by I. T. Lucas
“I hope that does not mean that he is not a Dormant,” Syssi said. “That might be the reason he has not bonded with Ingrid and that Stella walked away. They just don’t feel an affinity toward him.”
Amanda tapped a finger over her lower lip. “There might be something to that. But on the other hand, he is getting along splendidly with Bowen and Leon.”
“They might like him as a friend,” Alena said. “But that doesn’t mean that they feel an affinity toward him. You should talk to them.”
Kian waved a dismissive hand. “It’s too late for that. He’s already attempting transition, and we will soon know whether he is a Dormant or not.”
“It took four attempts with Roni,” Syssi pointed out. “And longer than two weeks. We kept trying because we knew that he was a Dormant for sure.”
“Speaking of Roni and his elusive granny,” Amanda said. “What’s up with that?”
Kian shrugged. “I forgot all about her. We’ve been dealing with one crisis after another, and so has Turner. I doubt that he has any new leads on her."
70
Edna
Rufsur’s frequent glances hadn’t escaped Edna’s notice, and as much as she would have liked to claim that she’d been unaffected by them, it would have been a lie.
His quick looks had given her pleasure, a feminine satisfaction that was absolutely silly. She shouldn’t have enjoyed his attention so much, but she wasn’t made from stone.
Moments from the night of passion that they’d spent together kept replaying in her head despite her best efforts to think about something, anything else. Her legal cases, Kian’s business contracts that were waiting for her to go over, her laundry, the dusting of her many bookcases that she’d neglected to do for weeks, none of that could distract her from her lustful musings.
What a mess. She was like a teenage girl with a crush, but with the wisdom of an older woman who knew that nothing good would come out of her infatuation with the bad boy.
Not that Rufsur was bad. He was a decent guy who was honest and loyal and smart. But he had that dangerous vibe that appealed to the primitive female in her. It was the same kind of vibe that had drawn her to Robbie.
They had so much in common.
Except, Rufsur was a mature man with a boyish attitude, while Robbie had been a boy who’d had to assume a man’s responsibilities before he’d been ready. As the eldest son, he’d taken leadership of his clan after his father had been killed in battle, but his rule hadn’t lasted long. Less than four months later, he’d suffered the same end as his sire.
“You look lovely tonight.” Standing behind her, Rufsur put his hands on her shoulders and leaned over to whisper in her ear. “Would you care to dance?”
“I’m afraid that I’m a lousy dancer.”
Next to her, Brandon stifled a chuckle. “I haven’t seen you dance even once. How would you know?”
“That’s why I don’t dance.”
Rufsur squeezed her shoulder. “Come on, lady judge. You can stand on my feet.”
Arguing in front of the other council members sitting at her table would be worse than agreeing, and she could tell bad-boy Rufsur in private to lay off the charm.
“One dance.”
“That’s all I’m asking for.” He moved to her side and offered her a hand up.
After leading her to the dance floor, he put his hands on her waist. “Step on my feet.”
“I can dance, just not well.” She put her hands on his shoulders. “I thought that we agreed to stay away from each other.”
“I said that I understood why you want to stay away from me. I didn’t agree to actually do it.” He dipped his head and planted a soft kiss on her cheek. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”
“I know.”
“We should spend the night together.”
She shook her head. “I told you why we can’t.”
“I’ve thought it through, and there is a way we can make it work.”
Despite knowing better, Edna’s heart latched onto the spark of hope. “How?”
“Kalugal and Kian have agreed to meet here again in two weeks, and then we are all coming for the wedding two weeks after that. I expect the two of them to keep working together and continuing their biweekly meetings, which means that you and I can meet twice a month. It’s not perfect, but it’s better than nothing.”
Edna was tempted.
She wasn’t a young girl who couldn’t live without her love interest for more than an hour. She could last two weeks between visits.
Was Rufsur her love interest, though? Or was he her lust interest?
Did it matter?
He made her feel alive after centuries of numbness, and he alone had managed to lift her melancholy at least momentarily. Should she give up on that little slice of goodness only because she feared the what-ifs?
“What if Kalugal and Kian have nothing more to discuss after the wedding?”
“Then I’ll make up something. And if not, I’ll come to visit by myself.” He chuckled. “Or I can volunteer to be the one escorting our men to the auctions.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Kian didn’t tell you?”
“Evidently.”
“Nothing has been decided yet, but Kian doesn’t want clan females to leave and join our community. He wants it to be an equal exchange, with half the resulting couples staying with the clan and the other half joining us. So he came up with the crazy idea of auctioning our men to your clan females.”
“How will that solve the problem of who goes and who stays?”
“I asked the same question. I can understand his other idea of putting the men who want to join your clan through some really difficult tests, but I don’t get where the auctions come into play.” He chuckled. “I guess it’s like speed dating. A guy gets bought for a night, and if there is a spark, he goes to the second stage, which is the testing. If there is no spark, he gets auctioned again and again until a match is found.”
“It sounds demeaning.”
Rufsur shrugged. “I wouldn’t mind. The auction money will go to the clan’s charity, which I happen to approve of, and I would love to have a bunch of immortal females fight over me.”
She arched a brow. “Oh, really? I thought that you were interested only in me.”
“I am.” He pulled her closer against his hard body. “But in case you want nothing to do with me, I’m willing to consider putting myself up for an auction.”
Given the smirk on his face, he was goading her to get jealous, and it was working.
Edna could just imagine the bidding frenzy Rufsur would cause. There wasn’t a single clan woman who wouldn’t bid on an impressive specimen of immortal maleness like him.
The thought was infuriating, enraging, and evoked aggression that Edna hadn’t felt since Robbie’s death.
She’d lost her first love to a senseless rivalry between clans, she wasn’t going to lose Rufsur to a rivalry with her fellow female clan members. Not until she set him free.
“You are not going to put yourself up for sale.”
He smirked. “You could bid for me.”
“Why would I do that when I can have you for free?”
71
Rufsur
“Good night.” Rufsur headed for the door.
Naturally, Edna hadn’t wanted them to leave the party together, and Rufsur hadn’t had a problem with that. He’d felt better about escorting Kalugal and Jacki home first.
The important thing was that his plan to make Edna jealous had worked like a charm, and she’d invited him over.
Besides, it had given him an opportunity to shower, shave, and put on a fresh set of clothes.
“Are you coming back tonight?” Kalugal asked.
“I don’t know. If I have my way, I’ll only return tomorrow morning.”
“Have fun,” Jacki said.
Pretending to watch the tube, Hivak said nothing.
Despite the many hours the two
of them spent in the café, Hivak hadn’t responded to the many flirtatious looks and smiles that both of them had gotten from the clan’s single ladies. It wasn’t because the selection was poor, or because Hivak was a shy guy. Rufsur had seen him operate in clubs, and the guy had had no problem finding bed partners. But apparently, he was intimidated by immortal females.
Or maybe he was waiting for the one who would stir something in him like Edna had done for Rufsur.
As he stepped out onto the front porch, Alfie pushed to his feet. “Another date with the judge?”
He hadn’t been there the other time, which meant that the damn Guardians had been gossiping. He would have to have some harsh words with Jay and Theo.
“Which one of the assholes told you about it?”
Alfie slapped his back. “Relax. It’s our duty to report everything that’s going on with your group, and who goes where and why. Every move you make is recorded.”
He should have realized that. “Are you telling me that the entire Guardian force knows about my visit?”
“Only those who check the log. But Onegus knows, and he probably reported it to Kian. What’s the big deal, though? After all, this is why you are here, right? To court our women?”
“I’m not sure Edna is okay with everyone knowing about our involvement.”
“It’s difficult to keep things private in the village.” Alfie waved a hand at the homes they were passing by. “Someone might be looking out the window and notice you going to Edna’s place. If she wanted to keep your relationship secret, she wouldn’t have invited you over.”
That was a good point. But then why had she insisted on leaving the party alone?
Perhaps she’d needed a breather, or time to prepare. Or maybe her house was a mess, and she needed to tidy up.
He could have told her that it didn’t matter to him, but then Edna was a prideful woman, and she probably hadn’t wanted him to think that she was a slob.
When they reached her home, Alfie took a seat on the bench across from it and pulled out his phone. “I trust you to behave.” He smirked. “No one dares not to in Edna’s presence.”
Knocking on the door, Rufsur reflected on how narrow-sighted and judgmental people were. Edna’s own clan members were afraid of her and her probing ability. They didn’t see the kindness behind the severity, or the sadness behind the assertiveness. To them, she was the judge, the councilwoman. She wasn’t a real female who needed love and companionship like everyone else.
When she opened the door, he was surprised to see her still wearing the lavender shawl. “I thought you would have gotten comfortable by now.”
She glanced at the Guardian sitting across the pathway from her house and waved at him before beckoning Rufsur inside. “That’s another downside of us having a relationship. Guardians are following you around, and nothing we do is private.”
He pulled her into his arms. “We have nothing to hide, Edna. Perhaps we will set an example for others. Think about it, we are the first couple.”
With a sigh, she rested her forehead on his chest. “That’s exactly the problem. I’m the spokeswoman for those who oppose our clan females leaving with Kalugal’s men, and here I am, consorting with the enemy.”
“I’m not the enemy.”
“You and your men represent a threat to the clan. Not a military one, or at least I hope that you don’t. But by luring our females away, you will do more long-term damage to us than by launching an actual attack.”
72
Edna
Way to spoil the mood, Edna.
Her plan had been to enjoy sweet lovemaking with Rufsur, or wild lovemaking, or any kind there was of lovemaking before parting with him for two weeks.
The distance would have helped her figure things out, perhaps even get over her infatuation and put the entire episode behind her.
But instead of taking Rufsur by the hand and leading him to her bedroom, she had slipped into her doomsayer role and got busy reinforcing her conviction that there was no future for them.
It was okay for her to be depressed on her own, but it was a travesty to drag Rufsur down with her.
He came to her house to make love, or schtup or shag as he would have called it. That was what she’d promised him, not more talk about the deep divide between them.
Except, Rufsur wasn’t the kind of man who let himself get dragged down. He was the kind of man who lifted others up.
Hooking a finger under her chin, he tilted her head toward his face, looked into her eyes, and smiled. “I thought that you hated makeup.”
That was an abrupt change of subject, but a welcome one. “Amanda came over and insisted on making me look presentable for Annani’s procession.”
He smirked. “But you didn’t rush home to wash it off. Did you keep it on for me?”
The guy was so full of himself.
But he was also right, and she wasn’t going to repay his candor with evasive talk.
“I saw the way you were looking at me at the party, and it made me feel good. Pretty, feminine. I haven’t felt like that in so long.”
“Not true.” He dipped his head and kissed her lips. “The night before last, I made you feel all of those things and more.”
“Do you really have to be so smug about it?”
“I’m not smug. I’m honest.” He swung her into his arms. “Perhaps you’ve forgotten, and I need to remind you.”
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Edna suddenly felt like playing along. For this night, she could leave the big picture out in the living room and focus on having fun.
“I must have a very short memory.” She kissed the side of his jaw. “I need to remind myself of how your skin tastes and smells. And you need to remind me of how good of a kisser you are.”
He sat on the bed with her still in his arms. “I’m all yours to taste and to sniff.”
Sliding her hands down his back, Edna leaned into the crook of his neck and inhaled his aroma. “I love your scent.”
It felt so good to be held in his strong arms, to feel his manhood stir beneath her and know that he desired her.
“Kiss me, your honor.” He pursed his lips.
She chuckled. “You are really getting a kick out of bedding a judge, aren’t you?”
“I’m just impressed with myself for snagging such a high-class lady.” He smacked his lips. “I’m waiting to be tasted.”
Sliding a hand up his back, she cupped his neck and pressed her lips to his, and then licked her way inside his mouth.
He tasted just as she’d remembered, of toothpaste and licorice and nutmeg and sunshine. If sunshine had a taste, it would taste like Rufsur. Cheerful, hopeful, optimistic, and a little wild.
For a long moment, he let her explore his mouth, but Edna could feel the tension coiling his back and neck muscles. When he snapped, she wasn’t surprised.
With a growl that didn’t sound human, he threaded his fingers through her loose hair, pulled her head back, and took over the kiss.
His tongue ravished her mouth as if he was thirsty for her and couldn’t get enough, and as his hand snaked under her shirt and cupped her breast, she moaned into his mouth.
He was possessing her, devouring her, and it was precisely what she needed.
Her hands caressing his back through the fabric of his button-down, Edna slumped against his arm and surrendered to the possession.
For tonight, she could let go and just be herself like she used to be before life weighed her down. Tonight, she wasn’t a judge, or a councilwoman, or a mourner. For the next few hours, she would forget about her responsibilities, about all the myriad reasons for her melancholy, like the state of the world or the future of her clan. Tonight she would become a simple creature of passion. A female animal enjoying one of the best male specimens of her kind.
73
Rufsur
Finally, Rufsur had gotten Edna to let go of her tight self-control and surrender to her more primitive urges.
&nb
sp; The woman spent way too much time up in her head and let everything else in her shrivel.
That was the power of habit.
When Rufsur was a young man, he’d taken it upon himself to cheer his friends up. They had been a miserable bunch of young trainees who’d gotten torn away from their mothers and sisters to never see them again. They had been forced into fights with older and stronger immortals, and gotten the crap beaten out of them. Things hadn’t improved much after their transitions. They had still gotten pummeled into a pulp by their so-called instructors day in and day out.
He’d had two options: either wallow in misery over how terrible his life was or find solace and hope in friendships with the other boys.
He’d chosen the second one, discovering that with a joke or a pat on the back, he could make someone’s day a little brighter, or at least a little less miserable. Their lives had been brutal, and they had nothing. A smile and an encouraging word or a joke were all he’d had to give, but he’d made a difference, and that had empowered him.
Cheering others up had become a habit, and Rufsur couldn’t be any other way even if he tried.
Granted, a major tragedy could bring him down, but probably only temporarily.
Edna, on the other hand, seemed to have chosen another path.
Something had happened to her a long time ago that had made her sad, and after a while the melancholy had become so entrenched that it had become a habit.
Except, he was just the man to break that habit and show her another path, either with phenomenal sex or with his upbeat personality. So yeah, Edna had been right to accuse him of suffering from a savior syndrome, but he saw nothing wrong in that.
If she would just let him, he would change her outlook on life one night at a time.
Lifting her off his lap, he laid her on the bed and went for her shirt buttons. In moments, he had her naked and sprawled for the taking.
