Chapter Seventeen
They spoke for a few minutes until Catherine declared she was tired. Matthew urged her to rest, so she closed her eyes and lay back on the bed. She was asleep in minutes.
The slamming of the door jolted her out of her dreamless sleep.
"What did you do to my sister?" Christina stormed in, her stiletto heels clicking angrily on the tile floor. She stomped over to Matthew, who was sitting in the armchair next to the bed. "You!" she hissed. "What are you doing in here? And what happened to Cristos? He was supposed to be watching the door until I got here."
“Christina!” Catherine admonished.
"I—Catherine?" She whipped around. "You're awake!" Christina scrambled over to her side and drew her into a hug. "I—sorry!" She let go when Catherine winced. "But … how are you feeling? Are you recovered? When did you wake up?"
Catherine looked at her sister’s worried face, and she felt her mouth widen into a smile involuntarily. Had it been a year since she’d seen her twin? They’d never been separated for so long; they’d even shared a womb, after all. If she was honest with herself, not seeing Christina had been the worst part of her exile. “I’ve missed you so much, Chrissy,” she said, her voice shaking.
Christina's jaw dropped, and her eyes were shiny with tears. "I've missed you, too." They embraced again, and when they pulled away, both their cheeks were wet. "I'm here to take you home. I—"
“No,” Matthew growled from behind them. “She’s not going anywhere.”
“She’s my sister,” Christina said. “I have every right to take her home.”
“And I’m her mate.”
Christina's eyes grew as large as saucers. "Catherine? Is this true? Are you mated to this dragon?"
“Yes,” she answered, looking at Matthew with warm eyes. “I am.”
Christina brows drew together in confusion. “I don’t understand.”
“I love him, Christina,” she said. “Don’t you believe me?”
“I do,” she answered with a shrug. “I just didn’t think … I thought you wanted to get away from shifters and that life.”
Catherine laughed. "Believe me; I know the irony." She reached out and took her sister's hand. "But it just happened. Call it fate, something that brought me to this place and to my mate. I'm staying in Blackstone."
“Go ahead and tell your father,” Matthew added. “I will fight him with every last bone in my body if I have to.”
"Papa would never …" She turned to Catherine. "He's changed. I swear to you. He said those things to you in anger. But he realized he was wrong, and he's been trying to make amends."
“Does he know where I am? That I went to L.A.?”
Christina shook her head. “I didn’t tell him anything, but I think he suspected I knew. He didn’t try to pry it out of me, though. He loves you and misses you. And he doesn’t want to marry you off.”
“How can I be sure?” Catherine asked.
“You can ask him yourself,” a low, masculine voice said.
Catherine’s head turned to the doorway. “P-P-Papa?”
Aristotle Stavros’ imposing figure filled the doorway. He was just as she’d remembered—tall and dark, though his hair had turned silvery white over the years. His face, though weathered, was still handsome, and it was easy to understand how her Mama had fallen in love with him. However, there was something in his eyes that seemed tired.
“Katerina,” he said softly as he walked toward her. “I … I’m so happy to see you are alive.”
"I had to tell him," Christina said. "I'm sorry. I thought you were dying. I snuck off with the jet, and when he called me, I had to let him know."
“I’m sorry, Katerina,” Ari said. “For pushing you away. I wasn’t going to marry you off like chattel. You are my daughter.”
“Papa …” Tears burned behind her eyes. The memories—the good ones—came back. Like when he taught her and Christina how to swim in the brilliant blue Mediterranean Sea. Or when she broke her leg playing on the craggy rocks behind their villa, and he heard her cries, found her, then carried her all the way back inside. This man had loved her mother so much, had loved her and Christina, even though they weren’t his biological children. “I missed you. But I’m not sorry I ran away.”
His head hung low. “It seems the more I try to hold on to something I love, the more it wants to get away.”
“I just wanted to be normal and free, Papa,” she said. “I didn’t want to be free of you.” She opened her arms, and he eagerly accepted her embrace.
“Papa has been trying to make amends,” Christina added. “He even let Cordelia leave Lykos. She’s in a boarding school in England, just like Mama wanted.”
“She is?” Catherine asked.
Ari nodded. “I miss her so, but she’s loving it there. We talk every day. It’s a special boarding school for shifters.”
“She’s getting to be very proficient in languages,” Christina said proudly. “She already spoke Greek, English, French, and German when she enrolled, but she’s taking extra classes in Japanese and Italian this year.”
“Wow, I can’t believe …” She was happy for Cordy. She was a bright child, though very sheltered. And she missed her youngest sister so much.
Ari turned to Matthew, his expression serious. “So, you are my daughter’s mate.”
"I am," Matthew answered. His silvery eyes remained hard. "She will stay here, and I will protect her forever. If she chooses."
Catherine gave him a warm smile. “Of course, I choose you.”
Ari’s face turned crestfallen, but he managed a sad smile. “I was hoping to have my little girl back, but I suppose I can’t stop fate.”
“Papa,” Catherine said, placing an arm on his hand. “I’ll always be your daughter.”
“I know, but …” He turned back to Matthew. “Blackstone Dragon, I entrust you with one of my greatest treasures. I implore you to keep her safe and happy.”
“I will, Alpha,” he said with a nod. “Thank you for your trust and your treasure.”
“Hey, Matthew, you seal the deal yet?”
Matthew, Catherine, Christina, and Ari’s heads all turned to the doorway as Jason casually strolled into the room, hands in his pockets.
“You.” Christina’s eyes turned into narrow slits. “What are you doing here? I told you I never wanted to see you again.”
“Aww, babe, are you still embarrassed about this morning?” Jason asked with a cheeky grin. “I told you, a little drool between friends is nothing to be worried about.”
Christina’s face turned red. “I am not your friend.”
Catherine frowned. “What the hell happened?”
Her twin’s hands rolled into fists at her side. “This … vlaca … came to my hotel and pretended to be my driver. I told him I wanted to come to the hospital, then he got us lost.” She let out a frustrated cry. “And then … his truck stalled and we were stuck all night on the side of the road. In the cold.”
Jason snorted. “It was for a good cause. All’s well that ends well and all that shit, right?”
Catherine laughed. “Jason Lennox pretended to be a driver?”
“He … Jason Lennox?” Christina looked at Jason and then at Matthew and narrowed her eyes. “Are you distant cousins or something?”
Matthew’s eyes grew wide, and Jason began shaking his head, drawing his fingers across his neck in a slicing motion.
They sure were acting weird, Catherine thought. “Yeah, they’re twins,” Catherine explained. “At least that’s what they keep telling me.” She still couldn’t understand how anyone would mistake Matthew and Jason for twins.
"Twins?" Christina said. "But they look nothing … hold on." She stomped over to Jason and poked a finger in his chest. "If you're brothers, that means you're a dragon, too."
“Uh-huh.”
“Asshole!" She swatted him in the chest. "You could have built a fire. Hell, you could have flown us back here!"
"I could have," Jason said, wrapping a hand around her wrist and gently pulling it away. "But where's the fun in that?"
“Arrgghhhh! I’m going to call Cordelia and our brothers,” she said as she marched out of the room.
“Excuse me,” Ari said as he nodded to Matthew and Catherine. “I should go check on my daughter. She’s got a nasty temper.” Ari hugged Catherine, promising that he was going to stay a few days, and then shook hands with Matthew before he left.
She turned to Matthew. "What's going on?"
He had a big grin on his face, which was directed at Jason. "Did I ever tell you this saying my mother had about twins in her family?"
She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t think so.”
“Right. Well—”
"Don't," Jason said, his eyes going stormy. "Please don't."
Matthew laughed and continued anyway. “According to the legend, ‘the one who knows you from your twin is your soulmate.' We never knew what that meant until you came and could clearly tell us apart."
“What?” Catherine said, her voice raising. “So … you really are identical twins? Everyone else thinks you look alike?”
Matthew nodded. “Everyone except you. And, now, your sister.”
Catherine’s jaw dropped. “Does that mean …”
“It’s a stupid legend,” Jason said with a growl. “I’m sure it’s because you two are twins. You share the same DNA, so she can see what you see, too. That’s all.”
“My dragon knows Christina isn’t my mate, though,” Matthew added. “What does yours say?”
Jason kicked one of the chairs in the corner. “Whatever. Glad you guys sorted it out. I’m out of here.” He gave them a wave goodbye and left the room.
Matthew watched his twin’s retreating back. “Hmmm, well this is definitely interesting.”
"Christina and Jason?" She shook her head. "I can't think of two people more ill-suited for each other."
"Well, I didn't ever think I would find a mate," Matthew said, drawing her close to his side. "But here I am."
Catherine laughed. “Yes, and here I am.” She looked up at him, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest with happiness. “And here I’ll stay.”