Chapter Forty-Five
In order to keep herself busy and keep her heart from wondering where her mate was… and who he was with, Catherine got to work thinking of the most impressive menu she could reasonably do with only one helper. She made a trip to the farm and asked the farmers for help harvesting a few things. Catherine agreed to come out and help the next day to make sure she got the best of the best. Afterward, she went to meet Robert and select her meat.
“Lucien, you say?” he asked, rubbing his chin.
Catherine nodded. “Yes, so I was thinking something out of the norm. We won’t be feeding as many so… maybe rabbit?”
“Eh, he probably hunts rabbit in his free time.”
“True, I didn’t think about that,” Catherine agreed.
“If I were you, Doll, I’d go with the best cuts of beef, lamb and definitely duck. The man loves duck,” Robert offered.
“Great idea. I love it.”
Catherine pulled out her notebook and started to connect the dots with the vegetables available and their meat choices. Robert started doing some preparation of his own. Several ducks would need to be processed as well as lamb.
“I saw Miss Chloe this morning!” he suddenly exclaimed.
Catherine’s blood went cold and her pen stilled on the paper. “Oh? You know Chloe?
“Yeah! Sweet girl, talented witch.”
Witch?!
Robert placed his shovel in the ground and leaned over the handle as his eyes clouded with memories. “They were great together for sure. I’m glad he listened to me though and didn’t mark her. Chloe is great, but nothing will ever beat the feelings he has for his mate. I’m sure he’ll agree you were worth the wait.” Robert winked and sauntered off, whistling an unknown tune and leaving Catherine frozen in disbelief.
She wasn’t sure how she found her way back to the kitchen. One moment her world was imploding the next she was standing in front of the kitchen sink washing dishes. She stared down at the bubbles as she tried to scrub some crusty eggs from a plate. A pair of large hands encircled her waist. Clove and apples invaded her nostrils as he leaned down and placed a kiss on her bare shoulder. His nose skimmed up her shoulder to her ear and he breathed deep.
Catherine wanted to melt to the floor. Her eyes filled with tears as she felt the love and relief in his grasp. She wanted to forget everything. Fuck everything that happened in the last week. Screw Lucille and Arabella and now Chloe. Forget the attack. Her mate was home and he was holding her. That was all that
mattered.
Graham breathed out and sighed. “I went upstairs looking for you. You should still be resting.”
“I’m fine really. I wanted…”
“You smell like the wolf.”
Catherine’s body locked up. She shoved him back and swiveled to glare at him. His expression was one of confusion as he took in her stance. “I went looking for you when I woke up but you seemed to have your hands full with the other woman you brought into our home.”
Graham’s expression softened and he shoved his hands in his pockets. “Catherine, I can explain. Chloe is just a friend.”
“A friend?”
“That’s what I said. She means absolutely nothing to me.”
“So you never dated? You never considered marking her?” Catherine spat, her voice rising with every word. Graham’s jaw ticked as he stared down at her. That was answer enough.
“She is only here so we can help each other out,” he said after a minute.
1/3
Chapter Forty-Five
“With what?”
Silence. His eyes moved back and forth between hers: a habit she recognized when he wanted to tell her but something was holding him back. She turned around and started scrubbing the dishes again.
“She needs help with her brother and I need help… figuring out how to end someone.”
“Not good enough.”
“Not good enough?”
Catherine spun. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through this week?” she yelled as a damn tear slid down her cheek. She furiously wiped it away. Again his jaw ticked and his gaze turned to the window in a far off look. So he did then. “I’ve been mocked and ridiculed by your exes. I lost the entire kitchen staff on the first day meaning I’ve been working from before dawn and after dusk every day to feed people who hate and humiliate me. Jensen refuses to acknowledge me. And to top it all off not only does everyone here think my mate can’t stomach the sight of me, when he finally returns he brings another woman that he almost claimed as his own!”
“No one knows what’s going on between us. I don’t give a damn what those people think,” Graham argued, crossing his arms.
“Because they aren’t saying it about you!” she said back. Catherine wanted to scream. Instead she turned away from him and spread her arms out on the counter. “All I wanted was for you to come home. Theo came home without you and it hurt. But this morning… I woke up and I knew you were here. Then I found you…”
“Catherine…” his voice was low and desperate. “I would never hurt you. I’m so sorry I didn’t call you ahead of time. I didn’t think about it because the idea that you could ever be jealous or threatened by her never crossed my mind. You are all I’ve seen since that Saturday. Please… She is just a friend.”
Catherine turned around and glared at him. “Fine. If you can ask your friend for help when you need her without considering your mate’s feelings then…”
Catherine stormed off.
She heard him following as she shoved open the kitchen door and walked right into… Lucille. Catherine groaned and opened her mouth to tell the woman off when Lucille pushed her aside. Her mouth fell open as Lucille closed the distance between her and Graham. At least his eyes were still on Catherine as Lucille fluttered her eyelashes.
“Grey, I need to talk to you. Rebecca… she’s gone crazy. I had to quit. I just had to but she won’t write me a recommendation for a new job,” Lucille’s voice was dripping with desperation and need.
Catherine’s eyes narrowed at Graham before she scoffed and walked away.
“Grey, won’t you help me. I just need…”
Catherine walked into the dining hall and the sound of people joking and gossiping blocked out whatever else Lucille was saying. She saw Toma talking with Natalie, Theo, Mable, Lucas and a few girls she didn’t recognize. They all had their heads in their hands as Toma told them a story using big hand gestures. His eyes seemed fully focused on Mable who’s wide eyes were taking in his every word.
Toma’s attention was diverted when he noticed her. The tears came harder as she realized he knew she was there when her own mate hadn’t. Toma stood up sharply, causing the girls in front of him to whine. His eyes narrowed in on her face. He opened his arms just in time to welcome her into them.
“Fuck, Kitty, what’s wrong?” His body stiffened and she knew Graham must have just entered the room. “Did he hurt you?” he whispered against her ear. She
nodded into his chest.
“Catherine,” Graham’s gruff voice came at her back.
“Leave me alone,” Catherine said, her voice muffled against Toma’s chest.
“Kitty, maybe you should just talk to him,” Toma urged. She felt Graham’s hands on her back and Toma slowly releasing her.
“We’re just friends,” Catherine hissed, facing Graham who glared at Toma. “He is only helping me.” Graham rolled his eyes. “Don’t!” Catherine yelled, pointing her finger at him. “You left me for a week and came home with another woman. The last time you left you came home with me. Who’s next, Graham? Juno? Some other nameless blonde who you want to rescue?”
Graham reached out for her but she took a step back into Toma. His hands caught her upper arms but the moment Graham growled he released her.
213
Chapter Forty-Five
“Ugh! Toma, would you grow a pair!” she asked, frustrated that Graham was dictating where she sought comfort.
Toma looked genuinely hurt by her comment. He crossed his arms and his eyes flicked sideways to Mable. “Hey now, I have a wonderful pair. I’d just like to keep them attached to my body is all.”
“Catherine.” Graham’s voice was gentle, so much so that it drew her eyes to his face. His expression was one of determination. His brows were pulled down with his lips. “Please, let me explain. Come home with me.”
Just then Lucille passed the dining hall door clutching her wrist.
“What did you do to her?”
Graham shrugged, not even sparing her a glance. “I warned her not to touch me. She did anyway.”
Catherine couldn’t help the small smile of satisfaction that pulled at her mouth. She felt her resistance waning. More than anything she wanted to be in her mate’s arms. She was angry, livid, but of course it was directed at the one person she knew could ease her fears. She crossed her arms.
Sensing her change in moods, Graham took a hesitant step forward and wrapped his arms around her. Catherine kept her hands pinned between her and his chest while he rubbed his hands down her back. Somewhere else in the dining room she heard a scoff.
“This is the future leadership of Blackmoore?”
Surrendering to Destiny
