Chapter 6
6
CAT
L ong after Damien deposited me back at the Ryder compound, my mind spun with a multitude of thoughts. For the first time in my life, I just wanted a drink… and a tub of ice cream, to be safe. In moments like these, I missed my best friend Angie. During times of crisis, she would come over to binge TV shows with a couple bags of take-out, or if I was truly depressed, a couple pints of ice cream. But this place didn’t have electricity, and I struggled to remember a world with Wi-Fi. Now look at me, all humble and shit.
“Fuck.” I sighed heavily as I trudged across the expansive courtyard. The open-air layout felt both liberating and confining under the blue expanse of sky. Each section of the living quarters branched off from this central area, their ancient wooden doors creaking open like chapters in a dusty tome of tales. “I feel like I’m living in a museum. Sweet baby Jesus.”
As I entered my assigned quarters, the scents of fresh earth and lavender greeted me—a stark contrast to the sterile conveniences of modern life. Inside, Maeve was tidying up, her presence a slight comfort in this otherwise alien setting. She paused with her cleaning rag mid-swipe when she caught sight of me. Her eyes, wide and concerned, quickly scanned me for any signs of distress.
“My lady, are you okay?” she fretted, rushing over with a mix of maternal worry and servant’s duty. “Did he do anything to you?”
I plopped down on a stone bench near the entrance, the cool evening air mingling with the residual heat of the day stored in the stonework. “Besides keeping me in Elaria as a prisoner? No,” I replied dryly.
I had already told Maeve about my plan to leave, and she was all for it. She’d prepared everything for Arya’s return, so when she saw me again, to say she was disappointed was an understatement.“You know, Maeve, I never asked why you’re so hell bent on getting Arya back. She treats you worse than a worn-out broom. What’s up with that?”
Maeve bit her lip, a gesture of nervousness, and her eyes darted away before settling back on me. “Trust me, my lady, no one is eager to see Lady Arya return, but it’s the right thing to do. There should be order in the world, and frankly, you just don’t belong here.”
“Yeah, I couldn’t agree more. If only Damien had some common sense, and a beating freakin’ heart!” I mused, rubbing my temples as I stood.
“So, what did he say, my lady? How long will he keep you here?” Maeve’s voice was tinged with concern.
“Until he feels like letting me leave,” I answered vaguely. I trusted Maeve more than anyone else here, but I also knew how people worked. And when push came to shove, perhaps under heavy torture or the right threats, anyone would cave. It was best if she didn’t know the truth, for my safety and hers.
“He’s evil,” she muttered under her breath. A shadow of fear crossed her face.
I nodded in agreement, feeling a pang of empathy for her. “But we need to work with that evil bastard if we’re going to have any shot at getting me back home and bringing Arya back here.”
Maeve sighed, her expression one of resigned acceptance. “I just hope you don’t have to deal with those vampires again, my lady. It was terrifying last time,” she admitted, a shudder running through her.
“I know, but don’t worry. I’m giving them what they want. They should be happy.” I patted her back. “Speaking of, we should probably leave soon to meet up with them.”
Maeve nodded. “Garrick is going to meet us at the spot and bring the two paintings.”
I nodded. “Good. At least we won’t be alone.”
“Garrick is useless in a fight, my lady,” Maeve deadpanned. “Remember how you had to step in and save him with his gambling debts?”
That was true. Garrick was more of a lover than a fighter. But back in the day, I heard he was one hell of a fighter. Too bad the emperor clipped his wings. I still needed to hear the story behind all that.
“But you forget, my lovely Maeve,” I grinned and wrapped an arm around her, “I have a secret weapon.”
She frowned. “What is it, my lady?”
“It’s not a what, but a who.”
Maeve and I huddled in our cloaks as the clock neared midnight. Our carriage rattled along darkened cobblestone streets, the rhythmic clatter mingling with the distant echoes of a city settling into night's embrace. The crisp air held the faint chill of autumn as it wafted through the carriage windows, along with the scent of woodsmoke from nearby hearths. Dim lantern light swayed with each turn, casting ghostly shadows across our faces.
Our carriage slowed as we approached the designated meeting point, a nondescript clearing that lay on the border between the Northern and Southern Districts, alarmingly close to Faelight Forest. The proximity to such a notorious area added an extra layer of danger or thrill, depending on your outlook.
Garrick was already there, standing beside two carefully wrapped paintings. We arrived fifteen minutes early. The moon bathed the scene in a silvery glow, making the shadows of the trees stretch towards us like curious specters.
“Hello, my lady,” Garrick stiffly greeted. Then his brows rose and the one eye not covered by a brown leather eye patch widened. “You didn’t leave as planned?”
I shook my head and sighed. “Nope. Seriously, don’t ask. I swear the universe, or as you all say, the immortals are against me.”
Maeve gasped. “My lady! Don’t say that! That is blasphemy.”
I rolled my eyes and held my hands up in apology. “My bad,” I deadpanned.
Garrick chuckled. “Well, I’ll monitor the signs for the next thunderstorm, and we’ll prepare better.”
I nibbled on my lip and debated telling him the true dilemma. I was convinced Garrick could withstand just about any amount of torture and still keep a secret. I mean… look at his eye. But I didn’t want to tell him with Maeve around. Besides, this was Damien’s secret to tell, not mine.
“Do you trust these vampires?” Garrick changed the subject. “From what you mentioned the last time, they don’t seem very trustworthy.”
I shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t think it’s a matter of trust,” I whispered back, my voice barely audible over the rustling leaves. “If they try anything, they’re in for a rude awakening. Especially here .” I glanced at the ominous forest behind us.
We lapsed into silence and settled into an uneasy wait. The dark backdrop of the forest was broken only by the soft glow of carriage lanterns which cast long shadows that danced like specters among the trees. The night was too quiet, as if the world was holding its breath and waiting for what would come next.
Just then, four vampires strode out of Faelight Forest … trailed by the witch Mirabel, the art director of the art school. The one who pulled the real Arya into this mess and the one I suspected wanted to rob Arya of all her coin and art. If that wasn’t her intention, then why had she followed me and Maeve back to Arya’s secret hideout? No, her presence here with the vampires proved she’d chosen a side.
“Well now it’s a party,” I grumbled.
They stopped roughly six feet away, keeping a good distance. “Lady Arya,” the vampire in the middle greeted. His dark eyes flicked over Garrick and Maeve before returning to me. “It has been a while. It seems you have forgotten us and our… deal .”
I gave a slight bow and smiled. “Apologies. I don’t know if Mirabel has mentioned or if you’ve heard, but the night we were supposed to meet last month, I had an accident, and well…” I pointed to my head. “My memory sort of got wiped,” I chuckled. “If I hadn’t run into you all and then Mirabel, I wouldn’t have had a clue about the paintings.”
The vampire stiffened and then turned to Mirabel with a glare. “Is this true?” he demanded. The other three vampires remained silent but fixed their eerie stares on the witch.
The witch did not falter under their scrutiny, and I respected her steely resolve. She lifted her chin and swallowed tightly. “So she claims.”
I threw my head back and laughed. “So she claims?” I repeated. “Let’s not beat around the bush here, Mirabel. You attacked me, taking advantage of my naivety to get my coin and paintings.” I tsked and wagged a finger. “Not a good look… Not good at all.”
“You…!” She stepped forward with an accusatory finger pointed at me, but one of her vampire friends held her back.
I felt Garrick and Maeve stiffen beside me, but I only grinned. “Look, I’m not here to stir up drama. I’m only here to give you the painting from last month and the one due this month. And to collect my payment, of course. Everything else? Well, let bygones be bygones, is what I say.”
“How magnanimous of you,” their vampire spokesperson said.
I waved away his words and shrugged one shoulder. “I like to consider myself a philanthropist of sorts. Truly, one with the people.” I winked.
He scoffed. “You’re different, my lady. I can see this… accident of yours left its mark.”
I smirked. “Yes, it has. You could say I’m practically a different person.” Garrick cleared his throat behind me in warning. I took heed and shifted the conversation back to the matter at hand. “Anyway, do you want the paintings or not?”
“Of course we do,” the head vampire answered. Though his face remained impassive, he raised a brow and nodded toward the wrapped paintings. “Can we take a look?”
I waved for Garrick to step forward and he carefully unwrapped the landscape paintings. Forgery or not, they were beautiful. The canvases swirled with vibrant colors and skilled brushstrokes, depicting strange Elarian places I’d never seen before.
“Excellent!” The vampire grinned and snapped his fingers at the mute vampires standing behind him.
Two of them surged forward, each holding one side of a trunk, and dropped it at my feet, then whirled and snatched the paintings from Garrick. I tentatively opened the trunk, half expecting something to jump out at me, and was pleasantly surprised to find it filled with gold coins. Mimicking what I’d seen in countless movies, I selected one coin and bit it to make sure it was real. There was a strained pause as everyone watched with mounting confusion.
I looked at them and shrugged. “What? I had to make sure it was real. You’re not the only one who doesn’t want to be played!” I tossed the coin back into the trunk and closed the latch. “Well, boys, it’s a pleasure doing business with you. Until next month.” I gave a snappy salute and motioned for Garrick and Maeve to take the trunk so we could leave.
The vampire spokesperson cleared his throat and we all froze in our tracks. “Not so fast there, little human.”
I blew out a raspberry, unable to hide my annoyance. “What now? Do I have to pay taxes or something? Because I’ve already given Uncle Sam quite enough of my time and money.”
Wearing an enigmatic smile, the vampire motioned to the witch. “Mirabel has some grievances with you. My friends and I are here to mediate and ensure we reach a … mutually satisfactory conclusion.”
I barked out a laugh. “Is that so? I didn’t realize we needed a mediator to sever our ties to one another.”
The eerily beautiful vampire nodded, his Mona Lisa smile firmly fixed in place. “She claims that the last time she saw you, there were two very powerful individuals protecting you, one of whom was fae. And well, we are well connected with the fae, so if someone isn’t toeing the line, we wish to quickly rectify that,” the vampire said, raising his arms to encompass Faelight Forest.
He was talking about Klaus. Klaus, as in the grandson of the last fae king. If this vampire only knew who he was talking about, he’d shit his pants. Obviously, Mirabel didn’t know, or else she wouldn’t have caused all this hoopla.
I sighed. “May I ask what your name is?”
The vampire tilted his head to the side, the movement predatory. “Horatio. It seems you have forgotten.”
“Accident.” I pointed to my head. “Remember?”
His eyes glimmered. “Ah, right.”
“Well, Horatio, it seems that Mirabel isn’t well versed on the fae, because I’m a bit well connected with them, myself,” I calmly stated. “Your subtle threats don’t work on me. And honestly, they’ll cause more trouble for you than me. Trust me.”
“You?” he asked disbelievingly. “A mere human who barely remembers who she is, has connections with the higher fae?”
I shrugged. “Not to brag, but yeah. I try not to name drop, though. It’s distasteful.”
When Horatio laughed, I knew he didn’t believe a single word I said. And I sort of liked it that way. This way, the surprise would be even more satisfying.
I peered over my shoulder at Garrick and Maeve. “Take the trunk back to the carriage and stay there. I won’t be long.”
Maeve’s face tightened in fear. “But my lady—”
“Go,” I pushed. “I promise everything will be okay.”
“Come on, Maeve.” Garrick urged her to help him lift the trunk. My shoulders relaxed fractionally when they disappeared behind the carriage, and I turned to face the four vampires and Mirabel.
Horatio grinned, though it was an unsettling sight. “Leaving so soon?”
“We’re almost done here,” I replied with a nonchalant shrug. “I have nothing left to say to Mirabel, especially when I’ve done nothing wrong. So if you’ll excuse me, I have a lot of money to spend.” I smirked and turned to leave, but stopped when Mirabel stepped forward, magic sparking from her fingertips, which were aimed at me.
My eyes widened in shock as a flash of light barreled toward me. Lacking magical powers myself, all I had time to do was raise my arms to cover my face. When nothing hit me, I cracked open one eye and peered between my arms to see a curtain of shimmering white hair. A figure in white robes defiantly stood in front of me with his back to me, a figure I knew was Klaus. I could pin him from a mile away.
“Who dares harm what is mine?” His silky voice echoed throughout the dark, vast forest.
The four vampires gasped in horror, but Mirabel shrieked and pointed an accusing finger. “That’s him! That’s the fae who protected her last time!”
I heard Horatio growl, “Be quiet! Do you know who that is, witch?”
“Obviously she doesn’t,” Klaus said calmly. “A nobody like her doesn’t need to know.” His words carried the threat of revealing his identity to an outsider, which the vampires would be wise to heed.
In the next instant, magic sparked from Klaus’s hands and barreled toward Mirabel and she just… evaporated. I couldn’t believe it. I had to rub my eyes to make sure it really happened. “Did you… did you kill her?”
Klaus shook his head but didn’t answer, his gaze fixed on the four vampires whose earlier bravado had been sucked out of them. “And what were you all doing here this late at night, allowing harm to what I claim as mine?”
“Your Highness, we had no idea!” Horatio pleaded and dropped to his knees, the other vampires quickly following suit. “Had we known the human was important to you, we never would have—”
“I tend not to care what any of you do,” he interrupted. “But she,” Klaus pointed to me, “is off limits.”
“Yes, of course, Your Highness,” Horatio answered quickly. With deep bows and murmured apologies, the four vampires stood and scurried off into the darkness.
Klaus turned and looked at me with a devilish grin. “Well hello there, my little kitty cat.”
I rolled my eyes. “Hello to you, too. Thanks for the save.” I took in his pale, luminescent skin, lavender eyes, and pointed ears that announced to all the world of his high-born fae status. He was truly beautiful, an Adonis in real life. And to think we once kissed! True, it was to seal a bargain, but still. I touched my lips at the scorching memory.
“And what is my kitty cat thinking about right now?” Klaus leaned down into my face, his impish grin stretching from ear to ear.
“Nothing,” I grumbled and dropped my hand from my lips, looking away in embarrassment. “Sorry for the late-night call. I didn’t expect them to attack me.”
He shrugged. “It’s fine. You can call me at whatever hour you’d like, Kitty Cat.”
I growled and nudged him away from my face. “Stop calling me that!”
He chuckled. “I was actually hoping you would call on me soon. I need to bother you in two days, if you can stir up some trouble for me.” Another wolfish grin spread across his chiseled cheeks.
I snorted. “That shouldn’t be a problem. Can I ask—?”
“No.” Klaus shook his head, his glossy white hair shimmering in the torchlight. “It’s best if you stay in the dark, Kitty Cat.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“That’s it?” He raised a brow and gave a panty-melting smirk. “You’re not going to push for more information?”
I shook my head. “If it’s for my own safety, I get it. I’m learning when to stay out of things. Ignorance is bliss.”
“Hmm. Indeed it is,” he purred.
“Can I ask you a question, Klaus?”
He nodded.
“What do you know about twin flames?” I didn’t want to arouse suspicions, but if anyone knew about them, it would be the fae.
He quirked a brow. “Well, Kitty Cat, that’s quite a question, and one I think deserves a reciprocal favor.”
I narrowed my eyes at my fae protector. “Don’t you want me to stir up trouble for you in two days? That sounds a lot like a favor to me,” I deadpanned. “Now spill.”
Klaus laughed. “Quite the negotiator! You’re getting good at this.” He nodded appreciatively. “Very well, Kitty Cat. Twin flames are marks that appear on a dragon and a human, marking them as mates. They’re unique marks to the pair so they know who their mate is. Once the mates are united, the human becomes a Dragon Rider.”
“A dragon rider?”
Klaus nodded. “Many centuries ago, the army boasted countless humans who rode on the backs of dragons. The pairs were invincible on the battlefield. But once the twin flames started to disappear and fewer and fewer were mated, the practice became extinct.”
“So you’re saying there’s no such thing as a twin flame?”
Klaus shook his head. “Not that I’m aware of. If there were, it would bring chaos.”
I frowned. “How so?”
“The dragon that bears the twin flame mark who finds his mate will have a claim to the throne, assuming it’s not the current emperor or crown prince. And I doubt they’ll give up the throne so easily.” Klaus smirked and raised a questioning brow. “Why do you ask, Kitty Cat?”
“Oh, no reason. I came across it in an old book, but there weren’t a lot of details and I was curious,” I lied.
“Is that so?” he murmured, his tone telling me he didn’t believe my flimsy excuse. “Be careful, little human. Sometimes good things can have disastrous consequences. If you have seen the twin flame mark, run as far away from it as possible. It will only bring trouble to your doorstep.”
Klaus’s warning hung in the air, his lavender eyes gleaming with a mixture of amusement and something darker—concern, maybe? It was hard to tell with him.
“Run as far away as possible, huh?” I crossed my arms. “What are you, my fairy godmother? Next, you’ll be telling me to leave a shoe behind at the ball.”
He laughed, a deep, velvety sound that somehow made the night feel warmer. “Ah, Kitty Cat, you always know how to ruin a moment with your strange little jokes.”
“Strange to you , maybe,” I shot back. “I come from a land of memes and sarcasm. You should be grateful I’m not quoting Shrek right now.”
Klaus tilted his head, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. “I don’t know thisShrek, but if he’s as delightful as you, I’m sure I’d find him amusing.”
“Delightful, huh?” I speared him with a look. “Pretty sure you just said I ruin moments.”
“You do,” he admitted, stepping closer, his gaze dropping to meet mine. “But in the most charming way.”
I rolled my eyes, though I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips. “I’m not falling for your tricks, Klaus.”
“And yet,” he murmured, leaning close enough that his breath brushed my cheek, “you seem to enjoy it.”
“In your dreams!” I pushed him back, putting several much-needed inches between us. “Now, are you done being cryptic and mysterious, or do I need to go find another fae with a flair for dramatics?”
Klaus placed a hand over his heart, feigning a hurt expression. “You wound me, Kitty Cat. I’ll have you know I’m one of a kind.”
“Yeah, well, your kind is exhausting,” I shot back, though my tone was light. “Now tell me the truth … is the twin flame really that bad?”
His playful smirk faded, replaced by a rare seriousness that sent a shiver down my spine. “It’s more than bad, Kitty Cat… it’s catastrophic.”