by I. T. Lucas
That was unreasonably cruel. Why would the despot treat his own children like that?
“Why does he do it?”
“Control. What else. A mother can have a big influence on her son. Navuh ensures the only influence is his.”
Bhathian shook his head. “Only a sociopath could think that way.”
“Read history, Bhathian. Harem politics were the downfall of more than one empire. Navuh is a very clever male.”
That was true, as evidenced by his success. But history was full of smart despots who’d been brought down. Either from within or without.
Bhathian got up and offered his hand to Robert for a handshake. “Thank you. That was a very interesting talk.”
Robert shook what he was offered. “Any time, man.”
As he made his way to the elevators, Bhathian mulled over the new information Robert had provided him with. Maybe he could get Tim, Andrew’s forensic artist, to draw the missing son’s portrait from Robert’s memory. The question was how to arrange for it. Perhaps Kian would agree to let Robert into one of the public areas of the high-rise, and Tim could meet him there. For the right amount of money, Bhathian was sure Tim would agree to come. That and a couple of pizzas and beers.
Chapter 27: Nathalie
“Yes. Hallelujah!” Nathalie exclaimed. She’d never been so happy while sitting on the toilet in the morning, or any other time for that matter.
There was no blood on the pad.
It had taken nearly four weeks for the bleeding to finally stop, and Nathalie was more than ready for sex with her husband.
“Are you okay in there?” Andrew asked.
“No more bleeding. Tonight is the night,” she called out.
There was silence on the other side of the door.
“Did you hear me? We can finally have sex.”
“Yeah, I heard you. But are you sure? Bridget said six weeks.”
Nathalie flushed the toilet, washed her hands, and opened the door. “She said the bleeding needed to stop first. And she also said that the venom would speed up my recovery. No more excuses, mister. Tonight you’re going to pleasure me until I tell you to stop or faint from exhaustion.” She stretched on her toes and kissed his lips.
Andrew wrapped his arms around her, lifting her and twirling her around. “It’s about time I paid you back for all those fabulous blowjobs you’ve bestowed on me.”
“My thoughts exactly.”
Their daughter’s demanding wail pierced the sexy bubble.
“I’ll get her,” Andrew said.
“Thanks.” Nathalie stepped back into the bathroom and turned on the shower.
Now that she was a mother, even a basic thing like when to shower had to be scheduled and planned. If she wanted to spend more than three minutes in there, Nathalie needed Andrew to watch the baby. It had to be done either early in the morning before he left for work, or in the evening when he got back.
She preferred the mornings. But if she was up all night, every additional minute of sleep counted. Flexibility was the name of this new game.
Which meant that if she wanted to make the first time in months she had sex with Andrew special, she needed to plan for it. Syssi could babysit Phoenix. Problem was that having her sister-in-law listening in was not conducive to wild lovemaking. She would have to ask her to take Phoenix to her place.
It was scary. Guarding her daughter’s health, Nathalie had limited the number of visitors, letting only a few hold her, and she’d never taken her out of the apartment. If not for their large balcony, the baby would’ve not gotten any fresh air or direct sunlight. Nathalie’s excuse was that there were no parks nearby, but the truth was that she was terrified of taking Phoenix out of the keep.
Should she consult with Bridget?
Nah, the doctor would probably laugh away her concerns.
Nathalie shampooed her long hair, put the conditioner on, and proceeded to shave everything that needed shaving. According to Syssi, the transition was going to take care of it. Immortal females had no armpit or pubic hair which were Nathalie’s most problematic areas. Her leg hair was very sparse, but it was dark and therefore visible even on her olive skin. That too would be gone.
She couldn’t wait.
For some reason, it seemed that the venom alone with no intercourse didn’t do the trick. Either that or she was having difficulty transitioning. There was so much they didn’t know about the process.
What if a Dormant couldn’t transition after giving birth?
Bridget had said it was all nonsense and that Nathalie was seeing shadows where there were none.
The doctor’s assumption was that pregnancy hormones might have prevented Nathalie’s transition—which made sense from an evolutionary standpoint—to protect the fetus, and that their levels hadn’t declined sufficiently yet.
Nathalie sighed. Her mood swings were so disturbing. One moment she didn’t want to go through the transition at all, terrified that she would die and leave her precious baby an orphan. The next moment she couldn’t wait to be done with it, and was afraid that it wouldn’t work and she’d remain human.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, she found Andrew sitting on the sofa, baby-talking to Phoenix who was looking at her daddy with smiling eyes, cooing and gurgling back.
Precious.
Moments like that made it all worthwhile.
The couch was a reminder of darker days, but they decided to leave it in the master bedroom even after Andrew had gone back to sleeping in the same bed with Nathalie. It provided them with an intimate spot in the home they shared with her father.
“Who’s the most beautiful baby girl? That’s right, you are. Yes, you are. Who is Daddy’s princess? Yes, you are—”
Nathalie sat next to Andrew. “How did she eat?”
“Sucked it all up in under three minutes. I think it’s time to give her more. Maybe even start with baby cereal.”
She’d been thinking along the same lines. It was a bit early, but Phoenix was a large baby and probably needed more food than the typical four-week-old. “I’ll ask Bridget.” She chuckled. “I’m driving the woman crazy. I’m calling her at least twice a day. She is a saint for putting up with me.”
“That’s her job, yes it is—” Andrew continued with the baby talk, getting more gurgles and coos out of Phoenix.
“I’m going to call Syssi and ask her to babysit tonight.”
“That’s a wonderful idea. Mommy and Daddy will be very busy tonight, yes they will—”
Nathalie rolled her eyes. It was cute but annoying. Especially given the topic.
“At her place. So we’ll have privacy.”
“What about Granddaddy? Is he going to a sleepover with baby Phoenix at Auntie Syssi’s?”
Nathalie started laughing. “Is that how you’re going to talk from now on?”
“Yes, I will, because it makes my baby girl happy. But not when Mommy and Daddy are alone. No, no, no. Mommy likes when Daddy says naughty things to her. Yes, she does.”
“You’re going to spoil her rotten, aren’t you?”
“Oh, yes I will, yes I will.”
“Daddy needs to give baby to Mommy because he needs to get ready for work.” Nathalie imitated Andrew’s silly tone.
Phoenix looked away from her daddy and gave Nathalie the sweetest smile.
Love, pure and all-consuming.
“Who is the cutest baby girl in the world?” Nathalie cooed as she took Phoenix from Andrew, kissing her soft cheek. Bliss. The wave of endorphins made her light-headed. “You are. Yes, you are.”
With a smirk, Andrew stood up. “It’s addictive, isn’t it? The sounds she makes are so adorable.”
“Yes, they are.” She stopped herself from repeating. If they didn’t watch it, they would start talking to each other like that.
“I have an idea. How about we go out first? You haven’t been out of this building in a month.”
“Oh, God, that sounds wonderful.”
Andrew bent and kissed her on the lips, teasing her with a quick lick. “I’ll make reservations for By Invitation Only. Let’s plan for six. I’ll come home early so we can have more time.”
“Let me check with Syssi first. I don’t know if she’ll be okay with babysitting for so long.”
“She’ll love it. But call me if there is a problem, early. Later in the day they might be booked.”
“I will.”
After she'd put down Phoenix for a nap, Nathalie called Syssi.
“Nathalie, what’s going on?” Syssi immediately assumed something was wrong if Nathalie was calling her at work.
“Everything is fine. I’m calling because I need a favor. Could you babysit tonight?”
“Sure. Any time. You know how much I love that cutie pie niece of mine.” The joy in Syssi’s tone was heartwarming. Having a family rocked. The question was whether Syssi would be as enthusiastic about keeping Phoenix overnight.
“It’s longer than usual, though. I’m finally ready to get out of here and then rekindle the romance with my husband. Could you keep her overnight at your place?” Nathalie chewed on her lower lip as she waited for the response. It was a lot to ask.
“Are you kidding me? I would love to.”
“She still wakes up every four hours.”
“Not a problem. You know that as an immortal I don’t need much sleep.”
“Thank you. You’re the best.”
“Any time.”
“It will be good practice for you for when I transition.” They’d talked about it, and Syssi had said she would take time off work and take care of Phoenix when Nathalie went through it.
“And for when I finally have a baby of my own,” Syssi added.
Poor girl. The chances of her getting her wish were so pitifully slim. “You bet. Though after doing it full time for a few days, you might change your mind about wanting one. Motherhood is one hell of an adjustment. It takes over your life. Career? What career? Feeling sexy? Forget about it. Should I go on?”
Syssi snorted. “No. You made your point. I’ll tell you what I think after the fact. All that matters to me now is that you come out okay on the other side.”
Nathalie chewed on her lower lip again. “If I don’t survive, I count on you to step in and help Andrew.”
For some reason, Nathalie felt more comfortable entrusting Syssi with her baby than Eva. Her mother was too busy with her detective agency and with her crew, who she treated as if they were her children.
Syssi sniffled. “Don’t you dare to even think it. You’re going to be fine.”
“I know. But it makes me feel better to know that she would be cared for if I don’t.”
Chapter 28: Bhathian
Bhathian would’ve loved to pick Eva up from the airport, but she’d taken her own car to get there, leaving it at the airport parking for when she came back.
He’d missed her. It would’ve been so satisfying to be there at the gate when she got off the plane, pulling her into a crushing embrace and kissing her until she felt faint. Instead, he was waiting for her at her home, watching some stupid show with Nick. Those reality shows were so fake. As one who had been there and done that, he kept shaking his head at what the contestants were supposedly doing to survive.
“You know it’s all fake, right?” he asked Nick.
“Yeah, so what? It’s still fun to watch.”
He pushed up to his feet. “I’m getting myself a beer. You want one?”
“That Snake’s Venom brand? No thank you. It knocks me out. I need to drive in like half an hour.”
“A date?”
“I wish. California girls are not as friendly as I thought they would be. I’m going to test a new security system. Supposedly it’s foolproof. But we both know such a thing doesn’t exist.” Nick puffed out his chest. “As I have proven to your boss. You guys have one of the best I ever messed with, but I got through.”
“And was immediately caught.”
“That’s irrelevant. I was doing it to prove a point, not to actually break in, and I did. Eva won the bet.”
“That she did.”
The kid was a wizard. William was still trying to figure out how his infallible system got hacked. It was also worrisome. If one hacker managed to infiltrate the keep, others could too.
In the kitchen, Bhathian pulled out a beer from the fridge and sat at the table. The Chinese takeout he’d brought was getting cold, but there was nothing to be done about it. Eva’s flight was coming in an hour late.
Earlier in the day, he’d called Andrew and asked about Tim. Andrew had said he would talk to the guy and see if he was willing to do a side job for Bhathian. If Tim refused, Bhathian would have to find someone else. It would be a huge breakthrough if Eva recognized the guy Robert had described. It was a long shot. But he had a feeling about it.
Pulling out his phone, he began an internet search for a private service he could hire in case Tim wouldn’t do it. They all looked amateurish. A gimmick for a party, a caricature artist. Maybe Andrew knew of someone else.
Sharon walked into the kitchen. “Bhathian, can I have some of that?” She pointed at the takeout boxes.
“Sure. I brought enough for everybody.”
She clapped him on his back. “You’re awesome. If at any point you get tired of Eva, give me a holler. I love guys who feed me.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.” Not really, but that was what she’d expected him to say. Not that he thought for a moment that she was interested. He wasn’t Sharon’s type. Either that or the girl ignored his masculine charms because she was intensely loyal to Eva.
Probably the second one. Most women found him attractive. Mainly because of his muscles and other physical attributes. It sure as hell wasn’t because of his charming personality or his pleasant predisposition.
“It smells amazing.” Opening a box at a time, she scooped a little of each item onto a paper plate and then shoved it into the microwave. “You sure you don’t want any? I can warm up another plate for you.”
“Thanks, but I’m waiting to eat with Eva.”
Sharon leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re a good guy, Bhathian. That frown of yours doesn’t fool me.”
He took a swig of his beer. “If you say so.”
The microwave beeped, and she took out her plate. “I’ll keep you company until Eva gets here.” She put the plate on the table and sat down. “What’s her ETA?”
“Depends on the traffic. She texted me twenty minutes ago that the plane had landed.”
Sharon pretended to grimace. “Before she met you, Eva used to text one of us to tell us she’d arrived safely. But we are not important to her anymore. She has you.”
Not deigning to answer, Bhathian just arched a brow. Eva loved her employees as if they were her own children, and they knew it.
“Where is Tessa?” he asked to change the subject.
Sharon finished chewing what was in her mouth and used a napkin to wipe off the sauce that had dripped on her chin. “You should know. She is hanging out with your cousin, Jackson. I think it’s great that the two of them are getting close. Jackson is a good guy.”
Bhathian chuckled. “Do you think everyone is a good guy?”
She shook her head. “Not at all. I think most men are jerks. But you and Jackson are different. I like you.” She waved a hand. “Not like in have the hots for you or anything, though both of you are damn good-looking dudes, but as friends. You’re good people.”
Interesting. Maybe it was that affinity Syssi and Amanda were talking about. Apparently it went both ways.
“How would you know?”
As she thought of an answer, Sharon stuffed another bite of orange chicken in her mouth and chewed on it. “This is delicious. I can’t tell you how I know. It’s a gut feeling. I can always tell when a guy is a creep or a jerk, and when he is a mensch, like Jackson and you. Not many of those out there, unfortunately.” She stuffed ano
ther bite in her mouth.
He bowed his head. “Thank you. From both of us.” It had been a nice compliment. Bhathian didn’t like it when people remarked on his looks, especially when women did it, it made him feel like a beefcake. But being called a mensch, a man of honor and integrity, he liked that.
“Do you have more hunky cousins in that big family of yours? Someone you can introduce me to?”
“I’m not into matchmaking. But once Nathalie is back to normal, she’ll gladly snoop around for an eligible bachelor for you.” If Syssi’s hunch was true and Sharon was a Dormant, the girl would have so many suitors she wouldn’t know what to do with them all.
“Speaking of Nathalie, when are we going to see that baby? Is she ever going to get out of her house?”
“She is a new mom, and everything must seem scary to her. Give her time.
Sharon shrugged and dug into her plate.
The window in the kitchen was open, and Bhathian kept his ears trained on the street, waiting to hear Eva’s car engine. Every vehicle emitted a slightly different noise, and it wasn’t difficult to differentiate one from another.
Pushing the chair back, he got up. “Eva is here. I’m going outside to help her with her bags.”
Sharon narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you a dog or something? How do you know that?”
He shrugged and headed out.
At least one part of the welcome home scenario was going to play out. He opened Eva’s door as she was cutting the engine, and offered her his hand to help her up. “I missed you,” he said as an explanation for the crushing hug he pulled her into.
Eva didn’t resist, molding her body to his as if she was his second skin. “I missed you too.”
Burying his nose in her hair, he inhaled her scent. The one that meant home to him. Home wasn’t about an address, it was about wherever Eva was. That was where he belonged.
Holding her close, he kissed her. She parted her lips for him, a small moan escaping her throat and sending a bolt of desire straight into his hard shaft. He couldn’t wait to get her upstairs to her bedroom. But then her belly made a gurgling sound. “Are you hungry?”
