Paul didn’t hear the rest. His attention was abruptly and completely claimed by pain suddenly shooting through both eyes. It felt like someone had taken two ice picks and stabbed him in the eyes with them. It brought an immediate roar of pain from him and had him thrashing on the table, yanking at his wrists to try to reach his eyes. It was probably better that he was chained though. Paul suspected he’d have done anything, including ripping out his own eyes to bring an end to the agony exploding through him just then. The worst part was, he knew it was just the beginning.
Nineteen
“I’m back.”
Jeanne Louise lifted her head at that cheerful announcement and forced a smile for her assistant, Kim, as the petite blonde entered the lab with a grin on her face and a spring in her step.
“Lunch with Arthur?” Jeanne Louise teased, or at least tried to tease. The words came out a little flat, but then everything about her was flat lately.
“Lunch and other things.” Kim sighed happily at the thought of the mortal male who had replaced Fred in security. The two had become rather close rather quickly over the last few weeks. Well as close as an immortal and mortal who weren’t life mates could get. “He’s the cutest little mortal on the planet. And a good kisser. Good at other things too,” she added with a laugh. “I hardly have to slip into his thoughts and show him what to do at all. He likes doing them.”
“Hmm.” Jeanne Louise lowered her head. The mortal she’d been dating when Paul had kidnapped her had been the same way. He probably still was. She wouldn’t know. She hadn’t seen him since leaving Paul and returning to her old life. She hadn’t really seen anyone since then. Jeanne Louise had been avoiding friends and loved ones like the plague since meeting and losing Paul. And she had absolutely no interest in seeing her old mortal lover.
“Leave that,” Kim said moving up beside her. “I’ll keep an eye on it while you have lunch.”
“I’m not hungry,” Jeanne Louise muttered, turning the knob on the microscope until the image reflected in it was a complete blur of color.
“You skipped lunch yesterday too. What’s going on? Immortalpause?” Kim teased.
Jeanne Louise managed a weak smile at the joke. It was a play on menopause, their word for immortals who moved past the desire for food and sex. Kim always teased her about that when she got too busy to bother about lunch and in the past she would have laughed. She didn’t feel much like laughing lately, but Kim didn’t know that. No one knew about Paul, his being her life mate, or her losing him.
“Jeanne Louise?”
She glanced to the girl, and noting the concern suddenly plucking at her lips, pushed her stool back and stood up. “You’re right. I should go for lunch.”
Kim hesitated, but then smiled and nodded. Her smile, though, didn’t hide her concern. Jeanne Louise ignored it and moved to her desk to get her purse. She then headed for the door.
“Jeanne.”
Pausing, Jeanne Louise glanced back in question.
“If there’s anything I can do to help . . . you know I will, right?” Kim said quietly.
“Help with what?” Jeanne Louise asked with a frown.
She hesitated and then said apologetically, “They say new life mates are easily read, but it’s more like they broadcast their thoughts. At least that’s how it is with you.”
She met her gaze for a moment, and then looked away. “Thanks,” she murmured and slid out of the lab.
It seemed it didn’t matter that she’d not told anyone. It sounded like she was telling everyone anyway. That explained why people were avoiding her eyes and being especially nice to her lately, she supposed, and breathed out a sigh. She was the tragic figure, a living symbol of what every immortal feared, one who’d found and lost her life mate.
Sighing, she forced her shoulders straight and head up and picked up her step. There was nothing she could do about other immortals being able to read her thoughts, but she didn’t have to be the pathetic creature they all thought she was. She had found a life mate and couldn’t claim him. It didn’t mean she wouldn’t find another, hopefully one who was already immortal and not in need of turning.
Just thinking that depressed Jeanne Louise. She didn’t want another. She wanted Paul. But not just for a few decades. She already wanted him like no one and nothing she had ever wanted in her life, even her father’s love. And that was after just a couple weeks. She couldn’t imagine how much it would hurt to have him for a mortal life and then lose him. Jeanne Louise couldn’t even fathom the pain then. Better this horrible soul wrenching pain now than complete obliterating agony later. Or maybe any agony later was worth whatever amount of time she could spend with him now, she thought as she reached the cafeteria.
That was the problem, she thought as she collected a tray and moved along the counter on automatic, selecting her usual ham sandwich and juice. Her thoughts kept fluctuating. She yearned to see his smile, hear his laughter, look into his eyes. She craved his kisses, to feel his arms around her, his body sliding against hers. But she knew, deep in her heart, that losing him later would kill her. However, that didn’t stop her from driving past his house every night on her way to work, in the hopes of just seeing him or even Livy. She was acting like some sort of junky or stalker and it was starting to scare her. Every night after driving past she cursed herself and felt shame and promised she wouldn’t do it again. But that next night, she did it again.
Jeanne Louise blew her breath out on a sigh as she paid for her lunch. She then turned to carry her tray to an empty table, wondering as she went if she could convince her uncle, aunt, and father to do a mind wipe on her. It was dangerous, but if it didn’t kill her and succeeded, she’d stop hurting. She wouldn’t remember ever having met him, wouldn’t have to recall and ache for his kisses, wouldn’t know what she’d lost . . .
“You should really try the bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches if you’ve lost your taste for ham.”
Jeanne Louise glanced up with a start at that solemn comment, her eyes widening as she peered up at the man who so obsessed her thoughts. Dressed in jeans and a T-shirt, with dark glasses covering his eyes, he looked ready to head for the beach, and obviously wasn’t here for work.
“Paul,” she said faintly as her body roared in response to his very presence. “What—?”
Her words died as he reached up and slid the sunglasses off. She stared blankly at the glowing silver green eyes that flashed at her, and stared and stared, unable to process what she was seeing.
“Your uncle Lucian paid me a visit yesterday afternoon,” he said quietly and then smiled wryly and added. “Well, your uncle Lucian, your aunt Marguerite, your father, stepmother, two brothers, their wives, and the hunter named Bricker all paid me a visit. You have an interesting family,” he added wryly. “I think I like them. They—”