“No, but you could go back there and see him every day if you like. Although, I would be careful because there is this one person that might not like you loving my brother too much. You might have met her, his wife? Yeah, she is … well, she will rip you to shreds and then go on with her day as if you were nothing but a daily chore.”
“She does seem a little scary. She nearly made Ramsey piss his pants. He won’t admit it, but I know he is scared of her. But no need to worry. I don’t plan on leaving your side, ever.” She instantly stands to attention, ready to go.
“Oh joy,” I say less than enthusiastically.
“And I am not in love with Lord Jayzon. I simply think he is the most perfect …”
“Perfect? Nick? You don’t know him at all, do you?” I laugh.
“I do to know him!” she snaps, getting in my face.
“Oh yeah? Then what’s his favorite thing to do every day?”
“He likes to … um … lead others into greatness,” she says proudly.
I laugh. “Wrong. He likes to fuck his wife. That one should have been easy, or have you not noticed the three kids? How long have you worked with Nick?”
“I …I…” I step closer as she searches for the right thing to say. “Okay, fine. I have never worked for him until today. I worked for one of the other Lords and received his permission to try out for the ninth’s army.”
I fold my arms and look down on her. “And you made the cut?”
“You really should get dressed. It is way past sunrise,” she says, obviously avoiding my question.
“You didn’t make it! They sent me the flunky?”
“I’m not a flunky! I was just better suited for this position.”
I roll my eyes. “Oh, I am sure you were. I am going to talk to Nick and my meddling sister-in-law and send you back!”
“You can try, but they won’t force me to leave, and you know it.” I can’t stand her. I turn away and walk towards my phone. “Wait! Listen. Give me a chance, and I promise from now on I am invisible. I won’t meddle in your day to day, and I won’t force you to wear clothes if you don’t want to. Surprisingly, I am not as bothered by it as I thought I might be.” She glances down, and I realize my morning erection is poking through. It must be the arguing. Damn my combative loving penis!
I sigh as she continues to stare at me. “Do you mind?”
“No, I just said I don’t at all.” She smiles, purposely checking me out.
“Well, you are certainly not shy.”
“Me? Shy? Ha!” she laughs.
“Aren’t you supposed to be pure for your future husband, mate, or whatever you realm families believe?”
“Yes, we tend to have more traditional beliefs, but we aren’t beheaded if we stray from those beliefs a little,” she huffs.
“No?! Wow! I could have sworn you people lived in the dark ages or at least in the dark.”
“You know, you talk a lot about something you have no clue about. Our families are not much different than any family from the walking earth. At least within the realms, there is order and respect and no need for police.”
“No, but there is a need for armies to keep invaders from other realms from taking over.”
“That’s the inner core of the realms. The outer is much more peaceful. I forget that you were raised outside of the realm. I thought that would make you more understanding and less close-minded. I guess I will give you a break though. I can’t imagine it was easy for you growing up so differently than everyone else. I grew up thinking I wasn’t any different at all. You know, my family traces its bloodlines back to the one of the original leaders of the realms?”
“I thought that’s what you all were, children of the original lords who, over time, have grown to be occupants of the realms?”
“Yes, but my ancestor was leader of the ninth.” I stare at her, wondering how much of that old power she wishes to bring back to her family.
“Don’t worry. I am not power hungry. I am only eager to prove that I am more than just a servant for a husband. I am just as capable of being a leader of an army.”
I laugh. “You? Just because you wear leather and combat boots doesn’t mean you’re capable of taking on an army, Sweetheart.”
“Skylar. My name is Skylar, and I will prove to you that I can handle myself against anyone.” She walks away, glaring at me over her shoulder. She acts like she’s a badass, but I doubt she has the backbone to really succeed with the trouble that comes after my family.
“Hey, Sky!” I quickly toss a nearby plate in her direction. She catches it easily and snaps it back at me. Her swagger back to her seat is heightened in its confidence, and her cocky smile over her shoulder reminds me of someone else. Before I can say a word, my phone rings. Kayla. Kayla! “What have you done to me?” I yell, rushing to the back of the house and slamming my bedroom door behind me.
“I don’t know what you are talking about,” she says with an inherited, heartbreaking innocence she uses on Nick, but I’m not falling for it.
“I’m talking about the woman you sent here to drive me insane, Kayla.”
“Ryan, I swear, you really need to open your mind a little bit and see that a woman can be just as good of a guard as any man.”
“I am sending her back to you.”
“You can’t. The Council insisted you have protection. Face it. They like you and believe you have a promising future as the head of a realm. Once Marius is discovered forming an illegal army, he will be permanently removed from his position, and that leaves an opening for you. Besides, what’s the harm in getting to know a beautiful woman who happens to share a similar heritage?”
“I knew it! You’re meddling in my life again, Kayla. I told you I don’t want anyone in my life. I don’t want anyone to suffer the way Sam did. I won’t watch someone I love die again. There is no woman alive that can handle the amount of trouble that follows us.”
“I handled it.”
“You’re not normal,” I sigh. “…and I am not even sure a woman,” I whisper, wondering if she heard me. “Okay, Kayla, as soon as you find me another you, then…”
“Fine, I did. Enjoy.”
“Kayla! I swear! Don’t you hang up on me. Kayla! Kayla? Fucking bitch hung up on me!” I curse under my breath the whole time I shower and get dressed. I walk out of my room to find Shadow curled up next to Skylar with his belly showing to her; enjoying the scratching and cuddling she is doing with him. “What is this? Are you corrupting my dog?”
“No, I am playing with him. He is a dog and actually playful and sweet. How old is he?”
“He’s a puppy still, almost a year I guess.”
“You guess? You don’t even know how old your dog is? Has he had all his shots? Have you even taken him to the vet recently? He could use a bath too …”
“I … I don’t know. Let’s just go. We can stop by somewhere on our way back.”
“Stop by some place? Have you ever owned a dog?”
“Nooo. I lived in a tiny apartment in the city growing up. The only dogs were the police dogs that ran after the drug dealers.” And me at times.
“Really? No classes or anything? How do you get him to mind so well? It’s almost like he understands every word you say,” she asks, clearly unknowing of his powers.
“No training, and he does understand. I simply tell him what to do and he does it. If he starts to smell, I tell him to go get in the shower.”
“You tell him …”
“I need to go. Stay here and play with my dog or do whatever you want.”
“I can’t stay here. I have to go with you,” she says, jumping up and bounding to my side.
“It’s not that big of a deal. I am only meeting a friend for lunch.” I try to reason simply.
“Okay, let’s go.”
“No, it’s not okay. I don’t want you tagging along while I try to discuss business.”
“I thought you said it was only a friend you were meeting?”
br /> “It is a friend, who I happen to be doing business with too.”
“Well, if it’s business, then I should definitely go. Don’t you think?”
“No, you will only be a distraction.” Knowing Eli, she will be a big distraction. “Stay here, and I’ll call you if I need you.”
“I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I am not supposed to leave your side…ever.”
“Ever?”
“Ever. You’re my responsibility. If something happens to you, then I am held liable and will be forced to live a life of shame. No man will ever want me. I will never have a chance for a family and my own blood will completely disown me. I really have no reason to live if you don’t.”
“You mean you will be around forever, ever?” I ask to clarify.
“Thanks for your concern for my well-being. Yes, but don’t worry, I will be invisible. You won’t even know I am around. I promise. You will practically forget that I even exist … until you need me.” She smiles, walking out in front of me and stopping me from moving forward until she has secured the premises. When she is satisfied, I get a ridiculously sly motion to move forward.
“So, the front porch is all clear? Wonderful.” Shadow walks out from behind me and prances happily next to her side. “Traitor.”
“What are you doing now?” she asks oddly.
“I’m getting into my car so I can drive to the place in which I am going to.”
“Hmm… should I follow alongside or get in with you?”
“Follow alongside? Who are you, Usain Bolt? Get in the damn car.” She nods, inspecting the car from end to end before finally opening the passenger side door. Shadow jumps right in; she, however, pokes her head in, looks here and there, and opens this and that before carefully sitting in the back. I look in at her. “All clear?” She nods. “First time to visit this side of the earth, is it?”
“Our mode of transportation is much simpler. I am not sure why these people haven’t figured it out yet.”
“They can’t create a portal and just end up wherever they want. They don’t have that ability here. No one does, there are only accesses to the realms and back again.”
“I think there must be a way. I am sure I can figure it out somehow.” I start to say something, but she holds up her hand to me. “I’m invisible, remember?”
“You’re really strange. Do you know that?”
It’s been a week since I have seen Eli. Jericho and Acosta, as expected, are going at each other with all they have, and Jericho is losing. It’s not what we expected, but while this woman is distracted with Jericho, Eli and I both think it’s the best time to hit her hard. Eli moved his boats to our new city to help intercept some of her shipments. He doesn’t like Cat knowing what he is doing, so we have to meet outside his house. For some reason, he likes to believe she thinks he’s an innocent businessman, and maybe she does too. I don’t know what kind of sick games they play. I try not to get involved in other people’s sex life, but Eli likes to tell me anyway, despite my protests. I finally had to have a talk with him, and now he is supposed to signal me when he is about to talk about sex so I can tune him out but still pretend I care. It was the best arrangement I could make at the time.
So now, we have to meet outside his house, somewhere Cat won’t accidently walk up on us. I asked him to meet me at my place, but he refuses to get out of his car there, so we are meeting at an outdoor café. I find a nice place in the corner of the fenced patio so Shadow has plenty of room to stretch out without getting in anyone’s way. He’s a good dog, but until Skylar said something, I haven’t had much thought about what all he needs. Before I sit down, I wait and watch Skylar scope out the area and find a nice spot at the table behind me. “Are we good now?”
“Yes, just sit down already and stop staring at me. I’m invisible, remember? No one should know I’m with you. I like to be a surprise, catch them off guard.”
Exhausting. She is exhausting me already.
Eli walks up, his puppy leading him with a fierce anxiousness to see her brother. She is decked out in a flashy collar, a bow, and other extremes for such a large, gangly puppy. Eli has a baby bag over his shoulder that he places on the table and begins taking out supplies for the dog. He throws a soft pink blanket on the ground, a fresh water bowl, and a chew toy before he finally crashes into the chair in front of me. What the fuck has happened to him?
“What?!” he snaps.
“Wow… you are really taking this dog ownership seriously.”
“Lily …”
“Lily?” I question.
“Yes, Lily! It’s her favorite flower. Do you have a problem with it?” he questions with a sharp tone.
“Nooo. I mean, if it’s the dog’s favorite flower, then obviously, it makes a perfect name.”
“Shut up. I don’t know what it is. She looks at me with those sweet puppy eyes, and next thing I know, I am giving her whatever she wants and playing with dog toys for hours. I can’t get anything done. I need a puppy nanny.” I bust out laughing, causing him to look up at me with a pointed glare. “Shut up!”
“Eli, have you not realized what’s different about your dog yet?”
“What do you mean? Nicky said she was part lab and shepherd. She’s a mutt. A cute mutt, yes you are, oh yes you are,” he gushes all over her.
I lean away from prying ears behind me towards him. “No, she’s Eey’s puppy, and Eey is Dante.”
“What?” He looks down at the spoiled rotten puppy as she demands his attention. He looks back up at me. “I was wondering about that dog, but Nicky said little Nick just found him on the street.” I nod. “He’s the smartest mutt I’ve ever seen, so when he offered me a puppy, I thought it seemed like a good quality pup, but I wasn’t really wanting to deal with a puppy. I mean, I was getting ready to move, but then he held her up to me and she had just the cutest, sweetest face, and …”
“And eyes,” I say as he suddenly gets it.
“Motherfucker.” He takes out his phone, cursing.
“Who are you calling?” I ask holding out my hands in confusion.
He holds up a finger at me as he waits for the person to answer. “Nicky! My so called friend. Yeah, thanks for the demon puppy, asshole. I can’t get shit done. I can’t even have sex because she won’t let Cat get anywhere near me. I have been trying to have sex for six months and nothing. Stop laughing, motherfucker! I swear! I’m telling you, you better come here and do something about this dog so I can stop spending my days at the dog groomer’s getting her nails done. Stop laughing! You set me up … Friend. She’s for my protection, my ass. I swear, Nicky, if you don’t do something about this … I will…well, I will find a way to get back at you. Yes, I will! No, you don’t have a meeting. You come here and do something about this, Nicky. No, you can’t call me back!” Eli rolls his eyes as he ends his conversation with my brother.
“Do you want me to help you?” I ask the bubbling frustration.
“Yes, please.”
I look down at Lily, take hold of her face, and look into her eyes. “Now, Lily, you listen to Eli and do what he says. Stop controlling him.” I sit back up, smiling.
“Uh –huh. Did that work?” he asks while I shrug. “Perfect. Thousands of dollars spent on this dog all because my best friend happens to be an asshole.”
I laugh even though he doesn’t. “You should be fine. Now, let’s get down to business. I have been able to get a lot of information about Acosta, and it looks like she is about to come out on top. I think I should approach her with an opportunity.”
“You? Why you? Why not me? I’m great with women. Look at me. I am absolutely irresistible,” he says, and Skylar instantly begins to laugh behind me. “You know …” Eli stops suddenly as he looks over my shoulder and motions for me to come closer. “There’s a really hot woman spying on us.”
I sit back with a huff. “Yes, I know. Her name is Skylar, but she’s invisible, so you may think you
see her, but you really don’t.”
He squints his eyes, looking her up and down, and I expect him to say something smartass at any second, I even hope for it, because I know it will piss her off. “All…right. Anyway, I should be the one to meet her.”
“No, that’s a bad idea. I’m doing it.”
“Why?”
“You know why.” I know he is going to argue with me forever about this unless I find a reason for him to stop; something that doesn’t hurt his ego. “Besides, you can’t use your skills to the best of your abilities. What would Cat say?”
He sighs. “Good point. Fine, you go do it. Once we get this done, I am thinking about going legit. Maybe build something solid.”
“You?!” I laugh.
“Yes, me. I am in a committed relationship for the first time in … well, ever, and I have a puppy. I even bought a home near the ocean. I am nearly a family man now. I need to think about my future, follow my friend Nicky’s example, and start contributing a little positive into the world. You know, that Nick Jayzon the legit businessman? That’s exactly how I want to be.” Eli laughs as I do, which causes a huff behind me.
“He’s the greatest man in the world. You couldn’t do much better by following his lead,” Skylar says suddenly.
“Really? He was joking. You, however, are annoying the shit out of me with your obsession over my brother. Get over him and don’t mention him again.” I turn back to Eli who looks all kinds of confused.
“You know, I was simply admiring how wonderful your family is. You don’t have to bite my head off. If you don’t like me talking about your brother, then just say so,” she grumbles.
“I did!”
“Then I won’t mention him again.”
“Thank you,” I stress.
Eli exhales exhaustively. “Oh-kay. Are we all good now?” I nod. “So anyway, I am thinking once we get things under our control we buy up that area and turn it into a nice village space, with shops, condos, and cute little cottage homes. A community, an expensive community, that will make me a lot of money, but a community.”