by I. T. Lucas
“I don’t know about that.”
“Don’t worry.” Wendy wiped her hands with a paper towel. “I’ll look for simple recipes and make a list of ingredients. I’d better go to the supermarket tomorrow to get them. You’ll also need flowers and chocolates and candles.”
Richard rubbed the back of his neck. “What if she refuses?”
“She won’t. What woman doesn’t want her guy to cook for her?” Wendy cast a fond look at her mate. “That’s one of the many reasons that I fell for Vlad.”
Richard arched a brow. “His cooking? I didn’t know women went for that.”
It was usually guys who fell for women who could cook. Women had other requirements.
“Cooking for someone is an expression of love.” She scrunched her nose. “I have to learn how to do it better. Vlad deserves so much more than I can do. Perhaps Callie can give me a few pointers.”
Richard patted her shoulder. “It’s the thought that counts.”
“Yeah, but the taste buds have to agree.”
He laughed. “Then we’d better cook something good together.”
“First, call Stella and check when it’s a good time for her.”
“What, now? We need to practice first.”
“We will practice tomorrow at lunch, and with the memory still fresh, you can make it for her as dinner, or lunch the next day.”
“What if she says no or comes up with an excuse for why she can’t?”
Wendy shrugged. “The more time you give her to get used to the idea, the better. If she’s not ready to have you cook for her tomorrow, you can suggest Saturday or Sunday.”
“Smart girl.” He patted her shoulder again and headed to his room.
The more time passed, the more Wendy was coming out of her shell and proving to be a fine young woman. She’d even developed a good sense of humor. Her latest thing was collecting jokes at the café and sharing them with him and Vlad in the evenings.
He was happy for her.
In fact, he was happy for all his former government program friends. They had all turned immortal and found their mates. Or rather the other way around. Finding a mate seemed to be a prerequisite, or at least he hoped so.
Before he failed to transition, no one had thought that a Dormant needed to bond with an immortal to do that. Richard knew of Dormants who had transitioned without it, which made him think that perhaps his hopes were baseless. He might be just a regular human with a weak paranormal talent, who for some reason clicked with the immortals, hence the affinity.
In either case, though, Kian had accepted him into his community, so even if Stella wasn’t his mate, and a bond with her wasn’t the missing piece of the puzzle, he could keep trying until he found his one and only. The other option was for him to father a child. Both would grant him permanent resident status in the village with all the privileges that came with it. The share in the clan’s profit would be a nice boost to his income, but the ability to come and go as a free man was much more important to him.
39
Stella
“So, what do you say? Is it a date?”
Richard sounded so enthusiastic about cooking dinner for her that Stella didn’t have the heart to refuse him. But if she agreed, the ramifications were obvious.
He would want to stay the night.
The truth was that she wanted that too, but she was afraid of letting him get so close. It was no longer about his paranormal ability, which Jin had reassured her was very weak and didn’t provide him with much insight.
Now, it was about the possibility of her falling for the guy.
Keeping secrets from a casual lover wasn’t a big deal, but if he turned out to be more, the necessity to keep things from him would be tough.
“Well?” Richard sounded anxious. “Is it a yes or a no?”
“Yes. Definitely.” She chuckled nervously. “I’m sorry that it has taken me so long to answer. It’s not that I don’t want you to do it. Sometimes I just get distracted by random thoughts.”
“What were you thinking about?”
As if she was going to tell him that. “Can you cook?”
“Not really, but Wendy is going to give me a crash course.”
Stella snorted. “Can she cook? I was under the impression that Vlad prepared all of your meals.”
“He does most of the cooking, but not all. Wendy and I help as much as we can. She’s going to look for easy recipes on the internet and we are going to tackle them together, so you are not going to be my first guinea pig.”
“Maybe it would be better if I prepare dinner.”
“No way. I want to take you out on a proper date, but I’m not allowed to leave the village, and I can’t invite you to my place because I live with your son and his mate. Preparing a romantic dinner for you in your home is the best I can do. Besides, I’ve never done that before, and I’m excited about giving it a try.”
The fact that she was the first woman he’d cooked for made the offer so much more valuable.
“When would you like to do that?”
“How about Friday night?”
“That’s tomorrow.”
“If you are more comfortable with Saturday, we can do it then.”
She needed more time to mentally prepare. “How about Sunday? That will give you more time to practice.”
“Awesome. Instead of dinner, we can make it a lunch date and spend the day together.”
“Sounds good.”
“I’ll be there at eleven o’clock with the supplies.”
“Can I at least help prepare some of it? I can make a salad.”
“Not this time. I want to pamper you. You can take a bubble bath, watch something on the tube, read a book, or do whatever else that you find relaxing.”
As if that was going to be possible. Perhaps she should look up an internet course on meditating. “I’ll just watch you cook.”
He chuckled. “That might not be very relaxing, but as you wish. I’ll see you Sunday.”
“Okay.”
Disconnecting the call, Stella let out a breath and slumped in her armchair.
It was obvious why Richard needed her relaxed. But that was not going to happen. She was already anxious just thinking about it, and when she was stressed, she became irrational and irritable. It was a vicious cycle that had always made relationships difficult for her, even with her own son.
She was incredibly lucky that Vlad was such a mellow, good-natured kid, and that he tolerated her occasional outbursts without making too much of a fuss about them.
Her son understood her better than anyone else.
There was no chance Richard would be as accommodating. Perhaps she should show him that side of her and hope that it would chase him away. That would solve the problem of keeping secrets from him.
Except, she really liked Richard and didn’t want to lose him even if he was just a human. Since he knew all about immortals, she didn’t need to hide who she was from him, so the prohibition on having a relationship with a human didn’t apply to him.
She could enjoy his company for a long time. Perhaps for as long as he lived.
When her phone rang again, she thought that it was Richard calling back, but it was her son. “Hi, Vlad. What’s up, baby?”
He hated it when she called him that, but sometimes it just slipped out.
“I’m on my way to your place. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“You don’t need to call before visiting me.”
“What if you are busy?” The door opened and he walked in.
Stella disconnected the call and spread her arms. “I’m never that busy. Come, give me a hug.”
As he walked into her open arms and bent down to kiss her cheek, she wrapped them around him and held him close. “You’ve gained some bulk lately. Have you been exercising?”
“Just the self-defense course.” He straightened up. “I was moved to Brundar’s advanced class. It’s more physically demanding.”
&n
bsp; Stella nodded. “You were always so strong that I was sure you’d become a Guardian. I’m glad that you chose the artistic path instead. Being a Guardian is dangerous.”
For some reason, Vlad’s face twisted in a grimace. Had she said something wrong? “I’m your mother. I don’t want you to be in danger, no matter how well you can handle yourself in a fight. You shouldn’t get upset because I want you to be safe.”
He shook his head. “It’s not about that. It’s about Richard.”
Stella tensed. “I thought that you liked him.”
“I do. And I also think that he’s good for you. You seem happier lately.”
She let out a relieved breath. “I’m glad that you approve. But Richard is human, so it’s not like I’m going to take him on as my mate. We are just friends.”
Perhaps they could be more than that, but it was too early to be thinking about the long term and what falling for a human would entail. Richard was still a young man, and he had at least twenty more good years in him. Except, what was she going to do when he turned sickly and frail?
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. Richard believes that if he bonds with an immortal female, he will transition. Kian seems to believe it as well, so it’s not just wishful thinking. I don’t know if it’s a false hope, but you need to be aware that Richard’s intentions are serious. He thinks that you are the one for him.”
A surge of hope coursed through Stella, followed closely by a surge of worry.
An immortal mate was a precious gift from the Fates, and if Richard transitioned, it would be a most welcome miracle.
But because of her secret, she couldn’t allow herself to become fully bonded with anyone, and without a bond, Richard would not transition.
And if they bonded despite her efforts to prevent it, how would their relationship survive with her keeping a huge secret from her mate?
She’d vowed never to reveal it, but if the Fates sent her a mate, they must have known that the secret would stand in the way, so maybe it was okay for her to break her promise?
Except, she couldn’t risk it.
She’d vowed on Vlad’s life to keep her silence forever.
40
Sari
As Sari opened her eyes and looked out the window, the bright sky indicated that it was late morning. Next to her, David was sleeping soundly, his chest lifting and falling rhythmically.
It had been three o’clock at night when they’d finished talking, and six o’clock in the morning when they’d showered after their last lovemaking session. Sari should have left then, but she couldn’t resist cuddling in David’s arms for at least a few more minutes.
She must have fallen asleep, but not for long. It couldn’t have been more than half an hour. It wasn’t enough even for an immortal, but it would have to do. If she became drowsy later in the day, she could catch a catnap on the couch in her office.
It was time to get up.
Except, it was really difficult to leave the warmth of David’s arms. Carefully, she pulled the blanket down to expose his torso and gazed upon his chiseled muscles and lean build. But even though she itched to run her hands all over his chest, she didn’t want to wake him up.
If she did, that would no doubt result in one more romp in bed, and she had to get back to her suite, get changed, and start preparing for her mother’s arrival.
For a human, David had quite the stamina, and it was obvious that he took good care of his body. They’d made love three times last night, which was impressive even for an immortal. Not that she’d ever experienced sex with an immortal male, but maybe she would soon, provided that David transitioned.
Sari had a good feeling about him.
The connection was there, and she couldn’t find even one thing that she didn’t like about him. He was gentle but not overly soft, highly intelligent but not full of himself, and he was incredibly handsome but didn’t act as if he was God’s gift to womankind.
Kalugal had a good eye.
The question was whether David was her mate.
He was right about it being too early to tell, though, and they needed more time together. But given David’s impending induction, they didn’t have the time. He needed to bond with her in order to transition, and if she didn’t let herself believe that he was the one, the bonding process might not start.
With a sigh Sari slipped out of bed, got dressed quietly, and sneaked out of the tower.
Hopefully, people wouldn’t remember what she’d worn the day before and wouldn’t realize where she’d been. Not that Sari was embarrassed about spending the night with David, but her sex life was nobody’s business.
After changing into a new outfit, she headed to her office, where Miranda was already waiting for her.
“Good morning, Sari,” she greeted her with a knowing smirk. “You look tired.”
Sari lifted a hand. “No questions.”
Miranda pouted. “That’s mean. I hoped to live vicariously through your romance with the sexy professor.”
Sari waved noncommittally. “We need to prepare for my mother’s visit. What’s the update on her time of arrival?”
“The Clan Mother and Alena are scheduled to land at around one o’clock. I told Boris to be there at twelve just in case they arrive earlier. Depending on traffic, they will get here about two-thirty in the afternoon or three. Boris will call me when they are fifteen minutes away, so we will have time to assemble the troops in the entry hall. Who do you want to be there to greet the Clan Mother? And where do you want to take her from there? Her suite or yours?”
“We should keep the welcoming committee to the immediate family. Kian and Syssi, Amanda and Dalhu, Kalugal and Jacki. Anandur and Brundar and their mates don’t need to be there, and the same goes for Rufsur and Edna. She will see all of them in the dining hall at dinner.”
“What about the professor?”
Sari debated that for a moment. If David was to be her mate, he should be there to greet her mother. Besides, she wanted Annani’s opinion of him.
“He should be there. Come to think of it, it would be less awkward for David if the rest of our guests are there as well.”
Miranda smiled knowingly. “I’ll inform Anandur and Brundar and their mates. Do you want me to call Kalugal and tell him to bring Rufsur and Edna along? Or are you going to do it?”
“I can do that. You call the others.”
Miranda nodded. “After the greetings are done, do you want everyone to adjourn to your suite or Annani’s?”
“My mother and Alena will want to rest before dinner. I’ll escort them to their suite, and the others can disperse to theirs. In addition to calling, I suggest that you send everyone a memo.” She lifted a hand. “I should get David a phone. Do we have any spares?”
“Of course.” Miranda opened a drawer and pulled out a box. “It probably needs to be charged.”
“Have fresh flowers from the gardens delivered to the entry hall.”
“Yes, ma’am. Anything else?”
“That’s all. I’ll take it from here.”
In her office, Sari booted up her computer and checked her schedule for the day. There were a few phone calls she had to return and several emails she needed to answer, but none of it was urgent. She could do all that after she had breakfast with David.
A private one in his room.
41
David
Sari was gone when David woke up, and her spot in bed was cold, so she must have left a while ago.
Had she slept at all?
He remembered that after they’d showered, she’d come back to bed and cuddled with him, but she’d probably left as soon as he’d fallen asleep.
What a night.
David wasn’t sure what had rocked his world more, the incredible story Sari had shared with him, or the sex.
The languid feeling and the smile he couldn’t wipe off his face indicated that it was the latter.
Talk about stamina.
H
is and hers.
The last time he’d managed three consecutive climaxes was when he was in his late teens, and he had a feeling that Sari could have gone for more.
When David came out of the bathroom, a guy who looked like the archetypal butler walked in with a tray. “Good morning, master.” He dipped his head. “The mistress requested breakfast to be delivered to your room.”
“Thank you.”
The guy must have knocked while David flushed the toilet because he hadn’t heard it. He doubted a butler in a suit wouldn’t knock before entering.
As the man set up the coffee table, David eyed him curiously. The guy was the first older person he’d seen in the entire castle, but curiously, he wasn’t even breathing hard after climbing the tower stairs with a big, heavy tray in his hands. Strange that Sari hadn’t mentioned him in her story.
Now that David knew that the castle residents were all immortal, the mystery of the missing older people had been solved. And Sari’s explanation about the low fertility rate explained why he hadn’t seen children either.
The butler was a new mystery for him to ponder.
The lack of exertion could be explained by the guy’s immortality, but then why did he look older than the others? Besides, even Sari had seemed a little winded after climbing the tower stairs, and she wasn’t a run-of-the-mill immortal but a demigoddess.
David shook his head. In the span of mere hours, his entire world view had changed. Humans were not the only intelligent species on the planet, the mythological gods had really existed but had gone extinct except for two, and their immortal descendants had been living hidden among humans for thousands of years.
His curiosity getting the better of him, he asked, “How come you look older than the others? Did you transition at an older age?”