Kian walked over to the bar. “Can I get you a drink? I know it’s a little early in the day for that, but after what you’ve been through I assume you can use one.”

“You know me well.” Anandur joined Kian at the bar and watched him pour Black Label into two glasses. It wasn’t Kian’s usual fancy fare, but it was what Anandur liked.

“Sláinte!” Kian said as they clinked glasses. “Let’s go outside. I want to smoke.” Which in Kian’s speak was code for ‘let’s talk in private.’

Since moving in, Kian had added several features to his backyard, the most prominent being a noisy bubbling fountain. The thing was annoying as hell, but it provided protection from nosy neighbors. Not that he had anything to fear from Amanda and Dalhu on one side or Brundar and Callie on the other, but still, sometimes a guy wanted to play footsie with his wife in his own backyard without being overheard.

“Tell me about Wonder,” Kian said as he sat on the outdoor sofa and reached for the pack of cigarettes on the coffee table.

“There isn’t much to tell. She woke up from a coma about nine months ago and can’t remember anything from before. Even her name is one she adopted without even knowing what it meant. Some kid pointed at her on the street and said ‘Wonder Woman,’ and that was it.”

“I can see why.” Kian pulled out a cigarette. “Mostly it’s the height and the dark coloring, I don’t think their facial features are similar at all. Wonder’s eyes are different. Very unique color.”

Mesmerizing was a better description.

“What else?” Kian asked.

“She woke up in Egypt, so we have to assume she is from that part of the world. After getting attacked by a group of thugs and killing one of them in self-defense, she ran away and hid onboard a cargo ship that also took passengers. When she got to San Francisco, she was granted refugee status.”

Kian lit his cigarette and took a puff. “Can you explain how a civilian female managed to take down three Doomers and two Guardians?”

“She must’ve been trained, but she doesn’t remember it. But that’s not all. Wonder is incredibly strong, much stronger than any other immortal female including Kri. She’s probably stronger than most immortal males.”

“Hmm, why do you think that is?”

Anandur shrugged. “I guess that is her special gift.”

“Interesting. I’ve never heard of physical strength being a special talent. Is it possible that she’s biologically a male, or maybe a hybrid? It sometimes happens in humans."

Anandur felt his cheeks getting hot. He hadn’t blushed since he was a teenager, but Kian’s suggestions were making him furious.

“If you’re asking whether I checked her equipment, the answer is no. The girl could not be older than nineteen or twenty, and I’m not a pedophile.”

Kian waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t get your panties in a wad. I’m just thinking out loud. And a twenty-year-old is not a child. Maturity level aside, a seventeen-year-old is kosher.”

“Maybe for another teenager, but not for someone my age.” Anandur took a long swig from his drink.

“We can have Bridget take a look at her anatomy.”

It had been a very long time since Anandur had felt like punching Kian in the face, but he was a hair’s breadth away from doing it now. “Over my dead body. I promised Wonder a sanctuary, not an interrogation that includes medical probing. The girl is probably still a virgin.”

By the sly smile on Kian’s face, Anandur had fallen straight into the trap he’d set up for him. “You like her, you dirty old man.”

Damn. He should’ve known better than to let Kian goad him.

Anandur took another swig from his drink. “What’s not to like? She would make an awesome Guardian.”

“And that’s the only reason.” Kian took another puff from his cigarette. “Her beauty has nothing to do with it.”

Finishing the last of his Chivas, Anandur pushed up to his feet. “Mind if I take a refill?”

“Go ahead. Refill mine too.” Kian handed Anandur his empty glass.

Still seething, Anandur walked inside and headed for the bar. From down the hallway, he could hear Amanda talking and Wonder and Syssi laughing, which helped calm his anger. The girl needed to laugh more. It was good for her.

As he refilled the two glasses, Anandur felt his belly rumble again. The five frozen dinners he’d consumed were no more than an appetizer for him. He still didn’t have the half a cow and mountain of mashed potatoes he’d promised himself when he got free. Regrettably, the only thing he could get at Kian’s were veggie burgers, which tasted like crap.

How could the guy live on that shit? Didn’t he have taste buds?

Whatever. To each his own. Anandur opened each one of the bar’s cabinets until he found a bag of pretzels. It would have to do for now.

Later, Wonder and he were going to eat a proper dinner at Callie and Brundar’s.

Bag under his arm and a glass in each hand, he returned to the backyard.

“Here.” He handed Kian his drink. “Do you want some pretzels?”

“No, thank you. Aren’t you going to your brother’s house for dinner later?

“We are. But don’t worry about it. I’m so damn hungry I’m going to wolf down everything Callie makes.”

Kian arched a brow. “Do I look worried to you? I know how much you can eat. After you’re done with dinner, bring Wonder back here. Syssi will get her settled in one of the houses. Unless you want her to room with you and Magnus?”

Right, as if he needed temptation right under his nose.

“No. Magnus and I switch between the keep and the village every two weeks, and she would be all alone in the house. It’s better for her to room with other girls who are permanently here.”

“I agree.”

Anandur scratched his head. “But I think it would be better if I were around. I’m the only one she knows. Is it okay if I don’t finish my rotation at the keep and stay in the village for a while?”

“Good idea. I’ll have Bhathian take over your trainees, and you can take back your post as my bodyguard.”

“Thanks.”

The smirk on Kian’s face portended another taunt. “Can’t stay away from the girl, eh?”

“Let’s get one thing straight,” Anandur said. “There is nothing going on between Wonder and me, and I don’t want to hear any comments about it. Can you please not follow in your sister’s footsteps? One yenta per keep is plenty.”

Kian took a swig, put his glass down on the table, and pinned Anandur with his intense stare. “I’m very grateful for my sister’s unsolicited meddling. Thanks to her, I found my true-love mate, and my life has been changed infinitely for the better.”