Dark Secrets Unveiled (The Children of the Gods #45) - I.T. Lucas Page 0,21
her time with him.
Why was she letting this one small piece of information dominate her life? It was nobody’s business, and she should just push it into some small corner of her mind and forget about it.
Except, her damn brain didn’t work in straight, logical lines. It ran in circles, repeating the same thought over and over until she was ready to scream in frustration. Vanessa had taught her meditating techniques that were supposed to help empty her head of bothersome thoughts, but she could never relax enough to enter the meditative state.
Regrettably, the chemical solutions that helped humans with her type of problem didn’t work on immortals unless consumed in enormous quantities, and she wasn’t ready to do that either.
“Here you go.” She handed him the original flavored beer and took the mango flavored for herself.
“Thanks.” He unscrewed the top and took a long sip. “It’s really good.”
“The taste is great, but for immortals, the alcohol content is negligible. We metabolize it too fast. If and when you turn immortal, you’d probably prefer Snake Venom.”
He grimaced. “I drank that stuff only because that’s what my buddies here drink, but it’s vile. Perhaps my taste buds will change once I turn immortal.” He smiled sadly. “If I turn.”
She’d been the one who’d brought up the subject of his transition, but she shouldn’t have. Richard hoped to bond with her, thinking that was the missing ingredient, but it wasn’t certain, and she didn’t want to spoil the mood by talking about it.
“Are Bowen and Leon your drinking buddies?”
“And others. I’ve made several good friends in the village. Curiously, they are all Guardians.”
“You have a way with people.”
“I’m a salesman.” He winked. “It always starts with selling myself. It’s a learned skill.”
“I doubt it. You were most likely born with it. Did you have many friends as a boy?”
“I had a whole bunch, but we’ve lost touch over the years. Some got married and started families, others moved away.” He sighed. “You know how it is. People drift apart.”
She chuckled. “Not in the clan. Whether we like it or not, we are stuck together for eternity. Our options are limited to the village, the castle in Scotland, and Annani’s sanctuary.”
“You make it sound like a bad thing.”
She shrugged. “For some it is, and for others, it isn’t.”
“What about you?”
“I feel cooped up. I hate staying put, and I hate seeing the same faces day in and day out. I need my freedom.”
Richard paused his chopping and turned to look at her. “Now that Vlad is all grown up and lives with his girlfriend, you can go back to traveling.” He chopped the last remaining cucumber and dropped everything into the salad bowl. “I wish I could travel with you. We could go to Europe, get a motorhome, and drive from country to country like real gypsies.”
That sounded like a dream. The one part that Stella hadn’t liked about her travels was the loneliness. She’d had no one to share her experiences with. Whenever she could, she’d called her mother and her few friends in the clan, but since there had been no cellphones back then, and making international calls had been difficult, that hadn’t happened too often.
When the oven beeped, indicating that it had reached the desired temperature, Richard put the chicken inside and closed the door.
She shifted on her barstool. “I have a business to run. I can’t just drop everything and go traveling for a year.”
“What did you do for money back then? Did your share in the clan’s profits cover all of your travel expenses?”
“It didn’t. But I always found a way to supplement my income. I was a nurse back when no formal education was required to work as one. I did that in places where I stayed a while. In others that I only passed through, I sang and danced for money.”
Richard smiled. “A real gypsy lifestyle. But wasn’t it dangerous for a woman alone? I know that immortal females are strong, but still. I shudder to think what might have happened to you. The world is a nasty place, with many who prey on the defenseless.”
“I wasn’t defenseless. Unlike most immortal females, I’m a decent thraller and shrouder. If things looked as if they were about to get out of hand, I used my mental powers to defuse the situation.”
Why hadn’t it occurred to her to thrall Richard before? She could have gotten the information about his telepathic talent without having to grill Jin for it.