Turned

Chapter Fourteen.

My feet carried me up the stairs and down the hall, a white envelope clutched in hand as my shredded clothing hung from my body in tattered strips, covered only by my trench coat while I carried my belt and corset in my free hand. My hat sat atop my head, my hair matted and eyes still glowing from the rush of adrenaline I had faced earlier. The sky was dark, the sun having set an hour or so ago. I entered the office from earlier to find Katarina seated behind the large desk, Roland at her side while Hanna skimmed through one of the many books. Julius knelt by her, trying to teach her a few words in English while Fiona stood off to the side, watching with narrowed eyes. Hamish was smoking a cigarette near the window while Graham sat in an armchair, silent, eyes taking in his brother’s every move. When I stepped into the room, all eyes were on me, Hanna’s eyes were the first to widen at my state as Julius abruptly stood, and Graham stiffened, his shoulders becoming solid concrete when he took in my shredded clothing and dirty complexion “Evana!” Julies cried, moving to get closer to me, his hand reaching out to caress my face. I raised my arm to knock his aside as I passed, watching his eyes fill with both confusion and rejection as I approached the desk, slapping the envelope down onto it, my eyes boring holes into Katarina’s skull “From this day on you are relieved of your role as Katarina’s protector” I said, turning to look at Roland. He was stunned, his eyes staring down at me with shock hidden in their depths. I pushed the envelope towards him, across the smooth surface of the desk “Here is your final payment” I let go of the white parcel and stood upright, my arms hanging loosely at my sides, face half hidden beneath the rim of my hat. Roland reached out a shaky hand, taking the envelope and opening it to peer inside, his eyes widened, and he looked at me “This is far too much for me to accept” he argued, shaking his head. His hatred of me was gone in that moment, the fear and hope for his ill mate more important than his disgust towards the Vampiric race. I tapped the fingers of my free hand against my leg before speaking “Do not disrespect my efforts by refusing the payment” his eyes trailed over my form, taking in the blood splatters across my face, the torn clothing that hung on my body, barely keeping my naked form hidden, the dirt rubbed across my cheeks, forehead and bared body parts, the tangled, matted locks of my hair and lastly landing on my glowing red orbs “I will show him out” Katarina insisted, hopping down from the desk chair and making her way around it to pass a hulking Roland that towered over her petite frame like a mountain towered over a small rose bush. I watched her lead the way to the door, Roland bowing his head as a thank you in my direction. I ignored it and he began to follow her out, pausing when he was stood beside his brother, still placed in the armchair “Be careful of the company you keep” Roland warned him, his eyes glancing back at me from over his shoulder. I shot him an emotionless look that he met for only a few seconds. When he turned to leave, I could hear a familiar word that tumbled from his lips “b***h” a small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I watched him retreat until he was out of sight. Once they were gone, I tossed my belt and corset onto the desk, shrugging off my coat and moving towards the fireplace that was lit with a flickering fire. I removed my hat and placed it firmly on Hanna’s head as she watched me with worry in her eyes “I am in need of a wash” I muttered, glancing at my arms, balling my fists where the familiarity of my claws comforted me. Graham uncrossed his legs and leaned back in his seat, his head tilted back slightly so that he was peering down at me from across the room “Why go through all that trouble for a Wolf?” he asked, a question that made me breathe a breath of laughter, catching Julius and Fiona off guard. I placed my hand on the mantel above the fireplace, leaning in to examine the flickering lights, dancing and swirling together as if they were two people making love in the darkness, something about that passionate embrace could drown out any shadow “Katarina was kind enough to insist that I help him” I explained, knowing fairly well that she could have easily ordered me to kill him, however she was a compassionate person which was part of the reason why I wanted her for myself “And besides, I have gone through quite the trouble for you as well” I stood taller, turning my head to lock gazes with the wolf. His lips tilted up and his head lowered so that he was looking straight at me. I had gone through the trouble of capturing him, nearly having died because of him, I had freed him and accepted that he was part wolf all while trying to only uncover the location of the Order. My face grew more serious “His mate is dying, Katarina feels that that in itself will be enough pain for him to face, there is no need to threaten him” Graham’s eyes dulled at my words, it was clear that he knew his brother’s mate. I turned to face the bar, reaching for a glass and pouring myself a shot of Scotch that I swirled around a few times “May” Graham muttered under his breath, his head down and his hands gripping the arms of his chair. Fiona stepped forward when I turned, leaning back against the wall, taking a swing of my Scotch and sighing when the liquid burned its way down my throat, soothing my muscles after a long day of tracking and killing “Why would you do all this for Katarina?” she demanded, her eyes glaring, knowing that there was something hidden beneath the surface. I downed the rest of my glass, reaching for the bottle to refill it. I remained silent, knowing that Katarina was just around the corner and had heard her question “We made a deal” the girl said, appearing in the doorway, her feet clad in heels and her face void yet beneath that stony appearance she bared a heart of gold, a caring heart. Fiona looked at her with slightly wider eyes than before “She takes care of Roland for me and in return I am to form a contract with her” Julius and Hanna exchanged looks, despite the language barrier, Hanna could understand what was being said and brightened up. She closed her book, setting it down on the coffee table and padded across the room to fall to her knees in front of Katarina. Hanna took hold of her hand and held it in both of hers “You must be one of her apprentices” Katarina said, her eyes studying the woman in front of her with a curiosity in their depths. I had expected Hanna to quickly accept Katarina, however my main concern was Julius. He stood off to the side, eyes roaming over the frame of the young girl “Another one?” Julius demanded, his head whipping around to look at me with anger in the depths of his eyes. I set my glass down on the bar and stepped towards him, stopping a few feet away to fully show him my face. His eyes widened at the sight of blood, dirt and tangled hair, the glow in my eyes starting to fade but filling with an overwhelming sadness for having unleased the monster inside of me “She is but one of many more to come” Julius stilled at the thought of what I had gone through just to get Katarina to conform to form a contract with me. He turned his face away from me, moving so that his back was to both Hanna and Katarina, his hands gripping the edge of the desk. Hamish stepped in front of me, blocking my path when I moved towards Katarina “Why do you feel the need to form so many contracts?” he questioned, something that got under my skin as I watched him. I gritted my teeth to keep from lashing out and stepped around him, pausing to reply to his words “Why I do what I do is none of your concern” with that I approached Katarina, Hanna getting up to move to the side as I looked down at the girl. Katarina nodded and turned, motioning for me to follow while the rest remained behind in the office. She was young and had most likely never had her first kiss before, which made it an event that she wanted to mark as special. I could respect her wishes and would do as she wanted but only if it ended in the contract being formed. She led me to the bathroom from earlier where Roland had long since drawn a bath, placing hot coals beneath the tub to keep it warm. She stopped in front of it, sage and rosemary filling my senses as I closed the door behind me “You are dirty” she declared, motioning to the tub. I began to strip, peeling what remained of my clothes from my body and tossing them aside. She looked at me with hidden awe when I was bare to her eyes, curiosity and fantasy twirling in the depths of her mind when I moved past her to climb into the tub, sinking down until I was leaning back against the metal my body relaxing, muscles loosening, and eyes drifting shut “If you find my body so fascinating then you may join me” I said after a few minutes of her eyes lingering on my form. I opened my own eyes to look at her beside the tub. She was a beauty as fair and lovely as the most stunning woman in all the world. There was no comparing to her, she would one day be even more beautiful than even me and that was part of the reason why I wanted her as mine. Such a beauty will be desired, but I wanted it for myself “It is unwomanly to take part in such act” the grin that tugged at my lips was easy to see. She referred to s*x and other intimate activities as ‘acts’ which told me that she was afraid of them. She called it unwomanly and therefor she meant unladylike which was as far from the truth as possible. I sat up in the tub, exposing my bear breasts to her eyes “It is only a bath, we are of the same s*x are we not?” she stiffened at the word ‘s*x’ her face turning slightly red in the foggy room, lit with candle light. She stared at the surface of the water then opened her mouth to protest but no words would come out, so she settled on nodding her head instead “Then join me” I purred, eyes watching her every move, the twitch in her fingers, the rise and fall of her undeveloped chest. She swallowed then began to strip, effortlessly untying to corset of her dress, slipping off the many skirts, trying to hold her dignity and not cover herself up when she was exposed. It was second nature for a woman of high ranking not to reveal herself to anyone, it was seen as shameful yet there she was, trying her best to go against her instincts, holding her arms tightly at her sides and forcing herself to look at me “Come, my lady” at the words I used, she calmed down a bit, feeling more like a noble woman after I had called her by her title. I held my hand out to her and she tentatively grabbed it, stepping into the tub to stand in front of me. Her skin was pale and smooth, her chest small with small pink buds and her hips were barely developed. She looked like a doll, so frail and petite that I could easily play with her, dress her up and take her everywhere I would go. She turned with her back to me and sank down into the water as I wrapped my arms around her small body “You see a woman had needs as well” I began, my lips at her ear, causing her to shiver at the slight contact. My hair stuck to the sides of my face from the water and mist while her long tresses floated in the water around us “Our very being is s****l, we were made to seduce, to tempt men into desiring us” my hand snaked up to grip her neck, a strong grasp that caused her to gasp, her eyes widening like they had never done before. In that moment she showed more emotion than she had in the two days of knowing her “We are the embodiment of sexuality” she swallowed hard, eyes staring up at me as my breasts pressed into her back. She opened her mouth to speak but decided to close it when I gently let go of her neck, giving her time to relax “So you see, s*x is very womanly” she froze when my hand began to venture down her stomach to the place in between her legs, her breath catching and her eyes dilating with a need, a need that even young children harbored within them, a need that only needed to be tempted to rise to the surface. My hand stopped just short of her core, staying there for some time before letting go to grip the edge of the tub. She slumped forward, her small hands gripping her legs beneath the water as one of my warms were still wrapped around her waist “How dare you tease me so” she snapped, her eyes blazing when she stood in the tub, turning so that she was glaring down at me. There was a fire inside her, a fire that Hanna harbored as well and one only my eyes could see. Her fists were balled at her sides, water dripping down her skin and into the tub as her nostrils flared and her lips were set in a thin line “I am princess Katarina Varga of the Varga bloodline and I will not be handled so” her assertiveness disappeared when I too rose from the water to join her, my body larger than hers, more developed than hers and more intimidating to her smaller self. She kept her composure, face set in stone as she narrowed her eyes up at me “And I am Evana De La Crona soon to be your mentor which means that you are mine” I gripped her chin between my thumb and forefinger, holding her face firmly in place as I gazed upon it. It was a way to place emphasis on my words before letting go completely and standing tall with my arms at my sides. She looked down, hiding her face behind her hair and bit into her lower lip, causing blood to trickle down into the water of the tub “I am yours” she repeated, slowly raising her head to once again look at me. I could tell that she was beginning to except the fact that she would be my apprentice soon, however she still wanted to uphold her title which was why she was so hesitant of forming the contract “No matter what you will be to me, to the rest of the world you will always be Katarina Varga of the Royal Vampiric bloodline” there was a flicker in her eyes at my words, a flicker of hope, a flicker of understanding. She would not lose her identity, she would lose her very soul, giving it to me in return for a place to call home, a new family of Vampires that would take care of her, protect her at all costs “I understand” she said, nodding her head in a small jerking movement. She balled her fists at her sides and reluctantly spoke to all the world, the walls, the flickering candle light, she even spoke to the dead flowers that littered the garden outside, she was making it known to the world “I wish to be yours” I raised my hand to cup the side of her face, my fang nipping at the edge of my bottom lip as I leaned down to press my lips against hers, mixing her blood with mine and kissing her as a man would a woman, with passion and longing. I pressed her into my form, gathering her in my arms and tangling my tongue with hers in an endless dance. Her face was ruby red, and her eyes were slightly closed, her tongue moving with mine in a more-timid fashion. My hand tangled in her hair, my other going down to rest on her protruding hip bone as her small hands gripped my shoulders for support, standing on the tips of her toes in the water. When I pulled away, she was breathing hard, panting to catch her breath and looking down at the water with trembling lips. She surprised me by wrapping her arms around my neck and burying her face into my chest “Thank you” she whispered, referring to her new place in the world, her place by my side, her place with Hanna and Julius as her family. She would be safe until the day I died, she would be kept free of harm until I could no longer breathe, she was my apprentice and I her mentor. I wrapped my own arms around her waist and sank into the water, cradling her to me like a frightened child, so gently, so tenderly as if she were made of porcelain. The kiss had been passionate but kind, slow yet intense like a first kiss should be and she was grateful that I had given her such an experience that she had yet to have with anyone else “You are very welcome, princess” it would be her assigned nickname from me, a title that would intimidate others but one that would humor me. I would repeat it to her, reminding her that she was still Katarina Varga despite being my apprentice.