Page 64 of Blood that Burns
My teeth grind together. I try and fail to rein in my temper. “We’ve shared blood before. I’ve never had this reaction. This is about her duping me into thinking she wanted me.”
Her sympathetic eyes have me twisting away from her gaze. I don’t need sympathy. “Stop torturing yourself, Law. It’ll do no good. That girl wasn’t just doing as she was told. She’s in love with you.”
Love?
I huff a humorless laugh. “She doesn’t love me. She’s infatuated. It’s nothing more than a warped fascination with a creature of myth. She wants to taste this fantastical life, but she’d never want to actually live it. She’s spent her entire life terrified of our kind.”
“You’re wrong, Law. Stop with the pity party and go to her.”
My head drops as what I’ve done sinks in. I stormed from the room, ignoring her pleas. I ran away yet again, and that’s the one thing that Maggie has asked me repeatedly not to do. “She probably hates me.”
“She probably wants to throttle you, but who could blame her?” My head lifts to find Katina hovering above me, hands on her hips, scowling down at me. “The auction is tomorrow. Get your head out of your ass and go make amends. Reese said you all needed to be there, and we both know you’re not in the right frame of mind to throw a fish fry, let alone stomp into the auction and take on your brother and the Council.”
“I can’t, Katina. I don’t know that I can control this fury. The last thing I want to do is scare her. Can you help me?”
Her eyes search mine and soften at whatever she sees.
She sighs. “Since when did I become your personal therapist and errand runner, Lawrence Bellamy? I’m an integral part of the operations of this estate and you have me doing your bidding as opposed to running the roost.”
“You’re more than integral, Katina. You’re a one-woman show, and this place would fall apart without you.”
“Your flattery will work for you... continue.” She says, picking at the lint on her black skirt.
“Katina. Please,” I beg. “I need you.”
“Oh, all right,” she whines. “But after this, you handle your love affairs on your own. I’m only doing it this once because I need you both ready to go. Ratilda will fall or I’ll burn down this mansion as your payment.”
My eyebrows raise. “Go for it. I’m not fond of these walls. They’ve seen nothing but violence and death through the years. They’re filled with hate.”
She smacks her lips, feigning boredom. “Fine... I’ll burn down your cabin and use the leftover ashes for a painting to commemorate the day I forced you to move into this hate-filled estate of violence and death.” She rolls her eyes, mocking my prior words.
I chuckle. “Noted.”
“Clean yourself up. Take a cold shower. Harness that anger for the ones who deserve it, Law.”
“I promise.”
She stalks toward the door, practically shoulder-checking Julian on her way out.
“What, pray tell, did you do to piss off Katina?” he asks, taking a seat on the edge of my bed in the staff quarters, making himself comfortable.
I groan. “Do you have a few days?”
“That bad?”
“I plead the fifth.” I take a swig of scotch. “Where’s Marina? I thought you two would be cozied up in her room, taking advantage of these last few moments of quiet before hell breaks loose.”
“She’s with Maggie. She was upset and Marina felt like she needed to comfort her.” His eyes narrow in on me. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, now would you, brother?”
“I plead the fifth,” I drone, sounding wounded and broken.
“Damn. You’re winning with all the ladies of the Bellamy estate. Maybe I should do myself a favor and get as far away from your bad karma as possible.”
I purse my lips. “You’ve been spending too much time with Shante.”
He shrugs. “She’s a trusted advisor, and we’ve had a lot of strategic planning to do before tomorrow.”
“Care to fill me in on any of it?”