shifted.

“You stressed out from ambushing strangers in book stores?” Callum turned to her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk as he took a drink from his almost empty glass.

“How many have you had to deal with? You should let the bouncers know and get them kicked out.”

“I wouldn’t call not having a shirt on nudity but okay.” Watching the woman pinch the bridge of her nose, Callum was reminded of his mother, it was an action she’d done while him and his siblings were growing up whenever any of them had annoyed her. “But thanks for the tip.” He rocked back from his heels to the balls of his feet, hoping the woman would decide to leave soon as he didn’t particularly enjoy her company. “And why is that exactly?”

“You’re a very sensitive thing aren’t you?” Raising her eyebrows towards him, she could smell his abilities on him. He was right to have his guard up, Serafina was extremely dangerous and it was thrilling to her. “Hmm.” She peered up at him, nodding. “Interesting…” She commented to herself whilst walking past him. “I wasn’t going to eat you, you’re not my type.”

“I don’t know if I’d call it sensitive...” Callum’s eyes narrowed slightly, his body tensing up slightly as she moved closer to him. “Sure, if that’s the word you want to use.” He let out a slightly annoyed sigh as he leaned his back up against a near tree. “Good to know, I guess.”

Bumping her shoulder against his, she pulled a look of faux annoyance before leading the way out of the bookstore. The day outside was still bitterly cold but at least the sun was out. Beleaf was only around the corner so she walked at an ambling pace, making sure he was alongside her. “So what did you settle on in the end ??” The brunette asked, gesturing towards his carrier bag.

Callum chuckled as he bumped his shoulder back against hers, following her out of the bookstore and back into the frigid Rhode Island air. He couldn’t wait for spring to come, he hated the bitter cold of the winter, it made it exponentially more difficult to find a place to shift, especially since getting naked in the cold was not one of his favorite activities. “Oh, you know... the new 50 Shades book from the guy’s perspective and then I figured while I was at it I’d finally read that Twilight series.” He grinned slightly, matching her ambling pace as he glanced around the street. “Nah, I just picked up a few new releases that sounded good. Nothing worth noting, at least not yet.”

Kennedy laughed softly against his lips as she pressed hers against them once more, the words alone filling her with a light that she had thought she’d lost. Thumbs ran over the slight scruff on his cheeks while she closed her eyes and the brunette pressed her body into his. “I love you too, Callum. I never stopped, I just…it scares me. So many people have said those words and just ended up leaving and I don’t if I can handle that if it happened with you. So I decided to be the one to walk away.” 

Callum’s lips curled into a smile at the sound of her laugh, it’d been six months since he’d heard it and it was literally music to his ears. Her laugh had always been one of his favorite sounds, and it was one of the things he missed most about her when she left. “I would never leave you, Kennedy.” His smiled mellowed out, shifting from one of glee to one of warmth and comfort. “It killed me when you left and even more so that you wouldn’t give me a reason as to why. But I’ll never stop loving you, Kennedy. I can promise you that.” 

After her loud outburst, Rina was just going to take a sip of her coffee when she heard the man at the table next to her speak. Raising her eyebrows as she looked over the mug of cofee, she shook her head as she swallowed. “No, well, yes, I’m perfectly alright.” A small voice in her head was telling her to let the man be, but she had to continue. “But! I’m not the main concern here. Have you seen, uh, The Big Short? That movie all about the financial crisis in ‘08?”

Callum’s eyebrows raised as the woman began to speak, out of everything he could have guessed the opinion on a film about a financial crisis from years ago wasn’t anything he could or would have assumed, so to say he was taken aback would be completely appropriate. “Oh, uh...” He stumbled over his words before letting out a soft laugh, “No. I haven’t seen it, actually.”

A sigh of relief left his lips as Alexis stepped into his line of sight. “Hey, it’s no problem. I was just getting ready to uh, go flying actually.” He let out a light chuckle as he brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck before remembering that he was shirtless and grabbing his shirt and pulling it on over his head. “Sorry about that, though. What’s up?”

“Shouldn’t and wouldn’t are two very different things. Where else am I supposed to do it?” She winked towards the male. “Aren’t I allowed to try to enjoy the view? I mean, I’ve seen better physiques in my years, don’t consider yourself as special. I can appreciate, though.”

“You’re supposed to not sneak up on people in the woods.” His voice was flat as he pulled on his coat, eyes never leaving the woman as he didn’t trust her. He knew she dangerous, so being alone with her so far away from other people was a little unnerving. “It wasn’t exactly supposed to be a view so...” He trailed off as he shoved his hands into his pockets, his shoulders raising and then falling in a shrug. “And since the view is gone you can go ahead and be on your way.”

Slowly her hands worked across the fresh herbs Aradia had found, pulling them loose from the soil as she murmured soft words under her breath. She liked to use ingredients she’d picked on her own for spell work at times and so she had come to gather some that day. She didn’t really expect anyone else to be out there so she froze when she heard the voice. “Uhh a person who can’t even see you,” Aradia called in answered as she took a few more steps and looked around. Finally she saw a flash of blue and rounded a large tree before seeing the man there. “Oh. Sorry,” she murmured her eyes flicking to the ground as she noticed he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

Turning towards the voice, Callum waited until the woman came into view and he let out an audible sigh of relief as the witch came into view, he was happy it wasn’t a stranger and relieved it wasn’t a hunter that had come snooping. “It’s alright, my fault really.” He smiled warmly as he pulled his shirt back on, “You can look now.”

“You can ask all you want but I’m sorry, I’m not so inclined to share.” Shaking his head, Callum shoved his hands into his pockets as he shifted his weight from one foot to another, unable to help the uneasy feeling that crept up in his gut. He didn’t like when people came asking too many questions about himself, especially strangers. “I think I’ll be alright, thanks for the concern I guess.” He brought a hand up out of his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck. “I would say it’s a pleasure but if I’m being honest it hasn’t exactly been all peaches and cream so far... but I’m Callum.”

“I can’t believe it!” Rina exclaimed as she sat back in the chair at the coffee shop whose free Wi-Fi she was taking advantage of. She didn’t even realize if she might’ve been interrupting someone else’s quiet time. “Dozens of photos, and people claim no evidence.”

Sitting in the corner of the cafe, Callum was nursing a large cup of coffee and had been lost in a book for about an hour now. But his concentration was quickly broken by the exclamation coming from the table next to him. “Uh, everything alright over there?” He asked as he peered over the top of the novel.

His touch continued to calm her more and more, Kennedy closing her eyes so she could memorize each movement of his fingers against her body. Not only the circles he was continuing against her spine but the way he gently caressed her jaw, the closeness of his body against hers, it was all so overwhelming and yet she felt more at home than she had in a long time. This man was her home…something that scared her more than anything ever had before. His words washed over her, her eyes snapping open so she could gaze into his own, and Kennedy brought her hands up to cup his face. 

Continuing to rub the circles into her back slowly, Callum couldn’t help but to feel like this was old times. Any time things with her family or in school had gotten too stressful for Kennedy, Callum had been there to hold her close and rub her back, reassure her that everything was going to be okay. And even though they weren’t together anymore he couldn’t help but to want to make everything better for her. He always would. And as he gazed into her eyes, he hoped that the combination of the words he’d just said and the eye contact would prove to her that he meant it. 

Shaking her head, a burst of laughter tumbled from her lips. “I’m having a little faith.” The brunette grinned, pulling on her jacket. Furrowing her brow, she nibbled on er lower lips as if she were struggling with the weight of the decision. “Oh wow. How much is riding on this ?? Do I get a second answer if it’s wrong the first time ??” She teased, before flashing him a wry smile. “Beleaf obviously. You can get a Starbucks anywhere, Beleaf is an OP one and only.” 

“How brave of you.” He smirked as he pulled on his own jacket before signing the receipt for his books and and picking up the bag from the cashier. “The entirety of our potential friendship is riding on this decision, so no pressure.” His smirk turned into a grin as she teased and he couldn’t help but to laugh. “Good. Now let’s go, I’m slipping into a caffeine withdrawl the longer you keep me here.”

It wasn’t hard for Serafina to catch a poor unfortunate Moroi off-guard, she had been in this state for a while and it seemed to get easier and easier. It would have been a shock to her parents if they had ever seen her like this, but the woman they knew had been long gone. She had been a caring individual, capable of love and so much more; but it had been a life of heartbreak and betrayal, that wasn’t a possibility as a Strigoi. Lurking in the shadows, the small blonde approached the male that seemed to be getting undressed. “You shouldn’t be flashing so much skin.” She nodded, wiping the blood away from her mouth. The blonde walked straight past him before turning to face him.

“And you shouldn’t be sneaking up on people in the woods.” Callum watched as the woman wiped blood from the corner of her lips as if it were extra gravy or pizza sauce, his brows furrowing slightly as she walked past him. He knew what she was immediately, if not only for the blood on her lips but by the red circles around her eyes. “Can I help you with something?”