Page 18 of Dark Shaman: The Lost Treasure
The conversation shifted to safer ground, the seven of them taking part in the eternal dance of making their captivity bearable. But Tamira's mind wandered to the herb garden and to the man who cultivated it.
"Tamira!" Tula said. "You're not listening."
"Sorry. What?"
"I asked if you wanted to join us for cards this afternoon. Tony's teaching us Texas Hold'em."
"Poker?" Tamira laughed a little more loudly than was appropriate. "What's next, cigars and brandy?"
"That's a great idea." Tony grinned. "We can do that while playing poker."
"I'll pass." Tamira waved a dismissive hand. "I think I'll work on my translations this afternoon."
"Those Sanskrit texts?" Raviki wrinkled her nose. "You've been working on them for over three hundred years."
"It's a lifetime project," Tamira defended. "And it's not as if I'm short on time."
That earned her rueful laughs. Time was the one resource they had in abundance—endless, crawling, suffocating time that stretched before them like the vast ocean surrounding the island.
Later, as they left the dining room, each heading to her quarters, Areana fell in step with Tamira. "You seem intrigued by Elias, and I don't remember the last time you were interested in a man. I'm going to speak with Navuh today about him. I will tell my mate that he should remove the restrictions from the shaman because it's medically necessary." She smiled. "After all, keeping the mind sharp and engaged is as important as keeping the body satisfied."
"Indeed." Tamira nodded, trying to look amused rather than eager.
Areana studied her with those kind eyes of hers. "Be careful with your heart, my dear. You cannot give it to a human."
"I know," Tamira said quickly. "I'm just bored and in desperate need of having someone new to talk to."
Areana's cautious smile turned bright. "Absolutely. I'm sure that my mate will not begrudge you such a small boon."
6
TIM
"Mi casa, su casa." Thomas led Tim down the hallway to his spare bedroom. "My previous temporary roommate moved out only a week ago, and when Ingrid asked me if I was willing to host another newcomer for a couple of weeks, I said why not? I got used to having company, and now the house feels empty."
Tim had a feeling that Thomas would soon regret his hospitality.
In his experience, people could tolerate him in small doses but quickly got tired of him when exposed to his particular brand of humor for longer than a few minutes. He didn't blame them. He gave them plenty of reasons to dislike him, but hey, it was better to be hated for being nastily funny than for no reason at all.
"What happened to your other roommate? Was he also a dormant carrier of those super genes who transitioned to better things?"
"No, Din was already an immortal." Thomas opened the door to the bedroom. "He was visiting from Scotland and decided tostay. He and his mate, Fenella is her name, they got their own house."
Tim wasn't really listening. Instead, he was admiring the room.
It was nice. Like a magazine picture, nice. The room was spacious, featuring a king-sized bed, a small seating area facing the sliding doors that overlooked the backyard, and a large screen mounted on the wall. Everything looked new and clean. Compared to this, his apartment in Santa Monica looked like a hovel.
An expensive hovel.
He was shelling out nearly three grand a month on a one-bedroom in a building that was at least seventy years old with appliances that hadn't been updated in the last thirty years, just because it was within walking distance from the beach, like twenty minutes of walking and no view, but who was counting, right?
"Thank you," he remembered to tell Thomas before dropping his duffle bag on the floor. "I appreciate you opening your home to me."
His late mother would have been proud of him, remembering how to be polite.
Frankly, it was difficult to drop the snark after decades of perfecting it, but he was a guest, so he at least had to try.
"You are most welcome." Thomas offered him a bright smile that transformed him from enviably good-looking to jaw-droppingly handsome.
