Chapter Three
~Katarina~
“This is absolutely bonkers, Katarina,” the exhausted succubus whispered to herself as she tucked Isabella in.
Her child snoozed hard on the couch in the waiting room with the blanket given to them by the receptionist. It’d grown late and the only people left were her, the pixie receptionist named Penny, and her sleepy child.
She’d spent all day keeping Isabella occupied.
Thankfully, Penny was a good sport and let the stir crazy child sit with her and watch game shows for two hours while Katarina made several calls.
First, was to work. She put in time off.
She had two weeks PTO saved up and, surprisingly, they didn’t question it.
Her theory was, since the news dropped that Gill was arrested, the office was in SYA mode.
Save. Your. Ass. Granted, she’d already seen through emails and communications channels the office was already scrambling their best and brightest to appeal Gill’s sentence.
Katarina would have thought that would be hard to do when video evidence leaked all over social media.
Unfortunately, when the video hit the crystal net…people started calling.
Gill’s mother called, freaking out that she hadn’t been told.
Then had the fucking nerve to accuse Katarina of making it out to be worse than it was.
The second the heinous, old bat said Katarina used Isabella for sympathy, she hung up.
Katarina desperately tried to get ahold of Sera after that.
Unfortunately, her best friend was in back-to-back meetings all day.
It was a miracle she heard back before sunset.
Katarina needed her stuff but the mere thought of going back to that house, even to rummage through it, sent her heartbeat into a tizzy. Sera agreed to sneak in a little later.
She also, somehow, convinced her best friend not to launch a formal, internal complaint against the favoritism Gill was receiving from the company.
All Katarina wanted was clean clothes and a warm bed.
Katarina couldn’t afford buying a new car outright as she was still legally married.
Their everything was twisted together. But divorce was coming for Gill, wither he liked it or not.
She didn’t want anything from him, just her life back.
Especially when the only thing she had to her name was the tiny tike splayed out on the leather couch in a small waiting room.
Isabella yawned, turned over, and continued to snore into the pillow.
Katarina leaned over her lap, staring down at her baby girl for the umpteenth time.
Worry sizzled in the pit of her stomach.
That’s why we agreed. That’s why we’re going to stay with complete strangers.
She grimaced to herself. On the plus side?
Gill won’t know where to find us. Reality was, Gill would get out within a few days with his connections.
Even with her pressing charges, once her divorce was finalized and she was out of harm’s way, he’d weasel his way out of the consequences to his actions.
Like always. Gill is never in trouble, only me.
So, she needed to think of Isabella first. What was important to get out, what couldn’t be replaced, and what she was willing to leave behind, that’s what she kept going over and over and over in her head.
The door to the garage creaked open and Jessie, the shop owner, poked his head in. Such a sweet face too, young for being an owner of a business. Hard to tell age through pretty rust-and-cream-colored fur, but he couldn’t be more than twenty-seven. Around her age, at the very least.
“Alright, little momma, we got a good number for you. You okay to walk with me?” Jessie flashed a genuine smile but kept his voice low. His gaze landed on the snoozing child then rose back up to meet her eye.
“I’ve got the tiny tot, sweetie, go on.” Penny winked at Katarina as she floated over the desk and sat on the couch.
The receptionist continued to read through a well-creased paperback, chomping a piece of bubblegum.
How the lady didn’t have cavities was beyond Katarina.
I’ve seen her pop in like, 10 pieces? She appreciated the attentiveness, though, as a customer, which was something she’d not had in a while.
Gill always went to the chain mechanic up town where his buddies got their cars done. She was just a number there.
Katarina stood up and slithered out into the shop.
The temperature drastically changed from cold, stale air conditioning to warm and tacky, but it was refreshing nonetheless.
She peeked back to make sure Isabella stayed asleep.
The bundle of blonde waves never moved from the pillow.
With a deep breath, she returned her focus to Jessie. “What’s the damage?”
“Oh, that’s the wrong question,” he laughed with a nervous grimace while scratching behind his floppy ears.
“Right,” she snorted, shaking her head. “What’s the price tag? I guess? Uh…the pay out!”
“Atta girl!” He motioned with an arm for her to walk with him.
Thankfully, the lights in the shop were already dimmed, with all the bay doors at the front closed tight.
He couldn’t see the fresh blood pumping to her cheeks or the crimson that scorched across her collar bone.
And that’s when her stomach growled. Unfortunately, he did hear that.
“Oh! Damn, it is late. Have you two eaten since breakfast?”
“Oh, yeah, but, you know…hard to eat when your stomachs in knots.”
It’s even harder to eat when one hasn’t eaten in a long time. Her stomach ached to be full but knew, like a starved beast in the wilderness, if she came across a buffet, she’d only hurt herself.
“I get it, but the good news, the parts we could collect will set you up pretty with about 30 gold.”
30 gold…I spent 12 gold to buy the damn thing. “Really?”
“Yeah, your engine was intact, despite the jackass ripping up the outside and inside. That puppy is worth money now cause they don’t make the build as good as they used to.
Plus, a lot of your belts are brand new.
Even, shit, your filter was fresh out of the box.
I’m impressed,” Jessie ran a finger down a clipboard, grinning from floppy ear to ear.
Katarina shrugged, crossing her arms under her chest. “What can I say, I take care of my things.”
Jessie hummed with appreciation. “I can tell. Poor thing was old, but I bet she drove like a dream.”
“Purred like a kitten.” She flirtily tossed her hair off her shoulder.
“Woman after my own heart.”
Katarina flushed harder, glancing away from the warm, honeyed gaze of the shop owner.
She was used to being ogled by people. She called it a succubus special.
Plus having big tits since I was 14. When she was well fed, she sparkled.
Katarina never hated that about herself.
She was a dragon’s damn prize, something worth hoarding…
and she’d let her glow diminish because of what?
Some fucking guy? Some two buck, half-wit, abusive piece of shit?
Ow, good job, that fucking hurt. And now she’d hurt her own feelings. Way to go.
Katarina gave Jessie a one shoulder, flirty shrug.
Why not, huh? It’d been too long since someone looked at her like she was a whole meal.
It felt good. Especially after being accused of cheating for years when she’d been nothing but a starved, faithful succubus.
And Jessie’s gaze didn’t lie; he was gobbling her up as she walked out into the back lawn of the garage. “So, uh, what now?”
Jessie blinked back to reality, and she ate up the silent praise.
He cleared his throat and nodded to the large fence beyond them.
“Nik and Kaci are pushing her into the prep yard now. We’ll get her stripped then move the husk out into the graveyard after.
I’ll have the check put in the system tomorrow morning, and it’ll be printed in three business days.
And, uh, you know, if you need rides in the meantime, just let me know.
Nik already told me we’re hosting you and the tiny tot for the time being. ”
“Yeah, uh—” she stopped herself. As much as she wanted to tell him not to worry about it…
she was worried about it. Without them, she wouldn’t have somewhere safe to sleep.
There was no room at Sera’s, returning to Gill’s house was not an option, and there was no car to live out of…
So, instead, she sucked up the blow to her ego and smiled at him. “Thank you, it means a lot.”
“Gah!” Jessie waved the comment off. “Nothing but a thing, we got plenty of room, live within walking distance of the shop, and you know, looks like you could use somewhere else to sleep.”
“Pfft, that obvious?” She snorted, trying to cover up the pain that echoed deep into her chest.
“Well, I mean, for someone to wreck a car that bad with a bat…” Jessie trailed off with a low whistle. He snuck a peak at her, and she exhaled heavily.
“He thought I was cheating on him,” she grumbled.
“Now, it’s none of my business—”
“I wasn’t,” she spat, glaring at him sharply for only a moment. The minotaur threw up his hands like a white flag and she eased. Pressing her hands into the small of her back, Katarina stared out at the large fence where the two employees locked up. Everything ached. “I’m just a succubus.”
“Ah,” Jessie nodded. “A girl’s gotta eat but some guys get weird about it. They see it as an ego thing.”
“I wasn’t even feeding off anyone else.” There was no reason for her to spill her beans, so to speak, Jessie didn’t ask for the whole life story.
She could have lied. But what was the use in lying?
What was the use in playing down the horror that was being married to Gillian Hurley? It was a nightmare.
“Oof, sorry, little momma, that’s rough.” Jessie offered her a sympathetic shrug. “But, hey, you got you and the tater tot. And you got a bed with us, and Nik was talking about whipping up some pancakes for breakfast with bacon and eggs, that ought to put the sparkle back in your bat wings, ‘ey?”
What will really help is feeding… “Pancakes sound perfect,” she smiled at him, “thanks again.”
Jessie nodded back toward the shop. “Meet us in the waiting room; I gotta finish closing the doors and locking up.”
Katarina nodded, surprisingly feeling lighter than when she stepped out.
It didn’t take long to get back to the waiting room and settle in.
Penny bowed her head, then dipped out of the shop without another sound.
It left Katarina with just her thoughts and an empty stomach.
I’m going to need to call in a favor to Luca.
She didn’t like to abuse her physician’s good nature but, like Jessie said, a girl’s gotta eat.
Her phone was heavy in her hand as she stared at a handful of notifications that grew bigger with every passing second.
The pressure of having to answer anyone other than Sera made her stomach churn.
What happened? Oh my god I saw the news!
Why didn’t you tell me? All their empty condolences and fake sympathies pissed her off more.
Focus on what’s important. She texted Sera to call when she was out of the house and tucked the device away. Drown out the rest of the noise.
Katarina stroked her daughter’s hair absentmindedly while she studied the waiting room more.
It wasn’t a glamorous space, but it was nice.
Clean, glossy tiles, a tall desk, two flat screen tv’s, a rack of magazines and kid’s books, plus a handful of distraction toys.
Back through the hall was the office and the break room, where Jessie gave her breakfast from earlier.
Finally, the door to the shop opened, and the last three workers poked their heads in. Kaci nodded to Katarina then disappeared out the door without so much as another word. Katarina scooped up her kid as both Jessie and Nikolai locked doors within the room.
“Shall we?” Jessie whispered with a goofy grin on his lips.
“Yeah,” she whispered, trying hard not to trip with her baby girl in her arms. Jessie locked the door behind them and the crew stepped out into the darkening night.