by Angela Horn
Gigi knelt next to Simon’s chair and his hand caressed her head.
“I very much wanted to make you my bride.”
“And I really wanted to stay with you.”
“There might still be a way, but you would have to trust me.”
“I do,” Gigi said and it wasn’t a lie.
“If you give me a sample of your blood, I could have it tested. Possibly my people can find a way to neutralize whatever is in your blood that makes it toxic. They might also figure out what you are. Most importantly, they could find a way to change you so I could still have you as my bride.”
“You can have my blood.”
Simon sighed. “You are too trusting.”
“I have nothing in particular to live for so taking risks isn’t very risky.”
Pulling her up and into his lap, Simon held her against him. “Your guardian does nothing to protect you from harm, but he heals you. He binds a ghost to you as a spy for him. He is very powerful and is using you for something, but I can see no purpose. Those walls in your mind and the healing take a great deal of power, yet what is the point of twisting your mind and leaving you vulnerable?”
“Maybe I’m just a plaything to him? Maybe there is no purpose except to keep me somewhere and watch what happens. I worry though that whoever is doing this to me is the one taking the girls from the club. I want to track the monster and stop it. If he’s my master, how can I?”
“Track the monster?” Simon said with a faint smile. “You will have plenty of monsters tracking you soon. We can only hope your master protects you from them better than he did with Lawrence and the beast from the alley.”
Gigi studied Simon then caressed his face. “Are you sad?”
“I’m accustomed to having what I want and I very much want you. Disappointment isn’t an emotion I’m comfortable with.”
“I wish I could make you happy.”
Simon studied her then frowned darkly. “I could keep you here with me and hide you from the others, but I do not trust my minions. They view you as a threat and might think they are doing me a favor by destroying you. Surrounding you with the enemy might be more dangerous than letting you stay where you’re at. Besides I’m tempted by you. If I forget in a moment of passion and bite you, I would die and my minions would kill you in retaliation. No, keeping you here would not be safe.”
“Should I remain loyal to you when it comes to the other males? They still like me.”
“Good. They will protect you until I can find a way to make you my bride.”
Gigi frowned. “Am I with you or not?”
“Not until I can be with you safely. Right now, our time together could lead to our deaths. You may not think you have anything to live for, but I disagree. If you were to die because of me, I would spend a very long time feeling guilty. We can’t have that.”
“No. I don’t want you to feel bad. You’ve been nice to me. Consistent too.”
“The Weres play their games, but they can’t help it. Like I said at dinner, they’re immature, just children really. You should pity them.”
“Oh, I do,” Gigi said with a grin which soon faded. “I wish I could stay with you.”
“I can still smell your blood and it’s as lovely as your scent. I don’t know if I could control myself well in your presence. It is best if you go, but I’m pleased you came to see me.”
Gigi cuddled her head against his shoulder and sighed. “I feel so lonely all the time. Whenever I try to do something to make myself less lonely, it doesn’t work. Maybe I’m being punished?”
“I heard you have cats.”
Gigi grinned. “Yes, but they can’t talk to me. It’s like my ghost. She’s usually around, but she can’t be close. Maybe I did something bad and loneliness is my punishment?”
“There was a time when science was useless to my kind, but now we can make miracles. I’m certain we’ll figure this problem out. Until then, I will make it clear to my minions to stay clear of you or face death. It won’t protect you from Weres and witches or necromancers, but one less enemy is still a step in the right direction.”
Gigi could have stayed cuddled with Simon for the rest of the day, maybe forever. There was something powerful about him that soothed her loneliness and anxiety. Yet he was in a strange mood. She also sensed by the way his lips lingered on her neck and he kept inhaling her scent that Simon wanted to bite her. Knowing he was craving her blood, Gigi left the security and affection he offered.
Chapter Thirty Seven
Anton had been sneaking kisses from Gigi all week. Whenever she dropped by the office, he found a reason to bring her into his private office where he would kiss her. Some days there was only time for a brief touch of lips. On other days he could kiss Gigi long enough for her to make one of her hungry moans. Anton found himself alone today in the office with Gigi and she was making those noises going on twenty minutes now.
Curled up on his lap, Gigi only stopped kissing him long enough to gaze at Anton with her dark eyes before returning her lips to his. He should have felt strange for making out in the office. Yet his only concern was enjoying the sensation of her soft blonde hair as he ran his fingers through it.
Through the grapevine - Ella’s big mouth – Anton heard about Gigi’s date with Simon and how the Vamp put the brakes on their tryst once he realized he couldn’t change her. Glad to have the competition out of the picture, Anton still worried someone else would sweep in and steal her away. Kissing in the office wasn’t exactly a relationship and Gigi had plenty of admirers.
Coming up for air, Anton smiled softly at Gigi who was licking her lips.
“You know I can’t be seen with you without putting you at risk,” Anton said, “but maybe we could have dinner at my apartment?”
Gigi’s face up until this moment was flushed with arousal, but the expression she gave him when he finished his question broke his heart. She was like a little girl finally discovering what Santa left her after a year of waiting.
“Yes.”
“We could order in and have dinner,” Anton paused when Gigi kissed him. As her tongue tasted him, he lost his train of thought then she pulled away.
“Yes,” she sighed. “I would like that.”
“We could talk without worrying about people interrupting and maybe you could sleep over?”
Anton waited to see if Gigi found him too forward, but she only blinked as if trying to put the phrase “sleep over” in context.
“You mean stay at your apartment all night?” Gigi asked, looking worried she hadn’t understood correctly.
“Yes, but you don’t…”
Gigi’s lips found his and Anton got his answer. She seemed ready to sleep over right then, but finally pulled her lips away.
“When?”
“I know you work tonight, so how about tomorrow?”
Gigi nodded and her eyes were pools of need and hope. Anton felt a slight shudder rush over him as she stared at him. Brooding over, Anton would find a way to make this relationship work.
Chapter Thirty Eight
Gigi felt extremely nervous as she entered Anton’s apartment building. Even though his place was on the top floor of the five story building, it felt like the elevator took forever to get there. Gigi couldn’t contain her excitement over being on a real date with the Were she had wanted from her first night at the club.
Reaching his apartment door, she ran her hands through her hair the way Justine did before going to the witch floor to flirt with Nolan. Just like Justine, Gigi also checked her breath and adjusted her boobs. After primping for a minute or two, she finally knocked on the door.
The first knock was too quiet so she knocked again. Waiting, Gigi worried she should have put on makeup, but she hadn’t worn it before and wasn’t sure how to make it look like Justine’s makeup looked. Gigi knocked a third time and put on a smile she hoped wasn’t the crazy looking one. Finally even though she hated when people rang her bell, she pressed the buzzer
for the apartment and waited.
And waited.
Finally Gigi pulled out the new cell phone Justine helped her pick out and dialed Ella who wasn’t working that night.
“Hella, this is Ella.”
“Hi, it’s Gigi. I have a question.”
“Shoot, G. Hey, want to come play cards with me? I want to get good so I can beat Michael so bad he cries.”
“I don’t think he’ll ever cry.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Michael probably cries a lot which gives him headaches which is why he seems so cranky all the time. Headaches suck.”
Gigi knew Ella was kidding because it seemed unlikely Michael ever cried.
“So what’s your question?”
“If you were meeting someone for a date and they were late, how long would you wait before you knew they had stood you up?”
“Fuck that. Did someone stand you up? Tell me who and I’ll kick his ass.”
“How long would you wait?” Gigi said, ignoring Ella’s question.
“I don’t know. How long have you been waiting?”
“An hour.”
“Oh, honey, the piece of shit definitely stood you up.”
Gigi was hoping Ella would give her a different answer. “Okay.”
“Do you need me to come get you?”
“No.”
“I could meet you at your place and we could make plans to kick this guy’s ass.”
“No thank you. I just want to go home and watch TV.”
Once Gigi hung up, she wiped a tear from her cheek and glanced at Anton’s door. She didn’t understand why he would ask her on a date then not show up. He didn’t have to ask her to come over at all, but he did and he seemed happy when she said yes. Maybe she said yes the wrong way or maybe he was only asking because he thought he had to or maybe a million other reasons Gigi didn’t understand.
Walking back to her apartment, Gigi was glad it was dark outside so her crying wouldn’t be so obvious. Michael said when chicks cried in public, they were just embarrassing themselves. Gigi did feel embarrassed, but not because she was crying. She was embarrassed by whatever she did to make Anton change his mind about her.
Entering the courtyard of her building, Gigi looked up at the windows to see if the cats were waiting for her. Two of them, Saturn and Venus, spotted her and she saw their mouths open in a silent meow. Gigi tried to smile, but she had planned to be at Anton’s apartment overnight and the fact she was home tore at her heart. Her crying had set off the trigger in her mind and now she just wanted to sleep.
Movement startled her and she noticed a male in the corner of the courtyard – his face hidden by a cap pulled low and a hoodie over it. Gigi frowned at the male who was stepping out into the light. She wasn’t afraid, but suspected she should be.
“Gigi,” the male said and she recognized the voice.
“Finn?”
“I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You look like a shady character,” Gigi said as he stood in front of her, his golden hair hidden by the hoodie.
“I wanted to check on you. Are you okay?” Finn asked as he reached out and wiped her damp cheeks.
“I got stood up on a date.”
“Oh,” he said with a sad expression. “Why would anyone stand you up?”
“Because he doesn’t care.”
“Maybe something came up?”
“Why are you defending him?”
“Because I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to spend time with you.”
“Do you want to spend time with me?”
Finn watched her and nodded. “I shouldn’t be here though.”
“But you are here so can you come upstairs for a little while? I’m sad and you made me feel better when Sara disappeared. If you stay with me, I won’t have to take a nap.”
Glancing around, Finn took a deep breath. “I’m kidding myself if I think I’ll say no.”
Smiling, Gigi headed into the building with Finn close behind, his face still hidden by the hat and hoodie. She thought he looked funny dressed like that, but she wasn’t going to tell him. Once inside, she waved at her neighbor Violet. While Violet just nodded, her little girl waved at Gigi then they rushed into their apartment and shut the door. Ignoring her less than friendly neighbor, Gigi was focused on alone time with Finn.
The cats were sitting in a line waiting for her and they meowed in unison when she opened the door. Finn glanced over her shoulder at the cats and laughed.
“They’re so weird.”
“No, they’re normal. I’m weird which is why they act that way. Ella told me.”
“So it must be true,” Finn said, shutting the door. “Do you mind if we close the shades?”
Shaking her head, Gigi had only kept the curtains open for the cats. Finn shut the shades and pulled the drapes over them, blocking the view into the apartment. Once he felt it was safe, Finn pulled his hat and sweatshirt off. Now just wearing a white tee and his jeans, he looked more like Gigi was accustomed to and she stared at him, enjoying the view.
Noticing her interest, Finn grinned almost shyly. “So I guess you didn’t have dinner?”
“No. Are you hungry? I could cook.”
“Or we could just order in.”
“Yes, that’s what he said we would do tonight, but I don’t know what that means. Order what in?”
“Food.”
“You mean pizza because I don’t want pizza?”
“Chinese, Italian, sandwiches. Oh, there’s a new Japanese place which delivers. I have the numbers on my phone so whatever you want.”
“So you can call them and they’ll bring us food like they make in a restaurant?”
Finn nodded with a grin.
“Why would anyone ever cook then?”
“Because it gets expensive to eat out every night. I do, but that’s because I’m a crappy cook. My mom taught me a few things, but otherwise I order in a lot.”
“I want to order in. Can you show me how?”
Finn typed the numbers into her cell phone. When he ordered food, he also told the guy to bring menus. Soon they had a bag full of Chinese food and Gigi was picking out pieces of chicken from her rice to feed to the cats.
“Thank you for being here tonight,” Gigi told Finn as he studied the cats.
“I shouldn’t be here, but I got restless in my apartment and wanted to know you were okay. I sometimes drive by and check to see if your lights are on. At some point, I became a weirdo stalker.”
“A stalker is bad, right?”
“Yep,” Finn muttered with a frown.
Gigi grinned. “You want me to be safe. That’s not bad.”
“I should leave you alone.”
“But I don’t want you to leave me alone.”
Finn watched her with his gray eyes and she felt her skin flush with desire. She loved those eyes.
“Gigi, if I keep hanging around, someone might hurt you.”
“I’ll take the chance. My ghost fixed me when the Vamp tried to eat me and with that monster. Her name is Millicent, but I call her Millie because even though she has white hair, she seems young to me.”
“Is she here right now?”
“Yes, she’s at the window. She likes to watch the neighbors. I think sometimes she spies on them.”
When Millicent glanced back at her with a frown, unhappy with this comment, Gigi shrugged.
“So because I can’t be a Vamp, Simon won’t date me because he might bite me and die. I’m sad about that, but then I thought this other male liked me, but I guess he doesn’t. Dating is very frustrating.”
“This male who stood you up, is he a witch?”
Gigi shook her head.
“Tobin, the necromancer?”
Smiling, Gigi shook her head, liking how Finn was jealous. She knew what the look on his face meant because it was the same look Justine got whenever another female was around Nolan.
“A Were then?”
Nodding, Gigi took a b
ite of noodles.
Finn looked up as if he was thinking. “I know Declan wouldn’t stand you up.”
“No, not Declan.”
Finn frowned. “It can’t be Anton…” Pausing when Gigi frowned, he sighed. “Why in the world would Anton stand you up?”
“He likes to tease.”
“Not really. Declan likes to tease, but Anton tends to be lazy when it comes to women. If he asked you out, he really likes you.”
“He stood me up.”
Finn pulled out his phone and dialed. Watching Gigi, he blinked when someone answered.
“Hey, Anton, I wanted to know if we could reschedule dinner for next Tuesday, instead of Wednesday?”
Gigi couldn’t hear Anton’s voice, but she noticed how Finn talked loud as if he were trying to be heard over noise. Anton was out somewhere, maybe having fun with some other female or out with his friends. Either way he was enjoying himself because standing up Gigi was no big deal. She had hoped he forgot, but she knew he hadn’t. Anton was smart and their date was only a day from when he asked her out. He stood her up on purpose, just like she feared.
“Okay, dude. Talk to you later.”
Finn hung up and sighed. “I wanted to make sure he wasn’t hurt or something.”
“He doesn’t care.”
Finn wanted to defend Anton. Gigi could see how the beautiful Were in front of her wanted to be the good guy and defend his friend, but he fought the urge.
“It’s better this way really,” Finn said quietly. “The Alphas talk about not having a mate and I don’t think you’d just want to be a Were’s girlfriend. Plus the war’s coming and he wouldn’t be able to date you then.”
Frowning, Gigi wondered if Anton never really had any intention of being with her. Was it all about sleeping with her? It made sense, but she wanted to believe in Anton. It was stupid, but she needed to believe in Anton.
“It’s fate, I guess,” Gigi said. “Like if you had been hiding out there and Anton hadn’t stood me up, then you wouldn’t have seen me and might have worried. Instead I came home when you were here and we’re having a nice dinner. You wouldn’t stand me up, would you?”