Page 77 of Poisoned Promise
“Excellent.” I kiss her quickly and leap from the bed. “I’ll be back. Just trust me. Everything’s going to be okay.”
That thought stays with me until I walk into Caterina’s Manor two hours later and she refuses to see me.
“Please, take a seat.” The doorman indicates to the chairs in the entranceway with a bored tone.
“I don’t have time for this,” I reply stiffly. “If she’s bust, I’ll come back later.”
“She needs to see you, she just can’t right now.”
“Fine. Tell her to call me.” I walk toward the door but just as I reach the handle, the doorman sighs.
“Right this way, sir.”
Once again, I walk familiar hallways and pass paintings from memory all the way to Caterina’s office, where the door opens for me at the behest of a guard and I stride right inside.
Only to immediately duck as a vase comes flying toward me. “What the fuck?!”
“Where the fuck have you been?!” Caterina screams. “Where, Felix?!”
“Holy shit…” I straighten up slowly once I’m sure she has nothing else in her hands, and brush my hands down my white t-shirt. “Are you fucking insane?”
“Me?!” She screeches, snatching up the snow globe from her desk. “Did you forget who I am?! You ignore my calls? My summons?!”
Some days, Caterina reminds me of a car with how bored she is. Other days, she’s all over me like some kind of rash because she has an infatuation on me I refuse to acknowledge. And other days she’s like this; unstable and somewhat terrifying.
“I was asleep, Caterina. You have my apologies.”
“Asleep?” She stares at me like I’ve grown a second head. “You were asleep?”
“Yes! I do that from time to time.”
“Oh really?” She lowers the snow globe and then stalks around the edge of her desk. “Sit.”
I obey purely so she doesn’t pick that globe up again.
“Now look me in the eye while you lie to me.”
“Excuse me?” My brow lifts and a beat of tension pulls through my chest.
“I trusted you. I trusted you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone because I thought we had a bond. You and Nico were two peas ina pod. How do you think he would react to you lying to me like a fucking rat, Felix? How you’ve betrayed me?!”
I keep my expression as calm as I can. “Caterina, I assure you I have no idea?—!”
“Felix!” Toph sprints into the room at top speed, panting harshly as he skids to a stop and holds up one hand in apology to Caterina. “ Felix, we have to go!”
“What? Why?”
“What’s the meaning of this!?” Caterina yells.
“Sorry Dona, I’m sorry, but Felix, your penthouse is on fire!”
22
DOVE
One credit I’ll give Felix is that his showers are amazing. I haven’t stood under a spray this powerful since before my family was murdered and now I’m here, I never want to leave.
Pounding droplets rain down on my shoulders and back, soak into my hair, and send swirls of soap cascading down my legs to swirl around the drain and vanish.
