It’s Complicated

When Valentina first met Sophia, she was worried about her.

Ronan could be unruly and downright evil at times. But now, it was kind of fun to watch them bicker.

After getting over her initial awkwardness, Sophia had started to open up more, and she didn't seem afraid of Ronan at all.

Valentina asked her if she wanted to hang out after Matthew left to do some work. "Just us girls," she suggested.

Sophia's eyes lit up. "Sure, Val, I would love to. What do you want to do?" she asked.

Valentina smiled. At least Sophia seemed to like her. She wanted to make sure the girl wasn't completely miserable here. "We could have a girls' night. Do girly stuff like paint each other's nails and watch some sappy romance movies," she laughed.

"As long as the main character in the movie doesn't act like Ronan, I'm good with it," Sophia announced.

Valentina giggled. "You really can't stand Ronan, can you?"

"Are you seriously asking? Have you met your brother? He is awful," Sophia cried. "He has no heart."

"I'm sure there's a heart in there somewhere. Instead of fighting him, why don't you try to make him fall in love with you?" Valentina suggested.

"Why would I want to fall in love with that asshole?" Sophia pouted.

"Be honest, Sophia. Don't you see yourself with him at all? Don't you think he deserves love?" Valentina asked her seriously.

Sophia's eyes turned gentle. "I didn't say he didn't deserve love."

"You have a good heart, Sophia, and he needs somebody like that. Do you know why I think Ronan is so angry all the time? It's because he thinks no one will ever love him. I don't think he believes Matthew and I care about him either, even though we try to show him repeatedly. If you make him believe in love, he will change," Valentina said.

"Do you really think so?" Sophia asked quietly.

"I know I probably sound like a broken record, but if you feel anything for him…anything at all, it's worth a try," Valentina said, gently stroking her hair.

"It's just that…he makes me so angry!" Sophia groaned. "And what if he actually killed my dad and my sister? I couldn't forgive him for that."

Valentina grabbed her shoulders. "Ronan didn't kill your sister or your dad."

"How would you know that?" Sophia shook her head.

"Trust me. He would've bragged about it to us. If you think about it, he never admitted that he killed them. He keeps saying maybe or beats around the bush. He's trying to play you. He wants you to think he did it and make you hate him for it," Valentina told her.

"Ugh! Why is he so weird!" Sophia waved her hand in frustration.

"Who knows? He's always been insufferable, and none of us can fix it. So it's up to you now. The Moon Goddess has already decided it's your job to make him good," Valentina grinned.

"Whoever is in charge of the Moon Goddess needs to fire her immediately," Sophia said dryly.

"You're a funny girl, Sophia. I really like you," Valentina said.

Sophia smiled. "I like you too, Valentina. You're the best one out of all of them."

"Thank you," Valentina said, giving her a hug. "Come on, enough about Ronan. Let's find you a pretty dress for the festival. What's your favorite color?"

Sophia looked thoughtful for a moment. "Green is my favorite color."

"Great, we'll find you a pretty green dress that will complement your red hair," Valentina announced.

"What about you, Val? Who are you going to go with?" Sophia asked.

The question took Valentina by surprise. She hadn't even thought about it. She hadn't found her mate yet, even though she was already over eighteen. "I have no idea. I'm not really interested in anyone," she said.

"What about that guy with white hair?" Sophia chirped.

Valentina squinted. "Who are you talking about?"

"Well…not exactly white hair. More like silver blonde. He has gray eyes and a beautiful smile. He's almost too handsome," Sophia laughed.

Valentina laughed too as she realized Sophia was talking about Callan. "No way. I'm not letting him go near me," she shook her head.

Sophia looked at her in surprise. "Why? I thought you guys were best friends."

"We all grew up together, but I could never go with him as his date because my brothers don't trust him alone with me," Valentina told her.

"Don't trust him? How come?" Sophia looked curious.

"Well, it's complicated…" Valentina hesitated. She wasn't sure if she should explain what Callan was. What if it scared Sophia? Callan would become another name on her list of men to fear.

"Please tell me, what's wrong with Callan? He seems nice, and he's so good-looking. I thought you two looked like the perfect match," Sophia said.

Valentina winced. Her and Callan together? It was a recipe for disaster. "Okay, how much do you know about an incubus?"

"A what?" Sophia asked.

"An incubus is a demon from another world, and they feed off others' sexual energy," Valentina explained.

Sophia's eyes widened. "Are you saying…"

"To put it simply, when incubi get hungry, they prey upon sleeping women and have sex with them to have their fill. That's how they survive," Valentina said. "They even suck their life force to stay young and beautiful forever."

"But what does that have to do with Callan?" Sophia wondered.

Valentina smirked. "What do you think?"

Sophia gasped. "Don't tell me…Callan is a demon! I thought he was a werewolf."

"Well, he is a werewolf too. He's a hybrid, just like all of us. He's half incubus, half wolf, since his mother is a succubus. I should introduce you to her one day. She's really nice," Valentina told her.

"That's so crazy!" Sophia exclaimed. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to mate with a wolf who is half incubus?" she asked.

Heat rose in Valentina's stomach. She would be lying if she said she never thought about it.

There were times when Callan flirted with her, and it scared her because she thought he would come into her room and invade her in her sleep. He really could if he wanted to, but then she felt guilty for thinking about him that way. He was flirty, but not a complete pervert.

He only fed off women because he had no choice. His incubus side was stronger than his wolf side, so he had to gain energy that way. She knew he would never use her in her sleep because he respected her.

"N…no…I never thought of him like that. That's just weird. Besides, Ronan and Matthew would kill him if he ever did that to me. So would our father. And he's a nice guy too, so he would never do that against my will," Valentina told Sophia. "And I…I don't want to do it with him either."

"Well, in that case, maybe you should ask him to be your escort to the Spring Festival. There's no harm in that, right?" Sophia smiled.

Maybe, Valentina thought.

Maybe she didn't want to go alone for once, but Callan? She wasn't sure if spending that much time with him was a good idea. She had never been alone with him. Her brothers were always with them, hovering over her. What would they think if she showed up as his date?

"I'll think about it," Valentina said quietly.