CHAPTER NINE
Mentor & Sire
The festive season was upon them. Thanksgiving had passed, but Christmas was just around the corner. Though he thought he was far too wicked to rest, Magnus had persuaded Warren to take a few days off, which would allow him and Ellis their Yuletide visit.
The night before their arrival, Warren had barely slept for worrying. The idea of his mentor and Sire meeting the odd, Mortal girl he had living with him set his stomach churning. Would they make a big deal of it or ignore her like he so often did?
The Compound's communal lounge had become familiar to Karou. Since her arrival, she'd spent several afternoons there. Nate had become something of her shadow lately— Warren called on him to act as her assigned chaperone. Nate never made her company feel like another one of his duties; no, he was genuinely her friend, and his presence was a comforting security blanket. She'd also become better acquainted with the other guard who had carried her into the Compound, Katou Kenichi. He'd explained he was a Demonic Kin, which she later learned was a way of saying you were demonic without having to go into the details of what kind. The Fae girl, Juniper, was now a constant companion of Karou's whenever she wasn't in the unit, too. Karou was happy to have found some folks to call friends.
On the odd occasion that Nate was too busy with work, Warren would step in. Today was one such day. Karou felt actively guarded by him, unlike Nate, who did the courtesy of allowing her the illusion of freedom. She never felt overshadowed by the Lycan, but Warren's shadow was palpable, oppressive and chilling. He would usually sit doing what he was doing now, puzzling his way around a crossword on the back page of his newspaper. Whenever she attempted to involve him in conversation, he'd give short, evasive answers or sometimes just grunts, which came across as alarmingly rude and left her wide-eyed and red-faced. She'd come to accept that the old, icy, and easily perturbable man wasn't what you might call 'a social butterfly'. It begged belief that he could be less talkative in public than when they were alone at the unit.
Karou couldn't hold how uncomfortable he made others feel against him, though, because she was stuck with him. Fortunately, she was nothing if not forgiving, but her illusion of freedom was just that. It only lasted while Warren was tied up with work, and if he could have afforded to work less, she would never have been allowed to leave his side. Although Warren had insisted she was chaperoned merely to keep her out of trouble, Karou knew it was to ensure the 'other kids' played nicely with her.
The tactic of having either himself or Nate ever-present worked. However, it was odd that people tended to avoid her personable Lycan friend, and Karou hadn't figured out why. It was no longer a mystery to her why Warren was given a wide berth. If anyone said anything to her that might've been remotely offensive, all Warren would have to do was clear his throat, and the subject would swiftly be changed. Indeed, his influence over those he housed in his facility was formidable. Even if no one liked him, they respected or feared him to some degree. Karou still wasn't one hundred percent sure how she felt about that. It didn't help that she barely knew anything about the man.
Maybe, if the visitor he's waiting on is chatty, they might spill some tea…
Given the time of year they'd chosen to pay a visit and Warren's demeanour the past few days, Karou had figured they must have been important to him. Warren had been busy preparing the Compound to be at its best and on display.
Although he was as guarded as ever when answering her questions, she'd figured out that the visitor was his 'Mentor and Sire' through her well-placed probing. Furthermore, eavesdropping on one of Warren's phone calls led her to the knowledge that this person's name was Magnus.
With her hands wedged under her thighs, legs swinging to and fro, Karou waited on the couch before the blazing fire. Though it was busy this time of day, it had been an hour or two since anyone had disturbed them. The silence was awkward. Every so often, she'd glance Warren's way as he sat cross-legged in the highbacked armchair to her left, entirely focused on his crossword. His guest's flight from Russia was due to land at ten o'clock. They were expected to arrive at the Compound by eleven-thirty, but it was gone noon, and there was still no sign of them.
Karou huffed a sigh of incipient boredom and writhed in her seat. She had made a small effort to dress nicely in a pair of new jeans and a pretty white blouse under a burgundy, almost festive, cardigan, just in case Warren took it upon himself to introduce her to his guest.
There was never a day Warren didn't look impeccable, and that day was no different, but Karou supposed, on closer inspection, he'd trimmed his stubble into a neater shape. One thing Karou wouldn't have known was that he was wearing one of the watches his expected guest had gifted him some years past—he was surprisingly sentimental that way.
The clip-clopping sound of stiletto heels against the hardwood disrupted the homey crackling of the fire and signalled Ms. Finch's approach. The Compound receptionist, who had come to be known as just Isabel to Karou, appeared and announced, "Sir, sorry to disturb you, but I believe they're here."
If a man could've moved faster, he would've taken flight, Karou recalled thinking to herself as Warren flitted past. Warren's eagerness took both the women by surprise, and they shared a look of bemusement.
Over the last couple of weeks, the two had shared some friendly conversations. Isabel had openly confessed to being a Vampire. Though she was a pleasant, mild, and quiet lady, she didn't seem genuinely friendly to Karou. It was all a charade so that she could probe her about her 'odd relationship' with 'Mr Howard'. All her questions had led Karou to one obvious conclusion: Isabel Finch was infatuated with her boss and entirely unrequited.
Inclined to follow, Karou stood watching from the hall and saw Warren's face beam with gladness for the first time as the man she presumed was Magnus embraced him. Upon first evaluation, Magnus looked middle-aged, perhaps in his forties. His head of long black hair bore a slight wave, but he wore it slicked back into a low ponytail. He was positively Mediterranean-looking, with a warm olive skin tone and equally warm and expressive brown eyes. She imagined him to be what a child might call a 'Papa' because he exuded fatherliness.
Once the men had finished greeting, Magnus turned to collect their luggage, and a woman stepped to the forefront. She was typically beautiful, and as pristine-looking as Warren. Not a single hair of her raven, curled bob was out of place and framed her heart-shaped face. She looked like a 1950s pin-up. Full, long black eyelashes fluttered over her cat-lined baby-blue eyes, and deep red lipstick set off her pale skin and delicately blushed cheeks.
While Magnus' attention was elsewhere, she boldly kissed Warren on the mouth. It lingered, suggesting a connection more complex than mere friendship, still, the public display appeared unsolicited and unwelcome by Warren.
Soon, the friendly trio made their way towards Warren's unit. Karou felt invisible. Evidently, Warren wasn't going to make introductions.
Why did you think it would be any different?
Rather than sulk, Karou slinked into the library to find a book to get lost in instead. She wasn't the type to wallow in self-pity and filled her day with a few hours of reading. Alder escorted her on a stroll to the tavern, where she gathered in friendly company and took a bite to eat.
Not everyone at the Compound was friendly toward her, though. To some she was an unwelcome parasite. The gossip mill had been churning up petty rumours. From a particular corner booth of the tavern, frequented by some of Nate's Lycan relatives and their motley crew, it was being whispered that 'the Mortal had adopted herself a lapdog'. While she slept in her bed at night, a nocturnal posse of Vampires and Demons, the likes of which she'd never met, were spreading salacious tales, spinning unfounded theories of what went on in the privacy of Warren's unit with his 'little pet'. Nate and Juniper guarded her ears as best they could, but Karou was a curious creature who quickly picked up on the disgusted glares and muttered jeers whenever she went.
The Grandmother clock in Compounds lounge struck ten and chimed and Karou thought that was probably late enough to head back to the unit, it was well past diurnal curfew. She'd been curled up on a sofa with a book for a while but hadn't been reading it. Instead, she stared at the words, but had gotten lost in her imagination while Nate snoozed in the armchair.
✷✷✷
Magnus' was nothing if not an avid storyteller. His theatrical monologue had dominated the conversation for most of the day, but as evening drew in, the more wine he drank, the merrier he got, and the more amusing his stories became.
Warren didn't mind; he'd always been a wallflower compared to his charismatic mentor. While Magnus had begun yet another tale, Warren and Ellis listened with faint smiles, merely enjoying the shared company. Ellis especially enjoyed being close to her fledgling. Having discarded her shoes to curl her legs beside her, she sat pressed into Warren's side while he enveloped her there and rested his arm across the back of her shoulders.
Karou entered to find the three of them like that, just as Magnus had finished his tale. Setting her shoes down by the threshold, she planned to sneak past and go directly to her room, where she could disappear for the night, but someone instantly noticed her presence.
"Hola, Nina!" Magnus greeted her, confirming her suspicion he was Hispanic.
At his outburst, Warren and Ellis turned their heads simultaneously to see Karou standing by the door, looking like a stunned deer.
"You must be Karou, no?"
"Uh—Yeah. Hello. I'm Karou. Nice to meet you." She managed, all while nibbling her bottom lip. "You... must be... Magnus?"
"My my, what a sweet thing you are." The Spaniard flashed Warren a knowing grin, having also noticed Karou's distinct scent. "Si, I am indeed Magnus. Come, come, sit with us. Would you like a drink? Maybe some wine?" Magnus lifted the bottle from the coffee table and patted the seat between him and Warren with a wide and toothy grin. Karou couldn't ignore Magnus' fangs, but they weren't threatening when he was smiling so fondly. Still, they confirmed her suspicions about Warren were likely true; it was probable that all three of them were Vampires.
Although she had hoped to slip away into her room, it would've felt rude to reject his invitation. Upon checking Warren's reaction to Magnus' invite, it didn't seem like he minded her joining them, so she took the suggested seat obediently. She reasoned that she only needed to entertain them for a couple of minutes and then excuse herself.
Karou looked relatively small and ill at ease among the three others. Though she sat on her hands reservedly, nothing about her shy affront put off Magnus, who was eager for her to be involved in their little fiesta. When she obliged him by taking a seat, he quickly grabbed one of the rock glasses from Warren's liquor tray and poured her a generous splash of white wine.
"Steady Magnus. She's not old enough to drink," Warren warned, "and I don't want to have to carry her to bed,"
The words of warning fell on deaf ears, and Magnus wafted his hand nonchalantly. "Bah! Ignore him. Drink up and have a good time." The Spaniard insisted before chugging at his glass of the same. "So, Warren says you're from New England?"
Warren flashed Karou an apologetic look because he knew what was coming. For now, Warren had told Magnus just enough to save himself from incessant questioning. Karou, however, had gifted the Spaniard an opportunity. Now that he had the 'intriguing young girl' within his grasp, he could resume his interrogation.
Somewhere between Karou skilfully dodging the more alarmingly personal questions Magnus flung her way, Ellis had caught her looking at Warren for possibly the third or fourth time. Honestly, she hadn't realised she was doing it, and it was mostly just for reassurance. Karou didn't know Warren well, by any stretch of the imagination, but he was still not a complete stranger like she and Magnus. Warren hadn't even paid any mind to her glances; he'd continued to drink his wine and smoke his cigarettes, all while casually meeting her eyes every so often, but Ellis flashed the girl a look—a look that meant she was staking her claim. Karou found it odd—as odd as their seating arrangement. Karou had learned that Ellis was, in fact, Magnus' wife throughout the conversation, yet she didn't sit next to him. Instead, she clung to Warren's side, going so far as to suggestively brush her manicured fingertips through his sideburns and whisper inaudible things into his ear when Magnus was preoccupied. Magnus either didn't see it or didn't care. Karou presumed the latter; he had revealed himself to be quite the intellectual; she couldn't chalk him up to being stupid enough not to see what was going on.
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All the wine was consumed by around one-thirty, and the conversation had wound down, too. Karou's cheeks felt warm, and she'd drunk just enough to fix a contented smile onto her face.
At Magnus' announcement that he was ready for bed, she let out a small sigh of relief; the questions would stop now! He'd been friendly enough, if not over-eager, but Karou decided that overall, she liked him. Her first impression had served her right; he was fatherly in that dependable sort of way.
The evening socialising was over, and Karou had watched as Ellis reluctantly peeled herself from Warren's side and latched herself onto her drunken husband instead. Warren waved the couple off at the unit's front door and turned with a sigh of relief, all of his own, once it was locked behind him. Tonight, he'd had enough conversation. It was exhausting for him to be sociable. Though the back-and-forth chit-chat he'd held with Magnus had genuinely been of interest, he'd unintentionally shown Karou a different side to him; he could be affable in certain company.
"Well, wasn't that fun?!" Warren asked in a tone that Karou couldn't tell whether he was being sarcastic or not. He wandered back toward the couch, tugged his tie free of his neck and, without reserve, proceeded to completely unbutton his shirt and untuck it from the waistband of his dress pants.
"Uhm—Yeah. I really liked them. Especially your Sire." Karou uttered. In her awkwardness, she fixed her blue eyes onto the assortment of empty wine bottles that littered the coffee table. Though it wasn't something Karou was usually inclined to do, she had been drinking, so internally, she prayed she wouldn't burst into a fit of girlish giggles. She continued to look anywhere but at him as he slumped back onto the couch. This time, Warren sat closer than usual, and momentarily, she considered shifting away.
"Mhmm, Magnus is easy to get along with. He's probably my favourite person," Warren admitted with an honest if not slightly merry, toothless grin. He'd had his fill of alcohol, making him docile and almost amicable. "—but you liked Ellis too?" To this, he raised a singular eyebrow. What the expression did to his face drew Karou's undivided attention. When he was like this, he was as easy to talk to as he was to gaze at.
"Wh-what do you mean?" Karou asked at a loss, or perhaps she was just distracted now that she'd looked at him directly. Inexplicably, the room suddenly felt sweltering! Yet, how his chest hair lightly littered his pectorals and thinned to nothing down his torso until a naturally defined line reached up to his naval from beyond the waistband of his pants continued to attract her eyes, though she was trying not to stare.
"You said especially, my Sire. Ellis? You liked her?" Warren asked again, making his meaning more explicit. "The woman's notoriously unlikeable. Even I admit to flitting between hating her and finding her tolerable at best."
"Ellis, is your Sire?" Snatching her eyes from wherever they'd wandered to reinitiate eye contact, Karou expressed her surprise. Like all her emotions, it was as plain as the nose on her face. "I thought Magnus was your mentor and Sire and that Ellis was just your girlfriend... Wait, no, I mean wife. No! I mean Magnus. Magnus' wife!" Now she felt stupid and looked into her lap, blushing.
"Ellis isn't my girlfriend. She was my mistress and became my Sire before she became Mag's wife, though." Warren explained. He didn't find her assumption anything other than an honest mistake.
"I didn't mean to judge! It's just their behaviour didn't exactly read as 'married couple'."
"Ha! I know. If you can even call it a marriage," Warren smirked. He didn't mind Karou's judgment at all. Afterall, he'd spent the last fifty years trying not to. Try as he might, he couldn't understand the point of being 'together' if fidelity went by the wayside, even if his own reputation for monogamy was historically dicey.
Karou was surprised that he agreed with her; the last few weeks living with Warren had been nearly unbearable. She was sure he hated her or found her annoying at the very least, but now he was chatting so cordially that it was confusing. Whether it was just the wine talking or the pleasant company that had lifted his mood, Karou didn't care; she was happy to bask in the effect.
Enjoying the jovial tone of their conversation soon turned bittersweet for Karou. It hadn't taken her long to realise that these happy moments were fleeting and came in waves that depended on a finite number of factors that influenced Warren's mood. She sighed while her hands busied themselves, picking at her fingernails.
It seemed that they didn't often catch each other's glances, but now that she had stopped looking at him, he focused on her, whereas before, he had been obliviously staring at the ceiling.
"You look smaller when you do that." He muttered in an uncharacteristically gentle tone.
"When I do what?" She muttered back.
"Hunch your shoulders, look down and play with your fingers. Why're you acting shy?"
"Maybe I am shy? At least sometimes I am." Karou shrugged. The movement caused her cardigan to shift from her shoulder and tumble down her arm. She didn't seem to notice, but Warren did—it revealed just a little more of her pale, porcelain skin to his already thirsty eyes.
"Everyone here seems to like you and has an easy time getting to know you. You can't be that shy."
"I don't mind being friends with people who are bothered to take an interest in me,"
"Is that a dig at me? Have I not been interested enough?" Warren ventured, even though he knew he purposefully ignored her most of the time. Frankly, he didn't know if he could deliver if she wanted more attention.
"I should go to bed. It's late." Karou announced unexpectedly. She wanted to avoid answering him if possible. He'd been good to her in so many ways, and she didn't want to seem ungrateful. He hadn't exactly made an effort toward her regarding extending the hand of friendship, but he hadn't been especially cruel.
Standing from the couch, she went to walk past and escape the awkward situation forming between them but Warren ambushed her, as she tried to wriggle past he captured her wrist. His purpose hadn't been to hurt her; he just wanted to waylay her exit, but his grip was certainly too firm for her to free herself from easily. By his immortal standard, he was being careful to be gentle.
"Karou, do you think I should pay you more attention?"
"You don't have to. I didn't mean it like that. Yo—you've done enough for me already, Warren. I'm grateful." Karou explained as she feebly tried to retrieve her arm.
There it was: the truth. Karou had tried to be kind, but all she'd done was confirm his worst fear. He'd done it numerous times before when he'd fallen short emotionally; he'd brought her satisfaction. Defeated by her honesty, Warren let go of her wrist and sighed, "Good night, Karou." Upon his retreat, he sank back down onto the couch and instantly dropped the subject.
Escaping the minor confrontation to go to her room, Karou quickly undressed and got ready for bed. She hurried across the hallway to brush her teeth and rid her mouth of the wine's musky aftertaste before Warren decided it was time for him to make his way to bed, too. The blush her cheeks bore from the amount of wine she'd drunk didn't disappear when she splashed her face with cool water; it seemed she would wear it to bed.
Reading a book by dim lamplight, she hadn't heard Warren wander past her room to his own yet, but she could hear him tidying up. Bottles clinked into the trashcan as he discarded them, and the kitchen sink's faucet gushed to life when he washed up their glasses. Eventually, he turned out all the lights until the only one left on was the one in her room.
Just when he seemed to decide to retire to bed and began walking towards the hallway, Karou heard the familiar sound of the unit's front door opening. Instantly, she flicked off her lamp but strained her eyes to continue spying.
"Ellis, what're you doing here?" Warren whispered into the darkness.
"Magnus fell asleep quickly after all that wine. Surely you knew I'd come?" Ellis cooed and tugged at each side of his open shirt, trying to coerce him towards her.
"Not tonight, Ellis; I'm tired." Warren protested, but she began to unbutton the front of the shirt dress she was wearing regardless.
"Oh, don't spoil a good thing now, Warren. Don't you want to see what I've put on underneath this for you?"
They're having an affair! Karou thought, alarmed but jealous of the woman's 'go get 'em' attitude. Ellis wielded a level of confidence toward the opposite sex that Karou could never imagine possessing. Besides, she didn't have the body for it, Karou figured. She could never hope to be as full-busted and curvaceous as Ellis. The boys she attended high school with never so much as looked her way, never mind men. Warren looked at Ellis how she imagined all women wanted to be looked at—to feel desired, irresistible, sexy even. Perhaps she watched too many rom-coms or read too many romance novels for her assumptions to be accurate, but somewhere inside, it was her truth. She'd hoped to one day meet a great guy and experience that all-consuming love story books preached was universally possible. Mostly, she dreamed of a happy ending, that her life would turn out fine and, most of all, normal.
With Ellis' dress just a puddle of fabric on the floor, she revealed a stocking and lingerie ensemble beneath. It flattered her figure. It was plain to see that it pleased Warren. Just enough on show and just enough hidden to tease him.
The temptress quickly found her way to what she wanted, and her lipstick left behind a smudged trail down his neck and torso. Once Ellis' lips found their way onto his skin, he stopped his rejection of her and submitted to being devoured, and he stood there helpless to her advances.
Karou couldn't tear her eyes away, but when Ellis relieved Warren of his pants and underwear, she quickly buried her face into her pillow. How shameful it would've been to spy on him while he was so undressed! Cupping her hands over her mouth to muffle her gasp, she rolled over and stared wide-eyed at the ceiling.
Eventually, she heard two sets of footsteps pad past her door and into Warren's bedroom, but silence didn't fall upon the unit. She could still hear them. Their antics and the sounds that accompanied them continued until Karou had no choice but to wrap her head in her pillow, hoping to block it all out.
When her eyes flickered open to find it was morning, Karou was relieved that the night was over and rose out of bed, glad to start a new day. That was a unique experience in and of itself; Karou had never been glad of the dawning of a new day while she lived with her mother. A new day only meant fresh hell with new opportunities to be criticised, devalued, and generally neglected. Nowadays, she was mostly just ignored by the person she lived with. She could endure that, keeping in mind that Warren didn't seem like the violent type, likely to give her a beating over the tiniest mishap. The irony! If only she hadn't been so clumsy by nature, she might not have been so heavily victimised by her mother.
Karou opened her bedroom door to go a yard across the hall into the bathroom. Half asleep, she heard her name called, so instinctively, she looked in the direction the greeting had come. With her hand grasping the bathroom door handle, Karou idled, staring into the doorway of Warren's bedroom, where Ellis stood, wrapped in bedsheets, clearly naked beneath. As if it wasn't already apparent what she had been doing the night before. Karou stuttered and blushed despite the woman having only greeted her good morning. These days, she felt like her cheeks might as well have remained permanently rosy for the amount of time she spent blushing. She was ill-equipped to deal with the stunning people surrounding her and the alarmingly unfamiliar situations she found herself in.
Wow, you really kept your cool there, Karou. Yeah, that reaction was so mature. She sarcastically scolded herself, painfully wanting to fathom why her body betrayed her by acting so childish.
Stumbling from one calamity to the next, Karou felt the door handle tug from her grasp. In a split second, her face and hands collided with a cool, damp surface: someone's chest. Warren had finished showering and was rubbing a towel over his hair when he distractedly exited the steamy, wet room.
"Ah!" Karou shrieked as she recoiled, "Oh my God. I'm so sorry!" The apology spluttered from her lips at the same rate she retreated. Stumbling back to where she'd come from, Karou slammed her bedroom door behind her. With her back pinned to its other side, she sunk onto the floor—a flustered pile of hopeless teenage cliché. At this rate, I'm going to die of embarrassment.
"Aww, you must have scared the poor thing. Such a sweet little girl." Karou heard Ellis say in a 'coo-chi-coo', condescending tone that added insult to injury.
"Oh, come on, Ellis, she's not a kid. She's nineteen." Warren groaned, trying to reason with his mistress for Karou's sake. She could hardly believe he was defending her.
"Exactly, she's still a child. Barely a woman and still a virgin, I bet." Ellis continued. It made Karou's bottom lip quiver out of anger or sadness, she didn't know.
"As if her sexual maturity and status had occurred to me." Warren lied. He kept his tone level and dry to the point that he seemed disinterested in the topic, making him sound more convincing in his delusion.
"I think it has to her. Didn't you see how she blushed?"
"She blushes all the time." He noted casually.
"See! And that's why it isn't appropriate that she's living with you. And she's one of them, too. It's irresponsible."
"Which is it, Ellis? Irresponsible that I live with a female or that she's Mortal?"
Karou couldn't listen anymore. Forget taking a shower or brushing her teeth! She dressed in whatever she found at hand and made a b-line for the front door.
"I think she heard you..." Warren muttered, turning to watch Karou flee.
A bone-chilling question dawned on him: if she'd heard them talking just now, what else had she witnessed the night before? He remembered that Karou had only just gone to bed by the time Ellis had shown up. An uncomfortable, overwhelmed feeling of guilt and embarrassment crunched in his stomach.
It was astonishing how quickly he was able to put aside his pride the moment it occurred to him that she'd had ventured in the Compound alone. Dashing to the unit's telephone he called on Nate first, but to no avail. Then in desperation he woke up a rather hangover Magnus.
"Quickly, Mag, get dressed, we have to find her."