Chapter Ten

Sneaking out

From beneath her bed, Karou pulled out a small chest. She knelt by it and clicked it open to reveal an entire ‘wardrobe’ of boring, inconspicuous street clothes.

“If we go out, I’ll have to wear these,” she remarked, gathering a pair of jeans and a shirt from the chest. “Otherwise, people might recognise me, and Gods forbid the guards do – they’d drag me right back here like a child who’s escaped from a time-out. Ridiculous.”

Pushing himself out of the armchair, Warren spun about to watch her reveal her civilian costume. He smirked and chuckled, shaking his head as she remarked about her curfew. Still, he couldn’t escape that niggly feeling - how it annoyed him the life she’d become accustomed to here. He’d subjected her to it by letting her go, and he was beginning to feel bitter.

Karou grinned, feeling as energised as he was after feeding. His slightly melancholy thought never occurred to her in her eagerness to get out of the Palace. “Oh, I know the perfect place we can go!” She said and pulled a casual, loose-fitting blouse out of the chest. She tugged at one of the straps of her dress, and the bow it was tied in came undone, allowing the summer dress to slip down from her body and pool at her feet.

Clearing his throat awkwardly, Warren turned to face the window to give Karou some privacy. He tucked his hands back into his pockets to stifle the urge to touch her. Once more, he approached the window and looked out at the dark sapphire blue sky. Night had fallen.

As Karou wrestled her way into a pair of jeans, she was momentarily distracted from her Sire but not long enough to be oblivious to him averting his eyes. Now, she sneaked up behind him and whispered, “You know, you don’t have to look away… You’ve seen it all before.”

He shouldn’t have been shocked by her boldness. Still, when he pivoted his head around to look at her, he wore a bashful, boyish smile. “Hmm, I know. Time hasn’t dulled how vivid my memories of you are, but it would be ungentlemanly of me to gawk at you.”

“I don’t mind, though… You gawking, I mean.” She smirked coyly, biting at her lower lip.

Struggling to fight against how physically alluring she was, Warren was coming around to the idea of staying indoors and allowing carnal instincts to consume them. The bed wasn’t far away, and a couch was even nearer. He was sure she would indulge him; her expression was close to begging for it.

He whispered her name, and the way he bowed his head nearer her face clued Karou into his mood change.

Karou was more than willing to succumb to the mood as well, and although she’d gotten redressed only moments ago, she’d have gladly removed them all over again if Warren was willing to let himself loose on her.

Warren yearned to reciprocate when her hand brisked down the centre of his chest with a sultry look in her blue eyes, but he didn’t. He fought against the tightness he felt growing in his lower abdomen. Gently, so as not to seem cruel, he grabbed her wrist and moved it away when she threatened to move beyond his navel.

“Let’s not be too hasty,” Warren warned. Reason had overruled his desire, somehow. “We wouldn’t want to do anything foolish and jeopardise what little time we might have together...”

“But we’ve waited a lifetime already,” Karou whined, meaning it had been eighty years since they’d parted at the Compound.

In his mind, his demons assembled to bay and howl in defiance of his strong will. When did he become so morale? - they demanded to know. They craved blood! More blood! They wanted sex too. They wanted Karou! Damn his lust. A stronger emotion won the inner battle and cut through the mounting sexual tension.

“I’d wait another lifetime for you if I had to,” Warren promised, it startled Karou how heartfelt his words were, and the look in his eyes made her melt.

He’d spent almost eight years feeling alone since his Siring in 1932. Although he and Karou had shared five years before another eighty years of solitude had resumed, their love affair had felt brief because it had taken him so long to accept his love for her.

Years and years of yearning had culminated in Karou, and now a feeling that had sunk a long way from determination and hopefulness had settled somewhere nearer desperation. Fearful that he’d leave her again, she allowed her eyes to well up and overflow with her helpless feelings taking shape as salty tears.

He reached to cup her face between his hands; concerned, he asked, “Why are you crying?”

“Because I know there’s nothing I can do to make you stay.” She admitted pitifully.

Something dawned on him. The realisation surprised him.

He didn’t want to leave Karou, which in turn meant he didn’t want to leave Enoch either.

“Time hasn’t run out yet. No verdicts have been reached. No sentences have been given. I can’t leave until I’m officially a free man, now, can I?”

Karou forced a smile. She knew he was suggesting she savour whatever time they had together rather than prematurely mourn the loss of him again. Her tears stopped, and Warren wiped those that had fallen onto her cheeks away with his thumbs.

“You know, you’re pretty when you cry.” Warren mused darkly. He couldn’t help but grin devilishly. The comment had cut through the melancholy mood if nothing else, but the way Karou tilted her head with wide doe-like eyes signalled that she found his admission shocking. “That doesn’t mean that I enjoy making you cry. More… I like making you feel better afterwards?” He stated as if walking on eggshells.

Karou’s face cracked into a grin. Gingerness was so unlike him. She was back to being her cheeky self when she suggested, “A kiss would make it all better.”

He watched her eyes widen in hopefulness as he neared her face, but she whined when she felt his lips brisk the tip of her nose.

“You promised me an outing, Ms Morgan.” Pulling away, Warren gestured to his dress shirt and pants with his free hand and said, “Although, you don’t think I may be a little overdressed? Not for the city but merely for being out with someone so obviously, not a Queen.” He mocked. Though he’d dressed down by unbuttoning his top buttons and rolling his sleeves, he still looked casually smart. Regardless he was eager to go unnoticed on the city streets, so he tousled a hand through his hair to loosen the wax that slicked back his style.

“You look fine,” Karou replied; she wanted to roll her eyes - he always looked fine. Pushing up onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, seeing as she wasn’t going to get any kisses out of him. She could be patient, though.

Before exiting her bedroom, via the door Warren held open for her, Karou reached up to mess his hair just a little bit more. “Much better. But there’s a lot of businessmen, traders and merchants where we’re going, so we won’t stick out one bit. I promise.”

Sneaking onto the staircase, Karou held a finger to her lips, gesturing for him to be quiet. The same finger then beckoned him to follow her once she’d checked the coast was clear.

“We have to exit through one of the service entrances. Convenient though, because it’s a shortcut.” She whispered.

Karou led him down the Palace corridors, cat-like in how she prowled stealthily, light-footed, and alert.

Behind her, Warren was silent too. His manner wasn’t quite as stooped and sneaky as Karou’s. He walked normally - upright, confident, yet calm with his hands tucked into his pockets. His footfalls were as equally undetectable, which was unsurprising considering he’d been in the business of sneaking around for a lot longer than she had.

Along the way, he cast his gaze into every open room that they passed. Scoping out the inner halls of Morningstar Palace with piqued curiosity, he mused, Ah, so this is the luxury you’ve become accustomed to.

Truth be told, to Karou, the material wealth surrounding her was immaterial. The Palace was too large, imposing and impersonal to feel like home. It was an establishment that many servants and courts people moved through freely on a daily basis. Only her lofty chambers were private enough to feel like they belonged to her.

The exit she had in mind wasn’t far now - just around another corner, through the kitchen, then out through the massive pantry where all food deliveries came in, to the back door, through a courtyard to the gates and then they were out.

In less than ten minutes, they were outside and soaked in the humid nighttime air for Enoch. The only obstacle in their way was a large set of ornate gates.

“Hm, how are we getting over those?” Warren asked,

Karou brandished an equally ornate key with a telling glint in her eye.

The quiet street they exited the Palace onto was filled with fancy looking homes. All close together, with long driveways and tidy front lawns filled with hot climate foliage. There was no doubt that they belonged to the upper-class and nobles; their grandeur spoke for itself. The entrance gates to one home, in particular, bore a golden coat of arms. Other homes’ had their brickwork carved into and decorated with sigils to denote the families that lived within them.

Somewhat distracted by his surroundings, Warren wandered down the street backwards, confident he wouldn’t stumble, despite his hands remaining tucked away in his pockets. An enthralled expression lit his face, with already bright wide eyes that reflected the sky’s deep blue like silvery mirrors.

Karou glanced at him often, and each time she felt her blushes burn across her cheeks more fiercely. She was fighting the urge to reach for his hand, or worse, pull him close in the middle of the street and kiss him. The latter was the one he’d like the least. Even if no one was looking on, Warren didn’t appreciate public displays of affection.

They walked down a few more streets of such properties, decreasing in luxury as they descended the mound of earth upon which the Palace was built until they passed a sign. Warren looked back at it to read it, ‘THE HILL’.

What an unimaginative name, Warren thought. Still, when he looked at the vastness of the topography, he supposed that the hill wasn’t all that strange a name.

Karou walked with her head down and her long, untrimmed bangs in her face. When someone well-dressed or noble-looking passed them, she pretended to be occupied reading street signs or checking her phone for messages - even though it was off.

She paid no mind to where they were, just to where they were going and trusted that Warren was following along despite his leisurely pace and distractedness. When they walked in close quarters every so often, the back of their hands would brisk off of one another. Karou fisted her hand, still aching to nestle her hand into his.

When Warren almost wandered in the wrong direction and a roads junction, she pointed to correct him. “We’re going to Alsham Street. It’s where the nightlife in Enoch is, but also a great place to sight-see,”

Now that they’d left the district of THE HILL and ventured towards a place known as The Rock. The architecture there was much older and less grandiose than in the previous district. They’d only skirt through the corner of this, the oldest neighbourhood in Enoch, to get to New Town, the newest.

It only took them about five minutes to get to their destination. Karou darted ahead a few steps to peer around a corner of a sandstone building. There was a painted sign reading; ALSHAM.

“We’re here,” Karou lowered her voice to a whisper, even though the street was silent and still with not a soul in sight.

It seemed odd at first that she’d brought him to some dead-looking part of town, but she reached for his wrist and moved quickly around the corner and, in turn, through a glamour that had been established to make the street appear to be sleeping, and typical for this time of night.

Once they were on the other side, it was a much different scene.

Gone was the quiet, sandstone walkways. The road and pavements were busy with people dressed for the warm weather. Just as Karou had promised, quite a few more well-dressed men and women lurked about, which quieted Warren’s concerns about fitting in. It didn’t take him many moments to notice the scent in the air - the crowd was primarily celestials, but other scents mingled in too and hinted at Enoch’s eclectic community.

Alsham Street was lined with different clubs and restaurants. They boasted colourful signs with names written mainly in a language Warren assumed was Enochian. Towards the end of the road, at a junction, there stretched a long line of market stalls selling things that were rare and considered delicacies. The entire street seemed to encompass the spirit of carnival; folks from all walks of life gathered to enjoy the nightlife.

Karou sucked in a deep breath, soaking up the happy energy all around her and turned to face Warren to see his reaction.

For now, Warren was busy taking everything in. He looked up toward the top of the buildings - the sandstone skyline against the night sky, and all the lights were incredible. He mused the fronts of the establishments and even tried to peer inside from the street.

“Hmm, I like it here...” He mumbled quietly; even though the street was quite a loud environment, he felt sure she’d heard him.

Karou smiled, glad he liked it but said nothing as they wandered down the cobbled pavement.

Out of nowhere, he grabbed ahold of Karou’s wrist without thinking twice. His reason because clear when he darted off in a direction off of the straight course – he’d wanted to get a closer look at something on one of the stalls.

In reaction, Karou gave his hand a tiny squeeze while slowly, she felt his hand slip down her wrist until he linked his fingers between her own. Having him holding into her hand in that common and casually possessive way made her feel safe. Her heart warmed. Ironic, she thought, that he’d taken hold of her hand with such ease as if it wasn’t a big deal, yet moments ago, she’d argued with herself as to whether he’d be annoyed by the gesture if she’d reached for him first.

Content, her gaze swept the narrow street as they wandered into the crowd as they went on a nighttime exploratory mission.

“Anywhere, in particular, you’d like to take me?” He smiled down at her, his eyes backlit with curiosity.

“Oh, nowhere really, just wherever catches your eye. There are all sorts of little oddity shops and restaurants are down here.” Karou replied.

A fae woman with neon pink hair teetered by them on ridiculously high heels and almost bumped into them entirely. It didn’t phase her, not with her hand nestled into her Sire’s. Her arm brisked up against his when the crowd herded them into close proximity. She just grinned up at him and led him forward through the people.

After a little while of wandering aimlessly while Warren saw the sights, Karou piped up, “I’ve got a friend down here who sells rare “exotic ‘vamperic’ goods. She’s this little old lady who was turned in her early seventies. Her speciality is replacement fangs and replications of specific types of blood.” Karou grinned, her mood brightened by the atmosphere between them. “Or, there’s this little hole in the wall place down the street; it has the best drinks.”

“Perhaps drinks first…” Warren lowered his voice to whisper, “… and blood later?”

Karou just nodded with a smile.

The further they delved into the throng, the more the air smelled like chocolate and something spicy. It was a pleasant oasis amid the political turmoil that was going on in the rest of the world; though the war had long suffocated under its own weight, many still battled over the remains. Warren continued to turn his head 180, then again 180 as he looked about, taking in the faces, the feeling that the war that had engulfed the world had somehow missed this place. Everyone on this particular street seemed to be completely unaware that any such unrest existed outside of the safe haven of their glistening celestial city.

Tonight a different, minor level of unrest was gathering nearer home.

For now, Karou didn’t seem to notice the crowd of panicked people outside one of the clubs, but as she led him past the market stalls and around the bend, they came to pass the entrance of the establishment in question.

At that moment, the doors burst open! A rabble of people fled through the entry, but foremost a tousling pair came tumbling out onto the street - a fight was taking place.

It was hard to see who was involved as the scuffle ensued, but a man had a woman by the collar. However, she was no damsel in distress. The woman displayed how feisty she could be and quickly threw an arm to chop him away from her.

A look of dread instantly came over Karou’s face when she recognised her daughter: Cassandra.

“Where’s my money, huh?” yelled the man - a tall, muscular looking brute who had seen his fair share of arguments judging by the scars on his face.

“I beat you.” Cassandra retorted. She took a fighting stance, fists up, ready to jab at him should he dare approach. “Fair and square! I totally kicked your ass, and I’ll kick it again if I have to.”

“You cheated! You connivin’ little bitch,” he accused. Indeed, his temper overboiled, and he swung at her first.

Cassandra quickly ducked and missed his fist and reacted by throwing a punch back at him that landed successfully square on his jaw. There was a sickening crack and then an agonised howl that came from him. Cass’ bounced right back to her original position, ready for another round, another swing, another hit. Her eyes were wide, alert and dilated. Her body was flush with adrenaline and… other drugs.

The noise of the commotion gained Warren’s attention as he pivoted his head almost all the way around to spot the brawl. His brow furrowed when he also recognised a female’s face. Warren extended a stray thought toward Karou without really knowing it. I do believe that’s your daughter...

Suddenly he was more curious about the second born. He wasn’t a gossip or lover of drama but wondered what life experience had fashioned the girl into such a rebel? A cunning grin spread his lips as he jerked his head towards Cassandra and the angry stranger. His brows were arranged in such a way that challenged Karou to react.

Much to his surprise, Karou flung herself between the two instead of freezing up like she might have when she was younger. He’d assumed she’d use her words to defuse the fight. Intrigued by the scene even more now, he rubbed a hand over his prickly jaw-line with an amused grin and a rolling chuckle. When the man tried to move forward and strike at Cassandra again, Karou swung her leg out and had him back on his knees in one deft move.

Cassandra dropped her fists and uttered a curse under her breath, “Oh shit.” She knew she was in trouble now.

A singular terrified thought showed in the expression on the man’s face as he scrambled away across the dusty pavement. He recognised the woman who had defeated him, and it wasn’t the Princess but the Queen. His friends, who had been rooting for him from the sidelines, grabbed him up off the floor when his trembling legs failed him and hurried him away.

She whipped around and faced her daughter with a rather terrifying death glare. “Uh-huh, you’re right ‘oh shit’. You’re in big trouble.”

Warren neared Karou and Cassandra now that the action had died down. People had lost interest, and the onlookers had started to dissipate. Warren had stood back, looking on over several shoulders, because frankly, he wasn’t one for physical confrontation if he could help it.

Now, he casually took his place back at Karou’s side again. In a bid to be cautious in front of daughter number two, Warren actively kept his hands tucked passively into his pockets so that Karou wouldn’t take hold of him again.

“Evening...” He greeted, his tone level and unjudgmental.

The younger of the Morgan sisters looked dramatically different than when she’d come to visit his room that time. She wore tight-fitting black combat gear; it was her usual physical training getup, but Warren wouldn’t have known that. Her dark locks were scraped back into a high ponytail, she wore no makeup, and her skin looked blemishless save for a smear of blood on her cheek that was not her own. Having calmed from the fight, she’d ceased breathing hard and heavily, but her face was still coated in a thin sheen of sweat.

Indeed, Cassandra was still wired and wild-eyed, but Karou dared not imagine why. After all, her daughter had exited a club notorious for its ‘ask no questions, hear no lies’ scene. Taking bets on fights was the more savoury of what they allowed in their establishment, illegal or not. Unfortunately, they were very good at covering their tracks; even if the Enochian City Police had organised dozens of raids, nothing criminal ever came to light.

When Cassandra’s gaze found Warren, she looked him up and down. “What’re you doing here? You’re not supposed to be outside the Palace!” she asked; her voice was high though she tried not to come across as accusatory. She sounded alarmed that her mother had dared to break the rules.

Beneath the scrutiny of Cassandra’s eyes, however, brief, an awkward feeling came over him. They’d been found out! He and Karou had been caught outside the Palace walls and together, alone. He hoped it wasn’t about to get hairy.

“Never mind that...” Karou intercepted, glancing at Warren, begging him not to answer to her daughter and undermine her authority. “A better question is, what’re you doing here?” Karou demanded to know. Suddenly she changed her mind. It was too obvious what she’d been doing. “In fact, don’t tell me.”

Cassandra found her mother’s hand held up before her as she pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. Despite this hiccup, Karou didn’t want her outing with Warren to be ruined. She didn’t want to have it end simply so she could lecture her grown daughter. All of this can wait ‘till tomorrow, she reasoned. “Go home.” Karou practically hissed, obviously very angry. “Go home right now.”

“But Mom, I was-...” Cass started before Karou held up her hand again to hush her.

“Go now. This is the last chance I’m giving you to get off scot-free.”

Cassandra stood there for a few moments, unsure if she should stand her ground and defend herself or do as she was told. However, she abided by her mother and turned to leave.

Annoyed and defeated, Cass stomped off toward the exit of Alsham Street. From there to Morningstar Palace and straight to her sister’s bedroom - she meant to snitch on her mother and Warren. “Alright, I guess I’ll catch you later...” she said and getting further out of earshot, she muttered to herself sulkily, “... once you’ve finished sneaking around yourself, that is.”

Now she and Warren were alone again; Karou sighed - having children never got any less exhausting, especially when it came to Cassandra. As she’d grown, her messes didn’t get fewer and far between; they grew as she did.

“Oh Gods,” she groaned, turning toward him. “I am so sorry about that. I’m so embarrassed. She just so... difficult.” Karou moaned but suddenly felt guilty for being so unfair to her daughter. “Well, actually, no. It’s just that she has a mind of her own and more willpower than one person ought to be entitled to. She’s so... driven, and sometimes I think her endeavours are unreasonably treacherous for the sake of the thrill. But I’m so tired of lecturing her for her to rebel harder. Is it bad that I’ve given up? Hoping that if I ignore it, then she’s not getting the negative attention she craves? Agh, I don’t know what to do anymore!”

Warren had watched Cassandra leave with a faint grin still fixed on his face. “Mhmm, and think that that is why I like her.” This was all Warren said as he looked back toward Karou. “She reminds me of me... when I was her age. She’ll come out the other side.”

Karou shook her head slowly and looked up at Warren, trying to picture him as a brawling teenager. No, she simply couldn’t imagine her Sire ever losing his cool like that. Still, the image brought her grin back. She nudged his shoulder as the crowd returned to the way it had been earlier - passing them by without lending them any attention

“You really can’t imagine me being spunky and full of zest, huh?” He chuckled.

“Cassandra has always been like that. Even when she was a baby, she was always getting into trouble. But you? I absolutely can’t imagine you being so chaotic.”