Page 15 of Night Fury
“I started to change. I learned everything I could from doctors and surgeons who risked their lives on the front lines to heal their armies. I learned how to build shelters, houses, even hospitals, so that others could have somewhere to turn to. That’s when I became terrified of having a mate, because I learned that I couldn’t save everyone. Immortal didn’t mean invincible, and it didn’t mean I was an omniscient god. I couldn’t always be there, and there was a possibility that one day my mate would need me and I couldn’t be there to save her, to saveyou.”
Luke ran a frustrated hand through his hair and sighed again. “I kept myself busy in every possible way I could. I do that a lot. When I’m stressed, I need to keep my hands busy, keep my mind elsewhere. It worked for a while, until Mya lost Erik.”
He turned her hand in his, rubbing the space between her thumb and index finger, feeling a sense of comfort that logically he knew he must have imagined, but nonetheless wanted to believe was real.
“Erik was a father figure to all of us and losing him changed something in us. For me, it was the chaotic way I went after things, the way I obsessed when I didn’t know what else to do. But it damn near killed Mya. For once, someone needed me and I didn’t want to let her down. We were like that for a long time, until Dani, and now you. Mates are very rare for us immortals, and whether we meet our mates is entirely up to chance. We never know where, or why, or how.”
Luke smiled. “But you, sweet little sunflower, walked into my life, infected my mind, and you haven’t left it since, even when I didn’t know you were my mate. So, while I find it incredibly adorable that you’re chasing women out of my—and what I hope you’ll accept to be your—house, you should know they never stood a chance.” He brushed her cheek with his thumb. “Because I am yours, Johanna, just as much as you are mine, and when you come back to me, I will spend my days reminding you of that in every way I can.”
* * *
“Thank you for picking up the wallpaper,” Luke said to Dani as he joined her at her green SUV.
Dani smiled, unlocking the trunk for him. “You’re welcome.”
While Luke began to grab the rolls and other supplies, Dani picked up several large bags from the backseat. Luke tilted his head to look inside them, but she swerved around him before he could ask.
Luke rolled his eyes and huffed as he followed her into his house, where she was already busy unloading the bags in Johanna’s room.
“Are you going to tell me what else you got?” Luke asked as he set the wallpaper rolls down on the floor.
“A little bit of this, a little bit of that,” Dani said in a sing-song voice as she bobbed her head, sending her dark brown curls swaying left to right. She blew him a kiss when he eyed her suspiciously. Then Luke saw her pull out a bundle of clothes.
“Are those for Johanna?” he asked.
“Yes. While I’m sure you get some weird, sick sort of alpha male satisfaction from having her in your clothes, she should have some of her own.”
He was, in fact, satisfied every time he changed Johanna into his clothes, but that was beside the point. “How did you figure out her size?”
When Luke had casually mentioned to Dani that he wanted to hire a seamstress to measure Johanna so he could purchase clothing for her, Dani had nearly cut his head off. According to her, there were some things a woman had to volunteer on her own, and her clothing size was one of them. Luke thought it was ridiculous, especially since he was only asking to make his mate more comfortable, but Dani told him she’d take care of it.
“There’s a reason why those high-end expensive stores have personal shoppers,” she said as she put away another set of clothes, something pink catching his eye. As Dani headed back outside, she stopped and looked over her shoulder at Luke. “I like the new furniture by the way. It’s very warm … cozy.”
To keep his mind off when Johanna might regain consciousness, Luke had kept himself busy. At first, he sketched Johanna, mixing her form with outfits and small details he remembered from when she would flit in and out of the office. It had been months since he’d felt that type of inspiration, and he was grateful that having her with him, even in this state, helped him find it again.
He’d also finished all his creative projects at work, setting the firm three weeks ahead. Then he pruned his garden and even designed a new plot on his property for future vegetables. He was regularly cooking again, sending Daniella and Greg home with dinners and desserts, or eating with them on the occasions they joined him in his home to catch up.
But now he had turned his attention to making this space into something he hoped Johanna would like. He didn’t really know her tastes, so he focused all his choices around one picture. On her first day at The Novak Firm, IT had taken a picture of her for her badge. In it, her hair had been in a low ponytail, the curls slung over her shoulder. She wore a yellow cardigan and knee length black dress covered in daisies. Her lips had a subtle tint, making them seem pinker, and she may have worn some makeup around her eyes, but nothing else. In the picture, she was smiling. It was the only time in the four months she’d worked at The Novak Firm that Luke could remember her genuinely smiling. Something about that photo stuck with Luke, and he wondered if that was the last time she’d been free from all of this. If it was, then Luke would use that knowledge to help her feel not only safe here, but welcomed.
He had added beadboard halfway up the wall. While he’d waited for the wallpaper to come back in stock, Luke purchased furniture that he’d repurposed in a soft pale green color. He chose pale yellow and white curtains, which matched the other accent pieces—a chair, pillows, and comforter set—that he’d ordered. According to his research, the aesthetic was called ‘bohemian farmhouse,’ but it just reminded him of his nickname for Johanna: sunflower.
Luke thumbed one of the bags Dani brought in before she walked back into the room with several more. “How much did you buy?”
She waved her hand dismissively at him, then pulled out a few bottles of shampoo and conditioner, followed by some new brushes.
Luke crossed his arms. “I already have those.”
“No, what you have is shampoo and conditioner for straight hair, like yours. Johanna’s hair is curlier and a closer texture to mine, so she needs different products.”
Luke pouted, and Dani laughed. “You’re doing a great job, Luke, I’m not saying you’re not. I’m just going to teach you how to do a better one. Curly hair, even a texture not as tight as mine, needs a whole different routine. Think of it this way—if nothing else, you’ll know how to do your children’s hair if it’s curly like Jo’s.”
Luke fumbled, dropping the bottle he was handing to Dani. She caught it, took one look at him, and burst out laughing. “You’re blushing!”
“Shut up!” He threw a loofah at her when she laughed even more. “You’re the one who brought up children. Where did that come from?”
“Oh, I don’t know, probably the little birdie who told me how much of a horn dog you used to be. I knew you were a freak, but damn, Luke! What were you trying to test the theory of, use it or lose it?”
“I swear I fucking hate you.” Luke rolled his eyes, but there was a grin on his face that grew until he finally laughed right alongside Dani. It felt good. He wasn’t sure if it was the laugh, finishing this project for Johanna, or what, but there was a glee in the air, and for the first time Luke let himself feel it.
