by I. T. Lucas
Her forehead furrowed, she closed her eyes to think.
Sweet Nathalie. That was what she always did when pondering a difficult problem.
“I have a solution.” She lifted her hand in the air. “A pendant. We can have a jeweler create a replica in white gold, or silver, but gold is better because it doesn’t tarnish. You can wear it without ever taking it off.”
The woman was brilliant. He pulled her into his arms and swung her around. “My Nathalie is sexy.” He kissed her. “And beautiful.” He kissed her again. “And smart.” Another kiss.
She laughed. “Put me down before you pull a muscle.”
He did. “Can immortals pull muscles? I don’t think so.”
“Asked and answered yourself.” She lifted one of the bags off the floor. “I stopped by your house and brought you your own clothes.”
“Thank you. I hate to keep borrowing from Kian.”
“I know. Now get in the shower and get dressed. Syssi is making us cappuccinos, and Okidu has his famous waffles in the warming drawer for you. Supposedly, they’re heavenly.”
Andrew took the bag. “I feel bad. I know Syssi has important work to do, but instead she hangs around here to watch over me.”
Nathalie made a shooing motion with her hand. “After breakfast, she plans to go to the lab. So don’t keep her waiting and hurry up.”
“Yes, ma’am!” He saluted.
Ten minutes later, Andrew emerged from the bathroom and gingerly headed for the kitchen to join Nathalie and the rest of the gang. Everything he was wearing was too tight, too short, and pinched in various places.
Clothes shopping had just gotten pushed to the top of the list of things he needed to do once he was cleared to go. Shoes too. His feet must’ve grown overnight because the shoes that had barely fit yesterday didn’t fit at all today.
“Oh, my God, Andrew!” Syssi exclaimed. “How much did you grow?” She turned to Nathalie. “Am I imagining it? Or did he get even bigger overnight?”
Nathalie giggled. “I don’t think so. It’s just his old clothes. They look ridiculous on him.”
Syssi pressed a button on her cappuccino machine, and the thing started huffing and puffing. “Wait here. I’m going to bring you more of Kian’s.” She snorted. “You look uncomfortable.”
“I am, but I don’t want to take any more of his stuff. At this rate, he is going to run out of clothes.”
Syssi let out a puff of air. “Don’t worry about that. When Shai was in charge of buying Kian’s wardrobe, he filled out his closet with stuff Kian wouldn’t have a chance of wearing before they went out of style. I was thinking of packing some of it up and donating it to the old people’s home I used to volunteer at, but then I realized that his things wouldn’t fit anyone there. He’s too big.”
“Well, in that case, I’ll be happy to take some off his hands. What’s his shoe size?”
Syssi and Nathalie both glanced at his socked feet.
“Fourteen,” Syssi said. “I can bring you a new pair of flip-flops he doesn’t like.”
Andrew nodded. “It would be greatly appreciated.”
“You know what they say about men with big feet,” Nathalie said when they were alone.
Andrew quirked a brow, then glanced down at his straining jeans. “I don’t know. Tell me.”
She stifled a giggle. “Big socks.”
“Ha, ha. Very funny.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Come on, it is funny. I know you were expecting me to say something else.”
“Of course I was, woman. I have a fragile ego that needs constant reassurances.” His tone was joking, but he wasn’t.
Nathalie sauntered up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Andrew, my love, you’re a perfect fit for me.”
Damn, this wasn’t the answer he wanted. “So what are you saying? I need to know. Did I get bigger all over, or not? It’s not about vanity, but I don’t want to look disproportionate.”
It’s very much about vanity.
A sexy smirk on her gorgeous face, Nathalie caressed his cheek. “You take my breath away, Andrew. You were always handsome, but now…” She fanned herself with her hand. “If you thought I was jealous before, you’ve seen nothing yet. I’m not going to let you out of my sight.”
Good enough.
Chapter 3: Carol
Poor Robert.
Hell, poor Carol.
They were both miserable.
The moment he’d come back from yet another unsuccessful job search, Robert had locked himself in the bathroom.
Gazing out the window at the scenic view of the hotel’s parking lot, Carol wondered when he was going to give up. No one would hire a guy who couldn’t produce proof that he was allowed to work in the States. All he had was a fake Australian passport. It was as good as having nothing at all.
Robert was growing desperate, and so was she.
But for different reasons.
Living in a hotel in Vegas would have been fun if she could’ve splurged on one of the big names. A fancy one with a nice suite like the Venetian would have been great. But her modest share in the clan’s profits wasn’t enough for living in style. She could barely afford a cheap room in the MGM. It wasn’t crappy, but it wasn’t great either.
Not exactly the type of casino high rollers frequented.
Which meant that she had no prospects of making the extra money she needed. Settling for some average Joe Schmo who could part with no more than two Benjamins wasn’t going to happen. Besides, getting away from Robert wasn’t happening either. Not for long enough to score with the type of client who could afford her.
The dude still believed that she was his destined mate.
Poor, delusional Robert.
He bored her to death, but she wasn’t going to go back on her promise. No matter what. Two weeks down and ten more to go. She would try her best to make the schmuck happy.
The one bright spot was the sex. What an immortal male could do for her, no other man would. It was mind blowing. Not that Robert was all that great—the guy was just as boring in bed as he was everywhere else—it was mostly about the venom’s aphrodisiac and euphoric effect, and the incredible stamina. The guy could go for hours.
Carol sighed and plopped onto the hotel’s uncomfortable chair. “Robert! Are you done yet? I’m hungry.” That should get him out of there.
He was a good man; always mindful of her, making sure she was comfortable, well fed, and sexually satiated. She would’ve been ecstatic if things had worked out better between them. Robert could have made a great mate and maybe even a father.
But when it wasn’t meant to be, it wasn’t meant to be. Round pegs didn’t fit into square holes, and there was no point in trying to force them.
Robert could make some other immortal female happy, just not Carol. She needed excitement, adventure, a variety of partners…
That alone was proof that this wasn’t it. Carol had heard that after Amanda had hooked up with Dalhu, she no longer craved other dudes and was annoyed even when other men leered at her. Maybe that was what happened when an immortal female found her true love mate.
Obviously, Robert wasn’t Carol’s.
She could hook him up with someone else. Her bestie Sharon would be a good candidate. If the girl found accounting interesting, she might find Robert fascinating.
Nah. Not even Sharon would think that. The only type of woman who could tolerate Robert was someone who didn’t mind a guy who had absolutely nothing to say.
“Come on, Robert! I don’t want to be stuck in the long line to the buffet.”
Finally, the door cracked open, and Robert came out showered and shaved and wearing a fresh T-shirt.
After George had FedExed her credit cards and her driver’s license to the cheap motel they had stayed at the first night, she’d taken Robert shopping. They had found all they needed at the north side outlet. It was cheap crap, but at least there was enough of it so she didn’t need to send him to t
he laundromat too often.
Slapping a smile on her face, she got up and kissed his cheek. “Let’s go. You must be just as hungry as I am.”
Robert nodded and followed her out of the room.
The line to the buffet wasn’t too bad; she estimated about a half an hour wait. Carol had discovered early on that feeding Robert in regular restaurants was too costly. The quantities he consumed were huge, making an all-you-can-eat buffet a real bargain for her.
While they waited, Carol did all the talking—as usual. She told him about the latest Hollywood gossip, what happened on her favorite television series, and so on until she ran out of things to talk about. His responses were limited to an occasional nod, but she knew he listened. Or maybe he just liked the sound of her voice.
When they were finally seated, he insisted she go and load her plate first, while he waited for the waiter to take their drink orders.
Such a nice guy. Why oh, why couldn’t she fall in love with him?
When Carol came back with a plate full of various foods that had no culinary association whatsoever, Robert gave it an approving glance and got up. From experience, she knew that was only his first round and that he would be going for a second and a third and a fourth. Not including dessert.
Returning with a plate full of ribs, he stuffed a napkin into his shirt collar and went to work.
“Robert, I need to talk to you about something. Are you listening?”
He grunted.
“I would like you to reconsider coming home with me. I can’t afford both the mortgage payments on my house and the extended hotel stay, and you can’t find a job without proper papers. All of that will be solved if you just come with me. I can get you fake documents that would pass scrutiny, we will be living in my comfy house, and I can ask around if someone has work for you.”
Robert finished chewing on the rib he was holding, put down the cleansed bone, and wiped his hands and mouth with a napkin.
“How do I know it’s not a trap?”
“Do you think I would betray you like that? By now you should know that I keep my promises.”
“I’m not questioning you. But what about them? Your clansmen?”
“I’ve been told that you’re invited, but I can check again and ask to talk with someone in charge.”
“They can lie to you.”
Carol rolled her eyes. “You wouldn’t be the first Doomer to cross over. There is a very positive precedent. A wonderful love story. She fought hard to get him accepted, and he went through hell for it, but there is a happy ending. They are together.”
Robert frowned. “How did they meet?”
“I’m not sure. But there were rumors that he kidnaped her off the street. Personally, I don’t believe that this is how it happened, but maybe.”
“Let me think about it.”
“Sure.” A start. He was considering going home with her. She wouldn’t mention hooking him up with someone else, not yet. It might spook him.
One step at a time.
Chapter 4: Andrew
One big happy family.
Sitting at the counter and stuffing himself full of waffles topped with strawberries, Andrew listened to Syssi and Nathalie chatter about this and that. He wasn’t paying attention to the words being said, just enjoying the soothing sound of their soft voices and occasional chuckles. Next to him, grumpy as usual, Kian had his nose buried in the morning paper, grunting from time to time about something in the stock market and shaking the paper.
It was fucking great.
His family. His fiancée, his sister and her husband, and an entire clan of immortals who had accepted him as one of their own.
A man could spend half his life imagining a future, building different scenarios in his head, and get it all wrong. His life could take a detour into a completely different territory, one that would make him happier than he’d ever imagined he could be. And the opposite was also true. Fate wasn’t kind to everyone. He was as lucky as a man got to be.
“Andrew.” Nathalie nudged him.
“Yeah?”
“Do you want to go shopping? William is keeping my dad busy, so we have a good couple of hours to ourselves.”
“Sure.” Not his favorite activity, but any time spent with Nathalie was good. Besides, he really needed new clothes that fit.
Syssi shook her head. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. Bridget said you should stay put for forty-eight hours.”
“No, she said she would like to keep an eye on me for forty-eight hours. But she is not monitoring me every moment of every hour. True?”
“I guess. Let’s call her to make sure.”
“No!” Nathalie and he exclaimed at the same time.
Kian chuckled from behind the newspaper.
Syssi crossed her arms over her chest. Never a good sign. “What if you collapse in some store? Nathalie can’t pick you up. People will call 911, and the paramedics will show up.”
What a role reversal. Andrew used to be the worrywart, the older, overprotective brother. He’d never understood why Syssi had been mad at him for butting into her life. He’d only wanted to steer her in the right direction. Now that the shoe was on the other foot, he realized what a pain in the ass he’d been. Hiding his amusement, he took a sip of coffee and let Nathalie handle it.
“My father can come along. I mean Bhathian, not Papi. He is certainly strong enough to carry Andrew if needed,” Nathalie said with a clear note of pride in her tone. Calling Bhathian Father hadn’t always been easy for Nathalie.
Discovering at the age of thirty that the man who’d raised her wasn’t her biological father had been difficult for her. She loved Fernando dearly, and he loved her back. Even his dementia hadn’t diminished his feelings for her.
Both Nathalie and Andrew wondered if Fernando knew she wasn’t his. After all, her mother had married him at the early stages of her pregnancy. She might’ve deceived him. They wouldn’t know until they found the elusive and mysterious Eva. Trouble was, the woman didn’t want to be found and was very good at dropping off the face of the earth. She’d already done it twice.
Kian closed the newspaper and folded it into a neat rectangle. “Bhathian is teaching a class this morning. But if you can do your shopping fast, I could spare Anandur for an hour.”
Andrew cast Kian a grateful look. “That would be great, thank you.”
Kian nodded. “I’ll send him up.” He pushed to his feet and put his hand on Syssi’s shoulder. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah. It’s about time I got back to work.” She leaned in to kiss Andrew’s cheek. “Behave, and don’t overexert yourself. I’m so profoundly relieved that you made it through the transition, but after all that stress, I can’t help worrying about you.”
Andrew pulled Syssi into his arms. “I’m fine. I’m better than fine. I’m spectacular, indestructible, and handsome as the devil himself. Nothing to worry about.”
Syssi chuckled and punched his shoulder. “Careful, Andrew. By the possessive look on Nathalie’s face, she is going to put you on a very short leash.”
He cast a sidelong glance at his fiancée, confirming that the monster of jealousy had indeed risen to the surface. “I don’t mind a leash as long as you’re the one holding it, baby.”
That got him a smile.
Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting in Nathalie’s car with Anandur complaining about the cramped backseat.
“We should’ve taken my car.”
Andrew turned to the Guardian. “As if the Thunderbird has more legroom in the back than this old clunker.”
Nathalie needed a new car, and he was going to take care of it as soon as he could. It wasn’t about being a snob and wanting to show off that his girl was driving something fancy, it was about safety. His Nathalie was still a fragile human, and this older model didn’t have all the safety features the newer cars had. It was not safe enough for his treasure. He turned to her. “You need a new car, baby. First thing after we get home,
we are going to get you a decent vehicle. This old thing is a safety hazard.”
Nathalie shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s old, but it has very low mileage. The car runs perfectly.”
“I agree that it runs well, but is it built to the newest standards? Does it have airbags everywhere?”
“No, but neither does Anandur’s Thunderbird. Isn’t she vintage?”
“She sure is,” Anandur said.
“Yeah, but he is an immortal, and you are not. Not yet. And until you are, I’m going to wrap you in Bubble Wrap every time you leave the house.”
Damn. It was such a scary thought. Anything could happen to her. She could get into an accident, get sick…
Andrew’s gut clenched. What if she was already sick? What if that new scent she was emitting was caused by disease? The immortals wouldn’t know what it was because they were immune to all human diseases, and he doubted they bothered to familiarize themselves with all the different scents mortals produced.
Andrew was still getting used to the barrage of sensations assaulting him; the smells and the sounds, the sharpness of the visuals, it was all so overwhelming it was giving him a headache. The other immortals must’ve learned to block it.
Nathalie rolled her eyes. “Did the transition affect your brain, turning you into a mother hen?”
“I can’t wait to turn you.” Andrew rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know why, but I feel like every moment that you’re still human, you’re in danger.”
Nathalie’s features softened, and she took one of her hands off the steering wheel to clasp Andrew’s. “I know how you feel. I was going out of my mind waiting for you to go through your transition and praying for you to come out okay on the other side.”
Anandur cleared his throat. “If you kids want to make out, just drop me off on the sidewalk.”
Andrew ignored the peanut gallery. “I know my anxiety is irrational, but there is a nagging thought at the back of my mind that I’ve been too lucky and that my luck is not going to hold forever. I’ve survived missions that most of my friends didn’t, and each time I asked God why? Why them? Why not me? Don’t get me wrong; it wasn’t as if I wanted to get killed. I was grateful for being spared. I just wondered why. I wasn’t a better man. I didn’t deserve to survive more than any of the others.”