(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 only reason I came to her. I was planning on killing her.
“Because, I love you. I still love you, even after all these years.” She said, without a lick of hesitation. Her words hit me like a freight train.
I relaxed my grip on her shoulders while trying to fight back the tears threatening to break through again.
I tried to just rip her heart out, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I couldn’t even move my hand. Instead, I just let her go and fell to my knees in defeat.
I put my head down and just contemplated how I could get enough strength to do what needed to be done.
I knew she needed to die, and I knew that would start a war with my brother… But at this point the betrayal was the only thing on my mind.
Just when I thought I would be ok and be able to go through with it, Katrina sat down next to me and wrapped her arms around me.
I should have pushed her away, I wanted to. But I also didn’t want to. Instead, I just laid my head in her lap and silently fought the urge to snap her neck.
“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.” I said, I paused to try and gather my thoughts.
Katrina was running her hand through my hair while I spoke, and I honestly didn’t realize how much her touch calmed me.
“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.” I said. Then I sat up and locked eyes with Katrina.
“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?” I asked.
My anger was starting to boil back to the surface again.
Then my heart did something I never thought it could do again. It completely shattered when Katrina let a single tear fall onto her cheek and she angrily wiped it away.
I never thought I could be so angry with someone but be so heartbroken when I hurt them. This was fucking unreal.
“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.” Katrina said and she started to cry.
“Please just make it quick, I don’t want to suffer.” She said between sobs, taking her face in her hands. I knew I should have just done it then, but when I tried I couldn’t go through with it.
How is it that I can kill my own mate, but I can't kill Katrina… Who is nothing to me? “Because she isn’t nothing to us, and you know it.” Viper said. He was right… As much as it infuriated me, I couldn't control my feelings.
I grabbed her arm and she flinched at my touch. That hurt my heart. But I did it, I scared her… I came here to kill her, and she knew it. I lifted her up so she was standing. She was wiping tears but they just kept flowing down her pretty cheeks.
I couldn’t fight the urge any longer, I just pulled Katrina into my arms. “God damnit, Katrina. Why, just why!” I 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.” She said.
"I’m so sorry.” She cried into my shoulder. I held her tighter, fighting the urge to kill her, or comfort her. I pulled away and we locked eyes.
“Are you going to kill me?” Katrina asked me softly. I tried to fight the sadness and rage that flooded into my chest at her words. Sadness because she believed I was going to kill her. Rage because I was fighting myself on whether or not I should... “I should, I honestly should.” I said.
“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?” I said with an exasperated sigh. I knew why, but I loved Ivy too.
Or did I? I truly thought I did, but maybe she was just the person to fill the void left by the person I truly loved...
Not that I didn’t love Ivy, because I did. But maybe it wasn’t what I thought. Maybe it was a love out of convenience.
"It's because I love you, doll. I apparently still fucking love you." I said with a groan, pulling away from Katrina and turning my back to her.
So obviously I cant kill her, what the fuck do I do now? After much deliberation with myself and Viper, I turned around to face Katrina.
She was so goddamn beautiful even with swollen eyes and tear soaked cheeks. I instantly felt bad for scaring her, and making her cry.
“What do we do now?” I asked. “We keep the amulet safe, that’s the only thing we can do. The only thing that matters.” She said softly, and she held her hand out for me to give her the amulet back.
I went to take it off, but then stopped. This amulet hasn't left my chest in 176 years, taking it off now feels foreign.
“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…” I said. I let it go, letting it fall back onto my chest.
It was a little strange though, like I didn’t want to give it to her, or maybe I couldn’t? “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?” I asked her.
“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.” She said.
“What happens if The Others get it?” I asked.
“It opens Pandora’s box, and releases all the creatures that have been trapped there. It will be hell on earth…” She said.
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
Chapter 13(Rowen)I woke up in the morning and I still had my arms tightly around Ambrosia. I released my grip some, but she was still asleep, so she didn’t notice.I slowly got up and headed into the bathroom, surprising myself when I looked into the mirror to see my eyes were a strange tint of red and rose gold mixed. The red was light, but I could see it.“What the?” I said to Viper. It had to be a Vampire thing. I knew the Vampires eyes turned red when they fed or when they were in certain situations, but mine never had, that I knew of.Come to think about it, I had also never felt the rush and excitement and stalking my prey like I did last night. And I also never felt the urge and pull of my Vampire side this strongly. The only difference is I had Ambrosia now, I had a pet..It was like it was pulling my Vampire side out, where it was mostly dormant before. Maybe I never needed a reason to have it out before, but now, with a pet, I did.That might be why Ambrosia looked so stunn