by I. T. Lucas
For a few minutes, Calypso played along, but he knew it wouldn’t last. His girl was patient in many ways, but not in this.
“Please, Brundar, I need more.”
With a swift tug, he got rid of her pants, her T-shirt and bra were gone next. When she was gloriously nude, he lifted her hips and slid from under her.
“Stay here and don’t move. And no peeking either. I want to see your face buried in that pillow when I come back,” he commanded, laying her legs back on the couch.
“Where are you going?”
“To the bedroom, to get a condom.”
“Okay.”
He was back before she’d finished sighing contently.
“You’re fast,” she commented.
You have no idea.
With her face firmly pressed into the pillow, he allowed himself to move at his natural speed, shedding his clothes and sheathing himself in the hateful rubber in seconds. This was something he needed to address, the sooner the better. Bridget could produce a clean bill of health for him, and Calypso could get on the pill.
Keeping up the charade was taking away from both of their pleasure.
“Lift.” He tapped her bottom while grabbing another pillow, then tucked it under her pelvis. “You’re so beautiful. I could just stand here and look at you.”
She giggled, the sound muffled by the pillow. “I hope not for long.”
“Impudent girl.” He smacked her bottom, harder than before.
She moaned.
Fates, that throaty sound went straight to his cock.
Getting into position behind her, he covered her body with his like a blanket, enjoying a moment of skin to skin and prolonging their anticipation. His cock nestled in the crease between her butt cheeks, and he wanted to grab her chin and turn her head around so he could take her mouth before surging inside her, but he didn’t dare.
As it was, he was already playing with fire. He couldn't risk her opening her eyes and seeing him in his full alien mode.
That was the disadvantage of not using a blindfold and leaving Calypso unrestrained. He didn’t feel as free to do as he pleased, and the underlying stress wasn’t conducive to a good experience.
Next time he would go back to business as usual.
Both of them would enjoy it more.
CHAPTER 27: RONI
“What’s the verdict, doctor?” Roni looked hopefully at Bridget.
“The verdict is that you don’t need to stay here. You’re still sick, but your symptoms are milder. If Ingrid can find you an apartment, you can move to a more comfortable setting. No exercise and no other strenuous activity for at least two weeks.”
Bridget glanced at the contraption William’s students had built for him. She’d pushed it aside to conduct her examination, and it was now blocking the entrance to the room. “Take this thing with you. I know you’ll not listen to me and rest, so the best next thing is working from bed the same as you did here.”
“Thanks. What if Ingrid, whoever she is, can’t find me an apartment? Can I stay here?” He’d kind of gotten used to the hospital bed which he could adjust for maximum comfort with the remote, programming into its memory his two favorite positions, one for working and the other one for resting.
A regular one was never going to be as comfortable. One could only do so much with pillows.
Fuck, would there be pillows? And blankets? And the other things he’d always taken for granted?
And who was going to feed him?
Andrew’s wife had been kind enough to send down meals, and the nurses pampered him with sandwiches and other things from nearby restaurants. He had no money, and if he did, he was pretty sure he couldn’t leave the building to go shopping. Sylvia would have to buy him groceries until he figured shit out. The problem was that he’d never cooked anything in his life, and as far as he knew neither had Sylvia.
“Don’t worry. She’ll find you a place.”
Yeah, don’t worry, right. He was on the verge of panicking.
“Will the apartment come with pillows and blankets and towels and all of that shit? Because I don’t have money and I don’t know where and how to get things. I’ve never been on my own.”
Bridget patted his shoulder. “Everything you need will be there, and if anything is missing, you can call Ingrid, and she will get it delivered.”
Roni exhaled a relieved breath. “That’s one less thing to worry about. What about the transition, though? When should I attempt it again?” Not anytime soon, that was for sure. He was so weak that a walk to the bathroom was a strain. Getting on the mat with an immortal was a no-go if he couldn’t even stay upright without aid.
“You need to wait at least a month, maybe longer, and not before I give my okay. If you want it to work, you need to let your body get back into peak condition first. You might have been carrying this virus with no symptoms for weeks, and that could be the reason you didn’t transition.”
Having a plausible explanation for not transitioning was comforting and made his outlook way more optimistic. But waiting so long to try again was going to be a bitch.
“I hate waiting.”
“Patience, Roni.” Bridget patted his arm again. “I’m going to call Ingrid.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Now that he was about to get discharged, Roni needed to figure out some basic logistics before he could leave. First of all, he needed clothes. With the state he’d been in when snatched from the human hospital, Roni hadn’t noticed if anyone had bothered to collect the clothes he’d arrived in. Or if Jerome or Kevin had had the presence of mind to bring his wallet to the hospital.
Fuck. He could probably say goodbye to all the money he had saved up in his bank account. He of all people should know he could never touch it again without giving the feds a way to find him. Money left a trail no matter how careful it was hidden.
Andrew might have an idea of what was going on, but he was still avoiding contact with Roni. He wouldn’t come without a hazmat suit, and Roni doubted the clan kept those on hand.
Or they could talk on the phone.
Reaching for the one next to his bed, Roni pressed zero for the operator. Bridget had told him the line went straight to the keep’s security office and nowhere else, but they could connect him with Andrew.
“What can I do for you, Roni?” an unfamiliar male voice answered.
“Do I know you?”
The guy chuckled. “No. But your name is programmed as the occupant of the room you’re calling from.”
“Obviously.” The fever must’ve destroyed a good number of his brain cells for him to ask a dumb question like that. “Can you connect me to Andrew Spivak?”
“Sure. Let me check if he is home. I’m going to put you on hold.”
“No problem.”
A few moments later Andrew picked up. “What’s up, kid? How are you feeling?”
“Better. Bridget is letting me out of here.”
“Good. I’m glad to hear that.”
“Yeah. How are things at work? Anyone talking about my disappearance?”
Andrew chuckled. “It is assumed that you hacked your way out of the hospital.”
Sylvia had been questioned by Barty the day after Roni’s escape, even though Yamanu made sure the staff remembered her leaving shortly after the agent and his wife. According to her, she’d been very convincing, crying about what a jerk Roni was for leaving her without a word.
“Did any of you get my clothes? Or my wallet?”
“Sylvia has them. But what do you need your wallet for?”
“I have a few bucks in there. The money saved up in my bank account is probably gone. I don’t want to hack into it because I know they booby-trapped it to hell and back. If they release it to my parents, and providing the bastards will cooperate and not snitch on me, I can then hack into their accounts and take it out.”
“How much do you have in there?”
“Close to a h
undred thousand. I spent almost none of my pay.”
Andrew whistled. “Yeah, that sucks. But I wouldn’t touch it anytime soon even if they transferred it to your parents. They will be watching for that. Besides, you can probably make it back in no time.”
“If I were free, I could. But I’m not.”
“I’m sure some kind of an arrangement could be made.”
“I want to talk to the head honcho, Kian. Can you arrange a meeting? I hate not knowing what to expect. And by the way, Dr. Bridget says I need to wait at least a month until I attempt transition again. She says I might have been carrying the virus for weeks without showing symptoms and that’s why it didn’t work.”
“That would explain it. You’re the best candidate for transition the clan ever had. Better than I was, that’s for sure. I was raking my brain trying to figure a plausible explanation for your grandmother’s picture on those driver’s licenses other than her being an immortal. But I couldn’t find one.”
“Yeah, same here. So are you going to talk to the boss for me?”
“Not yet. I think you need to get settled first. If I were you, I would want to be healthy enough not to look like the living dead when I meet him. Well-dressed too. You want to leave a good first impression.”
“Yeah, you’re right. It’s like a job interview.”
“The most important one you’ll ever have.”
“Right.”
CHAPTER 28: CAROL
“Here you go.” Carol handed Anandur the plate with the sandwich he’d ordered. “And just in case you’re about to ask, I’m not going hunting with you.”
Leaning against the counter, Anandur lifted the sandwich to his mouth and took an enormous bite, shoving in at least one third of it. He chewed and swallowed, then grabbed a napkin and wiped his beard. “It needs to be done, Carol. You know it’s a crucial step.”
Yeah, Brundar had made it very clear that he wasn’t green-lighting her for the mission unless she proved she could kill an animal and remove its heart.
Crazy asshat.
Of course, he would think it was critical for the mission. The guy was the deliverer of death. What did he know about the art of seduction and manipulation?
Absolutely nothing.
“This is not the place to have this conversation.” Carol handed Anandur another paper napkin. “You have mayo on your mustache.”
“Thanks.” He grabbed it, dabbing at the wrong spot.
“Here, give it to me.” She took the napkin and wiped his mustache for him. Men with facial hair, especially as bushy as Anandur’s, were walking germ farms. Tiny food particles always landed in there, providing a fertile breeding ground. “You should shave this bush off. It’s not sanitary.”
“But it’s sexy, and the ladies like it.” He waggled his red brows.
“If you say so.” Carol wasn’t a fan. One of the things she’d liked about Robert was that he was always clean shaven.
Had she been too hasty throwing him out?
Probably. After years of living alone, she’d expected the transition back to single life would be smooth and easy, but it hadn’t been. As annoying as Robert was, she missed his presence. The apartment felt lonely without him.
Still, it would’ve been wrong to keep him around just because she couldn’t tolerate the silence, or to have a male available for shagging at her disposal. Carol was quite proud of herself for setting him free. Contrary to what everyone else thought, she wasn’t a heartless bitch, and freeing Robert to seek his someone special had been a selfless move.
“Can you take a break?” Anandur asked.
She glanced around the café. It wasn’t too busy, and Onidu was there in case anyone ordered a sandwich. Everything else was handled by the vending machines.
“Do you want to come up to my place?”
“Nah. Let’s take a walk outside.”
Imagining herself trotting behind him, Carol grimaced. The guy was huge, especially compared to her. She would have to take two steps for each one of his. “On one condition.” She pointed a finger at his chest. “You walk at my pace. I can’t compete with your long legs.”
“Done.”
Removing her apron, she signaled Onidu that she was taking a break.
“Let’s go.” Carol stuffed her phone in one pocket, her wallet in another.
Anandur waited until they were out of the building. “Did you change your mind about the mission?”
Other than the two of them, there were no pedestrians on the street. Even the traffic was sparse this time of day.
“If I have to kill animals, then yeah. I can’t do it. No way.”
Anandur stuck his hands into his jeans pockets. “Let me ask you something. Are you a vegetarian?”
“No. I’m an omnivore with a preference for vegetarian dishes.”
“If eating a piece of meat that you bought raw in the supermarket or already cooked in a restaurant doesn’t bother you, but killing the animal you are going to eat does, it’s not a moral issue for you. You’re just squeamish.”
“I can’t argue with that. But knowing that doesn't make it any easier for me. Besides, I’m too busy. I’m running the café during the day and teaching self-defense beginner classes in the evening to free your time for patrolling. I have enough on my plate.”
Anandur’s strides were getting longer, and Carol found herself trotting behind him. “Slow down, big guy.”
He stopped. “I’m sorry. I forgot.” Scratching at his beard, he waited until she caught up and was standing next to him. “I’ll make you a deal.”
Making deals with Anandur could be tricky. The guy was a prankster. The good thing about his brother was that, she’d never had to second guess Brundar's motives.
“I’m listening.”
“With Brundar so busy lately with whatever he is doing in his off time, I offered to take over your training. Even if you later decide to scrap the mission, I think you should keep on pushing to improve your skills. We will train twice a week, an hour each time. That way you’ll stay in shape, I’ll fulfill my promise to Brundar, and if you later decide to do what’s needed to get green-lighted for the mission, your skills will be where they need to be.”
“Sounds very reasonable. Except for the fact that neither of us has any spare time.”
Anandur shook his head. “Two hours a week is nothing. We will make the time. This is important.”
CHAPTER 29: BRUNDAR
Brundar halted in front of Onegus’s office and knocked. If the chief was going to chew his ass for taking another half a day off, he would be well justified. Everyone was stretched to the limit, working double shifts. The thing was, Brundar and Anandur’s job allowed them more free time than the others.
When Kian didn’t have meetings outside the keep, they could choose to help out with other tasks or not.
Lately, Brundar was mostly opting to take time off. Between his second job helping manage Franco’s club and seeing Calypso, he just couldn’t afford to volunteer any of his free time.
Today, he was taking her to UCLA, even though Roni had made it unnecessary by changing the records. The kid was amazing. Calypso’s old name had been replaced by the new one Brundar had chosen for her in each and every one of the admissions records the university kept.
For some reason, this outing was important to him. As a guy who’d never taken a woman anywhere, it would be a first for him. He didn’t want to give it up unless he absolutely had to.
“Come in,” Onegus called out.
Brundar pushed the door open. “I’m taking the rest of the day off. I’ll be back for my night shift.”
Onegus shook his head and waved him off without a comment. The dismissal was worse than the chewing Brundar had been expecting.
Closing the door, he wondered whether he should’ve offered an explanation. But what could he have said? That he was choosing to escort his lady friend over helping his fellow Guardians? Promise that it was the last time?
Both o
ptions would have made him look bad. It was better to keep his mouth shut. Anyway, no one expected him to explain, because he never bothered.
Not Calypso, though. She had a way of pulling words out of him like no one before her had managed. Which reminded him that he should text her to get ready.
He pulled out his phone. On my way. Be there in twenty.
I’m waiting, was her reply.
As he tucked the phone into his back pocket, Brundar frowned, wondering why the text exchange bothered him. For some reason, he felt uncomfortable, as if he was wearing shoes that were rubbing his feet the wrong way or an article of clothing that didn’t fit well.
He was still trying to figure it out when he knocked on Calypso’s door.
She opened the way, her broad smile taking his breath away. How was it possible for her to look more beautiful every time he saw her? And it wasn’t as if she was dressed to kill. The thing was, simple jeans, sneakers, and T-shirt looked better on her than an evening gown on another woman.
“Don’t just stand there, come in and give me a kiss.”
He could do that.
Taking a step in, Brundar kicked the door closed and wrapped his arms around her middle. Trapping her arms as he lifted her up, he kissed her until she pulled back to suck in a breath.
“You must have huge lungs,” she said after catching her breath.
Brundar sat her back down. “I do.” His lungs could go without air much longer than a human’s.
“Can I see the papers?”
He’d kept the name she was going to use a secret, wanting to surprise her.
Reaching inside his pants’ back pocket, he pulled out the envelope with her new birth certificate, social, driver’s license, and passport.
Calypso walked over to the kitchen counter, upended the envelope, then picked up the driver’s license first.
“Heather Wilson?” She grimaced. “That’s so boring.”
“I agree, which is exactly the reason I chose it. You need a name that’s forgettable. A unique name would stand out. You don’t want people to remember it.”