“Thank you for inviting me again.” Wonder followed Callie to the dining room table. “Can I help bring stuff from the kitchen?”

“There is nothing to bring. Sit, eat, and enjoy. Brundar did the cooking this time.” Callie sat down. “All I did were the mashed potatoes.” She lifted the lid off a large glass dish. “The asparagus.” She repeated the reveal with a smaller dish. “This one is for us girls. Anandur thinks that anything green is bad for him, and Brundar is not a fan of veggies either.”

As he glanced at his girlfriend, Brundar’s harshly beautiful features softened, the warmth in his expression taking Wonder aback. The change was startling in a guy that most of the time looked like a beautiful but ominous statue.

“I’ll go check on the steaks.” Brundar slid open the glass doors leading to the backyard.

As the room filled with the smell of grilled steaks, Anandur closed his eyes and inhaled. “I love the smell of dead animals on the grill.”

“You make it sound so gross.” Callie lifted the lids off the two remaining dishes, one with corncobs and another with a small mixed-greens salad. “This one is also just for us girls.” She winked at Wonder.

Anandur unfurled a napkin and put it over his lap. “You’re spoiling me, Callie. Steaks and mashed potatoes for two days in a row is a real treat.”

She leaned toward him and kissed his cheek. “I think you deserve a little pampering after surviving captivity on rice and beans.”

Wonder felt heat creep up her cheeks. “I couldn't afford more than that. Immortals eat a lot, and I was trying to save up for a rent deposit, so I could leave the shelter. Do you know how expensive rent is in San Francisco? Even with roommates?”

“Oh, sweetie, no one is accusing you of anything. You did what you had to do, that’s all.”

“Speaking of money,” Anandur cut Callie’s apologies short. “Earlier, I got a text from Kian. He approved an allowance for you.”

When had that happened? Anandur hadn’t mentioned it when he loaned her the money. He must’ve gotten a text after that. The guy was constantly getting texts and replying to them. Though most of the time it seemed like he was trading jokes. Either that or his work was funny enough to make him laugh, and she doubted that was the case.

“It’s not much, only twelve hundred a month, but given that your living expenses are covered, I think it should be enough. And when you decide what and where you want to study, the clan will naturally pay for the tuition as well.”

Wonder was rendered speechless by such generosity. She’d expected the allowance to be a couple of hundred, not a dozen. It was too much, and it made her uncomfortable. She wasn’t a charity case. “I appreciate the offer, I really do, and I might take Kian up on the offer to pay for tuition, but only as a loan.” She lifted her hand to stop Anandur’s protests. “I’m an able-bodied woman, not a child. I will work for my spending money.”

Brundar entered the room holding a platter of steaks, and slid the glass door closed behind him. “If you join the Guardian training program, you will get paid a salary that’s quite decent while you’re in it. When you graduate, the pay will triple.”

Wonder wished people would stop suggesting it. She’d made it pretty obvious that it wasn’t a career path she was interested in, and yet they kept pushing.

“Guardians make good money,” Callie said. “The housing is provided by the clan, and they get a month’s paid vacation a year, a pretty sweet deal. Not that Brundar is taking advantage of the paid vacation part. I’m still trying to teach him how to take it easy and just chill for a while.”

Well, that explained Anandur’s luxurious apartment at the keep and the fancily appointed houses in the village. The living expenses were covered by the clan. A member didn’t need to be rich to get a nice place to live.

It was cool, but it also meant that Anandur wasn’t someone important after all.

Well, that wasn’t true. It seemed like everyone in the clan knew and loved him. That made him important enough.

Getting behind Callie, Brundar removed a steak from the platter and placed it on her plate. “I can’t take off while all these Guardians need retraining. When they are combat-ready, we can go on a vacation.”

“And when is that going to happen?”

“Soon.” He put a steak on Wonder’s plate. “Another one?”

“No, thank you. Maybe later.”

“Given my brother’s appetite, I doubt there will be any left over. But suit yourself.” He put four steaks on Anandur's plate and took two for himself.

“Dig in, everyone,” Callie said.

Anandur rubbed his hands before picking up his utensils. “Don’t mind if I do.”

Brundar popped the cap of a beer bottle and handed it to his brother, and then opened another one for himself. “I’m not offering you any since you said you don’t drink alcohol.”

“I don’t,” Wonder said. “I don’t like the taste.”

Callie handed her a cold coke can. “I noticed that you like these.”

“I do, thanks.”

“Cheers!” Brundar clinked bottles with Anandur and then with Callie and Wonder’s coke cans.

“To family and good friends,” Anandur said.

Family and friends.

That sounded awesome. Maybe one day she would find hers. And if not, maybe the clan could be her adopted family. Everyone she’d met so far was super nice.

“So, how about it, Wonder? Do you want to join the force?” Brundar asked. “With those killer reflexes of yours, you’re a natural. I wouldn’t be surprised if you completed the training in record time.”

Wonder finished chewing a piece of steak and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Thank you. But I would rather do something that doesn’t involve fighting.”

“That’s a shame. I wish there were another job I could offer you, but I’m afraid there isn’t much to do in the village.”

“I’m sure there is.” Wonder cut off another piece of the juicy steak.

Anandur waved his fork at her. “You’re not going to clean houses or offices if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“There is nothing wrong with cleaning. It’s good, honest work. But that’s not what I had in mind.”

He arched a brow. “What else is there?”

“Carol needs help in the coffee shop. Maybe she would consider hiring me? I don’t know how to make cappuccinos, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to learn, and I can manage sandwiches just fine.”

Callie clapped her hands. “That’s an awesome idea! Carol keeps complaining about having to work two jobs. I’m sure she would love to have you.”

Anandur nodded. “It could be really good for you too. If you work at the café, you’ll eventually get to meet everyone. I’ll talk to Carol and Jackson tomorrow.”

Wonder released the breath she’d been holding while waiting for Anandur’s response. She knew Carol wouldn’t object to having some help around the café. Anandur had been the only possible obstacle to her plan. Except, who was that guy Anandur had mentioned?

“Who’s Jackson?”

“He is the guy who is actually supposed to run the place. Carol is supposed to be helping him, not working full time,” Anandur said. “But he has two other cafés to manage until he trains his replacement.”

Shit on a stick. That meant that she could only have that job temporarily.

Still, it was better than nothing.

“How long until he takes over?”

Anandur put his fork down. “Not anytime soon. There are some complications that are preventing him from moving into the village. But that’s a story for another day.”