her newfound awareness. She needed to talk to her two counterparts immediately.
“Hey, wait a minute. Where are you going? And what do you mean we?” Mordecai asked, snagging her arm in a secure grip.
Dana looked down at the grip but did not try to remove it. He was not hurting her, just trying to keep her from poofing away. “You have just helped me see another side of this. Thank you,” she told him. Mordecai had a confused look on his face that was adorable as hell and she barely stifled her giggle – and her need to caress his frown lines away.
“I thought we were dancing? How did this turn into some big existential revelation?” Mordecai wondered.
She did laugh out loud this time. “Dancing must be good for the soul. You are a good teacher,” she informed him.
“And you are beautiful,” he suddenly said, looking at her like he had never seen her before.
Dana felt her eyes round and she took a step back. “What? Oh, I, uh, I really do need to go.” She had no idea what caused the sudden shift, but now that he was looking at her with something other than anger and hate, she had no idea what to do about it.
“You’re nervous,” Mordecai stated, looking amused by the thought.
Dana drew herself up, “I am not nervous. I just really need to go. Thank you for what you said – about not understanding, about being a prick.” She grinned at him.
He snorted, “Anytime. But seriously, I know it wasn’t an apology for the way I’ve thought about you these past fifty-odd years. But, if you stick around, you might just get one.”
Air caught in Dana’s throat and she pressed down hard on her chest with her palm to calm the furious beating. Although she had never held her breath for an apology – she truly felt she did not need nor deserve one – she had been longing for Mordecai to look at her with something other than malice for years. Too bad it was on the heels of her own personal realisation. She truly did need to return to Otherworld and sort her shit out – as Max liked to say.
“I look forward to that. But I really need to go,” she said regretfully.
Mordecai’s eyes traced her face, narrowing a little before he said, “The ‘we’ you mentioned?”
“Right,” Dana nodded.
“Will you be back?” Mordecai then asked.
Dana quickly calculated times in her head. She had been Earth-side for a few days, which meant she would need to spend double the time back in Otherworld before she could return. She was yet to explain how her visits worked with Max, let alone anyone else. And she did not have the time now either. Instead, she simply replied with an affirmative. “Yes, I will be back. But likely not for a couple of weeks.” To her surprise, Mordecai looked annoyed with the news, and within one blink to the next, he was once again cold and aloof, looking down at her with an expressionless, but undeniably, handsome face.
His voice was clipped when he next spoke. “Are you even going to say goodbye to Max?”
Dana reached for her daughter mentally, quickly cringing when she discovered Max and Ryker were otherwise engaged. “Umm, perhaps you could tell her for me? She is, uh, busy. With Ryker.”
Mordecai screwed his nose up in disgust. “Oh, by the Goddess! It’s the middle of the day!” Dana could not hold back her giggle and Mordecai shot her an irritated look before he thawed a little, shoulders slumping. “I’ll tell her,” he offered.
“Thank you,” Dana said, sincerity ringing in her voice. She was not just thanking him for passing on her message to Max. But also for the dance, for his admissions, for the wake-up call, and also for the easing of antagonism between them. She hoped the two small words were enough to portray all that and when she received a small nod in return, she felt relief and the beginnings of true happiness. Perhaps when she returned, things would be different. Perhaps, they could even be friends.
Chapter Seven
Mordecai was shaking as he prowled around the outdoor obstacle course of the training lodge. He knew his Order was anxiously waiting for him to allow them to touch him and recharge his vitality. But after using his domain, he often needed space before anything else. He had attended the lodge over ten hours ago, intending to check on some paladins who had lost