Dark Survivor Echoes of Love Read online

  Kian nodded. “Perfectly understandable. But if you could get an education, what would you like to study?”

  “I don’t know enough to even know that. Right now all I can think of is a teacher. I like kids. But you don’t have any here. Could I teach human kids?”

  “One day there will be.” Syssi’s voice quivered a little. “Callie, Brundar’s mate, is studying to become a teacher. You can ask her about it.”

  “I didn’t even go to high school.”

  “Not a problem,” Amanda said. “We can put you in a homeschooling program, and you’ll breeze through it.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Syssi said. “I’ll get right on it tomorrow. You can get a GED. It’s a high-school equivalency certificate.”

  “What do I need to do to get it?”

  “Study and then pass the test,” Amanda said. “No biggie.”

  9

  Anandur

  “Callie, as always, it was awesome.” Anandur leaned to kiss her cheek.

  She smiled up at him. “Are you finally full?”

  “Yes. Thank you for making my dream a reality.”

  “If all it takes to make you happy is grilling a few steaks, then you’re an easy guy to please. Right, Wonder?”

  After the stressful time Wonder had had at Kian’s, she was finally unwinding, mainly thanks to Callie. The girl knew how to put people at ease. Which was the opposite effect Kian had.

  Still, Anandur had to admit that Kian had made an effort to throttle down his intensity and smile at Wonder from time to time.

  “I’m just glad you’re not mad at me for Tasering your boyfriend. I was afraid that you were going to put something in my food.”

  The fact that Wonder was joking was an excellent indicator that she was starting to get comfortable around his family. The girl didn’t have anyone, and Anandur was more than happy to share his with her.

  Callie waggled her finger. “I will never tamper with food. But that doesn’t mean I won’t use some of my sharp knives. So beware.” She winked.

  Brundar wrapped his arm around Callie’s shoulders. “My girl is a killer cook and extremely handy with the knives.”

  Anandur wasn’t sure Wonder would understand his brother’s dry humor. Those who knew Brundar would get that he was joking, but his toneless delivery might confuse others.

  Fortunately, it seemed Wonder got it.

  She smiled. “That she is. Thank you. I don’t remember ever eating so well.”

  “You’re welcome to come join us any day. Our door is always open, and I always cook way too much food. In fact, just to make it official, you are both invited to dinner tomorrow.”

  Anandur pulled the door open. “We’ll see. I have to check my assignments first.”

  “Are you guys sure you can’t stay for dessert?”

  Wonder cast Anandur a sidelong glance.

  He shook his head. “Maybe next time. Syssi is waiting for us to come back so she can take Wonder to her new place. I don’t want to keep her waiting.”

  “Okay, that’s an excuse I can’t argue with,” Callie said. “But make sure you can come tomorrow at the same time and bring Wonder with you.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Good night, you guys.” She pulled Wonder in for a quick hug and then hugged Anandur.

  Brundar only nodded.

  “You too.” Wonder waved as they went down the steps.

  “Did you have fun?” Anandur asked.

  “Yes. Callie is so nice. And Brundar is not as scary with her around.”

  Anandur chuckled. “You can say that again.”

  “What now?”

  “Syssi is going to introduce you to your new roomies.” She’d texted him during dinner. Apparently, Gertrude and Hildegard had a spare bedroom in their house and were eager to take in Wonder as a third roommate.

  “Are you sure they are okay with me staying with them?”

  “Everyone other than the couples, which aren’t that many, is sharing housing in the village. They’ve got a three-bedroom house, so naturally they were expecting another roommate. They are very excited about you joining them.”

  “Are they nice?”

  “You’ll have to find out for yourself. But don’t worry. You’re a celebrity. They are going to love having you.”

  She cringed. “Are you sure? I was the bad guy in this story.”

  He stopped and put his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t do that. You took down three Doomers and by doing so saved at least three women, probably more. You’re a hero. Own it.”

  “You’re right, but what about taking you down? Everyone has been worried sick about you. Callie said it was like a graveyard here. People weren’t smiling and were moping around.”

  “Well, what can I say? I’m dearly loved. But I’m back safe, and all is well except for my pride. I don’t think I’ll ever live down being taken by a civilian female. My life is going to be hell.”

  She smiled. “I doubt it. People love you and are scared of Brundar. They wouldn’t dare.”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders again, which she seemed to enjoy, and kept walking toward Syssi and Kian’s place. “You’ve got it figured out pretty quick.”

  “It’s not hard to do. It’s quite obvious.”

  “Hi, guys.” Syssi came out of her house, hefting a huge suitcase.

  “What’s that?” Anandur asked and rushed to take it from her.

  “Amanda collected more things for Wonder. You know what she’s like.”

  “Very generous,” Wonder said.

  Syssi chuckled. “Yes, that too. You don’t need to shop for clothes for about five years. And as far as torture panties go, don’t worry. I found a new five-pack I didn’t open yet of comfy cotton panties for sensible girls. Regrettably, though, I didn’t have any new bras.”

  Wonder looked a little uncomfortable. “I’m so grateful for all that you’re doing for me.”

  Syssi waved a hand. “Think nothing of it.”

  “Which house is it?” Anandur asked.

  “The first one after this turn.” She pointed before turning to Wonder. “You’ll be rooming with Hildegard and Gertrude who are both nurses. Hildegard works full time in the clinic, and Gertrude only when she’s needed. She grows herbs the rest of the time.”

  “That’s an interesting hobby,” Wonder said.

  “It’s more than a hobby for her. She supplies several high-end restaurants and makes good money off it.”

  “Callie uses Gertrude’s herbs in her cooking,” Anandur said. “She says they make everything taste better, and I agree.”

  “Here we are.” Syssi walked up to the front door and knocked.

  Hildegard opened up. “Hello, Wonder. I’m so glad you agreed to share the house with us. We are so excited.”

  From behind her, Gertrude nodded. “You have no idea how refreshing it is to have someone new around who hasn’t heard all of our stories yet.”

  “Thank you for having me,” Wonder said.

  Less than fifteen minutes later, Gertrude and Hildegard had Wonder settled in her bedroom and shooed Syssi and Anandur out.

  “The girl needs to get some rest,” Gertrude said. “I can’t believe you dragged her around the entire village on social calls. After the injury she sustained, you should have insisted on her taking it easy. Go home, Anandur. You can come back and see her tomorrow.” She practically shoved him out the door.

  “I’ll stop by tomorrow morning,” he called out from the front porch.

  “Good night, Anandur.” Wonder waved before disappearing down the hallway.

  “She is going to be okay.” Syssi threaded her arm through his. “She is in good hands.”

  “I know.”

  It was just so damn hard to say goodbye to her. Spending the entire day with Wonder had felt so natural, it was as if they belonged together, and without her, he felt like part of him was missing.

  Stop that. It’s nonsense. He was getting carried awa
y on the wings of his romantic soul.

  “Remember the dream I told you about?” Syssi said.

  “What about it?” He hadn’t thought about it in weeks.

  “Wonder is the girl I saw in the dream with you.”

  Anandur felt as if Syssi had punched him in the gut with a battering ram. “Are you sure? Because Wonder never cried on my shoulder or off it. She is a tough cookie.”

  “I can’t be completely certain because I didn’t see her eyes in the dream, or her entire face. I just saw her profile, her hair, and her build. But everything that I did see matched. I’m ninety-nine percent sure it was her.”

  10

  Wonder

  The sounds that greeted Wonder upon waking were very different than those she was used to. The shelter’s hustle and bustle started early in the morning and didn’t quiet down until late at night. Loud conversations in the adjacent rooms and hallways were the norm, and in the background, there was a constant buzz of cars zipping by along the nearby highway.

  In contrast, the village’s peaceful morning was filled with the pleasant chirping of birds and the soothing rustle of leaves. Through the open window, the sight that greeted her wasn’t of other block-like buildings but of tree branches swaying in the gentle breeze, their green leaves blinking on and off as they reflected the morning sun.

  Compared to the city, life in the village seemed serene.

  Having a room of her own was also something she could get used to. It was almost like having a little apartment. There was a big bed with crisp sheets, an armchair with a side table, a private bathroom for her exclusive use, and a walk-in closet that was still empty because she’d been too tired to unpack the suitcase full of clothes Amanda had gifted her.

  Her new roommates were awesome too.

  So far, everyone had been super nice to her. Even Kian had made an effort to make her feel welcome.

  When Anandur had told her she would find a new home with his people, Wonder hadn’t believed him, thinking he was exaggerating, and that there was no way things were going to be as fantastic as he’d made them out to be. But after less than a day, Wonder actually thought that he’d under-promised and not overpromised.

  Last night, Gertrude had made her tea with some herb that was supposed to speed up recovery and restore energy, but Wonder doubted it had done her any good.

  After saying goodnight to her roommates, she’d crawled into bed, snuggled under the soft comforter, hugged the overstuffed down-filled pillow, and had fallen asleep in seconds. But even though she had the best night’s sleep ever, she still felt tired, exhausted really.

  The fatigue wasn’t the result of her injury, though, or even the stressful events of the past few days. It was the accumulation of everything that had happened to her since waking up from her coma.

  For the first time that she could remember, Wonder felt utterly safe, which for some reason manifested in her feeling tired from all the restless days and nights that had come before.

  Her life up to that point had been a constant struggle on multiple fronts.

  At first, it had been all about basic survival. She’d scavenged and stolen, living in constant fear of getting caught. Then she’d had to fight off attackers and run away. And while all that had been going on, she had been learning about the world she was living in like a newborn baby.

  In time, things would have probably normalized for her if not for the Doomers she’d captured. But fate had different ideas, putting the right person in the right place, at the right moment to stop them from killing the women they’d lured into Wonder’s back alley.

  Who else could’ve done what she had?

  Human men would’ve gotten either thralled or killed as collateral damage, and it wasn’t as if immortal Guardians were routinely patrolling the alleys behind clubs ready to intervene.

  Wonder didn’t regret her actions, not even for a moment.

  They had been necessary. She was strong enough physically and mentally to stop the murders and then carry the burden of holding three dangerous immortals locked up.

  Still, it felt awesome to leave all of that behind her. Now she could have a normal life, or whatever these immortals considered as normal.

  “Wonder, honey.” Gertrude opened the door a crack. “Anandur is here for you.”

  Her heart did a little happy backflip. “Tell him I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

  “Okay.” Gertrude closed the door.

  Wonder couldn’t wait to thank Anandur for bringing her to his people and to apologize for doubting him.

  Perhaps capturing the Doomers had been more lucky than unlucky. If not for them, she would’ve never suspected Anandur and captured him as well. Wonder would have missed out on the best opportunity life had given her since waking up from the coma. He was the reason she was here, finally ready to start living and not just surviving.

  In fact, it seemed as if everything that had happened to her so far hadn’t been accidental. Every eventful occurrence was another milestone in her journey to find a home with her people.

  Could it be that her coma and loss of memory were also part of some grand plan fate had for her?

  Nah, she was taking it too far. The bottom line, though, was that she’d been very fortunate and she should be thankful for that.

  After a quick visit to the bathroom to take care of the morning necessities, Wonder opened the suitcase and pulled out the first two items on top of the pile. Amanda had done a commendable job with the packing. Everything looked as if it had been professionally cleaned and folded. On second thought, though, Kian’s sister probably had servants to do stuff like that for her.

  Yeah, something like that would probably be Wonder’s job. Did they have a central laundry facility in the village? Or did everyone launder their own clothes? There was still so much she didn’t know.

  Hopefully, Anandur could spare her a little time before he had to go to work.

  After pulling on a pair of stretchy jeans, Wonder put on a loose peasant blouse that was absolutely gorgeous but then took it off and searched the suitcase for a camisole. The fabric was so thin it was practically sheer, and she wasn’t wearing a bra.

  Thankfully, she found a simple black undershirt that went well with the colorful blouse. With that done, all that remained was to braid her hair and put shoes on. Regrettably, there were none in the suitcase, and she had to make do with her dreadful sneakers.

  Even a pair of simple flip-flops would have looked so much better with the beautiful outfit.

  “Good morning,” Anandur greeted her with a beaming smile. “How was your first night in the village?”

  “Awesome.” She smiled back, doing her damnedest not to grin like a fool because he was there. “Good morning to you too. Did you sleep well?”

  “Not really.” He took her elbow. “Come on, let me buy you coffee.”

  “Wait. I need to tell the girls I’m leaving.” She pulled her arm away and looked around. “Where did they go?”

  Anandur took her elbow again. “Gertrude is out in the garden and Hildegard is at the clinic.”

  “Hold on. I need to bring my purse.”

  Amanda had included a very nice one in the suitcase she’d packed for her.

  Wonder didn’t have anything other than a debit card and a few bucks to put in it, but it would look great with the outfit, and she felt like looking girly for a change.

  The money she’d had in her pocket when Brundar had nailed her with the knife was all she had available right now, but it should be enough to buy a cup of coffee. She also had her debit card, but the question was whether she could use it here. A village of immortals that was hidden from the world of humans probably functioned differently than San Francisco. Maybe they even had their own currency here?

  “You don’t need a purse unless you have a lipstick or a comb you want to bring with you. We are only going to the village café.”

  “I don’t even own a lipstick. But is the coffee free at the café?”


  “For you it is.” He pulled her out the door. “I’m taking you out for breakfast.”

  “Okay.”

  The money she had might have been enough for coffee but not for a full meal. Besides, it almost sounded like he was taking her out on a date. Wasn’t it customary for the guy to pay? In the movies, the men always picked up the bill for dinner, so she assumed it was the way things were done on a date.

  Except, Wonder doubted it had been Anandur’s intention. He was all business-like, still friendly, but not at all flirtatious.

  “A word of warning. There are always people hanging around the café. Are you okay to socialize?”

  She looked up at him. “I’m not shy around people. I’m not overly friendly either, but everyone I’ve met until now was really nice. Even Kian was okay after the first couple of minutes. He is kind of intense, but he seems like a good person.”

  “One of the best.” Anandur chuckled. “I love him, but that doesn’t mean I never feel like punching his too pretty puss. He can be a smug bastard sometimes and opinionated as hell, but then being the son of a goddess will do that to a guy.”

  That’s right. Kian and Amanda were the goddess’s children. No wonder they were gorgeous.

  “Is that why they are so perfect? I mean Kian and Amanda. Because they are direct descendants of the goddess?”

  “Yep.” Anandur stopped and turned to face her. “Wait a minute. So I’m not perfect?” He put a hand over his heart. “I'm deeply wounded that you think Kian is more handsome than me.” He sniffled for good measure.

  Wonder slapped his bulging bicep. “You’re such a clown.”

  He sniffled again, put his finger on his lips and looked up to the clouds as if holding back tears. “And now I’m also a clown. How can you be so cruel?”

  Was it all one big joke to him? Or was there some truth under all the clowning around?

  “You’re very handsome too. Just in a different way. You’re more rugged and manly. Kian is almost too pretty. You know what I mean?”

  The big grin splitting his face was proof that he’d been fishing for just that. “You think I’m manly?”