I spent all my time learning. Miles continued teaching me how to control my magic, integrating what Jax was teaching me about artifacts in a way to allow me to learn how to use my magic in order to become useful in that area. Jax had me practice both activation and deactivation of artifacts that he'd already inspected, appraised, and deemed safe in my hands. Some of them were easy; almost familiar in my subconscious. Others were outlandish and difficult to maneuver. Jax was quick to notice that I did better around artifacts which previously belonged to the Genesis coven.

Beyond this, the others were teaching me about their society. I was taught who to speak to when I wanted certain things; such as custom clothing or even my own car. I was being brought along as a guest to certain events, all of which were small, secure, and private. I was introduced to buyers, tippers who whispered to Sebastian of valuable artifacts yet to be possessed, and "friends" of the Genesis brothers such as Scarlett who aided each other in preventing the craze from spreading when possible. Many viewed me suspiciously. Others held curiosity in their gaze. But most, especially the vampires, were unmoved and unconcerned.

Still, every new person was another notch of anxiety in my gut. I feared their words would travel. I feared the Exodus coven would make another attempt to attack my vampires. And beyond this, I feared the ever-absent Desmond; a man I had only met once and yet still haunted my dreams repetitively.

My only reprieve was in the arms of my vampires, who always welcomed me as if I was the sunlight they'd been deprived of for centuries. I found I couldn't spend many of my nights alone and often would travel the halls in the quiet of the day to rest with whomever I particularly desired; except for Jax or Sebastian. I wasn't sure what type of reaction I would receive should I invade their sleep so informally.

I was gazing at Jax, my elbow resting on my knee and my face resting on my hand. He was focused on a gem within his grasp. His focus was such that he hadn't blinked or moved an inch in the past hour. I was seated on the floor of his office by choice, an older unsold artifact placed in front of me. My artifact was something like a Romanesque coin. I had been ordered to determine what magic was imbued in it and then in turn activate said magic.

The coin wasn't from Genesis, but I'd noticed a scrawl of a lost language around the edges which spoke of a type of grounding. When activated, the coin would help its owner stay calm and clear-minded, but otherwise did nothing else. I instead chose to watch Jax inspect his own artifact curiously.

"Have you activated your artifact, Katia?" Jax abruptly asked knowingly without moving from his position. I quickly looked down sheepishly. I picked up the coin carefully, flipping it in my palm. Then I reached out to it with my own magic, feeling the hair on my skin rise as my power brushed the dormant magic within the coin. After a moment, I coaxed it to the surface and smiled triumphantly.

"Done," I stated, pleased. Jax put down his own artifact and turned his gaze on me, causing a nervous heat to boil within me in response. I squirmed where I sat, clasping the fabric of my clothes shyly.

"It appears Miles isn't as terrible of a teacher as I thought he'd be," Jax mused thoughtfully. He addressed me more directly. "You've gotten considerably better." He watched me only a moment longer before turning his attention back to the gem.

I stood up, stretching as I moved. And then I began to move around the office absently. I'd begun to get bored by the artifact lessons. After the initial lectures, it'd become nothing more than inspect this object, activate that one, and determine the origin of this one and so on. I was glad to be of use to them; to be wanted and safe. But being stuck practicing on things that weren't necessary was becoming taxing.

I absently touched a bookend which kept a stack of files immaculate and pushed it just enough to slightly offset the files. Then I moved back to my spot on the floor and sat down. Jax didn't move at first. Then he looked up slowly, his eyes traveling to the suddenly out-of-place files in his organized office.

"Was that really necessary, Katia?" He scolded me disapprovingly.

"I'm bored," I answered with a sigh.

Jax stood stiffly and moved to the disorganized files, fixing the slight mess I had made. And then he stood over me, dark and towering. I looked up at him innocently, nearly pouting with sudden unhappiness. Sometimes he was too stern in my opinion.

"What would you like to do?" His inquiry startled me and he continued to surprise me by suddenly lowering himself onto the floor next to me. I stared at him as he tried to make himself comfortable, speechless. He looked so... silly. This bizarre event became even stranger when he abruptly chuckled with amusement. "You look as though I've grown a second head."

"You're usually so... strict," I responded hesitantly. Jax quieted, his face guarded as he watched me with cool eyes.

"I wasn't always," He stated simply. I recalled Miles' statement; that Jax had been a silent caster and was now a vampire. Miles had made it seem to be a cause and effect. I was curious.

"How did you become a vampire, Jax?" A part of me didn't expect him to answer my inquiry. It was deeply personal and obviously was something Jax didn't enjoy speaking about, as noted by his tense form. He frowned.

"I got angry and I killed my family," Jax abruptly admitted. I expected more of a story, if he did admit to his history at all, but after a moment of waiting for more information I realized this was all he intended to tell me.

"It was an accident, wasn't it?" I asked carefully. Jax lifted his hand to his face, rubbing his chin absently as he thought about my question. I wondered if he was regretting encouraging the topic, but I waited patiently for an answer.

"Both an accident and not so... I was a silent caster. Sometimes magic can hear your internal wishes before you can. A part of me must have wanted them gone and so they existed no longer," Jax finally explained, his words emotionless as if he were only giving me an informative lecture rather than telling me of his past. "I can't remember what we were arguing about. I was careless. I didn't think about what I was doing and I paid the price for it."

I moved closer to him, reaching out to grab his hand soothingly.

"I'm sorry I asked," I said sincerely, hurting for him. Jax turned his eyes to my hand now in his, lifting it carefully before using his other hand to run his fingers over mine slowly. I tensed without meaning to, a pleasant chill from the soft caress of his glowing touch running throughout my body.

"I should have recognized the language immediately when I met you," Jax stated, his tone so intense as he focused on the words following his touch. He began muttering aloud, his eyes watching the letters fiercely as if he were inspecting one of his artifacts. As he muttered the language, a different chill traveled through me, one that made me feel sick with fear. Cries were echoing in my thoughts as the words began to whisper around me. Jax's incoherent words were interchanged with familiarity.

"... drop of ... moonlight ... jade and ... Genesis ..."

I violently ripped my hand from his, startling him in midsentence, and placed my own hands over my ears. In the far distance of my mind, I could taste the smoke on my tongue. I smothered the images before they could grasp me, refusing to cross that line. I couldn't know what was written on my skin. It was instinct. I wasn't allowed to know.

"Please don't make me," I whispered with fear, recalling the same plea to Oliver so long ago. Jax only paused for a moment before he moved forward, grasping my wrists to pull my hands away from my head.

"My apologies, Katia," Jax's voice was low with sincerity, "I forget you're more extraordinary than I can imagine." I watched him as my fear ebbed away, holding still in his grip until I knew the memories wouldn't suffocate me again. His solid form and intense aura felt like a steel wall of which I could hide behind from the things I feared. I relaxed in front of him, shifting forward to move against his stiffened body and leaned my head against his chest.

"What did it say, in English?" I asked quietly; curiously.

"It's like a textbook of Genesis spells. It mentions the origins of the coven. I suspect with enough time and patience, your skin could tell us everything about Genesis including all of its secrets," Jax admitted, his voice strained with me suddenly so close to him. I absently brushed my hand across the ironed fabric of his shirt.

"I want to go out," I abruptly stated.

"It's 3am. I don't think there's anywhere to go," Jax replied uncertainly.

"I don't care." I frowned unhappily.

"I think we should plan this out first. Be certain of where we're going and consider the possibilities of issues such as-"

"I want to go out, Jax," I demanded firmly, though a spark of entertainment sent a smile across my features at how uncomfortable Jax was with the spontaneity of the idea. I looked up at him expectantly, waiting for his answer. He watched me with a frown, his eyes burrowed in deep thought. And then he sighed.

"I need to put some things in my room first," He finally submitted, pleasing me to no end. I bounced up from the floor, dancing on my feet with sudden excitement. I didn't care if we took a walk in the woods; I was just exhausted with the four walls and artifact museums.

I followed Jax to his room, watching him as he filed away different items into different drawers. And then he moved to his closet, picking out a new set of clothes before heading towards the bathroom to change. I thought about asking why he was changing in the first place, but I'd long decided Jax was too weird to question about everything he did.

"I don't think this is what Seb had in mind when he said to mentor you, by the way," Jax scolded me pointedly as he walked past. I smiled sheepishly, ducking my head shyly. Jax only paused to watch me for a moment, his face softening with humor before he shook his head slightly. "You are trouble, Katia."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I answered easily, holding my hands behind my back innocently. He only watched me a moment longer before disappearing through the doors to change.

As I waited, only swaying in my one spot in the center of the room, something familiar tugged at something within me. I hesitated, trying not to look in the direction of the said tug. But as I stood there, I could see it in my mind's eye. I turned my gaze slowly, my eyes landing on the same dark crimson orb settled on display atop of a shelf.

I quickly looked away. It was as though I was linked to the object by an elastic band, the distance a strain on the rubber and consequently me. It demanded my attention. I looked at the orb once again, beginning to find myself approaching it without even noticing my own movement.

As I stepped towards it, I became mesmerized by it. The orb held a dark power and yet it felt stale and drained around me. Its depths called to me, asking for understanding; asking for my touch. I lifted my hand as I had done before, my fingers closing the space between us curiously.

"We could try for a 24 hour diner and-" Jax's voice was entering the room, but this time I didn't pull away as I had before. Just as my fingertips caressed the surface of the orb, Jax called out, "Katia, don't!"

I felt my world fall away into a black terror frozen in time. I was surrounded by nothing. Standing in front of me was a man. He stood with his hands relaxed by his side, staring at me without emotion in his eyes; one a vibrant blue and the other an equally impressive green. I felt a connection to this man, as if he were family... perhaps closer than family. A twin, even. No, not a twin...

He was a Phoenix.

He reached into his own chest abruptly, pulling a familiar orb from his body and holding it out in front of him. This orb was bright red, like a flame that would burn forever if necessary. It vibrated with hidden power; so different from the blackened orb I had touched.

As I looked at this orb, the flames seemed to envelope around me. Screams followed. Blood seeped over my skin and fear began to move me. I continued to stare at the orb, whimpering as the phoenix moved it closer to me; to my own chest. He aimed to shove the orb into me; to let the flames devour me and everything around me entirely.

"I have done my duty," The phoenix said firmly. Just before he could reach me, I screamed. I screamed unlike I had ever done before.

I covered my ears just as I had done earlier, not realizing I had released the dark orb and was back in Jax's room. I screamed as my power whipped around me, shattering artifacts and ripping materials surrounding me. My power licked at me, swiping against my flesh wild and painfully. I only inhaled sharply before screaming again, fearing it to be the phoenix; the other phoenix or perhaps the phoenix within me.

I was suddenly in Jax's grasp, his arms pulling me to him determinedly as if he could protect me from myself. He covered my body with his, wincing as items which would have pierced me instead found themselves slicing through him. I clung to him in terror, still unable to recognize where my own power began versus the other phoenix's.

My scream was choked in my throat when I suddenly felt Jax's blood drip onto my skin. It was as if the whirlwind of power faltered mid-strike. I blinked blindly, clinging to him with horror as my eyes targeted that wet blood which wasn't mine. I touched his arm; one of the many wounded parts of him. And I lifted my hand to look at his blood on my fingers.

My mind was slow to catch up to my surroundings. Jax's pristine room of superior organization was in chaos. Jax himself was injured. The dark crimson orb was untouched on the floor across the room as if someone had knocked it from my grasp violently. There was no other entity within the room besides the two of us.

I had been the one to hurt him. I had harmed Jax.

I rolled my eyes to his, unable to discern the worry in his features when my own fear was so thickly clouding my mind. It was as if the world was crashing around me, just as chaotic as my current surroundings. I could hurt them. And worse. I did.

"Please," I whispered in horror and guilt, wanting to beg him to stop me or perhaps to kill me. Whichever would prevent me from drawing blood from those I loved ever again. The thought was terrifying; to live while they died. To see the hate in their eyes when they realize Sebastian's fear was well-founded.

I felt an overwhelming weakness take its hold on me. My bloodied hands fell useless beside me and I was no longer able to hold my head up on my own. I struggled to fight that fearsome darkness, but the terror pulsed through me until I was unconscious in Jax's arms.

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Music: Ashes by Madi Diaz