Maeve had been quite surprised by the fact that the lewd joy on the floor below was going strong despite what she had just witnessed. Luke (after kidnapping her from the supermarket) had had her tied up in a private room on the second floor of the popular club, Chevy Days, away from the more public, noisy first floor.
As Maeve, Aaron and Ryan, who lugged the unconscious Jake, moved into a cleaner room, Maeve had seen the inviting dance platform below made of sparkling cubes. Vivacious young men and women, some with drinks, some with butts and others with feet meant more for walking than dancing, populated the platform, having themselves a good time.
Maeve had never really liked this kind of fun in her freedom 'era'. She still very much enjoyed her own space.
That said, in light of how she had almost kicked the big one a few minutes ago, a restless desire to dive down and let loose like everyone else, had suddenly gripped her. She had quickly restrained it.
'I wouldn't have noticed anything shady happening either if I was having that much fun,' she had said to herself, feeling sullen. The thought that Tony had escaped, and through such a vibrant and loud crowd without even being noticed had made her skin crawl.
Now, as she sat on a clean black bean bag with round white spots in a room much less suggestive than the last, she felt even worse. Everything – the reality of it all – was hitting her worse and she didn't quite know how to react. Her body didn't know what sensation to flood her with; in the end, it opted to make her feel as though she'd just dived into a pool of iced water. She felt rather sodden, though only on the inside. It hardly made much more sense than it should have.
Aaron wore a smile that made his square face a touch like a hexagon.
"You don't do well with being cornered, do you?" he said.
Maeve suddenly turned fierce. Her sodden insides burned dry and she scowled.
"I don't think that's a trait exclusive to me. Oh, right, you're not that good with ladies – I recall – so I really shouldn't be too hard on you," she snapped, glaring at both Aaron who was seated on a chair opposite her and Ryan seated beside Jake on a couch a few meters away.
Ryan flared. Aaron sensed his fury at once. He raised a hand – a gesture enough to stop Ryan from barking.
"I see our little goodwill to your apartment back then isn't so easy to forget," Aaron said, wearing a slightly embarrassed smile. "I didn't think it'd leave that deep of a scar. I'm sorry."
Maeve chewed her teeth.
"Stop apologising," she muttered.
Aaron swallowed his next 'sorry'.
Maeve rubbed her neck and pushed her hair to the side. She groped, pulled, and twirled it around a finger. She didn't seem to know what to do with it. Aaron saw her shadowed green eyes turn glossy. He glanced at Ryan. His muscled partner – now cooled down by the sight of Maeve's turmoil – signalled for Aaron to comfort her.
Aaron shook his head.
He might have been a goose when it came to women, but he didn't think Maeve was the kind of girl who would appreciate being coddled, especially by a stranger, or even a loved one.
"I'm sorry."
Aaron was taken aback.
Maeve was looking at him, the faintest hint of pain on her face. She was trying so hard to hide it.
"And th-thank you. If you didn't show up, I really was going to di—" she stopped and Aaron saw her eyes bulge. "Thank you." She gave Ryan a glance too. By her standard, that was the same as running up to give each of them a hug, Aaron judged.
"You're welcome," he said with a smile that immediately grew sad. "But you really shouldn't be thanking US." He sighed. "Like I said before, we can't afford to ease you into all this anymore. I don't think you'd want to remain in the dark either."
Maeve rubbed her neck.
"Yeah," she said.
There was a pause. Aaron waited until she stopped caressing her reddened neck before continuing. He considered and then asked:
"What would you like to hear about first?"
"What?" Maeve asked, confused
"You have your own questions. I think it would help if I satisfied the things you're most curious about," he said softly.
Maeve considered. She almost hurried to say, "My parents," but she stopped herself. She didn't think she wanted to know that right now. What she wanted to know the most was…
"Why did those dickheads want to kill me?"
Aaron shifted slightly in his seat. His satin grey eyes shimmered and caught sight of the horror that flashed in Maeve's eyes as she asked the question.
"That's a bit uh…" he said, unsure how to express himself. "Your question is prompting me to answer most of the questions you likely have. Would you mind hearing a long, boring, borderline fantastical story?"
"That's probably what I need right now," Maeve said.
Aaron smiled. He began.
"Werewolves and vampires have always been at odds for one reason or the other. It's true in fairytales and even truer in reality – sadly enough. It was the same in Glendale too, until four decades ago. A werewolf, an esteemed Luna, and a vampire, a powerful Ordinate, were entranced by each other and sealed their lust, love or whatever it was that spun them together with a passionate night."
"The moon bore witness. Apparently, this pair didn't bother to hide it. They shared their passion openly, boldly. They must have though it was the ultimate expression of their love – and perhaps it was – but their union was taboo. The moon shunned them, nature shunned them, their own kin shunned them. Even the witches of the Old Coven and those of the New, joined in to rebuke them. And on a morbidly special day, they cursed the two – Luna and Ordinate – and banished all wolves and vampires from Glendale. We call this day, the Day of Moon and Blood."
Maeve frowned.
"Did you just say… witches?" she asked, shocked.
Aaron gave a soft chuckle.
"Yeah." Then he continued while secretly grinning at the look on Maeve's face. "The Day of Moon and Blood has been… an occasion a lot of us observe in some way shape or form. Those who had originally lived in Glendale, banished because of the infamous wolf and vampire pair, attempted to settle back here. They failed. They were either killed or swept away by the witches. Many wolves and vampires died over the years this way."
"On one particular Day of Moon and Blood, however, ten years after the original, when the witches of the Old Coven and the New gathered – their own form of observing the day – an alliance of wolves and vampires appealed to the witches, begging them to allow them to live in Glendale again. The witches, perhaps touched by their love for their home, and their commitment to even form a temporary alliance, agreed, but with several conditions."
As distracted as Maeve was because of the word 'witch', she noticed how Aaron seemed a bit sad when he got to this part.
"What conditions?" she asked when he took a sizable pause.
"In seven days, there is to be a set of trials – hefty ones," he said. "You are going to have to participate."