Dalir's Salvation (7 page)

Thane assembled his food at the counter. He piled deli turkey, lettuce and tomato on whole grain bread. “This should tide me over. We might get to eat before sundown if Reid stops chasing Lauren and finishes installing the grill.” He put everything away. “I gave the guys the afternoon off. They need a break. We’re throwing burgers on the grill and playing music.”

“If you say the team needs downtime, I’m sure it’s warranted.” Dalir sipped coffee. If Ari were there, she would probably enjoy the cookout. From the look she’d given him when he commented on the pizza, he’d probably have to sneak salad on her plate. Or he’d feed it to her, making it enjoyable, so she’d eat more. At some point, she’d probably slip away to gossip with her girlfriends. But he’d make sure they spent time alone. He’d take her to the cottage he’d built into the mountain. The main house was good, functional. He’d built it to accommodate the team when they’d trained at The Drift when they’d first joined him, and of course now. The cottage reminded him more of his place in Alandia. Simple. Cozy. In sync with the outdoors. He’d show her the surroundings. They could sit on the low ridge overlooking the lake and watch the sunset.

A longing Dalir had never experienced slammed home. It also solidly nailed down the truth and dictated what he needed to do. Ari seeing him didn’t change or help anything or anyone. It just added another unneeded complication. Even if he wanted, he could never give Ari that experience of a barbecue or what she deserved from a man. A real relationship. Dalir’s chest tightened. He wouldn’t visit Ari again.

The couple’s laughter along with Reid’s voice filtered in from outside. “Beautiful, it always fits.”

Thane chuckled. “I don’t want to guess what that means.” He paused on the way out of the kitchen. “I almost forgot. Celine’s making some fancy dessert and needs a head count. You joining us?”

* * * *

Ari picked up a sheet of tissue paper from the table and crinkled it. The sound echoed in the storeroom at Diva Unique. Had last night really happened? She slipped the paper into an open space in the new baby and mom gift basket. Had she really woken up from a horrible nightmare and—

Another grin she couldn’t control snuck out. It must have. She’d awakened alone, aching in wonderful ways that confirmed it. She’d had lots and lots of fantastic, hot, sweaty sex with Dalir. At least she had after assuring him she’d enjoyed every minute of it the first time. He’d been so concerned. Yes, the man outweighed her by more than a hundred pounds, but she wasn’t made of porcelain. Ari encased the basket in clear wrap. She usually shied away from super protective guys. They drove her nuts, but with Dalir maybe she’d make an exception. Hold on. What was wrong with her? She couldn’t have a relationship with a guy no one else could see. Could she?

Brooke walked in. “Hey, Ari, is the basket done? The customer called. They’re on their way to pick it up.”

“Yep.” Ari tied a pink and white bow around the basket. “Here you go.”

“I think you forgot something.” Brooke pointed to the bottle of lotion on the table.

Great. Ari tugged off the ribbon. Add it to the list of Sunday’s blunders. She’d already miscounted a customer’s change and knocked over a jewelry display. Sex brain. That’s what Lauren called it. Man, she missed Lauren and Celine. But even if they were here, she couldn’t share this any more than she could tell them her other secret. They just thought she had uncanny instincts not the curse from her abilities.

“Earth to Ari. Return to the light.” Brooke waved her hand in front of Ari’s face. “Are you sure you’re feeling okay? You look tired. I knew I shouldn’t have let you talk me out of bringing you some chamomile tea when I checked on you after dinner. Did you sleep at all or did your head keep you up?”

“Kind of.” Ari added the bottle and retied the basket. It wasn’t a total fib. Her head had kept her busy last night. Somehow, she’d conjured him up again after her get past the terrible nightmare. He’d more than helped her through it. And Brooke had, too. She handed over the basket. “After our conversation about your paper last night, this documentary I saw on knights popped into my mind. There was this part on how knights were very picky about their horses. The ones with money rode coursers and the rest destriers.” She forced a laugh. “It made me think of how guys are today about their cars.”

Brooke raised a brow. “You were thinking about my paper. That’s interesting.”

And so random. She didn’t have to touch Brooke. She could see hints of bafflement in the woman’s gaze. See, that’s why she controlled her abilities. It kept her from looking like a total freak.

Brooke grinned. “Thanks for the tip on horses. I’ll include all the details I can on this paper if it gets me an A. You’ve just given me one more reason to strike up a conversation with a very cute researcher who works at the library.”

“You said you didn’t like to go to the library on weekends.”

“Oh, I’m definitely not working on my paper tonight. I’m taking advantage of the long weekend. I’m going to The Song with one of the girls who works at the computer store.”

Ari went with Brooke to the front of Diva Unique. Her, Lauren, and Celine used to spend almost every weekend at the club. Just single girls drinking mangotinis, meeting new guys, and dancing the night away. Now Celine had a new boyfriend, Lauren had South America, and she had the Invisible Man.

Throughout the day, Ari looked over her shoulder, hoping to see Dalir. Funny. Yesterday, he wouldn’t leave her alone. Today, he hadn’t shown up once to check on her. By closing at six, disappointment stole happiness. Ari counted up the registers at the desk in the back office. Let. Him. Go. That’s what she needed to do and focus on real life.

Brooke peeked in. “The store’s all tidied up.”

“And I’m done.” She’d stop thinking about Dalir. Ari grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer. She stuffed the deposit bag inside of it. “Have fun tonight.”

“Thanks.” Brooke hesitated. “You’ve been quiet. Are you sure you’re all right?”

Sure she was. A guy she’d dreamed up was probably a man-whore. What was wrong about that? “I’m good.”

“If you weren’t so tired, I’d invite you to come with us.”

Tired. Yeah, she was tired of missing her friends. Sick and tired of a shitty weekend and sick of guys, real or imaginary, with a hit-it and quit-it mentality. She’d end up buried under more steaming piles of shit if she sat home feeling sorry for herself. Or what if Dalir showed up out of nowhere again? He couldn’t just come and go out of her life as he pleased. “You know what. I’ll meet you there.”

A couple of hours later, Ari arrived at the club. She traded elbows with the crowd as she slipped past servers carrying drinks to tables. Guitar riffs with a heavy metal slant and a steady drumbeat pumped through the speakers. People danced in front of the brightly lit stage.

Contented Wrath. She should have asked Brooke about the band playing tonight. Not that she had anything against the music they played, she just wasn’t in the mood. A guy who was way too enthusiastic with the air guitar moves bumped a woman holding a drink. Ari jumped back, avoiding the splash of alcohol on her black strapless mini-dress but not on her favorite red stilettos. Shit! Maybe that was an omen she should leave.

Brooke stood on a chair, waving her arms.

Ari weaved through partiers to the table near the wall. “Hey.” She hugged Brooke. They sat down in the dark pleather seats. Ari leaned in as she dropped her clutch on the table. “Where’s your friend?”

“Dancing.” Brooke sipped a clear beverage, with lime wedges and mint leaves, from a tall glass. The strobe lights lit up her form fitting, short red dress.

Ari snagged a beverage napkin from the table. She dried moisture from her shoes and the tops of her bare feet. Celine had a dress similar to Brooke’s. She’d worn it to The Song that one night. When was that? How could she forget? Almost every guy in the place had taken notice. And the band had been really good. What had they called themselves? Retribution, redemption, something like that.

Brooke got up. “The servers are taking too long. I’m going to the bar to order another mojito. Want one?”

“No, but I’ll take a ginger ale.” Ari sat back in the chair. The place hadn’t changed. It boasted the same muted walls, dark floors, and metal girders bolted to the ceiling.

“May I buy you a drink?” A guy bent near her shoulder and smiled.

Dark hair on the longish side, brown eyes, solid-looking shoulders, but not as wide as Dalir’s. His had almost stretched the seams of his T-shirt. “No, but thanks.”

The guy’s gaze drifted to an empty chair at the table. The universal sign for “interested in getting to know you”.

She’d come here to forget her troubles. Right? A cute guy could provide a temporary distraction. Like she’d gotten with Dalir. Last night it had seemed like the perfect solution, but now… A hollowness expanded inside of her.

“Here you go.” Brooke set two drinks on the table. She glanced between him and Ari. Then back to the guy again as she sat down.

His gaze lingered on Brooke’s long legs.

More universal signs. Brooke and he were attracted to each other.

“Hey, Brooke, this is…” Ari raised a brow as she looked at him.

He held out his hand to Brooke. “Luca.”

The next song started.

She nudged Brooke. “Didn’t you say you wanted dance?”

The guy took his cue.

Brooke grinned, took his hand, and followed him to the dance floor.

Ari sipped her drink. From the faint throbbing in her head, she’d need pain reliever. Soon. Chalk it up to a busted weekend. She’d use the impending headache as an excuse to leave. As Ari went to pick up her clutch, an overwhelming need to stay put rooted her to the spot. She’d felt this way a couple times with Lauren and Celine, sensing in some way they needed her. Strange. She didn’t know Brooke that well. Besides that, Brooke looked more than fine. The inches between Brooke and Luca on the dance floor were shrinking by the second. Ari sank back in the chair. She couldn’t leave. What was going on?

Dalir prowled along the periphery of The Song’s main floor.

Earlier, he’d joined the barbecue in The Drift for a couple of hours. The food was good and so was the music, but his thoughts kept drifting to Kell. Then, the band had played a couple of slow songs. Thane and Reid had alternated taking breaks from playing to dance with their fiancées. As he’d watched the two happy couples, visions of Ari invaded. Haunting him. Condemning him for the mistake of sleeping with Ari and for slipping out in the morning. A night at the club would help clear his mind. He couldn’t have sex with her again. When he saw her, he’d focus strictly on the question that needed answering. Why could she see him?

He quick phased around people and through obstacles until he reached the corner table. Tucked far in the shadows, away from the bar and the stage, the spot lacked appeal to the partiers. The patrons of the club, enthralled by Contented Wrath’s music, wanted a close up view of the band. At least most of them.

Tonight, a dark haired guy sat at the table with a woman straddling his lap. As they kissed passionately, he popped open buttons on her blouse. She clawed at the guy’s belt.

Dalir’s blood pressure went nuclear. He swept into the guy’s mind.
“Get out of my chair and go to a fucking hotel room.”

The guy held the girl away from him. “What did you say?”

“Nothing, but if I had, it would have been don’t stop.” She reached for his zipper, but the guy held her wrist.

“Button up, babe.” As the guy stood, the girl practically tumbled off his lap. He frowned as his gaze darted around the club. “We need privacy. Let’s go to my truck.”

“Whatever works. Move.”
Dalir sat down in the other chair.

The guy hurried away, pulling the girl behind him.

Dalir leaned back. Even though no one could see him. He’d still dressed for the occasion, a dark button-down shirt and jeans, just like when he’d come to hear Thane and the team play. Unbeknownst to them, he’d sat right there for every show, enjoying the music. He hadn’t immediately jumped on board with the idea of them forming Thane’s Redemption. A cover as a local band playing gigs at a club? Come on.

Then, he’d heard them play.

He’d felt their connection to the music and finally understood why they’d needed the band as a refuge. Over the past five years, they’d turned down deals from record companies promising to turn them into stars. What was the point? Once they phased to the next mission, no one would remember they’d contracted them or the music they played. All recordings along with memories of the band would also disappear. Yet, they hadn’t turned bitter over the loss of fame. Content to return to nothing, they’d continuously rebuilt their popularity. For them, the music reigned supreme.

He propped his black boot on the seat the girl and the guy had vacated.

Taliana had treasured the same connection to music when she’d played. The lute, the lire, guitar, piano, she played them all, as well as other instruments. Talent didn’t describe what she’d possessed. It still amazed him how she’d taken lines from the stories he’d written and turned them into lyrics. What was that one song she’d sang for him? The music playing on stage competed with his recollection. Dalir projected the melody Taliana had performed for him long ago across the club to the band on stage.

Contented Wrath paused mid-song.

Hushed twitters in the audience grew into piercing whistles and shouts for the band to resume.

The keyboardist played a soft, flowing chord. The bass and electric guitarists merged into the fluid melody.

This version of Taliana’s song contained Contented Wrath’s musical influence, but it had the same resonant power. With his eyes closed, it made it easier to imagine her sweet, soothing voice blending into the song. He envisioned her smiling at him. It was as if he could smell the sweet grass underneath him as he lay there, watching her, listening. One of the stories he’d written as a boy was about a warrior, returning from battle. She’d transformed it into a song about a lost heart finding a home. She’d sung it to him the week before he’d lost her.