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Leila was discharged from the hospital three days later, on the condition that she take it easy and go to regular physiotherapy sessions. She’d been driving the hospital staff insane, so they were quite relieved to see her off.
Taine took her back to her apartment. Ever since Uri’s departure from her life, she’d noticed a change in him. He was more sombre, as if he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. She didn’t yet know how to broach the subject.
Her parents, brothers and Jazz were waiting in her apartment when she returned, and she smiled tearfully when they all shouted: “Surprise!” Taine had kept the secret very well. It worried her, how easily he could hide things.
“You guys!”
“I thought this might cheer you up,” Taine whispered in her ear while he pushed her wheelchair into the apartment.
“I love this,” she admitted, turning her head to kiss his cheek.
“Welcome home,” Jazz cheered, rushing over to hug her best friend. “Supermodels have the best lives: they always look good and skinny, and they survive tsunamis. Remember Petra Nemcova in 2004? Survivor of a natural disaster, and still gorgeous.”
“I’m not a—”
“Yes, you are.” Jazz smiled broadly at Taine. “Hey, you. Mister ‘I have come to mate with you’.”
Taine burst out laughing. “I forgot about that.”
“Have you been forgetting a lot lately? Maybe you have a concussion.”
Leila laughed. “Leave him alone, Jazz.”
“Not happening!” Jazz sang.
Carl stepped forward, tears shimmering in his eyes. “You don’t call for weeks, and then you almost die?” he said, kissing her cheek. “Never scare me like that again.”
She touched his face. “I’m really sorry. I’m very much alive, and I’ll make it up to you.”
“I’m going to get us something to drink,” Taine told her.
Carl pushed her into the living room, where everyone was getting comfortable. “I like the boyfriend, by the way,” he winked. “He looks like a real sweetheart.”
“Yeah, right,” her dad muttered.
“Oh, Dad, he’s a great guy. He’ll prove it to you, don’t worry.” She looked at them. “Thank you for being here. You guys mean the world to me.”
“There aren’t that many survivors,” Sienna informed her, gesturing to the TV, which was set on a news channel. “I’ve been watching since it happened. A lot of people were on the beach that day.”
Leila remembered their screams. She closed her eyes to conceal a shudder. “Someone up there must love me.”
“Oh no, she’s converting in front of our very eyes,” Liam said with faux horror. “I want a refund! Bring pre-tsunami Leila back!”
“Drama queen.”
“Look who’s talking!” Jazz said.
“She has a point,” Taine said, joining them with two glasses of juice. He handed one to Leila and sat down on the chair next to her. He winked when she gasped. “It’s true. You pretended to hate me for so long, when it was obvious you couldn’t wait to get to know me better.”
“Let’s not forget the million other times. I mean, you stormed off a photo shoot because the photographer implied you weren’t smart. To piss him off, you went and got a degree in physics. Talk about dramatic, Lala.”
“I can’t help it,” she whined theatrically, glad that it got a laugh from them.
“Moving on!” Liam interrupted. He glanced at his girlfriend and, once she nodded, declared: “We are having a baby.”
Leila’s mouth popped open, only half aware of Taine’s gaze on her face.
Sienna shrieked happily. “Our first grandchild, Denver! How exciting!”
“I can’t say I’m surprised,” Carl chuckled. “You guys are—” He cleared his throat, remembering his parents were in the room. “Inseparable, and obviously meant to be.”
While everyone ooh-ed and ah-ed at the prospect of her brother and best friend procreating, Leila’s brain shut down. Until now, she’d never considered having a family of her own, mostly because she hasn’t met the right guy. But with Taine in her life, would she consider it?
“Lala, aren’t you going to congratulate us?” Jazz asked.
“I could’ve missed this if I’d...” She trailed off emotionally. “I could’ve missed out on seeing my niece or nephew!”
Jazz hugged her tightly. “I’m glad you won’t.”
“We should celebrate!” Leila exclaimed. “I think I have a bottle of champagne in the fridge.” She eyed her best friend. “Too bad you can’t have any.”
“Don’t even remind me!” Jazz sighed.
Taine got up again. “I’ll get it.”
“I like that guy,” Carl said. “He treats you like a princess.”
“He makes you happy,” her mother agreed with a tight smile. “Everything’s falling into place.”
I hope so.
* * * * *
At around seven, Leila was exhausted. Taine saw this and excused her from the conversation. She said goodnight to everyone before he wheeled her to the bedroom.
“This is exactly how I’d imagined it,” he told her, bringing her to a halt against the bed while he looked around at the decorations of the room.
“Oh, right, you haven’t been in here before.”
He pulled the covers open. “It suits you.”
She held her arms out to him. He lifted her off the chair as if she weighed nothing. This was the same man who had, under extreme stress, lifted a palm tree off her legs.
“A room left for us to defile.”
He chuckled, gently putting her in the bed. “Don’t move your legs,” he warned when he saw she was about to. One by one, he straightened them. “Remember what the physiotherapist said. Give it at least a week before you start raising your legs.”
“You are such a good nurse. Will you stay the night?”
“Of course. I don’t want to leave you.” That sadness she’d noticed before settled in his eyes.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
He pushed the wheelchair away from the bed, walked around and slid under the covers with her. “I came so close to losing you. I’m sorry about everything.”
“Taine, it wasn’t your fault.”
“I never take anyone to the cabin. The one weekend I do, this happens.”
“That was all nature, honey.”
He turned on his side to look at her. “I’m happy you’re going to be fine. I will be right here in the weeks to come.”
“Good,” she smiled, “now I just have to get better.” She lifted her arm with the cast wrapped around her wrist. “I’ve never broken anything before. I used to feel so sorry for kids at school when their friends drew on their casts.”
“I’m glad you mentioned that. I have two motivations for you to get through this quicker.”
She watched him dig around in his jacket’s pocket and get a pen out. “What?”
“First, I will draw a new picture on your casts every day, until they come off.” He took her injured hand in his, removed the pen’s cover with his mouth, and started scratching ink onto the cast.
She shuddered at the sound. “And the second?”
“No sex until then.”
“Hey, that’s unfair!”
“Leila, until you’re healed, I won’t try anything.”
“I’m going to heal so fast, Taine Carmichael, that you are going to be beyond amazed, and then you’ll wish you took me now, ’cause by then I’ll be absolutely starved.”
He chuckled. “I’m counting on that.”
“I can’t believe you’re serious! I’m even at my most helpless right now.”
He looked at her as she fluttered her eyelashes. His heart skipped a beat, and he shook his head to clear his thoughts. “No,” he insisted, returning to his drawing. “I’ll try to get off earlier from work every day to see you.”
“Are you a popular tattoo artist?”
“One of the best in the city. Booked out months in advance.”
“Ah, that’s how you could afford the Harley and cabin.”
He shrugged. “I save up for quality. Must be why I’m so taken by you, beloved.”
She blushed deeply. “No one’s ever called me that before. I feel tingly inside every time you do.”
“I like being your first.” He capped the pen and put it on the bedside table. “What do you think?”
She was in awe. He’d drawn the most perfect little fairy. It looked like it was perched on the gap where Leila’s thumb stuck through the cast. With her free hand, she touched it.
“Wow, it’s beautiful, Taine. Thank you.”
He pulled her face to his and kissed her softly. “You’re most welcome.”
“I’m starting to like the idea of tattoos on my casts.”
“Hmm, I should think of something else to motivate you, then.” He kissed her cheek and closed his eyes. “Get some sleep, beloved.”
With tingles in her belly, she did just that.
* * * * *
Jazz came to visit her the next day. Leila was in bed, reading a book and trying to avoid eye contact with the bunch of flowers on her nightstand. They were beautiful, had an intoxicating scent, and were from Uri.
“Hope you heal quickly. We need your brilliant mind at work,” he’d written on the accompanying card.
“Oh my word,” Jazz said, entering the bedroom. “I leave for a couple of moments, and you turn into an old lady.”
Leila closed the book, grateful for the distraction. “This is a surprise!”
“Next thing you know, you’re going to be knitting. That won’t do.”
“What are you doing here? What about the gallery?”
Jazz shrugged and emptied the bag of Revlon cosmetics on the bed before getting comfortable. “They can survive without me for a day. You, on the other hand, need me to keep you pretty.”
Leila burst out laughing. “I love you, Jazz.”
Jazz glanced at her with tears in her eyes. “Whatever.” She pointed to the three colour options for nails. “You can choose between acid yellow, apple green and berry red.”
“How about them all?”
“Works for me. I’ll start with your toes.”
Leila watched as her best friend applied the nail polish, alternating the colours, and had to smile. To think that there was a baby growing inside Jazz was something simply amazing.
“I’m sorry I scared you.”
“You can spend the rest of your life making it up to me.”
“How far along are you?”
“About three weeks, but I can’t be sure until I go to a doctor. And I don’t want to do that so soon.”
“We shouldn’t have got so drunk the other night.”
“God, that feels like ages ago. So much has happened since.”
Leila nodded. “I went from being in a relationship to getting cheated on, flirting outrageously with a guy whom I had no chemistry with, getting a neighbour I did have chemistry with, becoming the girlfriend of someone else, cheating on him with the man of my dreams...” She trailed off, shaking her head. “Not to mention the tsunami.”
“Who knew the way to your heart was the word ‘mate’?”
She bit her lip to keep from smiling. “Right?”
“Have you been following the news at all? Everyone’s dying for an interview with you.”
“They can wait. I want to get better first, and then reconnect with Taine in a physical way.”
Jazz raised an eyebrow. “How so?”
“He said we’re not doing it until these casts come off.”
“Wow, and here I thought he was a bad boy.” Jazz moved to Leila’s other foot. “You’d think you’re in the perfect position to be taken advantage of.”
Leila laughed softly. She and Jazz were so alike.
“I’m surprised by how fast this happened. You were taken by Uri.”
Biting her bottom lip, Leila looked away. “Sometimes, I think I still am.”
“Lala.”
“I know. Can we change the subject?”
Jazz sighed. “Fine.”
“Do you want a boy or a girl?”
“I want a healthy child.”
“That’s fair.”
Jazz smiled, fanning her friend’s toes dry. “Liam is stoked that I’m pregnant, but I also think it’s freaking him out. His job is stressful, the economy is crashing... He’s worried he won’t be able to support me once I’m on maternity leave.”
“That will never change. I thought you liked that about him.”
“I do, but not when he forgets that I’m not with him for the money.”
“If you explain it like that, he’ll calm down.”
“Good point,” Jazz said. “Is Taine being adorably caring, helping you bath, brushing your hair, etcetera?”
Leila nodded with a laugh. “Best ever.”
Sienna peeked into the room. “You girls are having fun. How about lunch?”
“Yes, please, Mrs. Martins!”
“Feels like I’ve barely recovered from breakfast,” Leila said, patting her stomach. “By the time I’m out of these casts, I’ll be huge.”
Jazz laughed. “Good thing you’ve got a wheelchair, then.”
* * * * *
Taine arrived home at five, as Jazz was leaving, and Leila heard them chatting in the living room. She could barely contain her excitement, knowing that he was so close to her. She tried to read her book but couldn’t concentrate on the words on the page.
“Look after her, chum,” Jazz called in parting. “I’ve got my eye on you!”
Taine’s laughter preceded him into her bedroom. He leaned against the doorframe, crossing his arms over his chest, and gazed at her. “Hi.” That half-smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, the same mouth that’s brought her so much pleasure before, made her wish she was better already. As if reading her thoughts, he observed: “I see you’re still in casts.”
“Sadly, yes.”
He made his way over. His usual leather pants and muscle T-shirt ensemble looked like it was tailor-made. “You look a lot better, though. Must be because of Jazz.”
“And you,” she said, pulling him closer for a kiss.
He lifted her off the bed and carried her to the wheelchair. “Dinner time.”
“What, already? You just got here.”
“I can multitask.”
Her breath caught in her throat once she was wheeled into the main living area. How on earth had they transformed her kitchen and dining area into this dimly lit dream world without her noticing? There were candles everywhere, and deep red rose petals scattered throughout the room. The scent was otherworldly.
“Taine, this is so beautiful.”
“Your parents have the evening off. I think they booked into a hotel nearby for some R&R.”
“If I tire them after one day, I don’t know what they’ll be like a couple of weeks from now.” She smiled. “What’s the occasion?”
“Felt like cooking.” He walked to the kitchen counter to rummage in a grocery bag. “Hope you eat lobster.” He held up a pair of the biggest ones she’d ever seen. “I’ve been told I’m great at seafood.”
She stopped her jaw from dropping at the last minute. “I’m starting to think you’re limitless.”
He winked. “Maybe I have a bit of Tartarus in me, after all.”
She watched him move around in the kitchen to prepare dinner and mused: I think you still have all of him in you. Why won’t you admit you’re a god?
While he started on dinner, he brought her up to speed with his day. He moved so effortlessly through the kitchen that she wondered why he wasn’t a professional chef. He kept her entertained with his stories from work; and she sat, in awe of this man. He’d seemed hardened when they met, but now she was convinced he was the most caring and generous person she’d ever known.
With most of the preparation done and pots boiling on the stove, he came to her with a glass of white wine, clinking his own to hers. “Let me take you to the dining room.”
She laughed nervously. “I thought I heard you say, ‘Let me take you in the dining room’.”
Tartarus considered that statement as he wheeled her to the table. She wasn’t used to men being kind without expecting something in return. She didn’t like that she was dependent on him and kept steering the subject to the physical element of their relationship, as if to remind him that she’d eventually be able to show her gratitude in a way he would enjoy. As payment for services rendered.
Have relationships in this realm always been transactional?
He wanted to help take her mind off things, which was why he’d thought to cook for her tonight. Spend quality time together. Perhaps he could—
No, he interrupted that thought. You cannot meddle in the natural order. Only...
He lifted her onto one of the chairs, and she smiled at the romantic decorations on the table. “You went all out, but I hope you can control these candles. This could quickly turn into an inferno.”
“I’ve got this, beloved.” He sat down at the head of the table, to her right, and took her hand in his: the one with the cast around her broken wrist. He picked up the pen that lay between them. “It’s that time again.”
“I’ve been looking forward to this.”
He warmed at the excitement in her tone. Again, the temptation to heal her threatened to overwhelm him.
You mustn’t! The others will know.
But that didn’t mean he couldn’t use his powers. Like Aether had conjured Pepper, Tartarus could selectively channel some of his Divine gifts without rousing the attention of the Realm. Moving between parts of the city using portals was one way. This could be another...
He uncapped the pen and started drawing. He’ll have to distract her. “Tell me what you would’ve done with your day, had you not been in bed.”
“Well, I would’ve gone to work.” Man, she missed it. “We recently got busy with our project. I could’ve had lunch at the deli around the corner. They make the best subs.” She remembered her lunch date with Uri and smiled fondly. Although she couldn’t mention Uri to Taine, she still thought of him at the most random times. Dreamt of him.
“What else?”
A slight tingling sensation was focused on her wrist, but she figured that was part of wearing a cast. “There’s walking to and from the train, taking the stairs. Heck, even taking a shower by myself! The little things I took for granted before.”
“Nothing in life comes without a price. And when you got home?”
“I would have waited for you to call me. Impatiently.”
He chuckled. “In that case, I would’ve invited you to dinner at my place.”
She eyed him seductively. The tingles were warm and nurturing, most likely her feeling his body heat through the cast. “Then I would have worn the most divine lingerie I could get my hands on, leaving it up to you to unwrap your gift.”
Tartarus’ mind wandered. He could imagine what she would wear: a black, lacy ensemble with red trimmings, corseted at the waist with a low neckline to accentuate the ivory mounds of her breasts, paired with a semi-translucent G-string, garter belt, thigh-high stockings, and high heels.
Mother have mercy on me.
“That sounds like it would serve me only.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “You would be there to serve me, thank you very much. As you are now.”
He grinned at her sass. “Yes, beloved, quite right.” He finished the drawing. He’d channelled enough power into her wrist that the bone would have completely healed. She could now move it without any pain. “Done. Let me check on dinner.”
Leila gazed at the drawing in awe. He’d added a moon and stars to the fairy, making it appear as if she was looking up at the night sky. He was exceptionally talented. At times, the sketch seemed real.
The tingling in her wrist had stopped and, curious, she turned her hand from side to side. “Huh, I can’t feel any pain,” she realised aloud. Surely, her wrist couldn’t have healed?
Impossible.
Tartarus, hovering in the entryway to the dining room, observed her carefully and bit back a satisfied smile. She’d noticed. When he’d made his deal with Uranus, he hadn’t even considered the many loopholes because of how dire the situation on Earth had become. But with the rules broken already, what with Hemera and Gaia visiting their husbands, he could do what he pleased.
I’ll have more time with her while she’s feeling her best.
Tartarus sat down again. “I hope you brought your appetite. Dinner is fit for the Gods.”
“Taine, I think I need to go to the doctor.”
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” he asked, feigning surprise.
“On the contrary! I can’t feel any pain.” She lifted her wrist and showed him how she could move her hand, rotate it, and wriggle it around. Her eyes stretched wide. “Maybe I have nerve damage!”
“Let me see.” The cast was too close to her skin, so he couldn’t fit a finger between the two. He picked up a knife and looked into her eyes. Ananke’s eyes. “The metal will be cold. Let me know if you can feel it.”
She watched him slide the knife between her wrist and the cast. The knife wasn’t very sharp, so she wasn’t in any danger of being cut. Almost immediately, she flinched at the cool temperature against her skin.
“I can feel that.”
“Then your nerves are fine,” he smiled, pulling the knife out again.
“But it’s supposed to hurt!”
“I’ll take you to the doctor first thing tomorrow. For now, I don’t think there’s anything to worry about.”
She nodded. “Okay, but let me phone Dr Haines. I need to make an appointment. I can’t just barge in.”
As if the doctor would feel inconvenienced seeing this beautiful woman again.
Tartarus had noted the doctor’s looks of lust with disdain. It had taken every reserve of his inner strength to keep from saying or, worse, doing something to put the man in his place.
He handed her his iPhone. “You call him. I’ll start with dessert.”
“Dessert...?” She trailed off, watching Taine leave while the dialling tone sounded in her ear. Dr Haines answered after a couple of rings. “Doctor, this is Leila Martins, I’m not sure if you can remember—”
“Of course I do.” He sounded unnaturally chirpy for this hour. “What can I do for you, Miss Martins?”
“It’s probably nothing serious, but I can move my hand around without feeling any pain. I was wondering if I could come in first thing tomorrow morning to check that everything’s okay.”
“Hmm, that is strange. Unfortunately, I’m away tomorrow, but I’ll refer you to Dr Thompson. She’s very good and has a gap in her schedule. Can you be at the hospital at seven?”
“Definitely.”
“I’ll book the appointment.”
“Thank you, doctor. Have a good evening.” She hung up and glanced at her wrist again. “What’s for dessert?” she called out to Taine.
“Baklava.”
“Where did you learn to cook like this, anyway?”
“Women seem to like a man who can cook. That was incentive enough to learn.”
“Especially men like you, yeah. You must’ve been quite the hit.”
He chuckled, appearing in the room again. “Would it surprise you to know I was always respectful?”
“But you still left in the morning.” When he paused, she laughed. “You are such a bad boy! The best kind, actually.”
“Yours,” he reminded her.
Her cheeks reddened as their gazes held. “Mine.”
* * * * *
After dinner, they lay in bed, hand in hand.
“That was divine. I don’t think Tartarus himself could have made something better.”
He chuckled, bringing her hand to his mouth for a kiss. “I have one more surprise.”
He slipped out of the room, making her wonder what else he could possibly have up his tattooed sleeves. Dinner had been incredible. Dessert, phenomenal. The effort that had gone into the décor, the music he’d played as he began dishing up... She’d felt as if she was in heaven, or some equally bewitching realm. She’d even caught glimpses of a place with a gold-tinted sky and—
“Close your eyes,” he instructed from the doorway.
Reluctantly, since it meant she couldn’t ogle his beauty, Leila obeyed. She heard him take something out of the box and place it on the chest at the foot of her bed. He shifted around the room, moving and adjusting things. It further piqued her interest.
“Are you almost done?” she whined.
He laughed softly. “Patience, beloved.” His voice was at the foot of her bed again. She felt the mattress move under his weight as he sidled up to her. “Okay, open your eyes.”
She gasped, staring at the ceiling. “Taine! Where did you get this?”
“I made the cover of the lamp a few years ago, trying to plot down the Milky Way Galaxy. It took me a very long time to finish, but I think I got most of the details correct.”
“Most of the details,” she said lamely, struck dumb. She was convinced that, if they were standing on the roof of her apartment building, the night sky would reflect exactly what they were seeing on her ceiling. “This is unbelievable.”
He pointed. “Orion’s belt.”
She recognised a few other famous constellations but didn’t know their names. She’d never been much of a stargazer, but she was eager to learn now that she knew he was passionate about astronomy.
As he gestured and explained the origins of the different constellations, she didn’t know how she was ever going to sleep if she was confronted by such a beautiful view.
She wasn’t sure which one was better: Taine, or her indoor Milky Way.