(Katrina)
I turned to see who just materialized behind me and locked eyes with Rowen. I was in shock, I hadn’t seen him in years. I didn’t even know how many it had even been.
My heart ached at the sight of him, I don’t think I ever truly got over him, if I was being honest with myself. I didn’t even get a chance to stand up before he had me by my neck forcing my back into the nearest tree.
I know I should have been afraid, but I honestly didn’t think he would hurt me. He tightened his grip though, which surprised me. “This is all your fault, Katrina.” He snarled in my ear.
“What is? Rowen, you’re hurting me.” I cried. He released his grip a little on my neck, which helped, but I still didn’t understand why he was doing this. I don’t know what I did.
He reached down and grabbed the amulet I had given him all those years ago. I thought he was going to rip it off his neck, but he didn’t. He just released me from the tree.
“I’m sorry.” He mumbled, and I could hear the pain in his voice. My heart sank, I knew The Others had found him and from the looks of it, it didn’t end pretty.
I’m not sure why, but I didn’t move away from him. I reached up and grabbed my neck rubbing the area where his hand was and I looked up at him. I have never feared Rowen before, but I was terrified as we locked eyes.
My eyes were drawn to his neck where an upside down pentacle was displayed. This was the mark a Vampire had given him. But my heart sank when I realized it was black. The only time a Vampire’s mark goes black is when they have died.
Rowen took the amulet in his hand again. "The Others were looking for this. ‘I truly did love you, but that amulet was more important than my feelings.’ Those were the last things Ivy said to me before I ripped her heart out for her treachery." Rowen said.
My eyes widened in shock. Oh my god. I thought. “As you can see, I am in a very fragile state right now… So you’d better start fucking talking, doll." He growled, and then took a few steps back giving me some space.
I wasn’t even sure where to begin, but I realized at that moment that he wasn’t wrong. This was entirely my fault, everything he went through was entirely because of me.
How could I explain this? How could I even tell him what I had done? I also betrayed him, and if my punishment was to die for it, then I guess this is how I die.
“Rowen, I’m so sorry… I..” I started to say, but he stopped me with his hand up. “Do I look like I want excuses right now? Because I don’t, Katrina. I want answers. I want to know why I had to rip the heart out of my mate… My mate that I’ve had for 176 years… All because of a fucking necklace!” He shouted.
Rowen had never shouted at me before… He was in an anger induced craze and I honestly couldn’t blame him. I can’t even imagine having to be the one to take my mates life, I couldn’t do it. I can’t even fathom how he was able to do it.
I took a deep breath in. “Rowen, I need you to calm down so we can talk. I can explain. It won’t change anything and for that I'm sorry, but I need to feel safe with you.” I said calmly, hoping it would help calm him.
It didn’t. He closed the gap between us in an instant and grabbed my shoulders, preventing me from moving. “Give me one good reason why you shouldn’t be next?” He snarled.
“Because, I love you. I still love you, even after all these years.” I said, without hesitation. The anger in his eyes softened the tiniest bit and he relaxed his grip on my shoulders.
He then fell to his knees in front of me and put his head down. I thought he was crying, but he wasn’t, he was just sitting there. I sat down with him and took him into my arms. I half expected him to push away from me, but he didn’t. He laid in my lap with his arms around me and we sat there in silence for I don’t even know how long before he spoke.
“Leaving you was the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my entire life. Ivy was my saving grace. She was my assistant… I didn’t know it, but she was only there because she was working with The Others. She was trying to get close to me, in order to get close to you. Get close to a Keeper... They promised her immortality in exchange for her keeping an eye on the amulet until they were ready. When I brought it home, it was basically a godsend for her. She was able to watch it for them with ease.” He said, and then he stopped for a moment.
I was just running my hand through his hair listening to him talk. “I didn’t know about any of this. I fell in love with her. She helped me through a very dark time after I left you. I owed her everything. We were happy together. I came home from my coven meeting this afternoon and heard her conversing with someone, a man. Tall, dark hair, dark eyes. He wasn’t a Vampire, I don’t know what he was. He told her to get the amulet and not make him come back to my house for a second time.” He explained.
Then he sat up and I could see the pain written all over his face. “How was I supposed to let her live? How could I have let her continue on, knowing that she’s a traitor? That she only cared about me to get closer to this fucking thing? I didn’t want to do it… She forced my hand. I fucking loved her... Now that you know what Ivy meant to me, explain to me why you should still be breathing after all of this?” He asked.
I tried to keep it together, but I couldn’t. A single tear fell from my eye onto my cheek and I angrily wiped it away. “You’re right, Rowen. You’re fucking right. This is entirely my fault, all of it. I shouldn’t be allowed to live, not after all this hurt I've caused for you. I’m so sorry.” I said and I started to cry.
“Please just make it quick, I don’t want to suffer.” I said between sobs, taking my face in my hands to brace for what was to come next. Rowen killed his own mate, I was nothing to him and I was just as guilty as she was… If not more.
I was coming to terms with going back to The Otherside. I had a job at least, at TwentyOne. And I knew I could become an Ancestor. The small pep talk did little to comfort me, but it was better than going out in fear.
Rowen grabbed my arm and I flinched at his touch, moving my hands from my face. He was standing and had my arm to lift me up to his level.
I tried to wipe my tears away but they just kept silently flowing. Once I was standing he pulled me into his arms. “God damnit, Katrina. Why, just why!” He growled.
“Because, it needed to stay safe. And I knew it would be safe with you. I never thought they would find it. I never thought they had spies. I should have said something, I should have told you. I was scared, and I know that's not an excuse. I’m sorry.” I said.
"I’m so sorry.” I cried into his shoulder. He held me tighter but it didn’t comfort me. I was still terrified of him, he could literally kill me at any moment, but I would deserve it. I really would.
He then pulled away from me and looked me in the eyes but didn’t say anything. “Are you going to kill me?” I asked him softly. I could see the emotion on his face and in his eyes.
He was fighting an internal battle, and I didn’t know what side would win. “I should, I honestly should.” He said, and I didn’t disagree.
“But I can’t bring myself to do it. I’ve tried about six times, and I can’t bring myself to do it… Why, why can't I kill you?” He said with an exasperated sigh.
I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat.
"It's because I love you, doll. I apparently still fucking love you." He said with a groan and pulled away, turning his back on me. After what seemed like forever he finally turned back around and looked at me.
“What do we do now?” He asked. “We keep the amulet safe… That’s the only thing we can do. The only thing that matters.” I said softly.
I held my hand out for him to give me the amulet back. He went to take it off, but then stopped.
“I haven’t taken this off since you gave it to me all those years ago. I can’t take it off… It’s like a part of me now…” He said, and he let it go, letting it fall back onto his chest.
“I’m still upset, and I mean really upset with you. I’m not sure I can ever forgive you for this… Don’t take this as anything other than it is, but how do I keep this fucking thing safe?” He asked me.
I tried to ignore the pain caused by his words. He had every right to hate me over this, and I wouldn’t even blame him.
“I don’t know… We, The Keepers, have been trying to keep it safe for thousands of years. There are only two of us left, myself and one other. Once we are both dead, the amulet will be in their hands, and we can’t let that happen.” I said.
“What happens if The Others get it?” He asked.
“It opens Pandora’s box, and releases all the creatures that have been trapped there. It will be hell on earth…” I said.
Chapter 5(Rowen) I waited for Katrina to start talking, she looked like she was contemplating something in her mind. “Rowen, I’m so sorry… I..” She started to say, but I stopped her with my hand. “Do I look like I want excuses right now? Because I don’t, Katrina. I want answers. I want to know why I had to rip the heart out of my mate… My mate that I’ve had for 176 years… All because of a fucking necklace!” I shouted. I was trying so hard to hold it together, but I was furious. All of this over a stupid necklace, and for what? I could tell I was scaring Katrina but I didn’t care, I was going to kill her anyways, but I needed answers. She took a deep breath in. “Rowen, I need you to calm down so we can talk. I can explain. It won’t change anything and for that I'm sorry, but I need to feel safe with you.” She said calmly. I closed the gap between us instantly and grabbed her shoulders. “Give me one good reason why you shouldn’t be next?” I snarled, knowing that was the onl
Chapter 6I put my thumb and forefinger on the bridge of my nose and started pacing in front of Katrina. “Pandora's Box?” That’s a fucking fairytale, it’s not real!” I exclaimed. “No, Rowen, it’s real… I have seen it.” She replied back, stopping me in my tracks. I looked up at her, “What? You have seen it?” I asked. “Yes, as a Keeper our job is more than just to guard the Amulet. We are also responsible to banish the creatures into Pandora's box when needed. Another reason why we are so valuable… We know where Pandora's box is, and we know how to open it.” She explained. “Jesus Christ, Katrina. How long have you been a Keeper?” I asked her. “My family have been Keepers for generations. I grew up knowing that out of my sisters, I was the one chosen to take my mothers place once she was gone. The Others killed her years ago, and that’s when I took her position.” She said. “Unfortunately not everyone has a bloodline to pick up their positions. If they haven’t appointed another person
Chapter 7 I had no idea where I was going to go, but I just knew the memories were too much. I wanted them gone, all 176 years of them. Where is Haven when you need her? I thought to myself, silently snickering. I knew she was long dead by now. But the thought of her being Human with no powers and obsessed with my brother, but never able to get to him, was hilarious. I really could have used her memory erasing powers right about now. I wanted every memory I ever had of Ivy, fucking gone. I was walking along the trail that lined my property through the forest. “I wish I never fucking remembered she existed.” I said out loud. I smashed my fist into the nearby tree, shattering a chunk from its trunk. I kept walking aimlessly, lost inside my own thoughts when I ended up outside of my territory. I was in Lucians territory now. Not that I wasn’t allowed here, I just chose to stay away, for the most part, whenever possible. In his territory, Vampires walked the streets freely with th
Chapter 8I walked with my new pet up to the counter to collect her things. She had three outfits, another leash that was hot pink and not bloodstained, and a small black journal type book. They handed me her things in a bag, and then had me sign her paperwork letting me know that the official ownership record would arrive at my house within a week. I took the bag and I left the pet shop without saying another word to the man behind the counter. “Sooo, what now?” Viper said in my mind. “That is a good fucking question, this was clearly an impulse buy…” I replied, unsure of what to actually do now. I mean I couldn’t let her go… If the Vampires caught her again she would be punished for disobeying her master. She couldn’t go live a normal life because all the pets are chipped, and GPS tracked so they can always be located. And with the pets, they have to be seen monthly by the pet doctors and they would know if she didn’t show up. So because of my treaty, I had to keep her now that I
Chapter 9I sat on my couch just buried in my thoughts. I kept going back to Katrina and how I marked her. I felt so damn bad for it. I literally I don’t even know what the fuck I was thinking. But I realized that since I did it, this was only the first or second time I really thought about her. If I kept busy like I had been all day today, It was easy to ignore the marks pull. The pull for me was only really strong within proximity. Where I lived thousands of miles away it was almost non-existent. Now Katrina would also feel a decrease in intensity due to my distance, but she would still struggle and want to find me. That is how the mark worked. The same way it burns when she is around another man, but it doesn’t for me when I’m around other women. It’s a one sided thing. It was made that way. This might not be so bad. I mean I was honestly good and I thought I was over Katrina until I saw her again. Then I lost my shit. Not to mention I was already in a mood from killing my mate.
Chapter 10After dinner we headed up to bed. I walked with my pet to her room. She turned to me before she went inside. “Thank you.” She said. I nodded at her. “I can trust that you will not try and run, correct?” I asked. “No I won’t.” She said. “Good, because you do not want to test me. I can be anywhere you are within an instant. It would be pointless to try and flee.” I said. She nodded at me, then she turned around to walk inside but stopped again. She seemed like she wanted to turn around but didn’t at the same time. Then she finally did. I raised an eyebrow at her waiting for her reply. “Rowen. Do you plan to feed from me?” She asked timidly. I could smell her fear. “I do…” I said, and then paused as her fear increased. I could hear her heartbeat spike. “But I promise I will not hurt you when I do.” I said. This seemed to calm her down some, but the fear was still evident in her eyes. Humans rarely ever made contact with supernaturals. It was ingrained in their every being t
Chapter 11(Ambrosia)After dinner my master walked me up to my room. I turned to him before I went in to tell him thank you. He healed my body, took away my scars, provided for me, fed me, and was gentle in most aspects of everything he did for me. I even had my own room. I had so much to be thankful for and I wanted to make sure he knew that I was. He nodded back in response. “I can trust that you will not try and run, correct?” my master asked me suddenly. I scoffed internally, there was no way I was attempting to run. He would kill me so fast, it would be too easy for him even. “No I won’t.” I said. “Good, because you do not want to test me. I can be anywhere you are within an instant. It would be pointless to try and flee.” He said. He was absolutely right and I knew it. Plus, I didn’t even know how to get back downstairs. I would just get lost in this place anyways. I nodded to him and turned to walk into my room but then I stopped. The question I was the most nervous about,
Chapter 12I finally got enough courage to speak. “W-will it hurt?” I asked, trying to hide the tears welling up in the back of my eyes. “Not like what you’re used to.” He replied. I tried to remember the shit they ingrained into my brain in the pet store. I had to be a good pet, obedient, and listen to my master. And when it was time to feed, I had to hold still and relax. The calmer I was, the less pain I would endure. I knew that to be true because I tested it out while they were continually feeding from me. Thrashing and jerking away caused them to grip harder and sometimes their fangs would rip the skin instead of pierce it. The calmer the better… But you tell that to my ever beating out of my chest, heart. I finally gathered what was left of my composure. “You’ve been kind to me in every other aspect. While this scares the shit out of me, I will cooperate.” I said quietly, trying to hide my flowing tears. I scooted closer to Rowen, knowing it would be better for him if he did