Make Your Move Katherine

It's coming

Why hadn’t he bitten her?

Exhaling loudly, Katherine examines her neck again and sees the love bites Oscar left but there are no penetration marks. No trace of blood. She looks away and makes a few footsteps in a small circle and comes back to her previous position and glares at her flesh again as if expecting the teeth marks to show up knowing her confusion.

Now that she thinks about it- she had seen his teeth not once- not his vampire ones anyway. She tightens the towel around her wet body, ignoring the woman who was holding another towel out for her wet hair and walks back into the bedroom, leaving small puddles of water in her trail, looking at the neatly made, four useless posts on each corner, bed. Oni who is standing to the right side of the table, hands clasped in front of her, steps forward holding a blow-dryer in front of her.

No, Kat needs a trip to the friendly mage.

“One hour,” Oni reminded her as she closed the door behind her and looked at the woman whom she had called ten minutes earlier. She had rushed over in haste, not even bothering to get dressed properly- which is unheard of from a queen. A quickly belted dress under her robe, which she only did after Oni had made a disapproving sound at the sight of her, naked under the robe alone. Not wanting any reports made to Oscar she grabbed the first dress, ignoring the maid who had followed hurriedly behind her, that had caught her eye from the massive closet, throwing it on. Even the sight of the ghastly dress that Kat had never worn- because it was indeed hideous, had Oni’s eyes setting in disagreement but Kat was not in the mood to play fancy dress-up.

Rushing into a flat pair of shoes she had rushed out with Oni and two other maids who were standing outside her chamber doors. One royal guard accompanied them.

Kat was in no mood for proper dressing when her mind was in a turmoil, especially when she had to join the very reason behind her turmoil for dinner.

The old teeth marks had faded away and she is sure it had everything to do with the firebird inside her, Ju says, lifting her shoulders in a sigh and turning around to rummage through her shelves. She mumbles to herself and turns back around so quickly that Kat jumped a bit. She presses a cold cotton ball, soaked in clear liquid that smelled oddly similar to hydrogen peroxide but knowing she’s a witch, Kat doubted it actually is that.

“Yeah, healed,” she confirms and threw the ball into a bin near her, folding her arms across her narrow chest as if that was all.

“Bu- bu- how? His teeth- I saw it and- he didn’t…” Oscar had not taken her blood. He had kissed her neck, not sunk his fangs into her. She had awakened hours ago to an empty bed and no blood once again on the sheets.

The mage looks at her with a slight frown as if waiting for her to explain.

“Oscar came into my room and he- he- ugh,” she stuttered not quite sure how to form words.

“He kissed you?”

“Ugh, yes. He kissed me,” Kat exclaimed.

“Geez, not so loud. Don’t want the neighbors knowing your husband kissed you,” Ju mutters, one eye and eyebrow, raising and nudging towards the door at the awaiting staff.

“Yes, well, he kissed me- my neck and didn’t ugh, you know, drink my blood. I am still a virgin,” she declares to the witch who smiles and frowns at the same time.

The mage stares at her, disbelief written over her features, “You are? Never been- not once?”

Kat shakes he head no.

“Wow, they really say royals do gotta be virgin brides, hmm. I always thought it was that of the olden days you know?”

What? No, “That’s not the point. I meant that things got- intense and heated and he didn’t lose his control- I- I did but he didn’t.”

The mage let her words sink in for a few seconds then said, “You mean, things could have happened but didn’t. You lost your cool but he didn’t?”

Kat nods her head. Patting her neck, Ju adds, “I think the phoenix is coming out. The bird is probably the reason- oh I don’t know how or why he didn’t-”

“No- no, I don’t want to die,” Kat had cried out and the mage’s eyes had widened more. If the bird wanted Oscar and was supposed to be in him, didn’t that mean she would die? She had a sister to go home to. Dominique and Simon.

Kat could tell that the woman had the same thought too. Instead, like a true professional, the mage said, “No, no, you are fine. I think you’ll live.”

Kat’s horror was evident for the woman was quick again with her words, “You would have been dead by now and you aren’t, right?”

Back inside her chamber, Kat’s mind is more jumbled than ever. The phoenix heals her wounds, Ju had said to her when she questioned her about the scars that had vanished from her skin completely that she had retained from in the hospital. It was then Ju had looked at her neck too and Kat had seen the surprise mirrored in her eyes.

According to everything the mage said, the phoenix wants to be one with the vampire, so what is going on? Oscar didn’t want to hurt the phoenix? But he would be hurting her- human Katherine, not the bird- wait…was Oscar not doing his vampire thing because he did not want to hurt her? But that didn’t make sense either for he did before and he liked it.

He likes it better when he knew she was scared.

Kat could also tell he knew she was a virgin so why wasn’t he excited about it as most men would be? Especially evil vile ones like him. Unless- he was put off by that fact. Was he really put off by the knowledge that she was innocent in the ways of men?

No, from what she had heard around the castle, the king preferred the innocent kind. She also heard that these women were paid higher wages than anyone else for that price. Kat brooded, she doubted all of them were as innocent as they would pretend to be- she knows for a fact that women could fake it. Some even cut their inner thighs for the blood to soak on the sheets and the man too.

Anthony was announced and Kat’s heart pounded against her chest. This confused her for just a few days ago the thought of him did nothing to her. Now she’s attracted to him once more? This is so confusing.

The royal guard did not enter but instead informed Oni that her presence was needed after getting the queen dressed then he left. Was Oscar using Oni to spy on her?

She changes her clothing with the help of Oni and the other new face and blow-dried her hair before the beautician was called in. Kat was relieved to see the familiar face of the cold woman whom she had first met when she had done her bridal make-up. Sheila, the cold fish.

Sheila still did not warm up to Katherine in the past weeks and Kat had missed her stupid face when she had been replaced. Something was almost sinister in the way Katherine was not allowed to be familiar with anyone. Why was Oni the only constant? But no, there was a time when even Oni wasn’t here but then she was. Why? Kat couldn’t quite put a finger on it. Was she, the queen, in danger again and this was the castle’s way of keeping her safe?

Kat didn’t know much but she knows the importance of royalty. They always came first before everything and everyone whether you supported or like them- all personal feelings were always set aside. The throne is always protected first and foremost.

Or was it that Oscar was preventing her from becoming too friendly with the servants here? Did he think that his people would betray him to help her, in her escape from him? Is that why Sheila was so cold towards her? Had she been founded out from before- no that would mean that another was kept here and Kat knew for certain she is the only wife of Oscar.

Her brain worked overtime on every possibility for everything that transpired here and even on what didn’t.

Why was she practically begging a man to take away her purity and he wasn’t? Oscar wanted her to remain a virgin- why? He couldn’t resist her the mage had said because of the firebird that dwelled within but how come he was?

[You are such a headache]