“There are more of them now?” Evelyn asked.

“One is the Virgin goddesses, and according to you the most beautiful. Funny how she was known for having young women with her while on the hunt…”

There was a loose smile on Evelyn’s lips, and the glow in her eyes was back… As though waking up from a rather vivid dream…

“Are you looking for another notch on your bedpost?”

“I only-have eyes for you,” Evelyn countered.

“Do you know what happened to the Goddesses?” Clara said, while doing her best to ignore the horror building up in the background.

“Clara made no mention of them after the rescue… You?”

“It’s hard to describe,” Clara said. “I felt as though we got separated when I missed my mark… not a peep since.”

“Huh,” Evelyn said while keeping her eyes fixed on a point to Clara’s left. “You sound like you miss them.”

“We…” Clara began. “…reached an understanding. You even flirted with Artemis.”

Evelyn giggled to the point of tearing up. When the vampire recovered, she dabbed the corner of her eyes before speaking.

“Julia felt—feels that she owes you her life,” Evelyn said.

In Clara’s mind it was her that owed the werewolf something. Even if this reality proved that her choice to follow through with Evelyn’s plan was the right one, her guilt would not subside… You’d think this would help…

“She never owed me,” Clara said.

“Cl(ara)—My… Clara said that as well,” Evelyn replied. “If anything, werewolves are surprisingly stubborn… Either way she’s been an absolute gem. She even risked her life to recover your—you after the attack.”

In the background, the sounds of the lurking creature became more pronounced. Claws were now running along the walls, as though actively seeking a way out.

“Does she head out often?” Clara asked to take some weight from Evelyn’s shoulders.

“Every couple of days,” Evelyn said. “She’s not big on confinement.”

Werewolves rarely were. Those captured by The Tower ended up wasting away to nothing. Most died without divulging any information… they can barely be contained during a full-moon…

“I’m surprised she stuck around,” Clara said.

Evelyn’s smile faded for a fraction of a second. That was followed by glitch, where the vampire appeared to be facing in two directions at once.

“Julia felt—feels that she owes you her life,” Evelyn said.

“Putain!” Evelyn swore.

The vampire covered her mouth the moment those registered on Clara’s face. She may have been a whore in her distant past, but Clara experienced it more recently.

“Oh non—” Evelyn said, her eyes wide open and round.

“It’s fine,” Clara said. “You were just reacting and that’s okay. It wasn’t really me…. Entirely.”

“It doesn’t mean I can’t be sorry,” Evelyn countered. “It seems we both experienced firsthand the sting of that word.”

“Too true…”

This led to an awkward pause. They both looked at each other, smiled meekly and said the only thing that could not offend.