Chapter 136

Chapter 136


Zack emerged from the woods in human form and spotted his master outside, drinking tea. He smiled and ran toward her, and Kathy turned to greet him with a smile of her own.

“Miss Kathy, there’s something I’d like to ask you,”

“What is it Zack?”

“Remember the house where the vampires were staying? They’ve all been arrested for their crimes. Some already had warrants out and had been hiding there the whole time. The house isn’t far from here, and I was wondering if I could have it.”

“You want to live in the house where the vampires stayed? It probably needs cleaning and repairs,”

“Yes, I know, but I want it as a home instead of seeing it destroyed,”

“Sure, you can have it. I’ll send someone to handle any repairs and replace whatever needs replacing.”

“Thank you, Miss Kathy,”

“I have one condition,”

“What is that?”

“You’ll let my spy stay there with you,”

“I must admit, Miss Kathy, I have some reservations about that arrangement. I would prefer to have privacy when I invite someone over.”

“The house is spacious enough to accommodate both of you. You may occupy one side, and he may occupy the other. Is that acceptable?”

“Yes, my lady,”

“Good,”

“May I ask why you continue to refer to him as your spy when you know his name?”

Kathy didn’t answer that question just drink her tea, then look up in the sky and smiled and knows that it’s almost Anthony lunchtime. As she got up from her chair and heading toward the door, her spy land at her side before she enters, she re-closed the door.

“Skye is approaching. Please proceed with caution,”

“I will. Before I forget, you have a new roommate—Zack. I told him he has to share the house, so now you have a home to return to.”

“Thank you, my lady,”

Zack folded his arms, unable to hide his frustration at having to share the house. Kathy opened the door and stepped inside just as Anthony stirred awake, his gaze settling on his mate as she entered and closed the door behind her.

“I don’t like my mate with other men. Are you trying to make me jealous?”

“I would never try to make you jealous. Besides, we’re expecting a visitor soon. Let’s get you dressed in something comfortable,”

Kathy pulled back the blanket, helped Anthony to his feet, and guided him toward their bedroom. As Zack entered the house, he folded the blanket, put away the couch bed, pushed it back into place, and set the pillows on top. In the bedroom, Kathy helped Anthony dress and combed his hair.

“You’re different now. You’re not the shy girl I first met. You’ve found your place, given me wonderful children, helped me find my parents, and even faced your mother and your vampire mate. No matter what life has thrown at you, you’ve always found a way to rise above it. Your so-called family abandoned you, and you worked at a club just to keep yourself fed. Now you have me, your mate. Let me take care of you,” Anthony said.

Anthony gentle grab her wrist stopping her from combing his hair and smiles at her. Then his ear popped on top his head, lightly touch as she see Anthony blush, hearing a growl coming from his thoat.

“My love you shouldn’t get excited,”

“You keep touching my ears, I won’t control my body,”

Kathy pulled her hands away from Anthony’s ears when she heard footsteps approaching the room, followed by a knock at the door.

“Your guess is here,” said Zack

“Thank you,” said Kathy

A car rolled to a stop in front of Kathy’s house, its tires whispering over the gravel before the engine died beneath the heavy silence of the woods. Skye stepped out slowly, a chill brushing the back of her neck as the scent of damp soil, wildflowers, and something faintly unfamiliar drifted through the air. The trees crowded close around the little house, their leaves murmuring overhead as though trading secrets in the darkening breeze. She climbed the wooden stairs, each creak beneath her shoes sounding louder than it should, just as Zack opened the door and stood waiting in the warm glow beyond. As Skye crossed the threshold, the scent of polished wood and fresh tea wrapped around her, but the quiet inside felt too still. Her gaze moved over the modest furniture and shadowed corners before a soft, uncertain laugh escaped her. She had imagined her stepsister living in a grand mansion—not in a small house hidden deep among the trees, where the woods seemed to be watching.

“Please wait here,” Zack said, stepping aside but keeping his eyes on her. “Kathy and Anthony will be with you shortly.”

Skye tilted her head, her smile faint and unreadable. “I see my sister has another man living in this small house.”

“I’m only doing what Miss Kathy asked,” he replied, his voice polite but guarded. “Nothing more.”

Her gaze drifted past him into the quiet house. “Then I suppose I’ll try not to keep them waiting.”

Zack left for Kathy and Anthony’s bedroom to let them know Skye had arrived. Alone in the quiet room, Skye let her gaze wander over the walls and shelves, where photographs of Melody, Kai, and Leon showed the children smiling with their toys. Nearby were pictures of Kathy and Anthony together, along with a family portrait that only sharpened the bitterness rising inside her. Kathy had the kind of life Skye had never been given. Drawn to one particular frame, she picked up a photo of Melody and studied the child’s purple eyes before thinking of her brother’s golden ones. Dorian had told her Melody was not Kathy’s child at all, but the daughter of Anthony’s ex-girlfriend.

Before Skye could set the frame down, soft footsteps approached from the hallway. Kathy entered first, calm and composed, with Anthony beside her, his watchful gaze settling on the photo in Skye’s hand.

“You arrived sooner than I expected,” Kathy said, her voice even. “I hope Zack made you comfortable.”

Skye placed the photo back on the shelf with deliberate care. “Comfortable?” she repeated, a faint smile touching her lips. “That is an interesting word for this place.”

Anthony’s expression hardened slightly. “If you came here to insult my home, then you can say what you came to say and leave.”

Kathy lifted a hand before the tension could sharpen any further. “Anthony,” she said softly, then turned back to Skye. “You asked to see me. So, tell me why you are here.”

Skye’s eyes moved from Kathy to Anthony, lingering long enough to make her meaning clear. “I wanted to see the life you built after leaving the rest of us behind.”

Kathy’s face remained calm, but her fingers tightened at her side. “I did not leave you behind, Skye. I survived. There is a difference.”

For a heartbeat, Skye said nothing. The word survived settled between them, heavier than she wanted it to be. Her smile thinned, but she refused to look away. “That must be comforting,” she said at last. “Having a word that makes everything sound justified.”

Anthony sits at the table in the kitchen as Kathy went to make his lunch, as Skye stand around.

Kathy kept her voice gentle, though her gaze did not leave Skye. “Come sit down. I’ll make tea, and then we can talk.”

Skye glanced toward the kitchen, then back at Kathy. “No, thank you,” she said softly. “I would rather not drink anything you prepared.”

For a moment, only the faint clink of a cup against the counter broke the silence.

She acts so gentle, Skye thought, watching Kathy move through the kitchen as if nothing between them had ever broken. As if kindness can erase every door that closed in my face. Her eyes flicked toward Anthony, then back to the cup in Kathy’s hand. Skye did not know whether she feared poison, pity, or the possibility that Kathy truly had not meant to abandon her—but she knew which one unsettled her most.

Kathy set the cup down without looking away. “You do not have to trust me,” she said quietly. “But if you came here looking for old wounds to open, Skye, be careful where you place the knife.”

Skye came into the kitchen and sat at the table while Anthony drank from a warm cup and Kathy prepared soup for his stomach. After a moment, Kathy glanced over and noticed the troubled look on Skye’s face.

“Skye, you shouldn’t involve yourself in things you don’t understand,” Kathy said.

Skye narrowed her eyes. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means many things,” Kathy replied. “But let me be clear—I am not here to give you money or take care of your parents. That responsibility is yours, not mine.”

“So you do have money,” Skye said. “I did some digging. There’s a lot sitting in your bank account.”

“Yes, and it is mine because I worked for it,” Kathy said. “You were given everything by my father and never had to struggle for a day in your life. You even slept with my ex-fiancé because he had money, though I never cared about his wealth. His mother hated me because I refused to obey her, and that is the kind of life I wanted no part of. Let me guess—you ruined your chance with that family because you and your parents were too greedy for money and power, and it finally backfired on you.”

Skye’s fingers tightened around the edge of the table, her knuckles paling before she forced her hand to relax. “How did you know?” she asked, her voice lower than before.

Kathy’s gaze did not waver. Beside her, Anthony set his cup down with quiet care, his shoulders stiffening as he watched Skye. “I know more than you think, including why he called off the wedding after learning two of your children were not his.”

Skye’s mouth tightened, and she leaned back as though Kathy’s words had struck too close. Her gaze darted toward Anthony before settling on Kathy again, sharp and accusing. “You act so righteous, yet you took in your husband’s ex-girlfriend’s baby and raised her as your own. You are no different from me.”

Anthony’s jaw tightened, and one hand curled around his cup, but he stayed silent, letting Kathy answer for herself. “That is where you are wrong, Skye,” Kathy said. “I chose to raise that little girl as my own, with my husband, my sons, and my family beside me. You left your children behind just to come after me.”

“You’re also angry because our father left your mother and never cared for her when she was ill,” Kathy said. “Now that she’s gone, what will you do?”

When the soup was ready, Kathy ladled it into a bowl, took a spoon from the drawer, and placed both in front of Anthony.

“Who told you my mother died?” Skye asked.

“My mother and I saw Grace when she was dying,” Skye replied.

“She didn’t die,” Kathy said. “She was cured, and now she has a family of her own to care for. I’ll give you one final warning: go home and never come here looking for me or causing trouble again. If you do, you may end up somewhere you won’t like.”

Anthony’s spoon paused halfway to his mouth. Slowly, he lowered it back into the bowl, his gaze fixing on Skye with a quiet warning of his own. He said nothing, but the stiffness in his shoulders made it clear he was ready to step between them if she pushed Kathy any further.

Kathy noticed the change in him without turning her head. Her hand moved lightly to Anthony’s wrist, not to stop him, but to remind him she was still in control. “It’s all right,” she murmured, her eyes remaining on Skye. “She heard me.”

“You carry yourself as if you have royal blood,” Skye said. “But all you have is this small house and a husband to take care of you.”

Kathy’s smile sharpened, though her voice stayed calm. “Let me tell you a little secret, Skye. I belong to three royal families, and this house is not all I have—it is where I choose to live. I am close to my mother’s family, close to my husband’s family, and never as alone as you want to believe.” Her gaze hardened. “I tried being kind, but you mistook kindness for weakness. That ends now. You are not welcome in my home, and you will never show your face here again.”

Skye’s smug expression faltered. The color drained from her face as Kathy’s eyes shifted to a vivid purple, and she pushed herself back from the chair so quickly it scraped against the floor. Her breath hitched as she turned toward the door, but before she could run, Kathy leaned in close enough for Skye to feel the heat of her words.

Kathy’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “I am not the frightened girl you used to bully, Skye. Remember that before you ever think of coming near my family again.”

Then Kathy straightened, opened the front door, and stepped aside with one hand on the handle. She did not raise her voice or touch Skye; she did not need to. Skye stood frozen for a moment, her pride warring with the fear tightening in her chest. Her lips parted as if she wanted to throw back one last insult, but no words came. Under Kathy’s unblinking purple gaze, Skye’s confidence finally fractured. She stumbled toward the waiting car, her footsteps uneven and her hands shaking as she fumbled with the door. Only when she was inside and the car pulled away did Kathy release her grip on the handle.

“Make sure she gets on that plane,” Kathy said.

“Yes, my lady,” her spy replied.

“Do not let her stop along the way,” Kathy added, her voice low. “If she tries to contact anyone or turn back, I want to know before she takes a second step.”

The spy inclined his head. “And if she refuses?”

Kathy’s gaze remained on the road where Skye’s car had vanished. “Then remind her that my patience ended at the door.”

Let her hate me from a distance, Kathy thought, her fingers still resting against the doorframe. As long as she is far from Anthony, far from the children, and far from this house. She did not enjoy sending Skye away under watch, but mercy had already been offered and thrown back at her feet.

The spy’s expression did not change, but his posture straightened at the edge in her voice. Whatever answer he might have expected, it was clear he understood the command for what it was. “Understood, my lady,” he said, his tone steady. “She will not slip from my sight.”

Kathy returned inside, the soft click of the door muffling the sounds of Anthony still slurping his soup.