With music blasting from a portable speaker, Ruth chopped vegetables for her famous minestrone soup, while swaying her hips to the beat and singing along.

The good news of Anandur’s safe return had lifted a heavy weight off her chest.

She felt years younger and happier.

When he’d gone missing, the entire village had been submerged in a dark cloud. Maybe Ruth had noticed it more because she didn’t live there and only visited when Sylvia and Roni invited her over. The one time she’d been over during his abduction, the place looked and felt like zombie town, with everyone walking around a little hunched over, their eyes downcast.

Ruth suspected that it hadn’t been just worry about Anandur, whom everyone including her loved, but a general sense of dread. At least that was how she’d felt.

If a fearsome warrior like the huge Guardian could have been taken, then no one was safe.

She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact that Anandur hadn’t been taken by Doomers, thank the merciful Fates, but by a lone immortal girl who thought he was a Doomer out to harm a human female. Ruth couldn’t wait to meet Wonder, who according to the rumors was aptly named after Wonder Woman. Not only was she a powerful warrior, but she also looked a lot like the actress who played her.

The arrival of the new immortal female was also cause for celebration. The guys were probably going crazy trying to woo her.

Ruth smiled. It would be fun to watch them try. Maybe she could ask Carol to switch places with her for a few days. In the near future, the village café, which was the central hub of the place, was going to be much more interesting than Fernando’s.

As the front doorbell rang, Ruth lowered the volume on the speaker and rushed to open the door for Nick.

“You look like you’re in a good mood.” Moving the cake box to the side, Nick leaned to give her a quick peck on the lips. “I should put the tiramisu in the fridge.”

She opened the door wide. “I feel silly about sending you to buy a cake when I manage a coffee shop.”

“Yeah, but Vlad only bakes pastries.” Nick shook his head. “A Goth baker. Kudos for the nonconformity.”

“Vlad is a sweetheart. He only looks odd until you get to know him. He is really a nice kid.”

Crap, she’d sounded like a mother.

But apparently the remark went over Nick’s head. He opened the fridge and moved things around to make room for the cake. “Is Vlad his real name? Because I’m sure he chose it to go with the whole Dracula theme he has going on.”

The real story wasn’t one Ruth could tell Nick. Vlad’s mother had named him after the infamous immortal who’d gone raving mad and had to be put down. Strange woman. Who names her child after a crazed murderer?

“Maybe you got it in reverse, and he adopted the Goth look to match the name.”

Nick pulled her into his arms and lifted her up. “I think that’s enough talk about Vlad.”

“What are you doing?”

“Time for a proper kiss.” He carried her to the living room and sat on the couch with her on his lap. “But first, tell me what’s the good mood all about?”

Ruth smirked and put her cheek on his chest. Nick probably thought it was because of the great sex they’d had.

Hey, maybe it was.

To be frank, the heavy weight she’d been carrying around for years had been lifted the night she and Nick had discovered that they were perfectly matched in bed. It had been better than good. It had been amazing.

Except, until Anandur had been found she couldn’t allow herself to feel happy. As long as he’d been missing and his fate had been unknown, it hadn’t felt right to rejoice.

She couldn't tell Nick about the Guardian, but she could tell him exactly what he wanted to hear and it would be the honest truth.

“It’s about you and me. We are good together.”

His arms tightened around her. “Yes, we are.”

Lifting her head, Ruth looked into Nick’s smiling eyes. “After dinner, we could watch another movie.” She winked.

“Oh, no, I created a monster!” Nick laughed. “What do you have in mind?”

“Does that actor have more movies like that one?”

Nick pretended to frown. “It’s the big schlong, isn’t it? Because he sure as fuck ain't a pretty boy.”

“It’s not the schlong.” She shrugged. “I love his voice. I’ll probably get excited just from hearing him talk.”

“Is it when he talks like this?” Nick deepened his voice in a failed attempt to mimic the actor.

“No, silly. And it’s not just the voice. It’s his attitude.” It was hard to put into words what she found so sexy about a guy she would not have given a second glance on the street. He had a certain quality about him that was rare. “I think it’s his intensity. When he looks at the actress, you can tell he wants her. It’s not an act. He is lusting after her for real.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Well, duh. She is hot, and he’s not.”

A man wouldn’t understand. Heck, Ruth wasn’t sure other women would. It wasn’t as if she talked about the subject with anyone. Besides, people rarely told the truth. Not because they were liars, but because sometimes it was embarrassing to admit to certain yearnings.

And yet, despite her shyness and her reluctance to discuss personal issues with anyone, she didn’t want to withhold things from Nick more than was absolutely necessary. Already, there were too many secrets she was forced to keep.

He was a goofball, but he wouldn’t make fun of her or ridicule her desires, not even inside his own head. It was okay to share things with Nick.

Ruth felt safe with him.

Not that she could be absolutely sure. The one time she’d been tempted to take a peek inside his head, she couldn't.

At first, it had taken her by surprise, and she rationalized it as guilt over the intrusion preventing her from seeing anything. After all, she had no such problems with the other humans in the café. Not that she did that often, or searched for things that were none of her business.

Ruth only took the occasional peek to reassure herself that people liked her and didn’t think of her as a weirdo.

But then she’d encountered another human into whose mind she couldn’t peek, and then another.

Some humans erected instinctive protective shields around their minds, which made sense, but Nick wasn’t the type. He wasn’t suspicious, or timid, or reclusive.

The opposite was true.

Nick had no filter, and because of that some might have thought that he wasn’t smart.

But he was highly intelligent, which was the other reason some human minds were tough to penetrate. His powerful brain probably made him more resistant to thralling, or maybe even an immune, which could pose one heck of a problem.

Until that was determined, Ruth needed to be careful about what she revealed to Nick. If it turned out that he wasn’t a Dormant, there would be no way to erase his memories.

Except, with her meager thralling abilities, she might not have been good enough to penetrate his mind, but someone more talented might succeed where she’d failed.

In the meantime, though, she couldn’t share with him what she was, or even who he possibly was, but she could share with him what turned her on. Not that it was going to be easy. But this was as good of an opportunity to start as any, and Ruth was sick of being a mouse.

Besides, with her head tucked under Nick’s chin and her cheek resting on his chest, he couldn’t see her flaming cheeks.

“He is also kind of commanding, but without being aggressive. I think the combination is hot.”