“Are there any casualties? Were you, Maggie, or Jensen hurt?” I ask.
Ben blinks in surprise at the question before answering.
“Jensen got hit in the head pretty bad and Maggie has been nursing him back to health.” Ben’s lips twitch. “I think he’s a hundred percent, but milking the situation. Maggie says he’ll be fine by tomorrow either way.”
“How do we find Katarina?” I ask. I need her to return. I need to apologize. Now that the pieces of myself are pulling together, the memory of her flinching from my callous words and cowering before my dragon fire sinks its claws in.
I lashed out at my mate and need to make amends. I need to protect her from those who would use her against me.
Ben winces. “The attack isn’t the only thing.”
I CLASP my fingers and gaze at Katarina’s best friend. Stella bites her lip but meets my eyes, looking for all the world like she’s a child in a principal’s office.
“I’m not sorry,” she says.
“I wouldn’t think you would be.” I glance at the fertility statue that she single handedly snatched back from her blood family. “This actually works very well for us, but Katarina will be displeased to hear that you put yourself at risk.”
Stella’s gaze grows steely. “I’ve always been powerless. Nothing I could ever do would put a dent in them. Not a single thing. I ignored the desire to hurt them all my life, but you gave me a way I could. It might be a small way, but it was something only I could do.”
My lips twitch. She means it literally. Only someone with her blood could walk into the compound and get it back.
“So, I’m not sorry,” she ends.
I nod. “Very well. We will have you stay here in the meantime in case they discover how they lost the statue. Your mother is welcome here as well.”
We may still have use for Stella’s fury before all this is said and done, but that plan isn’t my first resort. It would upset Katarina, and I’ll avoid that if we can.
Stella winces. “I sent my mom on vacation somewhere remote. We have some time before I need to worry about her.”
And before she needs to confess what she’s done. If she decides to confess. My reports listed their relationship as close, but no worthy parent would want their child to take on revenge on their behalf.
“Have you heard from Kat yet?” Stella asks.
“Not yet.” And that fact grows more unbearable by the minute.
Where are you, my queen?
39
KATARINA
I CLOSE my eyes and try to take comfort in the hot water, but peace eludes me. Somewhere across town, Maggie and Ben are dealing with the absence of Kalos, Nemo is probably surfing free after a big payday, and who knows what Stella is doing, but I bet it’s something more productive than secretly soaking in the waters of a densely warded bathhouse.
It’s hard not to feel like this is indulgent, but this is the best place for me to be. Technically, it’s still too close to danger, but Rose is loyal to Kalos, and I can get in touch with Gage through her if need be… in the event that Kalos doesn’t return.
Because I need to plan for that possibility.
My body aches. The water is hot, but I still shiver every few minutes. The pregnancy is taking a harder toll now that I’m on my own, and the injustice of that causes the angry frustration burning in my chest to spark.
Food any colder than piping hot has started to turn my stomach again, and my anger helps mask the fear that everything is only going to get worse. If my body temperature drops much more, I’ll need to send a message to Gage. He’ll be able to provide for me what Kalos can’t.
But that feels like a betrayal.
“Knock, knock. Is it okay for me to come in?” Rose calls out.
“Of course,” I answer, swallowing down my thoughts, but they only rest at the top of my stomach instead of vanishing, waiting for my next weak moment to try and rise up again. I’m wearing a sports bra and panty set that Rose had provided for my comfort since I don’t want to be flashing my goods while trying to keep from freezing to death.
“How are you doing?” Rose asks. She carries a bag of takeout and my mouth waters.
I inhale a shaky breath before pasting on a smile. “Good.”
Her lips twitch. “As good as can be expected, I’m sure.”
I shrug. When I arrived asking for sanctuary, I’d said that Kalos’s absence had emboldened his enemies. I didn’t say anything about the fight we had or that I’m half expecting him not to return, but the matchmaker seems to read between the lines of my words with eerie accuracy.
“Is there any news?” I ask.
“Word on the street says that the attack was the Leonids attempting to make moves. There was some damage, but the wards held for the most part. They stopped their attempt shortly before you showed up here actually,” Rose muses.
I nod. They were after leverage. They stopped because Nemo told them about a target too tempting to ignore.
A defenseless woman pregnant with Kalos’s child.
I left everything behind to get somewhere safe quickly, and it didn’t make a difference because I stumbled on the one person I’d trusted the longest…who didn’t even give me a five-minute head start.
I bite my lip and look away. I even left my damn cat. I’m the worst cat mom. I was in a panic and needed to go. The only thing keeping me calm is knowing that Maggie and Ben will take care of Griffin in my absence.
And if I hadn’t left, it’s likely that the Leonids would have eventually made it all the way through the wards instead of just the glass dome. Stupid Fate.
“Thank you again for helping me,” I say.
Rose shakes her head.
“Don’t mention it. We pregnant women need to look out for one another.” She winks. “Anyway, Kalos will be more than happy to pay the bill I send to him.”
My smile goes from fake to weak but honest. “I’m sure he’ll love that.”
Maybe I should feel guilty for racking up bills in his name, but it’s the least he deserves.
“I have your Thai order with triple the heat. Just the thing to burn your mouth off and help grow a dragon. I’m glad my baby only demands sushi nonstop,” Rose murmurs. “I shouldn’t be surprised. My mate is a kraken. Fish makes sense. It doesn’t matter that I could hardly stomach seafood before getting pregnant.”
I snort out a laugh. “I couldn’t handle spicy food at all.”
We share a comfortable smile before she tilts her head. “Can I sit?”
“Of course, it’s your place after all,” I say.
Rose kicks off her shoes and slips her feet into the water with a relieved sigh. “Nonsense. This is your space as long as you stay here. And the price Kalos is paying for the rent of this room is outrageous.”
I shrug. “He has the money, and the baby’s safety is important to him.”
Rose only nods.
“How soon until you’re due?” I ask, wanting to change the subject.
“We aren’t sure. This baby is a miraculous one. A baby kraken has never been recorded.” She looks down at her stomach, her smile warm. “No one knows how much longer it will be. We’re going on eleven months now, and I don’t mind admitting that I’m looking forward to when I don’t crave sardines.”