Chapter 48: Hunger
Agatha's stomach growled loudly amidst the silence of the dark bedroom. She clutched her stomach, which felt empty and slightly stinging. She glanced at the wall clock; the hands pointed to three in the morning. Beside her, Xavier was still breathing regularly. The man seemed to be in a deep sleep, one hand still draped possessively around Agatha's waist.
Agatha shifted the large hand very slowly. She slid off the bed without making a single sound. Her bare feet made no noise as they touched the wooden floor of their room.
She stepped out of the room and walked down the long corridor, wearing only a satin slip that exposed her skin. The dim wall lamps provided only a little light. Agatha continued walking toward the lower floor. She did not want to wake the servants just for the sake of her stomach. She arrived at the spacious kitchen, which was awash in shades of silver and white.
"This fridge should have something interesting," Agatha muttered softly.
She opened the large refrigerator door. The light from inside illuminated her face. Agatha saw a few eggs, bacon, and cuts of cheese. She took the ingredients and placed them on the cold marble counter. She began to turn on the gas stove. The click of the ignition sounded sharp in the silent room.
Agatha whisked the eggs in a ceramic bowl. She poured a little oil onto the flat pan. The fragrant scent of melting butter began to waft through the air.
"A little pepper might be good," she said to herself.
She flipped her omelet with a very skilled movement. Her eyes were focused on the food in front of her. Just as she was about to grab a plate, her ears caught a sound. It was not the ticking of a clock. It was the very faint rustle of fabric coming from the back door of the kitchen.
Agatha did not turn her head. She calmly turned off the gas stove. She lifted her plate and placed it on the table. Her free hand moved toward the knife rack. She grabbed the sharpest kitchen knife with a heavy wooden handle. She looked up, then closed her eyes for a moment.
"Ha... you are disturbing my mealtime," Agatha said in a low voice.
In one incredibly fast and fluid motion, she spun her body around. Her hand swung, releasing the knife toward the dark shadow in the corner of the room. The knife sliced through the air with a thin whistling sound. The man wearing a mask moved to the side agilely. The knife passed just centimeters from his cheek and embedded itself deep into the wooden door behind him.
"One missed," the man said in a hoarse voice.
Nine other men emerged from behind the kitchen island and the dark areas around the entrance. They all held sharp weapons and pistols equipped with silencers.
"You all are quite noisy for professional killers," Agatha uttered, grabbing a larger meat cleaver from the table.
"Let us ensure you never see the morning sun again," answered one of them who stood at the front.
"Ten men for one hungry woman? I feel very flattered," Agatha replied.
Suddenly, a massive explosion shook the ground. The booming sound came from outside the mansion, specifically at the main gate area. The vibration caused the glasses on the kitchen rack to clatter loudly. Not long after, a second explosion was heard from the side garden.
"That explosion is the sign of your death, Mrs. Valois," said the man in front of Agatha.
Agatha smiled instead. "That explosion only means my husband will be here soon, and he will be very angry because his sleep was disturbed."
Agatha did not wait anymore. She lunged forward when the intruders were slightly distracted by the shock of the explosion. She thrust her meat cleaver into the nearest man's neck. Fresh blood sprayed out, staining her white satin slip. She spun, avoiding an opponent's slash, then used her elbow to smash another man's jaw until the sound of cracking bone was heard.
Upstairs, Xavier jolted awake. The sound of the explosion made him sit up straight immediately. His hand automatically reached for the side of the bed where Agatha was supposed to be. His hand touched only the sheet that had already turned cold.
"Agatha!" Xavier shouted with a thunderous voice.
He jumped out of bed. He was shirtless, wearing only his black pajama pants. He grabbed an automatic pistol from the nightstand drawer and ran out of the room. In the corridor, he met Frans, who was holding an assault rifle.
"Where is Agatha, Frans?" Xavier asked, his eyes burning with rage.
"I don't know, Xav. Explosions occurred at the front gate and side garden. Intruders are coming in from all directions," Frans answered quickly.
"Find her! If a single strand of her hair is hurt, I will burn down all of Paris!" Xavier snapped.
Xavier ran down the stairs. He shot two men who tried to block his way in the living room. His mind was focused only on his wife. He saw a trail of oil drops on the floor leading to the kitchen. He ran as fast as he could. His heart beat incredibly fast, not from exhaustion, but from a fear he had never felt before.
Xavier kicked the kitchen door open. He immediately aimed his pistol at the center of the room. However, his finger froze on the trigger.
In front of him, Agatha was standing tall. The entire kitchen floor had turned red. Ten bodies lay in gruesome positions around his wife. One had a knife stuck in his eye; another had his neck nearly severed. Agatha was still holding a small dagger she had taken from one of the opponents.
Agatha's white satin slip was now completely soaked in dark red blood. Her hair was slightly messy, and there were splatters of blood on her cheek and forehead. Agatha had her back to Xavier. She heard the sound of the door opening, but she did not turn around completely. She only tilted her head back slightly.
"Are you awake, Darling?" Agatha asked in a very calm tone, as if nothing bad had happened.
Agatha lifted her left hand. She wiped a splatter of blood from the corner of her lip with her thumb. The movement was very slow and sensual. She looked at Xavier through the corner of her eye with a gaze that was sharp yet full of dark allure.
Xavier lowered his pistol slowly. He swallowed hard. Instead of feeling horrified at the pile of bodies, he felt his passion ignite intensely. Agatha's appearance, covered in the blood of their enemies, made her look incredibly beautiful and dominant in Xavier's eyes.
"I searched the whole house for you," Xavier said, his voice hoarse.
"I just felt hungry," Agatha answered, dropping the dagger to the floor. The sound of metal hitting marble rang out clearly.
Xavier stepped forward. He did not care about the pool of blood beneath his feet. He reached Agatha and gripped his wife's waist firmly. He pulled Agatha's body until it pressed against his bare chest.
"You almost drove me insane, Agatha," Xavier hissed right in front of her face.
"But I am still here, aren't I?" Agatha asked, wrapping her blood-stained arms around Xavier's neck.
Xavier did not answer with words. He immediately lowered his head and kissed Agatha's lips brutally. He tasted the metallic flavor of blood on his wife's lips. The kiss was full of overwhelming possessiveness. He bit Agatha's lower lip until she let out a small moan in the middle of their kiss. Xavier's hand moved to the nape of Agatha's neck, gripping her hair and holding his wife's head so she could not escape his demanding kiss.
Agatha returned the kiss just as roughly. She pressed her body against Xavier, not caring that her wet white satin slip would stain her husband's skin. They intertwined in a kiss full of adrenaline and lust in the middle of a room filled with death.
Suddenly, a third, much more massive explosion occurred. This time the explosion was right against the outer wall of the kitchen. The entire glass window shattered into pieces. Shards of glass flew in all directions. Xavier immediately hugged Agatha and spun their bodies so that his back took the glass shards, not his wife.
The sound of rapid gunfire was heard from the direction of the garden. A large spotlight from outside illuminated the messy kitchen through the shattered window.
"Xavier! Come out, you coward!" a very loud shout was heard from outside.
Xavier broke the kiss. His breath was ragged. He looked toward the destroyed window with eyes full of hatred.
"Who is that?" Agatha asked while catching her breath.
"Vargo," Xavier answered shortly.
"Look who has come, the mad dog who likes to bite, belonging to Luigi," Agatha said mockingly. Her position had not changed at all; she was still faithfully hugging her husband even though the enemy's blood had started to dry on her skin.
Hearing that, Vargo growled in anger from the middle of the garden. A giant man holding a large machine gun in his hands. He was surrounded by dozens of Luigi's men holding heavy weapons. Vargo had a burn scar on one side of his face that made him look even more terrifying under the firelight of the explosion.
"Put down your wife or I will level this mansion to the ground!" Vargo shouted again.
Agatha glanced at her omelet plate, which was now covered in dust and shards of glass. She looked at the plate with a very cold gaze.
"He destroyed my food," Agatha said softly.
"He will pay for every second of my lost sleep and for every egg you cooked," Xavier replied.
Xavier helped Agatha stand up straight. He took a short sword displayed on the kitchen wall and handed it to Agatha.
"Are you ready for round two, little rose?" Xavier asked.
Agatha accepted the sword with a steady grip. She wiped the blood on her cheek with the back of her hand.
"Let's show that dog how to bite properly," Agatha answered.
The two of them walked out of the destroyed kitchen toward the garden. Under the night sky of Paris, which began to be covered by the smoke of explosions, Xavier and Agatha stood side by side, facing Vargo's army that had already surrounded them.