Dark Guardian Found

by I. T. Lucas

  The best course of action was to limit their interaction to the bedroom and send him home as soon as they were done. The less time they spent talking, the better.

  His eyelids popped open the moment she touched his arm.

  “Hi,” he said with a lazy smile.

  She couldn’t help but smile back. He deserved at least that after giving her God knew how many orgasms. “Hi, to you too. You must be hungry after all the activity. Want to go down to the kitchen?” She couldn’t tell him to get dressed and beat it, but going downstairs was a step closer to the front door.

  He gathered her into him and kissed her softly. “No. I would much rather stay in bed with you.”

  So much for polite hints. Men just didn’t get them.

  Eva closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the moment. Bhathian was so warm, and his arms around her felt as safe as a Kevlar vest. Besides, she needed to think of a way to send him home that wouldn’t sound rude or make him feel like a gigolo. It wasn’t something she’d done before and had a procedure in place for. The men she hooked up with never came home with her—it was either their place or a hotel.

  Easy.

  As soon as the guy fell asleep, she snuck out. Once in a while she’d left a note, mostly she’d left nothing behind other than a memory of great sex.

  Come to think of it, that thralling thing Bhathian had talked about could come in handy. She needed him to show her how to do it.

  She pushed on his chest to get some space. “Could you teach me how to thrall? I can use a trick like that in my line of work.”

  He chuckled. “My performance must’ve left a lot to be desired if the first thing you do after is think about work.”

  “I’ve been awake for a while.”

  “Ouch, even worse. I dosed you with so much venom I was sure you’d be out for the night.”

  She tapped his nose. “You forget I’m an immortal like you. The venom doesn’t affect me as it does the human females you sleep with.”

  For some reason he found her remark funny, the corners of his lips twitching with a smile. “I love how old-fashioned you are. You’re still mindful of the language you use. It’s sweet.”

  True, she’d been raised in the Fifties, when using crude language had been considered unladylike. Her parents had been very strict about it, and it stuck with her. Out loud, Eva often used darn instead of damn, and shoot instead of shit.

  Yeah, as if foul language was more unladylike than killing.

  “Trust me, I’m not sweet. So can you teach me or not?”

  “I can try.”

  “Wonderful. Let’s clean up, and you can show me how it’s done over a cup of coffee in the kitchen.”

  Bhathian frowned, the hints finally making it through his thick man-skull. “Mind if I take a shower?”

  She waved a hand. “Go ahead. There are clean towels in the basket by the bathtub. I’ll use one of the other bathrooms.”

  His frown deepened, and his eyes darkened. He was definitely getting the gist of it now and not liking it one bit.

  Well, tough.

  “Aren’t the kids back yet?” he asked, although he must’ve been as aware as she was that there was no one beside them in the house.

  “No. I hope that means that they are having a good time and not that they ran into some kind of trouble.”

  “In that case, I hope you don’t mind if I don’t pull on my pants.” Bhathian swung his legs over the side of the bed and sauntered to the bathroom in his birthday suit.

  She didn’t mind at all.

  Watching this finest of asses was a nice treat.

  Chapter 31: Nathalie

  Watching Onidu operate the cappuccino machine, Nathalie said, “I wish we knew how to make more of them.” His second day on the job and he was already a pro at it. His machine learning was so enviably fast. Onidu remembered every word and every instruction perfectly. There was no need to repeat anything.

  Which meant that instead of working in the café, Nathalie and Carol were enjoying it as guests, chitchatting with Bridget and Syssi who’d joined them for coffees.

  “I know, right?” Syssi leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest. “Imagine a world full of Odus. Other than artists and scientists and the like, no one will need to work.”

  Bridget snorted. “It’ll be the end of the world as we know it. Wars will start out of pure boredom.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Carol said. “I have no problem with unemployment, on the contrary. As long as I have the money to pay the bills, I enjoy leisure.” She sighed dramatically. “I thought apprenticing with Gerard would be fun. But it’s going to be slave work.”

  Nathalie shook her head. Carol was something else. “You didn’t even start yet, and you’re already complaining?”

  Carol’s face twisted in a grimace. “I saw Gerard yesterday.”

  Nathalie had met Gerard. The guy was nice but a bit of a prima donna. But then most chefs were, even those who weren’t as talented and successful as the owner of By Invitation Only. “What did he do?”

  “In so many words, he told me that he never takes in amateurs, and that he is doing it for me only because of what I’ve gone through. I’m to watch and do as I’m told and not ask any questions. Basically, I’m starting as a fetch girl. He said he wouldn’t even trust me to cut vegetables, only to peel them.”

  “Ouch, that’s harsh,” Syssi said.

  Carol sighed. “I’m rethinking the whole idea. I told Gerard I would start in a week, after Onidu took over for me, but I think I should wait for at least a month after the baby gets here and help you. I just can’t leave you here with only Onidu. And what are you going to do when you’re out of commission? Leave Onidu to do everything by himself? It’s not going to work. You’ll need to close the café.”

  Nathalie had been thinking along the same lines. Standing for more than an hour was becoming difficult, and pretty soon she wouldn’t be able to do even that. Then after the baby arrived, she wanted some peaceful time with her child and her husband without having to worry about the café. Onidu was a great help, but he couldn’t be left alone to handle everything. Someone needed to tell him what to do. The only thing that had stopped Nathalie from begging Carol to stay was that she didn’t want to stand in the way of her fulfilling her dream.

  “Are you sure? You’re not exaggerating Gerard’s mean attitude to ease my conscience for keeping you here?”

  With a snort, Carol crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m sure. And believe me, I’m not exaggerating. If anything, I downplayed it. He was snotty and looked at me down his nose as if I was a nuisance he was being forced to tolerate. The only reason I didn’t tell him to forget it right away was Kian. After I’d pleaded with him to arrange for an interview with Gerard, I would’ve looked like a flake if I refused the offer.”

  “Smart. I’m not sure I could’ve kept my mouth shut. If it were me, I would’ve probably told Gerard what I thought of his attitude and where he could shove it.” Nathalie hated pompous jerks, but Carol had done the right thing. With the girl’s reputation, everyone would’ve assumed that she hadn’t been serious and had chosen the easy way out.

  Carol unfolded her arms and pointed at her head. “I might look like a bimbo, but I’m not brainless. Can I ask you a favor, though?”

  “Sure. Anything.”

  “I need you to back me up and say that you asked me to stay.”

  “No problem. And so it wouldn’t be a lie, I’m asking you now. Can you please stay and take over the café so I can take a maternity leave?”

  Carol dipped her head in a slight bow. “It would be my pleasure.”

  “If you want, I can make it even better,” Bridget said. “I can write a note saying Nathalie needs to stop working four weeks before the delivery. Doctor’s orders.”

  Syssi shook her head. “I don’t think it will be needed. If it were up to Kian, he would’ve ordered you to stop a month ago. He keeps saying that you shouldn�
��t be working with that enormous belly of yours.”

  Nathalie pouted. “Thanks a lot, Syssi. I already feel like a whale.”

  Syssi lifted both hands in the air. “It wasn’t me, it was Kian who said it. And just so you know, I would’ve traded places with you in a heartbeat. Humongous belly and all.”

  Everyone’s eyes turned to Syssi, but it was Bridget who spoke first. “You want a baby? Already?”

  With a sad expression on her delicate face, Syssi nodded, but then forced a smile. “It must be Nathalie’s pregnancy hormones. I don’t know what came over me. I’m only twenty-six and newly married. There is plenty of time for babies.”

  It seemed Syssi was trying to convince herself. The truth was that her chances of getting pregnant were so dismal that it would probably take centuries until she conceived. Babies were a rarity in the immortal world.

  “I spend most of my days with Nathalie, and I don’t want a baby,” Carol said.

  Nathalie kicked her under the table. “Carol is a special case. It must be the hormones. Right, Bridget?” She rolled her eyes, urging the doctor to agree.

  “It’s possible.”

  Good enough. Time to change the subject. “I have a piece of juicy gossip.” She tried to lean forward for emphasis, but her belly prevented it. “Bhathian went over to Eva’s yesterday, and I know for a fact that they were alone because Jackson told me Eva’s crew came to hear him play at the club his band was performing at.”

  Syssi’s smile was back. “Did he tell you that he was going to see her?”

  “Not exactly. Anandur saw him leaving. He told me that Bhathian was wearing a button-down, which he wears only on special occasions, and he had enough cologne on him to make the entire parking level smell like a gay brothel. Anandur’s words, not mine.”

  Bridget arched a brow. “It’s a lot to assume just by that. Bhathian might have gone out, you know, to prowl the clubs.”

  Nathalie shook her head. Apparently, in the short time she’d know him, she’d learned more about Bhathian than the people who’d known him for decades or even centuries. “He wears T-shirts to clubs and uses a simple aftershave. I think it’s called Tabac. Anandur said the scent was of one of those fancy department store colognes. He’d been surprised that Bhathian even owned something like that.”

  “Are you excited?” Syssi asked.

  The truth was that Nathalie was conflicted. On the one hand, Eva and Bhathian were her biological parents and if they found a way to reconnect it would be wonderful, especially for their granddaughter. But what about Fernando? How long could they hide Eva from him?

  One day they would have to face the music and let him see her. How would he react to her? To Bhathian and Eva being together?

  Poor Papi. He would probably think his wife was back. It would break his heart.

  She needed to confront her mother and find out what the hell had happened between Eva and Fernando. Had the divorce been part of Eva’s attempt to hide who she was? But it happened years before her disappearance.

  “I’m not sure how I feel about it. I need to have a chat with my mother.”

  Chapter 32: Jackson

  “We’re going to stay open late again,” Gordon murmured as he passed by Jackson, holding a tray with two freshly made sandwiches.

  Jackson eyed the booths with a frown. It was nearly closing time, but the café was still packed, people taking their sweet time to finish their fucking coffees and sandwiches.

  Maybe he should let Vlad out of the kitchen and have him start cleaning tables. One look at the guy and there would be a stampede to the door. Jackson didn’t get it. Vlad was the nicest guy. So what if he looked like a vampire wannabe. A lot of kids were rocking the Goth look. Vlad wasn’t that unusual.

  Humans were strange.

  As if Vlad with his spindly limbs and hunched back posed a threat to anyone. Naturally, that wasn’t true. He only looked weak. Vlad was strong even by immortal standards. Jackson and Gordon had both seen him lift a car one-handed. It had been parked over two spots, and he moved it to make room for his Civic.

  Vlad scared people for the simple reason that he looked different. A teenager who was over six and a half foot tall, weighed about one hundred pounds, had mismatched eyes, and canines that looked like fangs. Jackson wondered whether Vlad’s fangs were defective and didn’t retract all the way, or were they just longer than any other immortal male’s. Not that he was ever going to ask. The guy felt awkward about it as it was, even among other immortals.

  The only place Vlad fit in was on stage. He was one hell of a guitarist, and besides, a strange-looking rocker was the norm rather than the exception. At the clubs they’d performed, hardly anyone commented on Vlad’s appearance except to say his costume was cool. Still, it didn’t mean that anyone cozied up to him, or that any girls paid him any attention.

  Except for Tessa.

  Jackson had been surprised at the casual ease with which Tessa had interacted with Vlad. The girl appeared to be scared of her own shadow and yet she’d been sweet to him.

  Like everyone else, Vlad assumed Tessa was a kid, so he hadn’t flipped out when she’d complimented his performance. If he had known Tessa was a twenty-one-year-old woman, the dude would’ve been still blushing and stammering today.

  The big question was whether Tessa would be okay with dating a guy three years younger than her. Jackson had been with plenty of older girls, but that hadn’t been dating. They were fine fucking him but not showing him to their friends. It wasn’t about his looks, he was one hell of a good-looking guy, even if he said so himself, but a college girl wouldn’t be caught dead dating a high-school student.

  Except, Jackson wasn’t in high school anymore. He was managing a business and doing well. Hell, he was doing fucking amazing. With the new arrangement he had with Nathalie, he was collecting forty percent of the café’s net profits.

  Not bad for an eighteen-year-old dude.

  Perhaps staying open a little later was not a bad idea. One more hour could potentially add ten percent to his bottom line. A quick check of the day’s gross receipts showed that an additional one-tenth of that could’ve been sweet even after paying Vlad and Gordon and the new human waitress overtime.

  Nah, not doable. He and the guys couldn’t work late because of the band—most of the clubs they performed at wanted them there by seven—and he was not going to leave the human in charge. She was still new, and he wasn’t sure she could be trusted with the register and all the money inside.

  Not that he was suspicious by nature, but it was just common sense. The new employee had to prove herself first.

  The chimes on the door jingled, announcing yet another customer. Jackson lifted his head and was about to tell whoever it was to come back tomorrow, but then he saw it was Tessa. Now that was a customer he didn’t mind serving late.

  “Hi, Tessa.” He grinned at her.

  “Hi,” she said, looking uncomfortable. “Is the kitchen closed already? Am I too late?”

  “Even if it were, I would’ve reopened it for you.”

  She shifted from foot to foot, looking even more uncomfortable. “I don’t want to inconvenience you. I would’ve come earlier, but I had work to finish. I didn’t have dinner, and everyone was out, and I didn’t feel like making something at home.”

  Cute. Tessa was nervous like an awkward middle-schooler. Was it because she was into him? He took an inconspicuous sniff. The strong coffee smell that permeated the place overpowered all but the strongest scents, but Tessa was standing only a couple of feet away from him and yet he could detect no scent of arousal, just a faint whiff of nervousness.

  Bummer. She wasn’t attracted to him. Did she want a friend? Was that the reason she came?

  Was she lonely?

  He supposed there was a first time for everything. Like a girl that wasn’t a relative wanting to be just friends with him.

  Embarrassing.

  His reputation as a ladies’ magnet was at stake. Gordon
was going to give him hell once he discovered that the girl was immune to Jackson’s charms.

  The jealous bastard.

  “You came to the right place. Take a seat.” He pointed to a barstool. “Cappuccino?”

  She smiled shyly. “Yes please.”

  “What kind of sandwich would you like? I can have Gordon prepare anything your heart desires.”

  “Anything?”

  He leaned forward and flashed her his most charming smile. “Anything.”

  Tessa blushed but didn’t lose her cool. “Well, my favorite is Camembert on wholegrain bread with walnuts and raisins. The garnish can be whatever.” Given her smirk, she thought they didn’t have the ingredients.

  He typed the order in and sent it to Gordon. “Coming right up.”

  Her eyes widened. “Seriously? You have the bread and everything?”

  “I do. And if I didn’t, I would’ve made a supermarket run just for you.”

  “That’s so nice of you.” She sounded genuinely surprised by his flirting.

  Did she think she was unattractive?

  Who dumped that load of crap on her?

  To hide the sudden anger flare, Jackson turned around and got busy with the cappuccino machine. Tessa was tiny and in desperate need of some fattening, but she was beautiful. Big hazel eyes, huge in her small face, and dark brown hair, thick and shiny and cascading in soft waves around her shoulders.

  No makeup, no particular hairstyle, jeans, T-shirt, and a pair of white Keds, Tessa looked like a twelve-year-old. But that was just the first impression. The woman had old eyes, and the expression on her face was far from innocent. In fact, she looked much older than her twenty-one years.

  “Here is your cappuccino.” He waited for her to notice the heart design he made with the foam.

  “That’s so pretty. But now I can’t put in the sugar. It will ruin it.”

  With a chuckle, Jackson plunged a spoon into the cup and stirred the foam around. “Now you can.”

  She smiled and reached for a packet of brown sugar. “What other designs can you make?”