Page 4 of Cursed Beasts

He came while looking at me, and that just made me feel even dirtier. Tears sprang into my eyes, wondering how the hell I ended up in this marriage to this fucking disgusting man.

2

KATARINA

Iturned away from him, ready to take a bath so I could wash off this disgusting feeling I had. I felt dirty by association.

“Next time you talk to me like that, remember, I fucking own you.” He grabbed my arm, jerked me back, and grabbed my chin so hard it made my lips pucker. “If you had just done your fucking job and popped out babies, it wouldn’t be like this.”

“I like how you think it’s only my fault we haven’t had kids.” My anger spoke for me.

I didn’t expect the slap until I stumbled back into the wall, tasting blood in my mouth. He moved to grab me again before his mistress said something to him, giving me a chance to get my shit together and leave. He turned to her as I grabbed my stuff. I turned to walk out the door as she and I caught each other’s eyes and for a moment I was grateful for her.

As I left the room, I heard him yell something, making me jog away from the room, feeling even more like a fucking idiot. Sometimes I’m too hot headed for my own good. I should have just taken Gerard’s advice.

My heart was pounding as I walked to the library on the other side of the house. I immediately headed straight for the egg-chair swing I had installed in a corner towards the back of the second room. I put my stuff on the table before I sat down in the chair, realizing that I was shaking a bit.

The library had always given me a sense of calm and safety when I was in it. It had always felt like I was protected here, especially when my grandmother was alive. She was the one who nurtured my love for books, stories and all the knowledge the library offered. It wasn’t official, but I was essentially a librarian: organizing, cataloging and keeping our spell books current.

The need to cry overwhelmed me again, making me purse my lips, flinching at the pain I felt. I ran my tongue over my bottom lip, the soft sting making me realize he left me with a split lip. He was getting gutsier the longer I went without getting pregnant.

“I figured I would bring a snack just in case.” The voice made me flinch, but I knew it was just Gerard.

“Thank you,” I said, keeping my gaze down.

“I’ll make sure he gets a special meal tonight, Katarina.” The venom in his voice made me look up at him. He looked pissed.

“I appreciate it, Gerard.” I tried to give him a smile, but I knew I had failed miserably.

“I’ll have dinner brought to you here,” Gerard said, about to leave.

“You know my father won't allow it, he likes for all of us to be together even though I’m sure he hates all of us.” I laughed, hoping to lighten the situation.

“Katarina, we could always say you are sick.”

“I’ll be fine, Gerard.,” I gave him a smile that I reserved just for him and his kindness.

“I’ll see you for dinner,” he nodded, leaving me alone.

I took a deep breath, calming myself. I had a lot of work to do. It was better I get ahead than sit here worrying about my vile husband, who I desperately wish I could make disappear.

Once I immersed myself into work, it was easy to forget about Caston. I looked through inquiries about hiring us for our services, filtering out one I thought could be a potential client.

One man in Denver needed our help with the reversal of a love spell gone wrong. He was willing to pay an exorbitant amount of money, requiring our help immediately. Sometimes love spells were tricky, depending on how the spell had been created. Sometimes the easy spells were always the hardest since they did not give it structure and the magic did whatever it wanted.

“Maybe we could see Addie,” I muttered to myself.

We needed to replenish some supplies that only she could get for us. Like a vial of Oria. I could also get a haircut with Lola. My hair desperately needed a cut. I inspected my ends; they were really dry and my hair was way too long. It had been a while since I had seen her. I wondered if she still liked her client.

I checked our calendar to see if we had time in the next few weeks to take a trip to Denver. Our coven was nestled in the mountains of Colorado. It was only a three-hour drive, so we could easily make it an overnight trip. I found a weekend we could go up there and possibly stay two nights, so we weren’t rushed.

I made a few notes to call up the dude with the love spell to get more info, talk to Addie, and schedule my hair appointment. When I had finished sorting our inquiries, dinner would be ready in fifteen minutes, giving me just enough time to use the powder bath we had here and head down.

Father liked for us to dress up for dinner, but today he was just going to have to suck it and deal with my jeans and blouse. The top was nice enough; I hoped he wouldn’t notice.

The closer I walked to the dining room, the louder the commotion became, putting a smile on my face. I loved my nieces and nephews dearly, making me silently sad that I hadn’t had any of my own. Even though I think it was a miracle from the goddess that I hadn’t been tied to Caston anymore.

Once I crossed the threshold into the dining room, my youngest niece ran up to me.

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