Chapter Ten

Living a Dream

Warren paid his bill and left the bar to negotiate his way through the crowd. Warren walked the short distance through the woods with his jacket slung over his shoulder until he entered the Compounds main building. He was planning to head straight home and to bed, but when he picked up Karou's scent in the library, he decided to investigate since he wasn't expecting her to be there. Making his way into the maze of aisles, he checked each one until he found her. When he laid eyes on her, she had her forehead rested up against one of the shelves, and her eyes closed and looked to be in deep thought. For now, he didn't approach too quickly; he didn't want to spook her. This section of the library was perhaps one of the better-lit parts by the study desks with some of the green glass desk lamps still on. It certainly gave the room a mysterious ambience.

"Is everything alright, Karou?"

Karou's head snapped up to look in Warren's direction. "What- what're you doing here?" Despite his efforts not to, he'd startled her; he could tell by the look on her face. She looked like she'd been caught doing something that she shouldn't have been. Since she'd been lost in thought, thoughts that perhaps she shouldn't have been revelling in, Karou prayed that he hadn't 'heard' any of them.

"I was just on my way back home. What are you doing here?"

"I- I got abandoned. I guess they all wanted to go make-out in the woods or something." Karou rested her head back to the shelf and chuckled to herself. "I probably sound really pathetic for whining about it."

They were both in the same boat; their friends had abandoned them. Figuring that he might as well keep Karou company, Warren threw his jacket onto one of the desk chairs and made his way closer. He rested his back against the same bookcase as Karou, not far away. But instead of looking at her, he stared off into the library. After all, he didn't want to force his company on her when he felt guilty for having brushed her off back at the tavern. So for now, he didn't say anything, but when he glanced her way, she was looking, no, staring, right at him.

Warren found it easier to let his guard down out of the public eye. For better or worse, Karou knew who he was behind it by now, anyhow. Still, he was always on edge in public because out there, he was expected to be a particular version of himself, and he hadn't yet fathomed how to drop the act for one person amongst the crowd effectively.

Their gaze hadn't faltered for a few long moments. Warren thought he should break the silence to seem friendly. He cleared his throat and said, "Your New Year's celebration has been rather anti-climactic then, huh?"

"Hmm yeah..." Karou pulled her eyes away from his and stared down at her feet before she closed them. No kisses at midnight for me, anyway. She thought, hopefully just to herself. Lately, she'd been doing a bit better at keeping her thoughts private with a bit of help from Magnus.

"You looked pretty deep in thought when I walked in."

"I was just daydreaming..."

"It must have been quite a wonderful dream; you looked so consumed by it."

"Oh, it was. It was a wonderful dream." Karou admitted. Her had remained eyes were closed, so she didn't see Warren move from where he stood, but she felt where he ended up. He seemed to have surmised what she'd been dreaming about and had come to the correct conclusion; she had been imagining being close to him.

Out of the blue, Warren pressed his chest between her wings and placed his hands on her waist. Above all else, she focused where he put his lips, just under her ear at the right side of her neck. Impulse took over, and Karou craned her head back to invite him to carry on. Boldly, she grasped a hold of his hands and moved one to lay flat over her stomach and the other upward, daring him to grasp her chest over her dress. I think the wine has gone to my head.

You must've had your fill of wine. Warren thought despite obliging Karou to put his hands just where she wanted them. Wouldn't it be wrong of me to take advantage of that? He begged the question though his lips were still busy kissing her neck oh so gently she could barely feel him there at all; it was such a delicious tease. Having his voice in her head was enough to drive her crazy with desire.

I don't care. I don't want to think anymore. Karou's thoughts were whiney, almost a moan.

Warren took his cue from there and spun Karou around to face him. Seconds later, he knelt before her, and his hands slid up her outer thighs and then freed her of her underwear. With her panties tucked into his the rear pocket of his jeans, Karou was deft about unbuckling his belt and unfastening everything to get to him too. Warren's strong arms hoisted Karou up to sit on the edge of a desk behind them. Mere moments later, they collided, and Karou's legs coiled Warren's hips as they thrust a steady rhythm. She moaned into his chest, but his body barely muffled them.

"Shh..." Warren warned. His hand cupped the side of her face, and his thumb pressed into her lips to convey the message without being harsh.

Quiet pleasure was hard to sustain, but the pleasure itself was easily obtained. This was how close she had wanted to be, and this was the side of him she liked best - when he was open and affectionate. Moments such as these were made more bittersweet because it was the only time Warren let go. It was ironic that he let her into himself when he was inside her. He was surprisingly giving and attentive to her needs; pleasing her pleased him. Though she had no experience with other lovers, she'd learned from her friend's gossip that their boyfriends had no idea how to please them and barely made any effort to. Maybe there was something to be said for sleeping with older, more experienced men, she mused darkly.

"Warren, please bite me?" Karou pleaded; she couldn't take much more of him just kissing her neck. It was thrilling to know that he didn't just want sex when his judgement was blurred by bloodlust, but she couldn't deny that both together seemed to be the perfect combination of pleasure and pain her body craved.

He wasted no time in granting her wish and sunk his fangs into the side of her neck with a quiet groan of his own. The rush caused her to dig her fingernails into his shoulders and her hips to shift closer to his as she held him still against her while she enjoyed the sensation of him lapping up her blood.

Once he was well fed, Warren pulled away and allowed her wounds to heal under his tongue as he continued to kiss her. No sooner was his feed over he felt Karou unbuttoning his shirt. Leaning back to make the work of her fingers easier, he met her eyes. She wasn't going to relieve him of the garment entirely; she just needed to get to his skin beneath it, especially his neck. Her fangs were already bare, and her eyes had darkened thirstily. It was no stretch to imagine what she wanted. Warren pulled one of his charming lop-sided grins, and she bit down onto her lower lip. "Can I?" She asked with a timidness that was arousing given their position.

"Always," Warren replied, tipping back his head to allow her complete access to his neck. Having her bite him was an intimate experience he'd missed. The fact that she could feed from him and show such restraint, pulling away before taking too much and innately knowing when she'd reached the limit, meant that it wouldn't be long before she was completely fledged. Then she would leave, and he would probably never be bitten by her, never mind see her again, but he was trying not to think about that too much. He was in denial about why thinking about it stung so much.

His hand still cupped the side of her face; it held her to his neck and followed her when she backed away once she'd done. He watched as Karou lapped his blood from her lips with satisfied glittering gun-metal eyes. Just then, he couldn't help it; his thumb brushed over her bottom lip again - they looked so enticing.

"Please don't." Karou could tell what he was thinking, and she was already having a hard time not kissing him.

"I won't. I promised I wouldn't. But I would like to take you home now..."

"But you were thinking about it?" Karou asked.

"Maybe, is that not allowed either?"

"I was thinking about it earlier too when I was daydreaming..." Karou set her head against the centre of his chest in defeat. "But yeah, I think we should go home now."

"It's fine that it's crossed your mind, especially when your friends have been kissing in front of you all night," Warren said to try and comfort her; he wasn't the least bit angry, but Karou looked ashamed when she hopped down from the desk. Warren pulled back from her and fastened his jeans. She hung her head and didn't dare meet his eyes.

"Have I ruined it?" Karou asked as she pulled her cardigan back up her arms; it had fallen in the heat of the moment.

"No. We're just going home."

The walk back to their home was sombre despite his promise, and on the other side of the unit's front door, there was just darkness and silence awaiting them. In the pitch-black, Karou found her eyes adjusted to the low light unbelievably quickly post-transformation, and she could make out the layout of the unit enough to navigate her way down the hall towards her bedroom.

Following behind her, Warren watched to see where she'd go. He'd decided that he wouldn't pursue her any further if she went into her bedroom. But, when she paused outside of her bedroom door and turned to face him, Warren dared to hope she still wanted his company and stepped closer, hedging his bets. Now, he was so close that when Karou reached out her hands, she could finish unbuttoning his shirt and let him know her intentions.

All over again, they found themselves giving in. The night hadn't been ruined after all.

Karou soon found herself spread out over the sheets of her bed as Warren lavished kisses all over her body. Although his eyes were closed as he enjoyed the texture of her skin under his hands and lips, Karou watched the subtle changes in his expression through the dark. Eager to touch him too, she combed her fingers through his hair, that combined with the occasional moan, told him she liked what he was doing.

The decision of whether to continue or not was Karou's. With her in his arms, he rolled over to lay her down his chest. When their eyes met in the darkness, neither said nor thought anything to prompt Karou into action, but just as he'd lavished kisses and gentle caresses onto her, she began to do the same. Tonight, she felt brave and wanted to try something new, something she'd never done before. Tentatively her lips wandered past his navel, which instantly got Warren's attention. He'd been laid back, eyes closed, enjoying the sensation of her lips on him, but now he propped himself up onto his elbows to watch her. I have no idea what I'm doing. She thought and flashed him a worried expression before she took him into her mouth. Despite her lack of confidence, she bravely attempted to please him.

Though he heard her thought, seconds later, his audible groan almost muffled his own. I don't think you need any instruction. Warren thought back as encouragement. Honestly, he was fine with her experimenting and figuring it out independently. Besides, she was succeeding at pleasuring him so far. Sometimes she could be so brazen yet simultaneously so innocent that it mystified him. But now that he was somewhat over-processing her actions - he opened his eyes to watch exactly what she was doing to him and wondering how she knew what to do. Stifling back his groans, Warren bit down onto his lower lip and gripped the sheets. His fingers itched to grab her hair and make her give him more, but he knew he shouldn't; that wouldn't have been ungentlemanly. Ugh, Karou, you're driving me crazy. Please, don't tease me all night. His mind managed to string some words together even if his mouth currently wouldn't let him form any. She had him on the edge, but just like that, she stopped, climbed up his body and lowered herself down onto his hips. They met as easily as they had earlier. It was all so effortless, it felt so natural, and time disappeared.

Karou had heard passion called fire, but all she thought was how being there with Warre felt like drowning. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't forget how he made her feel.

Where had January gone?

The weeks had seemed too short; perhaps it was because she'd been getting lost in history books lately. Present time seemed trivial compared to how much past there was to read about. She had been spending her time learning as much as she could about her family. Especially now, she knew what, or rather who, she was looking for. It so happened that some of her ancestors were quite famous in the mythical world, so there was a lot to read. Of course, some of the information was conflicting. But half the fun was deciphering the truth from the lies and imagining all the rest in between. Karou could see why Warren liked biographies so much now that she'd delved into history as an eager student.

The illusion of immortality that being vampiric gave was still hard to get her head around. Having lived her life up until she had arrived at the Compound as a mortal meant she'd had to adjust how she perceived time. Even though some of the people she was reading about were born hundreds of years ago, they were still alive today. It also didn't help that they probably didn't look elderly either. Warren was over a hundred and didn't even look thirty.

That day, Karou walked back to the unit with a pile of newly borrowed books in her arms; she'd been in the library all morning. Lately, she found that sitting at the study desks wasn't an option when she no longer found them a peaceful place to read. Instead, they were just a distraction; her attention would always find its way to the one on the corner, and memories of New Year's night would flood back and make her sweater feel suffocating.

Thankfully Warren wasn't hanging around the unit because he was still working. Eventually, after an afternoon of research, the evening had come, and Karou had fallen asleep reading. Her research material and notes were spread across the couch as she lay all snuggled up into her corner.

After he'd finished work for the day, Warren's arrival in the lounge didn't disturb her slumber. While he decided what to do, Warren drank a glass of scotch and watched her sleep from behind the side table. Eventually, he decided to call it a night and head to bed without waking her to watch a movie; what was the point when he never took any interest in them anyway. When he picked her up, she wrapped her arms around him without hesitation.

Warren paused and glanced at his bedroom door in the hall as he stood in front of Karou's room. Should he put her in his bed? The thought crossed his mind. It had become a new habit that for a couple of nights a week, Karou would sleep in his bed. For unspoken yet obvious reasons, they both seemed to enjoy it. Their attraction to each other was pointless to ignore by now, and tonight, Warren wasn't going to try to. He'd become accustomed to giving into temptation when it came to Karou. So, he laid his sleeping fledgeling down in his bed. Although most nights they would fall asleep on their separate sides without meeting in the middle, sometimes Karou would cuddle into Warren's side using her sleeping state as an excuse, even if it'd usually been a conscious decision. But on rarer occasions, Warren would pull her back into his chest and nestle his head between her wings or into her dark tresses of hair. That night, after a long hard day of tedious discussions with REDFord's underlings, Warren craved the peace that came from closeness.

After he'd laid her down he he left her alone for only a few minutes while he shut down the unit for the night and then climbed under the sheets next to her. Warren negotiated the position of the sleeping Karou, but she was stubborn and wouldn't roll over, so instead, he had to make do with holding her chest to chest. It took only a minute to decide he quite liked the change, and as he drifted off to sleep, he thought nothing of stroking over her hair and the feathers that coated the arches of her wings. Karou noticed him doing it now and then, and it tugged at her heartstrings how easily he'd accepted and seemed to be fond of her new nephilim appendages. Her feathers had started to transform with their age - they'd darkened in colour and were now a deep oceanic blue. The texture of her primary and secondary wasn't as fluffy anymore either. The quills were still just as prickly once shed, though, and Warren would sometimes curse when he woke up to one poking into his skin. 'Goddamn needles' was his go-to phrase, as well as mutterings about torture. It never made Karou feel bad for him. On the contrary, it always made her giggle.

Karou's dream was notably vivid. Usually, if a dream felt real, it was bound to be a nightmare; that was just her bad luck. But lately, the trend had started to alter, and she'd found that her vivid dreams seemed random and mundane, rather than reels of flashbacks from the murkier or scream inspiring parts of her past. That was until a few days later when she would notice that her real life resembled something she'd only just dreamt about. She'd been brushing it off as a weird coincidence, but it'd slowly become more and more frequent. Tonight, she was confident that her dream wouldn't come true because the place and the people were unknown to her. The location wasn't the Compound, and the people weren't her friends or Warren.

Karou's mind depicted an icy mountain fortress that stretched into the sky like black fingers reaching into the thick snow-filled clouds that gradually panned into full view. The scene changed in a second, and medieval feeling stone corridors flashed by as if she were running down them. Her vision swept up a staircase of polished black stone that coiled a beautiful centrepiece of a candlelit chandelier; hung from the high ceiling like a glittering jewel. Her fingertips reached out and brushed the bannister of dark wood and ornamental gothic ironwork as she ascended into another room. There, her attention was consumed by a huge stained-glass window that glistened like a great eye in the centre of a vast gable of stone. The half-moon shone and filled half of its glass with light, leaving the other half in darkness to just glimmer in the candlelight. The light show that consequently spread the floor was spectacular. Ancient looking tapestries hung down the stone walls, and just as she turned to take in more of the room, she caught a reflection of herself in a large glass mirror. It had mottled with age and gave the impression that her fair complexion had many more freckles than in reality. As she focused on her own face, a dark figure approached behind her. It was harrowing, but before that feeling could set in and she had a chance to recognise the person, she woke up with a jerk that shook her entire body.

The last image of the unknown male lurking behind her frightened her. Granted, it wasn't as gory or violent as some of her nightmares, but waking up hadn't put an end to the foreboding feeling - someone was behind her now too. Flipping over in an instant and immediately on the defensive, Karou growled. It was a vampiric instinct that she'd only become acquainted with in that moment. Her nose told her that the man behind her was Warren as she sat up in bed, and she instantly calmed down.

Karou's sudden movement woke him too. As he came to, he heard her growl but being half asleep and not feeling threatened enough to react violently; he just reached out for her in the dark. "Bad nightmare?" He asked in a voice groggy with sleep.

"Uh- no, just a weird dream, some... thing startled me." Karou flopped back against the pillow and nearer to Warren again with a sigh. "I wish I could say 'Oh, it's just a dream', but sometimes they come true."

"Hmm, you should look into that. Perhaps it's a common celestial gift, or it could be something your vampiricy has unlocked... Clairvoyance, I mean." Warren was mumbling matter-of-factly.

"Oh, c'mon, that kinda' stuff isn't real... Is it? Isn't there anything left in the world that's myth?" Karou couldn't believe how casually he'd said it, but her surprised expression faltered when another unexpected something came; she felt his arm reach back around her and pull her in close to him again. Sometimes he could be so affectionate, but it always came in heavy waves. Lately, she felt like she was drowning in the riptides of Warren's ever-changing emotions. There had been so many breakthrough moments over the past month where he'd let her in only to withdraw back into himself again. Nowadays, she made herself accept the times he wanted her close and submitted to them even if she knew they would be fleeting – something was better than nothing, she philosophised. That was just as long as when she wanted him; he'd let her get close; otherwise, it felt one-sided and like he was using her.

And telepathy is 'normal', is it? Warren thought, proving his point right there.

Well, no, but being able to predict the future seems... Karou paused and realised that telepathy and clairvoyance were probably about as unbelievable as each other. Okay, I see your point.

It could come in handy if you train it. Most physic abilities are trainable if you know the right people... which you do. Magnus has honed quite a few physic skills, but he also knows people who're more adept than him.

Alright, I'll speak to him about it, but at the moment, it just creeps me out... what if I dream something bad? What if it comes true?

You have to take the rough with the smooth Karou.

Oh boy, didn't she know it!

At the time she'd dreamt it, Warren hadn't known that it would come true. He didn't even know what her dream had been about, and he hadn't pried. But with the reports that'd come in from the guards over the last few weeks made it seem that Karou's night-time vision of a snow-covered medieval castle would soon be a place she'd become acquainted with personally.

The Compound was becoming an increasingly risky place to hide; nomadic mortals had stumbled across the outer wall. A group of wayward mortals had followed a delivery truck right to the west gate's depot on one occasion. Although anyone that had gotten too close had been disposed of, it didn't make the situation any less precarious. If word got out that mythicals were living in Montana's wilderness, the Compound wouldn't be safe for much longer.

The overseer was attempting to quell the nerves of his facilities occupants. Warren had ways of getting intel, and that morning a challenge arrived on his desk in the form of a report. It concerned him a great deal. He'd learned that a militia group was planning on scouting across the Canadian border. The Compound was by no means on the border, but if the mortals wandered too far south from Canada as they did a sweep of the vast forests, they might encroach into the Compounds perimeter. Depending on how many of them there were, there could be trouble. Warren aired on the cynical side of realism most of the time, so he worried that a battle could ensue. For now, it was all speculative, but Warren dared not take any risks; too many lives were at stake. So without even discussing it with her first, Warren called Magnus and made travel arrangements for Karou. He planned to broach the subject to her as an exciting prospect, a vacation of sorts.

That was how she ended up walking towards the west wall's guard tower behind Warren, who carried her packed duffle bag over his shoulder. Karou couldn't believe he was finally letting her leave the Compound, but it'd all happened so suddenly that it made her a bit suspicious of his motives. Still, he had given her a little confidence in him when he told her that she'd been doing so well adjusting to her new life and that she was a good little vampire - The thought that she was being let out on 'good behaviour' was amusing. That and besides, she was going to stay with Magnus, so he trusted that she'd be on a tight leash and unable to cause chaos.

An expensive-looking black SUV sat parked in the depot, which Warren was making his way towards. Throwing her bag into the trunk, he opened the passenger side door and waited for her to climb in before he took the driver's seat.

I knew he'd have a flashy car. Karou thought to herself as she got herself comfortable and belted in. It even has that new car smell. She mused as she looked at the polished dashboard; it was without a spec of dust.

Warren fired up the ignition and startled Karou from her thoughts. Her eyes were drawn to the west gate as it opened up in front of the vehicle's bonnet. The guards carried out a quick area scope before they flagged to Warren that the coast was clear, and they drove out of the Compound onto a dirt track. Being beyond the Compounds outer wall and amidst the shady tree's reminded her of the day they'd spent by the lake together. It was one of her fondest memories with Warren. She'd felt so close to him that day. Looking over at him as he drove, he was quiet and concentrating on traversing the uneven terrain. He'd dressed casually that day, and she took a moment to admire him. "Are you sure you can't come with me?"

"Yes, I'm sure. I've got too much work to do, so I can't leave the Compound." Warren explained for the fourth time that morning. He was annoyed that she kept asking but kept his cool and gave her the same answer every time to keep his story straight. Consistency when lying was the best way to ensure no one was ever distrusting. This time though, he wasn't sure he was lying. It was more of a bent truth, but still, he didn't want her to know that he was staying behind to defend their home, and he had an ulterior motive for sending her on 'vacation'. He was getting her out of the way of the oncoming battle; the thought of Karou ending up as collateral damage in any crossfire made him feel things that were very unpleasant and didn't bear thinking about. He told himself that the reason for his worry was just because it was his responsibility to protect her, as her Sire, and left it at that because thinking too deeply on the subject made him feel like a fly tangled in a sticky spiders web.

In the last day or so, he'd learned that mortal militia scouts had indeed found the Compound's northern wall and had planned a mission to find out what was beyond it. Warren couldn't let that happen. "I'm taking you to the airport; you'll get on my jet, and Magnus will meet you at the other end and drive you back to Blue Ash for your vacation. I promised I'd let you see the pinnacle of the vampiric world before you leave for Enoch, didn't I?" He glanced over at her as he drove and flashed her one of his most charming smiles.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm really excited… I've never been on a plane before. I've never even been out of the US. But, God, I never thought I'd get to go to Russia! I'm looking forward to exploring my vampiric history with Magnus; he's told me there are thousands of books and documents for me to read in the library there. He's picked out some choice material for me. Ooo, I can't wait to get my hands on it…" Karou explained, brimming with enthusiasm. Then, while playing with the air vent in front of her, her voice went quiet, and her smile dulled when she said, "I… I just wish you could be there with me. It'll be... weird not sleeping in the same building."

"I've no doubt you'll love the library. It's ancient and very well stocked, I have to say. Magnus more or less lives in there since he's a bookworm like you." He looked at her again, having been focused on the road. What she said last made him feel something, but he couldn't put a name to what it was. "You needn't worry about me; it's only for two weeks, three at the most." He paused, looked back to the road, and cleared his throat. "Besides, you might as well get used to not sleeping in the same place as me. By the time this year is out, you'll have fledged and probably moved to Enoch."

"You think I'll leave that soon?" Karou looked directly at him now; her eyes were wide, but she wasn't sure it was because the prospect excited her. They'd sort of been getting along lately, and to leave now… it seemed so sudden. Moreover, he'd said it so casually, yet to her, it was such a big deal.

"Yes, I have that much faith in you. You'll be ready soon, and I promised you could leave as soon as you were."

They arrived at what appeared to be an empty field. A small shack sat by the airstrip that the private pilots used. It wasn't at all like a large commercial airport where big passenger jets landed and took off. Warren had driven right up to the plane that was his. It was perhaps the size of a school bus, but not yellow and with all the necessary flying equipment… A man was waiting for him at the wing to discuss the flight's last details before take-off.

With Karou's luggage over his shoulder, Warren briefly conversed with the pilot, and Karou listened in. Karou could only presume that the language he was chattering on in was Russian; Warren never ceased to amaze her.

"I almost forgot that you spoke Russian," Karou said.

"I lived there for a long time. It's a difficult language to get your head around, but once I'd learned it, it made life easier."

"Is there ever going to be a time where I stop finding out surprising things about you?"

"Probably not," Warren stated honestly, but he felt there wouldn't be much more time to get to know each other. Once her bag was stowed away, and the pilot had disappeared into the cockpit to prepare, Karou stood on the bottom step of the jet's stairs to have a moment alone with Warren to say goodbye.

"Make sure to remind Magnus to ring me when he picks you up, okay?"

"Alright, I'll tell him." Karou nodded but glanced behind her when the pilot poked his head around the door to let her know it was time and she should get comfortable in the cabin. She nodded in understanding and was about to say her goodbyes to Warren, but when she turned around, she saw he'd already backed off and was making his way towards the driver's side door of his car. "Warren, wait!" Karou jumped down from the step and sped over the asphalt towards him. "Aren't you going to say goodbye?"

Warren found Karou at his side again in seconds. The way her eyes looked up at him seemed a little lost. "Isn't it more of a 'see you later'?

"Well, yeah, but you weren't going to say that either. What if the plane falls out the sky, and you never see me again?" Before he could stop her, she reached out, wrapped her arms around his ribs, and hugged him even if he wouldn't return the gesture.

"You have one wild imagination, Miss Morgan." Warren resigned to her gesture, hugged her back, and even stroked his hand down her head for good measure, but he didn't linger. Instead, he manoeuvred her away and pointed her in the direction of the plane. "Now go on, don't keep Magnus waiting." If he was honest, it was more likely that he'd be the one to meet his demise if things went south at the Compound. Well, there might not be a unit or a him for her to return to, but he couldn't send her away with that knowledge.

"Okay, okay. I'm going." Karou pretended to leave, but just as Warren opened the car door and had one leg tucked into the footwell, she was back at his side and kissing his cheek. "Be good while I'm gone."

Bewildered by her parting kiss, he watched her jog back towards the jet, up the steps and disappear into the cabin.

Curled up on the cream leather upholstery of the plane's cabin, Karou consumed a whole book during her ten-hour flight and had taken to sketching after that. Beverages and snacks that had been provided were slowly depleting. Sucking the orange Cheeto dust from her index finger, Karou stared out the window at the pinkish tint the clouds had turned now that the sun was setting. With her drawing pencil tucked behind her left ear, she daydreamed about what it would be like to fly, and behind her, her wings twitched at the possibility. Maybe I can.

The cloud cover greyed as the aircraft descended, and then came the rain. Karou figured the weather would be bleak, and so she'd packed warm clothing and coats to combat that. Warren insisted she take her boots rather than her tennis shoes. Sometimes, he regretted buying her them, but Karou loved them; hell, she practically lived in them.

Once the tiny jet had rattled its way down the runway and come to a halt, Karou got ready to disembark. Peering out the ovular window at the rainstorm, she could just make out a parked car on the tarmac. That must be Magnus.

"Welcome to Russia! Sorry about the weather; it's usually sunshine." Magnus greeted her with a joke that inspired a bright smile. Suddenly the gloomy forecast didn't matter. At the plane steps, and flung his deep red cloak over her shoulders; they would share the shelter from the rain as he escorted her to his vehicle. It was a sleek looking black saloon with an equally executive looking interior, fitted with blue LED lights and sharp-looking black leather upholstery.

Sat in the back seat next to her duffle bag, she stared out the windows as Magnus drove away from the airstrip. "How was your flight? Not too boring, I hope." Magnus asked as he took off at an alarming speed down a deserted looking highway. Off into the evergreens, they drove until the mountains were looming over the tree line and road like gloomy premonitions.

For an hour, they drove through winding mountain passes that were terrifying to traverse but had an awe-inspiring view none-the-less. Some of the precipices seemed deadly, but Magnus handled them with calm diligence. All the while, they had chit-chatted about this and that until something dawned on Karou.

"Oh, can you call Warren? He wanted you to tell him when I arrived."

"Relax, Niña. I called him the moment your plane landed. All is well."

"Oh..." That was all Karou said. Even after their short ten hours apart, she was already... dare she admit it... missing him? She just wanted to hear his voice.

"Here, you can call him if you would like mi querida. I'm sure he would like to hear from you regardless." Magnus had watched the way her face sank through the rear-view mirror and passed his cell phone through the gap in the front seats. This cheered her up, and she thanked Magnus before opening his contacts to find Warren's number was indeed the last call he'd made. Dialling the number, it didn't take long for a familiar voice to answer.

"Is there trouble already?" Warren asked, opening the conversation without even saying 'hello'.

"Oh- No..." Karou replied.

"Karou?" Warren asked, and she could hear the surprise in his voice. "Is everything alright? Magnus already called to let me know you got there safely."

"I know. I just wanted to tell you myself and… uh, hear your voice." Karou found that she was whispering, even though she knew Magnus could still most likely hear her. He was at least pretending not to. "How are things there?"

"They haven't fallen apart without you just yet." Warren chuckled, which made Karou giggle too. "Have you gotten to the castle yet?"

"No, we're still driving. What're you doing?"

"Oh, I'm relaxing in a nice hot bath with an equally hot blonde rubbing my... feet." The way he hesitated over the last word was both suggestive and humorous; he wanted to hear her laugh again.

"The unit doesn't have a bathtub." Karou picked a hole in his story and rolled her eyes.

"Who said I'm in our unit?"

"Oh, well, that's a good point. I best let you get back to your hot blonde then." Karou played along, but at least he got a small chuckle from her.

The tone of her voice feigned annoyance, which made Warren grin to himself but feel guilty enough to quit joking around. "I'm in my office working, Karou. Where I always am." He explained just in case there were any genuine misconceptions.

"You can see the castle from here, Karou." Magnus interrupted and pointed out the windscreen. Climbing over the back seat, she peered out the car window, and low and behold, from out the side of the mountain grew a stone structure that towered up into the heavens.

"Oh wow... This is the castle from my dream." Karou muttered, momentarily forgetting that she still had Magnus' cell phone pressed to her ear and Warren on the line.

"You dreamt about Blue Ash?" Warren asked, having heard both what she and Magnus had said. He wished he could see the look on her face. Seeing the castle for the first time was an awesome thing.

"Yeah. Remember when I woke up the other night from a dream. I told you it wasn't horrifying, but it woke me up anyway, and I said sometimes my dreams come true. It was that night." Karou explained calmly to Warren, and Magnus listened in. The Spaniard was hoping they could talk about her psychic abilities at some point during her stay, and now he had an opener.

"I should let you go explore; it won't be long until you arrive. Thank you for calling me. It was nice to hear your voice too, Karou." Warren hung up before she could reply. With the line dead, she just stared at the cell phone, her lips slightly agape.

"He has a nasty habit of hanging up on you like that." Magnus chuckled as they did indeed pull through a stone archway and onto a long driveway.