Page 41 of Immortal By Morning
“What are you looking for?” she said finally. “Perhaps I can tell you where it is.”
“Barbecue tongs,” Lucian announced, switching his attention to drawers now.
“The drawer under the built-in ovens,” Abril said helpfully.
Grunting what might’ve been a thank-you, Lucian tried that drawer next and found what he was looking for.
Feeling rather useless just sitting there, Abril stood cautiously. When she’d got up to leave the room to take Gina’s call, her head had complained at the movement. Much to her relief, it didn’t react this time so she headed for the cupboard where bread was kept, intending to see if there was another package of buns for the sausages. Eight wasn’t going to feed them all.
“No, no, no!” Crispin caught her arm before she’d taken more than two steps and drew her to a halt. Turning her around, he urged her back into her chair, saying, “You are to take it easy for a while. Leave this to us.”
Feeling a little disgruntled, Abril scowled at him briefly, but then told herself that it was a somewhat bitchy reaction, since he was only trying to take care of her. Resigned to sitting and doing nothing, she began to twiddle her thumbs in her lap, and simply watched the activity around her.
Abril wasn’t used to sitting still. She was usually the one doing all the running and found she didn’t like being catered to. That was probably not a normal response, she admitted to herself. But then she had never thought of herself as normal anyway. She’d always felt like the odd one out. Attending a public school where more than 90 percent of the students were “normal” and less than 10 percent came from the religious community on the outskirts of town where she had been raised hadn’t helped. Being driven to run away two days before her sixteenth birthday to avoid being forced to marry an abusive man to please her family hadn’t helped. And even now, as an adult, having no family and being completely alone in the world, set her apart from others as well. In truth, Abril had no idea what it felt like to be normal, a member of the pack.
She had always hoped that when she grew up, she would make friends, marry, and finally have a family she belonged to. But that didn’t seem to be working out the way she’d expected. Perhaps it was due to her rejection as a child and desire to avoid inviting more of it, but whatever the case, she appeared to suck at dating. In university, she’d been too busy with her full course load, studying, and two part-time jobs to have much time to date, let alone make friends. Not that that had ever bothered her. It had quickly become obvious that most of the students at university seemed to want to just drink themselves to oblivion almost every night, which had never really interested her.
Once she had graduated and was out in the working world, the friend situation had not improved. Oh, she’d made acquaintance type friends at work in the various places she’d been employed before Gina, but no true friends. Eventually she’d resigned herself to being alone, and simply focused on her career. Not that shehadn’t dated. For her, dating apps had been a lifesaver. She just wished they had an app for making friends. Not that any of the men she met on the dating apps had turned out to be husband material. Still, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen in the future.
For some reason thoughts of Crispin intruded just then. Not wanting to build her hopes up and place them squarely on the man, she quickly pushed those thoughts away though.
Sighing, Abril raised her head and then stilled when she saw that Lucian stood frozen, his gaze fastened on her. He wasn’t the only one, almost every man in the room but Crispin appeared to be staring at her.
Feeling like a rabbit that had suddenly become aware of a nearby predator, Abril eyed them all warily until Cassius said, “You need to tell her, brother.”
“He is right, cousin,” Decker said solemnly. “I think she will take it better than you fear. She yearns for family. We can be that for her.”
Abril blinked in confusion. How did he know she yearned for family? And what did he mean they could be that for her?
Maybe she’d misheard, Abril thought. That or her head wound had done some really serious damage and she was hallucinating or something.
“Gentlemen, I suggest you be more careful of what you say in front of her until things are explained,” Lucian growled, and the words drew her attention to him again. She eyed him briefly, and then turned to Crispin in question. But when he avoided her gaze by turning away toward the refrigerator, she frowned and then slowly shifted her gaze back to Lucian. She didn’t know why, but felt sure that if she wanted an answer tothe questions now swimming around inside her head, he was the one most likely to give them to her.
Much to her disappointment, however, he slowly shook his head. “You will have to wait, little girl. I will give Crispin a chance to explain. But if he does not, I will myself.”
There was no mistaking that those last words were a threat directed at Crispin. If she were to judge by the scowl on his face, Abril would have to say he wasn’t happy to hear them either.
“I will speak to her after we eat.” Crispin’s voice was an irate growl.
Abril simply sat and stared at the men, watching them interact. A lot of what was going on was confusing to her. Lucian had called herlittle girlwhen she was guessing that she was maybe as much as five years older than him. And what were they talking about? Crispin had to explain things to her. What was there to explain or tell her? Add that to Decker saying she yearned for family and that he thought she would take something better than Crispin thought... What the hell did that mean? And what did it have to do with being family?
On top of that, who were these men, really, and why were they here? She had at first assumed they were all police officers, brought out because of the break-in. But if they were, that would mean that Crispin had family on the police force? Surely, he would’ve mentioned that to her when they were talking over the Pac-Man game if that were the case.
It was all very confusing to her, not to mention more than a little alarming. Abril was actually toying with the idea of saying she was taking Lilith outside, andthen once she got her outside, sneaking the dog around to the garage and her car. The only problem then was where she should go? She supposed she could drive to the police station and find out exactly who these men were. If they were all officers and—Abril hadn’t even finished the thought when it suddenly slipped away from her, along with the anxiety that had briefly claimed her. She was suddenly, inexplicably much more relaxed and now happy to simply sit there and wait for the men to feed her.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, the sudden calm did appear strange to Abril, but she didn’t seem to be able to hold on to that thought either. In the end, she gave up, and waited for the sausages to be cooked so they could all sit down and eat.
Eighteen
“It is too soon for me to explain about immortals to Abril,” Crispin protested pacing back and forth in front of Lucian on the driveway. He had brought Lilith out to relieve herself after they finished their meal. Roberts had taken her for a walk that morning as soon as they’d all returned from the hospital so that Crispin could stay to watch over Abril. The man had offered to do it again this time as well, but Crispin had wanted to stretch his legs and said he’d do it himself. He was now wishing he’d let Roberts take her, because it would have helped him avoid Lucian, who had followed to talk to him and insist Crispin explain the situation to Abril. “I have not had enough time to gain her trust and affection.”
“She told you about her childhood, about her running away, and her history pretty much to date. She trusts you,” Lucian said firmly.
“Maybe, but—”
“And I can see from your memories that she has experienced the shared passion with you more than once already,” Lucian continued. “Your chances are fair that she will accept you and not need to have all memory of you erased.”
“Fair is not good enough,” Crispin snapped. “I have waited a long time to meet my life mate, Uncle. I am not going to lose her now.”
