by I. T. Lucas
It couldn’t have been a rejected lover, not unless Mark hadn’t been exclusively gay. Perhaps before admitting to himself that he preferred other men, Mark had a girlfriend? Someone he’d dumped for another guy?
Nathalie heard Mark’s ghostly chuckle. Damn, she’d forgotten to shield her thoughts from him.
No, it’s not an ex-girlfriend. I’ve always been gay. It’s my cousin, Amanda.
“Kian’s sister? What did she do to you?”
Nothing, and that’s why I need to tell her that none of that was her fault and she shouldn’t feel guilty. Her only crime was falling in love with the guy who’d ordered my murder.
Nathalie cringed. That was awful. The woman must’ve had some serious issues. There was no justification for getting entangled with your cousin’s murderer. “It’s not exactly trivial, you know. I don’t think I would’ve been so forgiving if I were in your shoes—figuratively speaking, of course. I don’t suppose ghosts wear shoes, right?”
He laughed, and it felt like little bubbles inside her head.
I wear whatever I want. It’s all conjured. And as to Amanda, when she fell for Dalhu, she didn’t know the guy was the commander of the Doomer unit and therefore the one who’d ordered my death. Since then he’d repented in a big way and redeemed himself in Amanda’s eyes as well as the rest of the clan. He is her fated mate.
“You’re a nicer person than I am, Mark. Even with all the extenuating circumstances, I don’t think I would’ve been able to forgive her.”
Nathalie, Nathalie, Nathalie. What you fail to see is that forgiveness liberates not only the wrongdoer but also the one who was wronged. Without unburdening myself, how can I cross over to the place of eternal love and happiness? Knowing that Amanda is suffering needlessly, I’m not weightless and carefree as I need to be to go where I want to go.
“Is the other side really a place of love and happiness?” This was a question she’d posed to Tut many times over the years but had never gotten an answer to.
I don’t know for sure, but I can feel it; the warmth and the light are calling to me.
Nathalie nodded. “I get it. You need to do this for yourself just as much as for her.”
Exactly.
“Did you try to reach her?”
I did. I tried her, I tried Syssi who is a seer, but neither has your unique talent. They can’t hear me. You’ll need to tell Amanda for me.
Oh, boy. As if her life wasn’t complicated enough already. “If you listened to what was said last night, you must be aware that your relatives are not supposed to know that Andrew and Bhathian revealed their secrets to me. If I admit it to Amanda, which I don’t see a way around if I want to tell her your side of the story, I’ll get Andrew and Bhathian in trouble.”
Mark snorted. Girl, but that's the beauty of blaming the security leak on a ghost. What can they do to me? I’m already dead.
True, but that would mean lying. Not the best way to start a relationship with her new family. Except, to keep Andrew and Bhathian out of trouble, perhaps she could phrase things in a way that would imply that Mark had spilled the beans without actually saying it.
Then again, pretending not to know was just another form of lying.
Chapter 5: Andrew
As Andrew entered Nathalie’s shop, her face lit up as if weeks had passed since she’d last seen him and not hours. She must’ve been thinking about the sex they hadn’t had time for this morning.
It certainly had been on his mind, distracting him the entire day.
Andrew smirked as he walked behind the counter to take her into his arms. “Missed me much?”
“I did. What took you so long?”
Puzzled, he glanced at his watch. It was quarter to seven, which was more or less the same time he got there every day. “Ah… what do you mean?” Had he forgotten something? Was there a reason he needed to come home earlier?
“Never mind.” Nathalie clasped his hand and pulled him behind her, heading for the stairs. “I have something very exciting to tell you.”
Damn, he hated surprises. “What is it?”
“I’ll tell you upstairs.” She kept climbing.
When they reached the den, she took him over to the couch, holding his hands as they sat facing each other. God, he hoped she wasn’t going to tell him she was pregnant. Someday, he wanted children with Nathalie, just not yet.
“I talked with Sage today.” Nathalie squeezed Andrew’s hand.
Okay, so this wasn’t about her being pregnant. Phew…
“And?”
“He told me that his name isn’t Sage, it’s Mark. He remembered his past. He was one of them.”
“One of whom?”
“The immortals. He is, was, Amanda’s cousin, and he needs me to relay a message to her. He says that she feels guilty about falling for the guy that had ordered his murder, but Mark says that he is not angry. He wants her to have a good life.”
Andrew’s throat clogged. Nathalie had no way of knowing about Amanda and Dalhu. This was the proof he was waiting for. Other than finding Eva and confirming her immortality, this was the best he could hope for. Talking to ghosts was a real God-given paranormal talent.
He pulled her into his arms. “This is the best news you could’ve given me.”
“It is? I thought you would be concerned about Amanda finding out that you told me everything. I’m trying to think of a way to talk to her without getting you in trouble.”
Andrew waved his hand. “Don’t worry about her. Amanda is a rule breaker herself. She will keep quiet about it.”
Nathalie’s frown eased only a little. ‘I don’t understand why Mark’s revelation makes you so happy.”
“Oh, sweetheart, because it proves so many important things. I know exactly what Mark is referring to, but you don’t. You never heard the story. This proves that ghosts exist and that there is a continuation after death. But for me, what I’m happy about the most, is that now I’m a hundred percent sure you’re a Dormant.”
Nathalie narrowed her eyes at him. “I see. I thought you were already convinced. Talking about transitioning like you had everything figured out.”
She'd got him there. “I was ninety-nine percent sure.” Time to make a quick change of subject. “What I wonder, though, is if we should arrange a meeting with Amanda and Dalhu, or just Amanda.”
“I think it will be awkward to talk in front of Dalhu. Mark said nothing about forgiving him, just Amanda.”
It worked, she forgot about being mad at him. Hallelujah. “You’ve got a point. But if we want to talk to her separate from Dalhu, we need to invite her over here. Are you okay with that?”
“Sure. Except, you might want to arrange it for much later to make sure the boys are not here when she shows up.”
True. Jackson and Vlad might wonder what Amanda was doing at Nathalie’s place. It would be better if they didn’t know.
Andrew fished his phone out of his pocket and texted Syssi. Do you have Amanda’s cell number?
I’m not going to ask why you need it. I’m sending you the link.
Don’t be stupid. I want her to meet Nathalie.
K. Say hi to Nathalie for me.
Will do.
“Syssi says hi.” Andrew started punching the message to Amanda, but after writing and erasing it several times he gave up and called her instead.
“Hello?” she answered. He wasn’t on her contact list, and his caller ID was blocked.
“It’s Andrew. How are you doing?”
“Great. And you?”
“Good, good. Listen, can you come to Nathalie’s coffee shop in about an hour, or an hour and a half?”
“Hurrah! I’m so glad you’re finally going to introduce us. I would love to meet your girl. Let me just check with Kian if it’s okay for Dalhu to come with me. I think it is, but I don’t want to aggravate him needlessly. Lately, things have been going well between Dalhu and him. It would be stupid to ruin all this progress for an outing.”
“Actual
ly, you should come by yourself. We will have a couples date some other time.”
“What’s going on, Andrew? Are you in some kind of trouble?” Her tone changed from cheerful to worried.
“No, of course not. Nathalie wants to have a girl talk with you.”
“Is it about you and me?” Amanda whispered.
Andrew chuckled. “There was no you and me, Amanda. It’s about something else. A surprise.” He rolled his eyes. If she kept asking he would just tell her the good news over the phone and be done with it. His patience was wearing thin.
“Okay, I’m coming.”
“Thank you. I’ll text you the address.”
After sending Amanda the information, Andrew lifted his head and was confronted by a set of narrowed cat eyes.
“What 'you and me'?” Nathalie made air quotes.
“Come here, you jealous monster.” He lifted her to sit in his lap. “She knows of my brief infatuation with her, that’s all.”
“Are you sure it’s over?”
“Yes, sweetheart, a long time ago. I dated another immortal woman since, before I met you, that is.”
Nathalie crossed her arms over her chest. “How come you never told me there was another one?”
“I’m nearly forty, Nathalie. There have been many. I’m sure you don’t want to hear about each and every one. But my heart never belonged to any of them, not even temporarily. All along it waited for its true owner. You.” He planted a kiss on her pouty lips.
She smiled and kissed him back. “Your birthday is coming up.”
Andrew grimaced. “Don’t remind me—the dreaded four zero. And please, don’t make a big fuss about it. We can go out to a nice dinner or something. Maybe even to By Invitation Only. Would you like that?”
“It’s your birthday, You should get what you want. Not what I want.”
“Hm… In that case, my birthday wish is simple. You, in my bed, in my house, for the entire night and the next day. A full twenty-four hours of your undivided attention.”
She slapped his arm playfully. “One-track mind. But you got yourself a deal. Am I supposed to be naked the entire time?”
“Naturally.”
Chapter 6: Nathalie
Nathalie was arranging some of her leftover pastries on a platter, when a knock announced Amanda’s arrival.
“I’ll get it,” Andrew said.
Holding her breath, Nathalie awaited her first glimpse of the woman Andrew used to have a crush on. After meeting Kian, she had no doubt that his sister would be one hell of a looker. The guy was jaw-droppingly handsome.
“Andrew, darling, it is so good to see you,” she heard Amanda exclaim overdramatically.
Great. A freaking diva.
The snooty tone of voice was enough to make Nathalie dislike Amanda immediately, but when Andrew stepped aside, revealing the stunning woman, the dislike turned into deep resentment bordering on hate.
There was no way Andrew felt nothing for Amanda. She wasn’t only beautiful, she oozed sex and confidence and charm as well. Any red-blooded man would get a hard on for her. And as Nathalie knew first hand, Andrew’s blood was deep crimson.
Elegant, even though she was wearing nothing fancy, just jeans and a T-shirt, Amanda was also really tall. Probably close to six feet. Her feet ensconced in a pair of flats, the top of her head was only a couple of inches below Andrew’s.
An intimidating woman.
Amanda kissed his cheek before shifting her attention to Nathalie. “Oh, my, you are gorgeous!” Amanda rushed toward her and grabbed her hands. “Let me look at you.” She leaned back to give Nathalie a once over. “No wonder Andrew fell in love with you at first sight. These big chocolate eyes, and this hair…” She ran her hand through Nathalie’s long tresses. “Magnificent.” She breathed as if awed. “So exotic.”
Okay, so Amanda wasn’t all that bad. “Thank you. But please, stop, you are making me blush.”
Amanda smiled brightly. “I’m so happy to finally meet you, Nathalie. I’ve been so curious to see the woman who managed to steal Andrew’s heart. His sister and I were afraid he’d end up an old bachelor.”
“Ladies, I’m right here. Please stop talking about me like I can’t hear you.”
Amanda waved a hand. “Okay, darling, no need to get your panties in a wad.”
Nathalie relaxed. It seemed that Amanda meant nothing by calling Andrew darling. It was just a figure of speech. “Let sit down and have some coffee. I heard that you liked my pastries and prepared some for you to sample.”
Amanda followed her to the front booth which Andrew had set up with three place settings. “Darling, they are divine. You could make a fortune mass-producing them. Though I guess it’s not easy to replicate such perfection on a large scale.”
Evidently, Amanda had more than looks going for her—she was smart as well—but after the barrage of compliments Nathalie could no longer feel animosity toward the woman, even if she was annoyingly perfect.
“Jackson, your cousin and my assistant, suggested the same thing. He is working on a plan to test the idea on a small scale first.”
Amanda clapped her hands. “I love it when young people show initiative. I had no idea Jackson was so enterprising.”
Nathalie pushed the platter toward Amanda. “Try some.”
Andrew slid out of the booth. “I’d better get the coffee going. Cappuccino, anyone?”
Amanda grimaced. “Not for me, thank you. Syssi is giving me caffeine poisoning, if there such a thing, forcing me to taste each new variation she tries with her wonder gadget. I’ll have tea. Herbal, if you have it.”
“Me too.”
Andrew lifted a brow. “Since when do you drink herbal teas?”
Nathalie shrugged. “I also feel all coffeed out.”
“Fine.”
Amanda took a bite of a croissant and closed her eyes while chewing slowly. When she was done, she opened her eyes and gave Nathalie a thumbs up. “I had your croissants before, and this is just as good as I remembered. You’re truly gifted.”
“Thank you.”
Andrew came back with three steaming mugs and an assortment of teabags. “Here you go, ladies.”
With the introductions and pleasantries over, it was time to get down to business. Nathalie closed her eyes and concentrated, checking if Mark had already arrived. Although he was getting better, he still had trouble with managing the time differences between their worlds. You’d better show up in the next five minutes or I’m starting without you, Nathalie sent, hoping he’d heard her. In the meantime, she could explain some of the background.
“There is something I need to tell you, but before I do I have to explain some stuff.”
Amanda looked curious. “What is it?”
“I can hear ghosts.”
Amanda’s eyes widened in what looked more like excitement than surprise. “That’s wonderful!”
Nathalie chuckled. “Not really. It’s hard to have a normal life when you hear people talking in your head all the time. Anyway, I've had this ability since forever. At first, I thought everyone was like me. In time, though, I realized that talking to imaginary people wasn’t commonplace. I didn’t know if what I was hearing was real or imagined.” Nathalie took Andrew’s hand. “Andrew convinced me that I’m not crazy. He told me about his own special ability with detecting lies and about Syssi’s foresight.”
Understanding dawning, Amanda nodded. “He told you about us.”
“Yes, and about the possibility of me being a Dormant. Thanks to him, I started to believe that the voices were real, and recently I was given proof.” Nathalie felt the slight pressure in her head, indicating that she had a visitor.
“How fascinating.” Amanda’s eyes shone with excitement. Not sparkled. Shone, like a pair of freaking flashlights.
Is it you? Nathalie asked to make sure it was Mark and not Tut, or God forbid someone new.
It’s me.
“The proof has to do with you, Amanda. I had
no prior knowledge about what I was told, but Andrew did, and he immediately validated it.”
“What is it?” Amanda placed a hand over her chest.
“The message is from Mark.”
Even though Amanda closed her eyes, Nathalie saw the tears gathering at the corners.
“Thank you, merciful fates. I’ve been waiting for a sign from Mark for so long. I thought I was never going to get it.”
Tell her I love her and want only the best for her.
“He says he loves you, and he wants only the best for you.”
Amanda opened her eyes. “Can he hear me?”
“Yes. He can hear what I hear.”
Amanda looked into Nathalie’s eyes, but from her expression it was clear she was not seeing her, she was addressing Mark. “Can you ever forgive me, Mark?” Her upper lip trembled and more tears spilled from her eyes.
“He says there is nothing to forgive, that you’ve done nothing wrong.”
The sorrow in Amanda’s eyes didn’t ease. She was still doubtful.
“Mark says that he is not angry, not even at Dalhu. He says that he knows it wasn’t personal.”
Amanda shook her head. “I find it hard to believe.”
Mark sighed inside Nathalie’s head. I don’t know what else to say. She doesn’t believe me.
Nathalie reached across the table and took hold of Amanda’s hand. “You have to accept Mark’s forgiveness, Amanda. You are tormenting him with your guilt. It puts a burden on him that prevents him from crossing over to the place of love and happiness. Stop blaming yourself. If you need to blame somebody, blame fate, or the Doomer high command. Imagine that your guilt is a sack of rotten tomatoes that you’ve been lugging around for far too long. Give it a good swing and hurl it to where it belongs. This will be your final gift to Mark—giving him the peace he deserves.”
That was good. I couldn’t have said it better myself. Thank you.
Amanda smiled through the tears, than pretended to swing a sack over her head and toss it. “Did it work?” she asked Nathalie.
“You tell me. Do you feel better?”
With a deep inhale, Amanda closed her eyes and then exhaled. “I do.”