by Marian Tee
Say something, I wanted to beg him.
But he didn’t.
I was being unrealistic. I knew that. Varthan was used to his role. He probably had no emotional attachment to me in any way. All he cared about was his duty to keep me safe – and that was all.
I should be the same, shouldn’t have even considered that Varthan would be the man…
I heard myself asking tonelessly, “Did those other skat you guarded ever marry?”
“Yes. They did. After some time.”
And by the way he said those last words, I sort of got the feeling that he meant when they had gotten past the heartbreak of not being able to capture his heart, they had learned to move on.
God, this stupid Draugar-skat-matchmaking business just kept getting shittier by the minute.
“Dazzle---”
Determined to be true to my name, I smiled brightly at him, doing my best to dazzle Varthan with how much I did not care about all his revelations. “Well, thanks for enlightening me about this. But one thing I can promise you---”
Something about my tone made his head snap up and look at me with narrowed eyes.
“You are not going to take my virginity because I have someone else in mind for that.”
****
“I’ve got something to say to you and I don’t want you to get excited.” There was a reason why I was treating my stepmother Pepper like a toddler. That very reason was also why she had been hospitalized for more than a year now, the very same reason why all my money went to taking care of her medical bills.
Pepper, whose short sandy hair matched her name but had a disposition as sweet as sugar, clapped her hands excitedly like a little girl. “You’re getting married!” At forty-four, Pepper looked ten years younger and was a dead ringer for Meg Ryan. Weak her heart may be, it was still big enough to continue fostering the craziest romantic illusions.
“I’m only eighteen, Pepper.”
She brushed that off. “Age doesn’t matter.” She should know. My father had been more than a decade older than her. “But I’m right, aren’t I? This is about a guy, isn’t it?”
Her intuitiveness never ceased to surprise me. She could be so clueless about a lot of things, normal things that normal people normally worry about. Did she know how much her deluxe suite here in the Thomas of Aquinas Medical Center cost? Did she ever wonder how I had managed to pay her bills all this time? Did she really believe me when I said I wanted to take time off before enrolling in the Florida School of Dance? No, no, and no.
Pepper had never thought of any of those things. She was the kindest person I had ever known, but I wasn’t blind to her faults. Pepper was used to being taken care of, and in the absence of my father, that responsibility had fallen on my teenage lap.
It would have been embarrassingly apt to call her “silly” if not for those flashes of wisdom she displayed.
I took a deep breath. “It’s about a guy, yes---”
She leaned back against the plump pillows and sighed in satisfaction. “I knew it.”
“---but it’s not the way you imagine.”
“That’s what they always say.” She smiled knowingly.
“Pepper. He’s just a friend. Close, but just a friend. He’s going to be around often so I thought it better to introduce him to you. He’s actually on his way here and he’ll be arriving anytime soon.” It was true. It had taken a lot of persuading and arm-twisting to get Varthan to leave my side even for a second, but I had been adamant. I wanted time alone to explain to Pepper about Varthan.
Which I was going to do…
Soon…
Like really soon…
“Is he your boyfriend?”
This was the right time to talk about Varthan’s role in my life, which was…
Pepper raised a brow. “Don’t be shy. Is he your boyfriend?”
Any moment now, I’d start talking…
“Dazz?”
A knock on the door saved me from replying and I answered with ill-concealed relief. “Come in!”
I was hoping it would be the doctor, but instead it was Varthan.
Of course it would be him.
“Oh my,” Pepper gushed loudly, making me flush.
Varthan walked towards us, a gentle smile on his gorgeous face. There was absolutely nothing on his face that would give even the slightest hint of the fact that we had not spoken a word to each other ever since we arrived in Florida an hour ago.
I said awkwardly, “Pepper, meet Varthan. Varthan, this is my stepmother, Pepper White.”
“Mrs. White, I am honored to meet you.”
“Oh, please. Call me Pepper. Are you Dazzle’s boyfriend?”
Oh. My. God.
“Yes,” Varthan answered without missing a beat, his lips curving into a smile.
That deserved another OMG.
So…
Oh. My. God.
My head snapped to Varthan. If looks could kill, he’d have been down on the floor with all the daggers my eyes were shooting at him. What the heck did he think he was doing? Saying?
Pepper clapped her hands again. “Oh, how nice this is! I’ve always hoped my future son-in-law would be just like you---”
I started to choke. Son-in-law? “Pepper…”
“And with your looks and Dazzle’s, I am so sure my grandchild---”
“Pepper!”
She looked at me cheekily. “Varthan here looks like a one-woman man. So I think this relationship will end up in the altar sooner or later.”
I groaned. “Pepper, please!”
She sighed. “You’re still so easily embarrassed by the truth.”
“PEPPER!”
Pepper laughed.
Varthan’s smile widened. “She is easily embarrassed by the truth, is she not?”
“Oh yes,” Pepper said eagerly. “But it’s really because she’s a perfectionist. She has a tendency to blame herself when things don’t work out according to plan, and she’s paranoid when it comes to people she loves---”
“I’m no longer sure if you’re insulting or complimenting me.”
Pepper smiled. “---but despite all that, I know I can’t wish for a better daughter.” Her eyes sought Varthan’s. “Where do you live?”
The question made me blink, but Varthan answered easily enough. “I have a residence off the coast of Denmark, but I have a newly acquired property in the area as well.”
“That’s great. Dazzle will live with you then?”
My jaw dropped.
“That has always been the plan,” Varthan said smoothly. “But more than that, we are hoping you would also be inclined to join us.”
“Pepper…Varthan…” I didn’t know who I should tell off first.
My stepmother sent me a wry smile. “Did you really think I wouldn’t learn our home’s been repossessed?”
The words rendered me speechless.
“It took a while, I admit, but I did find out about it.” She sighed heavily. “I also thought it was better I didn’t let you know I was aware of it – knowing you, it would have stressed you more if you knew I was aware of how tough things were the past several months.”
I stared hard at her with unblinking eyes, not wanting to cry. “Who knew you’d be such a liar?” I wanted to say it as a joke, but it came out all choked up.
“I know how your mind works, my darling. It would have hurt you if you thought you were making me worry and I didn’t want you to think that. And I never thought that way because I trust you. I knew that the best way I could help you was to believe in you and that we’ll make things work.”
She grasped my hand.
I squeezed her hand in return but a second later, I was hugging her tightly, too. It was the only way I could tell her how much her trust meant to me. Pepper was right. I wouldn’t have been able to focus on surviving if I knew she had been worrying about me.
When I pulled away with a sniff, my eyes were aching with unshed tears. Varthan said behind me, “
There is nothing to worry about any longer. You will both live with me, and anything and everything Dazzle or you will need, I will provide.”
Chapter Eight
“You must be joking. I don’t want to sleep here!”
It wasn’t because the room was ugly. It was not. It was the opposite. It was huge, about as large as a regular-sized home in Suburbia, and breathtakingly beautiful, with its own en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet and a private balcony that had its own Jacuzzi.
But…
Sleeping in this room meant sharing it with Varthan, and I was not having that.
“Where will you sleep then? In Pepper’s bedroom? Wouldn’t she be suspicious if you do that? Do you think she will be comfortable living here if she knew I was not your boyfriend?”
Boyfriend sounded so wrong when Varthan said it like that. He made the word sound childish and beneath him, made it like his role as a Draugar held more importance in my life than a boyfriend ever could.
‘What about a guestroom---”
“There is no guestroom. There are no other rooms in this house but this one and Pepper’s.”
“You did this deliberately, didn’t you?” I accused.
He nodded.
Oh my God. He wasn’t even going to lie about it?
“Why?” I demanded. “You know I told you that you’re not going to take my…” I found myself stumbling over the word that I was supposed to say.
“Your virginity?” Varthan supplied, his tone a lazy, arrogant murmur.
I gritted my teeth. Varthan the Zombie, I was frightened of, Varthan the Gentleman I admit to being infatuated with, but Varthan the Asshole was someone I wanted to kill. I hated how smug he was acting, like everything was working the way he wanted it to be. And I hated it even more because nothing seemed to be working according to my plan.
“What’s the point of all this?” I demanded.
Varthan looked like he was going to answer me but then he shook his head, his lips compressing into a thin line instead.
“You’re really not going to say anything?”
“You should sleep in this room with me because it is the best way that I can keep you safe. The goblins are still after you.”
I paled. His words totally made sense – so why did I suddenly feel hurt? Had I thought it was because he wanted me close? That he found me so desirable he wanted a chance to seduce me?
God, I was such a loser for being so desperate.
Varthan was frowning. “Dazzle---”
“I’m going out,” I said abruptly, turning away.
“No. It is not safe---” He caught my elbow from behind.
I looked at him over my shoulder with a glare. “Elsine told me I have the power to keep you from following me.”
He slowly released me at my words.
“Don’t follow.” And because I was oh so very mature, I slammed the door shut behind me as I left.
****
“You look beautiful, Dazzle.” Was that a line? I still had on the plain buttoned-up shirt and jeans I had worn when I came from the airport. Since my exit had been so grand, I couldn’t bear swallowing a little of my pride just to return to the room to get changed.
As if sensing my doubt, Quinn chuckled and said, “I mean it.”
I smiled weakly. I still had a hard time believing that I actually found the nerve to text Quinn out of the blue and ask him out. We had gotten to know each other from day one of Hailey’s European gig, but we had barely exchanged more than ten words in all that time. It was totally my fault, though – I had this alarming tendency to go the other direction, even bumping into walls and people, just to avoid being in the same room as him.
Quinn was dressed in a red polo shirt and black jeans, and he looked absolutely hot like he always did. The music playing loudly inside the club had a fast and catchy beat, encouraging the dancers on the floor to go wild and heavy.
When I still didn’t speak, Quinn said, “You were the one who sent the text, right? It’s not some kind of prank played on you and then you felt you had no choice but to show up when I said yes?”
I shook my head quickly. “It was me!” Then I paused, realizing that could be misinterpreted in so many ways.
Quinn grinned. “Good.” He moved closer towards me and I did my best not to shrink back. We were seated next to each other in one of the club’s VIP booths, and this was the closest I had ever gotten to him.
The way he stared at me now made me swallow. If I was honest, I had to say it made me catch my breath, too. But somehow…the spark wasn’t as strong as it had been in the past. It was more like a flicker now, rather than the blazing lick of heat that tended to skitter over my spine whenever he was near.
Quinn cupped my face.
I stopped breathing.
His head lowered.
Oh God, he was going to kiss me. I was going to be kissed by another man beside Varthan. I closed my eyes, feeling like I wanted to cry and shriek and hold still all at the same time. I could do this. I could. I had to. Because…Varthan had. He freaking deflowered eight skat before me. How crazy was that?
I could feel Quinn’s breath fanning my face now. It smelled as nice as the rest of him, and I inhaled instinctively. My fingers curled into fists. I could do this. It would be good. It should be good---
Nothing.
“Do you truly think I am going to let you kiss another when you are my woman?”
My eyes snapped open, just in time to see Varthan’s furious face as he pulled me out of the booth from my side, his fingers gripping my wrist so tightly I winced. Seeing my reaction, he immediately loosened his hold without letting me go.
Quinn stepped out of the booth almost as swiftly, his movement graceful and precise. I had to give him credit. He didn’t seem one bit intimidated even though Varthan was a lot taller and built more heavily than he was. Quinn was buffed, but Varthan had once been a Viking warrior. There was just no contest.
“Do you know this guy?” Quinn asked quietly.
I gave him a small nod before glaring at Varthan. “You’re embarrassing me.”
A grim expression settled on his face at my words. “You will go home with me now.”
Quinn jerked. “You’re living together?”
“It’s not what you think---”
“I am her boyfriend,” Varthan said at the same time.
Quinn flinched. “Dazzle? Is this true?”
“I…”
The note of hesitation in my voice made him shake his head. He looked at Varthan, saying tightly, “I’m sorry. I’ve never made a habit of making a play at another man’s woman, and in this case I misunderstood.”
Quinn turned away and left without saying a word or even a glance at my direction. I couldn’t blame him. I wanted to run after him and apologize, but I had a feeling that was just going to make it worse.
“Are you happy now?” I gritted out.
“No.”
“Why are you here?” I asked with a hiss, turning to him so he could see how mad I was. He had no business shaming Quinn like that and I didn’t think any amount of apologizing could make up for what I had inadvertently caused to happen.
Varthan’s face was just as furious, his tone a growl as he demanded, “Why are you here? Do you truly not understand the magnitude of the danger you are in? Are you truly going to endanger yourself and risk hurting your stepmother and leaving her alone by carelessly gambling with your life just to meet that child?”
“He’s not a child!”
“He is,” Varthan snapped. “He has that look about him. I am willing to bet my life that he has not even made love to a woman.”
I gasped. “How can you say such lies?”
“I am not lying. If he had any experience, then he would have known what to do with a woman like you.”
“And I suppose---”
BAM.
In an incredibly swift movement, one where I suspected he used his Draugar powers for, Varthan had slid into the booth
, pulling me down with him. When my body slammed down hard against his, one hand gripped my hair, using it to angle my head and inching it down towards his. Varthan’s other hand went around my waist, pulling me closer so I would be a snug fit over him.
