Chapter 7

After the intense fun of the restaurant, Mandy was gone, accompanying Charles on a business trip. Given how horny the little woman was, he probably had her tied down and was fucking her every night after his meetings.

That’d be my plan for her.

Or perhaps she’d chosen to accompany her husband to do the same thing as me—taking stock of what had happened.

From the hot tub, my gaze drifted to their dark home, and I couldn’t help but wonder. As Olympus well understood, I was grateful. In less than six months, I’d enjoyed both her and her gorgeous daughter’s talents.

However, there was a difference. A beautiful young woman like Susan, most likely between boyfriends, had just been pining for attention. Thus, would she be seeking me anytime soon? Nah, simple boredom and horniness after playing with her friend, nothing more. Hell, in the pool, once satisfied, she’d drifted away.

Ah, but her mother...? Married so long, then ... Why me? Why now? Okay, I’d toyed with her and given her a few shows, but the desperate ride atop me in the swirling jets? And afterward, choosing to spend the night? Then lying to her husband—the man she’d declared never to leave.

Her little show in the restaurant? No panties. The noises made as I played with the garter straps ... Was the Baron right? Was I using a weird magical gift to take advantage of her? And her daughter?

Over the centuries, others have described me as good-looking, but I’m no idiot. Yeah, the Vamp leader was correct; though I didn’t want to admit it. The same weird magnetism lurked within me as resided in them.

Yet ... My head cocked as the heated jets pounded my aching frame. The look on Susan’s face. Her friend’s expression as she’d surveyed me while squirming atop the raft. The utter clarity in Mandy’s hungry eyes.

Perhaps not. No, whatever “gift” I possessed was more subtle and ... No matter what, I didn’t own anyone, nor control them. Not anymore. Yet the nagging question refused to die: was Mandy drawn to me or just some mystical bullshit aura?

Another sip of aged scotch offered no other clues, and I reclined to scour the stars dotting the night sky. No, there must be something else driving her.

A growl left me, and I took a longer swig. In the end, none of the trepidation mattered. After enough years, such realizations are clear. My need was simple: Mandy in my life.

While Lucy was an incredibly talented woman and an amazing fuck, she was Gary’s wife. As much as the three of us joked, I’d never for a second dream of taking her from him. They were two peas in a pod. In truth, I was the only person either of them entrusted with her.

Besides, the dark beauty had given me six months after Debbie’s death before pushing me to find another woman. “Or ten of them,” she’d joked; I tended to ride Gary’s hot little wife pretty hard. However, soon enough, she’d grown exasperated, even fell silent, which is saying something. Since Debbie, I hadn’t done anything, seen anyone, or much bothered looking.

Then Mandy arrived in the neighborhood and my life. Could I handle the agony of losing another lover? Because the best, healthiest ones also died well before such a fate snatched the likes of me away. A gift and a bane, although immortality looked more and more like a curse every day.

With a sigh, I gave the stars a one-fingered salute and chugged the booze. It’d been far too long; Lucy was right.

Thus, Mandy would remain my focus. Though her daughter was beautiful—a younger version of her in some ways—my mind was fixed. It was her tight little—everything I missed while refilling the glass and taking a slower sip. Alone. In the dark.

“Damn it! Just my luck,” I whispered to the uncaring stars and those seated upon their thrones far above.

Because she also happened to be married, and I kinda liked Charles. Sure, he gave me the strangest looks every once in a while, but the guy meant well and was always friendly. Yet, I was sleeping with his wife. While swallowing another smooth mouthful, I winced. What would Mandy decide after their return?

Whatever her decision, it would bind me. The thing is, more than only my life might be affected. Just as occurred numerous times; after losing Debbie, darkness had taken me, driven me down into isolation and self-doubt. After experiencing such highs, then watching so many pass on, change happens and had happened once more.

Now that I’d ... What would Lucy call it? Reignited? Yeah, that’s the word. Anyway, since meeting Mandy, the world just seemed warmer. More smiles caught my attention, as did furtive glances, the curves of women, the sheen of tightening lips as they tracked my motions. So, at the very least, the gorgeous, sable-haired neighbor had given me that.

As always, such a change was guaranteed to impact others. Deep and many were my passions.

With a lengthy groan, I rose from the tub, dried myself with a soft towel, and wandered inside. Once set free, those passions had a way of flaring. Hence why they stayed hidden most of the time.

My gaze drifted to the ancient blade above my mantlepiece. Still polished, though its edge was battered and dulled beyond repair. If I received nothing else from her, my life would continue and I’d seek another.

“Hmm, more likely, several others,” I muttered.

No more could wallowing in Debbie’s demise be my fate. As usual, Lucy had been correct. No matter what, it was time to experience something more than what had lain muted these past months.

When I started to turn away, a flicker on the sword caught my eye. A tight smile appeared as my inspection returned to the aged weapon.

“There is more to life than just fighting, Iakovos. Much more.”

After a slow nod at the recollection of old, steady, grizzled Metrakyenes’ kind words, I padded upstairs to bed. The gods would decide. They always did.

That first week of Mandy’s absence, while trying to work, I sported an aching hard-on. The struggle to ignore the memory of soft whimpers as the garter snapped silken skin kept failing.

A call arrived. They needed me to support a last-minute mission. Perhaps a blessing, but thoughts of Mandy and the “normal” world flicked from my brain.

At least this time, the challenge was a wandering Fae. The cutest little thing ... Okay, new, “changed” Jim thought Mi was pretty “hot” in a minidress of shiny red sequins with long golden-blonde tresses piled atop her head.

The impish nymph had been using her “gifts” to cause trouble, but, unlike the bloodsuckers, not in a murderous way. Just wandering off the reservation; she’d tried to influence the locals and build her own micro-court. Plus, flirted enough to give those in the local government fits.

After the Baron, dealing with her was a pleasant change of pace. My role was to advise, drink coffee, and keep the negotiators from getting pinned in one of her myriad logic games. Given centuries of encountering her style of magic, my presence ensured she lost every gambit, and a beyond frustrated Mi chose to leave.

While she snuck in a kiss and a deep stare into my eyes, I only chuckled. How those brows crinkled on such an angelic visage when I shoved her away. More resignation than fury at the failure of the last-ditch seduction play.

Ah, but the gods took notice. What kept my brow furrowed? The unexpected memory of Kali as the Fae sashayed to a waiting vehicle. That was different. Why were the vampire’s pale blue eyes so haunting? A quick head shake brought back my focus.

Once a debrief was conducted, I made it home in time to run into Charles. Bags packed, he was heading out on another trip. As we chatted in his garage, I wished him safe travels. This time, he’d be overseas for several days, and Mandy had chosen to stay behind.

“Jim, I know it’s asking a lot, but she seems—distracted,” he whispered while glancing at his house. “Could you...” After a quiet gulp, he turned to me. His eyes had gained a strange dullness. “Could you just check in from time to time?”

“Yeah, no worries. Should be in town for a while.”

As he sped off and I walked home, a niggling sensation appeared at the back of my brain. His voice? A hint of resignation. That dull glow? Didn’t know if he suspected anything, but ... He hadn’t been the same old Charles.

In the end, I shrugged and waved at the toot from the disappearing car. After a quick glance at their house, I trudged into my garage. With a wandering Fae and ... okay, Kali still haunting my memory, more than enough mysteries swirled in my skull.