She was slowly drifting off to sleep in the hot tub as quiet music played in the background. She thought about the last couple of weeks of her life. They were quite unbelievable and sometimes she still couldn't grasp it. Here she was, lying in a tub in some gigantic mansion listening to music and doing absolutely nothing for a change. It confused her, because sometimes she felt useless but at the same time it was lovely. It was also scary, for she did not know what would happen to her eventually. It was all up to him.
It was weird and too good to be true also. What made her so special? Why did he pick her? Victor Creed was a strange man and sometimes a little terrifying. But even in the beginning when he had threatened her and treated her roughly the first night, even then, she still felt like her life had gotten better by leaving the arena. And it had.
But she never understood why. Why he had chosen her and why she had the privilege of enjoying an extremely good life from now on.
"You know" his voice suddenly resounded throughout the bath room "If you stay in that water too long, you will get scales and turn into a fish".
Her eyes flew open and she quickly turned around in the water to look at him, she smiled when she saw him, a little embarrassed that she had drifted off and never even heard or smelled him coming near her.
"Sorry, I was almost asleep I think. Didn't think you'd be back tonight. What time is it?".
"Almost midnight" he said as he looked her over in the hot tub, her long hair falling over the edge and almost reaching the floor.
"Shit, I've been in here for almost two hours".
He moved closer "Well you might wanna get out then. I can already see a few scales appearing on your back. You don't want to turn into a fish do you?".
Her eyes grew big. He must've been joking right? People don't just turn into fishes, that made no sense. But then again, how would she know?
When he reached the tub he sat down on the edge and let his claws trail a path on her shoulder and back, it tickled pleasantly "Here's a few little orange scales already" he whispered into her ear.
"What!" she yelped as she pushed herself out of the tub and jumped onto the bathroom floor.
She looked at him with big scared eyes as he just stared back with a smug grin on his face. She was so gullible. He just couldn't resist.
She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously "This is not even a thing is it? I cannot turn into a fish. It makes no sense. People don't turn into fishes".
He straightened his face but couldn't hold back his grin "Yes they do".
"No Victor. You're making this up aren't you?".
"Maybe" he said as he chuckled evilly "But now that I've got your attention, get dressed and see me in the living room. I have something to show you".
Victor eyeballed her one last time before turning around and Aria quickly dried herself off. She could not believe she fell for that stupid joke. She read a biology book the other week for crying out loud! She knew perfectly well that people would never be able to turn into fishes.
She sighed and chuckled a little, she had to admit that he played her well just now. She put her blue dress back on. It had little white butterflies on it and it was her favorite.
"So what have you been up to while I was out?" he asked as she entered the living room and closed the door behind her.
Aria walked over to Victor who was standing next to the dining table "I read a Russian book and found some new words. I also saw a movie and Cora talked to me about my social skills".
"Hm, Cora told me you were getting quite fluent in Russian and Spanish, that's good" he said appraisingly "And did she teach you any new social skills?" he asked.
"She just told me some things which you shouldn't really say to a person because it's rude".
"Like what?" Victor wondered.
"Well, I'm not supposed to say that babies are ugly or curse at people. Which is a little strange because you curse all the time so I didn't think it was that bad. And then we went to a museum. There Cora taught me that, apparently when people make small talk, I'm not supposed to tell them that I dislike it and that I want them to go away".
"Hm" Victor mused "Nothing wrong with telling someone to fuck off if you don't wanna listen to their ongoing chatter".
"Well" Aria said as she slowly combed her hair with her hands "The lady in the elevator didn't seem to appreciate it".
Victor grinned, his sharp teeth bare, that would've been a funny sight. Maybe he should consider Cora's idea and take Aria somewhere out in public sometime.
Then Victor picked up a box from the ground and put it on the table in front of Aria "Open it" he said.
She looked at him, then at the box and back at him. "Go on" he said.
She carefully looked inside the box. At first her eyes grew big but then she frowned.
"What is that?".
"It's a kitten. A baby cat, it will grow into a normal sized cat" he explained.
She smiled down at it and reached for it inside the box. It was black, except for one little white dot around his nose "It's so furry and soft" Aria said as she held it against her chest. "But what is it for? What do I do with it?".
"Some animals can be pets, companions, for people. Thought maybe you'd like it to keep you company for when no one's around" he explained slightly uncomfortable.
She looked up at Victor "It is a gift? For me?" her eyes grew bigger in excitement.
"It's not a gift. You need to take care of it" he shrugged it off.
She looked Victor in the eyes as her smile widened "Thank you".
That dumb smile again.
"You have to take care of it ya know" he said gruffly as he took of his jacket and sat down on the couch.
"I know!".
"You'll have to feed it and clean up after it".
"I can do all that" she told him convincingly.
Victor sat on the couch and looked at Aria in her cute dress with the kitten held against her chest, softly mewing up at her. The kitten liked its new owner. He remembered the first night he'd brought Aria to his house. She's been so scared of him and what was going to happen to her. But the last couple of weeks, she was different. More relaxed around him which often bugged him when he thought about it too much. Shouldn't she be constantly cowering in fear for him? Wasn't that his original plan? Wasn't she supposed to be locked up and only be let out for breeding? He questioned himself why this original plan had been forgotten about so quickly. And because of what? Because she was pleasant company?
He often wondered why she didn't act the same way as other people did around him. Why did she not walk on eggshells or tiptoe around him? Why was she not in constant fear? He didn't necessarily want her to be scared, he was just curious why the fuck she wasn't.
He slowly strolled over to the couch, sat down, took off his shoes and opened up a few buttons. "Come here" he said.
She picked up her new kitten from her shoulder, holding it tightly against her now as it quietly mewed when she walked over to Victor and sat down next to him on the couch.
"He needs a name" Aria mused as she thought of a name for her kitten "I'll name it Simba, like that one from the movie" she said as she softly patted it. Simba purred contently.
"Are you afraid of me Aria?" Victor asked quite darkly, his preying eyes looking at her like a piece of meat.
She looked straight back at him "Sometimes. But not often. Do you want me to be afraid of you?".
He leaned back and looked her over. This would've all been so much easier if she was less cute, if his instincts wouldn't react so much to the feral inside her. And if she would've been less amusing. It would've all been much easier if he couldn't stand her presence. But the truth was, he enjoyed her presence, and from time to time he even longed for it. And his fucking feral instincts told him to act completely different than what he had intended.
"You know, most people are afraid of me" he said instead of answering her question.
She smiled "Yes. I figured that".
He narrowed his eyes at her "How come?".
"Well, you're very tall Victor".
Victor laughed quietly, her answers were amusing like always. "Aren't you ever afraid I'll hurt you?".
She thought about it for a moment "I'm not sure I still remember how it feels to be afraid. Maybe I'm not capable of it anymore. I've not felt that emotion for a very long time. But I was afraid when you first brought me here, especially the first night. Because I did not know what would happen to me. I don't like uncertainties. And you said no one would attack me, but then you attacked me".
Victor nodded slowly "What about now? Are you afraid of me now?".
"Sometimes. A little bit. Because I still don't really know why I'm here and what you will do with me".
He raised one brow "Are you afraid I'll kill you?".
Aria frowned and let the thought dwell for a few moments "I've never been afraid to die. There are worse things than death. I am more afraid of those things".
"What would you say, scares you the most?".
She smiled down at Simba who was nibbling on her left fingers now.
"Well" she looked seemingly puzzled "Now that I'm out of the arena, I'm afraid of being locked up again. I am afraid that someday you will decide to do that to me. It's the uncertainty I don't like. The unknowing which scares me".
"Hm" he nodded "Do you think I would do that?".
She shrugged unknowingly "I don't know if you will. I hope not. But you are very abrupt and changeful" she said as she smiled at him carefully. He'd often cursed that dumb smile. It made her so much more likeable.
And now he was even more interested "Really? How so?" he wondered.
"Your moods. They change so quickly. Sometimes, especially in the morning, you seem to be in such a foul mood and it just makes me wonder if maybe I've done something wrong".
Victor chuckled. He appreciated the fact that Aria didn't know how to give a socially correct answer. Anyone in their right mind would not have said what she just said. But she saw now harm in it. For her this was just another conversation.
"You're very honest, you know that?" he said as he looked at her intensely.
She blushed a little "I thought being honest was a good thing?".
He nodded slowly "It is".
"So you just complimented me" she noticed.
He cocked his head at her "No".
She smiled again "Well, thank you anyway".
Aria picked her new kitten up from the couch and placed it in her lap. Victor watched her as she focused her attention on the kitten. Stroking it's fur and softly tickling as it purred at her.
"Can I ask you another question?" she tried carefully.
"Go on".
"If you're over 200 years old, shouldn't you be-" she lingered at the last word and thought about how to say this.
He narrowed his eyes at her "Shouldn't I be what?" he growled dangerously.
She cocked her head and stared into his grey prying eyes "Less handsome and more ugly?".
She sure had a way of making him laugh with her dumb way of saying everything which crossed her mind. "I don't age" he simply answered.
"Why do you not age?" she asked in surprise.
He frowned in sudden realization "You don't know the first thing about ferals do you?".
"What's a feral?".
He suddenly figured that she really had no fucking clue. This was gonna be a long night.
"Ferals, or feral mutants, are mutants like you and me. We have cat-based DNA".
But Aria didn't know much about mutant DNA either so Victor explained everything from the start. From what DNA was, to their regenerating cells which made them stop aging. And from their evolutionary background to their actual history and where ferals first came from. He explained every little detail and Aria listened carefully, so she would remember it all.
After more than one hour of him telling her about ferals, and her asking some questions which might appear dumb to anyone else, she only had one question left.
"But if you are feral and I am feral also, why am I not big and muscular like you? Why am I small?".
"Because I am male and you are female. Females do not have the same hormonal predisposition to become muscular like men. It's everything to do with testosterone. In return, female ferals are usually faster than the males. I'll get you some biology books if you want to know more about it".
"And will I stop aging also?".
"Yes, very soon".
"How old am I now then?".
He wouldn't admit it, but for some reason it stung when she asked him how old she was. It was just fucked up that she didn't know.
"You're 20 now, almost 21".
But it didn't bug Aria that she had to ask Victor about her own age, she didn't know that it was weird not to know. So far she only knew what she had been taught from books and by Cora and Victor.
"Where did you live before they took you to the Island?" he suddenly asked her.
"With my dad. I don't remember where. I've lost many of my memories. Some of them seem to come back to me lately".
He nodded "The drugs" he said as he figured that's the reason she couldn't remember much from her childhood. The drugs they'd given her in that arena, and the traumatizing experience made her forget.
He lingered, not sure if he should investigate this subject, but the little feral woman had intrigued him since day one so he wanted to find out more.
"What about your mother?".
She shrugged "I don't know. I know she wasn't there with us".
"How did your father feel about your mutation?" Victor asked her bluntly.
She stroked the kitten in her lap again "Don't remember exactly. But he was nice, funny also. I remember we were happy and it was sunny most of the time".
"How did he die?" Victor asked even though he noticed her discomfort.
"I'm not sure. Something with his heart. I was too young to understand. He wasn't feral like me. No healing factor".
He decided not to continue his questioning on the matter of her family. He didn't wanna risk having to comfort some crying frail on his couch. Besides, he could smell her edginess again. Just when they were having a relaxing conversation for once.
"What did you do after that?" he wanted to know.
"I left because they were going to place me in a home I think. I went into the woods and didn't come out. Until they took me".
"You lived alone? In the woods?" he asked slightly shocked and disgusted.
"Yes" she said "It was very nice. No school" she quickly added when she saw the look on his face. She did not wish to be pitied. Not by anyone.
"Can I ask you more questions now Victor?".
"Go ahead" he said, completely forgetting the time and not at all realizing how long they already had been talking.
Simba suddenly jumped from her leg and onto Victor's chest. It made Aria giggle as she leaned forward to remove the kitten from his shirt. It's nails would not easily let go off the fabric through.
"It seems he likes you".
He groaned "I don't see why. Cuz I don't like him, so get him off me".
Aria leaned into Victor some more to carefully remove Simba without hurting the little one "Well, perhaps he has a thing for grumpy men" she joked. When she finally managed to remove Simba from Victor's chest she rubbed the little kitten against the side of her face "Is that true Simba? Do you have a thing for grumpy men?" the kitten mewed softly "It seems he does".
Victor rolled his eyes and suddenly spotted his watch. It was almost 3 a.m. and he realized that they'd been sitting there the entire night, simply conversing. He couldn't even remember the last time when he'd been up just talking and even laughing with someone.
"You know, when that kitten grows up and starts talking, mouthing off and shit, you're gonna have your hands full".
She leaned forward, dangerously close to his face, and narrowed her eyes at him "Kittens do not spontaneously start talking like humans when they grow up Victor. I'm not falling for this one".
He grinned smugly "Are you sure? How do you know?"
She bit her lip and thought about it for a while. No, it couldn't be true. He was pestering her again.
"I saw a moment of doubt there in your eyes Aria".
"You're making it up Victor. And I'm not stupid".
She would look it up tomorrow. Even though she was pretty sure he just made it up to screw with her.
He chuckled mischievously "I didn't say you were. It's late" he pointed out "We're going to bed".
"Can I take Simba to the bedroom and let him sleep on the sofa? I don't think he's comfortable sleeping alone yet".
"Do what you want" Victor said as he got up and stretched out.
Once in the bedroom, Aria busied herself putting food and water out for Simba "I'll leave the door open a little bit, so he can come and go as he wants" she said as Simba jumped on the sofa and made himself comfortable.
Victor eyed her while she took care of the little cat. If she could do this, how hard could a baby be for her really? He shrugged an cracked his neck, it was still a fine plan. And he would not give it up. This is what he got her for. He just had to find a good moment to tell her what he expected her to do. Because yeah, he sort of had to tell her before she was due.
Aria walked around him to close the curtains as Victor undressed himself on the left side of the bed. She picked up a brush from the night stand and quickly combed her hair. She looked at him for a long time and thought about the movie she had seen this afternoon.
"Something wrong?" he asked as he nonchalantly threw his shirt over the big chair and kicked off his shoes.
Aria put away the brush and bit her lip "Am I a prostitute Victor?".
He kept a straight face as he stared at her "The fuck are you talking about?".
"Well" she spoke carefully, not wanting to anger him "I saw this movie. There was a woman who made a living by having intercourse with men. Isn't that what I'm doing? Did you buy me for sex?".
Victor slowly unbuckled his belt and tossed his black jeans on the chair also "Well little one" he spoke darkly as he walked around the bed to where she was standing on the other side "If you are a prostitute, you're not a very good one".
"Why not?".
"For one, you're still dressed" he said as he started opening the top buttons of her dress.
She was looking at him most seriously. It made it hard for him to keep up this appearance. He sighed, took off the dress and pushed her on the bed "You're not a fucking prostitute Aria".
She recognized a little irritation in his voice "Sorry" she said quickly "I just don't understand what I am sometimes. So I'm looking for references".
He leaned over her, one sharp talon caressing her neck, down to her breast. Victor attacked her neck and Aria moaned. Why was her neck always so fucking sensitive? Her limbs basically gave into anything when he put his mouth there.
"You're not a slave" he whispered as he pushed her down and crawled on top of her "You're not a prostitute either" he continued as he licked, kissed and bit all the way up from breast to her neck and onto her lips "You're just mine" he growled softly against her mouth.
He then kissed her possessively and Aria's hands slowly felt up and down his hard chest. She sighed and moaned, why did this always make her feel so damn good? Victor's claw ripped her bra in two pieces and he kissed her downwards again until he reached her wet pussy and pushed up her legs.
Her panties were off in a second and before she realized what he was doing, he was licking and kissing her where she was most sensitive. He wanted to taste her, and he wanted her to come for him. His tongue lapped up the juices between her wet folds as he moved in small circles around her clit.
Aria thought she was losing her mind completely. Her claws ripped into the sheet as several following explosions coursed through her body. Victor was very content with himself when Aria was panting madly, catching her breath as he moved up on her. He pushed one of her legs up and pushed the tip of his cock against her entrance. She still had her eyes closed and instinctively moved up against him, she wanted to feel him buried inside her.
He leaned on one arm, so he wouldn't crush her, as his other arm reached around her back and neck. Holding her tightly against him as he fucked her. His lips claiming her mouth.
She was his.
He woke up when she turned around in her sleep. Her face now pressed against his chest and his arm still around her. When the fuck did they start sleeping like this?
No nightmares, he realized. He looked down at her and smelled her hair. That same intoxicating smell.
"I'll make you a deal" he whispered into her ear "Exactly three months from now, I will explain to you why I bought you".
Aria smiled groggily as she touched him "Thank you" she sleepily replied.