In the first twenty - three years of her life, Katherine had never thought of getting to know a vampire. However, people are always doing things they never expected. Otherwise, when they get old, they won't have anything worthy of recollection - although the word "aging" no longer applies to Katherine.
She admitted that when she first entered the Volturi, she was truly petrified. All she could think about was escaping. If there was anything else, it was the restlessness typical of a newborn. This left her with no energy to think about other things, and her resistance towards the Volturi made her subconsciously reject the idea of getting to know this place.
Since that serial murder case, she had already defined the Volturi. Just as she had labeled Caius from the moment she first met him.
It was one of Katherine's many flaws to easily distinguish and treat anyone and anything based on first impressions.
However, when she was truly helpless and thought that she had to fight with all her might to avoid being brainwashed, and Caius stood by her side, she began to think that perhaps her first impression wasn't so accurate.
Whether it was the "suspension bridge effect" or just a vulnerable mental defense. If Caius was really the only one in the Volturi who would side with her after such an incident, then Katherine was quite willing to get to know him a bit more.
Not for any other reason. She simply didn't want the person who had almost saved her life to always be like a monster in her impression. Monsters wouldn't save her. Moreover, it was truly exhausting to be on tenterhooks all day long facing everyone in the Volturi. One less to worry about was one less.
Although Katherine was really not used to Caius being so close to her all the time, with frequent physical contact and such. Frankly speaking, since her mother passed away seventeen years ago, no one had ever been so intimate with her, and it was a non - human being she had known for just a few days... Well, she was one too, but...
Was God finally having a pang of conscience and planning to send someone to compensate her? But this was a bit too terrifying.
Katherine looked back at the noisy crowd not far away and continued to follow Caius's footsteps into the forest on the outskirts of Volterra.
Unlike the tall trees on the British Isles that were spoiled by clouds and rain, and the ever - lingering bluish - gray mist refracted by the thick water vapor to form a spectral glow, the forest here was bright and vibrant.
In the British forests, there were thick temperate deciduous broad - leaved trees covered with bright green moss everywhere. The lush green ferns could grow up to your knees. The water vapor was so thick that your coat would get wet while your undergarment remained dry. The limited sunlight was blocked by the thick fog. The whole mist glowed hazily, while the path in front still had an eerie bluish - gray hue.
Such a scene easily made one think of mazes, elves, and adventures. So Lewis's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" made sense.
In contrast, the forest in Volterra was much drier. The fallen leaves and branches on the ground crunched underfoot. The sunlight in the forest created a beautiful Tyndall effect, with each beam having its own specific shape.
The forest was quiet, as if there were no living creatures. The heartbeats, blood circulation, and other sounds that could be heard were all coming from a farther distance. After all, there were two vampires here. You couldn't expect there to be any cute little animals around.
Caius's exposed skin outside his clothes glistened, and even his eyelashes had that delicate sparkle. Unfortunately, the shadows in his eyes were still as deep as mountains and seas.
He jumped onto a thick tree trunk lying across the ground, already covered with moss and leaf litter. The neat suit had many abrupt wrinkles at his joints.
His voice was smooth and charming. When it echoed in the quiet forest, it had a bewitching quality like a fairy luring people: "So, you're just not planning to be honest, are you? This is the first time you've talked to me so much. What do you want to know about me?"
Katherine stood at a distance from him and clearly saw that the contact lenses in Caius's eyes finally couldn't resist the erosion of the venom. As he narrowed his eyes with an ambiguous expression, the lenses dissolved bit by bit in his eyes. After the false blue faded away, the cold and gorgeous red once again soaked into his pupils.
The semi - solid substances that had been dissolved slid down from the corners of his eyes, like blue tears. Caius stood up straight, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped away those liquids. His sharp red eyes stared intently at Katherine. The red and the black in the center of his pupils were constantly vying for dominance. Katherine thought that his emotions must be fluctuating quite a bit.
It seemed that every time she intentionally or unintentionally talked about something related to Caius himself, Caius's emotions would fluctuate more noticeably. If it was because he was unhappy about others asking about his personal affairs, he should have restrained the impulse to make Katherine shut up forever. But if it wasn't because of dislike, Katherine couldn't figure out why.
Used to his violent temperament and behavior, Katherine suddenly realized that he seemed a bit special to her?
She clenched her fist and thought that perhaps she should be grateful for her inexplicable physique that was the only thing Caius could perceive?
Katherine shrugged: "I don't mean to pry into your personal affairs. So you can tell me some conclusive things, like your taboos. I just think that maybe by getting to know each other a bit, we can get along more pleasantly and easily?"
He grinned, revealing his sharp teeth, and with that tone that was half a smile and half a sneer, it was as if he was teasing someone with a knife: "Did you find it so painful to get along with me before?"
Admitting it at this time would be idiotic!
Katherine touched the tip of her nose and said: "I said'more', which indicates a progressive relationship, not a contrastive one."
It had to be said that her lying skills had improved by leaps and bounds since she came to the Volturi. She was almost believing what she was saying herself.
Caius snorted coldly, jumped down from the tree trunk nimbly and gracefully, walked a few steps, and then looked back at Katherine. The latter quickly followed.
The two of them walked one after the other for a distance, deeper into the forest. The sunlight and tree shadows crisscrossed and dappled on them. The singing of the stream became clearer and clearer. The clear water crashed against the smooth stones, shattering into droplets that flew out and then returned to the stream.
Caius's voice, mingled with the sound of the stream, slipped into Katherine's ears: "I was born in 1107 BC. The Crete Island at that time was completely different from what it is now. My father was a general who participated in the destruction of the Mycenaean civilization. Our family developed through maritime trade and later had our own independent army."
Katherine blinked, not daring to interrupt him. She hadn't actually asked him to explain his background so clearly. Was he just on a whim?
"Like your Windsor Castle, after destroying Mycenae, they started fighting among themselves. Finally, do you know who ended this stupid war?" Caius looked back, his smile almost sinister.
Katherine thought the answer wasn't too difficult to guess, but she was curious about another thing. Taking advantage of his good mood and willingness to tell her these things, Katherine thought he might answer: "How old were you then?"
"Eighteen." Caius replied briefly. So quickly and casually that Katherine had reason to suspect that he was just making up a number, relying on the fact that she wouldn't dare to ask again or that no one would dare to tell her.
Perhaps it was because of her poor knowledge of history. It seemed rather strange that an eighteen - year - old in a noble family in ancient Greece wasn't married.
"Then... how old were you when you were turned?" Katherine asked again.
"Eighteen." Caius replied.
As he spoke, his expression changed, taking on a somewhat sinister meaning. The smile on his lips was charming but not elegant. It was a rather despicable smile: "After I eliminated those fools one by one, a few of them weren't willing to give up. So they found a female vampire who was active in the area and offered their wives and children in exchange for her to kill me."
The idea of using one's family in exchange for something... Katherine found it quite disgusting. It didn't seem too difficult to imagine Caius's upbringing environment.
"That was the first time I encountered a creature of this race. It really gave me a shock." As he said this, he relaxed his brows and laughed smugly. It didn't look like the expression of someone who had been shocked at all. He was definitely the most suitable person in the world to be a vampire!
"At that time, I was still human and couldn't fight against her. I was turned by her. When I woke up..." Caius suppressed his smile. "I could no longer feel anything."
"She tried to lure me with blood. I admit that it was quite attractive to a newborn, but it had much less appeal to me. Compared to the blood that I could easily reach out and get, I was more curious about what her blood tasted like."
"It was of no use. It still couldn't restore my sensation. Useless thing!"
"So?" An image of a beautiful woman having her neck effortlessly and brutally broken by Caius flashed through Katherine's mind.
"She was just a bit more useful than firewood. She burned quite quickly." Caius said this without even a slightest ripple on his straight shoulders. "But thanks to her, there's nothing I can't do now. I don't have to be as scared as the weak race I used to belong to, where any little disturbance could cost them their lives."
"However..." Katherine suddenly felt something was wrong. "She wasn't supposed to kill you? Not everyone who is bitten by a vampire will be turned into a vampire, right? Why did you..."
Caius suddenly gave her a cold glare, his tone hiding a distortion and sounding a bit shrill: "She wanted me to be her mate. What an absurd and hopelessly stupid idea. Just for daring to think like that, she deserved to disappear from the world completely!"
Katherine tugged at the corner of her mouth. Sure enough, beauty could be misleading. Fortunately, there was a key point in this - don't covet Caius. If you have any improper thoughts about him, you'll die a miserable death.
"After being turned, I no longer cared about the things that interested me when I was human. I only wanted to regain my sensation." Caius's expression began to slowly empty. "Except for blood, nothing could make me feel anything anymore."
"Establishing the Volturi was much later. Because we began to realize that although humans are fragile and ignorant, those who propel their history forward are worth remembering. Their technology and art can be as immortal as ours and can pose a threat to us."
"At the beginning, the vampire world was as chaotic as ancient Greece before. It wasn't until we established the Volturi."
After Caius finished speaking, he tilted his head slightly upwards, his face shining brightly, making him really look like an emperor who had just stepped onto the throne from the battlefield.
What kind of torment it was to feel nothing for three thousand years, Katherine couldn't imagine. Her imagination had always been rather poor. But she could understand Caius's enthusiasm for the Volturi and killing. This psychological stimulation was his only drug.
Neither of them spoke again. The atmosphere was a bit eerie. Katherine wanted to say something but really couldn't find a topic. What could you expect a person who used to scare off anyone who showed kindness in her previous life with her delusional and forensic identities to say in such a situation?
I feel sorry for you. May you find peace?
If she really said that, Katherine should feel sorry for herself.
After holding it in for a long time, she finally blurted out: "Thank you for telling me these." Actually, you didn't have to say so much. It always makes me feel a bit nervous. I even feel that I know too much.
"Then." Caius suddenly said in a strange tone. "Do you think we'll get along more pleasantly?"
This vengeful guy emphasized the word "more" particularly strongly.
Katherine looked away, answering a bit awkwardly: "Ah... probably."
"Aren't you afraid that I'll drag you to be brainwashed?"
"I've thought of something else."
"Like?"
Katherine waved her hand. "Skinning me and making a glove out of it or something. One-time solution."
Caius stared at her hand. The sunlight fell on Katherine's fair hand, shining as dazzlingly as if she were holding a handful of crystals.
Katherine followed his gaze and looked at her own hand, feeling the fragmented warmth left by the sunlight on her cold and hard skin, a slight heat.
She looked at Caius. When he was quiet, the allure that he unconsciously exuded was like a snake slithering from her eyes into her heart, with the tip of its tail twitching in her heart, making it itchy.
He could feel nothing, neither the sunlight nor the scents. The way he stared at her was like a dying person staring at the only antidote.
Katherine said softly, "The sunlight is warm."
Caius remained unmoved, still staring at her.
"Try it?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. She shouldn't have said such a thing.
Caius didn't give her a chance to regret. He stepped forward briskly and grasped her hand. The clear and soft warmth was transmitted to his hand.
It was as if he had grasped the sunlight.