When Catherine opened her eyes, she distinctly sensed that something around her was different. She blinked hard, her gaze sliding from the arched ceiling of the room above her head all the way down to the curtain that was gently fluttering in the breeze.
She saw that the curtain was her beloved off - white color, with coffee - colored vine embroideries growing and spreading sensuously from the bottom, stretching quietly in one corner of the entire plain - colored curtain. When the wind blew, it was as beautiful as if the vines were dancing.
She sat up, her brown curly hair sliding down along the folds of her already dirty and torn brown coat. Next, Catherine also saw that the entire room was decorated with her favorite combination of beige and coffee - color. It was not just the curtain, but everything.
There was even a gramophone that completely conformed to her odd hobby. She concentrated slightly and effortlessly saw that there were also about twenty vinyl records neatly and artistically placed beside the gramophone. There were records ranging from classical Bach to the latest pop music, which also perfectly matched her unfocused and boundary - less taste.
The slightly bitter yet extremely mellow coffee aroma in the air, Catherine's favorite smell, came from a can of coffee beans beside the bed. They had been specially treated, not for drinking but simply for fragrance.
Catherine became alert and horrified. Obviously, the person who decorated the room knew her hobbies very well, whether they were strange or ordinary. Even her own room had never fit her hobbies so well. She had an almost pathological love for coffee, not just because of work needs, but simply because she loved it extremely.
Where was this place? Why were there these things?
Catherine desperately recalled the events of yesterday. Finally, she discovered in horror that she had been brought back to the Volturi again. She subconsciously touched her snow - white neck hidden under her long hair, and her fingertips touched a clear tooth mark. Without a doubt, it was done by that guy who went crazy for no reason yesterday.
She had thought she was going to die again.
So, when vampires are on the verge of being driven mad by their instincts, they won't even spare the blood of their own kind? Then why didn't she feel anything when she bit herself at the beginning? Thinking about this, Catherine felt even more horrified, not even noticing the burning sensation in her throat that was gradually becoming clearer.
She walked to the window and looked out through the gap in the curtain. Judging from the reference objects across the street, she should be on the third floor. Below was an open space, and occasionally one or two light and elegant black shadows flashed by quickly. Catherine noticed that they would all turn around and look at the floor where she was as if they were curious.
She subconsciously wanted to step back to avoid their sight, but she forgot that she had to control her strength very carefully. So, when Catherine thought she had only moved a tiny two steps, she bumped against the wall at the other end of the room with a thud.
She hardly exerted any force with her hands, but the curtain cloth and the metal curtain rod that she had torn off along with the screws and fixing brackets were pitifully accusing her of her violence. Immediately after that, the table was in a mess after being hit by the metal rod, and the expensive gramophone was pushed and fell outwards by various books and stationery as if in a disaster.
The sound of the gramophone falling to the ground was really loud with an echo. The beautiful metal trumpet - shaped speaker of the gramophone was separated from its base, and the vinyl records also fell to one side.
Looking at the room that had been neat and beautiful just a moment ago and was now in a complete mess, Catherine's brain froze - Damn it! She had to pay for the damages again!
At the thought of the possible number of digits of the compensation, Catherine felt dizzy. Subconsciously, she touched her chest - well, she no longer had a heartbeat. She grabbed her hair in frustration. From the Florence Library to here, she was simply an out - and - out destroyer.
She felt that her debt list was getting and would keep getting longer indefinitely. Suddenly, Catherine felt that this reason was enough to make her want to die.
Why didn't they just let her die?!
"Knock, knock, knock."
A polite and reserved knock on the door sounded. Catherine jumped up like an electrified cat and changed her position again, staring at the door tightly with her muscles tensed all over her body. Then, she heard the wooden table moaning in pain after she bumped into it suddenly.
Catherine felt that the muscles of her face were distorted. The little person inside her who was having a mental breakdown was screaming. When the door opened, she would surely be cleaned up by the Volturi as a destroyer. But maybe there was also a turning point. For example, putting her on the blacklist and then making her leave immediately. Catherine would definitely execute the order joyfully - hopefully?
After a long delay without hearing a response - actually, Catherine hadn't figured out how to answer - the door was opened almost roughly.
Catherine saw the face of the person standing outside clearly. In just an instant, the tooth mark on her neck seemed to start burning hot as if in response, and her dry throat also began to feel uncomfortable. That nightmare - like feeling of swallowing burning charcoal came back again.
A sign of craving for blood.
She unconsciously wanted to distance herself from Caius. The scene of his sudden madness last night was still vivid in her mind, and Catherine didn't want to experience it again. However, the consequence of her trying to back away was...
"Boom -!"
The wooden table was crushed by the powerful external force, and all the precious books and vinyl records fell to the ground.
In the blink of an eye, the room looked as if it had been attacked by terrorists. If Catherine, in her grief and indignation, bumped her head against the wall covered with beautiful wallpaper to atone for her sins by death, the hole in the wall combined with the mess in the room would make a perfect crime scene.
Heidi stood behind Caius, and her surprise was perfectly concealed. Caius didn't even look at her. "Have someone come and clean this up later. Throw all the rubbish away."
Catherine felt that she was the biggest piece of rubbish.
Her escape journey had only lasted five or six hours, and she couldn't even walk properly. She was probably the worst fugitive in the Volturi.
"Okay." Heidi said and obediently stepped aside.
Then she closed the door.
Catherine was desperate again.
However, soon she discovered that her fear of the person in front of her was even greater than her craving for blood. She didn't know if this was a good thing or a bad thing.
Caius almost floated to her side, stretched out his long and pale fingers to hook the hair hanging on Catherine's shoulder, sniffed it gently, and let out a beautiful sigh. Then, the hand holding the hair suddenly tightened. He seemed to be trying hard to hold something back. Catherine stared at his action tightly, wishing she could cut off that strand of hair with a pair of scissors. She was really afraid that this guy would go crazy again.
She didn't know what to do. There were vampires everywhere here, and there were vampires with much more seniority and far more combat experience than her everywhere, not to mention the terrifying number.
The two of them were in a stalemate like this. After an unknown amount of time, so long that Catherine felt that the shudder transmitted along the strand of hair held tightly by him almost swallowed her up, Caius finally let go of that strand of hair.
Then, looking at Catherine's appearance, he raised the corner of his mouth in a smile with a hint of imperceptible stiffness, as if he had been suppressing some emotion all the time. "You look much better than yesterday, Kathy. How do you feel? Thirsty?"
His voice was different from the tone when he spoke when they first met last night. The difference was very subtle, but it was not negligible. It was a kind of obscurity and slight tremor caused by being too distracted in restraining other intense emotions and thus ignoring or being unable to control the tone.
Catherine instinctively felt that this guy might be going abnormal again, but his last question hit the nail on the head.
In fact, Catherine was extremely thirsty now, but she hadn't been driven to the point of admitting it in front of this sick vampire. She didn't know if it was because she was a vampire for the second day, but her thirst didn't seem as terrifying as when she had just been turned, although it was still very uncomfortable.
She shook her head quickly, indicating that she wasn't thirsty. On the contrary, Catherine felt that the really thirsty person was Caius. The black in his eyes was starting to be restless again.
Caius seemed a bit surprised by her answer, and then he nodded. "It seems that my choice to completely drain your blood last night was correct. This way, you won't lose control so easily."
Catherine was dumbfounded. She didn't expect that the meeting last night, which almost killed her again, was actually considered a redemption in his eyes? The burning sensation stimulated her anger, and then it was suppressed by alertness and fear.
She tried her best to make her voice sound not so bad and cowardly. "What do you want by bringing me back here?"
"The Volturi will not easily forgive traitors who escape and those who break the rules. If the humans outside know of our existence, it will be troublesome, won't it?" Caius said. The tenderness that had been as fragile as an illusion just now disappeared without a trace, and the devil in his rose - red pupils was roaring.
Catherine realized that this person was moody and unpredictable, and had a serious lack of emotional self - control. Opposing him would surely lead to a miserable death.
So, she lowered her voice and chose her words carefully before asking, "Then, if I can guarantee not to break the rules here and not to be discovered, can I go back?"
God bless. She swore that her tone had been as humble as possible, her words were quite appropriate, and not to mention her attitude was extremely pious. But after hearing her words, Caius grabbed her hand suddenly, gritted his teeth almost ferociously, and his eyes were extremely sharp. "Don't even think about it! Leave here? Catherine, you will never be able to!"
"What are you going to do?" Catherine began to be afraid because of his sudden and inexplicable anger. She hadn't done anything. "Let me go!"
Let her go?
Joke. How could that be possible?!
Caius looked at her. Her struggle, her fear, her voice and smell, and everything about her were like a net with soft hooks, tightly wrapping around him. And the only breakthrough of this net was in Catherine's hands.
He knew very well that except for Catherine, he would never be able to perceive anything again. The perception that had been dead for three thousand years would only come back to life in her hands. He was like a prisoner deprived of everything, and Catherine was his only judge.
However, his judge now actually asked him to let her go? Wanting to turn him back into a corpse again?!
Caius's face became more and more ugly. He stiffly held the other's wrist tightly, trying to force her to be quiet, but unfortunately, it had the opposite effect.
The more he coerced, the more she struggled, a vicious cycle, yet it was Caius who was tortured.
If only she were a specimen, surrounded by bright - red roses, like the most beautiful doll, quiet, not resisting at all, staying obediently by his side forever, and no one could take her away, forever and ever.
Catherine obviously didn't know what Caius was thinking. Otherwise, she would have fainted on the spot. She just thought that this guy was crazy again, but the almost pathological look in his eyes really stunned her.
Could it be... this guy wanted to suck her blood again?!
She covered her neck reflexively, filled with grief and indignation. How could there be a vampire who was sucked blood by another vampire after becoming a vampire herself?! She was indeed the worst vampire!
The two of them stared at each other for a long time. Finally, Caius said, "Heidi will take you to change your clothes. You need to feed."
It's you who needs to feed! You crazy guy!
He called Heidi, and Heidi immediately opened the door and walked in. Caius gave instructions to Heidi, but his eyes had never left Catherine. Catherine was almost driven to flee by such oppression.
She was very close to Caius. The fragrance and the sense of oppression from him made Catherine almost breathless. Catherine felt that her hands must be even stiffer, but Caius seemed not to notice and just held her without letting go.
Heidi stood at the door, smiling charmingly. "Come with me. Go change your clothes first. You must be hungry. Don't worry. Everything is ready."
Prepared? Prepared for what?
Catherine was stunned for a while, and suddenly realized that this was the Volturi. There were all vampires here, and they drank human blood!