Chapter 6

Chapter 6

I put my thumb and forefinger on the bridge of my nose and started pacing in front of Katrina. “Pandora's Box?” That’s a fucking fairytale, it’s not real!” I exclaimed. 

“No, Rowen, it’s real… I have seen it.” She replied back, stopping me in my tracks. I looked up at her, “What? You have seen it?” I asked. 

“Yes, as a Keeper our job is more than just to guard the Amulet. We are also responsible to banish the creatures into Pandora's box when needed. Another reason why we are so valuable… We know where Pandora's box is, and we know how to open it.” She explained.  

“Jesus Christ, Katrina. How long have you been a Keeper?” I asked her. “My family have been Keepers for generations. I grew up knowing that out of my sisters, I was the one chosen to take my mothers place once she was gone. The Others killed her years ago, and that’s when I took her position.” She said. 

“Unfortunately not everyone has a bloodline to pick up their positions. If they haven’t appointed another person as Keeper in their wake, then the Keepers will exist no longer once the final two are gone.” She said. 

“So what you’re saying is we have to keep this thing safe, or else risk exposing the world to whatever you Keepers have banished inside of Pandora’s box?” I asked. 

“Yes, that’s the whole job of The Keepers. To banish what needs to be banished, and keep the amulet out of the hands of those who would set them free.” She said. 

I walked up to her, my head was still in a daze. This whole thing was so surreal. “Katrina, I came here to kill you today. But I couldn’t go through with it… No matter how many times I tried, no matter how much I justified it. I guess my love for you, even after all these years, is too strong to let me truly hurt you.” I said, running my fingers along the side of her face where my mark would go. 

She grabbed my hand with hers and pressed her cheek into my palm. “There were a few times I wasn’t sure if you were going to go through with it or not, but thank you for sparing me. I know I royally fucked up, I know... I’m going to do everything I possibly can to make things right. I owe you that much, at the very least.” She said. 

I have no idea what came over me, but I was in such a state of shock, anger, and hurt, my mind was elsewhere and I just marked her. I don’t even know why I did it. She gasped and pulled away from me. 

“Rowen, what did you do?” She cried, putting her hand to the side of her face where my rose gold eight pointed star sat glittering beautifully. My jaw completely dropped.  

“Oh my god, Katrina… I’m sorry, I don’t know why I did that.” I said to her. “Fuck!” I said to Viper. The marks pull was so fucking strong. 

The connection between us was far more powerful than I anticipated and the mark just enhanced the feelings that were already there. She was shocked at first but then she smiled at me and tried to run into my arms. 

I had to stop her, and it was the hardest thing I have ever done. “No, Katrina, it’s not you… It’s the mark. I never should have done that. I don’t know what I was thinking!” I said. 

“I just want to be with you, please don’t push me away.” Katrina said. “I know, doll, but it’s the mark talking. I promise you, it is.” I said, and I knew goddamn well I was lying... 

The feelings were there, and they were fucking strong. The mark was making them seem stronger, but they were feelings we both already had to begin with. Katrina again tried to embrace me and I had to stop her once more. 

I couldn’t do this for long. I was going to give in… 

And if I touched her like that, I would make this fucking mark permanent and there would be no going back. But I fucking wanted to touch her… I wanted to do unspeakable things to her slender body. Fuck, I needed to leave… This was not going to end well.    

“Brother, it’s been a while! Nice of you to stop in!” Ramses boomed from behind me. My infernal brother, always showing up to ruin my damn fun! I thought, then terror shot through my chest at what he was about to walk into. 

I had just marked Katrina, and against her will at that. He was going to fucking murder me. I tried to hide the stress on my face as I turned around to face him. 

“Brother.” I said. “Whoa, you look like you just left a murder scene! You ok man?” Ramses cackled. “Sure, if you can call ripping my mates heart out for being a fucking traitorous spy… Then yes I’m doing fantastic.” I said sarcastically. 

“You did what?” He asked, and materialized in front of Katrina instantly, holding her back with his arm. Luckily he hadn’t really looked at her yet. 

“Trust me, if I was physically able to harm that woman, she would already be dead too. Lucky for both of you, I apparently still love her, therefore I couldn’t bring myself to do it.” I said. 

“Brother, I think you need to start talking, because you are not making any sense.” Ramses said. Then Katrina tried to walk out around Ramses towards me, but he stopped her with his arm. 

“Ramses, let me go.” She said, looking up at him. That’s when he saw it, my mark adorning her beautiful face. I could see a mixture of emotion clouding his face. 

Surprise, hurt, anger, frustration, and realization as he let her go and she ran straight into my arms. I wanted to fight it but god it was so hard. The pull from the mark was so strong, much stronger than what I had with Ivy. 

I just looked up and exhaled as Ramses looked over at us. I tried to gauge his emotions but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. I knew exactly what was plastered all over my face though, guilt. Guilt and distress. 

I pulled away from Katrina, pushing her away from me after a moment. “Why, brother.” Ramses asked me. I stayed silent, I didn’t have an answer for him. I didn’t even know why. “Did she ask for this?” Ramses asked me. The calm in his voice was terrifying. 

I knew he didn’t feel jealousy, but that didn’t stop him from being angry with me… And for good reason. I never intended to do this to him. “No, she didn’t even know I was going to do it. Brother, I didn’t even know I was going to do it… I don’t even know why I did it. I’m sorry.” I cried. 

He just looked at me with a mixture of emotions. He took a breath in and held it for a second, pinching the bridge of his nose. 

“Look, brother, I’m trying not to be mad here. You know I would share her with you anytime, all you had to do was ask... But you did the literal only thing you promised you would never do. You took her choice away, and chose her decision for her.” Ramses said, in a tone that was more harsh than I think he realized. 

I swallowed back the tears that were starting to form. “I know. I did do that, and I have no excuse.” I said, accepting responsibility for my actions. “I never should have come here. I’m sorry, Katrina.” I said to her. 

“She looked at me with longing in her eyes. I knew that was just the marks pull, pushing her towards me. She fought it, and then turned her back to me and walked into Ramses’ arms. 

“God, I’m such a fuck up.” I said to Viper. 

“Rowen, I think you need to leave. We can figure this out once the mark has faded from her skin, until then you should go.” Ramses said, and Katrina reluctantly nodded her head at me. 

I exhaled. “You’re right. Ramses, and I will go… But Katrina has a lot she needs to catch you up on… Once my mark has faded, please come find me. We have a dilemma to resolve, a very large one. And Obviously, I’m just not in the right state of mind to figure things out right now.” I said to my brother. Then, with one last glance at Katrina, I materialized home.

Aries had cleaned my home perfectly. There was no mess, no inkling that anyone had been murdered here. But the pain of losing Ivy was really starting to hit me now, as I walked through my home… Our home. 

Her decorations she added to try and make it not so gloomy here. The dishes she picked out for the kitchen. The throw blanket over my couch. The photos of us strewn about my home… Each thing I saw that belonged to her, or was here because of her made my heart hurt that much more. 

I didn’t even want to go into our room, look at her things, her clothes… It was too much to bear. “Fucking Traitor!” I screamed, taking a photo of us from the hallway wall and shattering it on the floor. 

Then I snapped to clean up the mess, discarding the photo. The marks pull to Katrina was also bothering me, even thousands of miles away. 

“Ugh, this house feels like a prison. I need to get out.” I said to Viper. “Let’s go, we can go anywhere, let's just go.” Viper said. I didn’t even shower, but I changed into a black and rose gold suit. I discarded my blood soaked one and headed out the door.