CHAPTER 25 #2
“Good,” Cassia said with a nod. “Now, this is the part of the plan you’re not going to like, but things are taking longer than I thought they would, and I am getting impatient. The longer Iro and Arwen are together, the worse it is for both of us. You understand?”
“Yes. But what do you mean that I won’t like it?”
“Simply that I need to take matters into my own hands now. I’m not good with slow, as you know.
I’m an impatient person for someone who has lived forever.
” Cassia shrugged a shoulder. “I had another spy. Well, I have several. One of them happened to peer into a window, and, well, they saw a side to Arwen that, I guess, you’ve never seen. ”
“What?”
“She was naked, and she was having sex with the love of my life, which means they’ve progressed to the part where Iro is about to tell her that she loves her.
Trust me, I know my wife. After hundreds of years together, no one knows Iro better, and no one ever will.
Anyway, I needed to take more drastic measures, but I have you in mind, dear Zara.
Don’t worry about that. She’ll be yours as my gift to you. ”
Zara’s eyes showed recognition.
“You promised you wouldn’t hurt her.”
“I’m not. I’m going to turn her.”
“What? No, that’s not what we talked about,” Zara said.
“Sweetheart, it’s time. You’ll get to be with her forever.
Much better this way. You will have eternity together, and she will never get old.
You won’t, either. You can have any of my homes, or, like I told you before, I’ll happily buy you a new one.
You will keep Arwen away from Iro, of course.
I don’t need them spending any time together.
If you’d like some time with me since I’m your creator and you’ll crave me from time to time, we can figure that out, but this really is for the best. I am holding up my end of the bargain when I really don’t have to, you understand?
I could just kill Arwen and be done with this whole thing, but I’m doing this for you.
Now, Gigi already has Arwen in that car over there.
” Cassia pointed as the car sped off. “And I’ve ordered a car to take us home as well.
You can watch if you want. Or not. It’s up to you.
I’d understand if you want to lie next to her until she wakes up.
I watched over Iro as she slept, after all. ”
“You can’t turn her, Cassia.”
“I can.” Cassia leaned forward. “And I will. Now, you’ll get on board with this new plan, and I will do what I need to do in order to get the love of my life back and make the love of yours more suited to your new lifestyle.
What was your plan, Zara? Never tell her that you’re a vampire now, and in ten years, when you’re not even a little bit older, you just leave when she starts asking questions? ”
“I hadn’t thought that far ahead.”
“That’s right, you haven’t. You’re playing checkers with a human brain barely evolved into a vampire one. I’m playing chess, and I’m ten moves ahead of everyone.” The car pulled up, and she tilted her head. “Now, let’s get in and go home.”
Zara looked around the café and the street again.
“You’re not thinking about doing something very stupid, are you, Zara? Disappointing me? I implore you, do not disappoint me. I like you, Zara. I’ve given you so much and have offered you more than I have offered anyone who has come before you.”
“Can I get you two anything else?” a waitress asked, arriving at the small outdoor table.
“No,” Cassia said abruptly, looking up at her and thinking about how pretty the woman was. “Just the check, please, and quickly. We have someplace to be.”
When she looked across the table at Zara, planning to ask her if she’d like to turn this woman or, at least, enjoy her later as a way to make it up to her for what she was about to do to Arwen, Zara was no longer there. She was already in her car, and it was pulling out into traffic.
“Never mind,” she stated and handed the woman cash.
Then, she stood up and sighed. She was exhausted with this whole mess, but she supposed that Zara had just made it easier for her.
She climbed into her car and had the driver take her home, needing to be quick.
It was likely Zara was on her way to the house, too, but her driver knew all the shortcuts, and she needed to beat Zara there, kill her, and move on to the next part of her plan.
She’d been so kind to Zara, but if she was going to betray her, there was no point in keeping the woman around.
When she arrived at her house, though, Zara’s car wasn’t there.
“Iro,” she said, realizing that Zara had probably headed there instead. “Well, slight change of plans, but no matter.”
“She’s in your room,” Gigi told her when Cassia entered the house.
“Uninjured?”
“Yes. She screamed the whole way here, but she’s quiet now.”
“Good. I hate when they scream. Unnecessarily loud.”
Cassia shook her head and walked up the stairs and into her room.
“Who are you? Why am I here? I’m calling the–”
“Well, Arwen, you certainly are a talkative one and still loud, I see.”
“Who are you?” Arwen repeated.
“My name is Cassia. I am a friend of Iro’s.”
“Iro? You’re friends with my girlfriend?”
Cassia growled and said, “Something you should know first: Iro is not your girlfriend. She is my wife; my beloved.”
She took a few steps toward Arwen.
“What?”
“Yes, she’s taken, and certainly not by you. She also sent me.”
“Iro sent you for–”
“Iro and I have… what you humans might call an open relationship at times. This is one of those times.”
“I’m so confused.”
“Of course, you are. You’re a human.”
She yanked on Arwen’s hand.
“Ouch!”
“You’ll be fine… in a few hours. Now, Iro sent me. You heard me, yes?”
“To do what?”
“To make you like one of us. She was tired of dealing with the human you and asked me to make you like us so you might evolve and be more tolerable to her. I disagreed, of course, but because she’s allowed her little breaks – or open relationships, to make it simpler for you – I told her I’d do it.
Now, remember, you’ll have to give her back to me when our break is up, but this is for Iro.
This is how much I love her. She says turn you, to make you like us because she’s too busy to do it herself, or whatever other excuse she’s come up with, and I give my beloved what she wants, always and forever.
” Cassia shrugged her shoulder, making sure to sell it well, but feeling like she probably didn’t need to work so hard since she was dealing with a human.
“What are you–”
Arwen didn’t get to finish that sentence because she was now too busy screaming into Cassia’s ear as Cassia bit down into her wrist. Mildly annoyed now, Cassia dropped the wrist and covered Arwen’s mouth with her hand to get her to shut up while she bit into her own wrist and mixed their blood.
Then, she put her finger into Arwen’s mouth and laughed as she earned the woman’s gag reflex.
“This is what she wanted, this girlfriend, as you call her. Now, I don’t have a lot of time because I think Zara might be on her way to Iro’s house.
If I’m lucky, I’ll get there before her.
So, here we go. Are you ready?” She removed her hand and finger.
“Doesn’t matter,” she said and shook her head.
“Help!” Arwen yelled out, having sputtered and coughed.
“Well, fine; ruin my fun.” Cassia snapped Arwen’s neck. “Finally, some peace and quiet,” she stated and turned to go, leaving Arwen dead on the floor.