by I. T. Lucas
As he glanced at his girlfriend, Brundar’s harshly beautiful features softened, the warmth in his expression taking Wonder aback. The change was startling in a guy that most of the time looked like a beautiful but ominous statue.
“I’ll go check on the steaks.” Brundar slid open the glass doors leading to the backyard.
As the room filled with the smell of grilled steaks, Anandur closed his eyes and inhaled. “I love the smell of dead animals on the grill.”
“You make it sound so gross.” Callie lifted the lids off the two remaining dishes, one with corncobs and another with a small mixed-greens salad. “This one is also just for us girls.” She winked at Wonder.
Anandur unfurled a napkin and put it over his lap. “You’re spoiling me, Callie. Steaks and mashed potatoes for two days in a row is a real treat.”
She leaned toward him and kissed his cheek. “I think you deserve a little pampering after surviving captivity on rice and beans.”
Wonder felt heat creep up her cheeks. “I couldn't afford more than that. Immortals eat a lot, and I was trying to save up for a rent deposit, so I could leave the shelter. Do you know how expensive rent is in San Francisco? Even with roommates?”
“Oh, sweetie, no one is accusing you of anything. You did what you had to do, that’s all.”
“Speaking of money,” Anandur cut Callie’s apologies short. “Earlier, I got a text from Kian. He approved an allowance for you.”
When had that happened? Anandur hadn’t mentioned it when he loaned her the money. He must’ve gotten a text after that. The guy was constantly getting texts and replying to them. Though most of the time it seemed like he was trading jokes. Either that or his work was funny enough to make him laugh, and she doubted that was the case.
“It’s not much, only twelve hundred a month, but given that your living expenses are covered, I think it should be enough. And when you decide what and where you want to study, the clan will naturally pay for the tuition as well.”
Wonder was rendered speechless by such generosity. She’d expected the allowance to be a couple of hundred, not a dozen. It was too much, and it made her uncomfortable. She wasn’t a charity case. “I appreciate the offer, I really do, and I might take Kian up on the offer to pay for tuition, but only as a loan.” She lifted her hand to stop Anandur’s protests. “I’m an able-bodied woman, not a child. I will work for my spending money.”
Brundar entered the room holding a platter of steaks, and slid the glass door closed behind him. “If you join the Guardian training program, you will get paid a salary that’s quite decent while you’re in it. When you graduate, the pay will triple.”
Wonder wished people would stop suggesting it. She’d made it pretty obvious that it wasn’t a career path she was interested in, and yet they kept pushing.
“Guardians make good money,” Callie said. “The housing is provided by the clan, and they get a month’s paid vacation a year, a pretty sweet deal. Not that Brundar is taking advantage of the paid vacation part. I’m still trying to teach him how to take it easy and just chill for a while.”
Well, that explained Anandur’s luxurious apartment at the keep and the fancily appointed houses in the village. The living expenses were covered by the clan. A member didn’t need to be rich to get a nice place to live.
It was cool, but it also meant that Anandur wasn’t someone important after all.
Well, that wasn’t true. It seemed like everyone in the clan knew and loved him. That made him important enough.
Getting behind Callie, Brundar removed a steak from the platter and placed it on her plate. “I can’t take off while all these Guardians need retraining. When they are combat-ready, we can go on a vacation.”
“And when is that going to happen?”
“Soon.” He put a steak on Wonder’s plate. “Another one?”
“No, thank you. Maybe later.”
“Given my brother’s appetite, I doubt there will be any left over. But suit yourself.” He put four steaks on Anandur's plate and took two for himself.
“Dig in, everyone,” Callie said.
Anandur rubbed his hands before picking up his utensils. “Don’t mind if I do.”
Brundar popped the cap of a beer bottle and handed it to his brother, and then opened another one for himself. “I’m not offering you any since you said you don’t drink alcohol.”
“I don’t,” Wonder said. “I don’t like the taste.”
Callie handed her a cold coke can. “I noticed that you like these.”
“I do, thanks.”
“Cheers!” Brundar clinked bottles with Anandur and then with Callie and Wonder’s coke cans.
“To family and good friends,” Anandur said.
Family and friends.
That sounded awesome. Maybe one day she would find hers. And if not, maybe the clan could be her adopted family. Everyone she’d met so far was super nice.
“So, how about it, Wonder? Do you want to join the force?” Brundar asked. “With those killer reflexes of yours, you’re a natural. I wouldn’t be surprised if you completed the training in record time.”
Wonder finished chewing a piece of steak and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Thank you. But I would rather do something that doesn’t involve fighting.”
“That’s a shame. I wish there were another job I could offer you, but I’m afraid there isn’t much to do in the village.”
“I’m sure there is.” Wonder cut off another piece of the juicy steak.
Anandur waved his fork at her. “You’re not going to clean houses or offices if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“There is nothing wrong with cleaning. It’s good, honest work. But that’s not what I had in mind.”
He arched a brow. “What else is there?”
“Carol needs help in the coffee shop. Maybe she would consider hiring me? I don’t know how to make cappuccinos, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to learn, and I can manage sandwiches just fine.”
Callie clapped her hands. “That’s an awesome idea! Carol keeps complaining about having to work two jobs. I’m sure she would love to have you.”
Anandur nodded. “It could be really good for you too. If you work at the café, you’ll eventually get to meet everyone. I’ll talk to Carol and Jackson tomorrow.”
Wonder released the breath she’d been holding while waiting for Anandur’s response. She knew Carol wouldn’t object to having some help around the café. Anandur had been the only possible obstacle to her plan. Except, who was that guy Anandur had mentioned?
“Who’s Jackson?”
“He is the guy who is actually supposed to run the place. Carol is supposed to be helping him, not working full time,” Anandur said. “But he has two other cafés to manage until he trains his replacement.”
Shit on a stick. That meant that she could only have that job temporarily.
Still, it was better than nothing.
“How long until he takes over?”
Anandur put his fork down. “Not anytime soon. There are some complications that are preventing him from moving into the village. But that’s a story for another day.”
17
Ruth
With music blasting from a portable speaker, Ruth chopped vegetables for her famous minestrone soup, while swaying her hips to the beat and singing along.
The good news of Anandur’s safe return had lifted a heavy weight off her chest.
She felt years younger and happier.
When he’d gone missing, the entire village had been submerged in a dark cloud. Maybe Ruth had noticed it more because she didn’t live there and only visited when Sylvia and Roni invited her over. The one time she’d been over during his abduction, the place looked and felt like zombie town, with everyone walking around a little hunched over, their eyes downcast.
Ruth suspected that it hadn’t been just worry about Anandur, whom everyone including her loved, but a general sense of dread. At least that was how she’
d felt.
If a fearsome warrior like the huge Guardian could have been taken, then no one was safe.
She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Anandur hadn’t been taken by Doomers, thank the merciful Fates, but by a lone immortal girl who thought he was a Doomer out to harm a human female. Ruth couldn’t wait to meet Wonder, who according to the rumors was aptly named after Wonder Woman. Not only was she a powerful warrior, but she also looked a lot like the actress who played her.
The arrival of the new immortal female was also cause for celebration. The guys were probably going crazy trying to woo her.
Ruth smiled. It would be fun to watch them try. Maybe she could ask Carol to switch places with her for a few days. In the near future, the village café, which was the central hub of the place, was going to be much more interesting than Fernando’s.
As the front doorbell rang, Ruth lowered the volume on the speaker and rushed to open the door for Nick.
“You look like you’re in a good mood.” Moving the cake box to the side, Nick leaned to give her a quick peck on the lips. “I should put the tiramisu in the fridge.”
She opened the door wide. “I feel silly about sending you to buy a cake when I manage a coffee shop.”
“Yeah, but Vlad only bakes pastries.” Nick shook his head. “A Goth baker. Kudos for the nonconformity.”
“Vlad is a sweetheart. He only looks odd until you get to know him. He is really a nice kid.”
Crap, she’d sounded like a mother.
But apparently the remark went over Nick’s head. He opened the fridge and moved things around to make room for the cake. “Is Vlad his real name? Because I’m sure he chose it to go with the whole Dracula theme he has going on.”
The real story wasn’t one Ruth could tell Nick. Vlad’s mother had named him after the infamous immortal who’d gone raving mad and had to be put down. Strange woman. Who names her child after a crazed murderer?
“Maybe you got it in reverse, and he adopted the Goth look to match the name.”
Nick pulled her into his arms and lifted her up. “I think that’s enough talk about Vlad.”
“What are you doing?”
“Time for a proper kiss.” He carried her to the living room and sat on the couch with her on his lap. “But first, tell me what’s the good mood all about?”
Ruth smirked and put her cheek on his chest. Nick probably thought it was because of the great sex they’d had.
Hey, maybe it was.
To be frank, the heavy weight she’d been carrying around for years had been lifted the night she and Nick had discovered that they were perfectly matched in bed. It had been better than good. It had been amazing.
Except, until Anandur had been found she couldn’t allow herself to feel happy. As long as he’d been missing and his fate had been unknown, it hadn’t felt right to rejoice.
She couldn't tell Nick about the Guardian, but she could tell him exactly what he wanted to hear and it would be the honest truth.
“It’s about you and me. We are good together.”
His arms tightened around her. “Yes, we are.”
Lifting her head, Ruth looked into Nick’s smiling eyes. “After dinner, we could watch another movie.” She winked.
“Oh, no, I created a monster!” Nick laughed. “What do you have in mind?”
“Does that actor have more movies like that one?”
Nick pretended to frown. “It’s the big schlong, isn’t it? Because he sure as fuck ain't a pretty boy.”
“It’s not the schlong.” She shrugged. “I love his voice. I’ll probably get excited just from hearing him talk.”
“Is it when he talks like this?” Nick deepened his voice in a failed attempt to mimic the actor.
“No, silly. And it’s not just the voice. It’s his attitude.” It was hard to put into words what she found so sexy about a guy she would not have given a second glance on the street. He had a certain quality about him that was rare. “I think it’s his intensity. When he looks at the actress, you can tell he wants her. It’s not an act. He is lusting after her for real.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “Well, duh. She is hot, and he’s not.”
A man wouldn’t understand. Heck, Ruth wasn’t sure other women would. It wasn’t as if she talked about the subject with anyone. Besides, people rarely told the truth. Not because they were liars, but because sometimes it was embarrassing to admit to certain yearnings.
And yet, despite her shyness and her reluctance to discuss personal issues with anyone, she didn’t want to withhold things from Nick more than was absolutely necessary. Already, there were too many secrets she was forced to keep.
He was a goofball, but he wouldn’t make fun of her or ridicule her desires, not even inside his own head. It was okay to share things with Nick.
Ruth felt safe with him.
Not that she could be absolutely sure. The one time she’d been tempted to take a peek inside his head, she couldn't.
At first, it had taken her by surprise, and she rationalized it as guilt over the intrusion preventing her from seeing anything. After all, she had no such problems with the other humans in the café. Not that she did that often, or searched for things that were none of her business.
Ruth only took the occasional peek to reassure herself that people liked her and didn’t think of her as a weirdo.
But then she’d encountered another human into whose mind she couldn’t peek, and then another.
Some humans erected instinctive protective shields around their minds, which made sense, but Nick wasn’t the type. He wasn’t suspicious, or timid, or reclusive.
The opposite was true.
Nick had no filter, and because of that some might have thought that he wasn’t smart.
But he was highly intelligent, which was the other reason some human minds were tough to penetrate. His powerful brain probably made him more resistant to thralling, or maybe even an immune, which could pose one heck of a problem.
Until that was determined, Ruth needed to be careful about what she revealed to Nick. If it turned out that he wasn’t a Dormant, there would be no way to erase his memories.
Except, with her meager thralling abilities, she might not have been good enough to penetrate his mind, but someone more talented might succeed where she’d failed.
In the meantime, though, she couldn’t share with him what she was, or even who he possibly was, but she could share with him what turned her on. Not that it was going to be easy. But this was as good of an opportunity to start as any, and Ruth was sick of being a mouse.
Besides, with her head tucked under Nick’s chin and her cheek resting on his chest, he couldn’t see her flaming cheeks.
“He is also kind of commanding, but without being aggressive. I think the combination is hot.”
18
Nick
Nick rubbed his tummy. “That tiramisu was over the top.” He should’ve stopped after the linguine.
Ruth forked a little piece and put it in her mouth. “I have the perfect remedy for that.”
“Sex?” That was all he could think of during dinner.
Hell, he was a fairly intelligent guy, and usually he had a lot to talk about, but not this evening. Ruth’s comments from before had been taking up all his not too shabby bandwidth.
“Strong, black coffee,” Ruth said. “I’ll make us some.”
Typically, Nick would’ve offered to help, but he needed a few quiet moments to think. “I’ll do the dishes later if you don’t mind. I have to digest first.”
“Take your time.”
Commanding, but not aggressive. What the hell did it mean?
He needed to pay better attention to tonight's movie. Apparently, girls noticed things that guys ignored. Who the fuck cared about a voice? The dude could’ve been the best-known newscaster in the world, and Nick would not have noticed anything special about him.
Aside from her throaty moans, he couldn’t care less ab
out the actress’s voice either. Maybe guys were more visual, and women were more auditory?
Well, duh. All guys saw in a porn flick were tits and asses. No one paid attention to what the actors said to each other.
Who cared?
Evidently, women did. They actually cared about the story. He’d read somewhere that women read four times as many fiction books as men.
Aha!
Suddenly it all clicked into place.
To Ruthie, the story was more important than what was happening on the screen. That was why she’d gotten so turned on the other night.
Well, that and the actor’s voice.
Damn, he had to find another good movie with the same ugly actor who apparently sounded sexier than he looked.
Go figure.
Nick pushed his chair back, got up and walked over to the coffee table where Ruth had left her laptop. He should’ve realized why it was there the moment he’d gotten in.
“Do you want to drink your coffee on the couch?” Ruth asked.
“Yes, please. I want to find us a good movie to watch.”
Ruth’s cheeks were flaming red, but she pretended to be all cool. “Here you go.” She handed him the small cup. “It’s very hot, so give it a minute or two to cool down.”
He took the cup and put it down on the table. “Aren’t you going to sit with me?”
“I’ll clean up while you search.”
Crap. He’d promised to do that. “I’ll help.” Nick started to push to his feet, but Ruth put a hand on his shoulder.
“I don’t need help to clear the table. Find us a movie.”
Talk about a commanding tone. “Yes, ma'am.” He sat back.
After a long search, he finally found what he was looking for. Turning the volume down almost all the way, he let the movie run for a few moments to make sure he remembered it correctly. He’d seen so many porn flicks that it was hard to remember what happened in which, especially since he hadn’t been paying much attention to the stories.
