Baby let me in
The light’s so bright
Make it rain on me tonight
Shena strummed the final chord, and the Johnson family clapped and smiled and hugged one another. The grandmother holding JaNay’s hand told everyone to hush.
“She squeezed my hand. She heard it, Ms. Mandrake,” her voice broke. “She heard you singin’ and pickin’ that guitar.”
Shena bowed her head a second. “Y’all have honored me tonight. Thank you so much.”
Shena put her guitar back in her case, and then went around to each family member, hugging them and kissing their cheeks.
“God bless you,” she said over and over again. Medora watched as Shena went to JaNay’s bedside and leaned down. While JaNay never opened her eyes, she seemed to hear everything. “And you little darlin’, are an angel on the earth.” Shena kissed JaNay on the head.
She turned and saw Medora standing by the door. They walked out together.
“Ariella, that was one of the most blessed moments of my life,” she said. “I can’t thank you enough for making this happen.”
Medora smiled through her tears. “I’m just the messenger. JaNay has wanted to meet you since she was five. You made her dreams come true tonight.”
Shena bobbed her head, curls bouncing. “God bless you, sweetheart. The work you do makes the world a better place. Never forget it.”
Medora watched Shena walk out, holding her case and waving to nurses and visitors in the hall. The elevator slid open and Jerik stepped out. He held the door for Shena, but only had eyes for Medora. She held her breath as he approached. So tall. So handsome. So deadly to her heart. She shouldn’t have been surprised he would try to find a workaround to his “dilemma”. He wanted to bed her. His intentions had never changed. At least he was honest. She sighed. And couldn’t help but smile a little at his evident discomfort in the hospital setting.
He stood in front of her, looking down.
“Are you all right?”
Medora’s breath halted a moment. He wasn’t just asking about the engagement. His eyes told the story; he wanted to know if the hospital visit had gone okay, if she was okay with the Board, if she was okay.
She nodded. Cleared her throat. “It was a special night.”
Right then, Mrs. Johnson came out of the room and placed her wide black hand on Medora’s sleeve. “Honey chile you blessed us tonight. Thank you so much.” Medora turned into the woman’s hug. “That Shena can sing the Lord down from heaven. God bless you, Ms. Rothchild.”
Medora whispered thank you and they hugged a while longer. Then Mrs. Johnson went back to the room and Medora held her arm for Jerik to take.
“I’ve had time to think, Jerik.”
“Yes?”
“I’ve been unfair to you,” she said. “Now, don’t get your hopes up. My wishes have not changed. But I can’t really be mad at you for being true to who you are.”
“Very well. Our engagement is still on?”
“Yes. Yes, it is.”
“Very good. The press is waiting for us just outside the hospital.”
“Oh dear.” Medora tucked her head into Jerik’s shoulder when they entered the elevator. She felt so comfortable there. She didn’t want to move. When his hand came up to hold her head to his chest, she sighed. May as well put on a show for everyone, right?
Chapter Sixteen
Jerik frowned with Medora’s head pressed into his chest. The sensation of falling overcame him. Ah, the ancient design of the elevator must explain it. They stepped out into the hospital’s bright lobby. Already he could see press setting up a perimeter outside. Reporters, cameramen, vans and trucks, cars with the insignia of different organizations on the sides.
“Are you ready?” He dipped his head to her ear. Smelled the intoxicating fragrance of Easter lilies again. “They’re waiting for us.”
Medora stepped away and nodded, pinching her cheeks.
“What are you doing?”
“Getting the blood to flow there, so I look alert,” she answered. She fluffed her hair and looked up at him. “How do I look?”
She looked like he should take her right here in the lobby. “Alert.”
Her expression was blank for a second, then she laughed. “I deserved that.” She took his hand. “Let’s go to the slaughter.”
She seemed remarkably cheerful compared to this morning. He allowed her to lead him out the door, though his free hand remained in his pocket. Fingering the ring, he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “Let me take the lead, now.”
She looked up at him and winked, amidst flashing bulbs. Her smile stopped his heart cold.
They stepped together into the press of reporters that formed a semicircle around them.
Jerik held his hand up. “I’d like to make an announcement.”
The humans hushed at his words. He then knelt in front of Medora and whisked out the ring. The reporters gasped; the cameramen captured video.
“Marry me,” he said, eyes boring into Medora’s.
A slow smile unfurled on her heart-shaped face. She held her hand out and nodded. “Yes.”
He slid the glimmering band onto her finger—a perfect fit. The humans whooped and hollered, and questions hit them like a barrage.
“How long have you been dating?”
“Was this a secret relationship?”
“How does Ariella feel about the sex clubs?”
“Will you move to Krina?”
“How does Ariella feel about not having children?”
“Will this be an open marriage?”
Jerik stood and smiled wide. “Before the hospital security asks us to leave, let me answer a couple questions.” He tucked Medora securely into his side, feeling a tremor from her. She was used to the press, for the most part. He wondered why she trembled so. “You could say she fell for me right away, but I assure you the feeling was mutual.” He looked down at her, but all he could see was the top of her head, where brisk chill winds whipped her platinum hair about in a frenzy. “I’m selling the sex clubs, as my association to them could interfere with Ariella’s philanthropy work. As for where we will live and the question of children, I will defer to my fiancée on those issues when she is ready to address them. Thank you.”
With an apologetic smile to the corps, he pushed a button in his pocket and stepped through the portal to his own living room once again.
His climate-controlled apartment and the soothing music playing in the background was a welcome change from the frenetic spontaneous press conference.
He released Medora from his tight hold, but she didn’t step very far away from him. Instead, she grasped the lapels of his coat and looked up at him. “Thank you, Jerik.” She blinked a tear away. “I mean it. What you said about my humanitarian work…I really can’t thank you enough.”
“I have ideas,” he replied.
She gently released his lapels and stepped back. “You know I can’t.”
“You could, but you’re choosing not to,” he said. Waved a hand. “No matter. Let’s have a celebratory dinner.”
Jerik moved to his kitchen and began pulling out ingredients and dishes when he heard her cell phone ring.
“It’s Daddy. He’ll be wanting details, of course.”
Jerik gave her a nod and resumed cooking.
As he chopped and diced celery, onion and fennel, he occasionally looked up at his fiancée. She took off her coat and laid it across the back of a chair. Kicked off her nude heels and left them where they lay. Wandered over to his large dining table and dragged her delicate fingers over the sleek surface. His cock twitched. He returned to the cooking, choosing fresh herbs to mince next. Oregano and Italian parsley released their pungent aroma into the room. He poured an expensive fresh-pressed olive oil into a pan and turned on the burner. Next, he sliced eggplant and red pepper into sheets and strips. His eyes drifted back to Medora. She posed in front of the windows, the sunlight creating a halo around her hair.
She wore a Kelly green shift that skimmed her curves and simple silver jewelry at her wrist and ears. She laughed at something her father said.
He poured the vegetables into the hot pan, the smell of cooking and the sound of sizzling filling the kitchen area. He ground pepper over the concoction and threw in a dash of pink Himalayan salt. With an expert flick, he tossed the food in the pan in the air and caught it.
Medora put her phone away and walked over to stand across from the island, watching him.
“You’re a cook as well?”
“I’m a Krinar of many talents,” he said, scooping up the herbs with his bare hands and scattering them across the vegetables in the pan. “Unfortunately, your misguided morality will only allow you to experience a fraction of them.”
He glanced at her, hands poised with knife hovering over a fresh tomato.
She quirked an eyebrow at him. “Are you teasing me?”
Jerik released a breath and smiled.
“You are such a jerk, sometimes!” But she smiled back. “This smells amazing. Much better than my canned spaghetti.”
“You humans have questionable taste in what you put into your bodies.”
“We’re all doing much better, though, don’t you admit? After the sanctions the Krinar put on us?”
“You say that without any bitterness,” he replied. “Are you not angry about it?”
Medora shrugged. “Sure, I miss bacon a lot. But I could get it more often if I really wanted to. I guess I see the health benefits and the overall benefit to the environment enough that I don’t let it bother me.”
“What are we going to do about your addiction to Coca Cola?”
Medora rolled her eyes. “I’m never giving up my Coke. I can’t believe you would even consider asking me to.”
“What about the matter of your security? I’ll not have my fiancé risking safety because of the lack.”
Medora struck a stubborn pose. “My penthouse is completely safe. I have an alarm system.”
“You don’t arm it?”
She shrugged and looked away.
“Your father doesn’t hire security for you? You walk all over the city, unprotected.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “I go to the hospital and the café.”
Jerik frowned. He was fucking up their celebratory dinner by being argumentative.
Jerik gestured with his head to his refrigerator. “Pull out the water bottles, will you?”
She padded over, her toe ring making a tiny clinking noise on the marble floor. Pulled open the fridge as she was wondering out loud if it would be a fancy mineral water or just the bargain bottles from the local convenience store when she suddenly got quiet.
Jerik smiled again. She saw the Coke.
“Why are you doing this?” Her voice was quiet. Subdued.
“We’re celebrating our engagement,” he said to the food. He couldn’t look at her yet. “Isn’t that what newly engaged couples do?”
“I mean it, Jerik. I want a real answer,” she said. She shut the fridge and reached over to shut off the burner. “Look at me.”
Jerik faced her. Her cheeks were flushed. Alert. He grinned.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she said with a frown.
“Like what?”
“Like you’re going to devour me.”
He took a step toward her. “I’m going to.”
“No!” She squeaked and took a step back.
He stopped advancing. “I will never force you.”
Medora nodded. “Yes. I know. But you’re so—so confident. Vital. I can’t bear it, sometimes.”
Jerik felt pleased at her honesty. “You asked how real it was. You asked why I’m doing this. You want a real answer.”
She nodded, biting her lower lip. His eyes zeroed in on her mouth.
“I can’t answer you, because I do not know the answers myself.”
She cocked her head and frowned.
“Do you want to know how many sexual partners I’ve had?”
She paled and grabbed at the granite countertop to steady herself. “N-no.”
“Into the thousands. At my age? Many thousands,” he said. “I never bothered to count.” Jerik hated the expression that Medora couldn’t disguise fast enough. She was repulsed. “Women and men. Sometimes more than one at a time.” His voice got deeper as he stared into her deep dark eyes. He saw pain in them. But he continued. “Sexual positions you’ve never imagined. Ecstasies you’ve never encountered, and probably never will.”
Every word was like a dart aimed at her. But she needed to hear these things. Because he needed to tell her, even if it ruined his chances with her for eternity. “You ask me why I’m helping you?” That same anger that threatened to erupt in her presence reared again. “I don’t know. What are you?” He snapped and gripped her waist with both hands. “You’re a tiny frail human who’s never had sex. You know nothing about it.” He gritted his teeth and pulled her a fraction closer. “Why do I want you so bad I can taste you?”
She shook her head no but remained silent.
“Why are my dreams filled with visions of fucking you? Why do I have nightmares of losing you when I’ve never even had you?” Silent tears fell from her eyes. “Sometimes I grow so angry I could burst. You fell in my lap, and you’ve never shown the least inclination that you want me back.” He leaned his forehead to her forehead and lowered his voice. “My life was fine before you showed up. You’ve done nothing but disrupt and destroy it.” He let go of her waist and put a fist to his chest. “You remind me of the one thing I’ve spent thousands of years trying to forget, and I don’t think I can forgive you for it.”
Shock registered on her face. Fuck, but he wanted to kiss her lips so hard they bled. Then he would suck them and bury his cock in her sweet pussy and they would climb the walls in pleasure. But he was no rapist.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered and shook her head again. “I didn’t know. I’m not trying to…”
“Just stop.”
She wiped her tears and nodded. Took a fortifying breath. Kept her lips sealed.
“Even now, you apologize to me, when I’m the real monster here.” Jerik’s heart did tumbles and spins when he looked at her. She drove him to near-madness. “I had a child once.”
Medora’s dark eyes grew wide.
“Yes, I had a Krinar mate. We made a child. He died three days after he was born.”
Her hand flew to her mouth.
“My mate killed herself from the grief. I left relationships behind and sought the pleasures of the flesh. The end.”
Medora’s eyes welled. She simply stared at him.
Of all the women, and men, he’d been with over the years, not a single fucking one of them understood death like Medora did.
She courted Death like a faithful mistress. She understood Death. Held his hand. Led him to and from the rooms she visited nearly every day. She didn’t judge Death or demean him. She didn’t love him either. It was total acceptance. She even seemed to find a spark of joy in his presence. How did she do that? And why did Jerik want it too? He turned away from her.
“Let’s eat the food.”
Chapter Seventeen
Medora stared at Jerik’s back. His shirt stretched across his broad shoulders. He filled any room he was in with his commanding presence. Just as she had told him, his vitality was a lot to take in. Perhaps in another world, she would get to know what it was like to be made love to by such a creature. But how could someone with his sexual resumé ever be satisfied with a simple woman like herself? He practically said it himself. What was she? A sexual nobody.
She walked to her purse she’d thrown casually on the sofa and found her packet of tissues. Wiped her face and blew her nose while she heard Jerik place plates and flatware on the large dining room table.
Composed, she walked to the table.
He pulled her chair out for her.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome
,” he murmured. “I hope you like the meal.”
“It smells delicious.”
He sat and chose a fork. They smiled at one another, one of those high society polite smiles that she loathed.
Her throat closed up. She couldn’t eat with the maelstrom of feelings in her heart.
“Jerik,” she started. “You said something I have to address.”
“Let’s not bother with such heavy things right now. I never should have brought it up.”
“No, it’s my fault. I brought it up. You tried your best to answer me.” She put her hand on his wrist. “Thank you for trying to answer my questions.”
Muscles rippled across his jaw.
“You said I d-don’t want you back,” she stammered a little. “If you only knew how much I do.”
His fork bent in his fist.
“Then why won’t you give in?” His voice was measured. The only clue to his inner demons was the flashing of his amber eyes.
“Because some things are bigger than we are. Principles. Ideas. Abstract things that we can’t touch with our hands.” She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Only our hearts.”
He leveled his eyes at her. Something softened; the blaze dimmed to a quiet ember. He dropped his fork and lifted a finger to her lips.
“If I could touch you with my heart, I would.”
Chapter Eighteen
Jerik swept the dishes off the table, pulled Medora onto it and ripped the fabric of her dress down the middle. She wore black lace—a vixen’s design on a virginal maiden, and he growled with desire. He wiped his eyes to destroy the vision, and instead calmed the beating of his heart. She ate his food with small bites and soft smiles in his direction. She didn’t look at him with pity after his revelation. Only compassion. How many children had died to her? And yet she took on life with smiles and yellow dresses. She kept the treasures and remembrances of those painful moments within arm’s reach in her home. At any moment she could reach out and touch the memory of someone who had died. And bring them back to her in that moment.
The fragrant herbs and seasonings of his dish dissipated in his mouth. Instead he smelled Easter lily and tasted it on his tongue.
The Krinar Chronicles_Krinar Covenant Page 7
