Page 26 of Stolen By Dragons

“And this bloodlust… how bad is it?” she said, hesitating as her brow furrowed with unease.

“It makes them go rabid. Some believe zombie lore stemmed from vampires in a bloodlust state. They can’t just feed normally, they tear their victims apart, needing the blood so immensely that they can’t even slow down to drink it properly. They go into a frenzy, killing and mutilating until they’re quenched, which, considering how messy a bloodlust state is, can take quite a few bodies since so much blood is wasted in the ripping apart.”

“Holy…” Her eyes were wide as she imagined it, and I regretted going into so much detail.

“In saying that, vampires try very hard to keep their existence quiet, so bloodlust frenzies are almost unheard of. The few rare times it happens, the supernatural Council covers it up. Amazing what can be done when all the supernatural beings come together to protect humanity from its darkest shadows,” I tried to assure her, but she appeared lost in thought for a moment.

She nodded, processing this information. Then, softly, she said, "Thank you for being so nice to me, Zephyr. For explaining all this."

I smiled at her. "I like our little group of misfits. And helping you understand is nice, seeing the wonder you have for everything.”

“It is extraordinary.” Aria cocked an eyebrow. “Why do you keep calling us misfits?”

I explained, "We all seem to be different from those of our kind. You're a lone human, Chris doesn't mesh with the other werewolves, and Lydia's a gothic shifter."

She chuckled. "What about you? How are you a misfit?"

I hesitated, the warmth of our conversation suddenly cooling. "I'm... well, let's just say I'm not exactly in good standing with my court."

Her curiosity was evident, but she didn't push. Instead, she waited patiently for me to continue.

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "There's a fae here from my kingdom. I recognized him earlier, and... well, it seems he's shared the story of my falling out with the court. Now, even in this new world, I'm shunned by my own kind."

Aria's face fell. "Oh, Zephyr, I'm so sorry. That’s terrible.”

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant despite the ache in my chest. "It's not ideal, but I'm used to being on the outside. The politics of the fae courts are frustrating sometimes.”

"Still," Aria said softly, reaching out to place a hand on my arm. Her touch was oddly welcome, the gentle warmth of her hand making a tingle course down my arm. "It's not fair. You don't deserve to be isolated like that."

Her kindness, so freely given, caught me off guard. Among the fae, such open empathy was rare. It was one of the things that had always drawn me to humans, their capacity for genuine compassion. Fae were all high and mighty, thinking of themselves as above many of the other races, especially humans. I found humans quite fascinating and tenacious.

"Thank you," I said, managing a small smile. "I suppose that's why I like our little group of misfits. We understand what it's like to be different."

Aria nodded, a determined look crossing her face. "Well, court politics or not, you've got us now. And we stick together."

As we sat there in comfortable silence, I really took her in, the softness of her face, the way her eyes glanced around the room, always curious, the way her lips parted as she sighed.

For a human, she was quite attractive.

“Do you have someone waiting for you at home?” I asked, since no one had touched on it in all our conversations. Considering the closeness between her and Chris already, I had assumed not, but humans were unique, sometimes having multiple partners.

“No partner, if that’s what you mean, just my best friend and dad,” she answered as she let her gaze wander vacantly. “I hope they’re okay.”

“We’re the ones gearing up for a war, I’m sure they’re fine in the grand scheme of things,” I said with a scoff, although her face only dropped.

“Right,” she mumbled.

“Hey, at least we’re not alone. And we’ve got cool new skills,” I said in an attempt to lighten the situation. “Now you blend in with the supes with your new abilities.”

“Right, but only with the misfits,” she said with a wink, and I grinned.

Misfits we might be, but together, we were starting to feel like an odd little unit.

And in this strange new world, with all its dangers and uncertainties, that felt like something worth holding onto. Even if my own kind had turned their backs on me, I'd found acceptance among the most unlikely companions.

Perhaps being a misfit wasn't such a bad thing after all.

As the night wore on and the communal area slowly emptied, Aria and I continued to talk. She asked more about fae customs, and I found myself sharing stories of midsummer festivals and winter solstice celebrations. In return, she told me about human holidays - Christmas, Halloween, New Year's Eve, many of which I knew of, but it was nice to hear her take and family traditions. It was fascinating to see the parallels between our worlds, the ways in which all beings sought to mark the passage of time and celebrate life. Her love for Christmas and all the lights and festive cheer had me smiling, especially with how she lit up, telling me of how her family used to put lights up all over the house when she was a kid. Her expression had sobered when she said that had stopped after her mother passed, and I shifted the topic to something new.

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