“I thought you just had your hair done?”
“I did,” she answered, crossing her arms, preparing for battle.
“Then why do you need to go there?”
“Because I want to.”
Jurek cocked his head as he stared at her. Whenever he did that, she could almost feel his mind waves searching her innermost sacred thoughts. She stiffened her spine and he raised his brow.
“What are you hiding?”
“Huh?” she asked in confusion.
“Why Jaylen’s? Answer me now!”
Before she knew it, she was plastered against the wall, his body pressing into hers. Her breath was cut off as he held his hand against his throat.
“No lies Liasare. I mean it,” he growled.
“I ... I...” she couldn’t speak for his hold on her had cut off her air supply. Her mouth opened and closed like a stupid fish out of water and she was pissed. As her anger built, the urge to push him away overwhelmed her, but his strength prevented her from moving. She wanted nothing more than to punch his lights out, but if he didn’t let her go soon, her lights were going to go out. Everything started to go grey when he released her. She immediately dropped to her knees, gulping in as much air as she could. When she regained her senses, she slowly pushed herself to her feet and her hazel eyes shot sparks of golden fire.
“You flaming asshole.” Then she flew at him and punched him wherever she could land one, his face, his neck, his belly, his chest. She kept at it until she lost the ability to swing anymore.
Her chest heaved from exertion and she dripped sweat.
“Are you quite through?”
“No! For your fucking information, not that you deserve an explanation after what you just did to me, I wanted to go to Jaylen’s because I like her. I think she’s cool and she’s a friend. I’ve never had any female friends before I met her or Naroo and after a morning of being told I eat like an animal, I wanted to go somewhere where I would feel comfortable, where I wouldn’t be judged, or where I wouldn’t be questioned, or attacked.”
She whirled away and stomped back to her room, slamming the door.
Damn stupid men! Nothing but trouble and a major pain in my ass!
Turning around, she didn’t know what to do with herself. She was so angry, she really didn’t want to stay in her room, but she didn’t want to go out there with them. Pacing, she thought about reading a book, when she looked up and saw her reading device flying toward her.
“What the hell?”
Good thing she had quick reflexes or the thing would have hit her in the head.
Okay, maybe this stuff wasn’t a coincidence. Well, it had only happened twice. Nothing to be totally alarmed about, right?
“Liasare let me in.” Jurek was knocking on her door.
“No!”
“Either let me in or I’m coming in anyway.”
“Whatever.”
Jurek flashed in and stood before her. “I apologize for that little incident out there. I overreacted.”
“Is that what you call it? Because in my book, it’s called psycho. You ask me a question, and then you give me an opportunity to answer, and maybe after I answer you get angry. That’s overreacting. Asking me a question, not giving me a chance to respond, then putting me in a fucking body lock and cutting off my air supply and making it impossible to respond—that’s psycho.”
“You’re right and I apologize. I wasn’t expecting you to request to go to Jaylen’s. It caught me off guard.”
“Oh, so every time I catch you off guard, I can expect that kind of reaction from you? Thanks for the warning, Rambo on psycho-steroids. What the fuck Jurek? What do you want from me? Tell me. Or better yet, write down a list that I can follow so I know when to expect my neck to get broken, okay?”
He was in front of her before she finished the sentence, surprising her once again. Her breath caught in her throat, and her mouth turned to sawdust, making it impossible to swallow.
Why, oh why does he have this effect on me?
He grabbed her chin and gruffly said, “Liasare, your neck was never in danger. Your neck will never be in danger around me. Other things perhaps, but not your neck. I will always keep you safe. Remember that.” And he was gone.
***
Marik escorted Liasare to Jaylen’s where she’d spent the afternoon. She had a relaxing time and enjoyed Jaylen’s company.
“Why won’t Jurek let you come here on your own?”
“Because I’m a walking disaster. Trouble follows me around Jaylen. I’m a magnet for it.”
“Well, if you ask me, you’re a magnet for Jurek and he doesn’t want you out of his sight. Any luck in that area, by the way?”
“Hardly. I’m not expecting any either. Besides, I disagree with you. I think he has plans for me, but I’m not sure what they are.”
“I’m not following you.”
“You know, I don’t know if I’m following me either. That man confuses the hell out of me. He’s so mysterious.”
“I know, right? But that’s why he’s so sexy. Don’t you think?”
“Oh he’s sexy all right. Too sexy, if you ask me.”
“Why don’t you just seduce him? Quit waiting for him to make the move?”
“It won’t happen,” Liasare said. “Can we change the subject? This is depressing me. Rejection isn’t fun, you know.”
“Sure honey. Did you ever find anything else out about your brother?” Jaylen asked. She was straightening up the parlor, with Liasare’s help.
“Other than he’s a minion, no. I wish I could get him out of there. I haven’t seen him since the night he shot me.”
“Yeah, you were lucky that bullet just grazed you. You could’ve been killed!” Jaylen didn’t know about Jurek ... what he was or his healing powers, so they had told her the bullet didn’t do much damage.
“I know. The most damage I sustained was the knowledge that my own brother didn’t even know me. You haven’t heard anything else have you?”
“No. When the FX come in here, they don’t ever talk about anything but sex. Sometimes, the girls will get them drunk out of their minds and they might slip, but that doesn’t happen very often.”
“Jaylen, what’s an FX?”
“Oh, sorry hon. That’s my lingo for the fucking Xanthians.”
They both laughed. “I’ll remember that,” Liasare decided.
“You know, I did hear something though. There’s talk about this club called Down. I’ve never heard of it before but some of the FX’s were running their mouths, laughing about it. I think it’s one of those edgy places where anything goes. They were commenting about it being the place where they were getting their supplies from.”
“Hmmm. Interesting. I’ll have to share that with Jurek. If you hear anything else like that, would you mind sharing it with me?”
“Sure thing.”
***
Jurek was in the kitchen when Liasare returned from Jaylen’s. “Have you ever heard of a club called Down?”
He looked pensive for a moment and answered, “No. Why?”
“Jaylen mentioned we may need to check it out because the Xanthians said they were getting their ‘supplies’ there, whatever that means.”
“Well, isn’t that interesting?”
“My exact thoughts.”
“Marik!” Jurek shouted suddenly, making Liasare jump. He looked at her and shook his head.
Seconds later, Marik showed up.
“Marik, I need all the information you can get on a club called Down. ASAP.” Turning to Liasare, he asked, “So how was your afternoon?”
“Very good, thanks. And yours?”
“Fine. I was going to recommend a night off for everyone tonight.”
She nodded. “Probably a good idea. If this club pans out, maybe we can hit it tomorrow.”
Jurek stared at her for what seemed like a very long time. “Have dinner with me tonight. In my quarters, please.”
What
the hell? In his quarters? Like a date?
“Yes, Liasare, like a date.”
“O-Okay,” she stammered.
“Come at seven.” He turned around and walked away, leaving her there staring after him.
***
Marik found that Club Down was a sex club where anything went. You could get anything and everything, anyone’s choice. Jurek didn’t like the idea of Liasare going there. The last thing he wanted was to have Liasare exposed to that kind of club.
“What do you mean I can’t go? I’m the one that found out about it. And besides, I’ll be with all of you. It’s not like anything can happen to me with you around.”
After lots of arguing, Jurek promised to give it some thought.
Liasare couldn’t decide what to wear to dinner. Should she wear a dress or go casual? She changed her clothes twenty-one times, or at least it felt like that many times to her, going from casual black pants and a black blouse to a dressy green silk strapless top with a knee length black skirt.
It would be nice if she had a female roommate to ask. Too bad she couldn’t be like Jurek and just pop on over to Jaylen’s and get her opinion. It was so frustrating trying to figure this all out. She didn’t want to dress too fancy, nor did she want to dress too casually. She decided on a simple black knit dress that was fitted, sleeveless and hit her mid thigh. It showed off her curves and her legs, but wasn’t overly dressy. She wore flats and let hair do its own thing. Of course, it wasn’t like she had a choice in that regard, because she didn’t really know how to fix it anyway. She wished her nails looked better; they were cut to the quick and not exactly what one would call smooth. She never took care of things like that, never indulged in manicures or salon services.
Her stomach was an army of fluttering butterflies as she knocked on Jurek’s door. She heard him calling for her to enter.
“I’m sorry. I’m running a bit late. I had to take care of some business that took longer than I expected. I’ll be out in a minute,” he called from the other room.
Liasare walked around his sitting room, admiring his exquisite furnishings. She wondered how he could procure such finery, and on such short notice. Either they were miracle workers at locating these things, or he had some kind of connections with certain people at high levels.
She was inspecting a painting when he joined her. “It’s one of my favorites. I’ve had it for years. An artist from Vesturon actually painted it. Vesturon has such scenic places that its artwork often reflects it beauty. I fell in love with this one long ago.”
Liasare stared at it and it reminded her of the view she and Tommy had seen the day they flew on the speedster. It was a painting of the coastline where it met the mountains. The artist did a remarkable job of capturing the colors of the setting sun as it made its descent over the sea. She thought back to that day and how the view had amazed her. She had never known anything so beautiful had existed.
“What are you thinking about? You have a pensive look on your face.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. The painting only reminded me of the coastline of Vesturon. It’s very beautiful.”
“Would you care for some wine?” he asked as he headed toward the small refrigerator. She noticed what he was wearing then: snug black pants, hanging low on his hips and a crisp white shirt that was unbuttoned halfway down his chest, exposing his sculpted muscles. His sleeves were turned up, baring his muscular forearms, and Liasare couldn’t tear her eyes off of him as he moved across the room to fill the glasses with wine.
“Please.”
He handed her a glass and they took seats on the couch and chair. She started fidgeting, for she didn’t know what to do or where to look. What she truly wanted to do was simply ogle the man, but that wouldn’t do. The silence was unnerving so she thought to make some small talk.
“So are you cooking tonight?”
“No, although I enjoy cooking occasionally. I thought it best if I had someone else do the work.”
She gave him a questioning look.
“It’s being sent from Lare-Stell. I’m cheating Liasare.”
She giggled and admitted, “I really miss the transmuters. I didn’t realize how much I depended on them. They spoiled me.”
Jurek smiled. “I’ll remember to make sure I send you back there every now and then to get your fix.”
Hmmm, I’d rather get my fix of you.
It became very quiet in the room again. She sipped her wine and flicked an imaginary piece of lint off her dress.
“Am I making you nervous?” The sound of his voice was like a gentle breeze against her skin, causing goose bumps to sprout up all over her body.
“No,” she blurted out too quickly. She sighed deeply and looked him in the eye. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know,” she glanced down and stared at her ugly fingernails.
“Yes, you do.”
Still staring at her hands, she admitted, “I, um, you’re intimidating. I don’t know anything about you other than you’re very powerful and you frighten me sometimes. Well, a lot actually. I know you want me to follow your orders or directions or whatever, but I worry about fucking things up. I want to fight and I want to be strong, but I worry I can’t meet your expectations.”
“Is that all?”
“Yeah,” she lifted her eyes again to his. The swirling silver in them always seemed to take her breath away with their uncommon beauty. “No, there’s a lot more, but I’m sure you don’t want to hear it all.”
“Tell me.”
“No,” she shook her head, looking away.
“Liasare, you know I always get my way. Tell me.” His rich voice resonated within her, making her belly tighten as she squirmed on the couch.
“Well, you don’t know anything about me.”
“I know a lot about you.”
“Like what? You don’t know what my favorite color is, or my favorite book. You don’t know what my favorite movie is or where I’d love to go if I could go anywhere in the universe. You don’t even know my favorite food.”
“Those things are of no consequence to me Liasare.” He flicked his hand through the air.
“But they are to me!” she insisted.
“Why? Why are they so important?”
She sat up straighter and said, “Because some of those things make me happy.”
“You know what Liasare, you’re right. I don’t know what your favorite color is, or if you’d like to have a manicure, or if you prefer your fingernails to be pink or red. I don’t have a fucking clue if you like ruffles better than lace, or if you have a favorite flower, or whether you’d rather get flowers or chocolates on your birthday. I also don’t know if you have a desire for a grand wedding and a fancy white gown and a cake that’s ten feet tall or if you’d prefer an intimate affair with only your closest family and friends present. I don’t know if you like to go to a spa and have a massage and be pampered, or if you prefer the outdoors and sit in the sun and feel its warmth on your skin. But I do know this. I do know the most important thing about you. And that is you’d die for someone you love. You’d give up your life for your brother. That, little girl, is more important to me that all that other bullshit you’re so hell bent on pointing out I don’t fucking know about you. Open your eyes Liasare. The world you once knew is dying a rapid death. Those things you seem to think are important may not exist in another six months. What will exist is the fact that I’ll be by your side, fighting and protecting you. And that I chose you, a warrior, to stand by my side.”
“That’s all fine and good and all of that may be important, but Jurek, sometimes I need chocolate and flowers to make me happy,” she insisted. “What makes you happy? Do you even know?” she whispered.
“I don’t have a fucking clue,” he snapped. “I can’t even remember the last time I was happy. When was the last time you were happy? You don’t seem to talk about having much happiness in your life as I recall.”
She whipped he
r head around to him, narrowed her eyes and reminisced. “Oh, I remember it well,” she softly said with a smile. “It was when Tommy and I stole that stupid speedster. Whoever would have thought that a flying motorcycle could have made two dumb kids so ecstatic? I remember every blasted thing about that flight and I swear I’ve never felt that happy since. I never knew that feeling even existed. It was incredible. We laughed about it because we felt so free. We wanted the feeling to last forever. Everyone needs to feel that feeling sometime and I believe it’s within each of us.”
Jurek was quiet for a moment as he watched her. He noticed how her eyes lit up like a beacon in middle of the darkest night. They glowed with her happiness; he didn’t think he’d ever seen anything like it.
“Don’t be going all Pollyanna on me now,” his voice was dripping sarcasm.
“Polly who?”
“Christ! You don’t know who Pollyanna is and you act like her half the time. It’s the optimistic principle based on a character from a book.”
“Oh. Well, maybe you should read the book Jurek.”
“Very funny Liasare.”
“I wasn’t trying to be funny. I’m just saying that every now and again I need to have things around that maybe, on some small level, can make me happy. Or maybe if not happy, make me think happy thoughts, at least for a few minutes anyway.” She stood up, straightened her dress just because, and walked over to the refrigerator to get the bottle of wine.
“Why, so you can go out and kill a bunch of Xanthians with a smile on your face?” his sarcasm lacing his words.
His words stopped her in her tracks and she thought about what he said. “Yeah, I guess so. Maybe I do need something to put a smile on my face. Even though they’re disgusting, killing Xanthians is so brutal that maybe a little something to cheer me up on occasion would make the job a bit easier to stomach.”
He snorted, “Maybe I should get you a gas mask. Then you’d stop bitching about the nasty smell of them.”
“Look, never mind. I just thought that ...” She stopped and waved her hand through the air, dismissing her thought. “No, forget it. It doesn’t matter. However, just for the record, I don’t like pink at all. In fact, I hate it. It reminds me of the color of my scars. I’ve never had a manicure, see,” she held up her hands and wiggled her fingers so he could have a look at her ugly fingernails, “and I’ve never even been in a salon so I don’t have any idea about what a massage would be like. I prefer the outdoors over anything. Waterfalls are my favorites, although I’ve only ever seen one. I adore chocolate, but I was only allowed to have it on the rarest of occasions, so I look at it as a very special treat. I dislike both lace and ruffles; they’re just not my type,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I’m not very refined as you’ve probably already figured out by my deplorable table manners. I was never taught about all the different forks and spoons and such and all that kind of stuff makes me extremely uncomfortable. I actually find it quite intimidating. As for the wedding thing, I never allowed myself to indulge in those kinds of thoughts because you saw what I looked like. Who in his right mind would’ve wanted to marry someone who looked like me? I never filled my head with impossible things that could never be. Oh, and I adore the feeling of the sun on my face. Now that my scars are gone I guess I could find out what it would be to actually put on a bathing suit and feel the warmth of it on my entire body. That’s something I’ve never experienced before. That’s also why I’m so disgustingly pale. And finally, if there were one thing I could have every day of my life, it would be a fresh bouquet of flowers. Flowers are a gift from God and should be treasured for their beauty and luscious scents. Now, if I die tomorrow, you can say you knew what my favorite things were. Good night Jurek.” She turned and headed for the door.
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