by I. T. Lucas
Anandur walked to the door, slid it open, and stepped out onto the balcony. He found Calypso shivering from the cold, her arms wrapped around herself.
Damn. For a human, it was way too chilly and windy to be standing outside in a T-shirt.
“I’m sorry, love. Come here, and I’ll warm you up.” He winked and tilted his head toward the inside, urging her to play along, then wrapped his arm around her and walked her in.
“Kian, this is Calypso. Calypso, this is Kian.”
Kian’s angry expression turned furious. “Who did this to you?” He pointed at her face.
Fuck, Anandur felt like such an idiot. He’d forgotten about Calypso’s bruises.
As opposed to just playing along, she huddled closer to him, seeking shelter from Kian’s anger.
Brundar growled and wheeled himself between Kian on one side and Anandur and Calypso on the other. “Enough. Come to me, Calypso.”
He extended his hand, and she took it.
Pulling to bring her close against his side, he turned his head to look at Kian. “Calypso is with me, not with my brother.”
Kian kept glaring.
“Her ex-husband did this to her.” Brundar pointed at her bruises. “And he would’ve done much worse if not for Anandur’s and my intervention.”
Kian looked at Calypso’s battered face, then pinned Brundar with a hard stare. “Is he dead?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Chapter 13: Callie
It wasn’t often that Callie felt so grossly intimidated. Brundar’s boss had a commanding presence, saturating all the air in the apartment with his anger.
He was blindingly beautiful, and usually she would have been attracted to a guy who was that good-looking, and who exuded such a powerful vibe, but all she felt now was fear.
As Donnie had said, the devil was beautiful because he used to be an angel. From now on, whenever Callie thought of the devil, he would be wearing this guy’s stunning face.
You’re being silly, the voice of reason in her head whispered. She’d experienced evil, he had left ugly, painful marks all over her body. This guy was intense, but she was willing to bet that he’d never in his entire life hit a woman.
As he turned to look at her face again, Kian’s expression softened and he raked his fingers through his hair, which she suspected was a nervous habit. “Are you okay?”
She nodded, not trusting her voice not to quiver.
“I’m sorry for what happened to you, but I can’t allow you to stay.”
“Why?” She managed a tiny whisper.
“I don’t need to share my reasons with you.” He said it matter-of-factly, not in anger, or in any way condescendingly.
“Can I come visit Brundar? I mean while he is recovering and can’t drive?”
Kian shook his head. “I’m sorry, but no.”
Evidently, Brundar hadn’t been lying about his boss’s eccentric demands.
Tears pooling at the corners of her eyes at the thought of not being allowed to see Brundar, Callie nodded in resignation. She was going to miss him so much. Maybe she could convince Anandur to drive him over to her apartment.
“Do you have somewhere to go?” Kian surprised her.
Would he let her stay if she said no?
“I can arrange an apartment for you until you get back on your feet.”
So sweet of him to offer. Callie felt guilty for comparing him to the devil. “Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. I have my own apartment and a job that pays the bills.” She knew better than to add that she had those things thanks to Brundar.
“Good. I’m glad to hear that.” He turned to Anandur. “Take Calypso home today, and make sure to do whatever is necessary to help her get settled.”
“It will be done, boss.”
For some reason she had a feeling there was a double message in Kian’s command. Why would he tell Anandur to help her get settled in her own place? She had the absurd notion that Kian was telling Anandur to get rid of her.
Permanently.
Crap, she’d been reading too many crime novels.
Kian inclined his head in her direction, then turned on his heel and walked out without saying goodbye or any of the other conventional niceties.
As soon as the door closed behind the guy, Anandur plopped down on the couch. “Do you think he is going to invent some new creative torment for me as punishment for aiding and abetting?”
Brundar shrugged, appearing significantly less rattled by Kian’s unexpected visit than his brother was. Anandur looked like he’d been in a boxing match and lost. “You know him. Kian gets all riled up and then calms down after letting the steam out.”
Callie sat on the couch next to Anandur. “I don’t know how you can stand working for him. It must be like holding a live wire in your hands for hours every day. So draining.”
“Nah. Kian is okay. Most of the time his electrical hum is low and steady, and when it gets a bit intense it is usually for a good reason,” Anandur said.
She cast him a sidelong glance. “A bit intense? Are you serious? It’s like calling a woman giving birth a bit pregnant.”
Anandur laughed. “The lass has a sense of humor. Tell me, Callie, how can you tolerate that dry stick over there?” He pointed at Brundar.
She wasn’t about to allow anyone to belittle her guy. Not even his brother, and not even as a joke. Lowering her voice, she waggled her brows. “Brundar compensates in other areas.”
Brundar cleared his throat as if he was uncomfortable with their banter. Funny, as a part owner of a kink club this little sexual innuendo shouldn’t have bothered him.
“We need to figure out what to do. I have no intention of being stuck in this apartment until I can walk again.”
“You can come stay with me,” she offered on the remote chance that he would agree.
“Not a good idea,” Anandur said. “You can’t lift him or hold him up in the shower.”
If that was the only objection, she’d already won the argument. “There are handicap attachments we can install next to the toilet and in the shower. The shower in my apartment is big. We can fit a sturdy chair in there.”
Anandur threw her an amused glance. “What’s all that about, we can do this, and we can do that? Are you handy with a drill?”
“We, as in a joint effort. I’ll buy the accessories, and you’ll install them.”
“I was just teasing, lass. I’ll get the stuff and put it in.”
That was good because Callie wasn’t sure what to get and where, and she was very glad to fob it off on the big, strong guy sitting next to her. Her style of feminism wasn’t about doing everything herself to prove she didn’t need men for anything. Of course, she could do that, but why should she, when she could utilize them to do the things they were good at, like lifting heavy stuff and tightening screws.
Good managers delegated, they didn’t do everything themselves. Not only that, though, they put the task on the schedule to make sure it was going to get done, and then inspected the completed product.
“When? Can you do it tomorrow?”
“The sooner I do it the better. With Brundar staying at your place, I can go back to work.” He glanced at his brother. “First, though, you need to go see Bridget and ask her if it’s okay.”
“I’ll do it later after you take Calypso home.”
She was a little sad that he wasn’t coming home with her tonight, but knowing he would be there tomorrow or the day after to stay, at least until he got better or maybe longer, was good enough.
Maybe she could keep him there. Tie him to her bed.
Callie smiled at the thought.
There was just one problem with her pleasant fantasy. “What about Kian? He is not going to approve.”
Brundar shrugged. “He can kiss my ass. What is he going to do, fire me?”
Anandur’s eyes peeled wide. “You’re willing to leave everything behind for the lass?”
God, w
hat a lack of sensitivity. With that remark, Anandur was putting them both on the spot.
“Slow down.” She lifted her hand. “No one is firing anyone, and no one is quitting either. How about we take one day at a time and see what happens?”
Anandur shook his head. “What’s going to happen is shit hitting the fan. But then it wouldn’t be our first shit storm. I’ll get my umbrella ready.”
Chapter 14: Brundar
The quiet in the apartment felt oppressive. It hadn’t been even half an hour since Calypso had left with Anandur, and Brundar was missing her already.
If he were out in the field, the separation would’ve been tolerable, but sitting in the damned wheelchair in the middle of the living room and staring at the wall was making it worse. Much worse.
Being alone had never bothered him before. On the contrary, he used to enjoy the quiet whenever Anandur was out and he had the apartment all to himself. He would put on some classical music and read.
Not that he’d done either lately.
Brundar had no time to indulge in leisure activities. Since buying into Franco’s, those moments had become scarce.
The thing was, right now he didn’t feel like listening to music or reading. He craved what he’d had for the last two days.
Calypso.
How the hell was he going to make it until tomorrow?
Come to think of it, there was no reason to wait. He could go see Bridget right now.
Damnation. The doctor wouldn’t be in her office on a Sunday night. Bridget was probably partying somewhere. He could call her and complain about something. She would drop everything and come check up on him.
Brundar chuckled. If he told her his heart was acting up and his blood flow was all screwed up, he wouldn’t be lying.
Where the hell was his phone?
Did he have it on him when they’d gotten home Friday night?
Damn. It was probably in the pocket of the jeans Bridget had cut off him. Hopefully, she hadn’t tossed the pants with the phone in the trash.
Brundar wheeled himself to the kitchen counter, grabbed the house phone, and dialed the clinic’s number. It was worth a shot. If there was no answer, he would call her apartment. Her cell phone number was programmed into his shortlist of favorites, but he didn’t remember it.
She answered after a few rings. “Bridget here.”
“What are you doing in the clinic on a Sunday night?”
She chuckled without mirth. “Research. Whenever I’m in a shitty mood I dive into my research. What can I do for you? Are you in pain?”
“I don’t remember if I left my phone in the pants you cut off me. Did you throw them away?”
“I put them in a zipped plastic bag in case you wanted them as a memento.”
“Could you check to see if my phone is in one of the pockets? After that burn them.”
“Not a sentimental guy, are you?”
“Did I ever give you the impression that I was?”
He’d spent most of his life trying to forget things, not remember them. Most of his experiences had been of the kind better forgotten, but then some he needed to keep as a reminder of what not to do next time in similar situations.
“Hold the line while I check your pants.”
He waited, listening as Bridget opened a drawer, then the rustle of plastic and the whoosh of unzipping, until she picked up the receiver again. “It’s here. Do you want me to bring it up to you?”
“I can come down. Anandur got me a wheelchair.”
“That’s okay. I will come to you. I need a break anyway, and I’ll check your knees while I’m at it.”
“Thank you.”
He’d been looking forward to wheeling himself out and into the elevator, it would have given him something to do other than staring at the walls. Now he was going to pass another ten minutes or so in inactivity.
The next two weeks were going to be hell. Even when he finally replaced the wheelchair with crutches, he would still be stuck doing nothing.
An injured Guardian was worthless.
Maybe he could dedicate this time to focusing on Franco’s.
In fact, if he stayed at Calypso’s she could drive him there and back, and it would be nice to spend his days and nights with her. It would sure make the coming weeks more tolerable.
Would she tolerate his presence twenty-four-seven?
Brundar knew he was going to love every minute of it. But that was because Calypso was all sunshine. In contrast, he was the dark cloud to dim her light. She might soon get tired of him.
The thought obliterated the temporary spark of good mood.
Brundar was glad to hear the knock on the door announcing Bridget. For the next few minutes, he would be too busy to brood.
“Come in. It’s open.”
Bridget entered, holding her old-fashioned doctor’s bag. She pulled his phone out of her pants pocket. “Here you go. Nothing broken.”
“Thank you.”
“Let’s see those knees of yours. Can you wheel yourself next to the couch?”
He nodded and followed her.
“You’re doing as well as expected,” she said when she was done. “Tomorrow, you can start putting a little pressure on them. Not walking, but you can put your feet down on the floor while bracing most of your weight on your arms to move from the wheelchair to the bed or the sofa.”
“That’s good to hear because I’m moving in with Calypso until my knees heal completely. We don’t have enough Guardians for Anandur to play nurse to me.”
“That’s a big mistake, and you know it. It was semi-okay to pretend like this was going to work before your injury. Callie saw your knees get shot to pieces, and she is not stupid. Even with my bullshit explanation, she would know no one can recover from an injury like that in two weeks. What are you going to do when there is no trace of it? Keep your pants on so she won’t see your perfectly healthy knees?”
Brundar’s lips curved in a smirk. “I got that part covered.”
Bridget frowned. “How?”
“I have my ways.”
“Oh, yeah.” She blushed. “So the rumors are true? You’re into that bondage thing?”
He’d been hiding it for so long and for no good reason. There was no shame in what he did. But then it was no one’s business how he liked things in bed. However, he could make an exception in Bridget’s case. It would ease her mind to know how well he was hiding his nature.
“A blindfold is a great tool for an immortal male. I don’t need to worry about my eyes glowing or my fangs showing. And now I can add perfectly healed knees to that.”
She shook her head. “I agree that it’s an excellent cover. In fact, you may suggest it to some of the guys who need help in that department. But the more time you spend with the girl, the stronger the emotional entanglement will become. You’re sentencing both of you to misery. And don’t forget the addiction part. It can happen with a human female as easily as with an immortal. Think how difficult it would be for her once you leave.”
What did she think? That he hadn’t gone through all those scenarios in his head already and still felt powerless to resist?
Maybe he was losing his ever-loving mind, but he was willing to sacrifice everything for a few good years with Calypso until he could no longer hide the fact that he wasn’t aging.
Except, he was not ready to challenge the clan yet. There was time for that. In the meantime, he was going to lie.
“It’s just until I’m healed. I’ll end it then.”
Given the doubtful expression on her face, Bridget wasn’t buying it. But she wouldn’t go as far as accusing him of lying. Most likely, she thought he was delusional.
“I want to see you tomorrow before you put any pressure on your knees. If everything is okay, I’ll give you a different kind of braces that allow for more movement.”
“What time do you want me here?”
“Late afternoon or early evening. Do you have a way to get back here?�
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“I’ll have to ask Anandur to pick me up.”
“He might be busy. Give me Calypso’s address, and I’ll come to you.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me. Kian knows that we snuck Calypso in. He caught us. But I’m not going to tell him I’m staying with her. If I’m lucky, he won’t know until the two weeks are up.”
Bridget put a hand on her hip. “I’ll keep your secret, Brundar. He is not going to hear it from me.”
“I know. But if he finds out, you’ll get in trouble.”
She waved a hand. “I’m not scared of him. He is all bark and no bite. What is he going to do? Fire me?”
Brundar smiled. “Funny that you should say that. That’s my stance as well.”
Bridget put her hand over her heart. “Oh Fates, Brundar, are we talking mutiny?”
“We are a family, Bridget, not a ship crew. We cooperate because it’s in our best interest. Sometimes, though, it is not.”
Chapter 15: Roni
Roni looked at the cuff William had secured around his wrist and grimaced. “It looks like women’s jewelry. Don’t you have anything more manly?”
William snorted. “Dalhu and Michael didn’t complain, and those two are as manly as they come.”
Roni shook his wrist from side to side, testing the cuff’s fit. “I don’t know those guys, but I’ll take your word for it. What happens when I gain weight? Can you adjust it?”
“I’ll make you a new one.”
“If I never take it off, how am I going to clean the skin under it? It’s going to get gross.”
William sighed and gripped Roni’s arm. “Look, it’s loose enough so you can push it up for washing. Do you always complain this much?”
“Yeah, I do. It’s a good strategy. The squeaky wheel gets the grease.”
“And gets annoying, but what do I know?” The guy shrugged. “I’m not so great with people either. I talk too much. They get bored and scurry away.”