Chapter Five
In her sports bra and leggings, Eudora walked out of the change room and watched Sern already in his workout. She put in her ear clips and got to work. The treadmill was calling her, and she wanted to sweat.
She kept her focus inward as she picked up speed and continued until she felt the slight ache that said she was warmed up. She was slowing down and looking for an available weight machine, smiling when she found one. Eudora sprayed and wiped down her machine. Manners mattered.
Walking to the weight machine, she set it up and started doing pull-downs that outweighed her and half the men in this room.
She moved with slow control and breathed with focus.
Sern walked over, looked at her, smiled, and continued on his way.
She tried not to let her gaze follow him, but it was difficult. The lean muscles that were hinted at by his suits were actually a bit bulkier than she had anticipated. She clenched her jaw to stop from drooling.
She kept working out until she was ready to go for a leg press then started collecting plates to turn up the weight. She wanted to feel it.
A few of the guys working out drifted closer as she settled on the press and got her feet into position.
She pushed and kept one hand on the emergency brake, but she lowered it the first time, and the guys were grinning and elbowing each other.
She kept going until she had done her set of fifteen. And then she put the brake on.
She huffed, sipped some water, and waited for a bit. When she was ready to go again, she did.
By the third set, her legs were protesting, and she had to try twice to get the lock in place. She did it and exhaled.
Delia’s voice came from behind her. “That was spectacular, as always.”
Eudora cleaned up the machine and smiled. “Thanks. Nothing like leg pressing six hundred pounds to gain a crowd. Willing to help me put the plates back?”
“Sure.”
They chatted as they moved the fifty-pound plates back to the rack, and Eudora smiled. “You going to the charity thing on Sunday?”
“Yup. Have to show up for the fam, or whatever folks are saying these days.”
Eudora grinned. “I am pretty sure I am going to be there.”
“I thought you and Likon had split.”
“We have, though, that shit is complicated.”
Delia smiled. “Juice bar?”
“Definitely.”
They walked over to the juice bar and got some small smoothies.
Eudora explained everything, and by the time her explanation was over, she coughed lightly.
“And I may have found someone who would be interested in you. He’s a bit goofy, very pleasant, and knows that if a girl’s going to eat with her hands, you bring her food she eats with her hands. ”
“Colour me intrigued.”
“I am trying to get him to the event on Sunday, but I will be attending with my lawyer. Yes, I know how that sounds.”
Delia giggled. “So, what does this someone do?”
“IT, and he can double as a cameraman. Steady hands.”
Delia snorted.
“He’s not as pretty as his brother, but I don’t know many women who could manage that.”
She felt warmth behind her.
Delia giggled. “That’s going to be fun. You mention him, and he looms out of nowhere.”
“Yeah, well, the guy I was mentioning is his younger brother and built like a tank,” she muttered.
Delia laughed. “This will be interesting. Yes, I would love to meet him. For the entertainment factor alone.”
Sern asked, “Done with your workout?”
“Yup.”
“Ready for dinner?”
“I can be out of the shower in ten minutes. Dressed in three.”
He grinned. “See you in ten.”
Delia barked a laugh, and Eudora looked at her. “See you Sunday.”
She headed for the change room with a glare at Sern. “Joke’s on you; I can shower in five.”
* * * *
Delia grinned as her friend left the space and headed for the change room. She looked at the dark elf with strangely pointed ears and a navy tinge to his skin. “So, you are fixed on her?”
He looked at her and jolted when he saw the understanding in her gaze. “You are...”
“Skilled. We will go with skilled. Just as Eudora is.”
“What is your skill?”
“Emotion. I am very good at working with emotion.”
He frowned.
“Hope. I can find it anywhere. It’s not a particularly useful thing unless you need it.”
“Has Eudora needed it?”
“She did, and that is how Likon entered her life.”
“What?”
Delia turned and tossed their cups. “Well, she had to wait for you, and time wasn’t cooperating.
She needed hope, and hope used Likon. No, she doesn’t know, but it got her where she was safe and tangled the legal situation enough for you to be required.
You two seeing each other had done the rest.” She giggled.
He was looking stunned. “So, you...”
“Gave hope, and hope took shape. So, what is your brother like?”
He blinked slowly and grinned, telling her about Den. While they talked, his skin dried off and his suit took its place. When Eudora came out, hair damp and skin flushed, it had just been ten minutes.
Eudora looked at Sern. “He did that elfie thing?”
“He did.”
He blinked. “Elfie thing?”
“Change your clothing without anyone noticing.” Delia smiled. “You guys do it a lot.”
His finely chiselled features looked slightly embarrassed. “We didn’t know anyone could see us.”
Eudora smiled. “Well, I am ready to leave. See you soon, Delia.”
“Yes, this time you might actually be cheerful about it. Did you want bidding money?”
“No. Not until I have a place of my own. I have heard that art has come into her own. I am hoping she offers a few pieces.”
Delia paused. “I will ask Carlos. She’s his daughter.”
Eudora nodded. “Nice. If so, I will see how much of my car money I have left.”
Sern leaned in and whispered in her ear. She blushed and nodded. “Or I can use his account; it will just add another date to the tally.”
Delia saw the way she scrunched up her shoulders and shivered, and Delia smiled. “If you find something you like, go for it.” She looked at Sern. “I was talking to Eudora when I said that. Not you.”
He grinned. “Yes, ma’am.”
She staggered with a hand to her chest. “An eight-hundred-and fifty-year-old elf calling me ma’am. What have I become?”
Eudora put a hand on his. “She’s joking. She knows she has ma’am energy.”
Delia cackled and hugged her friend. “Have a nice dinner. Talk on Sunday.”
Eudora was blushing, and they left the gym.
Delia sighed and went back to her workout.
She was on the bench and pressing her own weight when a face loomed. “Need a spotter?”
Even upside down, she recognized the features. She froze with her arms extended. “Sure, Den.”
He blinked and smiled. “Sern said he spoke with you.”
She resumed her third set. “It was Dori who spoke highly of you and your seriousness in understanding that ladies need to eat now and then. That speaks that your mother raised you right.”
He chuckled. “That was my father, actually.”
“Wow. Enlightened.”
“He respected my mother and what she had studied and trained for and spent his life making it up to her. And the five kids didn’t hurt.”
She laughed and asked, “What did she train for?”
“She’s a warrior poet who was an adviser of the old emperor until he hit a surprise rut, and she walked away with Sern. After that, she was married off to one of his generals in a distant colony, and that is where our family began.”
“Why was she sent away?”
“Because Sern is a polarizing figure. Those who like the old imperial bloodline wanted him to take the throne. But he was here with the rest of us, and therefore, Vaayu fought and won it.”
She finished her set, and he helped her rack it. “And you followed him here?”
“You would think so, and that is what we tell people, but Sern followed me here. He was worried about me and thought that if he took himself out of the empire, things would calm down. Apparently, they did.”
She leaned on her knees and looked at him. He crouched next to her. “So, he was worried you would get into trouble?”
“I may or may not have been in a few scrapes in training. Having Sern around calms that right down. So now I get to pursue my passions. Electronics, wiring, programming. I enjoy it all. The camera work is new, but I also enjoy it.”
“Interesting. I am a trust-fund baby who somehow learned how to give hope to those who need it, if they cross my path.” She smiled. “I spend my days having luncheons with the wealthy wives of the city and getting things funded.”
“Giving hope.”
She blushed. “Yes, I suppose so.”
“I don’t suppose I could interest you in pancakes.”
“Well, I could go for pancakes. Have you talked to your mother since you arrived here?”
“No. I can feel she is still alive, but no. We have no way to reach through.”
Delia smiled and got to her feet. She headed for the change room, and when she came back, he was waiting for her. She had her phone in her hand.
There was a chime from a text.
“What is that?” Den asked softly.
She looked down. “Hope.”
They left the gym and headed for the diner down the street. Pancakes waited for no one, and Communication had just made contact. Hope was always worth pursuing.
* * * *
Eudora whispered, “This doesn’t seem like the kind of place that is open that late, and I am not dressed for it.”
He smiled. “I noticed that the hostess knows you.”
Eudora shrugged and sat back. “Fine, I have been here before, but Nimue wasn’t here then. She’s new to this space.”
“You also recognized her.” He smiled.
“Did I?” She raised her brows. “I understand her concept.”
“Which is?”
She looked at him and smiled. “She is beauty. She sees it in the world around her and wears it on her skin.”
He looked at her. “You aren’t insecure about that?”
“Nope. Why would I be?” She arched her brow. “I know what I am. I am cute, serious, goofy, and strong. Usually in equal measure.” She grinned. “I am fucking fascinating.”
He looked at her and grinned. “You really are.”
They smiled at each other and placed their orders. Dinner at Halor Denith was underway.