and confronted
her mother, who sank onto the long leather couch under her stare.
"Who is my father?"
Patrick moved to stand
behind her mother, as a threat or support, Katarina didn't know and
didn't care.
Her mother broke the
silence. "It doesn’t matter. You’re still a child. You don't
understand the ramifications of whatever power you possess and you
obviously lack control."
Her mother was wrong. It
mattered a great deal.
"We're still your parents,
Kat. This conversation, this night, never happened."
"And if I don't want to
play by your rules?"
Patrick cut off whatever
her mother intended to say. "I'll turn you into the Mage council
myself."
Fear went through her, but
the flash of fear in her mother's eyes gave her courage to defy
him. "And? I'll tell them you knew about me all along."
His eyes narrowed in fury.
"You want to play that way? Fine. You want Naia to have a safe
home? The adoption papers haven't gone through yet. You want those
papers to go through you'll agree to our terms. You go back on your
word and she's out on the street."
Katarina flicked a glance
at her mother, but she couldn't read the emotion in her mother's
shuddered expression.
"You're forbidden to use
whatever you used tonight. Do you understand me?" Patrick demanded.
The rest of his words he thought with such vehemence that she
picked them up as if he were broadcasting. "I know you can hear
me girl. I've treated you as my own for sixteen years. I've
protected you from people who'd just as soon kill you if they find
out what happened tonight. You reacted out of fear for someone
else's safety, and for that reason alone I'll protect you this one
last time as long as you give me your word. From tonight on, you
are no longer my daughter."
She met his gaze and it was
he who flinched. Deep inside, a part of her died, power and ice
protected her, kept the pain from crushing her. She let the power
recede, leaving the ice, solid and thick.
"I understand."
***
Zane set the picture down
before his grip contorted the plastic. "And I thought my father was
a bastard." A part of him regretted looking at something so painful
and personal, but then again she'd seen him in his nightmare. Zane
caressed her image in the most recent photo in which she wore a
teal gown and stood next to Naia, who was garbed in a white gown
and veil.
"I don’t deserve her." Zane
said to the empty room. He was showing her a glimpse of heaven, of
love and happiness, and in two months he would leave, taking it all
away. Zane looked to the door, trying to tell himself to just
leave, but every cell in his body and mind protested. He stood
rooted to the floor; adrenaline flooded his system at the mere
thought of leaving Katarina. Wrong or not, he couldn't leave her,
not yet. He closed his eyes and cursed fate.
***
Katarina's jaw dropped when
she entered the kitchen. Zane stood in front of her stove cooking
an omelet.
"Whose cooking skills are
you using? Mine or yours?"
"A little of both," he
answered with a grin. "Care to lend me a hand?"
They worked together almost
as well as she and Naia. The domesticity of it all proved a
bittersweet reminder of what could not be. She lectured herself as
she piled buttered toast on a plate. You're being foolish.
You're lucky to get this, Kat. How many people look their whole
lives and never find real love?
After their meal, Zane
helped her load the dishwasher. The process was interrupted with
kisses and caresses that distracted them both. Zane toyed with her
ponytail and suckled the pulse point on her neck as she fumbled to
start the dishwasher.
"Zane!" She laughed. "We
need to go."
He reached under her navy
blue pleated skirt and cupped her where she was already wet for
him. "I was wrong. Being dressed doesn’t help a damn bit. I still
want you." His lips met hers in a deep passionate kiss that made
her knees weak.
When he broke the kiss, his
voice was raspy with desire. "You know, I don’t even have to take
that
her mother, who sank onto the long leather couch under her stare.
"Who is my father?"
Patrick moved to stand
behind her mother, as a threat or support, Katarina didn't know and
didn't care.
Her mother broke the
silence. "It doesn’t matter. You’re still a child. You don't
understand the ramifications of whatever power you possess and you
obviously lack control."
Her mother was wrong. It
mattered a great deal.
"We're still your parents,
Kat. This conversation, this night, never happened."
"And if I don't want to
play by your rules?"
Patrick cut off whatever
her mother intended to say. "I'll turn you into the Mage council
myself."
Fear went through her, but
the flash of fear in her mother's eyes gave her courage to defy
him. "And? I'll tell them you knew about me all along."
His eyes narrowed in fury.
"You want to play that way? Fine. You want Naia to have a safe
home? The adoption papers haven't gone through yet. You want those
papers to go through you'll agree to our terms. You go back on your
word and she's out on the street."
Katarina flicked a glance
at her mother, but she couldn't read the emotion in her mother's
shuddered expression.
"You're forbidden to use
whatever you used tonight. Do you understand me?" Patrick demanded.
The rest of his words he thought with such vehemence that she
picked them up as if he were broadcasting. "I know you can hear
me girl. I've treated you as my own for sixteen years. I've
protected you from people who'd just as soon kill you if they find
out what happened tonight. You reacted out of fear for someone
else's safety, and for that reason alone I'll protect you this one
last time as long as you give me your word. From tonight on, you
are no longer my daughter."
She met his gaze and it was
he who flinched. Deep inside, a part of her died, power and ice
protected her, kept the pain from crushing her. She let the power
recede, leaving the ice, solid and thick.
"I understand."
***
Zane set the picture down
before his grip contorted the plastic. "And I thought my father was
a bastard." A part of him regretted looking at something so painful
and personal, but then again she'd seen him in his nightmare. Zane
caressed her image in the most recent photo in which she wore a
teal gown and stood next to Naia, who was garbed in a white gown
and veil.
"I don’t deserve her." Zane
said to the empty room. He was showing her a glimpse of heaven, of
love and happiness, and in two months he would leave, taking it all
away. Zane looked to the door, trying to tell himself to just
leave, but every cell in his body and mind protested. He stood
rooted to the floor; adrenaline flooded his system at the mere
thought of leaving Katarina. Wrong or not, he couldn't leave her,
not yet. He closed his eyes and cursed fate.
***
Katarina's jaw dropped when
she entered the kitchen. Zane stood in front of her stove cooking
an omelet.
"Whose cooking skills are
you using? Mine or yours?"
"A little of both," he
answered with a grin. "Care to lend me a hand?"
They worked together almost
as well as she and Naia. The domesticity of it all proved a
bittersweet reminder of what could not be. She lectured herself as
she piled buttered toast on a plate. You're being foolish.
You're lucky to get this, Kat. How many people look their whole
lives and never find real love?
After their meal, Zane
helped her load the dishwasher. The process was interrupted with
kisses and caresses that distracted them both. Zane toyed with her
ponytail and suckled the pulse point on her neck as she fumbled to
start the dishwasher.
"Zane!" She laughed. "We
need to go."
He reached under her navy
blue pleated skirt and cupped her where she was already wet for
him. "I was wrong. Being dressed doesn’t help a damn bit. I still
want you." His lips met hers in a deep passionate kiss that made
her knees weak.
When he broke the kiss, his
voice was raspy with desire. "You know, I don’t even have to take
that
Similar Books
