by I. T. Lucas
He took his phone back. “What do you think should be there?”
“A horoscope.” She lifted a finger. “An advice column.” She lifted another one. “Recipes. Short stories.” She lifted two more. “Cleaning hacks. There is so much that can go there.”
Julian lifted a brow. “Cleaning hacks?”
“Yeah, like shortcuts, or ways to remove stains. Things like that.”
“All of the things you’ve mentioned can be found on the internet. They are not clan specific.”
“True.” Her excitement dimmed.
For a moment, Ella imagined having her own column on the board. “I’ll talk with Carol and Eva. See if there is anything they would like to have there. Carol suggested that you should put up pictures of all clan members so the newcomers could familiarize themselves with their faces. I for one wouldn't want to run into a Doomer and mistake him for a clan member.”
“There is a very slim chance of that.”
She arched a brow. “Really?”
Not that she would’ve known what Logan was when she met him, but still. Out of the billions of people on the planet she’d gotten to have lunch with a Doomer.
“Yeah, you’re right.” Julian glanced back at his phone. “We have Vampires in Paris, but it looks like a horror movie. Are you sure you want to see it?”
“Pfft. It’s a parody on the vampire lore. You’re going to have fun watching it.”
9
Julian
“Let’s hope no one is watching a movie already.” Julian held the elevator door open for Ella.
“Is it a popular hangout spot?”
“I don’t know. If I watch movies at all, it’s usually in my room on my tablet.”
“Netflix?”
“Yeah.”
“I used them extensively during my hibernation period.” She chuckled. “Mostly Christmas movies. They are sweet and romantic, and I know nothing bad is going to happen. A guaranteed happy ending.”
“It seems that we have the place all to ourselves.” Julian pushed the theater’s doors open. “Do you want popcorn?”
“Sure.” She followed him to the enclave with the antique-looking popcorn machine. “It’s just a replica, right? It’s not a real antique.”
“It’s as modern as it gets. Makes awesome popcorn.” Julian turned the thing on. “Three minutes.”
“That’s so cool. Where do you keep the movies?”
“Stored on a server.” He picked up the controller and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Front row or back?”
“Back, of course.”
As they sat down, he leaned and whispered in her ear, “This is the making-out row.”
She laughed and waved her hand at the empty seats in front of them. “Obviously. So, all the people watching the movie won’t see us kissing.”
“We can pretend that the place is packed.”
She cast him an amused glance. “Let’s not. I like having the entire theater to ourselves.” Sniffing, she turned in the direction of the popcorn machine. “I think it’s ready.”
“I’ll get it.”
Ella was so hard to read.
It was driving Julian nuts. His sense of smell and even his empathy were useless with her. She seemed to like him, was acting as if they were best friends, had worn his clothes, and had even slept in his bed, but that was it.
Here and there her arousal would flare for a brief moment, and then it would get snuffed out as if there wasn’t enough kindling to keep it going.
Was it the result of what she’d been through, or was it him?
He’d never had a problem like that before. Throughout the ten years that he’d been sexually active, Julian hadn’t encountered even one woman who hadn’t responded to him right from the very first kiss.
Returning to his seat with an overflowing bucket of popcorn, he handed it to Ella. “Taste it. I bet it’s better than any you had before.”
And so am I, he wanted to add.
She popped a piece into her mouth. “It is. What makes it so good?”
“You’ll have to ask Okidu. He’s the one who buys the supplies for the machine and keeps it clean.”
“I will. Now let’s watch some bloodsuckers terrorize Paris.”
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he pressed play and braced for an hour and a half of boredom. Parodies were usually too stupid to watch.
He ended up laughing his ass off.
When the credits rolled in, he clicked the movie off and the lights on. “I have to admit that it was fun.” Despite the fact that no making out had been going on.
But he’d had his arm around her for the entire time, and when she hadn’t been doubled over with laughter, Ella had been resting her head against his bicep.
“It’s a sequel to Vampires in London. That’s how I knew it was going to be hilarious. Maddie and I watched it together, and Maddie laughed so hard she almost choked on a piece of popcorn. I had to use the Heimlich maneuver on her.” Ella sighed. “I miss her. That’s my only regret about being here.”
He offered her a hand up. “When you are an immortal, you can visit her and then thrall the memory away.”
Her eyes peeled wide. “I’ll be able to thrall?”
“You’ll have to practice doing it, but yeah.”
“Awesome. I can’t wait. There are so many perks to being an immortal.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to remind her what she had to do in order to become one, but he didn’t want to push her. Ella already knew that.
When they passed the village square, Julian stopped. “Where do you want to sleep tonight? The way to my house is straight ahead, and yours is to the left.”
Despite how hard it was to have her so near and not touch her like he wanted to, Julian hoped Ella would sleep in his bed again. Holding her throughout the night had forever changed how he wanted to spend his nights. It was going to be so lonely without her. So empty. So cold.
“I need to sleep at home.” She put a hand on his chest. “You know why.”
He nodded. She was anticipating a dream visit. But that didn’t mean she had to be alone while it was happening.
“I can keep you safe.”
“It’s sweet of you to offer, but I can’t. Having you in my mind is not a good idea. I need to put other people in there. People from my old life.”
“I get it.”
It was smart of her to plan ahead and fill her head with old memories, but that didn’t help with his sense of disappointment.
As they reached her front porch, he turned her to him. “Can I at least get a kiss goodnight?”
Ella smiled and took his hand. “Let’s do it like in the old movies from the fifties, sitting on the steps in front of my house and being very quiet so my mom won't hear us moaning into each other's mouths.” She pulled him down as she sat down. “Except, in my case, instead of coming out with a shotgun, my mother would clap her hands in glee.”
“We wouldn't want that.” He lifted her and put her in his lap. “That’s better.”
As she wrapped her arms around his neck, the slight scent of her arousal reached his nose. “I agree. Kiss me, Julian.”
He did, pouring all his feelings into that kiss, but at the same time making sure not to overwhelm her.
If she needed more, she would let him know.
Ella’s comment from before had given him an inkling as to what she wanted. In those old movies, the girl was a virgin, and her parents wanted to make sure she remained intact until her wedding night.
He needed to treat Ella as if she were a virgin.
Because basically, she was. She’d never had sex with a male of her choosing and had missed out on the wonder of joining for the first time with someone she cared about.
It had been stolen from her. She’d been taken against her will by someone she could barely stand.
The rage that bubbled up to the surface every time he thought of that was difficult to stifle, but Julian didn’t want to add
insult to injury by allowing himself to vent it in Ella’s presence. Perhaps after they said goodnight, he should hit the gym and obliterate a punching bag.
“Julian? Your eyes are glowing. Is it because you’re turned on?” She sounded like she knew it wasn’t the case.
“I’m sorry. Every time I think about what was taken from you I get angry.”
She cupped his cheek. “Forget about it. Let’s focus on the future, not the past.”
He rested his forehead on hers. “I want to make you happy, Ella. I want to erase every bad experience you ever had and replace it with a good one. But I know that you are not ready, and I’m not going to pressure you into anything. All the power is yours. I will never try to take it away from you.”
10
Ella
In her room, Ella plopped down on the bed and draped an arm over her eyes.
This was hard.
To fool Mr. D, she had to distance herself emotionally from Julian, but by doing so, she was bound to hurt him. For her plan to work, she shouldn’t have even kissed him goodnight, but he’d looked so disappointed, and a kiss was the least she could do to cheer him up.
He was such a sweetheart, so considerate, and hopefully patient.
Until the situation with Mr. D got resolved, she couldn't open up to Julian. Keeping her emotions suppressed was what had allowed her to put on such a convincing act for the Russian. She needed to use the same tactic on the Doomer.
It was like creating a blank canvas to paint a fake staging backdrop for her act.
Heck, maybe she should pursue an acting career. Except, more than a makeover would be needed to change her appearance enough for Gorchenco not to recognize her. Besides, once she turned immortal, she would have to avoid notice, like the rest of them.
For Mr. D, however, she needed to look like she had before. Which meant thinking and imagining her old self and not looking into the mirror, or at least as little as possible.
Perhaps she should tape a picture of her old self over the bathroom mirror? Eva had taken some before the makeover and had shared them with Ella. All she needed to do was to print one out.
She ended up printing her face on twelve pages and taping them on the mirror like a collage.
Changing into her pajamas, Ella got in bed and closed her eyes. If Logan showed up, should she treat him exactly like she had the Russian?
The situation wasn’t the same, so she needed a different approach. Logan hadn’t bought her, and except for that first dream, he hadn’t tried to force her into anything.
Well, he was popping uninvited into her dreams, but that wasn’t even close to what the Russian had done. And Mr. D was handsome.
Heck, he was gorgeous. A true Lucifer if she’d ever seen one. Perhaps it painted her shallow, but it was much easier to pretend attraction to a guy who looked like that. And if she cared to be frank with herself, not much pretending was needed.
But what if Mr. D remembered her saying Julian’s name?
If he asked about Julian, should she lie that he was a nobody, or tell him a semi-truth?
When sleep finally came, Logan didn’t take long to appear.
“I’ve been waiting for you,” he said. “What time is it where you are?”
They were once again on her favorite beach, walking along the water line. She didn’t know whether it was her imagination supplying the details or Logan’s, but the setting was perfect for an evening stroll on the shore. The sun was setting, and the sky was gray with a light cloud cover.
There were no other people on the boardwalk that was normally pretty crowded, but there were plenty of sounds and smells to make the setting feel real. Waves crashing to shore, seagulls’ cries, and even the smell of hot dogs coming from a nearby stand.
She smiled. “I have no idea. It was a little before midnight when I got in bed, but it took me a long time to fall asleep.”
And how was that for an evasive answer? She was quite proud of herself for coming up with that.
“Is there something troubling you?”
As if he cared. She saw right through his fake concern. “Do you have to ask? I have a shitload of bad memories that haunt me at night. I’m afraid to fall asleep.”
He stopped and faced her. “Am I one of those bad dreams you dread?”
She could’ve said yes. Especially after his dark promise from the other night. But when not trying to intimidate her with a harsh expression, his face was so handsome that it was hard to look away from it.
The term ‘handsome devil’ had never suited anyone better.
A beautiful, dangerous predator.
Waving a dismissive hand, she kept on walking. “I got used to you. Or maybe you are nicer now than you were before.”
Logan followed, arching one perfectly shaped dark brow. “How so?”
“You’re no longer acting like a brute, and when you’re not trying to look scary, you’re quite handsome.”
“What about that Julian guy? Is he behaving?”
It was good that she was ready for that question and had prepared an answer. “Yeah, he is. He’s a nice guy, but it’s not serious.” Not at the moment, so she wasn’t lying.
“On his part, or yours?”
Ella sighed. “Mine. I would like to blame Gorchenco for that, but the truth is that there is something missing. Julian doesn't have the it factor.”
Logan’s nearly black eyes sparkled red, which she now knew was the color of his inner glow. “And may I ask what that mysterious ingredient is?”
Hesitating, Ella went with the closest thing to the truth. “He’s sweet, mellow, and way too nice. Apparently, you were right about me, and I do have a thing for bad boys.”
Taking her hand, Logan turned her around to face him. “I am a very bad boy, Ella.”
As he hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head up, his lean body was so close to hers that she could feel the heat rolling off him. Was he putting that sensation in her head, or was she supplying the extrasensory input?
Dipping his head, he didn’t attack her mouth like he’d done in their first shared dream. Instead, his lips hovered a fraction of an inch away from hers, giving her the option to back away.
Ella closed her eyes and forced a small smile, bracing for the kiss.
As his lips touched hers, Logan wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against his hard body. Gently, his tongue flicked against the seam of her lips, coaxing her to open for him instead of invading her forcefully.
Nevertheless, she reacted to his subdued dominance, her arousal flaring hot and quick, so different to her reaction to Julian.
The hand on the small of her back slid down, cupping her bottom and lifting her a little, so her mound was pressed against his hard shaft.
Again, Logan wasn’t forcing anything. If she wanted to back away, she could. But she didn’t.
Instead, she moaned into his mouth and wrapped her arms around his neck. Suspecting Logan had fangs even in his dream version, she submitted to his kiss instead of kissing him back.
It felt so right even though it definitely wasn’t.
Crap. Why did she have to be attracted to the wrong guy?
Way to go, Ella.
She had the best man possible fawning over her, and instead of falling head over heels in love with him, she had the hots for the worst man possible.
Except, for now she wasn’t going to fight her inappropriate reaction to Logan, she was going to embrace it.
It was, after all, for a good cause. Any information she could get out of him would greatly benefit the clan.
She was a spy, which should allow her some moral wiggle room, right?
11
Julian
After the kiss last night, a heavy weight took residence in Julian’s gut and refused to move out no matter what excuses he threw at it.
Logically, he understood that Ella was still traumatized even though she wasn’t admitting it. Not only that, she was dealing with Lokan’s compulsio
n and his dream visits, which must be extremely upsetting to her.
Was it a wonder that romance was the furthest thing from her mind?
But the annoying voice in the back of his head was whispering that none of that would have mattered if she was his true-love match, and that the force of that should’ve overcome everything else.
But those nasty whispers were lies. Had Kian and Syssi fallen into each other's arms right away, declaring their love?
Or why go that far? Had Magnus and Vivian?
They’d all struggled with some kinds of issues that had prevented the bond from snapping into place immediately.
What about Carol and Robert? the annoying voice whispered.
They’d tried to make it work, but it hadn’t, and they’d separated. Robert had found his true-love match with Sharon, but Carol was still alone.
“Why the long face, my young friend?” Yamanu wrapped his arm around Julian’s shoulders, his frying-pan-size hand hanging loosely over Julian’s chest.
“Just thinking where we can cut costs. The glazing contractor has been measuring these windows for over an hour and shaking his head. I have a feeling we are not going to like his bid.”
This was just the first of a long lineup of contractors Julian had arranged meetings with for today. The last one was scheduled for seven in the evening, so basically, he and Yamanu were going to spend the entire day there.
At least he wasn’t missing out on time with Ella.
She’d gone to the sanctuary with Vivian, using her mother’s sewing class as a pretext to be there. The real reason behind it was getting to know the girls and gaining their trust.
It was good thinking on her part. She couldn’t just drop the filming on them without preamble. A lot of preparation work was needed.
“It is what it is, my friend. This is an old building, and those windows are not standard sizes. They will have to be custom ordered.”
Julian cast the Guardian a questioning glance. “How do you know so much about construction?”
