Chapter 14: 14__From rags to damn, she's hot

Five pairs of eyes stared at Maia and five mouths hung open in awe at her.

“Well?” she asked them awkwardly. “You guys just going to stand there? How do I look?”

Claudia scowled. “Take it off.”

Maia pursed her lips. “Oh. *That* bad?”

Cecile shook her head with a yawn. “No, love. Claudia just hates it when someone looks better than her.”

Maia blinked and looked down at the black jeans they’d tucked her in, the bottoms of the jeans seeming to blend in with the black boots on her feet. She ran a nervous hand across the slim, white punk-rock t-shirt that covered her top, tucked into her jeans. “Do I … look—”

“Yes, you look fantastic!” Claudia bit out with a sigh. “I’m just *too* good with clothes, I even made you look like this!”

“It's such a simple outfit, but compared to earlier... You look like a badass Vampire hunter,” Clover commented with a grin.

“Never thought I’d say this, but thank God I bought a bra two sizes too big that day,” Cassie said with a shake of her head.

The front door opened before any of them could say anything more and Rogan stalked in, cursing because he and Maia were now behind schedule.

“Get ready, Rag-skins. We’re—”

His words broke off, stuck somewhere in his chest as Rogan looked up at Maia. Staring at her, he carefully took one step back.

The women looked at him and Rogan looked at Maia.

He took in the entire outfit. A simple outfit, but one that became lethal on a body like Maia’s.

She pursed her lips and tilted her head. “Doesn’t look weird right? Th-the boots are a size too big because my real size was too uncomfortable… I’m not… used to wearing shoes like this…”

Rogan remained silent. A quiet scoff left his lungs. Look at her, he thought. She had no idea how damn attractive she looked, did she? She was like a woman holding a loaded gun, thinking it was a banana.

“Well, Master Rogan?” enquired Cecile. “What do you think?”

Rogan blinked and looked at them, shuffling around as he suddenly didn’t know where to keep his hands. Hands that he’d had for the past six centuries!

“Uh, what?” He scratched his head. “Oh, yeah. Well…” Looking at Maia, Rogan scoffed. “What is this? Claudia, I told you not to dress her in your clothes! We’re going to the forests, not to lure men!”

“They’re Cecile’s!” Claudia retorted with a huff of annoyance. “It’s not my fault that Maia’s all shapely and Cecile isn’t!”

“I’m gracefully slim, okay?” Cecile calmly said.

Rogan stalked over, avoiding Maia’s gaze and grabbing his jacket off the pile of clothes. “Everyone out there’s going to be staring with their tongues hanging out!” he muttered as he put the jacket over her shoulders, putting her arms through the arm holes.

Maia pouted up at him, once more engulfed in his huge jacket.

Claudia gasped. “Gosh, what are you doing? You’re ruining my art, you psychopath!”

“Now she looks like a beggar again,” said Cassie.

Rogan looked Maia. “Don’t listen to them, okay? I’m helping you, Rag-skins.” She only blinked at him, but Rogan went on, lifting her hands, one at a time, and carefully rolling back the sleeves of his jacket so they sat around her wrist and didn’t hang over her fingertips. “You don’t want all those jerks outside to stare at you, do you?”

Hesitantly, Maia shook her head.

“Exactly,” said Rogan, finishing up with rolling her sleeves. Tugging the lapels of the jacket, he made sure her front was covered. “There.”

Rogan nodded. Good. Now he’d be able to think straight without going light-headed at the seductive sight of her.

Wrapping a hand around her wrist, he started for the door. “See y’all.”

Cassie scoffed as the door shut behind them. “He thinks we’re blind or something? He thinks we don’t see him falling hard for that girl?”

Cecile yawned and dropped onto a sofa for a nap. “He’s not falling. He’s fallen.”

****************

Trudging through the backstreets, Rogan tugged Maia along as they headed towards one of the Geminor fields that skirted the forest.

He slowed down when he felt her arm tugging out of his grip. Rogan tightened his hold around her wrist and Maia groaned.

“Can’t I walk without you dragging me along?”

Without turning to face her, Rogan shook his head. “No. I’m ensuring that you keep up a certain pace. We haven’t got all day.”

“Just let go, I can walk!”

Abruptly stopping, Rogan turned to look at her. “Did you not hear what I said?”

Scowling, Maia rolled her eyes and Rogan’s mouth dropped open. With one finger, he hooked his glasses down onto the bridge of his nose and gave her a look over the top. “Did you just roll your eyes at me?? Seems to me like you’re getting an *attitude*, little girl.”

“Why do I have to wear this big jacket? Claudia said I look like a beggar!”

“Cause I fucking said so!” Rogan bit out through gritted teeth. “Understand?!”

“Fuck no!”

Rogan stared, his mouth opening wide enough to fit a bagel in it. The shock that her words hit him with was strong enough to power a small electrical circuit. “What?!” he demanded, ripping off his shades. “What did you say?!”

Maia looked at him calmly. “I said ‘Fuck no’.”

Rogan closed his eyes, face tight with disbelief. “*Fuck no?* Where do you *learn* such things?! Huh?! What in the devil happened to “Yes, okay.”?!”

Tilting her head up at him, Maia raised her eyebrows. “But I learnt it from you. You always say fuck no.”

Rogan blinked. Frowning, he looked away towards the fields. She learnt it from him? Nodding, he scratched his chin and slipped his shades back on. Dammit, it made sense.

He glanced back at Maia. “Yeah, well… *don’t* learn from me. Understand? It’s not like I’m a good influence.”

Without hearing her response, he stalked off, crossing the fields towards the dark forests and leaving Maia to run after him.

When she caught up to him, Rogan glanced at her. “We find a Trojan plant, I take it, you leave. Clear?”

Maia looked up at him for a moment, before turning her gaze away. She’d totally forgotten that their agreement would come to an end eventually. Then she’d have to leave and go back to the forests.

She wouldn’t have other girls to play dress up with. There would be no magical beings with butterfly wings. No magical bracelets.

And it would be like she’d never met the Vampire Sorcerer with the enchanting eyes.

****************

Rogan crossed his arms, glasses dangling from one hand as he looked at Maia, eyes narrowed in annoyance. “This is the *third* time we’ve walked through here. Where are the damn Trojans?”

Maia turned to face him, scratching her head. “Uhm….” Turning in a random direction, she pointed. “They should be that way. Yes, let’s go that way!”

“That’s what you said two hours ago!” Rogan barked.

Shrinking back, Maia pouted, peaking up at him before lowering her gaze. “I… I don’t really know—”

“I think that’s damn obvious,” Rogan interrupted. “You don’t know where to find any plants, do you?” He stared intensely at her and Maia clearly saw the displeasure in his eyes. “Did you lie to me?”

She shook her head quickly, rushing forward to grab his hand. “No! I promise, I know where to find each one. It’s just that, I don’t know which of them the *Trojan* is! I can’t seem to remember… what Nana taught me.”

He studied her for a moment, running his tongue over a canine as he thought. Rogan lowered his gaze to her hands wrapped around his and snatched his hand free.

Maia slowly retracted her hands, her eyes filling with injury at his pulling away from her. Right, she kept forgetting that he’d said not to touch him.

Rogan frowned at the hurt she looked at him with. She was far too transparent, this girl. Everything she felt showed on her face and that was dangerous for her. There were people in the world who, once they learned your weaknesses, would use them to bring you to your knees. People like Rogan.

“It’s got a purple flower.”

Maia looked at him. “What?”

“The Trojan,” he told her. “It’s got a large purple flower—”

“With a powerful scent…” Maia continued softly. “It has a thick green stem with prickles?”

Rogan nodded and Maia looked at him in surprise. “Trojan, I remember! Nana said it was called that because it looks good on the outside but is actually a very dangerous plant… in the wrong hands.” She eyed him suspiciously. “What do you want with it?”

Her question hung heavily between them and Rogan could hear that she truly wanted to know. Too bad he had no intention of telling her.

When he remained silent, Maia crossed her arms. “I heard the girls mention a… curse?”

Rogan tensed, looking at her in stony silence. Without a word, he raised his glasses and slipped them on, a firm wall between the two of them and Maia knew it. He just blocked her out with those shades so she couldn’t look into his eyes and see the truth for herself.

She sighed. “I won’t judge you… Rogan.” He stilled, face impassive as he stared at her. “I won’t judge you for anything you’ve done and… if it’s a curse for punishment that’s upon you, I won’t judge that either. If you want my help, I’ll give it to you. I’ll help you break your curse.”

She finished speaking and looked at him, waiting for his answer. Rogan wanted to tell her that he didn’t need her help. He’d never made use of anyone’s help for the past six centuries so why should he need the help of a little forest rabbit now?

Saving him the need to respond, his phone buzzed in his jacket pocket and Rogan fished it out. Glancing at the screen, he only barely managed not to swear. Now that he knew Maia’s little ears were wide open and she was absorbing all he said like a sponge, he needed to stop swearing so much.

With a sigh, Rogan put the phone to his ear. “Aiden.”

The king sighed dramatically into Rogan’s ear. “Rogan, my best friend.”

Rogan rolled his eyes. “What, Aiden?”

“I think I…” He sighed sadly. “I’ve got your ticket to death.”