by I. T. Lucas
“Sounds dreamy. Except, there is a teenage boy in the house, and we can’t stay locked in the bedroom all day. Besides, a honeymoon usually comes after the wedding.”
As far as he was concerned, they were mated and no ceremony was required, but Vivian was still thinking in human terms.
He kissed the top of her head. “That can be easily fixed.”
“Are you proposing?”
“I thought I already did.”
“You’ve never actually asked me. You just assumed that I wanted to. Not that you were wrong, I do, but technically you didn’t ask.”
“Do I need to go down on one knee?”
She laughed. “Just say the words.”
“Eh, if I’m going to do the human thing, I’d better do it right.”
He knelt in front of her on the porch and clasped her hand. “Would you marry me, Vivian? Would you be my mate, my partner, my one and only true love forever?” He winked. “Think carefully before you answer. Forever is a very long time for immortals.”
“I don’t need to think. Yes, I’ll be your mate and partner, your one and only true love forever. Will you be all of that for me?”
“Yes, I will.”
She cupped his cheek and leaned to kiss him. “I love you, Magnus.”
He took the mug out of her hands and put it on the floor. Lifting her up, he put her on his lap and gave her a proper kiss to seal the deal.
Vivian put her head on his chest. “Normally, I would be worried about what the neighbors would think. But since we have only one and it’s Merlin, the most eccentric person I know, I don’t mind.”
“Good. Because I love sitting like this with you. I want to do this every evening.”
“Can we get married while I’m still human?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“I thought about it, and I don’t think that I want to attempt transition right after Ella is back. She is going to be in an emotional turmoil, and she is going to need me. I can’t check out, slip into a coma, and add stress to her trauma.”
Regrettably, he had to agree. “You’re right. I hope she’ll get over her ordeal quickly. For our sakes as well as Julian’s.”
Vivian looked up at him. “What if she doesn't like him? He’s gorgeous and sweet, but maybe he is not Ella’s type? She fell for that creep Romeo. Maybe she’s attracted to bad boys? If that happens, Julian is going to be devastated, and I’m going to feel awful.”
“I don’t think fate would’ve gone to all this trouble only for those two to find out that they are incompatible.”
“It can happen, though.”
“And a solar flare can destroy all of our electronics and plunge us into the Dark Ages, or a meteor can hit Earth and destroy most of humanity. There is no point in dwelling on the what ifs.”
Vivian scowled. “Way to go, Magnus. Now you’ve given me all of that to worry about too.”
He shifted her in his arms so he could look into her eyes. “I can go on. In the end, you’ll have so many possible disasters to worry about that you’ll worry about none.”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Please, don’t. Let’s talk about more immediate problems, like what am I going to do here. I don’t think I can be happy with just keeping house. I need to do more.”
A wistful thought flitted through Magnus’s mind. What if the two of them made a baby? That would give Vivian plenty to do. But after her transition, the chances of that would be even more minuscule than they were now.
Stifling a sigh, he asked, “What did you dream about doing when you were a girl? I’m sure it wasn't dental hygiene.”
She chuckled. “I wanted to be a doctor.”
“Then you can go back to school and study to become one.”
“Not really. I wanted to be a doctor, but my grades were never good enough. I wouldn’t have been admitted.”
“Can you improve them? Is there a way to do that?”
“I don’t know. But in any case, this is not a realistic goal. I wasn’t a good enough student then, and I wouldn't be now. But maybe I can study to become a therapist or a counselor. I would like to help the rescued girls in any way I can. Maybe your clan’s therapist can give me advice on what’s the best way to go about it.”
“I think it’s a great idea. I’ll get her number for you.”
“Thank you.” Vivian bent down and picked up her coffee mug. “What about you? Wouldn’t you like to open a little clothing store here in the village? I was told that there are none.”
“Everything can be ordered online. Being a Guardian is more important than selling clothes.”
“I was afraid you were going to say that.” Vivian frowned. “The truth is that I don’t want you anywhere near danger. I can’t lose you, Magnus. There is no guarantee that my curse is gone. It was just a silly ritual to make me feel good. Putting faith in it is too much of a leap for me.”
He hugged her closer and kissed her forehead. “Humans pose no danger to me, lass. Nothing can happen to me.”
“Bullshit. You told me yourself that if the injury is severe enough, even an immortal body can’t repair it. A bullet to the brain can kill you. A massive explosion can kill you too.”
“It would need to be one hell of a bullet to kill me.”
She rolled her eyes. “Made from silver?”
“No, but a big one. As to explosives, there are none in brothels, and those are the only missions I go on.”
“But there are guns.”
“Yes. But these humans don’t know that they need to aim for the head. The chest is a larger and easier target.”
“What if they hit you in the heart?”
“Not fatal to an immortal, at least in most cases.”
“But not all.”
“No, not all. But you’re going into the what if territory once more. We’ve been doing this for a while, and we haven't lost a Guardian yet. No one even got injured.”
“Promise me that you’ll wear a Kevlar vest under your clothes.”
“Deal.”
“That was easy.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Too easy. What gives?”
“Nothing. If a Kevlar would ease your mind, then the discomfort of wearing it is well worth it.”
She threw her arms around his neck and peppered his face with kisses. “I love you so much. Thank you for being so considerate.”
“Always, love.”
43
Vivian
“How do I look?” Vivian asked.
Going out shopping meant putting on the wig and dark glasses. She still felt weird doing that. Not in a bad way, though. Just different.
“Gorgeous.” Magnus gave her a thorough once over, starting at her hair and all the way down to her feet. “But are you sure you want to wear heels to the supermarket?”
It was silly, but she couldn’t pretend to be a badass spy while wearing flip-flops, in the same way that she couldn’t leave her face free of makeup with the black-haired wig and sunglasses.
“I really need to buy more shoes. And clothes.”
“Well, we are going out, so we might as well stop at the mall.”
Vivian glanced at the bathroom mirror and smoothed a few flyaways. “Did you ask Kian if it was okay? He said that as long as I’m still human, I can’t leave. And what about Gorchenco?”
“I don’t have to ask. Since your son is transitioning and about to become an immortal, we trust that you’ll want to protect him and keep immortals a secret.”
She turned around and leaned against the counter. “I would’ve never betrayed you or your people regardless of my or Parker’s transition. You must know that.”
He reached for her and pulled her into his arms. “Of course I know that. But those are the rules, and they are not meant for individual interpretation. I don’t want to think of what would have happened if we started bending them. There is no way our existence would have remained secret.”
Vivian leaned into him, absorbing his warmth and strength. �
�I get it. Rules are important, and it’s good that you have them in place. What about Gorchenco?”
“That’s what the wig and the glasses are for.”
“I’m still scared.”
Rubbing small circles on her back, he kissed her forehead. “If it scares you to leave the protection of the village, you can make me a list, and I’ll do the shopping. I just thought that you would like to get out.”
“I would. But you are right about making a list. It will make the grocery shopping more efficient, and we will be done faster.”
“Good idea. But we basically need everything.”
“True, but I usually make a weekly plan of what I want to cook, and then I buy groceries accordingly. Or at least I used to when I was still running a household.”
Magnus frowned. “This is your home, and you’ll be running it.”
“Not alone, though.” Vivian sat down at the kitchen counter and pulled out her phone. “Now I have a partner whose input I need to consider. What would you like me to make during this week?” She opened the notes application.
“Steaks!” Parker yelled all the way from his bedroom. “And lots of them!”
She shook her head. “We can’t eat steaks all week.”
Her son walked into the living room with Scarlet trotting behind him. “Why not?”
“Because it’s boring. What else would you like?”
He grimaced. “No stew and no meatloaf, that’s for sure. Maybe hamburgers?”
“But the meatloaf is my best recipe.”
Parker was about to say something when Magnus lifted a hand. “I would love to taste your mom’s meatloaf. We’ll take turns. Each of us gets two days a week to decide on the menu, and on Sundays, we either eat out or bring something from a restaurant.”
“I call dibs on Mondays and Wednesdays,” Parker said. “Steaks on both.”
“Agreed.” Magnus nodded.
Vivian chuckled. “You’re a good negotiator. I’m going to add Magnus The Peacemaker to your many titles.”
“How many are there?” He lifted a brow. “And what are they?”
“Magnus The Protector,” Vivian offered.
“Magnus The Bow Maker,” Parker said.
There were some other titles Vivian would have chosen if Parker weren’t there. Like Magnus the incredible lover, or Magnus of the amazing tongue.
Instead, she said, “The Famous Superhero Fancy Pants.”
“Nah.” Parker waved a dismissive hand. “I have a better one. Aquaman.”
“Isn’t that taken?” Magnus asked.
“Then you can be Aqua Immortal, or The Immortal Aquaman. Or Poseidon's Chosen.”
“Ooh, I like that one.” Vivian clapped her hands, but for some reason, Magnus wasn’t smiling. “What’s the matter? Are we embarrassing you?”
He shook his head. “Not at all. I just thought that the only titles I want are Guardian, mate, and father, and not necessarily in that order. For an immortal male, having a life partner and children is an impossible dream. I’ve never dared to even hope that one day those titles could be mine.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Vivian leaned and kissed his cheek. “They are yours.”
Parker’s brows furrowed. “Is there something you guys want to tell me?”
Vivian smiled. “Magnus proposed, and I accepted.”
Parker waved a dismissive hand. “Not that. I know you’re going to get married. But am I getting a little brother or sister?”
Vivian tilted her head. “What has given you that idea?”
First Ella and now Parker, were her kids trying to tell her something?
“You said that Magnus could call himself a father. So is he going to be one?”
Casting Magnus an apologetic glance, Vivian took Parker’s hand. “What I meant, sweetie, was that he’s going to be a father to you and Ella. But maybe that was a bit premature.”
Parker looked disappointed. “So there is no baby?”
“I’m afraid not.”
“Bummer. You had me all excited. I would love to have a little brother or sister, and then Magnus could call himself a dad for real. Not that I’m not happy to have him as mine, but it’s not the same for him.”
It wasn’t. She couldn’t argue with that. But as Magnus had explained, the chances of them having a child together were extremely slim.
“For me, it is,” Magnus said. “If it’s okay with you.”
“I already told you, and I also told Mom that it is. But what I’m saying is that you probably want a kid that is yours for real.”
Magnus shook his head. “For me, this is as real as it gets.”
44
Magnus
“Can I take the wig and the glasses off?” Vivian asked as they crossed the gate into the sanctuary.
After yesterday’s outing, she felt more comfortable about leaving the safety of the village. At first, she’d been casting nervous glances all around her, but after hours of shopping she’d relaxed and started to enjoy herself.
Well, except for her feet that had been so sore at the end of the day that Magnus had offered to carry her from the car to their house, or rather insisted. Vivian had been embarrassed, but he’d promised that if anyone asked, he would make it look like a romantic gesture.
“You’re perfectly safe here. Everything on the inside is monitored by the clan. Just remember, the girls and the staff know nothing about immortals. As far as they are concerned, the rescues and the sanctuary are financed by several charity organizations and individual philanthropists.”
“Got it.” She pulled the wig off and started on the pins. “I want to meet the famous Doctor Vanessa as me, and not some glammed up version of me.”
Magnus smirked. “You look just as glamorous without the wig as you do with it.”
Vivian was wearing one of the new dresses he’d bought for her the day before, paired with low-heeled, comfortable pumps. She’d even put on some makeup.
With Parker staying behind and hanging out with Merlin, the outing had been their first unofficial date. It had started with a grocery run, continued in the mall where he’d gotten his way and chosen for her the kinds of outfits a beauty like Vivian should be wearing, and it had ended with dinner in one of his favorite restaurants.
She smoothed her hand over the skirt. “I’m not used to dressing up like this. I feel like I’m on a date.”
He took her hand and gave it a little squeeze. “We are on a date. When it’s just you and me, lass, every outing is a date.”
She smiled. “I hope Parker is okay on his own.”
“He is not alone. He’s at Merlin’s.”
“Parker should be studying, and not learning card tricks from Merlin.”
“Ah, but that’s the beauty of homeschooling. The kid can spend the morning learning sleight of hand tricks, and then study in the afternoon when we come back home.” Magnus found a spot in the sanctuary’s parking lot and eased into it. “Looks like it’s a busy day.”
“Who do all those cars belong to?” Vivian asked as he opened the door for her.
“Vanessa used to work with humans. When she took it upon herself to run the sanctuary, she persuaded many of her colleagues to volunteer here. I guess those are their cars.”
Walking through the front door holding hands, they stopped at the receptionist’s desk.
She smiled up at them. “The MacBains, I presume?”
“Yes,” Magnus said. “We are here to see Dr. Vanessa.”
“Go right ahead. Her office is down the hall. She’s expecting you.”
“The MacBains?” Vivian whispered.
He shrugged. “I’m just following Vanessa’s instructions. She said we needed to pretend to be a married couple. The girls are wary of men, and you wanted me to come along, so we need to pretend that I belong to you.”
She arched a brow. “Pretend? You do belong to me.”
“That is true. And you to me.”
She sighed. “I love being with you, but n
ormally I wouldn’t be so dependent and drag you along wherever I go. I just didn’t feel comfortable meeting Vanessa by myself.”
He wrapped his arm around her. “I wouldn't have let you come alone even if you wanted to. Gorchenco is still out there, and I’m still your bodyguard. Onegus hasn’t given me a new assignment.”
“Is that the only reason?”
“You know it’s not. But it’s a good excuse to spend all of my time with you.”
The door to Vanessa’s office was open, and they walked right in.
The therapist smiled and pushed to her feet. ”Hello, Vivian.” She offered her hand. “I’m Vanessa.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Magnus told me a lot about you.”
“I hope he told you only the good things.” She winked.
“He said that you’re the best.”
“Thank you, Magnus.” Vanessa shook his hand as well, closed the door, and motioned toward the two chairs in front of her desk. “Please, take a seat.”
“Thank you for agreeing to see us on such short notice,” Vivian said.
“I heard the word volunteer. That was all the incentive I needed to make time for you.”
Vivian shifted in her chair and crossed her legs. “I’m a dental hygienist. And since my services are not needed where we live …” She looked around as if the walls had ears. “I thought that maybe I can be of service here.”
“That’s a lovely idea, but it would require us to purchase dental equipment. It’s more economical to drive whoever needs their teeth cleaned to the city. What I need more than anything, though, are empathetic, patient women. Are you good with arts and crafts?”
“I can sew. When I was a teenager, I made new outfits out of old ones. I cut up a plain T-shirt and made something cute out of it, or added decorations.”
Vanessa’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “That’s perfect. When can you start?”
Vivian glanced at Magnus. “Um, not right away. You’re aware of the situation with my daughter, right?”
The smile melted off Vanessa’s face. “I am. Once she’s freed, Ella should come here. She’ll need help, mine as well as the other girls’. Talking to people who’ve gone through a similar experience has therapeutic value. Often a victim feels isolated, like none of the normals understand her. The sanctuary is a good place to start the healing process.”
