~ Chapter Twenty-Eight - Part 1 ~

Katalina woke up the next morning wrapped in Damien’s arms. She let out a small moan of pain as the wounds on her back throbbed slightly in pain as she turned around to face Damien.
Damien shot up and looked down at her. “Are you okay, little dove?” He asked in a panic.
Katalina nodded with a small smile. “It’s just my back, love,” she whispered as she sat up.
Damien carefully lifted her nightgown and sighed heavily. “Your back is still not fully healed, dove,” he whispered.
Katalina rubbed her face as heavy exhaustion practically weighed her down. “It’s okay. It’ll heal eventually,” she slowly got out of bed and moved her hair out of her face. “I need to start my light workouts today and practice my new magic some more.”
Damien moved to stand in front of her and gently took her hands in his. He helped her to her feet and pressed a light kiss to her nose. “Please make sure that you eat today. It’s not good for you or the babies if you don’t eat,” he said softly.
Katalina smiled in adoration. “I promise that I will eat. I’ll eat after our light workout, and I’ll make sure to take a break later and eat.”
Damien gave her a nod. “Let’s get our day started then, little dove,” he said as he playfully tugged her toward the bathroom.
Katalina giggled as he closed the door behind them.
They took a quick bath because of the wounds on Katalina’s back before rewrapping them and getting dressed for the day. Once they had finished with their morning routines, they went to the gym and started with their light workout. It consisted of practicing with daggers and her bow and then yoga at the end. Damien didn’t want her to do anything that may put stress on the twins.
When they were done, they went to the kitchen so they could eat.
Damien made Katalina sit down and was quick as he made them a light breakfast. As they started eating, Damien kept his eyes glued on Katalina, which caused her to laugh as she finished swallowing the bite of food in her mouth. “Are you going to watch me the entire time I eat?” She asked playfully.
Damien nodded. “Yes,” he said. “I want to ensure that you eat everything on your plate.”
Katalina rolled her eyes. “You know I will. You don’t have to watch me.”
“You didn’t eat yesterday,” he said with narrowed eyes.
Katalina laughed. “That wasn’t me not eating everything on my plate. That was me getting so into training that I forgot to eat.”
Damien scoffed. “You still didn’t eat, and that’s the point.”
Katalina rolled her eyes but went quiet as they finished eating their breakfast.
As they finished the dishes, Benjamin and Axel walked into the room. “Ready to do some more training on your new magic?” Benjamin asked.
“Yes,” she said, turning to him with a bright smile.
Damien pulled her into his arms and pressed a loving kiss to her lips. “Please be careful, dove,” he whispered. “Don’t overwork yourself, and make sure you come back for lunch.”
Katalina smiled lovingly. “I promise we will be back for lunch. I won’t overwork myself either.”
Damien nodded with relief and gratitude in his eyes. “I love you,” he whispered against her lips.
Katalina didn’t know if it was possible, but she felt her smile would split her cheeks. “I love you too, my beloved.”
Damien kissed her lips once more before nudging her toward Benjamin and Axel. “Off you go then, dove. I’ll see you for lunch.”
Katalina blew him one last kiss as she took Benjamin’s hand. “See you in a bit, love.”
Benjamin teleported the three to the dimension they had used the day before to practice her new magic.
Damien sighed as he watched Katalina disappear with Benjamin and Axel. He knew that they would keep her safe no matter what, but he still worried. Especially now that she was pregnant with their twins. It was nerve-wracking, but he loved it. He couldn’t wait for them to be born.
Damien went to his office and called Sebastian in. After Sebastian sat across from him, Damien didn’t waste any time getting to business. “Where are we with the protective measures on the territories?”
Sebastian ran a hand through his hair a couple of times. “Well, with Daedalus on our side, we’ve managed to secure all three of our territories. Dwarves inhabit the fourth territory on our other side. And a lot of them. We tried to negotiate, but they will only talk to Katalina.”
Damien groaned. “Great,” he sighed as he scrubbed a hand over his face. “Okay. We’ll cut her training short today. When she comes back for lunch, I’ll tell her,” he shook his head as he leaned back in his chair. “She’s not going to be happy about it.”
Sebastian chuckled. “Good luck with that.”
Damien rolled his eyes. “How are we doing with the houses we’ve been building?” He questioned.
Sebastian nodded. “Houses are coming along just fine, but we’re having some issues with the bigger houses. We’re strong, but those are some big ass houses.”
Damien cleared his throat as he leaned forward in his chair. “Have we heard anything from the vampires yet?” He demanded.
“Yeah,” Sebastian clicked his throat. “They arrived about two days ago. As you were busy with Katalina, Ryan volunteered to host the vampires until she felt up to talking to other people,” he explained.
Damien exhaled as he picked up his office phone. He dialed Ryan’s number and sat back while he waited for an answer.
“Hello, this is Alpha Ryan.”
“Hey, Ryan,” Damien said. “I’m calling for a couple of reasons.”
“Is she back?” Ryan demanded hopefully.
“Yes, she’s back,” Damien said with a small smile. “She’s healthy and safe now.”
Ryan let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank the gods. We have been so worried. Evelyn has been so bad she’s barely let go of Mason.”
Damien chuckled. “I want you guys to come down here with the vampires. Unfortunately, Katalina has to go and talk with the dwarves inhabiting the territory on our other side, but we should be back by the time you guys get here.”
“Alright. We’ll get ready and be there as soon as we can.”
Damien cleared his throat. “There’s one more thing you guys should know,” he said with a slight smile.
“What is it?” Ryan questioned. “Please tell me it’s not a bad thing.”
Damien chuckled. “It’s a good thing,” he laughed in pure joy. “Katalina’s pregnant with twins.”
There was nothing but stunned silence on the other end of the phone. “Are you serious?” Ryan asked softly.
Damien laughed again. “Yes. She found out right before Atlas took her.”
Ryan couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped. “Oh, this is amazing news. She’s going to be such a wonderful mother. Evelyn is going to be so excited.”
Damien grinned. “Katalina would love to have you guys here for support.”
Ryan nodded even though Damien couldn’t see him. “Yes. We’ll be leaving soon. The vampires shouldn’t take too long to get ready. We’ll see you guys soon.”
“See you soon.”