34: Saga
1083 Words
Felix Tallberg - devastatingly good looking, charismatic, funny, intelligent, the lead singer of a band Robin played with on a frequent enough basis that we were on first-name terms, and, regrettably, human.
Felix had learned about werewolves, because he realized there was something different about me and my brother and refused to let it drop; he feared us, and respected us, and he desperately wanted to be transformed into a wolf himself one day.
He was one of the few people Robin counted as a true friend, and the only human I would gladly open an unsolicited picture message from.
‘Ciao’
The only word accompanying a picture of Felix posing next to an Ancient Roman mosaic depicting a wolf.
Robin must have told him we were in Rome.
‘Thinking of me?’ I responded a few minutes later.
Sent, received, read - all in an instant. He was still in love with me, then.
He started typing a response immediately, and I watched the little dots bouncing impatiently at the foot of the screen for ages before he finally sent the message.
‘Always.’
A single word, because he was trying to seem aloof. I smiled to myself and tried to decide how I should respond.
Felix hadn’t invited me to meet him, but I assumed that was why he had sent the message, and I needed a distraction.
I phoned him - he picked up immediately and tried to sound casual as he told me exactly where the band was going to be playing and how he had already added my name to the guest list if I wanted to go.
As if a night in a crowded bar filled with people who didn’t respect me would be an enjoyable experience.
“Sounds good,” I lied.
He asked me to pass the message on to Robin, and I promised I would try to get him to join us.
I didn’t expect my brother to agree; I wasn’t counting on him worrying about me going to the city alone, and I almost told him I had changed my mind when I realized that Caius would be completely alone if we all went to the concert without him.
As if that mattered when he hadn’t left his room since I rejected him, anyway...as if I wasn’t regretting that...as if spending the night in Rome would make it easier to ignore how difficult it was going to be for Caius when the rest of us needed to go home, soon…
“You look beautiful,” Caius smiled weakly when I hovered awkwardly in the door to his room.
“I know.” I raised one of my eyebrows. “Do you think this is for your benefit?”
“I don’t...” he raised his hands defensively and sighed. “Are you here for a reason, Canicula?”
“We’re going to the city tonight - you’ll have the place to yourself.”
“Oh?”
“I don’t know why I’m telling you this, I guess -“
“-you just wanted to see me?” he smiled sardonically, and I blushed.
“I thought you should know. You haven’t been left alone since I found you, Caius.”
“I’m sure I’ll cope. I don’t think Aurelia should be going out to the city in her condition, but I will refrain from saying anything to her about that, and I’m sure things are different now.”
“She is in good hands. Robin isn’t going to let anybody hurt her.”
“People seldom lead their loved ones into danger knowingly, little one.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Caius, I know Aurelia is your daughter, but-”
“-I can’t tell you how badly I wanted that girl...how it felt when we realized Talia was finally pregnant after so many years...” Caius trailed off awkwardly.
“What are you trying to say?”
“She’s my baby girl, Saga. I will die for her. Can your brother say the same?”
“Yes,” I said firmly. “He is not going to let anything happen to her, or the baby. I wish you would stop underestimating my brother; he loves Aurelia.”
Caius nodded. “He certainly seems to. Take care of yourself, little she-wolf. I hope you have a wonderful evening. Whoever you have made such a spectacular effort for is very lucky.”
My chest tightened, and I swallowed a lump in my throat.
I hadn’t technically gone to his room to make him jealous, but he didn’t seem at all bothered by the idea of me replacing him and he had apparently moved on already.
“What makes you think I made an effort to impress a man?”
“Experience,” Caius laughed.
“Well, it certainly isn’t for your benefit.”
“I know.”
He knew - he just didn’t care.
“I won’t let anything happen to Aurelia tonight; perhaps you trust me more than my brother?”
“Do you want me to argue with you? Is that what this is about? Of course, I trust you. I trust Robin, too. Perhaps one day you will understand that my concerns for Aurelia are in no way a reflection of you or your brother. I hope you all have a wonderful time, and that one day I can join you rather than hiding in my room alone like a coward. In the meantime, I am sure you will have fun together.”
My phone buzzed impatiently in my little silver bag, and Caius looked at it with obvious discomfort; he understood the value in it, and he appreciated the fact I could always look up a word if something was difficult to communicate, but it still made him feel uneasy and the sound of it bothered him.
I already knew it was Felix trying to get hold of me, and I didn’t want to answer in front of Caius. He didn’t need to hear me making flirtatious small talk with an admittedly gorgeous human man.
“I have to go,” I muttered awkwardly. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Caius said quietly. “I know you have your own life, Saga. You are not a prisoner here.”
“But you are.”
Caius shook his head. “I am a prisoner of my own mind - my inability to adapt is nobody else’s fault.”
- Writer
