Chapter Eight

Pushing Boundaries

There had been no vast improvement in Warren’s behaviour. He was still quiet and stuck to his routine religiously, but at least he hadn’t gotten any worse. Karou had started eating breakfast again, and a few mornings a week, he’d joined her at the kitchen island. While she ate her toast, he ate a light lunch. There was usually a newspaper between them, but she supposed he was making an effort.

Their evenings were the same as always. Warren would sit at one corner of the couch drinking scotch, smoking cigarettes, pretending to watch the television, and she would sit in the other, curled up with a cushion, pretending that she didn’t know he was watching her.

One evening Warren wouldn’t find Karou snuggled up in her usual spot, and seeing as he was trying to be friendlier, he thought that ought to concern him. Stepping out into the courtyard, Warren put his nose into the air to track the direction Karou had wandered. The options were limited - the only place to go from the unit was the Compound’s main building.

Warren was just taking an evening stroll as far as any onlookers were concerned, but he’d smell the air trying to detect Karou’s scent every so often. Because her scent was unique enough not to muddle in with the cacophony of other scents around the Compound, Warren managed to make it to the tavern following her trail without having to put his nose down to the dirt. Warren checked his wristwatch as he entered; it was nearly ten-thirty. Karou was out much later than usual, but when he found her amidst the crowd, it made sense why. Her friends surrounded her; they were drinking together and generally having fun. Well, at least there was a lot of laughing and smiling going on. Warren knew what a good time looked like, even if these days he didn’t stray too far from work to indulge often.

Now that he knew where she was and what she was doing, he considered turning around and making his way back to the unit, but a thought popped into his head; Just one drink, why not?

With a beverage acquired, Warren took a table and quietly enjoyed his drink. It was a refreshing break from sitting at a desk with his planner or laptop in front of him; though he supposed it wasn’t quite as enjoyable as the evening routine, he’d gotten used to. Trying to be discrete, he snuck glances in Karou’s direction, but once she noticed him, she met his eyes almost immediately. Raising her hand, she beckoned him over to the table where she and her friends congregated, but Warren merely shook his head in refusal. He didn’t want to sour her evening with his inadequate social skills. Or worse, embarrass her in front of her peers. Stubborn to a fault, Karou wasn’t taking no for an answer. With a wine glass in her hand, she made her way over to his table instead. A toothy smile spread her face when she sat down without being invited.

“Hello, you.” The vivid peachy colour in her cheeks was clearly a side effect of the wine. Still, it suited her otherwise pale complexion, especially in the tavern's dim, cosy lighting.

Warren’s eyes smiled upon her arrival, even if his lips remained static. “Good evening,”

“Have you come to take me home because I’ve stayed out too late?” Karou giggled, sipping at the remnants in her glass. Who knew how long she’d been drinking, but she was giddy, if not slightly drunk.

“No, I’m not your father, Karou, but I did track you here… but only to make sure you weren’t up to mischief.”

“Oh, well, I have been, but I haven’t been too naughty.”

“I think your friends would like you to go back to their table.” Warren tried to ignore her comment's insinuation and nodded across the room at the group she’d abandoned. They were all looking her way, one more so than the others. Warren knew the boy, a member of one of the families that had taken asylum at the Compound a couple of years ago. Since then, he’d hit puberty and his stride with women. He seemed interested in Karou, but he was a little more delicate when it came to expressing his attraction, unlike Ebon, her last love interest. Perhaps that was why she hadn’t noticed him.

“They’ll be heading back to their units soon...” Karou wafted her hand, finished her wine, and lounged back in the bench seat with a contented sigh.

“Not quite yet, it would seem. One of them is heading this way...” Warren watched as the kin boy stood up and walked towards Karou. When he arrived, she looked up at him with a warm smile.

“Uhm, so Karou, everyone is gonna head back home now but d’you wanna have one more drink with me? Uh, alone?” The boy put forth his proposal with a level of confidence that Warren found commendable. So respectfully, Warren didn’t look at him, not wanting to put him off.

“Actually, I think that was probably my last drink-” Karou started only to be interrupted by Warren.

“I don’t think one more drink would hurt Karou. I’m sure this young man would even walk you back home afterwards.” Warren looked between the two youngsters, trying to encourage the situation. “Am I right?”

“No, I’m fine. I don’t think I want another drink. I would like to go home, actually. Warren, should we go?” Karou stood from the table and smiled up at the boy, having taken the wind right out of his sails. “Another time, though, yeah?”

Before anything else could be said, Karou was skipping out of the tavern leaving the would-be Romeo looking chestfallen. Warren raised his eyebrows at the boy by way of apologising for Karou’s letdown as he followed her outside.

Once they were out in the open air, Karou staggered backwards to rest up against a tree trunk upon taking in a deep breath. The wine and the fresh air combined had gotten to her, and she felt a bit lightheaded. Pressing her fingertips into her lips, she giggled to herself as Warren watched on. “Ooo, I think I’ve had a little bit too much.” She confessed.

He rolled his eyes, “It would appear that way, yes. I thought you didn’t like wine?” Warren started off walking back to the unit through the trees.

“I don’t know what else to try instead, and I’m too lazy to sample everything.” Trotting up to Warren’s side, Karou tried to keep up with his long stride as she wanted to get back to the unit as soon as possible and flake out on the couch or even go straight to bed.

“Then I guess you’re stuck drinking vino.” Warren opened a door for her and allowed her entry first, and together they strolled through the Compound’s main lounge. “Karou, you have figured out that that boy back at the tavern has a crush on you, right?”

“Oh… Yeah. I have. I guess it’s nice to be noticed for once, but he’s a few years younger than me and apparently, not that great of a kisser.” Karou admitted as she turned to walk backwards over the courtyard between the main building and their unit’s front door. Then, grinning Warren’s way, she leaned up against the outer wall waiting for him to unlock the door.

“And you’re an expert on kissing now, are you?” Warren goaded as he opened the unit’s door. Crouched in the hall, Warren unlaced his brown Derby’s and stowed them away.

“No, I’m not, but I at least want to practise with someone good at it,” Karou replied distractedly. Warren watched Karou fumble to remove her shoes and fight with her jacket as she tried to escape that too. She left her things strewn about the floor near the door, much to his disappointment.

“Tsk, so untidy.” He tutted. It had become second nature these days to put Karou’s shoes away because she certainly wasn’t likely to if left to her own devices.

Humming to herself, Karou moseyed off to her room sooner than Warren expected, but she re-emerged, having changed into her pyjamas. Actually, she was in the process of pulling a camisole over her head when she padded barefoot towards the couch. Warren got an eye full of the lace bralette she was wearing. Hmm, that’s nice. His demons muttered regardless of how guilty he felt. Now that she was clambering into her seat, she looked at him expectantly, and he realised that he had been staring.

“Am I a bad kisser?” Karou’s head tipped to the side as she gathered her hair on one side of her neck.

“I-… Don’t think I ought to be the judge of that. What is it with you? You always ask these kinds of questions when you’ve had too much to drink.” Warren blew out a breath, hoping she wasn’t going to become a handful before bed, but he’d thought too soon.

“Duh! I’m not brave enough to ask you for another kiss without a little help from liquid courage.” Karou giggled and sat back onto heels. The way her eyes were gleaming in the dim glow of the lounges lamp light was almost cat-like and as if she might pounce on him at any moment.

“Is that what you’re doing right now? Because you already know the answer.”

“Yeah, I’m asking for another-” Unashamedly, Karou nodded and set down onto all fours to crawl over the leather towards him. “You said that I had no idea what you could do to me, and I said we could find out.”

“I meant that I’d try and be your friend...” Warren’s palm rubbed over the lower half of his face, a subconscious way of shielding his lips from her as he tried to think of a way to disarm the situation.

“No, you didn’t.” Karou disarmed him instead when she confidently called him out on his lie, which didn’t stop her from prowling towards him.

“Karou, don’t make me put you back in that cell. You’re intoxicated and testing my patience.”

“Hmph, fine. I’ll go to bed. I guess if you are going to kiss me, I should be sober enough to remember it anyway.” Climbing away from him, Karou resigned to her bedroom.

“It’s not happening, sober or not,” Warren grumbled. Liar. His inner devil whispered. ‘He’ had to have the last say. “What a Thursday…” Warren’s heart was pounding as she slumped back further into the couch; she’d gotten him riled up so easily.

Around four o’clock, Karou was woken by a sharp stabbing pain emanating from her upper back. The pain that spread down her spine made her muscles quiver and brought tears to her eyes when she stumbled out of bed. Laying down was agonising, but there seemed to be no position in which she could get comfortable. It came in waves, and each seemed to be from a different location, but they were all equally painful.

Involuntary grumbles and groans rumbled past her lips as she paced her small bedroom until she felt the confines of her room suffocating. Then, flicking on the bathroom light, she paced the length of the wet room, across the hall and into her room in tireless circles. She hoped that the movement would distract her or ease her discomfort, but it didn’t. Ow, fuck, it’s never been this bad before. She thought, cursing.

Warren’s sleep was interrupted when he sensed light coming from the hallway. There didn’t seem to be any immediate crisis, so he took his time coming around and sat on the edge of his bed. Even when he heard a painful groan coming from the bathroom, he figured that Karou had woken up possibly feeling ill from all the alcohol she had drunk. So when he found her pacing and not hunched over the toilet bowl, he squinted into the light at her.

“What’s wrong?” Warren asked as Karou passed in front of him.

“My b- back hurts.” She managed to stutter past her quivering lips. Crying as she paced, Karou had her arms wrapped about her chest, trying to hold herself together to no avail. She was no longer tipsy; the pain had sobered her right up. “It’s s- so m- much worse than it usually is. I- I’m s- sorry I w- woke you up.”

Warren nodded, acknowledging her predicament. He thought he recognised the look on her face as panic, fear, and definitely pain. “Right,” Was all he said before turning around and disappearing back into his bedroom.

Karou was left wanting to cry harder, feeling hopeless in the face of whatever it was that was happening to her. Just dismissed me again, why don’t you!? But when he came back into the hallway, Karou looked over at him, surprised.

“Maybe I should call the doctor to come and take a look at you?” Warren suggested with his cell phone in his hand; he was ready to take action on her behalf rather than ignore her crisis.

“No, I hate doctors. They only ever find more things wrong with me...” Karou grumbled and now felt a tiny bit guilty for assuming he was going to brush her aside.

“You can’t spend the rest of your days in this much pain Karou. I know what it’s like to live like this, remember? Shall I call him?”

“No, it’s so late that it’s early now.”

“Then what do you want?” Warren ran a hand back through his hair at a loss.

“I just want it to stop!” She whined and continued pacing while her eyes streamed fresh tears.

“Okay… so, are you going to let me give you something to help?” Warren had no choice but to resort to the only solution he had at hand without a healthcare professional's aid. It was the same way he’d helped her before - drugs. “Karou, stop pacing. It’s not going to help.” Gingerly Warren took hold of her shoulders to steady her. The skin over her shoulders was hot to the touch, more so than usual.

“Fine. Anything! Hit me. Knock me out. I don’t care. I can’t take this anymore.” Karou wailed but stopped dead when she felt his cold hands touch her. She sighed; “Ooh, that might help...”

“I meant pills. I’m not going to hit you to knock you out, but I can sedate you so you can sleep through it.” Warren explained and turned her about to coax her into his bedroom, where he kept his medication. “What might help?”

“Your hands, they’re cold, and it feels nice.” Karou wiggled her shoulders impatiently, she wanted him to soothe the painful places around her shoulder blades, but by that point, he’d let go and was reaching for the pill bottles in his nightstand drawer. Soon he was touching her again, taking one of her hands as he placed three pills into it. Karou knew the drill and threw them back, supposing she could ask what they were later.

“Hmm, I’m always cold, everywhere, at least to mortals,” Warren explained gloomily. “Uh, the pills... they’re strong painkillers and sleeping aid. They shouldn’t take long to kick in; you should lie down.”

“Okay, I’ll go back to bed… But first, can you just put your hands on my back for a while? I promise I don’t mind the cold; actually, it really helps.” Karou turned about and pulled her hair over one shoulder, hoping he would oblige.

“Uh- here, just lay down. You’ll feel better soon.” Warren touched her but not how she wanted; instead, he grasped her upper arms again and ushered her into his bed.

The adrenaline rush the pain left behind rendered her too awake to consider sleep yet, but she did as Warren implied and slunk down into the sheets, then scooted over to the far side. Patting the mattress, she invited him to sit down with her. “Come on, just like how you did when I had a sunburn that time,” Karou insisted as she turned her back to him and sent her hands back into her hair to make sure it was all gathered over one shoulder.

Seeing that Karou wasn’t going to let up, Warren sighed and moved to sit cross-legged behind her on the mattress. “You’re going to have to sleep eventually... I have to be up for work soon.” He reminded her and tentatively set his hands onto her shoulders. Instantly he could feel how the heat from her skin burned into his palms. Goosebumps covered the skin of her upper arms, which let him know just how cold he was, but what his gentle touch did to Karou convinced him to continue; an involuntary but contented sound hummed past her lips as her head lulled forward. Then, out of the blue, she did something that startled him even more than the sound she made. Karou pulled up the cotton sheet to cover her chest, peeled her camisole off, and tossed it aside. She made no more sudden movements and settled down, waiting for Warren’s hands to resume.

While his hands gently caressed Karou’s skin, he enjoyed the contact as much when he’d aided her in administering the sunburn remedy. He couldn’t remember another time when he’d done this sort of thing with anyone else. To touch someone with an innocent intent yet so intimately was oddly liberating.

The rapid pace of her heartbeat gave way to a steadier rhythm as he stroked the length of her back. “Is the pain going away? The pills should’ve kicked in by now.” Warren whispered when he saw that Karou was slowly slumping sideways. He thought it was probably a good idea to shift her into a sleeping position, but she fell backwards without his hands there to prop her up.

Karou discovered that Warren really was cold everywhere when the back of her shoulders met his bare chest. Content with her newfound sleeping position, she sighed, and her sleeping face gave a smile.

Many alarming things comprised the situation he found them in, and the innocence of soothing her pain was slipping away. She was a drugged, half-naked adolescent, laid against his chest, in his bed. Frozen in place, Warren couldn’t help being distracted by the display of skin over Karou’s neck and shoulders. His thirsty eyes examined the way her tendons stretched out beneath her flesh, how her collar bones sat pronounced through her pale skin, and the delicate texture of that skin too. How am I supposed to resist you when you look like this? From somewhere, Warren gathered enough resilience to pull her further into his arms, turn her about and lay her down so she could sleep more comfortably.

With that hair raising situation dealt with, Warren sat with his forehead rested into his hand, hunched over on the side of the bed, recentering. He dozed there for a while because he still wasn’t quite ready to get up. Every so often, he’d glance at the time and waited patiently to time it just right, so when his alarm was about to sound, he hit the off button. It wasn’t fair to wake Karou barely an hour after she’d fallen back to sleep.

Somewhere between the excuses of just resting his eyes and five more minutes, Warren fell asleep stretched down a slither of the bed next to Karou…

Around eight o’clock, Karou’s eyes fluttered open. While adjusting to the bright morning sunlight, she glimpsed Warren sleeping peacefully, not too far away. Her sleepy eyes managed to focus on the face of his alarm clock just long enough to decipher that he was late going to work and must’ve been sleeping in. Long moments stretched into minutes as she watched him sleep. He was so still, barely breathing, but by no means dead looking. Karou had discovered quickly that real-life vampires weren’t like the fictional characters that filled mythological lore. Just as he proved right then, he didn’t sleep in a coffin or hang upside down like a bat. Warren didn’t hide away during daylight hours or avoid sunlight. While out in the midday sun, he hadn’t combusted into flames. He ate food daily and took blood only once in a while; he also didn’t seem to have any nasty reactions to garlic or religious paraphernalia. Sure, he was a little colder blooded than the average person, and he’d ceased to age years ago, but he was a normal person in so many ways that it was easy to forget that he was vamperic at all.

Still, Karou was curious about one thing, but so far, she hadn’t been able to get close enough to discover if that tiny detail of myth was true - did he have a heartbeat? She couldn’t see why he wouldn’t, but her inquisitive side just needed to know once and for all. Seeing as he was fast asleep, the opportunity to assuage her curiosity arose. All while watching his face to check he hadn’t roused, she wiggled closer. Feeling brave, Karou gently laid her cheek against Warren’s chest. For good measure, Karou held her breath so that she could remain completely still so that the sleeping vampire wouldn’t catch her in the act. She’d never done anything like this before, but she instantly understood why people liked it so much. Although Warren’s skin was cold, it was pleasant and relaxing, like a flipped pillow's cool side on a hot summer night. How nice it felt to ‘almost’ do something akin to cuddling distracted her from her main goal and caused her to lose focus. That’s when she did something to escalate the interaction without thinking; she placed her hand onto the vacant side of his chest. Wide-eyed, Karou glared at her own hand as if it were a traitor. Fearful that her sudden movement might’ve disturbed Warren, she peeked at his face to check he was still sleeping. Thankfully, he was and stunned Karou when he adjusted to her presence by moving his arm from under his head to lay it down the bed at her back, cutting off her escape route. Unless she was going to levitate out of the position, she figured she was stuck. Recommitted to her mission, Karou closed her eyes, pricked her ears and listened. Sure enough, there it was, his heartbeat. It sounded normal, she thought, and like the steady, soothing ticking of a metronome, it lulled her back to sleep.

By the time Nine-thirty came, Warren loitered at the threshold of consciousness. In Hypnagogia, he didn’t react as volcanically as he might have had he been fully conscious when he registered Karou clinging to him. His body felt awake, but his mind continued to wander. His dreams during this semi-sleep state always seemed more vivid, so his imagination took over the situation and blurred the lines. Karou suddenly wasn’t just laid there with her head and hand on his chest; no, she was tracing her fingertips up his neck and kissing at his bare skin to tease him awake. Immersed in his dream, Warren didn’t realise that his sleepy moans and mumbles had woken Karou. It was plain to see on his face that he was rather enjoying their dreamland tryst.

“Morning,” Karou whispered. Feeling about the sheets, she sought for her discarded pyjama top, and before he could fully come too, she pulled it over her head to conceal her chest.

“Uh- good morning,” Warren caught a glimpse of her dressing as he woke up and realised the dream he’d been having. He suddenly felt nauseous and confused. Was that real? He flung his hand up to feel over his chest and his neck. No, she wouldn’t do that, would she?

“Thank you for last night. I slept really well afterwards, and it doesn’t hurt anymore.” Karou smiled, hopped off the end of the bed, and casually wandered towards the bathroom.

To Warren’s paranoid mind, what she said was meant to clue him in that something more than what he remembered had happened. It rattled him. “What’s that supposed to mean?!” Jumping out of bed after her, Warren dashed to the bathroom. His hand grasped around the edge of the door and halted it as it swung closed, which caused Karou to instantly let go of the handle so she wouldn’t trap his fingers. “Karou?” On high alert, they peered through the gap at each other as confused as the other.

“What do you mean? I was just saying thank you for the pills and the… back rub...” Karou nibbled at her bottom lip nervously. Now she doubted whether that’s all that’d happened. She was mildly concerned, but not because she hadn’t already pondered what it would be like if they crossed that line, but because she would’ve been disappointed to be unable to remember it if it had. “D- Did something else happen, Warren?”

“No, I don’t think so, but what you said just now and where you were laying when we woke up spooked me for a second. I thought I’d made a terrible mistake.” If Karou’s memory of the night before matched his, then nothing untoward had occurred. That was somewhat of a relief, and that emotion showed on his face when his brows relaxed. “What a ridiculous thought.” He quietly chuckled and brushed off his faint panic by combing his fingers back through his hair while his other hand rested onto his hip. Calmly he retreated away from the bathroom door.

In that short moment, Karou knew what he thought might’ve happened. It was an honest mistake, but his reaction to the possibility left her feeling insulted. The words ‘Terrible mistake’ and ‘Ridiculous’ stuck with her and put more than a dampener on the good mood she’d woken up in. That wasn’t pretending – he really is a jerk. Ugh, why does it matter to you what he thinks? Karou turned on the shower. Done stripping out of her pyjamas, she waited for the water to warm up, and in the mirror, she caught sight of her naked body. Standing there deflated, she allowed self-defecating thoughts to run wild in her head. But damn, I feel so ugly. Eventually, Karou drowned her tears in the shower.

Warren knew the phrase ‘no man is an Island’; he thought perhaps he was the sole reason the saying was a lie. He’d never had any qualms about being alone and had managed for at least twenty years with no constant companions in his life other than Magnus and Ellis. Even then, he only saw them sparingly and during short seasonal visits.

It was July, and Karou had lived with him since November. Eight months was the longest he’d had someone constantly with him in a long time.

Sat wearing only his pyjama pants at the kitchen island, Warren hadn’t yet fetched the morning paper from the front door to read over breakfast. That morning, his life felt dramatic enough without reading about the troubles of the wider world. Since his embarrassing mix-up with Karou earlier, he’d sat overthinking about how he’d lost his cool in front of her. He had much to mull over, too much for one person to tackle alone. Flitting back into his bedroom, Warren grabbed his cell phone from his nightstand and dialled the only person he could trust to open up to, Magnus.

“Warren, it’s good to hear from you. You don’t usually call while you’re at work, though. Is it a REDford related dilemma I can help with?” Magnus said, slipping straight into a conversation - he knew Warren hated small talk.

“Uh- actually, I’m not at work, and I’m not sure what I want to talk about is so much of a dilemma...”

“Okay. So, if it’s not bad, is it good?”

“I don’t know. I just can’t seem to grasp onto a single clear thought, that’s all.”

“Tell me what you’re confused about, and we can go from there, si?” Magnus asked, taking on the role of Warren’s therapist as was often the case. Magnus Va Rossa was Warren’s greatest confidant and valued advisor, and sometimes being a replacement father figure, there was undoubtedly a familial love between them.

“It’s about Karou,” Warren admitted bashfully. Falling back onto his bed, he grabbed hold of the sheets and brought them near his face so that he could take in her scent from them. For now, he didn’t know how that made him feel - that’s why he’d called Magnus.

“Ah, the girl? Do you still have her living with you then?”

“Yes, she still lives with me, but I’m not forcing her to live with me; I genuinely have nowhere else to put her, but I nearly put her in a cell yesterday. It- It’s not as bad as it sounds. She just got angry at me and tried to leave the Compound, so I had to show her the other options if she didn’t want to live with me. The cel didn’t do the trick, so I-... Uh, God, I can’t believe I did it, but I showed her the blood farm, Magnus.” Warren said, with shame and hesitation, when he made his last admission.

“You showed a mortal how you have created a business out of draining mortals as a way to coerce her into living with you? Warren, manipulation by fear never works...”

“I admit that was one of the reasons, but what’s rattled me is she wasn’t scared at all.”

“Then why have you called me? Because you’re tired of having her under your feet, and you want permission to dispose of her?” The Spaniard chuckled darkly down the line.

A second later, Magnus changed his tone and addressed what he thought the issue truly was. “Or is it perhaps that you’re enjoying having her there, and you’re not sure how to feel about that?”

“Hmm, I think… it’s more the latter.” Warren muttered almost inaudibly. “But I do think about the first. I can’t help imagining what it would be like. I don’t know how I haven’t given in to my thirst already - you understand, don’t you? I mean, she smells the same to you as she does to me, surely? It hasn’t been easy resisting, and what’s more, I think she would let me. Sometimes I think she wants me to.”

“She isn’t scared of how you harvest REDford’s produce, and she wants you to bite her? Be careful, Warren. You might have invited a haemophiliac into your home, a masochist even, or worse, a vamp-banger.” Magnus chuckled again.

“Oh God, Magnus! She is not a masochist; Ellis is a masochist. I know the difference.”

“Look, I understand one of your struggles. Indeed, little Karou smells divine, but I don’t understand why you’re so keen to abstain? Even if she is a vamp-banger, surely you enjoying her company doesn’t offend her?”

“It’s doesn’t offend her. It’s just that the small amount of attention I manage to give her isn’t enough, and stop saying that - Karou doesn’t have a fetish. She’s never even kissed any-” Warren stopped himself; he’d been about to lie. “Uhm- actually, I might’ve indulged her in that.”

“You kissed her?” Magnus gasped. “Wait, wait, Warren, this isn’t just about feeding from the girl, is it?”

“She asked me to…” Warren whined his feeble explanation down the line.

“And what? Plenty of women have made passes at you, and you’ve rejected them with ease.” The Spaniard reasoned before he got carried away. “Ooo, perhaps she’s a succubus! What if she asks you to do other things Warren, what if she really is into vampires?”

“Hmm, thank you for reducing me to my race,” Warren grumbled down the line; by now, he was used to Magnus’ melodramatics.

“You didn’t answer my question. Don’t avoid the issue; you called me, remember?”

“She isn’t a succubus Mag’, she’s just… young and innocent.” Warren was sure of that.

“I suppose you are right, although there was something about her that I noticed when I met he - she has some darkness in her, or at least she has been touched by it.”

“Hm, I can agree with that. Her parents were highly neglectful; they went as far as to abuse her and threaten her life. She has a rather vicious-looking scar down her back from one of their attacks - it was the last they committed against her before she ran away. None of it has made her bitter or angry, though. She’s so determined to survive.” Warren explained. He knew he was betraying her some in telling Magnus. It was probably not something she wished to be public, but Warren also knew that this information wouldn’t go any further. Magnus was exceptionally good at keeping secrets; he kept many of Warren’s, at least. “She has some morbid inclinations, though, but I’m not sure if that’s due to her parent's influence or if she would’ve always been that way. She asks questions, particularly about my vampirism, but I’m sure she’s just trying her best to get to know me, y’know, despite my social shortcomings. But that’s just it; it’s so difficult being nice to her without overstepping the mark.” There was a long pause, but Magnus could tell that there was something more that Warren wanted to say. There was more that he needed to get off of his chest, so despite the silence, Magnus sat there patiently, listening. “Ugh… I- I can’t help myself! It’s so frustrating. I look at her all the time. I think about it all the time, but I know it’s wrong. I know I shouldn’t. I know the kind of person I am, and she doesn’t deserve to be tarnished by someone like me, Magnus. Like I said before, she’s so young and so innocent. She’s clueless to the extent that she teases me.”

“Bah! Both youth and innocence are fleeting things! It’s true she’s a pretty little Chica, but I don’t think she’s as innocent as you’re making yourself believe - she looks at you too, you know. You’re a beautiful man. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to insinuate that she only looks at you because you have fangs. Maybe she looks at you the same way you look at her, regardless of her race, no?”

“It’s not regardless of her race on my part, though. I feel bad about it because of her race. She’s so breakable. And what do you mean she looks at me?”

“Anybody would think you were raised a Catholic. You have an innate affinity for guilt that I will never comprehend. You overthink everything! And she looks at you the way all women look at you...-” Just then, the line muffled, and Warren could tell that Magnus was talking to someone else in the same room as him while having the mouthpiece of his phone covered. “I’ll have to cut this short, the wife calls... but remember, despite what you think, you’re a good man. You’ll do the right thing.”

“ ‘A good man’, right…” Warren acknowledged what Magnus had said but doubted it highly. “I’ll catch you later.” Warren ended the call without a fuss.

It was hard hiding things from one’s Sire, but Warren had Magnus on his side to keep himself as independent and as un-jaded by her as possible. He appreciated how Magnus kept their conversations private from Ellis; she was known to pry and use Warren's doubts against him.

At least Magnus had managed to make sense of some of his thoughts simply by asking the right questions. Warren still didn’t have concrete answers, but at least now, the puzzle was clearer. His confusion surrounding Karou was double facetted; on the one hand, it was about her mortality and blood, and on the other, it was about her youth and his lust.

The call ended at just the right time because the bathroom door opened as he hung up. Karou had been too busy in the shower to hear the conversation, so Warren just laid there and waited for her exit. He planned to shower, too, once the bathroom was vacant.

“Warren! Are you there?” Karou called through a gap the ajar door left; the steam was slowly escaping from behind her.

“Yes.” It didn’t take him a moment to be stood in the hall peering at her. “What is it?”

“Can you pass me a towel, please? There aren’t any in here.” Karou asked as she pushed a few wet strands of hair behind he ear.

The door shielded her naked body, but Warren’s focus was on the residual water dripping down her neck and bare shoulder. That sweet, intoxicating aroma he was talking to Magnus about just moments earlier rolled off of her, encapsulated in the water droplets. The steam coming from behind her warmed her skin as it passed and flooded his nose to add another layer of torture. How could she not tell how hard it was for him not to force his way past the door and devour her? She was tantalising.

Loitering by the door in silence, Warren stared hard at Karou, wholly distracted from getting her a towel.

Initially, Karou’s brows rose; she was concerned by the look on his face. “Is something wro-” She started but cut herself off and smiled warmly at him. “Oh, you’re just thirsty.”

“What?” Warren hadn’t entirely snapped out of his trance when he posed his question and was still staring at what little of her skin he could see.

“Your eyes... they’re all dark and thirsty looking, and… Uhm-” Karou tapped her lips. “Your fangs are out.”

“It-… Smells like you in there.” Warren licked over his left fang as he realised she was telling the truth; all the while, his eyes remained trained over her jugular. “And my bed too.”

“Well, I’ve just had a shower, and you insisted I sleep in your bed.” A coy smile pulled at the corner of her lips when she seemed to have figured out where Warren’s attention was. Tilting her head to the side Karou sneakily displayed more flesh to him. Dark curiosity had taken over, and she kept her eyes trained on his face.

Warren had undoubtedly noticed her display, so not only did his fangs remain drawn, but his lips peeled back from the rest of his teeth as a low purr-like growl resonated from his chest and throat. Although it was a threat, it spoke more to his yearning than aggression. Instinct took over, and his feet carried him a step further towards the bathroom door and nearer to her. With his hand around the edge of the door, he added a little pressure to push it open further as if he might enter.

Warren’s reaction surprised Karou, but for a second, she thought she wanted him to burst in and take what he wanted but remembered something that made her think of the sting of what he’d said earlier that morning. Karou became awash with guilt for teasing him and felt foolish for hoping that he might’ve wanted her for more than her blood. “Wait! Warren, I’m naked. I still need a towel.”

Her protest brought him back to his senses. Warren stepped back from the door, in shock and embarrassed that he’d faltered again so easily. “I’ll get you one.” Just like that, he disappeared from view, and when he returned, he didn’t even look at her as he passed the towel her way.