Immortal Blood

by Magen McMinimy

  “What’s the hmm about?” Bain pushed.

  “You drink blood… kind of like a vampire.” She snickered, loving the look on his face.

  “Fucking vampires and fucking humans with their damn obsessions,” he muttered under his breath.

  Izzy laughed. “Ok, I’ll stop with the vampire digs… for now anyway. So, who are the Immortal Three?”

  Bain let out a loud, audible sigh. He wasn’t sure how to make her understand who the Immortal Three were. They were dark, beautiful sisters who ruled the Underworld. One would automatically equate them to evil, but just like his world, the Middle World, there was light and there was dark. The sisters ruled the light part of the Underworld, and their brothers ruled the dark part. However, they weren’t dark themselves. It was confusing to even his people. So how would a human understand any of this?

  “Bain? Who are the Immortal Three?”

  “They rule the light part of the Underworld.”

  “The Underworld?” Izzy asked.

  “Yes. There is your world—the Human World, my world—the Middle World, and the Underworld. The Immortal Three sisters who rule the light, and the Immortal Four brothers who rule the dark.”

  Izzy chewed her bottom lip as she processed the information. “So you feed from the Immortal Three sisters. Does that mean Darion’s warriors feed from the Immortal Four brothers?”

  “No, the brothers rule the dark of the Underworld, but they aren’t evil.” Bain sighed; he wasn’t explaining this right.

  “Don’t get frustrated.” Izzy smiled at his aggravation. “I think I get it… Rowan leads the light and is light or good, Darion leads the dark and he’s dark or bad, evil whatever. The Immortal Three sisters are good and rule the light of the Underworld, and the Immortal Four brothers rule the dark of the Underworld, but are good. So my next question is, what exactly is the Underworld? Is it like in mythology where the dead go?”

  Bain nodded, “It’s where the fallen Fae go.”

  Izzy nodded. “Wow… your world is complicated. So do you feed from the Immortal Three Sisters to stay immortal yourselves?”

  “Not exactly, the first few years of feeding makes us immortal, but their blood keeps us strong.”

  “So what do the brothers do?” Izzy asked.

  “The Immortal Brothers?”

  Izzy nodded.

  “When one of the Immortal Warriors has a child, should it be a female, the brothers would feed that child when she reaches maturity, making her an Immortal Fae and eventually a warrior.”

  “But you don’t have females in your elite warrior class?”

  Bain smiled. “We did, but she’s our ruler now.”

  “Rowan? She feeds from the Immortal Four?”

  “Yes, she needs to stay strong to protect her land and people.”

  Izzy was a little overwhelmed by all of this—Immortals, Fae, the Underworld—but it was all admittedly very intriguing.

  “Okay, last two questions. Are the Immortal Three Sisters and The Immortal Four Brothers siblings? And how old are you exactly?”

  Bain grimaced. “Yes, they are all siblings, septuplets to be exact, and… time works differently in the Middle World.”

  Izzy raised a brow. “How old, Bain?”

  “How old do I look, Isabelle?” That heat was back in his voice, causing her own body to heat up and a warm tingle to pool low in her belly.

  Izzy scrutinized Bain, using the opportunity to take in every chiseled feature and the muscled curves of his body. He was a fine specimen. She didn’t have more than Uriah to compare him too, and Uriah was attractive too, but Bain’s violet eyes and blond hair made him drop-dead, male model gorgeous, far better looking than any of the men she had ever known. So in comparing him to humans, he was higher than a ten.

  “Izzy?” Bain pulled her gaze back to his and grinned, a crooked twist of his perfect mouth. “You’re making me feel like a piece of meat.”

  Izzy flushed, only a slight pinking of her cheeks. She didn’t embarrass easily, but she really had been ogling him.

  “I’m sure you’ve never done that to a woman, but fine. I’d say you look like you’re in your early thirties.”

  “That sounds good to me. We’ll just say I’m thirty-two.” Bain reached for the remote he’d tossed between them on the couch.

  Izzy moved quickly, scooping up the remote and shaking a finger at him.

  “No, no, no answer the question.”

  Bain lifted a brow at her, “You know… I’ve been the only one answering questions today.”

  “Fine I’ll answer your questions, but once I do, you have to tell me how old you are. Deal?”

  “Deal. First question—how old are you, Izzy?”

  Izzy groaned. Seriously, didn’t he know it was rude to ask a woman her age?

  “Don’t want to answer the question?”

  “Not really,” she muttered.

  “Fine, we’ll come back to it. What do you do?”

  “That one I will answer. I’m an event planner. I handle mostly weddings and corporate parties, but I get called in for all kinds of events.”

  Bain was interested. “Like what?”

  “Um… I did a restaurant opening a few weeks ago, a bridal shower last weekend, and I’ve done a few sweet sixteen parties and graduation parties. But weddings really are my bread and butter.”

  Bain actually looked impressed and, dare she say it, interested in her work.

  “That actually sounds like a fun job.”

  “It is, but it’s stressful. Thankfully, we’re coming into the slower time of year. I have a few holiday parties coming up in December, but not much else.”

  Bain’s brows furrowed. “Do you have any events coming up in the next couple of weeks?”

  Izzy tilted her head, thinking of her work schedule. “I have a Halloween event at a local bar on the 31st.”

  Bain pulled out his phone, tapping the screen and scrutinizing the calendar. He had thirty days to get her luck back to her.

  “What? What is it?” she asked, not liking the look on his face. His jaw was tight and a frown marred his perfect lips.

  “If you want to make it to your event, we have thirty days to get your luck back. You don’t want to do your clients event without your luck.”

  Izzy rolled her eyes. She would make her own luck if that was what it took to please her client.

  “I answered your questions. Now… how old are you, Bain?”

  “No, no.” This time he shook his finger at her. “You first, Izzy.”

  “Fine, I’m twenty-nine,” she grumbled.

  “Ok. I’m five hundred and thirty-seven years old.”

  Izzy couldn’t help it. Her mouth fell open and her eyes widened, but Bain merely reached for the remote, plucking it from her loose fingers, and hit the play button, muttering something rude about the fighting women on the screen.

  Chapter Eight

  Bain pulled out two plates and two forks. He’d ordered in Chinese food for dinner. He was still laughing on the inside from their after-lunch conversation. She had sat there wide-eyed and speechless for a good fifteen minutes after he told her he was over five hundred years old.

  She had a look of awe, horror, and pity in her eyes. He wasn’t sure why those were the emotions she had felt, but it still made him laugh. She had no need to pity him; she would understand that soon. Horror was to be expected; it was always the response he got when humans found out the truth about his age. And the awe in her eyes… Well, that just sparked something inappropriate in him.

  “Can I help?” Izzy asked from the entryway.

  Bain smiled, enjoying the opportunity to mess with her. He hunched over slightly and with a shaking hand, he handed her the plates. “Thank you, child,” he croaked out in his best impression of an old man.

  “Shut up. I’m sorry; it’s just weird that you’re that old.” Izzy grimaced as the words flew from her lips, and Bain raised a brow at her.

  “Isabelle, I under
stand it’s difficult to grasp, but I assure you I am very much in my prime and young by the standards of my people.”

  Izzy smiled and took the plates from him. “I’m sure that’s true, but for me, all I can think is what you must have seen and that you should be dust in the ground by now,” she said teasingly.

  Bain lifted the corner of his mouth and winked at her. “I promise you, Izzy. I am far from being brittle or dust in the ground. I’m quite solid and hard.”

  Bain had been throwing innuendoes at her all day, and she couldn’t help but throw a few back. She was flirting with this other worldly creature, and she was having fun. Izzy felt the familiar heat Bain’s sharp, insinuating tongue caused. It coursed through her veins and worked its way low in her body. He had a sinful way of making everything sound sexy. And yes, she knew he was far from brittle or soft.

  “So after we eat, will you let me take you to Rowan?”

  “This again?” Izzy rolled her eyes and took the plates to the table.

  “Well, yes. She can help you. You’re not afraid to leave with me, are you?”

  Izzy sat down and started serving up her dinner. “No, but I don’t want to go to your Middle World. I’m still wrapping my head around you, your wings, fangs, and your five hundred and thirty-seven year existence. I’m not ready for a world of… well, you.” She gestured towards him with her cheap, throw away chopsticks.

  Bain laughed. “I’m one of kind, I assure you.”

  Izzy grunted. “I’m sure that’s what all the girls tell you, but regardless, I have plans tomorrow.”

  Bain narrowed his eyes at her as he started loading his own plate with food. “Another date?” he asked.

  Izzy thought she heard a little irritation in Bain’s voice. She wasn’t sure what to make of it, but she went on.

  “In a sense. I have a standing Sunday night date… with my family.”

  Bain’s smile screamed trouble as he looked at her. “We’re going to a family dinner tomorrow night?”

  “Uh… we?” Izzy asked before taking a bite of Lemon Chicken.

  “I’m your shadow, Izzy. So if you go to dinner with your family, you have to take me with you.”

  “And who am I supposed to tell them you are?” she asked, exasperation taking hold of her.

  “I play a very convincing suitor.” Bain chewed his food, while still managing a mischievous smile.

  Izzy nearly choked on her iced tea. “You want to pretend to be my boyfriend? I don’t think so.” She dabbed at her mouth before returning her napkin to her lap, finding it an excuse to keep her eyes downcast rather then look into Bain’s bright eyes.

  “Don’t think your family would approve of me?” Bain asked simply between bites of food.

  “Oh, I’m sure my sisters will fall all over themselves when they see you, and my mother and grandmother will love forcing food upon you, especially when they get a peek at your appetite. My father, on the other hand, will grill you like there is no tomorrow.”

  “So what are you worried about?” Bain asked.

  Izzy chuckled. “What will you tell my father? That you’re an Immortal Fae, with wings and fangs, who drinks the blood of the guards of the Underworld, and that you’re old enough to be my great, great, great, great, great grandfather?”

  Bain grunted. “I think you forgot a great in there.”

  “Oh, come on, Bain, the point is that you don’t really want to spend the evening with my family… do you?”

  Bain shrugged. “I can’t imagine it would be that bad. Give me some credit, Izzy. Believe it or not, some people see past my looks and actually enjoy my company.”

  “That’s not fair, Bain,” she said defensively.

  She’d enjoyed his company, but maybe she had been reading too much into his gorgeous appearance.

  “No?” he questioned her.

  Bain couldn’t help the small pang he felt. He rarely got to the meet-the-family part, and here he was, actually excited at the notion. He would get to see further into Izzy’s world, and where she came from. He wanted to meet her family because he wanted to know more about her. A woman he wasn’t even involved with… well, not the kind of involvement he was used to with a woman.

  Izzy saw something vulnerable pass over Bain’s features. The smug, sexy man who had invaded her home, who was infuriating at times, pushy, a man who took up most of her couch and lounged around all day with her, was showing something she had yet to see.

  “I have no trouble looking past your good looks, and I’ve actually enjoyed your company. I’m just not sure taking you to meet my family is a good idea.”

  Bain simply shrugged and continued eating.

  “Bain?” Izzy said his name softly; she’d hurt him. Such a strong and smug man, yet somehow her rejection to take him to meet her family had hurt him. It was hard to wrap her head around. Part of her wanted to get up, hug the man, and say she was sorry… Yeah, she felt about an inch tall.

  Bain wasn’t sure what his face was telling Izzy, but he was sure his mask had slipped. He tried to hide it with a laconic smile, but it wasn’t fooling her.

  “Ok,” she said softly, hoping he would lift his gaze back to her. “We’ll go.”

  Bain raised a brow and smiled at her. “Really?”

  Izzy nodded. She liked this smile much better. “But you have to promise to behave yourself, and no hitting on my sisters.”

  Bain’s confidence was back in place.

  “Have a little faith in me, Izzy. There’s only one female I plan to hit on, and I wouldn’t make a very good boyfriend if I hit on your sisters.”

  Izzy rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide her smile.

  “No, you have to promise to behave.”

  Bain shook his head at her. “I promise.”

  Chapter Nine

  Izzy had to admit that the more time Bain spent in her home, the more she felt like he belonged there. He was still an overwhelming presence, but she easily moved around him now. She couldn’t help but flush as she thought about their conversation at dinner. She wished he would really flirt with her. They had a playful banter so far, but she would love to truly test her skills against Bain.

  She chewed her bottom lip as she thought about all the things she wouldn’t mind testing out on Bain. The man made her knees weak when he locked that violet gaze on her and cocked his lips in that sinful smile. And his body, well, she wouldn’t mind running her tongue down his hard chest to much lower and more sensitive parts.

  Izzy shook her head; what the hell was she thinking? He was here to keep her safe, not to take an active part in her fantasies.

  Izzy jumped as a very masculine throat cleared from behind her. She swiveled like a child caught with their hand in the cookie jar, pulling the fresh sheet she’d just put on the guest bed off.

  “Hey.” She smiled and tried to push the lusty pictures in her mind away.

  Bain naked and sprawled out on her bed… shit… Izzy shook her head again and smiled weirdly at him.

  “What are you doing, Izzy?” Bain smirked. He had a knowing look in his violet eyes that irritated her. It also made her wonder if he had more tricks then he was letting on.

  “Putting fresh sheets on the guest bed, no one has stayed in it for months. I thought you might appreciate fresh linens.”

  “Really?” Izzy nodded at him. “That’s thoughtful, but what were you thinking about when I walked in here?”

  Izzy shrugged her shoulder. “I don’t know what you mean,” she said, turning back to the bed and fluffing the sheet over the mattress.

  Bain walked to the opposite side of the bed and grabbed the sheet, laying it flat and tucking in the corners.

  “You were thinking something that changed your scent; it was sort of spicy.” Bain smiled as he gazed up at her from his bent position while he continued to make his side of the bed.

  “So you have super smell too?” Izzy asked with a small, elegant hand on her hip.

  “I have super everything, Izzy. Smel
l, hearing, sight, touch.”

  Izzy shook her head and grabbed the pillows from a sage-colored chair and ottoman in the corner of the guest room. She had decorated this room with a light and airy feel. It reminded her of tall grass along the eastern coast; tans, sage green, and pops of light blue were a far cry from the darker, more modern colors of her own bedroom. She fluffed one pillow and placed it on the bed.

  “Izzy.” Bain called her name like a fire calling a moth to its flame. Izzy lifted her gaze as she fluffed the second pillow. “Was it me, Izzy? What little secrets were you imagining?”

  She felt her jaw clench in time with other lower parts of her body.

  “Cheeky Immortal,” Izzy said as she threw the pillow at him.

  Bain snatched it out of the air and grinned at her.

  “You can finish making your own bed.” She turned on her heel and headed out the door.

  “Or I could leave this bed to itself and warm yours, Izzy,” he called after her.

  “I’ve got Garcia, thanks for the offer though.” She sauntered out of his line of sight, glad her back was to him.

  She smiled at the warm chuckle that came from Bain. He had a beautiful, smooth laugh. “Goodnight, sweet Izzy.”

  Izzy shook her head. “Goodnight, Bain.”

  Chapter Ten

  Bain woke to the bitter scent of coffee; it was a good kind of bitter. He was surprised he hadn’t woken when Izzy got up, or chagrined at himself more like it. He should not be lulled to a false sense of safety. He and Izzy had a good day, but he needed to remind himself that she was in potential danger, and he needed to keep his head on straight. Oh, but she made him want to forget everything else.

  While she was very attractive, was beautiful even, for him, it was deeper than that. Bain knew he was a chauvinist, a playboy, and rarely gave any woman more than one night of pure ecstasy, but there was something about this feisty human that made him want to know more about her. He wanted more than one sweaty night between the sheets. Bain never felt humans were less than Fae, that line of thinking was left to the Dark Fae, but he never thought a human woman would wield any sort of pull over him. This one definitely shouldn’t, but he couldn’t help but want to get closer and deeper into her.