Chapter Fifty-Five
“If I were to hire you, what days would you be willing to work?” Catherine asked.
The shy eighteen year old across from her smiled warmly and tightened her hands in her lap. “If it is okay, I would prefer to have Sundays and Wednesdays off but 1 am open to any schedule,” she said.
Catherine glanced over her resume one more time. The door behind her opened. Catherine knew who had entered for two reasons: 1. She had the sudden craving for her favorite fall time beverage. 2. The young woman sitting across from her blushed scarlet as her eyes wandered down and back up. Catherine turned to see Graham already digging into the plate of boiled shrimp she’d left out for him. He glanced up and gave her a heartbreaking smile.
“Hey, Baby, thank you,” he said with a mouth full of shrimp.
Catherine looked back at the girl whose eyes were darting between Catherine and the hulky lycan warrior.
“H-hello Mr. M-MacTavish,” the girl whispered, her blush deepening impossibly further.
“Uh… hello,” Graham responded.
“Well, I think that’s all I have!” Catherine stated, standing sharply and shoving the chair back as she did.
The girl looked flustered but nodded her head and took Catherine’s outstretched hand. “Thank you for the opportunity Miss Bennings. When can I expect to hear back?” she asked, suddenly twice as excited as she had been. Catherine caught the girl’s eyes venture to her mate again.
“A couple of days,” Catherine said, walking swiftly to the kitchen door. The girl was forced to tear her gaze away from Graham when Catherine let the door swing shut in her face. Catherine spun and put her hands on her hips.
“How’d the interview go? She seemed nice,” Graham supplied without looking up.
“Eh, not sure she’s going to fit in here,” Catherine mused.
“Why’s that?” Graham asked, completely oblivious to how the girl had been undressing him with her eyes.
Catherine didn’t respond. Instead she eyed her mate speculatively and turned her head. He was wearing his trademark black long-sleeve t-shirt with his left sleeve pushed up to his elbow. The ribbons of muscle twisted as he dipped his shrimp. His tongue flicked out and her eyes narrowed in frustration. She pursed her lips while Graham moved on to the popcorn chicken.
“You need to eat more,” Catherine finally decided.
Graham glanced up with a curious expression. He raised his arms and glanced down at his figure. He tried to wrap his hand around his bulging bicep before shrugging.
“Have I gotten too skinny for you?”
Catherine shook her head. “I’ve been thinking about it and the only way I’m ever going to get girls to stop fawning over you is to get you really fat,” she stated with a nod.
Graham cracked a smile. “Is that so? That’s the only way?”
“I considered making you smell funny. Then I had the idea to take out one or two of your front teeth. There was the idea to get you to shave your head…” Catherine shook her head. “Maybe a combination of them all?”
Graham leaned forward, placed his forearms along the island and intertwined his fingers. “I can see you’ve thought a lot about this. Unfortunately for you women would be more than willing to cover their noses to get a chance at this,” he said with a nod down to his body. “You could take out my teeth but it would be a wasted effort seeing as how you’re the only one who gets to see them in the first place. As for making me shave my head?” Graham sat back and shrugged as if it just couldn’t be helped.
“Let me guess, you’ve shaved your head before and the women liked you even more,” she sighed.
Graham walked around until he stood in front of her. He deflated in defeat, looking pitiful. “Afraid so. Mom had to beat ’em off the front porch with a stick.” He brushed some hair behind her ear, “I’ll get fat for you though. See if that works.”
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Chapter Fifty-Five
“Really?” Catherine beamed.
“Yes, but there’s a catch.” He lowered his lips to her ear. “You’ll have to shave your head so I don’t have to watch the men staring at you.” Graham pulled back and smirked. “Tit for tat.”
“Fine,” Catherine said with a firm nod, making Graham laugh.
The door opened behind them and Chloe took a tentative step inside. She glanced at Catherine and Graham in their intimate position and smiled warmly. Graham, however, tensed. His mouth closed into a thin line and his eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly. Catherine touched his stomach and pushed him back.
“Thanks for meeting us here. We’ve gotten in the habit of eating lunch together and I have back to back interviews all day,” Catherine explained.
She gestured toward the table in the breakfast nook. Graham helped her collect the plates with various finger foods and took them to the table. As Graham sat down, Catherine grabbed another plate filled with freshly made cronuts. She set it down directly in front of Graham.
“Eat them all,” she ordered, nudging them closer and earning a smile. Graham rolled his eyes and took one into his mouth. “Help yourself,” Catherine told Chloe who nodded her thanks.
The trio sat in silence for ten minutes while they awkwardly ate. Catherine kept shooting glances at the two people in front of her. Graham was stiff with tension. When his gaze would meet Chloe’s, his eyes would narrow further in a silent warning. Meanwhile Chloe glared back, clearly not wanting to back down but also not wanting to anger her friend.
“Look, Catherine,” Chloe finally began.
“Chloe,” Graham growled in warning.
“Graham….” Catherine scolded. The three of them exchanged looks. “Chloe, tell me what you wanted to say. Graham, let me listen.”
Graham huffed and took another cronut.
Chloe gave Catherine a smile and placed her hands flat on the table. Catherine noticed for the first time how Chloe had dark circles under her eyes. Her skin seemed pale and her goldilocks hair seemed dull too. “I went to the magical council in order to try to save Curtis.” Graham scoffed. Chloe’s eyes narrowed.
“Save him?” Catherine asked.
“Yes,” Chloe bit out. “He’s been corrupted. We can still help him.”
“He’s beyond saving,” Graham hissed.
“He’s been corrupted!”
“You can’t be forced into corruption, Chloe!” Graham argued.
“Enough! Either hush or get out,” Catherine demanded, glaring at Graham. He crossed his arms. “Graham is right, isn’t he? A witch can’t be forced into corruption. They must be willing.”
“You have to agree, yes but you can be manipulated into agreeing.”
“And that’s what you’re trying to prove?” Catherine asked.
“Yes… If a magical being is manipulated or forced into corruption, there are signs, things they won’t stoop to.”
“Like…”
Chloe sighed. “A forced witch or wizard will only do as their master orders them.”
Catherine’s mind wandered down a dark path. Her nails tapped against the table. A hand came down on hers, stopping her nervous tapping. She jerked her eyes to Graham and watched him figure out her hesitation. His expression turned sinister.
“Chloe… I don’t think you will find what you’re looking for,” Catherine stated.
2/4
Chloe clasped her head in her hands and grabbed a fistful of her hair. “I need to know. Maybe something happened but I need to see it. It could have been a misunderstanding, maybe you’re remembering wrong. You’re wrong,” Chloe determined.
Graham growled. “How dare you,” he hissed.
“He’s my brother, Graham!” Chloe suddenly yelled, taking them both by surprise. “I know my brother, I know him! He didn’t choose this. Dominic forced him. He always takes and takes. Curtis was just… He was forced,” Chloe said, punctuating the last statement with a bang of her fist on the table.
“Let’s say you’re right,” Catherine argued, trying to appease her. “What exactly are you asking of me?”
“She wants to see your memories,” Graham supplied.
“Okay… So you look into my mind? What’s so…”
“She won’t just look into your mind, Baby,” Graham explained. His eyes were focused on Chloe who looked like she was dreading this explanation. “This isn’t some parlor trick where she touches your head and takes a peek or you touch a crystal ball and we see your memory.” Graham tore his gaze from Chloe and Catherine became his sole focus. “You will relive these memories. You won’t have any recollection that it’s past. You won’t be able to get out of it or change the outcome. It will be as if you are living it for the first time. Whatever you felt… whatever physical harm came to you… it’ll all happen again.”
“Yes, but, I will be here to help you heal after,” Chloe offered.
Catherine looked down at the table and traced the wood grain with her fingertip. “I will have to think about it,” Catherine finally said.
“We don’t have much time,” Chloe whispered.
“Why?”
Chloe gulped and met Graham’s glare. “In two days, Graham will beat Stuart and become Beta. Jensen will lower his command and…”
“We’ll mark each other and seal the bond,” Graham finished.
“And that’s… bad?”
“No,” Chloe answered before Graham could. She sighed and fought for words. “Werewolf and Lycan bonds are complex. The connection you will share with each other will be intricate, interwoven…”
“Impenetrable,” Graham added.
“It will be harder for me to single out your memories from Graham’s. Even if I were to succeed…”
“My instincts to protect you will kick her out and I may go into a haze to eradicate the threat,” Graham finished.
“Even now, your bond is nearly formed. Graham is a very dominant, high-ranking male and intruding into his mate’s mind will be dangerous. He will need to be separated from you while this takes place. He’ll come to defend his mate because you’ll be experiencing…” Chloe cleared her throat. “Based on my assumptions and your reactions to my words, it won’t be pleasant.”
“If what you see doesn’t go your way and we cannot save Curtis, could the visions still be used in some way against Dominic?” Catherine asked. Chloe and Graham exchanged a look. Graham took Catherine’s hand and brought it to his lips. He brushed them over her knuckles. She gazed up at him. Graham gave a reluctant sigh and a nod.
“There could be another good outcome to this idea…” Chloe began, breaking their trance.
“Yeah?” Catherine asked.
“It can be therapeutic. Most cases result in the individual experiencing euphoria and being able to put their trauma behind them.”
“And what happens in those other cases, Chloe?” Graham asked, being certain nothing was left out of this uncomfortable debate.
Chloe shifted in her seat. She twiddled with her fingers before taking in a sharp breath and meeting Catherine’s curious gaze. “In some cases, the individual who’s gone under…”
3/4
Chapter Fifty-Five
“What?” Catherine asked, her breath lost somewhere in her chest.
“Some can never find their way back to the surface.”
Surrendering to Destiny
