𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝔇𝔢𝔪𝔬𝔫'𝔰 𝔇𝔬𝔩𝔩

Part 3

"Lions are born knowing they are predators. Antelopes understand they are the prey. Humans are one of the few creatures on Earth given a choice."
- Patrick H.T. Doyle

When Kate entered the rowhouse that Fyodor had let her to, she expected the place to be as greasy and dirty as its owner. But she was pleasantly surprised to find it spotless and pristine.

There were no decorations in the house, its walls and floors were empty. There was a couch and a few armchairs in front of the fireplace. Other than that, there appeared to be nothing else to decorate the empty spaces. It hardly looked like someone lived there. It was evident this place was a house, not a home.
Ivan, the lanky servant, scurried out of an unknown location to greet his master.

"Master Fyodor, welcome back." He bowed deeply and excitedly, speaking in Russian.

"Prepare the spare room for our guest, she must be tired." The devil answered back in his native tongue. The two were unaware of Kate's ability to speak the language fluently.

"Right away, sir." The servant nodded before rushing off. It was clear that the pair were more comfortable speaking in Russian, and Kate would accommodate them.

"I must thank you for your generous invite to meet with you in person." She spoke in Russian with a soft voice. Fyodor's head snapped in her direction. He was shocked she spoke his dialect and did it so well.

"Of course, a show of good faith on my part is needed for an alliance like this one. Well, hopefully, we will have one soon." He smiled slightly. Kate knew it was fake though, she had spent years perfecting her own and she could tell when one was fake. You cannot fool a magician.

"We shall see. I cannot speak on behalf of the organisation as a whole, but in my personal opinion an alliance shall benefit us both." She nodded her head slightly.

At this moment Fyodor was able to realise something about the woman standing before him; she was incredibly stiff. Her movements were all mechanical and not genuine. Her face also showed no emotions. When she smiled, it didn't quite reach her eyes. He wondered if she was always like this or if his presence simply made her uncomfortable. No, that wasn't it, her expressions were too perfect for that. She had practised those expressions for a very long time. He came to that conclusion in a matter of seconds. He wanted to know what made her that way and who she really was. He made a vow that he would figure her out no matter what it took, no matter what he sacrificed-- he simply had to know.

"I agree with you, Miss Chopin." He nodded his head, his eyes flashing dangerously at her.
She knew at that moment that the man before her had just realised she was his prey. She no longer was his equal, but something for him to devour the second she let her guard down. But she was a doll whose nature would never change even when in the face of a beast baring its fangs at her. She was not there to be his prey, she was there to be his predator and he wouldn't know this until her canines were buried in his neck for the kill shot.

"I'm sure you've had a long and hard day, please do take the remainder of the day to rest. Tomorrow we shall begin negotiations for an alliance." He announced with a small smile. There was something about this smile that was different from his previous ones. This one was confident and excited-- excited to dissect the girl in front of him and confident in the actions he was about to take.

"If you insist." She nodded her head graciously.

"Allow me to show you to the room you will be staying in." He began walking ahead of her. This time, however, was different from before. He walked at a slow pace so that she might be able to follow with ease. He only walked a step ahead of her, instead of many. She was cautious of his movements and change in mannerisms.