Chapter 18 Katarina
I was hungry again.
While there were two different appetites that I needed to address, the sexual one was taking a little break right now.
And that was a good thing because my body was tired, in a good way of course, and I didn’t mind having a little bit of time today just to myself.
Last night and this morning with the guys had been the best hours of my life.
Really. I couldn’t recall ever feeling this loved before—no matter what I tried to do, I couldn’t erase the smile permanently etched on my face.
Grim greeted me with a sigh this morning when Dorian finally returned me to my room.
I apologized once again for not closing my thoughts off but knew that he would have to endure more uncomfortableness if he didn’t shut down our bond.
Even as I dressed in a pair of leggings and a tank, memories from my time in the shower with Aiden and Dorian kept sneaking in and I shivered with anticipation of spending tonight with them again.
Grim growled at me and rolled to his side. He slept on the bed by himself last night and it would appear that he’d claimed the space as his own. “Sorry, buddy,” I muttered while I tied my sneakers. “We’re going to have to find our boundaries if we stay here.”
He let out a sigh.
“Come on, big guy. Let’s go find some food.”
At the mention of eating, Grim snapped his head up and jumped off the bed. He used his paw and his nose to pull open the double door and I watched as he trotted down the hall toward the stairs.
Grim had already made this place his home.
I could feel it in our bond. He enjoyed it here. And despite my time with the guys intruding into his mind, he also liked that I was happy.
We found the hidden kitchen entrance underneath the grand stairway, and I was shocked by the enormous space when we walked inside.
At least the size of my entire bedroom suite, the long kitchen was framed by cabinets and countertops on both sides with an oversized island in the middle that was clearly used for food preparation.
The butcher block countertop glistened like it had been freshly oiled and the lingering scent of last night’s spread still seeped out of the walls.
There was an industrial refrigerator a few feet down from the twelve-burner gas range. Pots and pans hung from the ceiling and the two windows on the south side looked out into the courtyard.
“Well, this is nice,” I mused. “Wonder where everyone’s at.”
Grim huffed in agreement and then walked to the refrigerator. I followed, looking through the glass doors to see what we might want to eat. “Oh buddy, I see steak!”
Grim’s tail thudded against the island cabinets as he happily watched me pull the plate free from the overstuffed fridge.
With a thump, I set the steaks on the counter and then started digging through the food to see what else might be in there.
I found a block of cheddar and a stick of butter and set them down next to Grim’s lunch.
“How about a grilled cheese?” Grim lifted his lip and showed me his teeth. He was tall enough that he could almost rest his chin on the island, but he also knew better than to steal food. “No?” I teased him as I unwrapped the plate. “Okay, how about a grilled cheese for me and a steak for—hey!”
Grim had snagged the large filet right out of my hand and was trotting away toward the other side of the room so he could eat it.
The steaks weren’t cooked, but my dog never seemed to mind eating a raw diet.
Well, really, he could eat just about anything he wanted. Aside from eggs. Grim didn’t like eggs.
I laughed to myself while getting everything ready to cook my own sandwich. I’d never been much of a foodie and preferred to order takeout instead of wasting time in the kitchen. But today, I was feeling refreshed and calm, and I figured why not take the time to watch the cheese melt.
I sliced the loaf of sourdough and was just about to add butter to the cast iron pan when an ethereal voice filled the room. “Hello?”
Looking at Grim, whose ears had popped up while he tilted his head from side to side, I shouted into the air. “Hello?”
There was a pause before another “Hello? Is anyone in the kitchen today?”
Suddenly remembering the way Dorian had ordered us breakfast, I searched for the intercom or radio or whatever was used to communicate inside the abbey.
I found it in the corner by the door we’d entered through.
It was an old contraption, reminding me of an antique record player with black knobs and tan cloth covering the speaker part.
I pressed the largest button on the top and said, “Can you hear me?”
“Katarina?”
“Yes?”
“What are you doing in the kitchen?”
“Making a sandwich. Who is this?”
The man laughed on the other end of the intercom. “It’s Pasha. Is the staff gone?”
“It would appear so.”
“Damn. I guess I missed lunch.”
I glanced at the stove. “Want a grilled cheese sandwich?”
He paused a minute and I briefly wondered if that was too common for a man who lived with Roman Zarka. But then I remembered it was Pasha and he wasn’t a snob like that. “Sure. Can you add tomatoes to mine? I’m in my office.”
“Absolutely. Be down in…um…however long it takes to make two sandwiches.”
He laughed again. “Thank you. And don’t burn the house down.”
“I’ll try not to”, I grumbled to myself, hearing him close off the connection.
Fifteen minutes later, I smiled down at the tray I’d filled with two perfect grilled chesses, two sweet teas, and a sunflower I found in a vase sitting in the corner. I was so proud of myself.
I followed Grim past the stairs, through the private dining room, and into the stone hallway that was quickly becoming a comforting sight.
The coolness of the tunnel sent goosebumps up my arm, but as I focused on not spilling anything, I quickly warmed up and was glad by the time we reached the security office.
Grim pawed at the door, scratching it as he did his own version of knocking.
I winced, worried his nails would leave a mark.
Several beeps sounded from behind the locked room before Pasha opened the door and smiled down at Grim.
He once again wore jeans and a hoodie, and his eyes looked a little tired underneath his glasses.
My dog pushed into Pasha’s legs, rubbing all over him like a giant cat.
Pasha giggled as he ran his hands through Grim’s wiry hair, enjoying the licks and the attention.
“He’s got you wrapped around his finger,” I teased.
“He’s a good boy, isn’t he?” Pasha said in his baby voice as he cooed at the black beast. “Everybody loves the Big Guy. Right, Big Guy?”
I swear I heard Grim purring. With a laugh, I pushed past the two of them and looked for a space to set the tray down.
“Here.” Pasha hurriedly cleared a section of his desk for me. “Sorry, it’s a bit of a mess down here.”
“Busy?”
“Yeah,” he said with a sigh. “Kind of been a long night.”
I thought about my own long night and quickly turned my head to hide the blush crawling up my cheeks. Clearing my throat, I handed Pasha his sandwich. “Here you go, sir. One grilled cheese with tomatoes and one extra-large sweet tea.”
“You don’t eat yours with tomato?” he smirked.
“Absolutely not. Ruins the cheese.”
“You’re crazy,” he muttered as he took a bite. Closing his eyes, he chewed and nodded his head at the same time.
I laughed. “Good?”
He gave me a thumbs up.
I tore off the corner of my own sandwich and handed it to Grim. “So, what are you working on?”
Pasha swallowed and took a sip of his drink before answering. “Just security stuff.” He suddenly looked at me with wide eyes. “Actually, you might be able to help me with something.”
“Okay.”
He shoved another bite in his mouth and then moved his chair in front of the monitors. There were ten of them, I finally counted, and each one kept flipping through images at some sort of regular intervals. My eyes would have melted in my head if I had to stare at these screens all day in the dark.
“There!” he finally said and slammed a key on his keyboard. The image froze and he used the mouse to zoom in. “Do you see that?”
I leaned forward. “Uh…no?”
“Right there. That blurry area?”
Squinting my eyes, I tried to see what he was showing me. It was an image from the front porch on our side of the abbey. It was nighttime but the two lanterns flanking the door seemed to give off enough light that a person would be seen. “Maybe I see it?”
He pulled up a different image, this one of the hallway right outside this office. “What about now? See anything here?”
I sighed. “Pasha, I’m not sure—wait!” There might have been a distortion that made the sconce look longer than normal. Like an optical illusion or one of those eye puzzles where the images were hidden under a bunch of squiggly lines. “Is that it?”
He beamed up at me. “So, you see it too?”
I looked between the two images and couldn’t help but see the blurred areas now. “I think I do. What is it?”
He typed away at his keyboard and the screens changed again. This time it showed a looped video. “I think it’s the witches.”
“What?” I shouted.
“It’s okay, Aiden took care of it last night but—”
“What do you mean Aiden took care of it?” I blurted.
Pasha winced. “Um…well…we kind of had a situation and Aiden did what Aiden does.”
My stomach sank and the grilled cheese suddenly felt like a boulder weighing it down. Aiden? My gentle Aiden? “Can you show me?”
He shook his head. “I don’t think I should.”
“Please?”
“It should be his story to tell.”
“Look,” I said with a sigh, trying to convince myself that I should learn everything I could about the men I was sleeping with. “Aiden and I have…a bond. I’m sure he would tell me if he was here.”
Pasha ground his lips together and ran his hand through his head. Finally making a decision, he typed something and the screen closest to me showed a video timestamped from last night. “You better tell him you forced me to do this,” he grumbled.
I looked at the screen and noticed the blurred section right away. “Okay, so you’re telling me that underneath that illusion is a person? A witch?”
“Yes, just keep watching.” Pasha clicked the play button and I waited for something terrible to happen.
It didn’t take long. Aiden popped into existence near the blur and the invisibility spell disappeared.
A woman dressed in all black with her hair tied back in a bun immediately pulled a gun out from behind her back and shot at Aiden.
I sucked in a breath and covered my mouth, surprised she hadn’t hit him.
Pasha glanced up at me but didn’t pause the video.
The next few minutes were a mix of Aiden teleporting in and out of the hallway as the woman tried to shoot him in the head and then started throwing spells at both Aiden and Pasha. “What the hell?” I whispered. I knew the witches were a force, but I’d never seen them use their magic this way.
Aiden suddenly fell to the floor, his legs knocked out from underneath him as the blur slid into his shins. I suddenly leaned forward, looking at Aiden’s image and wondering if I was seeing things. “Is that…fire?”
Pasha shifted in his seat but didn’t say anything. I could tell he was second-guessing his decision to show me this footage, but Pandora’s box had already been opened and I intended to see how this fight ended.
Aiden jumped to his feet and started running down the hall, throwing ribbons of fire at the witch. He finally hit her with one, and while she was distracted trying to put out the flames, he slammed into her and smashed her head against the stone wall.
She immediately stopped moving.
I sucked in another breath and held it. He’d just killed her. With his bare hands. With his bare hands that could conjure fire. “What kind of a fae is he?’ I whispered.
Pasha didn’t need to answer because a few moments later, I knew what Aiden was capable of when he tossed his fire onto the woman’s dead body and watched her burn until nothing was left.
“He saved me,” Pasha finally said. “She was coming after me.”
I didn’t know what I felt right now. Fear? Anger? Disgust? I put my hand on Pasha’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’m glad you’re safe.” I meant those words, but I couldn’t quite process what it took to keep him safe.
Aiden was a killer.
A fire-wielding fae that kept everyone in this house safe.
How could I fault him for that?
Pasha looked up at me like he was about to say something when Grim jumped to his feet and started snarling toward the door.
My heart thudded against my chest. Grim didn’t act that way unless something was really bad. “What is it?” I asked him as Pasha clicked on his screens.
“Oh fuck,” Pasha shouted a second before the entire door exploded and the room filled with smoke.