Two days later

Karina

— Did you know your brother well? — I ask Astor as he stir some clear clay that will be used to make paintings on my belly.
Today we are having a little celebration for my little girl, so I must dress up.
I'm calling this party a baby shower, since there will be cake and some gifts, but Astor calls it another name that I can't remember at all, because his language is too difficult.
—Niflin? Yes, we grew up together to a certain point — she responds and remains concentrated in your mixture. We're inside the cabin that Klaus and I share, in my room.
— And you… — I suck in a long breath, searching for courage. - You knew Whose son was Niflin really?
Astor immediately lifts his head and stares at me for a few seconds, with a blank expression that says nothing about what's going on in his head, which makes me even more anxious.
— Do you want to know if I know that Niflin and Klaus are half brothers? — he asks and part of my nervousness goes away, because I'm not making a big revelation. — Yes, my mother was obsessed with it for years.
Now that I'm spending so much time with Astor, I feel like we're real friends. Everything he can do for my puppy, he does. He always comes here, wanting to stop me from getting tired and always trying new ways to alleviate my nausea. So I felt it was time to have this very difficult conversation, hidden from Klaus, of course.
— Did you know that she was the one who kidnapped Klaus when he was little? — I continue probing the ground and he moves the clay again, not wanting to make eye contact with me.
Observing his body language, I think that perhaps the male feels guilty or ashamed after hearing my question.
— That's what made me return to this island and never leave. Left me
I was horrified when I found out, but I couldn't do anything. He had no power at all, he was very young.
“I understand,” I murmur, wanting to be gentle before dropping the bomb. — Niflin tried to kill me, he was the one Klaus fought with on the roof and that's why I almost died. — My speech makes him look at me again and I straighten up on my bed, touching my belly.
I think a four-month pregnant woman would have a belly the size of mine, which I must have had for almost two months. Persians grow really fast.
— Niflin wanted to kidnap me and force Klaus to give everything to the Dark family Elf, but Klaus also never received anything from his family after his mother killed his parents. Klaus didn't go into heat after the torture, he was so traumatized — I explain and Astor stays silent, absorbing my words.
— What happened to my brother after the fight on the roof? — He frowns and I bite my bottom lip, afraid to continue but having no other option now that I've started.
— We had gone to the Red Town Club, Niflin dragged me out of the room and He wanted to escape through the roof, he said I was his now — I speak quickly, before he understands what happened to his younger brother and gets mad at me. — But Klaus… turned into a wolf — I whisper and he is completely amazed.
— Klaus turned into a wolf?
— Yes, as in the legend. He hides it from everyone, the scent of wolf Also, he uses some herbs to disguise — I explain and once again the healer remains silent, as if he was deciding whether to believe me or not.
But I needed to tell you all this, because Astor is the one who will help me if anything happens to my baby, which could be different because it has a shapeshifting father. And if he finds out about all this from some radio someone passes by, I know it would be horrible after he did everything for me.
— Klaus killed my brother, didn't he? — he asks slowly and my
Your whole body goes cold with fear at the angry look on your face. Even so, I force myself to nod my head. — Why are you telling me this now, Karina? — He drops the pot of clay on the sideboard and his claws come out of his hands, which makes a thick drop of sweat run down my back.
— Because you are a good and fair man, and I wanted you to know that Klaus didn't do anything wrong. — I try to calm him down, as his reddish brown eyes start to glow a very strong blue.
I discovered in these weeks that each Persian has a color in his pupils when he is angry.
— My race is not fair, we do everything for what we want, kill, steal. This is why humans called us demons for centuries ago, we have no limits! — His sentence makes my eyes water with so much fear, because I'm so close to him.
It was a bad idea trying to be honest!
— I'm so-so sorry, Astor — I whimper and he starts to breathe.
heavy, until your eyes return to their normal color almost magically.
— It's okay, it's not your fault. — He passes his hands over his face, cleaning the
sweat and trying to stay in control. — Just give me time to… absorb all of this.
—Aren't you mad then? I ask, just to make sure I'm hold on, as your tail is flapping very hard from side to side.
— I'm sad because I couldn't see my brother for the last time. Sad because I couldn't transform him into a better, less selfish and greedy male. — Astor has a very disappointed look on his face. — And maybe I'll get angry later, because it's the nature of my people.
- I'm sorry. — My lower lip starts to tremble and I want to cry, because I've become a bigger mess of feelings every day with this pregnancy.
— There's no need to apologize, you and Klaus came to bring the new era. I I just need to… get in touch with my brother's female.
—Niflin had a wife? — I arch both eyebrows, why not?
I hadn't even thought about it.
—He went into heat once and has a male cub, and since I'm the Brother, I must welcome him as mine, but I don't know if he was really mated — he explains and hearing this makes the barriers of crying break inside me.
— I'm sorry, now he's without a father! — I exclaim and the tears come falling down my face as I sniffle. — I grew up without a father and it was horrible! I'm really sorry!
— It's okay, Karina, don't be like that. — Place a hand on the my shoulder and pats it twice. — I can't hug you, otherwise my scent
will stay on you and Klaus will get very angry, but know that I don't really blame you.
— Klaus and I have nothing, he deceived me and wanted me to stay at his side.
next to him, because then I would seem more desirable and Dante would come looking for a
inferior human being and would tarnish the family name. — I wipe the moisture from my crying on my shirt and my nose starts to clog.
— Did Dante hurt you? — he asks and I take a deep breath, so as not to start having an anxiety attack and end the party that hasn't even started. — No, Klaus realized he was using this Nyn guy and didn't let it happen.
come close to me — I respond with difficulty, as I begin to sob.
— And then he paired you up without telling you anything and killed your half brother so he wouldn't hurt you, which is a very difficult thing to do in our species, right? — Astor speaks as calmly as he can, even though he has just learned of the death of a loved one.
- Right. — I shake my head in agreement and breathe slowly, wanting to contain myself again.
— Killing a family member is inconceivable, even if the member are doing something wrong. So he definitely values you a lot. — Give my shoulder a light squeeze. — Try to reconcile with him, Karina, I see that the male really likes you.
Your words make my throat hurt with so much anguish.
— Klaus wants to go to Koda this week — I reveal, because I'm fragile and desperate to have someone to talk to longer and tell everything.
— Koda is very dangerous, no one goes there. — He was so scared that he leaves you scared.
—What's there?
“Lots of male naga,” he explains, but I don't think I've ever heard that before.
word in life.
—What are nagas?
— They are monsters that will destroy you and your baby in seconds if they go to Koda.
— But Klaus said he grew up there and it's the safest place, that no one will go
look for us on that island in question — I explain, not knowing now if it's a good idea to hide in a place that could pose more danger than whoever is hunting us.
— I'll take you to Rigan then, it's another island in Cosmos, few go go there because the soil is not good for planting. In Rigan you will be protected and I can stay there too, watching your pregnancy closely. The child of the chosen one may need something.
— But are you going to leave your cabin here? — I arch both eyebrows.
—That hut belonged to the healer before me, Zeva. I will talk with Klaus and convince him to go to Rigan. Koda doesn't.

***

- Surprise! — Two people scream at the same time and I widen my eyes.
my eyes as soon as I leave my room, thirty minutes after my crying.
My mom and Oliver are in the cabin's living room and I can't believe what I'm seeing. It even seems like a dream, so unreal is the scene I have been imagining since my arrival in Nayni.
Then I start crying all over again, probably smudging all the little makeup I managed to do with the few items borrowed from the human family that helps us here.
— Don't cry, my daughter — my mother says and comes to hug me, but being stopped by my big belly in the middle of the two of us. Miss Vivian is looking healthier than before now, she must have gained a few pounds since I saw her, probably because Klaus has kept his promise and paid for all the treatments she needed. — My God in heaven, Karina! How old are you?
“Almost two,” I stutter, my bottom lip quivering as I
I flow more and more. My mom even takes me to the old, dark blue couch in the living room while Oliver comes close too. — It's just that Persians grow too fast and I don't know what to do, mom.
My nose is running and I can't stop shaking, I'm so scared and happy to see these two here.
- Oh my Darling! I'm here now, I'll help you, my love. I go teach you everything about taking care of children. — She kisses my forehead and hugs me and then my best friend kneels in front of me and hugs me too.
Oliver is sweating like I was when I arrived, with his flowery dress clinging to his body, which is now smaller than mine.
— I was so scared you were dead — Olly whimpers.
— Klaus' idiot assistant didn't communicate any information properly and there was no point in going to the police. I had to lie to her mother so she wouldn't go crazy with me.
— I'm so glad you two came! — I exclaim and for another half At least one hour, we cried and hugged and cursed Klaus' assistant who never gave concise information and only said that I was traveling.
I can't look at these two, they seem like two mirages to me. They want to know everything and I only tell them what I can, without explaining why I'm hiding, as that could affect their safety and that's the last thing I want to do.
After that we gossip, we cut the cake made by the human family who lives nearby and the two start to talk about what it was like traveling from the United States to Italy and then taking the yacht to come here. They were guided by people hired by Klaus, as Vladimir was in trouble and couldn't come.
— Now we need the puppy's name to continue with our ritual
of blessings to the new life, but it is the father who must give the options and the mother says whether to accept or not — Astor says, while my mother and Olly don't take their eyes off him for a second.
Unlike Klaus, Astor looks more like an inhabitant of a remote island. He has reddish, wavy hair that is loose, a full beard and mustaches, a golden tan, and lots of muscles showing through his thin tank top.
— But Klaus isn't here to give the options — I mutter disappointed.
As always, Klaus is avoiding any contact he might have with me and I don't even know if I can blame him. After learning what he did, I started treating him as someone who could potentially hurt me, because it was true.
I was afraid of him and Klaus could definitely smell it, so he backed away a lot. But now, after this long month and everything he's done for me, I trust him much more than when he took me to parties and made me his luxury doll.
— Klaus was the one who welcomed us to the island, however, he said he would go to a creek near the house after leaving us inside — Olly informs.
— Did he say what time he would be back? I ask.
— No, I just said I’d be back in a little while, but now it’s almost getting dark. — We both look out the living room window and see the beautiful sunset outside.
— Do you want me to go after him, Karina? — Astor asks and I ask one.
negative with the head.
— No, I I go, know where It is O stream.