Femme Fatale: The King's Deadly Temptress

Katherine looked away, not wanting to see Damien in the eye. Her arms went around her stomach, finding it comforting as if she was holding herself together.

Of course, he had her followed. Of course, he already knew what she was doing without her knowing that he already did. He was Damien Park, for Christ's sake! 

She disappeared several times in the past, and he admitted to having searched for her everywhere, had her investigated and all that. And when she appeared in front of him after five years of not seeing each other, he had her investigated too. He was always looking for her. Damien was protective, and she understood that. During the times when Shadow was onto her, he'd used his security to keep an eye on her. And she allowed that—only because they agreed to it.

But now that he kept reminding her that Shadow was over, that Parker was already caught, why was he still being like this? The thought of someone spying on her all the time just felt wrong to her. No wonder she felt uncomfortable the whole time she was out.

"I'm going to stop you two for a second," Jeffrey interrupted, seeing as they were about to argue, and then he faced Katherine. "Kath, please calm down. I'm just trying to help. As per the results I see in your exams, they're all clear. It means that you don't have any physical illnesses that need to be treated. And your MRI came back good as well. Apart from the fact that you are claustrophobic—like you said, you had a pretty bad experience many years ago—you're healthy. So, the only reason that could cause your tremors would have something to do with your psychological well-being.

"I would recommend seeing a therapist. Talking about it and knowing what you can do to stop the tremors would definitely do you good. I can help you set up an appointment with a doctor I personally know. But if you know someone whom you think you'd be comfortable with, then—"

"Thanks for your time, Jeff." Katherine got to her feet. "If you have anything else to discuss regarding my results, you can call me." Then she headed towards the door.

Damien let out a sigh as he got up as well. He gave his friend a quick nod and heard him utter a 'sorry', then he followed her out. His chest felt heavy, and so did his steps. They didn't talk all the way back to her room. The elevator was full when they got in, but he was thankful that she allowed him to place his hand on the small of her back even though she didn't talk to him at all. He hated her silent treatment.

As soon as they reached the room, he called her, "Katherine, let's talk."

She reached the foot of the bed before whirling around to face him. She was slightly dizzy, causing her to clutch the bed's frame next to her. "How could you do this, Damien?"

"Do what? Protect you?"

"Protect me?" She pointed to herself, and a small scoff came out. "Is that really what you're doing? Or you just can't help...monitoring me?"

He ran his tongue on his inner cheek, folding his arms across his chest. His brows were drawn together, looking as though he was trying to figure her out. "What is this really about? Why are you so upset?" 

"Damien, you had me followed. You were tailing me. I don't like being monitored. Why would you do that? Didn't we talk about this already?"

"Katherine... You've been kidnapped. Twice! And there wasn't anything I could do during then. If having my security on you all the time would help keep you safe, I'd definitely do it."

She leaned her hip against the bed frame, feeling a headache coming. She hated having an argument with Damien, but this… She just didn't like it.

"Do I need to remind you that those times, I willingly went with them. I let Gus take me because I had to hide my identity. And then I let Shadow's guards take me because they were going to kill Noah. Both times, I let them. I could have escaped. Why can't you trust that I can take care of myself? I don't need someone constantly watching me."

His jaw ticked as he walked towards her, not able to bear the distance between them. "It's not that I don't trust you. But I can't be with you all the time—it worries me… What if something happens to you and you actually need help? It keeps me sane, knowing that you're safe."

Katherine didn't budge, but she closed herself off by crossing her arms under her chest. He placed a hand on her shoulder, his warmth radiating through her hospital clothes. She wanted to lean into his touch, but she was too angry to do that. She could only look away. "You can't keep a watch on me 24/7, Damien."

"I'm just doing this for you. For your own safety."

"Are you really?" She looked up at him, her eyes becoming misty. "Because it feels an awful lot like you're doing this for yourself."

"Katherine…" He sighed, unable to refute her words.

Her heart drummed in her chest as if it wanted to leap out of its cage. She placed a hand over it and clenched. "Damien. It feels like I'm in Shadow all over again. We were constantly being watched—all the time. Even when I was out and became an agent, I still had to keep checking in so that they could monitor us. It's insane. It's so hard to breathe... And now you…"

"Fûck." Damien hung his head low, and he closed his eyes for a minute before he looked at her again, his expression trying to plead for her understanding. This wasn't the same. She was probably right, he was doing this for himself, but this wasn't the same. "Baby, you know that's not what I'm trying to do." 

A stray tear escaped her eye, and he wiped it with his thumb. Katherine avoided his gaze. "I would have told you what I was doing. I planned to tell you today."

"I didn't intend to stop you. I realized… If that's what you needed, then I'd let you. I just had to know you were safe."

"But I told you!" She lightly slapped his chest in frustration. "I told you that day—last week—that I felt like I was being watched. And then you acted like it was nothing that it was probably just your men looking out for us. Whenever I'm out, I felt paranoid, like eyes were constantly on me. I sleep, and I see Parker haunting me. I see my family; I see you getting killed in front of me in my dreams. I think I'm going insane, Damien. And you...doing this suffocates me." There was tightness in her chest, and she rubbed her hand over it in an attempt to ease it.

Damien could see the hurt in her eyes, but no matter how much he saw it, he still wanted to stand by his reasoning. He just couldn't lose her again. So she could be mad all she wanted, but he'd always keep an eye out for her.

Taking a deep breath, Katherine swallowed and faced him. "Who? Who's in on this, huh? I'm sure Felix is, but I don't think he's the only one reporting to you. So who did you ask to watch over me?"

His jaw popped, not wanting to tell her like this as she'd probably feel even more betrayed when she'd know. But the cat's already out of the bag. He might as well just tell her everything. "Falcon...and Styles."

She blinked her tears away and scoffed mockingly. "Of course. Your mother. You even got Styles on your team. I shouldn't be surprised anymore." This was exhausting. She wanted the conversation to be over already.

"Katherine."

Her phone beeped, and when she checked the message, her heart sank to her stomach. Her grandfather's assistant told her that Grandpa Theo was feeling unwell again. His health and his age made her worry. "I need to go to Grandpa."

Damien, who had read the text, didn't have to ask. He nodded, squeezing her shoulder as he said, "I'll drive you."

She didn't fight him. After all, she wasn't allowed to drive. She got changed, and then she let him hold her close as they got to his car. Katherine refused to be watched all the time, even if he only meant to keep her safe. Staying mad at Damien was going to be difficult—when all she wanted was for him to always hold her.