Chapter Nine

Disenchanted

Around eleven-thirty, Karou and Magnus parted ways, and Karou made it back to the unit as quietly as she could. However, as soon as she opened the front door, she was bombarded with an erotic series of noises coming from Warren's bedroom; Ellis' cries were overdramatic, and she screamed pornographic demands amidst them. Cupping her hands over her ears, Karou rushed to her bedroom to get ready for bed.

Cocooned in her quilt with a pillow wrapped about her head, to muffle the noises, she tried not to weep. Escaping how much pain it brought her that the man she was starting to care about too deeply was engaged in an act that she'd enjoyed with him only days ago was impossible. Why do I want him all to myself? I've no right. I know I'm selfish, but… he hates her! Why is he letting her do this to him?

Meanwhile, in his bedroom, Warren stared ahead at nothing in particular; the headboard hadn't even occurred to him as a point of focus, never mind Ellis. He was zoned out and flagging, with black eyes that held a glazed expression of disinterest. His energy to continue had almost vanished. By now, Ellis had fed from him twice and drained him, yet he hadn't been allowed a drop of blood in return. In addition to his feelings of disenchantment, his leg was starting to ache. The wound must've regressed in his state of thirst, he thought but kept his hips thrusting into Ellis while she knelt on all fours at the edge of his bed for the sake of keeping up the pretence of arousal.

Ellis had been waiting for him to finish for a while; she'd been satisfied by now. He would hold out for her and was usually right on cue to enthusiastically find his release when she gave him the signal. Instead, boredom was starting to set in - the metronomic swing of his hips was almost sleep-inducing. When she looked over her shoulder and saw that for once, his feelings were visible on his face; he looked utterly disenchanted, she blew a fuse! "What the fuck is going on, Warren?!"

"Huh? Oh, I'm just... tired." Warren came too and tried to make an excuse, but Ellis didn't buy it.

With a dissatisfied grunt, she shoved him away to reposition herself; surely, that would fix whatever issue he was having. But, as she moved, the sheets shifted to reveal a smattering of blue feathers beneath the quilt. To say that she looked angry was to understate the fury in her eyes. "What's this?" She asked, holding one of the quills up.

"It's a feather," Warren stated the obvious almost sarcastically. His patience was wearing thin; he was dripping in sweat and struggling to put any weight on his left leg.

Ellis' nose wrinkled when she sniffed at it. "It's Karou's!" She growled as if that wasn't already obvious. "Why the hell are they all over your bed?"

"Because she sleeps in here sometimes, do we have to get into this right now?" Warren rubbed his hands back into his damp hair, exasperated.

Then, while his guard was down, Ellis made her move. Before he could stop her, she was rummaging around in his head. Finally, she found the information she wanted, and in reaction, her fangs bared themselves ferociously. "You are still fucking her!" As Ellis screamed, she kicked out her foot which winded Warren when it contacted his solar plexus; the force flung him back against his piano.

"It just… happened." Warren managed as he bent over his knees to centre himself. "Haven't we already been over this? There's no reason for you to be this... jealous, Ellis."

"You're disgusting. You couldn't be faithful if your life depended on it." Ellis sneered. "And this time, it just might."

"That's quite a hypocritical statement coming from my married mistress… but the threat's a little much, don't you think?" Warren rolled his eyes.

As she gathered her belongings, she grabbed her dagger and thigh holster from his bedside table and chose to say no more while she rapidly dressed in at least enough to make it back to her room and to Magnus. Warren's bedroom door was almost torn from its hinges when she yanked it open to storm out.

Fumbling to pull on his underwear, Warren didn't know why he bothered, but he went after her never-the-less. "Ellis!… You're overreacting." He caught up to her just in time; Ellis was standing before Karou's bedroom door with a vengeful glint in her eyes. The red mist descended, and an all-mighty growl had ripped from his throat as he'd pounced at Ellis. The momentum threw them both a few feet further down the hall, where they landed on the hardwood with a thud. Beneath his four limbs, tackled and angry beyond reason, Ellis was unsurprisingly on the defensive and in reaction to his attempt to detain her, she'd bit down into his shoulder; hard. Warren winced and pulled away, which only worsened the wound. Unfortunately, it didn't heal so fast because he was thirsty, causing the wound to remain bloody. With his hand around Ellis' throat, pinning her head back against the floor, he growled into her face. "Leave now."

"You should be making her leave! Should have done from the beginning, I told you keeping a pet was asking for trouble."

"When have I ever taken orders from you. You don't own me."

"That's where you're one thousand per cent wrong... I sired you; I could destroy you just as quickly."

Though he saw the glint of her dagger's blade, it was too late to react; Ellis plunged it into his chest mercilessly. While he was distracted by her violence, she got free of him and to the front door. Unfortunately, her primary tactic hadn't worked, and Warren came between her and the exit again. Though he wasn't intentionally blocking her way, in fact, he meant to make sure she left, but Ellis saw red again and quickly conjured up another plan to maim him. The move she plotted was a low blow, but that was just her style. Having noticed that the wound she'd inflicted on him upon his Siring had indeed reopened, she saw a way to use his physical weakness against him. She took his legs from beneath him with a swift kick to his thigh and fled.

Reduced to an aching pile of thirsty and bleeding vampire on the hardwood, Warren wished briefly for death when he tried unsuccessfully to get back to his feet. "Fuck you, Ellis," he cursed, humiliated by the state he was in.

Although Ellis was well on her way back to the room she shared with Magnus, Warren could still hear her stream of nasty thoughts. I'll kill the parasitic little bitch as soon as I have the chance.

Lay one finger on her, Ellis, and she'll be the last thing you ever touch. Warren's reply caught her off guard. There was no mistaking the severity of his promise from the tone of his thought. Ellis physically recoiled even though she was nowhere near him. Although she knew she could get one over on Warren when he was docile, ultimately, she knew that if she genuinely came to blows with her fledgeling, he'd defeat her. Usually, her defence consisted of sly tricks; she couldn't beat Warren if it came to a battle of strength. He was a ruthless, efficient and trained killer compared to her, thanks to the Davikov's Black Winter.

Warren's feral sounding growl stirred Karou from the small amount of sleep she'd found but had been enough to frighten her into hiding beneath her covers. The sounds that followed indicated there was a fight going on, but the slamming of the front door signalled to her that whatever had been happening outside was probably over now, and it was safe to exit. Removing the pillow from about her head, she listened for signs of life. Has Ellis finally left?

Opening her door, just a crack, she instantly smelled blood. Warren's blood. Immediately she knew something awful had happened. Again, instinct kicked in, and she was out of bed and down the hall in moments. When she found Warren stood, with his weight bore onto his right leg as he glugged down liquor straight from his decanter, she was only slightly relieved that the situation didn't appear dire. Frankly, he looked awful.

"Warren, what's going on?" Karou asked, tentatively approaching him. When he didn't stop drinking, she plucked up the courage to prize the decanter from his hands and set it aside. "Warren. Did Ellis do this?... You slept with her again, didn't you?"

"Of course, I did, don't I always? She incepted the idea in my head just before lunch, and I'm a glutton for punishment."

"Oh my God!" Karou cried out in alarm. She'd set eyes on the dagger sticking out of his chest.

Warren's eyes followed Karou's, and nonchalantly, he pulled out the blade from where it had nestled beneath his clavicle and set it onto the side table without complaint. His expression remained blank, as though the act was perfectly mundane.

"She stabbed you?!" Karou exclaimed, feeling mortified by how calm he was; she stared hard at his face in disbelief. That was until the scent of blood distracted her - Karou's eyes deepened in colour in a split second and captivated by the bloody dagger. It didn't take long for dark curiosity to swell within her, and Karou found her hand moved of its own accord to trace her fingertips over the blade. Once her fingers were sufficiently coated in blood, her vampirism led her the rest of the way, and she licked her fingertips with her fangs drawn.

"Yes… something like that... Bit me, drained me, fucked me, stabbed me, kicked me. That's pretty much the essence of our relationship; blood, sex and violence." Warren explained, focused solely on the liquor remaining in the decanter; he was still tempted to consume it. But when he heard Karou's fangs draw and glanced her way to discover what she was doing, he immediately forgot about the scotch and became absorbed by the expression on her face as she licked his blood from her fingers. He took the dagger and, without care for consequence, sliced his wrist open over a glass; he just wanted to see her make that face again.

Karou's eyes opened at the smell of fresh blood being spilt. Although she desperately wanted to drink from him, her desire to see him unharmed somehow overrode her fledgeling thirst. Little did she know, but she had an almost unheard-of level of compassion for such a juvenile vampire. "What are you doing?" Karou asked, dismayed, and grabbed his wrist; she squeezed it to stem bleeding. "Haven't you bled enough already?!" How drained he already was, was evident by his pallor and eyes.

"I'd rather give it to you than her," Warren replied dryly and pushed the glass in Karou's direction with his free hand. "Please drink it." With that said, he gave up on standing and crumpled to the floor with his wrist slipping from Karou's hands on his descent. With his bed resting against the leg of the side table, he finally examined the state of his left thigh and grumbled, disappointed at the deteriorated condition of his scar.

Karou followed him to the floor. Sat back on her heels next to Warren, she didn't even bother trying to hide how much she enjoyed drinking every last drop of his blood from the glass she preciously cradled between her hands. She moaned as if she was consuming something devilishly delicious. When she opened her eyes to find Warren staring at his thigh, she looked too and winced. "That looks painful." She'd seen his scar before, but never the wound it became if he lost enough blood. "D'you need blood?"

"There's always some in my safe." Warren gestured to his office door. There was a sense of déjà vu about the position they were in.

"After the night you've had, don't you want something… tastier?"

"You're doing it again..."

"Doing what?"

"Forgiving me too easily. I don't expect you to touch me after I've just been with her, Karou."

His transgressions aside, she just didn't want to see him in that state. "I'll try not to think about it." Karou set the glass aside and moved to straddle his thighs, all the while being mindful that his left leg was probably causing him pain. When all her hair was gathered over one side of her neck, she presented the accessible side to him.

Before she could focus back on his face, Warren had pulled her into his chest and was at her neck. It was sweet relief, and the fact he'd been with another woman only minutes before didn't matter. With Karou in his arms, Warren sighed contentedly - the simplicity of Karou's presence was a balm to his ails. Although he hadn't made a single sound of pleasure in the four hours he'd spent with Ellis, only moments with Karou were enough.

Pulling back when he felt her pulse dropping, he kissed her neck as her wounds healed. When his eyes refocused, he was stunned; the wound pits weren't the peachy red shade he was used to. Just to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, he wiped whatever remained of her blood from his lips and checked his fingertips. This only confirmed his initial thought. "It's gold."

"Hmm?" Karou seemed confused.

"Your blood. It's gold."

"Mhmm, it's a nephilim thing. Remember how my blood was always a funny colour? Well, it's been turning more gold since I came out of dormancy. Pretty cool, huh? Unless... it tastes bad?"

"No, you taste... like you always have. It's... indescribable." Lost for words, Warren didn't mind what colour her blood was, but it was pretty, and it suited her, he thought. "I enjoy you; you know that." He admitted quietly and slumped back against the side table's leg again.

Staring into his crystalline, Columbian blue eyes, Karou smiled weakly. Then, gingerly, she slightly lifted from his lap to check his thigh. Thankfully it'd healed as well as all of his other wounds. Pleased to see that he was no longer in any pain and relaxed, Karou found herself combing his hair back from his damp forehead without really thinking about how he might construe the gesture. "Why do you sleep with her, Warren?"

"Habit." He shrugged. It was a feeble excuse; he knew that, but it was all he could say to explain the intricacies of the reasons. "I think I did tonight because I got the feeling that you regretted touching me this morning."

"That isn't true." Karou rested her hand against his neck and stroked over his jawline with her thumb. She looked at him with such compassion it made his chest ache. How could she be so forgiving and patient with him? "But... I can't let you have me again if you keep going back to her when she hurts you so much. Not even if you don't kiss me on the mouth."

"You want me all to yourself?" Warren smirked; what it did to his face made Karou blush and bite onto her lip.

"That's unreasonable, isn't it? When it means nothing to you anyway…"

"'Nothing' is perhaps putting it too strongly." It took him a moment to gather the courage to say it, but he tried his hardest to look at her eyes when he did. "I'd like to promise you I'll never touch Ellis again if I can have you..."

"Even if I never let you kiss me again?" Her eyes didn't leave his, and she stared right back. To her question, he just nodded, yes. "Don't let her hurt you, Warren. You don't deserve to be used like that. I-" Karou sighed, kissed his cheek and stood from his lap. "I'm going back to bed now. 'Night... and Merry Christmas. Oh, and if I haven't said so already, thank you for my present. It meant more than you know."

"You're very welcome. Goodnight, Karou." Warren let her go and watched her go back to bed.

He would shower before he retired to his bedroom. He picked every single one of Karou's feathers from his sheets before he stripped them and remade his bed fresh; he didn't want to sleep with Ellis' scent but tucked the pile of Karou's feathers under a pillow for safekeeping when he climbed back into his freshly made bed.

The tavern was alive, and the woods too. Seemingly everyone in the Compound had gathered to celebrate bringing in the New Year together. She'd missed the big party last year but not even being newly sired could keep her away this time!

String lights hung in the trees, and the flames of every lantern whipped against the wind so that their orange glows flickered. Many tables were arranged outdoors to accommodate the overflow from indoors, though it was freezing cold and nearing the middle of winter. Still, people bundled up in coats and enjoyed the small fires dotted about in old barrels. Fortunately, due to arriving early, Karou and her friends had commandeered a table inside. On the other side of the room, the vampiric trio of Magnus, Ellis and Warren sat drinking and conversing quietly. Karou's table was notably rowdier, but probably because they were all quite a bit younger. All her friends had managed to couple up in her absence. She'd become something of a seventh wheel, but for tonight, she didn't mind. She was just glad to be allowed to spend time with them.

"Warren, will you stop staring at her? You're probably ruining her evening." Magnus chided. Warren hadn't taken his eyes from Karou for a moment since Magnus left her alone with her friends. "You have to trust her."

"She's not even two months, sired Mag'... This is madness." Warren downed what remained of his glass of wine. Ellis was quick to refill it; she was trying to get her leg over him again. She didn't know that he'd promised Karou not to give in to the pressure, but so far, he was succeeding. Ellis wasn't a quieter though and continued to massage her fingers into his thigh beneath the table. It was typical that whenever she wanted something from him, she'd quickly get over how angry and violent she'd been only days before.

"She's doing very well, I'd say. You should be proud. You're feeding methods obvious work."

"You don't let her at your neck, do you?" Ellis asked, stroking a manicured fingertip over the scaring on his neck.

"Not as often as I'd like..." Warren muttered distractedly. Karou had noticed his staring, she wasn't at all put off by him watching her, and smiled his way.

"'As often as you'd like?'" Ellis pushed; she didn't like his answer at all.

"Uh- as she'd like..." Warren corrected, realising what he'd said. It was too late, though; Ellis had taken umbrage and promptly left the table for the bar. "Oops, I think I upset her."

"Ha! It's easily done, so why care? But uh, you'd like Karou to bite you more often, hmm?" Magnus wiggled his eyebrows over at Warren. "What exactly is going off with you and the girl, Warren?"

"Not nearly as much as you've imagined, I'd imagine."

"Oh, so you're not sleeping with her then? Ellis seems to think you are." As Magnus sipped at his wine, he had the look of a dog with a bone about him. Now they were alone; he knew he could get Warren to talk.

"I don't think that having done something twice constitutes a habit, do you?" Warren's eyes remained trained on the subject of their conversation; Karou.

"Only twice in all this time?"

"Besides, I think she regrets it."

"And you, do you regret it?"

"Not at all." Warren glanced to Magnus; he was considering opening up because he knew Magnus would persist with questions until he'd gotten everything out of him anyway, so why not save him the hassle. "It's different with Karou..."

"Because she's inexperienced? Well, they say practice makes perfect." The Spaniard winked and glanced over at Karou. She was staring at Warren now, but when she caught sight of Magnus looking her way too, she waved.

"No, I didn't mean like that. Actually, that only makes it sweeter. It's different because when she touches me, it's because she wants to and not because I've paid her to or to assert dominance over me." That wasn't too hard to admit, but the next part, he couldn't look at Magnus when parting with it. "It's so easy with her, it might've only happened twice, but there have been plenty of near misses. After the first time and second fumble, she decided that she couldn't sleep with me if I didn't love her. She's young, so I understand why that's important to her."

"I'm assuming you've fed her the 'I'm incapable of loving you' spiel then?" Magnus asked; unfazed by what Warren divulged, he seemed disappointed that Karou had felt the need to make such a demand.

"What's the point in setting her up for a fall, Magnus? She doesn't want to be used. I just -... I can't keep from reminding myself that I'm just a perverted old man, and I thought that's what she thought too. At least I did until the last time. It seems she'd rather not go without, though I'm under the condition that I don't kiss her." Setting his elbow onto the table, Warren rested his forehead against his palm as he combed his hair back out of his eyes with a sigh. "At least I'm being honest."

"Except that you're not."

"I-... I'll lie to her if I have to. I can't keep my hands off her, and I don't want to have to anymore... And she doesn't want me to either. Is that so wrong?"

"I can't possibly be the judge of that, but I don't think it's a healthy situation to put either of yourselves in..."

"She is fledging so quickly. I thought I'd have more time, so I'm enjoying her while I can. She'll leave for Enoch eventually and this last year will become a distant memory when she starts her new life."

"By all means, make the most of the time you have, my boy, as long as she knows that's all you're doing."

"I believe she does. I've never made any conditions of her, but I've made her a promise, and I'm doing my best to keep it."

"Should I ask?" He wanted to.

"I won't sleep with Ellis anymore," Warren stated plainly.

"I don't believe it; you've promised her monogamy?" Magnus' brows rose high in disbelief. "Is she really worth it?"

"You have no idea." Warren downed the rest of his wine.

Magnus said no more; he was stunned into silence. Warren's admissions had set a series of thoughts into motion that caused him to fear for his friend. Didn't Warren realise he was falling for Karou? He was setting himself up for a fall, for sure. He himself had admitted that Karou would leave him for Enoch, and probably sooner than anyone had imagined. Would he end up being the one hurt?

Momentarily, Warren was distracted from Karou when he heard a familiar voice across the tavern; Ellis had been welcomed into the fold of a group of party people; the wild type for which Warren had little time. One demon, in particular, seemed drawn to her, and she was flirting shamelessly. "I think your wife has found her victim for the evening." Warren nodded past Magnus' shoulder, hinting for him to look over too.

"At least it isn't you for once. Sometimes that hurts my pride, you know?" Magnus admitted and slapped his thigh while he downed the rest of his glass of wine. "But that means I can go have some fun without her hassling me."

"I don't think I'll ever understand your marriage. You go have fun; I'm going to finish this bottle of wine and head back for the night." Warren grabbed up the bottle and shooed Magnus away.

"Wish me luck. I shall see you sometime tomorrow, before we leave for the airport, then?" Before he could step away from the table, he noticed Warren's body language alter drastically; it caused him to follow the vampires gaze to see what had upset him. "Is this the real reason you've been watching her all night?" Magnus asked as he watched Karou conversing with a boy he assumed was near her age.

It was Ebon, the kin boy Karou had already informed Warren was interested in her. His interest had waned but reignited now that she was revealed to be a celestial like himself.

"He's been undressing her with his eyes all night," Warren growled through gritted teeth. When he saw Karou laughing at whatever humourous remark the boy had made, he simmered, and Magnus chuckled as he walked away, leaving Warren to deal with the issue of his hypocritical jealousy alone.

Now the sole occupant of their table, Warren polished off the bottle of wine and still kept an eye on Karou. He'd managed to stay seated and just quietly observe. He'd also watched Ellis leave with the demon, and Magnus seemed to be getting along well with a young vampiress at the bar.

It was quarter to midnight, and the excitement for 2012 to roll in had begun to bubble up in the crowded tavern. Another five minutes had passed when Warren checked his wristwatch. He figured he'd leave before the stroke of midnight to escape the uproar that was inventible. He'd been about to leave when Karou appeared at his table and sat herself down without being invited.

"You're not leaving before midnight, are you?" She chirped, her bright twinkly eyes blinked at him; below, her cheeks were flushed from her alcohol consumption. Since the packed tavern had gotten warm due to the number of warm-blooded people, she'd shed her cardigan. Her dress was one that Warren had brought, though Ms Finch had picked it out, he wished he could thank her for picking out such a garment for Karou being that it suited her so beautifully. It was a dark mauve halter neck that accomedated her wings. With her hair down and falling in gentle curls over her shoulders, she looked very pretty indeed.

"If I don't, my carriage might turn back into a pumpkin..." Warren's attempt at a corny joke caused Karou to giggle girlishly, which made him grin. "I was thinking of leaving to escape the noise. Go back to your friends. I trust that you won't go feral come midnight."

"You're funny sometimes... Don't worry; I'll go back once they've got all their celebratory kissing out of the way. I don't wanna have to stand around in their group while they're all eating each other's faces." Karou made a face of false disgust.

Warren didn't dare reply, so they sat in silence. Karou watched the crowd from over her shoulder until the time had come. Finally, the barbell rang, and the countdown to the New Year began. Friends embraced; lovers kissed, but most of all crowd erupted into a cacophony of cheering and singing. A commotion was expected, but amidst it, Warren was quietly smug to see Ebon looking longingly at Karou from where he stood at the bar, Karou had escaped the kin in favour of sitting with him. As his eyes panned back to the table, he also noticed Magnus slip out of the tavern with his female companion.

Karou saw it too and turned to Warren with raised brows. "Does Magnus sleep with other people too?" She knew Ellis did.

"Yes. He's bisexual, and their marriage is somewhat 'open'." Warren stated plainly, but then a mischievous expression became him, and he tipped his head to one side, grinning, and said, "Do you want me to hook you up?"

"Ew, no! He's like a father or an uncle or something to me, Warren." Karou screwed up her nose but couldn't help but smirk back at Warren when she noticed the expression he'd made.

"You and I both." The moment passed with them both tearing their eyes away from each other; Karou looked over her shoulder casually and Warren at his wristwatch.

"Am I keeping you from something? You seem like you really want to go." Karou had started to toy with her fingers beneath the table. As the stroke of midnight came closer, she imagined what it would've been like to kiss him. Even if kissing weren't off the table, he would never have agreed to in such a public place. So many times, he'd flinched when she had accidentally touched him in the company of others.

"Your friends keep looking over here for you. They seem eager for you to get back to them. I'm going to stay for one more drink and then head back to the unit." Warren stood from the table and wandered over to the bar without another word.

Karou sighed in defeat and watched Warren walk away. She'd wanted to spend some more time with him but reluctantly made her way back to her friends. She'd been trying to evade Ebon all night, she still wasn't sure she could trust him. His advances had gotten harder and harder to ignore but his opinion of her up until recently had been so low. Moreover, his new claim of affection for her was indisputably fickle.

The fun with her friends was short-lived. When they suggested venturing outside, the couples wandered off into the woods separately, presumably to have some alone time now that they were all suitably plied with alcohol, and the taste of a good time still lingered on their lips.

Wrapped up in her thick grey cardigan, Karou found herself alone and wandering down the dirt track back towards the Compound. Inside the main building, she ambled up and down the familiar book aisles of the library. Sometimes she felt like the characters in some of her favourite books were better friends to her than those she'd become acquainted with at the Compound.

It wasn't long before she picked up Magnus' scent nearby and peeped around the outer bookcases to see he was otherwise engaged with a woman on one of the lounge sofas. The female was a vampire, but someone she didn't know personally. Quick to look away, Karou leant her wings back against the books and closed her eyes to imagine her own kind of encounter. She really wished she could've kissed him at midnight. Her fingertips traced over her lips as she imagined it, how the feeling of kissing Warren made her feel dizzy was thrilling. She couldn't forget how that felt and a red hot blush spread her chest and crept up her neck onto her cheeks as a result. Stealing a moment to think private erotic thoughts felt indulgent, but she enjoyed it, so much so she began to wander around the library again. Down some of the aisles, the ones she knew well, she would close her eyes for a moment to immerse herself in her daydream tryst.