GALEN spread the savory mix of spinach, feta, onion, and dill on top of the layers of phyllo dough and then laid another buttered layer of dough over the small casserole dish. Spanakopita was one of his favorite meals, and the recipe had been handed down for generations in his family. He liked it because it had much less dough than in other versions he’d ordered in some of the local restaurants. In his opinion the filling was the best part.
He slid it in the oven and turned to clean up before Nick arrived. If he didn’t keep busy, nerves would take over. He’d never invited another man to his apartment, the place he’d shared with Bryan. In the last two years, it had ceased to be a home and merely became the place where he slept and ate when he could be pulled away from the museum. Starting renovations hadn’t helped make the apartment feel like he was embarking on a new beginning. Maybe inviting people here would.
Galen loaded the dishes in the sink and wiped down the cool slate counter. Out of all the rooms, the kitchen was his favorite, with its muted red walls and pale honey cabinets. This was the first room he’d made his own, and it was the room he spent the most time in when he bothered to come back at a decent hour.
He started in on the dishes and was almost done when the doorbell rang. He paused, his stomach jumping as he eyed the clock—right on time. Was he ready for this relationship talk? Even if it was a casual relationship for the moment, what if Nick decided he couldn’t risk it?
The doorbell rang again, and Galen took a deep breath. If Nick was willing to swan dive into another try, considering he’d been the one to be hurt last time, the only thing Galen could do was give it a go as well. If he lived in fear of falling in love and losing that person again, he would never move beyond this little, lonely box he’d put himself in. And if Nick decided to run, Galen wasn’t above pursuing him.
Nick’s eyes lit up as Galen opened the door. And the smile that crossed his face made Galen question all his worries over what Nick wanted to talk about. Because if he was nervous, it didn’t show. Nick had taken the time to change out of his suit into jeans and what looked like a brand new polo shirt. “I was beginning to think you’d gotten trapped in your exhibit room and I’d have to go rescue you.”
“Nope, you caught me with my hands in the sink and soap suds up to my elbows.” Galen stepped back to let Nick in and gestured toward the kitchen. “I wanted to get dinner in the oven before you got here.” That was a bad idea, since working on dinner during their conversation would’ve given him something to concentrate on. Thinking about it made his tongue clumsy and his stomach knotted.
Nick held up two brown bags, the neck of a wine bottle sticking up from each. Another bag hung from his wrist. “I wasn’t sure what we were having, so I bought a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir.”
“Good choices.” Galen took the bags and waved his hand toward the couch. “Take a seat and let me put these away.”
“I have a hard time picturing you being domestic,” Nick said in a teasing voice from the living room. “I keep remembering you flirting at the clubs and bars, or smooth and sexy in your suits at the museum, not running around your apartment in bare feet.”
Galen’s heart sank to his stomach, and doubt crept in. Nick didn’t know him at all. He knew the façade that Galen had put up after Bryan died. He’d never seen him in a worn T-shirt in the workshop with the kids, trying to help them pull a project together, or his wild excitement whenever he discovered a new artist or found a new piece for the museum. Suzane and Heather saw that, Knox and Ella, and a few of the other kids who’d managed to get close before Galen could shut them out. All Nick knew of him was some sex-crazed, barhopping, empty man.
Galen set the bottles down on the counter and pulled out two wide-mouthed wine glasses. When he entered the living room with the wine, Nick was standing by the fireplace, looking over the array of photographs that marched along the mantel. Most were of his family, a couple of Galen and Bryan. He didn’t think it was right to bury them in a drawer and hide them away, but now he wondered if he should have.
“I don’t usually wear suits at work. Not unless I’m meeting somebody important.” Or trying to impress an ex-lover with something he wasn’t. Idiot move there.
Nick turned around and must’ve seen the unease on Galen’s face because he came closer and took a wine glass with a reassuring smile. “Hey, I like this side of you, it’s much more approachable.”
“You don’t know me.” Galen sat down on the couch and set his wine on the glass-topped table. “That guy you had feelings for? That wasn’t really me. I hope you’re not disappointed in the real version ’cause I’m done with the way I was before.”
“The guy I knew then was maddening and frustrating because I knew there was a lot more to him. I could see glimpses of the real him, and that’s the part I wanted to see more of.” Nick sat down next to him, his expression serious. “And I’ve gotten to know him more these last couple of days.”
“I think you’re certifiable for risking getting hurt again,” Galen said under his breath and Nick must’ve heard him because he laughed. “But I’m glad you are.”
“I play it safe more times than I care to think about. I hope it’s worth it. We’ll see.” He looked away, his expression thoughtful, and took a sip of his wine before he met Galen’s gaze again. “Promise me one thing tonight?”
“What is it you want?”
“Tonight should be about us, trying to figure out where we’re going from here and enjoying each other’s company. I don’t want to talk about the statues or the curse. I don’t want those distractions. I just want to relax with you. Though, for the record, it doesn’t count as the first date. I want to see what you’ve got planned for Saturday because the gleam in your eye when you mentioned it has got my curiosity up. Is that okay?”
“You must have read my mind.” Whatever Nick wanted to discuss, it wasn’t to suggest leaving this as a business relationship. Galen bit his lip. “Can I ask one thing first, and then we won’t mention Dexios or Lykon again tonight? I swear.”
“Shoot.”
“Last night, when Lykon took control and Dexios kissed him, you interrupted.” A shuttered expression dropped over Nick’s eyes, and Galen just knew he had been right to be worried. Nick had been jealous. Not that he didn’t have cause, but their past was one thing, and Galen didn’t want it clouding their entire future. “Why? ’Cause I’m telling you, it wasn’t me kissing him. I had no control.”
“I wasn’t jealous, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Nick shook his head, and the closed-off expression disappeared. “Hard to believe, I know, but you’re right, it wasn’t you. Lykon looks different; hell, he smells different. I jumped in because I was afraid Lykon would take you over completely in order to be with Dexios any way he could. I was afraid you’d be lost and trapped. It was pure instinct that had me reacting the way I did.”
A slow smile spread across Galen’s face as relief poured through him, drowning all those stupid little anxieties he’d let plague him all day. “Good to know. You can bite my neck any damn time you think you need to. Let me tell you, it worked better than an electric shock.” He reached for his glass and took a sip of wine. “Want to help me make the salad for dinner?”
“Not yet.” Nick set his glass aside and reached for him. “I’ve been thinking about this most of the day.”
Anticipation leapt up as Nick leaned in and kissed him. Galen’s lips parted under the warm assault, and his heart quickened. He hadn’t let himself think past the lust that he’d always had for Nick to the emotions underneath. Now he didn’t try to hold them back. Warmth and tenderness mixed with his desire in a heady rush of pleasure that beat all the hot, quick, backroom encounters between them before.
Galen pulled Nick closer still, sinking into his arms, savoring the slow thrust of Nick’s tongue. He tasted like the wine he’d been drinking… and Nick. Galen had missed the taste of him. The kiss broke with one last little nibble on Galen’s lower lip that sent a ripple down his spine and a fantasy of laying Nick naked on his bed to explore his body with similar nips and tastes.
“Feel free to accost me with your lips anytime the urge hits you.” Galen stole another quick kiss and pulled back with a smile.
NICK loved the warm, open expression in Galen’s eyes. It revitalized his entire face. He didn’t know how he’d missed it before. He’d mistaken Galen’s reserve and sensual escapades as someone who had no need for anybody else and who lived for the pleasure of the moment. Maybe at the time Nick had been right about the second part; now he was beginning to think he’d been dead wrong about the first. He hoped so.
“Come on, let’s get the salad together,” Nick said, and Galen rose, holding out his hand to help Nick up. “What’s for dinner? It smells amazing.”
“Spanakopita. With a name like Charisteas you’d better like cooking from the old country.” Galen peeked into the oven and steam came out redolent with the scent of spinach and cheese. “My mom wasn’t too happy at first when I told her I was gay. Since then she’s come to terms with it, and she got along with the boyfriends I brought home. I don’t know if she’d be happier to hear that I’m dating again or that you come from a family with Greek roots too.”
Nick winced. Galen’s words brought back very uncomfortable memories of when he’d come out to his dad and brothers. He probably should’ve tackled his family members one by one instead of trying to get it over with all at once. Then again, he knew he couldn’t have handled rejection after rejection. Whatever had happened between Galen and his mom then didn’t seem to be weighing on Galen’s mind now. And it wasn’t a topic Nick was eager to explore tonight.
“I happen to love spanakopita.”
Nick glanced around the kitchen as Galen shut the oven door and adjusted the temperature. This room seemed much homier than the cream, glass, and austere metal of the living room. He preferred the kitchen.
“I hope the rest of your place is more like your kitchen and less like your living room,” Nick said. “I didn’t want to step on the carpet at first.”
Galen handed him his wine glass with a laugh. “I know. I was afraid to eat and drink in there for a long time. It’s not really my style at all.” He took a sip of his wine. “I’ve been trying to redecorate but been so busy with the museum that I’ve only gotten around to a few rooms. I need to do it, though. This place looks like I have multiple personalities.”
Nick had the impression that there was more to the story. He cocked his head, but Galen didn’t seem inclined to add to what he’d said. Nick watched him as he went to the fridge and rummaged around. Did it have anything to do with those pictures of Galen with another man, pictures where he’d seemed happy?
“Can I ask you a question?” Nick took the bowl and a bag of romaine lettuce that Galen gave him.
Galen hesitated and then shrugged. “Ask away.”
Nick dumped the bag in the bowl as Galen retrieved feta cheese, kalamata olives, a tomato, and a red onion. At this rate he was going to have to beg for leftovers at the end of the night. If Galen’s spanakopita was half as good as Nick’s aunt’s he’d be a happy man. “Back when we used to hook up, you seemed hell-bent on seducing every man who crossed your path.”
Two hot spots of color bloomed on Galen’s cheeks, and Nick paused in surprise. The Galen from six months ago wouldn’t have cared less what anyone thought of his behavior. If he’d been called out on it, and he had been a couple of times, he’d lifted one eyebrow with an expression of amused disdain and told them that if they didn’t like it they could go find someone else to play with.
“I was in a very bad place then, and after you, empty sex seemed pointless,” Galen said as he washed the vegetables, the set of his shoulders tense. “But that wasn’t the question you wanted to ask. So what is it?”
Nick remembered that Galen said he hadn’t been with anybody else since they’d parted. He had a hard time remembering the question, with his cock concentrating on the fact that Galen hadn’t been touched in six months. For a man as naturally sensual as he was…. Damn, Nick wanted a long, hot taste of all his pent-up passion.
“Nick?” Nick looked up from the package of feta he was clutching to find Galen watching him, his brown eyes warm with a teasing look. “I think it wouldn’t take much imagination to know where your thoughts went.”
Nick gave him an unabashed grin. “Very naked thoughts. You drove me crazy enough when you were a glutton. I’m not sure I could handle you after a dry spell, but I’d be more than willing to try.”
Galen laughed and turned away from the sink to lay a quick, hard kiss on his lips. “You’ll get your chance. Now what was it you wanted to ask me?”
“This is what I wanted to talk to you about tonight. I’m trying to get a handle on your mindset.” Galen said he wanted to date, and other times he still seemed distant. If he knew what was going on in Galen’s head, he could prepare better. He hoped Galen wouldn’t take this the wrong way; still, he had to know before he let himself fall any further. “Why is it you seem so reluctant to be in a committed relationship? Is it just not your thing? Or were you burned at some point?”
The amusement fled from Galen’s face, and his gaze reflected an old pain. Why hadn’t Nick realized that maybe Galen’s heart had been crushed? He was such an ass for not considering that. He would bet his trip to Santorini that the man in the photos was behind Galen’s hurt.
Galen brought the tomato and onion to the cutting board and began dicing the tomato. “I wasn’t always like that. Actually, I preferred being in a relationship over casual dating.”
Nick walked over to him and laid his hand on Galen’s shoulder. Galen tensed, then relaxed, reaching up to touch his hand. “What changed? Talk to me.”
Galen looked at him, and he seemed so lost that Nick leaned in and brushed his lips across Galen’s. He cupped Galen’s face, coaxing and tender, and Galen sighed against his lips, taking the offering. This new vulnerable side to Galen had Nick aching to discover more about him, to peel back all the layers until he discovered all those parts that Galen hid away.
“I was with someone for quite a few years, and he died,” Galen said. “There was an accident with a drunk driver, and he was gone so damned fast.” He pulled back and returned to his dicing. “So yeah, after that I didn’t feel much like risking my heart.”
“I’m so sorry.” Nick couldn’t imagine a loss like that or trying to fight to find some sense of normalcy afterward. Now the whole way Galen acted before, the distance he put up, it made sense. He ached for the pain that Galen must’ve gone through. “I wish I’d known.”
“I wasn’t ready for you to know.” Galen shrugged and swept the diced tomato into the bowl. “The hurt of it is gone, but I’ll admit, the fear that it’ll happen again, that’s still there.”
“That’s understandable.” Nick sensed that there was quite a bit more that Galen wasn’t saying. There was still an open wound in him, maybe half-scabbed over, but it still seeped blood. “There’s more isn’t there, about the accident?”
Galen pressed his lips together and nodded. “Yeah, but can we not talk about it tonight? I’d rather relax and enjoy the evening with you than discuss something so damned depressing.”
Nick hesitated and wondered just what Galen was holding back—not that it mattered from Nick’s standpoint. Walking away now wasn’t an option, not when he was starting to get to know the real Galen. And Galen wasn’t saying he’d never tell him, just not now. He could respect that.
Nick turned back to his part of the salad and said the only thing he could think of. “It’s okay. The invitation is open for whenever you’re ready.”
Galen gave him a grateful smile. “I don’t know why you keep coming back for more when it seems like I keep slamming the door shut. I have to know why you came tonight when I didn’t give you the reassurances you were looking for.”
Nick sprinkled the feta over the salad greens and began tossing it with the olives. “I appreciate honesty. You played straight with me last time. You didn’t string me along, and you put an end to it when I told you how I felt. Another man might’ve played it out until he was bored, but you cared enough about my feelings to step back. I was pissed at first. Now I’m glad you did. And you were honest with me last night too. Just keep doing that.”
“I don’t want to give you false hope.” Galen checked Nick’s progress and started to slice thin slivers of onion. “I don’t want to hurt you again.”
“We’ll take it a day at a time. We don’t have to rush into anything. I’m not going to push you into giving me more than you can.” Nick added the dressing and red onion that Galen brought over. “The things you’ve said, the way you’ve acted these last couple days, has shown me that you’re at least willing to try, and if there’s a chance you’ll come to feel for me what I feel for you, I have to give it a try as well.”
Galen looked as if he were going to say something and instead reached down into the oven to pull out dinner. The top crust had turned a flaky golden brown, and Nick’s stomach rumbled at the scent, which reminded him of happier family gatherings when he was a boy. “Now that we’ve had our profound discussion, what do you say about risking my carpets, taking dinner into the living room, and finding a movie?”
Nick jumped on the chance to retreat onto less treacherous ground. No more talk about statues or relationships. He wanted to relax and have a little fun.
“I brought something that might grab your interest.” Nick pulled a couple of DVDs out and grinned at Galen. “How about a little of the Seventh Doctor? I have my two favorites, The Silver Nemesis and The Curse of Fenric.”
Galen snatched one of the DVDs out of his hand with a chuckle and shot Nick an amused glance. “You’re such a geek.”
“And yet, I don’t hear you saying no.” Nick waved the other DVD enticingly. “What do you say? Good food, a geek fest, and some snogging on that pristine couch of yours?”
Galen tossed the DVD back at him with a laugh. “I say yes to all three. And it just so happens you’ve picked my favorite Doctor. He was my first.”
“Mine’s Peter Davison. I love how he was always trying to take care of everyone and getting frustrated when they got into escapades anyway.”
Galen bit the corner of his lip as he transferred a steaming helping of spanakopita onto each plate. It was a little charming, the way he concentrated so hard on some tasks, and when he blew a lock of hair out of his eyes, Nick chuckled. This new side of Galen had him entranced. Galen glanced at him and grinned in return. “So it had nothing to do with him being young and blond?”
“That certainly didn’t hurt.” Nick scooped the salad into smaller bowls, and they made their way into the pristine living room, juggling food, wine, and DVDs. Galen set his load down and tugged the glass coffee table closer to the couch.
Five minutes later they were sitting back, shoulder to shoulder, with loaded plates on their laps and wine close at hand as the DVD started. Nick studied Galen’s profile as a little hope blossomed in his chest. He’d wished for nights like this: simple, homey nights where they shared their interests and enjoyed each other’s company. The reality was so much better.
“LOOK at you, making such a mess.” Nick laughed at Rory’s antics as he rolled around in the water, splashing it all over the table. That was his favorite thing to do. Amy preferred it when Nick ran the water in the small fountain so she could duck her head under the spray. “Silly bird, you really love your baths, trying to get all pretty for your lady friend, huh?”
Amy stopped preening her damp feathers long enough to chirp an answer to that, and Nick grinned. “Yeah, you know what I’m talking about.”
His cell phone rang, the screen showing Galen’s name, and a flush of warmth struck him. Last night had been everything that Nick had dreamt of the first time he’d hooked up with Galen. They’d had fun, curled up on the couch together, watching the old Doctor Who episodes and stealing kisses.
“Hey there,” Nick answered as he got up to get some paper towels to sop up the mess. “How are things going at the museum today?”
“Let’s say… interesting. Do you have a minute? I don’t want to bother you if you’re busy.”
The hesitance in Galen’s voice sparked Nick’s curiosity. “I’m totally free. I have an appointment later, so I took off from work for a mental health day. Spring assessments are coming, and I’m not going to get another chance for a while. What’s up? Is it something with the statues?”
“I think so, but I don’t know if it’s a product of wishful thinking or not enough sleep. Nobody else can see it. Hold on, I’m e-mailing you a clip from the security footage. You take a look at it and tell me what you think.”
“Sure.” Nick dried his hands and flipped open his laptop in the living room. “I take it that means Lykon isn’t a part of the second statue yet.”
“I’m not saying a word until you see the clip. I’ve asked Suzane, Ella, and Heather to take a look at it, and they don’t see anything. If Knox shows up, I’ll have him take a look too, but I’m not holding my breath. These statues have been a mystery since they showed up, and there are some days when I worry I’ve lost my ever-loving mind.”
Nick opened his e-mail and clicked on the message from Galen. “Okay, hold on, I’m watching now.” The clip opened up, showing the exhibit room, the light dimmer from the rain that came down steadily outside. Ella was lying down on a scaffold, painting with an intent look on her face. The camera panned, revealing the statues, and Nick frowned. They looked exactly the same.
“I don’t see anything.”
“Dammit. I am losing it,” Galen said with a real note of worry in his voice.
The camera shifted, and a light shimmered out of the corner of Nick’s eye. “Wait.” He hit the rewind and watched again. Just as the camera moved out of view he saw it, a strange coalescing light around the second statue where Lykon should be. He hit pause and leaned closer. He could almost make out the image of Lykon, but as Galen said, he didn’t know if it was just because he wanted to see it. “Is that Lykon in the second statue?”
Galen let out an explosive breath of air. “Thank God, I’m not crazy. I don’t see it all the time, just sometimes. So something is going on with them. Maybe we triggered a change, but damned if I know what we did.”
Nick sat back, frowning as he watched the clip again. He was half tempted to stop by the museum to take a look at it for himself, but what he really should do was find those old journals that he’d packed away and see if there were any clues in them that he wasn’t remembering. Until now, those journals had been nothing more than a cool story and a link to the Dexios Collection. Now they might be just what they needed.
“We’ll figure it out,” Nick assured him. “Until then, you’re not crazy. I see it too.”
“At least I’m not alone in this insanity.” Galen laughed. “I’d better get back to work. It’s almost time for Heather’s lunch, and I’m covering the front for her. I’ll talk to you tonight.”
“See you.” Nick hung up the phone and watched the clip again. So weird. The sounds of splashing had stopped coming from the kitchen. “Are you two hooligans done?”
Rory had finished his bath and had settled on the terrycloth towel that Nick had laid out for him. He sometimes got soaked, though it didn’t seem to be too bad today. The towel let him get off the excess before he got a chill. Nick whistled at him as he cleaned up the mess and flipped on the radio for them.
The journals had to be in the apartment somewhere. Nick remembered packing them as he prepared to leave San Francisco. He also remembered his dad bitching about his dreaming ways and that it was time to put childish things in the past. He’d change his tune when Nick told him about the statues… he hoped.
Nick dug through the hallway closet, pulling out old scuba equipment, extra flippers; he really needed to pick up some new stuff before his trip to Santorini. Most of this could be tossed. He dragged out the box tucked in the back corner and stole a peek. The scent of old leather and the dry mustiness of yellowing paper hit him. A hot leap of excitement struck him and awakened a sense of anticipation.
He picked up the box and carried it into the living room. He had loved the story of his dad’s uncle and the mysterious lover he’d met during the war and moments of magic. He used to read it before bed, especially after he started to realize that he was different from his brothers, and that he might have more in common with his great-uncle than just a name. Uncle Stavros had been in love with another man.
Nick settled back on the couch with his uncle’s journal in his hands and a glass of iced tea on the table. There had to be a clue in one of these that would help him. Uncle Stavros had been in Greece during the Italian invasion, and the statues had been in a private museum run by his father. He’d met the other man when the British came to Greece’s aid.
Nick lost himself in the tale and suffered the same pang of empathy that he had as a teenager when Uncle Stavros’s heart had been broken. There didn’t seem to be many clues to the statues in that journal. Uncle Stavros had been more concerned with the war, and his lover, than what had been going on with Dexios and Lykon.
“You should not be looking in those old books for answers.”
Nick dropped the journal and scrambled to his feet with a startled yelp at the sound of the voice in his living room. Rory and Amy went silent as Dexios came forward, his helmet tucked under his arm.
“What the hell are you doing here? I thought you couldn’t move that far away from your statue,” Nick said. Dexios, with his armor and sword, seemed to take up all the space in the small living room, and having him there was more than a little unnerving.
“I am tied to you as much as I am tied to the statue.”
Nick had started to suspect that he was Dexios’s reincarnation, as Galen was Lykon’s, and this pretty much confirmed his suspicions. “Why won’t it help? Didn’t the people who wrote them have similar experiences? We’re just trying to figure it out to help and to make sense of it all.”
Dexios’s stern expression softened. “I know, but this journey is a leap of faith, a dream to dare. Reading the accounts of the men who failed will only cloud your vision.”
Nick glanced at the box, full to the brim with records, photographs, and artistic renderings of the statues. There was so much in there to discover. One of the birds trilled, breaking the silence, and Nick looked up to find that Dexios had disappeared again.