They first met five years ago when she was chased by relentless debt collectors. She thanked him, about to go her own way when he suggested a deal all of a sudden. The devil's temptation was the only word she could use to describe how luring his words were. She didn't trust him, therefore, she successfully resisted his first attempt.
His second and third endeavors escalated from baiting her to threatening the safety of her friends. Trapped with no way out, she complied with his demands. After her debt was paid off, Callisto hastened the wedding preparations, leaving the wedding simple and convenient for a small number of guests.
At the end of their wedding vows, a twenty year old Velda was panicking about their first night. She dressed neatly, making sure not to appear fearful of him. Fortunately, seeing he was dressed in formal attire, he was of the same mind and handed her a file that contained the marriage contract. All it required were her additional conditions and personal signature to take effect. She was ashamed for a second that she thought a wealthy, handsome man like him would ever be interested in a scrawny brat like her.
She set her briefcase aside on the table. She went onto her subscribed channels and swiped at Youtube shorts to prevent her mind from thinking about her husband again. Before going to sleep, she cut her wrist slightly, pressing around the slash to gush out more blood into the glass tubes. After filling about 40 small tubes, she was reaching her limit. The wound finally regenerated and closed off the hemorrhage from trickling down, not leaving traces of a scar.
The company, Ford Webster, she worked for was 40 minutes far away from the condo they were living in, therefore, she had to wake up at six-thirty every morning from Monday to Friday in order to arrive early and finish work early to spend more time with Callisto. She made sure to be respectful and familiar with several colleagues superficially so that they could guide her in an unfamiliar section of work such as accounting, filing records and analyzing data for making predictions in the marketing area.
As she was about to drive home, her best friend phoned her. She picked up the call. "What's up, Lisa? You usually don't call me first."
"I have something important to discuss with you."
Lisa was a close friend she had known for 7 years. 2 years before her marriage to Callisto, they were acquainted from attending the same university and participated in several successful group projects. When Velda learnt Lisa was Callisto's sister, she welcomed her with open arms. They spent so much time together that gradually, Lisa regarded Velda as a trustworthy confidant and a close friend whom she can safely divulge her personal circumstances to.
From Lisa's drunken prattle, she learnt vampire nobles required children to secretly fight for the acknowledged status of successor. However, Lisa willingly gave up her position as the heiress to Callisto and spent her days traveling with her husband. In addition, Lisa had already known about the marriage contract and always looked out for them.
Velda believed she would never do anything to harm the two because even before Callisto introduced the two, the two were close and knew each other's personality inside out. Lisa was someone who would never joke about significant matters she promised to let Velda in about. "Okay, I will come. Where are you?"
"I am at the cafe near the university." She hung up and drove to the place, only 10 minutes away from the condo.
The coffee shop had an retro atmosphere, whereas, the glass tables and the metal chairs gave off a modern vibe. Despite a chaos of nature and contrast in theme, it was surprisingly melodious and was brimming with regular customers, who came for the appetizing desserts and coffee set. Velda looked around for a moment before spotting her best friend, sipping mocha in the top right corner of the shop. Sitting there, Velda was reminded of Callisto's mother, who tends to caress the cup's handle, before taking in another sip.
Callisto's father was somewhat stricter to people around him, nonetheless, she could see with his actions that he was very affectionate towards his family. For instance, the tone he uses with his family during conversations were gentle, he showered them with gifts on their birthdays and he always took his family on a trip together whenever they weren't busy. Regardless of how Velda sometimes felt left out, Callisto's father, Zephyr von Wagner, eventually treated her as his own blood daughter when he learnt of the marriage contract. Perhaps he felt pity for her.
Callisto's family didn't pressure her as soon as Callisto brought up the subject of marriage instead reprimanded their son for bringing such a beautiful wife back home. Zephyr occasionally came to the condo to gossip with her behind Callisto's back, while Zephyr's wife, Dana Vaughn Crawford, always brought albums of Callisto, mostly disclosing Callisto's past. Nonetheless, she appreciated them for making her feel as if she was part of this family, rewriting the bad memories she wanted to forget about being an orphan.
"Lisa!" She rushed over, sitting beside her. "What business are you on about today?"
"I think....," Lisa seemed to have made up her mind about something she was hesitating to tell her. "You should divorce Callisto."
Velda's merry attitude vanished, and she was visibly shook, dumbfounded. Seeing how earnest Lisa looked, she took this time to collect herself. Her best friend was someone who wouldn't suggest this out of nowhere. She lowered her head in order to not show Lisa this wretched expression. She pursed her lips, to prevent the tears from falling out of her eyes. "Why?" Her voice quivered despite her determination to not sound so fragile. She grasped the hem of her skirt tightly. "Is it because of my identity?"
"You are half werewolf, half human. A half blood hunter with unknown abilities. You can harm or help anyone according to your will."
"Callisto surely figured out my identity at first glance. Besides, I have never once harmed Callisto, have I? On the contrary, he could regenerate his wounds faster due to my blood. The problem isn't Callisto, rather the vampire nobles. Aren't I right?"
Lisa reached out and set down her hands on top of Velda's. "You should get away from him for your own safety. This side of the world is too dangerous when you haven't even learnt how to control your own powers yet."
Velda knew her best friend was saying this for her own good. A trickle of tears dripped onto her skirt. Lisa sighed, aware that her sharp words struck deeply into Velda's heart. "Listen, it's not only for your safety but also my brother's. You have no idea how many assassinations my brother has recently faced this month."
Lisa sniffled. "Because of me?"
"What do you think? Those vampires found out your identity through the recent growth in my brother's powers, and the fragrant scent of blood coming from him. Their end goal is you. My brother has fought against them for a long time to prevent any harm from reaching you. This is the only reason why you can walk outside and drive safely at night. Half a year has passed, yet none of them have ceased the dispute over your blood."
Lisa was sure Velda would understand. To vampires, blood tasted horrendous but it was essential for their development. This appalling aftertaste would forever accompany their meals unless the vampires found a blood servant, whose rich blood was succulent and could satisfy their cravings. A few powerful vampires, who persisted with their meals, learnt to relish it. They achieved a powerful mentality and stronger powers than those who gave up in the early stages.
Most vampires, who couldn't find their blood servants, would go insane from hallucinations and kill themselves depending on how dreadful the nightmares were every night. Ironically, their only solution was to remain resilient, find a blood servant or a hunter willing to donate them blood. Because the chances of finding a compatible blood servant was unbelievably low, vampires believed hunter's blood to be the better option.
After the vampires learnt the hunter's blood contained special buffs, it was essentially sought after by every one of them. The only problem was that hunter's blood is rare to obtain as almost all hunters were on the side of the government. Although they didn't ban hunters from giving out blood to the vampires, the officials surely wouldn't like their side to grow stronger. Vampires were left either to suffer or persevere against their thirst for blood.
His gaping injuries last night must have been her fault. She should have known there was no way he could have been harmed by those puny werewolves. "The solution is to stop providing him blood or give out blood to other vampires. The first choice will lead me to break the terms of the marriage contract and the latter will drain my energy sooner or later."
Lisa apologized for not having done any better. "I tried searching for other ways and even asked those old fogies discreetly if they could wait until I could find hunters willing to donate them blood. They seemed to have concurred to a deal with me on the surface, however, many clans kept sending people out for you."
"Why me? They could kidnap a lot of hunters out there, couldn't they? Why?" Lisa patted her shoulder a couple of times to comfort her. "Why must it be me?"
"Those freelance hunters blend into the society so well that the nobles weren't making any progress in their investigation of discovering hunters. It was advantageous for the freelance hunters that the vampires and the werewolves weren't able to make a move on the citizens because this would make them an enemy of the government."
"They are trying to kidnap me because I am the only hunter near their vicinity? They aren't noble beings but bloodthirsty monsters." She blathered complaints about a vampire in front of one. "By the way, does the blood of normal humans taste that terrible?" Her mood switched quickly.
Lisa teased her. "Do you want to lend me your neck?"
"No, I don't." Velda covered her neck hastily. "I know you were teasing me, but I won't allow anybody to come near this area."
"You sure?" She leaned forward, whispering. "Even if it's my brother?"
Velda replied calmly. "Callisto?" She almost snickered. "He would never do that. You know how much he hates unnecessarily having to touch other people."
"Tch!" Lisa clicked her tongue. "You are no longer any fun to tease."
"I have lived with your brother for years. Do you know how hard I had to scheme in order to let his guard down and trust me? Anyways, answer my question. I know you have a blood servant, who always complies with your commands, but how was life before?"
"Trust me, you don't want to live through it." Lisa looked out the window as if she was suddenly reminiscing. "When vampires are young, all they can eat is blood. The first thing I tasted since the start of birth was bitterness. No other flavors could be perceived because our bodies were still not developed enough to eat food. Five years after I endured this bitterness, I was served a birthday feast. I immediately dug in. The smell it gave off wasn't as horrible as the blood I had tasted before and it was certainly more delicious than bitterness. For me, that day was the most joyous day ever since I was born. The bliss of being alive washed over me. I prayed to god in appreciation because I was freed from the never ending curse."
Velda thought Lisa added a non-existent fact into her claims. "Are you joking with me?" She couldn't imagine Lisa praying solemnly to god.
"What!? All I said was the truth." Lisa shrugged.
Velda argued back. "Didn't you say you were an atheist?"
"I only grew up to be one when I faced misery and hardships as I grew up to be an adult."
"I am curious. By 'adult', exactly how many years are you talking about?"
"Not much, just 50 years?"
Velda sighed. "Mortals start to feel signs of fatigue and their bodies breaking down at the age of 30. 50 years? They will be all skin and bones."
"Then..."
"Callisto is aware of his age...in human terms. He always talked in the perspective of a human, strangely never a vampire."
"Speaking of delicate humans, when we were young, you may not believe me but Callisto had a weaker constitution than me."
"I trust you. You would never kid around matters involving Callisto. You resemble Mrs. Dana in the way you express affection freely with everyone except Callisto. I know you are fond of him."
"I ain't." She was clearly agitated. "I just feel guilty and awkward to be near him when I wasn't there by his side to help him in his hardest time. I believe my mother is the same. She felt responsible because she was the one who ordered him to be locked up in the room. She believed she was the one who caused that incident to happen and should be punished for it. Fortunately, their relationship was repaired before it was too late."
To lighten the atmosphere, Velda blurted out. "Callisto resembles Mr. Zephyr more." Lisa smiled, concurring. "True. I still find it inconceivable how he had to cope up with pungent blood for a few decades before he could consume human food. Though his condition seemed better than before, human food didn't soothe his appetite. Instead, it made him long for something more."
"I heard about it. He told me that whenever he ate human food, an instinct urging him to devour someone surged. He dashed towards anyone for blood, which could appease his madness for a bit. The vengeful retainers, who were victims of this impulse, probably thought he had fallen out of favor and didn't bring him any food, only blood. Back then, I remember he told me he had a relatively smaller frame. With decreasing portions of regular meals, he was growing weaker, preventing him from fighting back against the servants."
"If he told you this much, I guess he wholeheartedly trusts you." Her voice trembled. "I only heard about the abuse when I returned from studying abroad. Apparently, it was solved before I could intervene. The servants were already dismissed from their position before I could punish them severely for harming my brother. I couldn't do anything. I hated how I was always the last to know important matters in the house."
It was rare to see Lisa willingly vent out her personal feelings. Thinking back, in university, Lisa never complained about how her friends bullied her, how her projects which she spent lots of time into were ruined by the seniors, or deep down, how lonely she was without a companion. Velda only got to hear this when Lisa was on the verge of breaking down. She realized Lisa was only putting on a tough front because she didn't want anyone to see the fragility she hid within. To reveal her vulnerable side, just because Velda mentioned Callisto's past, anyone could see the immense love and concern she held for her brother.
"But, Lisa, if you value your brother this much, why are you hiding the truth from me?" Velda's tone changed, demanding an explanation. "Knowing those vampires, I don't think they would only target me for my blood. You are hiding something from me."
Velda's eyes were staring into the depths of her soul, as if slowly laying bare everything she hid. Sweat trickled down her hands, her heart palpitated rapidly, she could sense an aching sensation expanding from her chest. Was this one of her abilities as a hunter? Discerning her readiness to give her a reply, Velda lifted the spell off her, smiling calmly as if nothing had happened.
Lisa gasped for breath, before responding. "You didn't hear any of this because Callisto told us not to tell you. The nobles rejected the official status of your marriage when they uncovered your identity as a hunter. Callisto argued that their objections weren't valid because you guys had already been married for 2 years, in addition, you agreed to this marriage of your own volition."
"Even if Callisto put forward a reasonable justification, they wouldn't let it go that easily. What else did they tell him?"
"The nobles gave up on persuading him to divorce you. Instead, they advised him to choose at least one of their daughters as a concubine to form a marriage alliance or else he would lose his dignity as a vampire."
"Rather than a suggestion, it would be more suitable to call it 'threaten'." Velda corrected her. "He was dissatisfied by the fact that a bunch of old rogues were asking him to marry their three hundred year old daughters."
Lisa resumed. "My brother accepted the deal on the condition that one of them could beat him in three rounds. The young vampire nobles, who recently inherited their position, stayed out of the fight, not to offend Callisto. The elders thought that they could teach my little brother a lesson, but none of their attacks worked on him because of Callisto's rapid regeneration speed. The young nobles knew it wasn't Callisto's power from detection of an unusual aroma, so they pressured him slightly for answers."
"Callisto is very good at lying. But, they must have investigated him because they weren't fully convinced. What happened afterwards?"
"Rumors that he consumed hunter's blood spread widely throughout the vampire community."
"Woah, that's such an underhanded trick."
"Apparently their goal was to unleash hatred of vampires who still hadn't found a solution to their suffering upon my little brother."
"Wait." Velda stopped her to gather her thoughts. "There are three factions, split between the nobles." She counted with her fingers. " One is the neutral side, the second division are the young nobles who are aiming for my blood, and last but not least the elders who want to kill Callisto and me for different reasons."
Lisa sympathized. "Told you. You have many enemies you should watch out for."
She considered whether the nobles would leave Callisto alone, if she divorced him. There's a 20% chance they wouldn't. She should set up some precautions. "Give me the marriage contract and the documents necessary for me to fill out right now."
"Here." Lisa handed her the documents, kept in her bag. "Even if you tear this one, I have another copy so don't you dare think about it."
Velda understood this was Lisa's indirect way of care for her. "I know, but I will need to take it back home for Callisto's signature. I will send you my conditions for this deal later in the chat. You will have to compensate me a lot for this." She uttered, as she finished the last curve in her signature. Placing the papers into her briefcase, she took her leave. "See you later, Lisa."
Lisa was astonished by how composed Velda was. If she were asked to be divorced by a friend whose brother is her husband, she would have been enraged. But, Velda's situation was evidently more complicated than a normal soap opera humans portray in dramas. Then again, she wouldn't have chosen Velda as her best friend if she wasn't strong in character, quite the opposite of her weak self.