A Few Hours Later
"Do you think Knight knows she's working with the Bishop?" Mia asked as she lazily spread butter over her toast. The others shook their heads.
Melody tapped her fingers rhythmically against the counter. "I knew something was off with that chick. But I didn't think she'd be working for him."
Cady shook her head. "We need to do something now that we know her plan."
Mia and Joy nodded in agreement. "Exactly. We'll tell Knight and see what he says," Joy said, eyes lighting up. "Honestly, I'm craving some action."
As the conversation continued, Katherine rushed into the kitchen, practically vibrating with excitement. She ran straight to Cady, her mouth open but no words coming out.
Melody raised a brow. "Will you just spit it out?"
Katherine took a shaky breath. "There's someone here to see you, Cady."
"Huh?" Cady looked up, glancing toward the doorway Katherine pointed at—but it was empty. "What are you talking about, Kat?"
The girls exchanged curious looks. Then, someone stepped around the corner.
She wore a scarf wrapped tight around her head, big red sunglasses covering most of her face. Everyone tensed, dropping into defense mode on instinct.
But Cady's eyes widened like she'd seen a ghost. She jumped off the stool so fast it toppled over with a loud clang.
The woman smirked.
"Nice to see you, darl—"
She didn't get to finish.
Cady launched herself forward, grabbing the woman's face in both hands, scarf be damned, and crashed their mouths together like she was starving—and this kiss was her only meal.
Their lips met in a chaotic blur of heat, hunger, and desperation. The woman let out a low hum, smirking even as she kissed back with the intensity of someone who'd waited years for this.
Cady yanked off the scarf, exposing those glossy black curls unmistakable to everyone in the room.
Gasps echoed behind them.
"Holy sh*t," Mia whispered, butter knife still frozen mid-air.
Melody's jaw dropped. "Is that..."
Katherine finished it for her. "Zarina."
Joy grinned. "Wifey came to visit."
But neither of them cared that the others were watching. Cady shoved Zarina back against the wall, lips still locked, hands roaming, bodies pressed flush. Zarina let out a low, muffled laugh. Cady bit her bottom lip in reply, tugging it between her teeth.
Zarina groaned, yanking Cady even closer, grinding their hips together. Cady let out a noise—half growl, half whimper—as her fingers dug into Zarina's back.
The stool still lay on the floor, completely forgotten.
Their kiss deepened—messy, raw, possessive. Cady bit her again, drawing another breathy moan. Zarina's hands slid up beneath Cady's outfit, dragging over skin like she had to memorize every inch all over again.
"You still kiss like a hurricane," Zarina murmured breathlessly.
"And you still talk too much," Cady growled before pulling her back in.
It wasn't gentle. It wasn't polite. It was feral—like two souls crashing back into each other in a blaze of heat and history.
Melody blinked. "I did not wake up expecting this today."
"Nope," Mia muttered. "And I'm… not mad about it."
The girls stood frozen in place, unsure if they should leave… or grab popcorn.
Later...
Zarina sighed, lips red and bitten, a smug smile playing across her face. Cady stood beside her, arms looped possessively around her waist, eyes refusing to look away.
"I've missed you all," Zarina said, glancing at the others. "And I'm surprised Knight gave you this mission."
Melody rolled her eyes. "Mission? This is just boredom dressed up in laundry and mopping."
"It's not that bad," Mia said. "Knight stationed us here for a reason. And I think we found it."
Zarina tilted her head, intrigued. "Okay, spill. I want to hear everything. Knight's full of surprises."
Joy leaned in with a whisper. "It's about the Bishop. We think—"
"Nope!" Cady interrupted, holding up a hand. "Y'all are not stealing the little time I have with her to talk about missions."
Zarina laughed, and the others groaned.
"That's not fair," Katherine whined.
Zarina reached over and ruffled Katherine's hair, making her blush like a tomato.
Cady narrowed her eyes. "It is fair. She's my wife."
And then Cady turned Zarina around and guided her toward the door. Zarina just smiled, shaking her head at the others like "what can you do?" before they disappeared down the hallway.
The moment they were out of earshot, Katherine turned to the girls. "Do you think they're going to have sex?"
Mia froze mid-bite, her toast halfway to her mouth. "What kind of question is that?"
Katherine shrugged, cheeks flushing pink. "I'm just curious... and I wonder what Zarina looks like, you know, under all that tough girl energy."
Melody groaned. "No, no, no. We are not going down that road again. I thought you were done with this silly crush you have on someone else's wife."
Kat's expression fell, lips forming a little pout. "I know. I'm just wondering…"
Joy shook her head with a chuckle. "Do not wonder, love. Do not wonder."
She grabbed Katherine's hand and tugged her toward the door. "Come on, we've got to get to the Academy—or Fang—and tell them what we found."
The rest of the girls followed, filing out of the kitchen, still whispering and shaking their heads at Kat's hopeless crush.
Meanwhile…
Just outside the kitchen window, Amaya—the gardener's daughter—slowly stood from where she'd been crouched, spying. A sly smile crept across her face. She pulled out her phone and dialed quickly.
It rang once. No answer.
She frowned.
It rang again. Still no answer. That was... unlike her.
She tried a third time. It rang... and rang... and then finally, someone picked up.
Amaya didn't wait. She rushed out, whispering into the receiver, "I have new information for you."
But the voice that answered wasn't Monica Caldwell's.
A different, unfamiliar voice spoke instead—cool and calm. "Tell me about it."