“I thought I wanted to be an oracle. For the longest time, my mother had me convinced it was my fondest dream. The older I got the more obvious the lie became. Exercise in the morning, school during the day, various dance classes each night in the winter. The summer was dance classes from the time I woke to the time I went to bed, exhausted and hurting. I had no social life, no friends. It didn’t matter when I was a kid. I didn’t have time to dwell on it. As I got older, I saw all the things I was missing. Movies, parties, angsting about boys—I knew nothing about any of it. As an oracle, that trend would continue. Oracles have no life, only truth.”
“You ran.”
“Yup. As fast and as far as I could. My mother didn’t know where I was or what I was doing until my stupid ex-boyfriend sent her a Christmas card with a picture of me swinging around a pole. I picked up and moved twenty minutes down the highway just to avoid her when she came looking for me. I didn’t want to leave completely since I like the club. Ice is a decent boss and I love the girls.”
“Your mother cannot force you.”
She snorted. “You don’t know my mother. The devil himself would go fifty miles out of his way if it meant not crossing that woman’s path. And I know myself. If my mother gets hold of me again, I’ll do exactly what she says. The only reason I could run before was because I wasn’t near her when I did it. I was away at a prestigious dance college. I got a wild hair up my ass to run and I did. A few hundred dollars and the car she gave me as a bribe to be a good, dutiful daughter took me as far away from her as I could get.”
“How long ago?”
“Seven years tomorrow. Seven glorious years of doing whatever I want, whenever I want just because I feel like doing it.” A small smile tugged at her lips. “Before you showed up, I was thinking of running again. Now that I’m saying all this to you, I think the reason I wanted to run was because a small part of me was contemplating returning. That life was all I’d ever known. Everything was set out. My path and future all laid out and perfect. There’s a certain amount of security in that.”
Chigaru released her. “Serenity was the same. Her mother trained her in the future she would have. She never thought of running from it, no matter how hard she found it. Her future never scared her.”
“Sorry I can’t be perfect like her,” Kitty snapped.
“I don’t say this to criticize your choice. Serenity embraced the life she would have until the day she had it. After arriving in Nexeu, she regretted all the years of preparation. Her early days in the palace were not what she thought they would be.”
“What about now?”
“She is happier now.”
“Funny how you don’t sound happy about that fact.”
“I want Serenity’s happiness.”
“And?” When he didn’t answer, Kitty spun her hand in the air. “Come on, man. Drop the other shoe. You want her happiness, but you’re not happy that she’s happy. Why?”
“She is with another.”
“Ah. So that’s what it is. You two got close but she decided to go with someone else.”
“No, she was betrothed to Melchior since before her birth. She knew that and so did I. That did not stop my hopes of being with her.”
“Dude, that’s harsh. And you still work for her.”
“Before coming here, yes.”
“You’re a masochist.”
Chigaru chuckled under his breath. “No, I do not enjoy the pain I feel when I see her with Melchior. I came to this dimension to alleviate the pain.”
“Running away cures a lot of ails.”
“Not running away. I would never abandon my duty as Serenity’s guard.”
“Except that you did.”
“I would not have come here if I had known I would not be able to return. I thought my parting from her would be brief.”
“So a vacation then?”
“I came seeking my true mate.” His brow crinkled as he seemed to remember something. “Ice says you all call it a soul mate.”
“Wow. Lofty goal that one. People search for their soul mates for a lifetime and never find them. What makes you think you were going to show up here and find yours.”
“I have found her already.”
“You did?”
He nodded.
“Then what the hell are you doing here with me?”
“You know of my true appearance and origins and thus can help me adapt to this world. You are also my way home once I find the scroll.”
“And what about your soul mate?”
“I do not think she is right for my world.”
“So stay here. Oh wait. That’s right. Serenity.”
“Yes.”
Kitty regarded him with her arms crossed over her chest. “It’s probably for the best you go back without her once we find that stupid scroll. Your obsession with this Serenity-chick would just piss her off. I know that without meeting her. No woman from this dimension, soul mate or not, is going to be happy her man settled for her while mooning after someone else.”
“The females of my dimension are the same.”
She patted his shoulder. “You should have stayed there, Chi. If there’s one thing my power has taught me, the truth hurts. You cannot unknow something once you know it. Leaving this girl behind, whoever she is, right for your world or not, is going to hurt like hell. I can almost guarantee you.”
“I know.”
His solemn expression tugged at her heart. The man seemed trapped between an emotional rock and a hard place. Chigaru couldn’t expect some woman to give up her life, her world, for his and then watch him fawn over another woman. But Chigaru would be hurt worse to leave said woman behind after finding her. Kitty didn’t envy his choice in the least.
She asked, “If you had known then what you know now, would you have made the trip? Putting aside losing the scroll and all that. I mean if you knew then who she was and that she wouldn’t be right for your world, would you have come here?”
Chigaru met her gaze. Though his expression remained blank, the intensity in his eyes told her how much the question weighed on his mind. After a long silence, he shook his head. “I cannot answer. I don’t know what I would have done. I would like to say I wouldn’t have come, but I think I still would have.” He shook his head again.
The tense silence settling around the room made Kitty fidget. She needed to do something, say something. Everything had gotten too heavy. Both she and Chigaru were depressed after revealing things they probably wanted kept private.
Frustration coupled with an urge to do anything. Kitty let out a loud, annoyed cry.
Chigaru startled. “Kitty?”
She grabbed his arm and dragged him out of bed. “Get dressed. We’re leaving.”
“Going where?”
“Anywhere. It doesn’t matter. We aren’t staying here. We have the day off and we both need to do something. Exercise. That’s what we need—exercise. A nice dose of endorphins will make us feel better.”
She waited for Chigaru to ask her what endorphins were, but he remained silent as he dressed and then let her lead the way. They piled into the car and Kitty drove them to the gym. Rather than stick to her normal routine, she rented some tennis gear and an hour on the courts.
“Have you ever played tennis?” she asked, handing Chigaru a racket.
“I am not familiar with the word or the activity.”
“It’s really simple, especially since we won’t be keeping track of the score.” She pointed to the net. “We both stand on either side of the net and hit the ball to each other. To, not at. The point is to get the ball going back and forth. Oh, and the ball is only supposed to bounce one time once it crosses the net. Got it?”
“Vaguely.”
“Good enough. You stay here. I’ll serve.” Kitty jogged to the other side of the net. “Ready?”
Chigaru swiped the racket a few times before nodding.
She tossed the ball into the air and then hit it across the ne
t, mimicking the many tennis matches she’d seen. Chigaru returned her serve with ease. They volleyed the ball a few times before Kitty asked, “Are you sure you’ve never played this before?”
“I have never. There is nothing similar where I’m from. Despite that, the game is simple.”
“Really now?” Kitty gave the ball a hard whack, sending it whizzing past Chigaru to bounce on the corner before heading for the fence. “My point.”
Chigaru glanced over his shoulder at the ball and then at Kitty. “You said we weren’t playing for points.”
She shrugged. “I changed my mind. Woman’s prerogative.”
A slow smile curved his lips. “Very well.” He retrieved the ball, tossed it into the air and served in a one-handed imitation of what Kitty had done earlier.
Kitty returned the serve. Chigaru did a backhand hit that sent Kitty running after the ball. She swung but her racket didn’t make contact and she watched as the ball bounced off in the direction where she had been. “What in the hell?”
Chigaru laughed.
“How the hell did you make the ball turn like that?”
He laughed more.
She pointed her racket at him. “You have played this before.”
“I have not.”
While she wanted to call him on a lie, she knew he couldn’t lie. She nodded instead. “It’s on now.”
“As they say in this world”—Chigaru spun the racket—“bring it.”
Kitty served. When Chigaru returned it, she didn’t fall for the same trick. She waited for the ball to bounce before sprinting in the direction it went. She smacked the ball toward Chigaru’s armless side, but he hit it with ease and sent it sailing past her.
She cursed under her breath.
Chigaru said, “Do not think my missing arm makes me a weak player, Kitty. That would be a mistake.”
“Noted.”
For the next half hour, Kitty and Chigaru tried to outdo each other. They gathered a cheering crowd. Someone in the crowd started calling the score. Kitty paid them no attention as she tried to predict Chigaru’s hits.
The game ended when Kitty dropped to her knees and let the ball bounce past her. “Give,” she called before sucking in a breath to her air-starved lungs.
The person in crowd calling the score yelled, “Big man wins.”
The onlookers all cheered.
Kitty made a shooing motion, wanting them all to leave her to her shame. A large shadow blocked the sun and she looked up at Chigaru. Sweat dripped down his face and it plastered his shirt to his chest. At least he’d gotten as much of a workout as she had. She said, “I’ll get you next time.”
“This sport is similar to battle. I am trained in battle. You are not. You cannot win.”
“You and your logic are going to be walking home if you keep talking.”
He laughed as he held his hand out to her.
Kitty grabbed his forearm and let him yank her to her feet. “Both of us need showers.”
“We don’t have a change of clothes.”
“The gym has a clothing section. It’s all exercise stuff, but that beats sweaty clothes any day of the week. I need to stop by the register and pay for the extra time we spent on the court, so I’ll pick up some stuff for us to wear home while I’m there.”
They headed back to the gym. The people they passed congratulated them on the match. A few asked if they were professionals. Kitty laughed and kept walking. She refused to let the people stop her progress. She wanted a shower and food. In that order.
The clothing shop didn’t have much in Chigaru’s size, or Kitty’s for that matter. She ended up getting a gray racerback shirt with matching Capri pants for herself. For Chigaru, she picked out blue and gray basketball shorts with a matching muscle tank. The final bill also included a bag to stash their sweaty clothes. When they both stepped out of the locker rooms, they were the image of gym trainer chic.
Kitty let her gaze roam over Chigaru in an appreciative manner. “You have gorgeous legs, did you know that?”
“No one has ever mentioned the appearance of my legs before, so no.”
“Well you do, so now you know.”
“Thank you.”
She linked arms with him. “Let’s go eat.” As they walked out of the gym, she leaned back to get a quick glance at Chigaru’s behind. His legs weren’t the only thing nice about his body. Kitty wasn’t alone in her perusal of his assets. She winked at the women who gave her envious looks. Chigaru might not be hers, but they didn’t know that.
“Kitty?”
She straightened and turned her gaze forward. “Nothing.”
Chigaru glanced over his shoulder and then at her. She smiled at his questioning expression but didn’t offer an explanation. They got in the car but didn’t leave the parking lot since Kitty didn’t know where they were headed. “So, what do you want to eat?”
“Something filling and flavorful.”
“All you can eat it is.” She started the car and pulled into traffic.
“All I can eat? Is that a type of food here?”
“It’s a type of restaurant. Buffet service where you are allowed to go back as much as you want and eat as much as you want. I haven’t been in months, because it feels weird going by myself. Since you’re with me, I can indulge.”
“Happy to be of service.”
“Happy.” She thought about the word. The exercise had worked. She didn’t know about Chigaru, but she felt much better. The depression of before was gone.
“Kitty?”
“Yup, definitely happy. Hungry too.” She smiled at Chigaru. “We should do this again on our next day off.”
“Yes, we should. I enjoyed it.”
“Good. Since this is sort of like a vacation for you, you should be enjoying yourself. No more dwelling on unhappy stuff. Okay?”
“I will try to comply.”
“I guess it can’t get much better than that with you. Always having to tell the truth must suck.”
“It doesn’t bother me. I have known nothing else.”
“I don’t think I could survive if I couldn’t lie, especially not in my current lifestyle. Everyone would know why I ran away from home. My mother might be using me but at least she’s family and tries to make sure I’m happy. At least I think she’s was trying to make me happy with all those gifts. If anyone else finds out I’m a potential oracle, they might lock me away to be used at their convenience.”
“Being unable to lie doesn’t mean I must answer. It means all I say is truth. I have the choice not to speak.”
“Yeah, I noticed. So you being silent isn’t a habit you picked up after coming here then?”
“I have spoken more since coming to this dimension than I have in the last twenty-six years.”
“Yeesh. Isn’t that taking silence a little far? What about your precious Serenity? Didn’t you talk to her?”
“Yes. Our conversations, when we have them, are mostly one-sided. Serenity needs someone to listen to her innermost thoughts so she doesn’t carry the burden alone. I offer her that service along with occasional advice.”
“Wow. So you really are the strong, silent type.”
“Is that bad?”
“No. You’re one of the archetypes of the perfect man women read about in books. The other is tall, dark and handsome.”
“That description better suits King Melchior. His coloring is dark blue while I am a deep orange.”
Kitty laughed. “Okay that’s taking it a little too literally. Dark usually refers to the guy’s mood and personality, meaning he’s mysterious or brooding or both.”
“Ah.”
The way Kitty saw it, both descriptions fit Chigaru. If not for him being hung on this Serenity person or the soul mate he had yet to claim, Kitty might have a chance. Chigaru had too much baggage. Knowing that, Kitty decided to enjoy what little time they would have together.
She pulled into the parking lot of the buffet restaurant and whistled low.
“Looks like a crowd tonight. They must have something rare on the dinner menu, like crab legs or something.”
“Should we try some other location?”
“No way. A crowd means the food will be fresher. They have to keep it coming to keep the hordes fed.” Kitty exited the car and beckoned Chigaru after her.
He hesitated before following her. An older woman exiting the building stopped short when she caught sight of Chigaru. Her eyes widened and she whispered, “Oh my.”
Kitty had to smile. Chigaru did look damn good and his current outfit showed it.
The woman peered at Chigaru and then at Kitty. “Oh my, my,” she said again. After clearing her throat she gestured to Chigaru’s arm, “May I?”
Kitty laughed when Chigaru looked at her with a questioning expression. “She’s asking to feel your muscles, Chi. Most women don’t get to see a man built like you up close.”
He looked down at himself, confused.
She went over, lifted his arm, and bent it at the elbow. “Flex.”
He tightened his arm and a big bicep rippled.
The woman cooed.
Kitty released Chigaru and waved the woman forward. “Go ahead.”
The woman tapped his arm and then squeezed the muscle. She sighed with a wistful look. “If only my husband had arms like this.” She sighed again, shaking her head. “Thank you.”
Once she walked away, Chigaru lowered his arm. He whispered, “I don’t understand.”
“Why are you whispering?”
He started to speak but frowned. In a normal tone, he said, “Force of habit. I spoke only to Serenity. If we were not alone, I whispered so only she would hear me.”
“Well I’m not her and you need to speak up. Especially here. I won’t hear you if you’re whispering. But anyway, come on.” Kitty pulled him into the restaurant and then gestured to the crowd. “Look around, Chi.”
Kristar (Bookstrand Publishing Romance) Page 8