Chapter 1: Katrina

I thought the strangest day of my life was when I turned eighteen. The orphanage handed me my documents and one small used pillowcase filled with every item I owned, so one pair of jeans, two shirts, a couple of undies, a bra, socks, and a book about the Gods and Goddesses that had been left in my bassinet, the day I had been left on the orphanage steps. Ms. Myers, the lead director at the orphanage, had also handed me an envelope with a letter addressed to me. The words do not open until your 18th birthday written on it on the drive to the workforce office, where I’d file forms for employment and assisted living.

I quickly glanced over to Ms. Myers, and when I noticed she was completely immersed in driving, I decided to open the envelope and read the letter.

“My dearest Katrina,

I am so sorry, your father and I abandoned you on that doorstep seventeen years ago; if you’re reading this letter now on your eighteenth birthday, it means that our plans failed, as the seer told us they would, which is why we sent you away to protect you. We couldn’t risk your life knowing that our’s were in danger. The world outside is dangerous, especially for you, my dearest daughter. It is better for you this way, to not know who you are or where you come from. Your safety depends on your ignorance.

It isn’t much, but your father and I were able to scrounge up a bit of money for you to live peacefully for a while; I know coming out of an orphanage, you’ll have nothing to your name. Inside this envelope, along with this letter, you’ll find a blank check written out for $25,000, fill out the check with your current name and take it to the bank; they’ll deposit the funds for you from our secure account that is no way attached to us. This money should keep you afloat for a while until you find a safe and stable job. I hope your future is full of brightness and that the sacrifice your father and I made for you was worth it. I love you, my beautiful sunshine.

Love Always,

Mama and Papa.”

Once I was at the Department of Workforce Services, they had me apply for a few jobs and open a banking account, where I deposited the check. Then they had me sign a two-year lease on a cheap studio apartment which I ended up paying the two years upfront for a total amount of $18,000, leaving me with $7,000 to live off of. While Mom’s letter was cryptic, and I still didn’t have a sense of belonging anywhere or a sense of who I was, I was grateful for the funds, as they had helped me get my life started and allowed me time to find my current job as a waitress at a nearby sports bar, where I had met my two best friends, Grace and her twin brother Jack.

Grace, Jack, and I have been friends for just short of three years now, and tonight they were taking me out for my 21st birthday. We were going to a nearby club- Hecate, which supposedly was frequented by gorgeous men who should be Abercrombie models, well, at least according to Jack. Grace had described Hecate as having a witchy vibe; even the Hookah was a crystal ball with bitchin’ shisha, according to Grace. She said that whenever Jack and she went to the club, they hit the hookah bar first and smoked some of the shisha called X-Static, saying that it upped their endorphins and put them in the mood to party.

I glanced over at the bed, my eyes once again trailing over the outfit that the twins had insisted I wear. It was a cute little black dress cut in an a-line style with a very high slit that went at least mid-thigh; they had decided to pair the dress with calf-high dark purple high heeled boots and a white banner for me to wear that said “Birthday Bitch” on it. I glared at the outfit, knowing that if I didn’t wear it, Jack and Grace would be disappointed; letting out a small sigh, I walked towards my vanity to get ready for the night. I clipped my long blond hair half up and curled it with my flat iron, leaving two long strands to frame my face. I put on light purple eyeshadow, heavy black eyeliner, and dark purple lipstick in the same shade as my boots. I put in my amethyst nose ring and my sliver hoop to finish my look. I gave myself a once over in the mirror and smiled, knowing that Jack would get a kick out of my “goth” look.

I walked over to my bed and gave the dress another once over before pulling it over my head. I quickly donned the boots as I heard a loud knock at my front door and then the loud cries of my best friends.

“Bitch! We are here, and we are ready to Par-Tay!” Jack exclaimed.

“Hurry up, Kat!” Whined Grace, “I want to see how great you look, and I want to get to the club before all hot guys are gobbled up. This dry spell ends today.”

I couldn’t help but giggle at how obnoxiously loud my friends were, but this was one of the reasons I loved them; there was never a quiet moment when they were around. I looked myself over in my full-length mirror before cringing; the dress was so tight that it showed my panty lines from my g-string and my bra outline; guess I’m going commando tonight, I thought to myself as I slipped off my bra and underwear. Now I really would need to be careful with the high slit of my dress. I opened the door to my bedroom before Grace, and Jack barged in and braced myself for the shrieks that I knew were coming.

“Oh my god! You Slut!” Jack exclaimed, “You look fuckin’ amazing. Didn’t I tell you, Grace, that she would look great in this dress?”

“Ah, so you’re the one I have to blame for this atrocity,” I said, folding my arms, feigning a glare in Jack’s direction.

“Hey Babe, you’ve got a cute little body; it’s about time you flaunt it,” Jack said, shrugging his shoulders and rolling his eyes like no big deal. My god, is he sassy.

“Giiiirllll,” Grace said, dragging out her words, “You look like sex of wheels. Ain’t no man going to reject you tonight. If I weren’t 100% peen, I would dive into your muffin right now.”

My face went crimson; sometimes, Grace could be a little much. “Ugh, thanks, guys,” I responded, unsure if going out with them tonight was a good idea. I loved my little friend group, but I felt like my entire outlook on life would change after tonight.

“Hurry up! Let’s go before we frighten the poor girl with talks of peens and muffins.” Jack said, grabbing my hand and pulling me out the door.

Once outside my apartment, we were hit with the frigidness of Maine in the wintertime. Amethyst wasn’t only my favorite stone, it was also my birthstone, making my birthday fall in the cold, brutal month of February, and today just so happened to be Valentine’s Day, meaning all the single individuals looking for hooks up wanting to fill the emptiness inside for this one night would be out at the club. I let out another sigh as I plastered a smile on my face, not wanting to dampen the twins’ spirits. They were excited to celebrate my birthday, and I would be thrilled with them, even if I had to force myself.

There was a line to get in when we reached the club, twisting behind the club and back towards the parking lot.

“It’s going to take hours to get in.” Whined Jack, “why didn’t we consider how busy it would be today.”

“Oh, stop whining,” Grace responded; most of the people in line will be rejected entry anyways; it’ll be our turn before you not it.”

“But I’ll freeze out here,” Jack whined again, vigorously rubbing his hands up and down his arms, trying to keep warm.

I laughed again, loving Jack’s theatrics. Jack immediately stilled in front of me, and I saw the look in his eyes turn from that of fake crying to pure seduction. I felt the person’s presence behind me before I turned to look at who Jack was staring at.

The man behind me looked like he was modeled after the gods. He was built like a fighter, and my god, was he tall; he had to be at least 6’6, and the muscles showed beautifully beneath the tight lavender dress shirt he had on; he had the sleeves rolled up, showing off his large forearms and delicious tattoos. I let my gaze trail up from his massive chest and swallowed when my eyes rested on his full lips; I wanted to know what his lips would feel like against mine. I continued to look him over as my eyes took in his dazzling hazel eyes that were a mix between auburn and emerald; his golden-brown hair was cut short in a military-style.

“Done checking me out yet, babe?” The godlike man smiled at me.

“Are you done invading my space yet?” I asked haughtily, putting my hand on my hips and staring into his eyes.

“I was just going to see if you wanted to come into the club, but if you’d rather stand out in the cold….” He shrugged, letting his voice trail off as he started to turn away, heading towards the entrance of the club,

“Wait.” Shouted Grace, “My friend Katrina, over her, can get a little testy when she’s hungry,” She smiled, batting her eyelashes up at Mr. Gorgeous.

“Ahh, Katrina,” He smiled, letting his gaze roam over my body; I felt like he was trying to undress me, not that it would take much since I only had a very short tight black dress on. I felt my core tighten at his gaze and my name falling off his lips.

“This way,” He called to my friends and me, leading us to the club entrance. I didn’t want to follow some stranger, but my friends seemed to think it was a good idea and followed quickly behind him; not wanting to get left behind, I followed along.

“Hey Grimm, they’re with me.” Mr. Gorgeous said, smiling at the bouncer.

The bouncer smiled, shaking his head at Mr. Gorgeous’s antics. “Sure thing, Mr. Bossman; any other special guest I should be aware of?”

“Nope, just her… err… these three,” he replied, gesturing to my friends and me.

“Mr. Boss Man?” I asked, looking at the gorgeous stranger. “So, do you work here?”

“Something like that, Kitten,” He responded, staring straight at my lips; I couldn’t help but trace my tongue along my lips; it was like a magnetic pull, pulling us closer together.

His eyes quickly darted away from my lips, breaking the pull I felt towards him, “Alright, well, you all have fun tonight; I have business to attend to.” And just like that, the stranger was gone before I could even ask his name.

“Hot damn!” Jack exclaimed, pulling me out of my stupor. “That man was too gorgeous for his own good.”

“And he seemed to fancy little Katrina,” Grace said, staring right at me.

“As if,” I responded, “I’m sure he just thought that I would be an easy lay by my outfit.” I laughed out, downplaying the attractiveness that I had felt towards him.

“Whatever,” Grace said, rolling her eyes as if she could see through my lies. “Let’s head over to the hookah bar, and you’ve got to try this X-static.”

I let Grace pull me through the club as I tried not to look around for Mr. Gorgeous, failing miserably.

“Katrina,” One of the waitresses called from the Bar. “This way,” She directed, calling me to her.

“Do you know her?” Jack whispered as we walked in the direction of the waitress.

“No, I’ve never met her,” I responded.

“Hi, I’m Matilda; Miles, one of the owners, has advised all the staff that you’re to be treated like VIPs tonight and that all your drinks and shisha are free.” The pretty waitress stated, extending her hand out to me.

“Uh, hi,” I responded, shaking her hand hesitantly. “I think you might have the wrong Katrina, and I don’t know anyone named Miles.”

“Nope,” Matilda said, shaking her head. “You’re definitely the right girl; Miles’ described exactly what you and your friends were wearing. He told me to tell you that you looked good enough to eat up in that dress and that if he didn’t have club business to attend to, he would have escorted you around himself.” Matilda replied matter of factly.

My cheeks flushed red. Miles must be Mr. Gorgeous. I can’t believe he’d tell his staff that, and when did he have the time to relay the message. He’d just left us. Unless he had a Bluetooth walkie-talkie in, although I was pretty sure he didn’t, he must have if he relayed the information so quickly. I rolled my eyes at his audacity but decided to indulge his behavior; who was I to turn down free booze? It wasn’t like I’d have to have sex with him.

I turned towards Grace and Jack, and I saw their eyes light up in joy; they were just as excited as I was to being treated like VIPs in the club; Matilda led us to the top floor of the club and, through some red curtains, the area was still busy, but not nearly as busy as the bottom floor. She continued to walk until we were in a private alcove. She set us down at a table with a beautiful crystal ball hookah that sat in the middle with three hoses.

“What shisha can I get you?” Matilda asked.

“Let’s get the X-static,” Grace responded.

“And Drinks?” Matilda inquired further.

“A round of tequila shots!” Jack exclaimed, “It’s time to get the birthday girl fucked up!”

Matilda laughed before leaving with our order; not even a minute later, a different waitress showed up with our orders. She placed the shisha into the bowl before lighting the coal. We set a tray of tequila shots in front of us; there was a least 15 shots on the tray.

Not even half an hour had passed, and we had finished the bowl of shisha and all the shots. I felt terrific, and I wanted to dance the night away; with a bit of persuasion from Jack and Grace, we walked out to the dance floor and started bumping and grinding to the beat of the music; I felt myself getting lost in the music and didn’t register that someone had put their hands on my waist until I felt their erection against my lower back. I immediately stopped dancing, stiffening my back, and pulled myself out of the stranger’s arms.

“What are you doing, doll? We were having such a good time.” The stranger responded, his tone sending nervous shivers down my back. I wasn’t sure what it was about him, but the stranger put me on edge. “Unless you want to call it a night, let me take you home already.” He said, grabbing my hand and trying to pull me into him.

“Let go of me.” I hissed quietly, not wanting to make a scene.

“Now, now, now. That’s not the way to talk to your lover.” He said, running his hands up and down my arm; I felt little tingles of electricity running up and down my arms, but they didn’t shoot pleasure into me. Instead, they made me feel ill.

“I said to let go of me.” I cried, jerking myself out of his grip, placing my hand in front of me, shielding myself and ready to push him away from me if needed.

A look of surprise flashed across his face before his eyes slanted down at me, a look of pure hatred crossing his face. “You will do as I say.” He growled, approaching me.

“No!” I yelled, pushing my hands towards him with all my might, trying to shove him away from me.

A bright light flashed from my palm and sent the stranger flying. I felt myself start to get dizzy, and I wondered if maybe the alcohol was getting to me before my vision started to blur and everything went dark around me.