Chapter 19
Acceptance
“Garenth?” Brielle stepped inside her apartment and glanced around the empty living area. Closing the door behind her, she placed her purse and the bag onto the bar that separated the small kitchen from the rest of the area and walked into the bedroom. Not seeing him there, a moment of fear went through her until she caught movement outside the open window. Smiling, she went over and peered outside onto the fire escape. Garenth sat, posed, on the edge. The man creature looked like a giant sculpture guarding the narrow staircase and walkway.
“Garenth? Have you been outside the whole time I’ve been away?”
He turned around to give her a confused look, reminding her she didn’t have her phone with her. Brielle quickly returned to the front room to retrieve it. When she turned around, Garenth had followed her inside. She started to ask him her question again when he stopped and sniffed. Slowly, he made his way over to the bar where she’d set her package.
“I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some roasted chicken. I don’t know if you can eat it, but I couldn’t think of anything else you might want.”
She opened the bag to withdraw the Styrofoam container that held the half chicken. Garenth remained standing by the bar, his gaze intent on what she was doing. Pushing it toward him, she opened the box.
He glanced at her. “Eat?”
“Yeah.”
He reached in and pulled the skin from the meat. Looking at his fingers, he raised them to his nose and sniffed, followed by a tentative lick. A strange expression crossed his bestial features, and he tore a piece of chicken off the bone, shoving it into his mouth.
Brielle perched herself on the edge of a bar stool and watched as he devoured the chicken, barely chewing each piece before swallowing and taking another bite. Within a couple of minutes, he’d consumed the meal. She started to reach for the empty container to place in the trash, when Garenth broke the leg bone and proceeded to suck out the marrow. The sight of it made her wince, but he seemed to delight in the taste. He tossed the bone pieces back into the container and looked at her.
“It was good. I hungry.”
She smiled at the contentment on his face. “I’m glad. Would you like something to drink?”
“Wine.”
“Uhh, no wine. Sorry. How about a glass of water?”
He grinned. “Water good.”
She pulled a glass from the cabinet and filled it from the tap at the kitchen sink. When she turned around, she nearly collided with him. Garenth reached past her and twisted the faucet, turning the water on and off.
“Your world fascinating.”
She snickered and handed him the glass. He sniffed the contents before drinking up every drop.
“More?”
In answer, he gently moved her aside and refilled the glass himself, drinking about half of the contents before setting it down on the counter.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” A yawn caught her unaware. She tried to cover it with her hand.
“You tired.” The concern in his tone was unavoidable. “You rest.”
“Yeah. Last night was pretty rough. Would you mind if I went to lay down for a little bit and take a nap? When I wake up, I’ll go get you something more to eat. I don’t have anything on hand here to cook for you, and that little bit of chicken couldn’t have been enough to fill you up.”
Garenth frowned slightly. “You rest,” he reiterated.
She patted him on the shoulder and walked into her bedroom, half-expecting for him to tag behind. When she reached the bed, she turned to see him standing in the doorway, watching her. For a second she wondered what he was thinking. She also realized she didn’t feel uncomfortable having him here. Having him in such close proximity, despite his fearsome appearance. Or his alienness.
He’s like a time traveler who’s become lost in a strange new world.
No. He is a time traveler. And he is lost. He’s lost, confused, angry, and unable to comprehend what he sees and hears. I bet that’s the first time he ever ate chicken, too.
“Garenth, would you like it if I turned on the TV so you won’t get bored?” Damn. She should have thought about that this morning before she left.
His brows lowered, which she half-expected.
Going back into the living room, she picked up the remote and turned on the television, quickly flipping it to a news channel. Although she knew he wouldn’t be able to make out what was being said, at least he could view the pictures and get some kind of idea of the world he now inhabited.
She handed him the remote, then tapped the buttons. “Off.” The TV went blank. “On.” The screen came back to life. Flashing him a smile, she left him there and returned to the bedroom. Using a spare blanket as covering, she kicked off her shoes and crawled on top of the bedspread.
The last thing she was aware of was hearing the familiar jingle of an insurance company playing from the other room.
* * *
Garenth returned to the bedroom and slowly eased the door open to gaze upon the woman lying on the bed. After she’d left that morning, he had spent those intervening hours thinking of her. Wondering what would become of her once he found the mother idol.
At the same time, he’d tried to think of what he would do when he retrieved the blessed vial. A part of him kept insisting he should return to his home country, but that suggestion was met with disdain. The idea of going back to years of sleep had become abhorrent to him, especially now that he’d seen this new world.
Since he’d met Brielle.
But common sense also told him he couldn’t stay with her. In fact, there was nowhere in this time where someone like him would be welcome.
He touched his face again. His appearance alone was horrid. But Brielle accepted him. She’d offered him shelter, and she’d brought him food and drink. And she’d touched him, without hesitation, without fear, and without revulsion.
The young woman sighed, drawing his attention back to her. She was lying on her side, facing away from him, her body curled slightly. She looked vulnerable, and he found himself wanting to go over and wrap his body around hers for protection. It was a desire that continued to grow in him, along with a stirring between his legs that had been dormant for so long it was almost alien to him. But he knew his feelings, his returning need and want, were futile. He was a creature who was not meant to be, and he silently cursed Minbar for what she’d done to him.
He’d come to accept the fact that he had gotten his revenge on Serasin by outliving the vizier. By surviving after the man had condemned him to die. But what kind of life was this? What kind of existence could he expect to have in this form?
I need to find the mother idol, he repeatedly reminded himself. Without it, I will die. Or maybe I am already dying because I have lost contact with it.
He shook his head. There was no way he could fit into Brielle’s life, or into any kind of life on this world. As much as he tried to avoid it, he knew that his only option after retrieving the mother idol was to return to his home country and accept whatever future the gods planned for him.
A heaviness filled his chest, now that he was finally willing to accept his true fate. His only fate.
Silently, he returned to the open window and slipped out onto the fire escape to await the night. Once he deemed it safe enough, he would continue in his search for the mother idol. Something told him he would be successful. Perhaps even tonight.
As he took a stance on the metal landing, he bowed his head and closed his eyes. But no matter how hard he tried to concentrate on his task, his thoughts always returned to the woman lying sleeping in the room behind him.