“Let’s not forget that the Queen transferred her powers to her chosen consorts by fucking and feeding on them first, before allowing them to feed on her.Why do you think she did that?”
“Because the warriors tasted good?”I have to shrug.Why is he telling me this?
Wulf’s upper lip curls with pity at my ignorance.
“It sealed their bond, Luna.Give and take.Push and pull.If the blood only goes one way, it seems unfair, no?”
Instinctively, I open my mouth to contradict him.But I stop before the words can come out.
Wulf grins like he can read my mind.“Yep.I’m saying you kinda have a one-way relationship with your lover, Luna.You modern women, you’re all about equality until you fall in love.You haven’t even paused to think about your future with Mr.Immortal Sylva, have you?”
Sitting up, Wulf leans closer, pronouncing the words carefully.“Sex is power, Luna, and you’ve given all of your power to the MC.”
He’s right… I think.
From the cradle to the grave, we are defined by our sex, the sex we want to have, and who we want to have it with.
And the minute we hand our monogamy and love over to the other person, it gives them control over us.
I think I must have blinked, because when I open my eyes again, Wulf is sitting next to me.I want to shrink away from him, I really do.But I am like a mouse hypnotized when it feels the shadow of a hawk blocking out the sun.
“Next question.”
“What’s an incubus?”Stressing my point, I gesture over to the phone in Wulf’s hand.“I mean, tell me something I can’t find online.”
“You mean besides being a male demon who enjoys having sex with mortal women?The ghoul that medieval folk invented as an excuse for nocturnal orgasms?”
Huffing, I cross my arms.“Yes, besides that.What is your end objective here, Wulf?”A big question pops up in my mind.“And what is your genetic makeup?I mean, are your chromosomes human?Or something else?”
He gives me an intense look.“Of course, my genetic structure is the same as any other human male.That’s not what the Red Queen’s blood changed in the First Seven.”
I get the feeling that Wulf craves having a normal intelligent conversation with me.Here I am, calmly sitting next to a murderous half-human and chatting about biology.
“Telomeres are the protective end of the chromosome.As we age and the cells in our body continue to divide, the telomeres get shorter and shorter.This is what causes us to age.”Lifting his finger, Wulf touches the shallow wrinkles at the side of my eyes.“And then we die.”
