[ XIV ] Chapter 14

Caius dropped the now dry-of-blood man with a grunt. I sat perched on a stone bench a few feet away, my chin on my knuckles as I patiently waited for him to finish. This was his third victim of the night and even though I knew that the night was fading away with each second, I knew that I would never get bored of watching the beautiful creature in front of me gracefully make his kills.

My Blackberry started to ring, ruining the serene moment. Scowling, I fished it out and without checking the caller ID, I snapped. "Yes?"

"Whoa, don't get your panties in a twist, sweetness." Garrett's amused voice rumbled through the phone. Immediately, my mood lightened just from hearing Garrett.

I rolled my eyes playfully and turned away from Caius who was looking at me with a small frown. "What do you need?"

"Just asking how Italy is so far."

"Babe, I can hear the fake cheery voice you're using even over the phone. What happened?" I scoffed, leaning against a wall near me while looking down at my feet. Ooh, I need to polish this pair of bad babies.

Garrett took in a deep breath. Oh no, this can't be good. "Now I know you don't go through your iron doors so I thought I'd tell you." He paused. Yep, definitely bad. I braced myself. "Laurent is dead. I just found out. Oh, so is James." He added as an afterthought.

The two of us weren't particularly fond of James. He wasn't able to control himself or his thirst so Garrett and I steered clear of him. Now Laurent was another matter. Why he was traveling with James was an enigma.

"What?" I whispered, not believing my ears. Laurent, my friendly yet annoying friend got torn apart? "Who killed him? I'll kill the bastards." I growled. Forgetting the king watching me a few feet away, I started pacing with a hand tangled in my hair.

"Sweetness, you know I won't tell you anything unless you calm down." Garrett chuckled just as I closed my eyes and counted to ten. "Okay, so, I know you think this is impossible but apparently, he accidentally walked onto some wolf territory and got ripped to shreds." He stated bluntly.

It was so like Garrett to just say it straight out. I snorted. That's what I loved about him. He never held back any of his comments, rude or not. To be honest, it was amusing to see him like that, but I understood which territory Laurent stepped on. The Quileutes. "Okay, thanks for the information baby."

"No problem, don't forget to drop by soon." He hung up.

"Who was that?" Caius queried, startling me. I looked up and saw that his eyes were darkened slightly. Jeez, what is his problem?

I put my phone in my pocket. "Garrett, a close friend of mine."

"If you are only friends, why do you use such improper endearments with him?" He asked vehemently. I flinched at his tone. Why is he so angry?

"We're good friends." I murmured, lowering my head. Damn it, why am I feeling guilty? This guy is the one yelling at me.

Caius sighed and walked over, raising his hand. For a moment I thought he was going to strike me but instead, he stroked my cheek and lifted my face up to look at him. "I understand. . ." He murmured almost begrudgingly. His mouth opened as if he were going to say something, but he shut it immediately. I stood solid-rock still as he ran a hand through my hair instead. "Come." Dropping his hand, he turned and started walking in a random direction.

Recovering from the sudden touch, I scurried after the king.

"So, what are these wolves your friend was talking about? Are they Children of the Moon?" Caius growled softly as we ran north...west I think? Children of the Moon? What are those?

Trusting him enough to share the information, I started to spill the beans. "No, it's this pack of shape-shifters that live in LaPush. They're allies with the Cullens because they made a truce. Stinking mutts." I muttered, clenching my hands into fists.

Abruptly, Caius took my hand in his and started stroking my palm with his thumb timidly. It seemed as if he were comforting me for my loss, but his face gave nothing away. My heart swelled with an unnamed emotion, making my mind feel warm and fuzzy, butterflies in my stomach, and a small smile to reach my face.

Rolling my eyes at the stupidity, I wiped the smile off my face and pushed the feeling away as we entered a forest. "Wait, where are we going?" I muttered in confusion, looking around.

"Hush. You will see." He smirked. So, I let him drag me to wherever or whatever he wanted me to see.

As we crossed through the forest, the animals scuttled away, not wanting to fall prey to vampires. Not that they had to worry too much about us. "Close your eyes." Caius instructed softly after we slowed down to a human-paced walk.

Raising a brow, I squeezed them shut and allowed him to gently help me over fallen logs and uneven ground. His guidance was so careful, I hardly even tripped. Roars of water crashing down filled my ears and my interest was piqued. A waterfall?

The noise eventually got louder and louder. I was tempted to open my eyes and defy Caius' will, but thankfully, he finally spoke. "Open your eyes." His voice was near my ear and his breath caressed the left side of my face sending tingles down my spine.

I complied and a gasp escaped my lips. In all my years, I have never seen a sight such as this. The sun was just peeping over the horizon, causing the sky to have a light gray complexion and casting a golden glow over the tops of the trees. Caius and I stood on top of a waterfall, overlooking the wide area around it. A perfect space for seclusion.

"This is my favorite spot." Caius whispered, releasing me to step in front of me. Probably to take in my reaction. He raised his hand to push my chin upwards to close my mouth. "What do you think?"

I grinned. "This is amazing, Lord Caius. Thank you."

His signature smirk returned. "Caius."

Not sure if I heard him right, I tentatively raised my brows. "What?"

"Call me Caius, Genevieve."

"But—"

"I insist." He said, cutting off my sentence. He turned and walked to the edge of the small cliff. I followed more slowly. The two of us stayed in silence for a while until he started to speak again. "Where did you say you were born again?"

I raised a brow, but since he wasn't looking, I lowered it. "Brazil. Why?"

"Ah, you do not have the accent. I couldn't tell." He remarked, putting his arms behind his back and interlaced his hands together. His muscles shifted and moved in a very alluring way and I tore my eyes away to ask a decent question instead of staring at him as if he were God.

Crossing my arms under my bosom, I decided to make the most of this inquiry session. I could obtain all the information I wanted but I didn't want to. I wanted to be a normal vampire, not one that was stuck up and arrogant. "Yeah, years of living in Forks." I sighed, my accent slipping a little. Fixing it, I asked him a question. "What about you?"

"Do not hide your accent, I find it interesting." Caius hummed, ignoring my question.

I rolled my eyes. This man is decisive. "I won't if you actually answer my questions."

"I was born in Athens, Greece." He finally said after giving it some thought. "Yet I was raised in Sparta."

Curious, I tilted my head. "Why?"

Caius chuckled. This sound chilled my bones and went down my spine in fear. "Trust me, you don't want to know." His piercing gaze bore into mine with such intensity, I had to look away.

"Try me." I whispered.