Dark Survivor Echoes of Love

by I. T. Lucas

  59

  Wonder

  “Can I offer you seconds?” Callie hovered behind Wonder’s shoulder.

  “Yes, please. I’m stuffed to the brim, but this chicken piccata is so delicious I can’t help myself.” Wonder was so glad she’d chosen to wear stretchy pants and a loose blouse. With the amount of food she’d stuffed into her belly anything else would have started to feel tight by now.

  Other than the other dinners she’d had at Callie’s, Wonder had never eaten such tasty stuff. The meals she used to prepare for herself had been simple, and since she’d arrived in the village she mostly ate sandwiches at the café.

  “I hear that you’re training with Kri. So you don’t need to worry about gaining weight. Eat and enjoy.”

  Careful not to splatter anything on Wonder’s silk blouse, Callie put a piece of chicken on her plate and then spooned more of the creamy spaghetti.

  Wonder cut a piece of the chicken. “You should open a restaurant.”

  “I’ve been thinking about it.” Callie put another piece on Anandur’s plate without asking if he wanted more. Apparently it was a given.

  “You have?” Brundar asked. “You never said anything about it.”

  Callie put another serving on Brundar’s plate and returned to her seat. “I’m not sure what I want to do. I always wanted to be a teacher, and I like studying the subject, but to actually teach I would have to work in the city because we don’t have any school-age kids here. So I was thinking that maybe I should turn my hobby into a business.” She winked at Wonder. “Give the café a little competition.”

  Wonder put her fork down. “On the contrary. The café closes at six, but if we close it a little earlier, you can have the place all to yourself for dinners.”

  Brundar shook his head. “I don’t like the idea at all. If you work evenings in the village, I won’t get to see much of you.”

  Callie frowned. “Oh, so it’s okay for me to follow you to the club but not the other way around? You can quit Franco’s and come help me with my restaurant.”

  “You don’t have a restaurant.”

  Wonder felt terrible. If only she’d kept her mouth shut, they wouldn’t be arguing now. She glanced at Anandur and mouthed, “What have I done?”

  He waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it.”

  “I’ll make you a deal,” Brundar said. “If you still want to open a restaurant after you get your degree, I’ll help you make it happen.”

  “You will?” Callie’s tone softened.

  “Of course. Don’t you know I’ll do anything to make you happy?”

  The romantic exchange made Wonder’s eyes mist, and she quickly looked away only to see Anandur grinning from ear to ear.

  He had such a beautiful smile.

  He’d baffled her completely tonight, acting the exact opposite of what she’d expected. Instead of his attitude toward her cooling, he was back to the playful flirting she’d fallen for in the facility.

  Heck, it was much more than that.

  Anandur was touching her every chance he got. He’d had his arm around her shoulder on their walk over here, then on her knee during dinner, and she’d lost count of how many times he kissed her cheek or lifted her hand to his lips for a kiss.

  He was acting like a devoted boyfriend, and she was loving every moment of it. It was like he’d been struck by lightning and his entire predisposition had been rewired.

  Go figure that what finally drove him to take her seriously was her moaning another man’s name into his mouth. Was it because suddenly there was another challenger for her affections? Did Anandur fear she would become unavailable to him and felt like he had to win her back?

  Men’s way of thinking was just too strange. It seemed as if nothing followed a straight, logical line. Or perhaps she couldn’t figure out the convoluted logic because she was missing some critical component that only other males knew about.

  Pushing up to her feet, Callie walked over to Brundar, sat in his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you.” She dipped her head and kissed him.

  Anandur leaned in and whispered in Wonder’s ear. “I think this is our cue to make a quick exit.”

  Wonder glanced at her second piece of half-eaten chicken piccata. It was such a shame to leave it on the plate.

  Anandur must’ve caught her longing expression. “You can finish your chicken first.”

  By the time Wonder had finished chewing the last piece of her chicken, the kiss was over and Callie was resting her cheek on Brundar’s chest. “I have the best guy ever.”

  Anandur got up and started collecting dishes. “Yes, you do.”

  “Leave it.” Callie waved a hand. “Brundar and I can finish cleaning up later.”

  “Later, you can get busy doing other things. If you want us to come for dinner, you have to leave the cleanup to Wonder and me.”

  Getting the hint, Wonder rose to her feet and collected the rest.

  “Fine. I’m not going to argue with you,” Callie said. “The last time I did that, you moved out the next day.”

  “It wasn’t the next day, and it wasn’t because of the argument.” Anandur put his load in the sink and went back to the dining room to wipe the table clean. “A mated couple needs privacy, and I didn’t want to be the third wheel.”

  Listening to their back and forth from the kitchen, Wonder rinsed out the plates and loaded the dishwasher.

  “Yeah, that’s what you keep telling me, but I know it was because I insisted on you eating your veggies.”

  “It wasn’t the veggies. It was watching the two of you making kissy faces at each other all day long.”

  “We weren’t home all day to make kissy faces.”

  And so it went on.

  At some point Wonder stopped listening. It was just a little friendly banter. She hadn’t detected one disgruntled note in either of their voices.

  Anandur got along splendidly with everyone because he was a real sweetheart. If he were hers, she was sure that all of her days would be filled with sunshine and happiness.

  Wasn’t he worth forgetting any past love she might have felt for the mysterious Esag?

  Naturally, she was well aware that endless days of happiness were not realistic, but with Anandur it would be as close as she could get to that fantasy.

  “Are you done, Wonder?” Anandur asked.

  She looked down at the sink where there were no more dishes. “I guess I am.”

  “Then let’s go.” He leaned and kissed her cheek. “The lovebirds can’t wait for us to leave. Besides, I see some kissing in our very near future as well.”

  60

  Anandur

  “Please stay for coffee,” Callie said. “And I also made dessert.”

  Anandur was about to bow out gracefully when Wonder beat him to it.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t manage another bite. Can you save it for tomorrow?”

  That perked Callie up. “I can do that. But it means that you have to promise to come back tomorrow for dinner, and this time leave room for dessert.”

  “Maybe this time we can come for coffee and dessert only?”

  Callie waved a hand. “No way. From now on you’re going to be my tasters. If I want to open a restaurant one day, I need to add more items to my repertoire, which means that I need honest opinions about the dishes I make.”

  “You’ve got yourself a deal,” Anandur said, to put an end to the conversation. “Thank you for having us and goodnight.”

  When Callie opened her mouth again, Brundar put a hand on her arm and opened the door. “You’re welcome.”

  Grabbing Wonder’s elbow, Anandur led her out.

  “That was so rude, Brundar,” they heard Callie complain as they descended the stairs down to the walkway.

  “Your sister-in-law is really nice. I like her.”

  “They are not married, but yeah. Callie is awesome. Brundar is a new man with her.”

  “What do you mean?”


  “It’s a long story. He has some issues that she helps him deal with.”

  “They are so in love. It’s touching to watch.”

  Wrapping his arm around her waist, Anandur pulled her closer to him. “It’s better to do than to watch.”

  “I bet.” Wonder chuckled nervously. “You promised to tell me what you were thinking over the past two days.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  He kept leading her toward a secluded corner. There were a few of them along the fence separating the village from the new development. If they were about to do some kissing, he didn’t want to get interrupted.

  “Well? I’m waiting.”

  “I think you can guess it by now. I decided not to focus on your age, which none of us can be sure of anyway. Instead, I decided to follow my own advice and listen to my gut.”

  “And what is your gut telling you?”

  “That you’re mine.”

  Wonder’s breath caught. She stopped and turned toward him. “That’s one hell of a leap from your attitude of only two days ago.”

  He put his arms around her. “Is it? What is your gut telling you, Wonder?”

  She swallowed. “That I want you. Does that mean that you’re mine?”

  “Do you want me to be yours?”

  “I do. But that’s not the same as calling you mine, is it?”

  He was a little disappointed, but then Wonder was young and inexperienced and didn’t know how to interpret her own emotions. He needed to give her more time.

  “Does it scare you when I say you’re mine?”

  She shook her head. “No, but it worries me. What if I’m not?”

  “I have a strong feeling that you are.” It was more than a feeling, it was a conviction, but he didn’t want to overwhelm her. “What we need is to spend more time together to find out if what we feel is the real deal. That’s why I asked Kian for time off so I can take you out of here and show you some good times. How does spending an entire day in the city with me sound?”

  “It sounds lovely, but I have to work.”

  “No, you don’t. I asked Carol to give you time off too.”

  Wonder frowned. “You shouldn’t have done that. Not without asking me first.”

  She was right, but he’d prepared the perfect excuse. “Doctor’s orders. Didn't Vanessa tell you that you need more experiences?”

  “How do you know about that?”

  “Carol told me.”

  Wonder’s frown deepened. “Before or after you asked her to give me time off?”

  Damn. The girl was too smart.

  “After. But that doesn’t change Vanessa’s instructions. If you want to get your memories back, you need to expose yourself to more experiences.”

  She shook her head. “That doesn’t change the fact that you should’ve asked me first. I’ll let it slide this time, but please don’t do things like that in the future.”

  “I promise. Am I forgiven?”

  This wasn’t a good time to tell her that he’d also mentioned to Carol his plan to take Wonder to Egypt. Luckily, he’d been smart enough to ask her to keep quiet about it until he told Wonder.

  “Yes.” She lowered her head and looked at her feet. “Did she tell you the rest of Vanessa’s instructions?”

  “Yup.” He smacked his lips. “And I’m here to deliver.”

  She lifted her eyes to his. “Only because Vanessa said I should get more kisses from you?”

  He lowered his hands to her butt and pressed her against his hardness. “What do you think?”

  “I think you’re excited,” she whispered.

  That was putting it mildly, but he didn’t want to scare her off by saying something crass. Instead, he brought his hand to the back of her head and wrapped it around her nape. “Are you excited too?”

  It was evident that she was, and not only because of the intoxicating aroma of her arousal. Wonder wasn’t wearing a bra, and he would’ve been blind not to notice the way her nipples had hardened. He could see their exact outline through the thin fabric of her blouse.

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  “Come here.” He brought her lips to his.

  She tensed in his arms.

  If this was about the hard rod he was sporting in his pants, she had one hell of a delayed response. It must’ve been something else.

  Anandur leaned back and looked into those mesmerizing jade eyes of hers. They were glowing, casting a green light on his white shirt. “What’s the matter, sweetheart?”

  She shook her head. “Just kiss me.”

  “A moment ago you were all excited and soft in my arms, and now you’re stiff as a broom. Tell me what’s wrong.”

  A haunted look extinguishing the glow in her eyes, she hesitated for a moment. “What if I say his name again?”

  Aha, that was an understandable reason for worry.

  “Then you do, and we keep going. The whole idea is for you to regain your memories. I’d rather find out who that Esag dude is, so I can prove to you that I’m a better choice, than compete with a ghost. Do you get what I mean?”

  She nodded. “Are you sure that your feelings won’t get hurt?”

  He chuckled. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m a big boy. I can take one hell of a beating and keep going until I win. That’s who I am. That’s what I do.”

  61

  Wonder

  Why was the reminder that Anandur was a formidable Guardian so hot?

  Wonder felt herself go soft all over, and that included her feminine center that suddenly felt awfully empty and needy.

  Was it an instinctive female reaction to a powerful male?

  But it shouldn't have affected her like that. Gods knew she didn’t need a male to defend her and was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

  But the thing was, on some level she liked the feeling of being taken care of, especially by Anandur who was not only the perfect male for the job, but who was also acting as if it was his favorite thing to do.

  So yeah, he’d overstepped the boundaries by asking Carol to give her a vacation, but that wasn’t really a big deal. Especially since he’d promised not to do it again. Anandur wasn’t a controlling bully.

  Anandur was a giver and not a taker.

  With a sigh, she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned into his strong body. Pressing her aching nipples to his chest, she no longer cared that the thin fabrics of the blouse and camisole weren’t enough to conceal the protruding peaks.

  If he wasn’t embarrassed about his hard shaft, why should she care about her stiff nipples?

  On the contrary, she should let him see and feel that he excited her as much as she excited him.

  “Ready for your kiss, love?”

  Instead of answering, she stretched up on her toes, lifted her chin, and kissed him.

  Anandur’s fangs punched out as soon as her tongue darted into his mouth. Gently, she swirled her tongue around one fang and then around the other, eliciting strangled groans from his throat.

  His fingers digging into her butt cheeks, he held her in place as his hips gyrated, rubbing his hardness against her soft mound.

  Wonder was so turned on that if at that moment Anandur were to lower her to the ground and pull her clothes off, she would have let him do whatever he pleased with her.

  Heck, she would’ve spurred him on.

  They were all alone in the dark, with the nearest house over a hundred feet away, and they wanted each other, so why not?

  “Touch me,” she whispered. “I’m aching all over.”

  Never before had she felt so needy, so hungry for his touch. It was as if with every caress the craving intensified.

  “Oh, lass,” he groaned and lifted her up as if she were a dainty little thing and not a hefty female.

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “Just over to that bench. Don’t worry, I’m not taking you to my place to do all kinds of wicked things to you.”

  How disappointing. She was al
l for him taking her home and doing those wicked things to her. “Why not?”

  “Because you’re a virgin and this is only your second kiss. You shouldn’t run before you learn to walk.”

  Gods, he was going to tease her to destruction.

  As he sat on the bench with her in his lap, his eyes glowing and his fangs elongated, Anandur should have looked scary to her, but he didn’t.

  Instead, she only desired him more.

  This was what a male of her species looked like when aroused. She knew now that his fangs were meant for delivering pleasure, not harm. Well, to a female. Other males were a different story.

  “Are you going to bite me?”

  Anandur looked up to the sky as if praying for strength. “You have no idea how much I want to do that. But if I do, I’m going to come in my pants, and it will get very messy.”

  “Then do it. Who cares about a little mess?” She was craving his bite just as much as he was craving sinking his fangs into her neck.

  Looking at her neck longingly, he started to shake his head, but Wonder was done waiting around for what she needed.

  She’d promised herself to follow Anandur’s cues and not push him, but it was obvious that this was what he wanted too. The tether holding him back was nearly unraveled, and he was hanging by the last thread. One little tug and he would succumb.

  Pulling her hair to one side, she turned her head to elongate her neck in an unmistakable gesture of offering.

  Her only warning was a loud hiss. Wonder closed her eyes, more in anticipation of pleasure than fear of pain.

  As his fangs pierced her skin, his large hand closed around one breast, diverting her focus from the burning pain of the twin incision points to the incredible pleasure of being touched intimately for the first time.

  Seconds later the pain dissipated, and all she felt was unimaginable bliss. That too didn’t last for more than a few short moments.

  As a wave of intense lust washed over her, bringing about a powerful climax that shook her body from top to bottom, the sound that left her throat wasn’t human, and the name she called out wasn’t Esag’s, it was Anandur’s.