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ChapterFortyWe have been waiting at the meeting place for over
an hour. The later Andrei becomes, the more anxious I am. Also, I don't really
care for this place after going into heat here last time.“Where is he?” I
snap, pacing the hallway for the hundredth time.“Kat, he will show.
I spoke to him this morning,” Ezra tries to reassure me from where he is
sitting at the table.I stop pacing,
facing Ezra and mutter under my breath. “And he said he would be here an hour
ago, Ezra,” I argue.Mateo pulls a chair
out beside him. “Just sit down. You are making me dizzy with all your pacing.
He will get here when he gets here,” Mateo tries to calm me.What if he killed
him? Or what if they had an accident? God only knows because he hasn’t messaged
or sent word of anything to us. Pacing over to the table, I snatch up Ezra’s
phone, going through his contacts when it is yanked from my hands.I reach for it, but
Ezra pulls it away. “What are you doing?” Ezra demands with a sigh.“Ringing him,” I
stress, plucking the phone from his fingers, only for it to be snatched from me
again.“I already spoke to
him. Sit down,” Ezra orders, pointing to the chair.I roll my eyes at
him and resume my pacing. This is ridiculous, he's the one that wanted us to
meet him here, and he couldn’t even show up on time!“Kat, sit down, or I
will take you home and leave your father with Andrei,” Ezra warns me, and I
pause, looking at him.“I am not going
anywhere until I get my father back,” I reply coldly. Mateo sighs, making my
eyes dart to him. “What?” I snarl.Mateo runs his
fingers through his hair. “You are being a bitch,” Mateo scolds.“I am not! He set
the time and the place and can’t even be bothered to show up on time? Don’t
call me a bitch when he is now over an hour late!” I growl at both of them.Ezra exhales loudly.
“Sit down,” Ezra orders.Yet the more they
speak, the angrier I get. I can’t understand my abrupt fury towards them, it
seems extreme even for me, yet I can’t help the anger spewing out of me like
word vomit. “You fucking sit down or leave, and I will deal with Andrei
myself,” I tell him, and he growls at me.“You are really
getting on my nerves, Kat. Sit down, or I will fucking make you. You have been
a fucking brat for the last few days, and I am sick and tired of your fucking
tantrums when things don’t go your way, so sit the fuck down!” Ezra yells at
me.My entire body is
hot, my blood is boiling, sizzling even, making me angrier, and the rage inside
me grows as it has the last few days threatening to bubble over at any minute.
I can’t explain it or control it. “Go fuck yourself. I am sick and tired of you
ordering me around like some fucking lapdog, Ezra.” As soon as the words leave
my lips, I realize I have gone too far when he stands up.His eyes flicker,
Maddox comes to the surface, and I blink before finding him in front of me.
Ezra is fighting for control, and he reigns him in, but I find a pissed-off
Ezra more concerning because he is usually calm. Still, I soon realize I have
pushed him over the edge when he grabs me and shoves me into the chair, his
fist coming down on the table next to me, making me jump before I glare at him.
“Say it again, Kat, I am fucking warning you. Shut your goddamn mouth.”The words leave my
lips before I can once again control my vengeful tongue. “Go fuck yourself,” I
spit at him when he throws me on top of the table.My back slams into
it so hard it knocks the air out of my lungs. His entire body trembles as he
leans over me. Mateo jumps to his feet, eyes darting from one to the other of
us, his loyalty torn.I start laughing.
“You won’t hurt me,” I taunt.“Don’t tempt me. If
you were anyone else, you would be dead by now,” he says, so calmly it sends
chills down my spine.“And there is my
Gemini,'' Andrei’s deep voice greets.Ezra lets me go, and
I sit up, spotting Andrei standing in the hallway, not having heard him pull
in. Instead, he has a smug smile on his lips, like he just walked in on the
most entertaining thing he has ever witnessed.“How did I know
showing up late would tick her off?” He chuckles, and I lunge at him.Ezra’s arm wraps
around my waist before he tosses me into the chair. “Sit down, move once more,
Kat, and so help me God, I'll fucking beat your ass,” Ezra threatens me while I
glare at Andrei.“I might actually be
scared by the look she is giving me if she weren't so small,” Andrei taunts,
and I get up again, only this time for Mateo to grab me. I want to hurt him, to
smack the living daylights out of him.“Stop taunting her,
Andrei,” Ezra warns while I struggle against Mateo’s vice-like grip.“If you can’t
control your mate, Ezra, feel free to hand her over. I will gladly take her off
your hands,” Andrei offers.“I can handle her
just fine, Andrei. Now where is Derrick?”“Close, but I am not
handing him over till I get reassurance first,” Andrei tuts, taking his jacket
off and lounging in a chair across the other side of the table. Mateo sits
down, pulling me with him. Andrei smiles at me, his eyes not leaving mine. He cocks
his head to the side, watching me before his eyes flicker, his wolf coming
forward for a second. “So, how have things been at home?” He questions, looking
at Ezra and then Mateo.“We aren’t here for
small talk, Andrei. What do you want?” Ezra huffs, clearly not willing to go
with Andrei's flow.“Well, that is where
you are wrong, Ezra. I came to chat and check on Kat,” he says with a smile.I growl under my
breath at this maniac's power trip and push off Mateo’s knees, only for him to
yank me down again. “Sit still, stop. What has gotten into you?” Mateo
whispers.“Quite the temper
she has there. Must be fun living with her,” Andrei muses with a chuckle. It
only serves to fuel my simmering rage.“Andrei, stop. Just
tell me what you want, please, so I can get my mate home,” Ezra demands,
sitting in the chair next to Mateo and me.“Fine, I want her
venom,” Andrei replies calmly.“You want what?”
Ezra repeats. His brows furrow as if he's trying to determine if Andrei is
making a joke.“Her venom,"
Andrei stresses. "See, Gemini wolves have venom like a snake, and when
provoked, they bite, and that bite is lethal. You want your father back, Kat? I
want two things, your venom, and I want Jackson,” Andrei smirks, folding his
arms across his chest.“Why do you want her
venom?” Ezra asks.“That is none of
your business, but I want it.” Andrei declares before looking back at me. He
smiles while I glare at him. “How’s your wolf?”“You said you could
help,” Ezra said, cutting me off before I could tear out his throat. I stare at
Ezra, biting my lip to stop myself from saying something I will regret.“That’s right. I
can. I even want to. Got a bit of a soft spot for Kat, seeing as she is my baby
sister,” Andrei announces, making my head whip to him.“Pardon?” I gasp.“Ask your father
when you see him. He will explain. Ask him who Anthony is,” Andrei suggests,
smiling brightly.“We are not
related,” I debate, shaking my head. He is Ezra’s age, maybe older, there is no
way I am related to him, we don’t even look alike.“As I said, ask your
father when I hand him back, but I can assure you, Kat, you are my little
sister, well half-sister, but family all the same,” he comments with a shrug.Ezra sits back in
his chair, thinking. “So this help. What are you offering, exactly?”“Well, for starters,
I can tell you why she is so irritable, short, and wicked, if you like?” Andrei
nods to me, and my body trembles. All I want to do is throw myself at him and
scratch out his eyes. Ezra nods, telling him to go on. “She needs to shift. Her
temper will only get worse until she does. You get her to shift, I get my
venom, you get daddy dearest back, and everyone is happy."“I can’t shift. Kora
is gone,” I snarl, becoming annoyed at being reminded of it.“You are a Gemini
wolf. Wolf, Kat, you can shift. You just need to learn how. Kora may be dead
now, but you don’t need her. You don't need a wolf to shift. You are the wolf,
and you won't have venom until you shift. I need you to shift, so I will come
over every day until you do. So does 7AM tomorrow work for you?” He asks,
glancing over me and looking at Ezra.“What do you mean
Kora is dead?” Mateo asks with a scowl.“For Kat to break
the curse, she had to die. To be brought back Kora gave her life for Kat and
merged with her, absorbed her life force, so Kora is no more, '' Andrei
explains.Ezra growls, but I
know it is Maddox and not him. Ezra shakes his head before turning to Andrei.
“You want to come to our house?” Ezra questions, and Andrei nods. “Fine, but
don’t be late, for God's sake. I will tell my men to let you pass the border.”“I am not working
with him,” I object.“You are, and you
will be. End of the argument,” Ezra orders. I open my mouth to retort when Ezra
glares at me. “Enough, I will deal with you when we get home, sit there and be
quiet,” Ezra warns, and I sigh.“So everyone is on
the same page?” Andrei asks.“Wait, when do I get
my dad back?” I demand, ignoring Ezra. It's why I came here, and I am not just
going to walk off without an answer.“Once you shift,
you'll get him. I will go home and prepare, and I will see you tomorrow
morning, hopefully in a better mood,” Andrei chuckles while getting up from his
seat.“What? No!” Panic
flares in me. I don't want to lose the only parent I have left.“Put her in the car,
Mateo, fucking tie her up if you have to,” Ezra snaps at him. Andrei chuckles,
only irritating me more when Mateo tosses me over his shoulder, striding
outside and throwing the car door open. He heaves me into the back of the car.“Enough,” he growls
when I try to get back out to demand my father back. Mateo slides in beside me
before yanking my seatbelt across me and buckling me in. “Kat, if you don’t
stop, Ezra will snap. Just sit still and stop provoking him more,” Mateo warns me,
gripping my hands as I try to undo the seatbelt.Andrei stalks out
with Ezra, and the two share words before Andrei leaves. Ezra walks over to the
car, yanking and opening the back door. “You drive. I will deal with her,” Ezra
orders him, and Mateo hops out as Ezra takes his spot beside me.