Chapter 27 Katarina
Everything hurt. From the top of my head to my ankles, my body was wrecked.
Now that my adrenaline was wearing off, I could feel the pain.
I definitely sprained at least one of my ankles with the jump off the roof.
And the places where my body had hit the ground after being held in the air by Murielle may have caused more damage than I initially realized.
But now I was home. Or almost home. Grim and the men refused to stop touching me, and that was just perfect.
Dorian kept making small whimpering sounds like he was still in wolf form as he nuzzled against my neck.
While handsome, he looked haggard. Dark circles under his eyes.
His wild hair was not slicked back in a bun or ponytail, and I thought I even felt the beginnings of a beard forming at the nape of his neck. How long had I been gone?
Whatever spell was keeping me in that bedroom mirage had also wiped my memory of time away.
It had been more than a day. That I could tell because I felt like I’d lost weight.
Aiden kept looking back at me with worry etched across his beautiful face.
Each time he did, I tried to reassure him with a smile. I was all right. Really, I was.
Blaise watched me from the rearview mirror, and I felt a rush of emotion when I caught his eyes. He hadn’t been too thrilled to have me in their house, but what I saw on his face now was acceptance. Or even a little more than that. I was glad to see him, and that warmed my heart.
While the drive back into the city took over two hours, the time flew by.
My stomach flitted with emotions the closer we got.
Excitement, dread, sadness…I was about to face Roman who probably hated me for getting Pasha killed.
Wiping my eyes, I snuggled closer to Grim and Dorian while I tried to keep my tears at bay.
I felt Blaise staring at me but refused to make eye contact.
Aiden reached back and squeezed my thigh and I wrapped my hand over his fingers.
His warmth and energy spread through me and I relished in the renewed strength of our bond.
Dorian still hadn’t spoken, but I knew what he would say.
He was happy we were all back together, and I couldn’t agree with him more.
Blaise parked the car at the back entrance that led to our rooms and the main grounds.
Considering I’d been brought here against my will not long ago, I now laughed at how much this place felt like home.
No doubt a big part of that was because of the men, but still…
it was nice to be comfortable someplace.
Unfortunately, that comfortable feeling turned into a knotted mess when I watched Roman walk out of the garage to greet us.
He wore his typical scowl on his face, and despite being one of the most gorgeous men I’d ever seen, he, too looked broken.
His clothes were disheveled and dirty and…
was that blood on his jeans? Like Dorian, the bags under his eyes made dark circles, giving his face a sunken look.
He yanked open the passenger door and ordered Dorian out.
The naked man hanging on to me didn’t move, and I watched as a silent message passed between them.
After a few tense moments, Dorian finally slipped from the seat and allowed Roman to reach inside.
He helped me down out of the Suburban and sucked in a breath when he stepped back to look at me, no doubt seeing the way I was favoring my ankle.
His head snapped up to glare at Aiden when he exited the car and the fae lifted his hands.
“She was like that when we found her.”
“I’m fine,” I lied. “I think I twisted my ankle when I jumped off the roof and—”
“You jumped off a roof?” It was the first question Dorian asked me since they found me two hours ago.
I grinned. “I did.”
“No more talking,” Roman commanded a second before he tucked his arms around and beneath me and lifted me into the air. “She needs a bath.”
All of a sudden, my head snapped back and my hair flew across my face as Roman used his crazy vampire speed to take me through the garage, up the stairs, and into the wing of the house that contained my suite.
I vaguely heard the rest of the men, along with Grim shouting or barking after him and making their way inside.
Roman kicked open the double doors to the room he had given me, setting me down just long enough to lock them from the inside and then whisk me into the luxurious bathroom.
He looked around for a few moments before putting me down so that I was sitting on the countertop.
He dashed about the room, first turning on the water to fill the tub.
Then opening and closing the vanity doors and drawers at a ridiculous speed until he found the bath salts he was looking for.
And then he ran into the toilet room that housed a medicine cabinet and came back out with alcohol wipes, gauze, and Band-Aids.
I couldn’t stop my giggle. “Roman, I’m fine. Really I am.”
He stopped moving and came to a halt directly in front of me. With his large hands on my thighs, he hung his head and let out a deep breath. “I thought they killed you,” he whispered.
Those words gutted me and the memories of Pasha dying under Murielle’s knife came flooding back. I choked on my sobs as I reached forward and rested my forehead against his. “I am so, so sorry, Roman. Pasha was such a good person. He didn’t deserve to die. It was all my fault.”
Roman sucked in a deep breath and started to rub my thigh. “No, Katarina. It wasn’t your fault.” He pulled me into a hug, being gentle while still holding me tight. “The fault is mine, and I will never forgive myself for allowing you and Pasha to get twisted up in my affairs.”
And then Roman did something I never thought he would do.
He started to sob, his muscled back shaking with each intake of breath.
I held on to him the best I could, trying to let him grieve while still telling him that I was sorry.
Pasha’s death could have been prevented if I just would have given Murielle what she wanted.
But I was a stubborn bitch and because of that, Pasha had died.
We wept together for several minutes. My body still hurt but it felt good to be in Roman’s arms. He was broken, just like Dorian.
He smelled like blood and mildew and I did my best to push all speculation out of my mind.
Roman didn’t need me judging his actions right now.
And to be honest, I didn’t think I had the space in my head to process it anyway.
Roman slowly backed away from me and looked down at my face.
His lips pulled into a frown as he ran his fingers over my cheeks and down my arms. Lifting each one slowly, he then grabbed the bottom of my tank top and started to pull it over my head.
Something didn’t feel right around my shoulder and when I hissed in pain, Roman simply ripped the clothing off instead of making me move my right arm anymore.
“Thanks,” I said with a slight grin.
He then slid his hands over my leggings as if checking for injuries.
When he removed my socks and sneakers, he examined both ankles closely.
He gently grabbed my left foot and made me flex and point.
It was the flexing that hurt, and Roman swore in a different language once he felt me twitch.
He did the same on the right foot and I was surprised to find this one hurt just as bad.
Looking a little more closely, I thought I saw the beginnings of a bruise brewing on both.
“I probably shouldn’t have jumped off that roof,” I mumbled to myself.
Roman laughed and the sound made my heart flutter.
It was one of those laughs you let out when everything else was shit and you just needed to take a moment.
The deep timbre of his voice filled me with emotions I shouldn’t have for a man I barely knew.
But I couldn’t explain what this thing between us was.
I wanted Roman to be with me just as much as the others, and I sensed he felt the same.
Roman gave me a quick kiss on the lips and then turned around to finish the bath.
I slid carefully off the counter so I could remove the rest of my clothes.
No sense in being shy. I really did need a bath, and I was hoping Roman wouldn’t mind me getting naked in front of him.
It wasn’t like I was going to hop in fully clothed.
With one hand on the counter to help support my weight, I gently eased off the leggings and my underwear.
I threw them off to the side with the tank top, planning on tossing them in the trash.
While Roman finished adding whatever it was he was adding to the water, I turned and looked in the mirror—and almost shouted my surprise.
No wonder all the men looked at me like a broken doll.
My face was spattered with bruises and that bump on my forehead, for goodness sake, it wasn’t very sexy.
I gently touched it, wincing in pain as my finger hit the apex of the bump. Where had that come from?
In the reflection, I caught Roman’s gaze as he turned to find me naked and examining myself. His mouth hung open, and I couldn’t interpret the serious look on his face. “Well, don’t I look pretty?” I mused.
“Are you in pain? And before you answer, know that I can tell if you’re lying.” He smirked and gave me a wink, the playful Roman showing through.
“Yes,” I said, dragging my eyes away from his. “I am not feeling so great.”
With a quick jerk of his chin, he reached for my hand and helped me into the tub.
“You have two sprains, and I’m a bit concerned about that bump on your head.
I also think you may have fractured your collarbone or at the very least, bruised it very badly.
The rest of your injuries will heal more quickly. ”
The hot water instantly soothed my aching muscles and bones, and I let out a deep sigh as I slid down into the tub. “Thanks, doc,” I teased. Roman added a lavender bath bomb and the bubbles released a wonderful smell. For a moment, I felt like I’d died and gone to heaven. “This feels amazing.”
I was still holding his hand as he tried to pull away and he stopped to look down at me. His eyes had darkened, and I thought I saw the tips of his fangs underneath his stubbled lip. “Please don’t go,” I finally said.
“I…um…I…”
With a giggle, I pulled him down toward me. “Did I just make the great Roman Zarka speechless?” He lowered his head until I could reach his lips. With a gentle touch, I pressed my mouth to his. “Will you join me?”