Even the books he’d bought me, while great to have, were just the classics—vampire classics, mind you. When I’d mentioned a series of graphic novels by a seraph writer that I loved, he’d scrunched his nose in disgust and refused.
And what did I know about Victor, aside from his overwhelming need for control? I’d taken some of my phone time to research publicly available information on him, and while I knew it was all superficial, it certainly painted the picture of a man I would never have chosen for myself.
He enjoyed the opera and was a big supporter of the Noctis Symphony Orchestra, which, okay, was fine. I’d played the clarinet in school, so I had an appreciation for classical music. But I preferred pop for the most part, and Victor thought my favorite artist, Sirena Murphy, was vapid and talentless.
Oh, and apparently, he’d almost been good enough to qualify for the Midnight Polo League, and the team would allow him topractice with them sometimes, whereas I didn’t care at all about sports. He’d watch ironball games on his phone beside me in bed occasionally, and even as starved for entertainment as I was, I couldn’t be tempted to join him.
In almost every way aside from sex, which even then was more my body’s need for touch than from real chemistry with Victor, we didn’t make sense. Why would the gods have partnered us up?
I began my search anew that day, and a few pages in, found a sweet video someone had made for their parents’ fiftieth wedding anniversary, a couple who were mates. The werewolf woman and the merfolk man sat on a couch, his arm around her, as she rested comfortably by his side.
Their daughter was interviewing them.
“Tell us how you two met,” she started.
The man looked at his wife, his cheeks turning a little pink, the sparkle in his eye making him appear much younger than he probably was. “Let’s see… it was at the Hunter’s Moon festival in Fenmoor. I was driving through, and thought I might stop by to watch the shift. And then all of a sudden, this beautiful wolf with the prettiest gray coat I ever did see runs right up to me, and she just sat on my feet, and wouldn’t let me go all night. Finally, the sun rose, and when I saw her as a woman, our eyes locked, and…” he sighed, his expression soft. “Everything just sort of fell into place.”
“I knew right away as my wolf,” the wife added with a chuckle. “I caught his scent, and the drive to claim my mate brought me straight to him. You can sense these things better that way, but he didn’t realize until I’d shifted back.”
“What do you think connects two Magiks as mates?” the daughter continued.
The wife shrugged. “Some say the gods choose, while some scientists say it’s just a random phenomenon—something about gene diversity, that sort of thing.”
“But if you ask me,” the husband said, giving his wife a quick kiss on the crown of her head. “It’s a decision made by the heart. You just gotta know how to listen.”
The video ended, and I snorted a laugh, wiping the tear from my cheek. A decision made by the heart… what kraken shit. Because my heart wasn’t…
My heart wasn’t…
I broke out in a cold sweat.
My heart wasn’t mine.
26
The Heart of the Problem
There was no way for me to contact the hospital and ask who my donor was, but I remembered the basics—an omega witch woman, mid-twenties, who’d died in a car accident just a few days before my surgery.
I opened a new tab on the browser and immediately began to search for anything I could find on fatal car accidents from seven years ago. It thankfully didn’t take me long until I found her.
TRAGIC COLLISION CLAIMS LIFE OF LOCAL WITCH
ELMARIS – Authorities are investigating a fatal single-vehicle accident that claimed the life of 26-year-old Liora Talien, a witch resident of the Silverleaf district. The crash occurred on Rivermist Highway when Talien’s vehicle reportedly veered off the road and collided with a guardrail.
Emergency responders pronounced Talien dead at thescene. Police have not released details regarding the cause of the accident, though foul play is not currently suspected.
Talien, known for her work at the Elmaris Botanical Conservatory, was described by colleagues as “passionate about her community and endlessly curious about the natural world.” Friends and family remember her as kind-hearted and vibrant, with a love of music and theater.
A memorial service will be held…
But it was the picture that froze me, that would forever haunt me.
A young, petite woman, with platinum blonde hair and sun-kissed skin, wearing a gorgeous dress in front of the Orithiel Music Hall in Elmaris. The picture of health, glamour, and sophistication.
There was not a doubt in my mind that Liora was the one Victor had seen and scented at that parade.
That her heart now beat in my chest.
