Sarah’s heart sped up and the thoughts circulating around in her head pulled to a stop. Her blue eyes encircled her face then pulled to a stop on another blue pair of eyes. Everything stopped and the world was suddenly centred around the woman called ‘Katie’. Even the sound of wolves howling outside was drowned out into nothingness. Sarah could tell, she could feel it, she could see it. The resentful look in her eyes, the slightly scornful pull of her lips and the aura of superiority that sparked in both the way she dressed and her straight-shouldered posture. This woman would be nothing but trouble.
There was no doubt that Katie didn’t like her one bit. And similarly, there was no doubt that Sarah felt the exact same way. As she stared at the woman before her, one sole thought flashed through her mind over and over: ‘slam the door shut!’ That wasn’t exactly what Sarah would usually think of, but the pool of emotions that swam through her was enough to even boost her to pull every single strand of her hair out. She couldn’t exactly confirm why or pinpoint from where she got the thought, but all she felt when she looked at Katie was jealousy, rivalry and annoyance.
Why was she even here? As far as Sarah knew, this woman was a betrayer, someone who Damon would kill in an instant if he spotted her and yet, she had knocked on the door to hell without even a pinch of fear on her features. What drove her here after all this time? By the way she was looking at her, she was probably sizing her up and examining each and every one of her features. So then, was she here to compare them both to see which was better?
But if that was the case, what difference would that make? All she was doing, was to get herself in trouble. Back when Damon thought she was a traitor, he was absolutely livid, livid enough to watch her fall from the stairs with icy hazel eyes. Imagine what he’d do when he finds the actual betrayer standing by the door? Sarah wasn’t sure what exactly had happened between them, but it was definitely something big. And though a part of her was telling her that Damon would probably rip her head off her body… another part was telling her that he’d do the same as last time….. run after Katie with those stupid sad-looking eyes and then leave her standing here with nothing to do and no one to talk to.
That would not happen again… not on her watch.
“Are you the infamous Katie?” She asked hesitantly, her face drowning in embarrassment when Katie didn’t even acknowledge that she had spoken. “I don’t think it’s wise for you to be here. Damon will be back soon.” Sarah tipped on her toes and looked over her shoulder, her gaze sweeping over the forestry that laid in front the house. Thankfully, Damon was nowhere to be seen. “You should probably go before he returns.”
“You…” Katie suddenly spoke up and pointed a dainty finger at her as her penetrating eyes roamed up and down Sarah’s body in what seemed to be disgust. Sarah immediately brought her fingers together, fiddling nervously with each one. Her voice was just as elegant as her face so Sarah couldn’t help but narrow her eyes in envy. How could one woman be so beautiful? And she even had the bright idea to wear that vibrant red that made her stand out. Once again, her lips, her shoes, her pouch, her dress… everything was red. And that as well as her presence was probably the most irritating thing she had ever encountered.
“H-Huh?” Sarah finally answered, her brows slowly raising to a questioning height.
Katie scoffed. “You look worse than I expected.” Her eyes rose from Sarah’s bottom half up to her face and with a challenging look in her eyes, she lifted her six inch heels and stepped inside. Sarah knew what that look meant: ‘stop me if you can’. Despite knowing that, she silently stood in place, eyes still glued to the spot where she was standing.
“I can’t believe I worried over nothing.” Katie continued, each word acting as a piercing arrow through Sarah’s flesh. “When I heard that Damon got a second mate, I thought I would never have a chance. But if it’s you… I don’t think I have anything to worry about.”
“I heard he got you from the dumps.” She encircled Sarah with clicking heels and scrutinizing eyes that seemed to judge every single feature they spotted. “Let’s be frank, people like you only want freedom, money and sex. What if I told you that I could get you all that? All you have to do is leave from Damon’s sight completely…”
Sarah spun around, her body finally recovering the function to move. Everything Katie said just now was not on her expected list. Second mate? Leave? The words came out of Katie’s mouth just fine but when Sarah was to comprehend it all, everything just seemed to scatter all over her mind. What the hell was she saying? She had no idea what ‘second mate’ meant but the words alone gave her quite a vague idea, that idea however, made her whole body pale. Meanwhile, in the pit of her chest, a rare feeling of utter repulsion and fury ruptured.
“I think you’ve got false information. I’m not interested in money, freedom nor sex. What I want, is for you to leave.” Sarah reached an hand behind her to grip the knob and widen the exit. “If Damon sees you, it probably won’t be pretty.”
The words from Sarah left Katie in a taken aback state. She paused for more than ten seconds with her slightly wide eyes looking down at the woman who she thought would be a pebble that she’d only need to step over. Now, she was having a different idea. Things wouldn’t be as easy as she thought. But whether or not that was she case, she’d definitely have what she wanted… and that was Damon.
“Are you insinuating that Damon will hurt me?” She scoffed, quickly regaining her composure. “He would never hurt me… not now and not ever. Sadly though…” She stuffed her nail into her mouth and sized Sarah up with eyes that mocked her with feigned sadness. “… I can’t say the same for you. Weren’t you the one who he chained? It seems to me like he thinks of you as more of a dog than a mate.”
For Sarah, that was a very hard blow. Nowadays she tried hard not to dwell in the past. Whenever she thought back to those times, she would do her best to busy herself so she could forget. And she had done a pretty good job all this time. But now, Katie was trying to tear open healed wounds so it was only natural to waver at the mention of it.
“How do you know that?” Sarah frowned. “He had a reason for that.”
“There’s no other reason than he doesn’t want you. You should leave before he breaks it to you. I admit, it’ll be a hassle to slip into his life all over again, but it won’t be very long before he tosses you aside and returns to my side… afterall, I had him first so it’s only fair. You don’t believe me? Why do you think he always specifically requests for sex-slaves with blue eyes and black hair? He obviously couldn’t get over me. It was only mere luck that allowed you to become his second mate.”
Sarah’s right foot slid backward when Katie’s words slammed against the walls of her mind. What she just said was unbelievable yet her mind considered it a possibility. She knew that she should’ve tossed her words out and countered with a few hard ones of her own, but all her courage seemed to deplete in an instant… and what replaced that courage was fear, uncertainty and uneasiness. And that only triggered a series of ‘what if’s’ to run through her mind.
What if all she said was true?… what if he tosses her aside? What if he decides he doesn’t want her when he sees Katie? It wasn’t a secret that Damon was afflicted the first time he saw her at the mall. That longing look in his eyes… what if she hadn’t mistaken it?
Her thoughts were indeed ravaging her and at that point, even her own skin felt as if it was suffocating her. Katie’s eyes that seemed to dig into her soul made her want to run and hide in embarassment. She had been doing fine for so long while holding her composure, but with just a few words, Katie had bowled her over. Could one be anymore pathetic?
After a long pause, Sarah swallowed her saliva in an attempt to get rid of the knot in her throat. “I’d l-like to know what second m-mate means.”
“It means I was his mate before you came along.” Katie quickly informed with a seemingly prideful raise of the head. Sarah couldn’t even find it in her to be surprised. Afterall, that was exactly what she had figured. It was something that was unheard of on her part, yet it sounded so plausible the more she thought about it. A ruthless alpha King who was said to have killed his own family, couldn’t possibly have allowed himself to be scarred by just anyone. It had to be someone who has even an ounce of power over him… and a mate was the only thing she could think of, as well as the only thing that made sense somewhat.
So…” Katie continued on. Her eyes attached itself to Sarah’s form and narrowed in what seemed to be a predacious look. Then she turned her body fully in her direction and slowly approached her. “… if you want to make this easier for the both of us, I suggest you go back to wherever you came from and st-”
Sarah was undoubtedly about to cower away and take a few steps backward, but before she could make herself out to be more pathetic than ever, Katie stopped midsentence, her eyes strangely widening in horror.
Sarah wasn’t entirely stupid. Of course a midget like herself wouldn’t be able to instill fear into a woman who had the aura of a raging lion. That meant that someone had probably arrived… Damon…. or Jason. It was either one of the two or both.
Never before had Sarah ever wished for Jason aka the chatterbox to visit unannounced, yet in that moment, she practically begged the heavens for it. Damon should never lay his eyes on her…. or else things would definitely work against her. She could assume and she could imagine, but the truth was, she had no idea what would happen if they met. At the mall, he fortunately didn’t get to meet her, and this time around, she hoped that luck would work in her favour… again.
But as soon as she spun around in the newcomers direction, her heart immediately sank to the floor. The person who was standing by the door…. was not Jason but Damon Kalesto.