Chapter 9 Esag
ESAG
Esag was nervous, which was ridiculous. He was over five thousand years old.
He'd lived through the fall of civilizations, survived the destruction of his entire world, and spent millennia wandering the earth with nothing but his wits and his two companions.
He'd faced danger, heartbreak, and loneliness that would have broken lesser immortals.
And yet here he was, heart racing and palms sweating like a teenager before his first date because Tula was coming over for dinner.
He had prepared pasta with a tomato and basil sauce, combining frozen noodles with sauce from a jar and sprinkling everything with fresh parmesan cheese.
He'd added a green salad and bread from the Pearl.
It wasn't fancy, but that was the extent of his culinary capabilities.
Usually, he ate sandwiches from the café or frozen pizzas from the supermarket, but it wasn't like he could have invited Tula to dinner and served her stuff from the vending machines.
Hopefully, he had read her hints correctly, and she was coming over expecting him to satisfy another kind of hunger.
He'd banished Roven and Davuh hours ago, with strict instructions not to return until morning. Since they'd already had plans for tonight, that hadn't been necessary, and his request had earned him merciless teasing.
His friends were some of the oldest immortals on the planet but had the maturity of teenage boys.
Davuh and Roven hadn't been wrong, though. Esag needed them out of the house so he could have a romantic evening with Tula that would hopefully end up in bed.
The thought sent a jolt of anticipation through him, followed immediately by another wave of nerves.
He'd been holding back for so long, or at least it seemed like a long time, giving Tula space to be certain of her choice.
He hadn't wanted to be the reason she left Tony.
He hadn't wanted their relationship to be built on the ruins of another.
But Tula had made her decision.
She'd ended things with Tony on her own terms, for her own reasons, and now she was coming to him, and he was going to make sure she didn't regret that choice.
Walking over to the mirror next to the entry, he examined his reflection. He'd showered twice today, trimmed his beard, combed his hair back from his face, and put on a dark blue dress shirt. He looked presentable. Maybe even handsome, if he was being generous.
But looks weren't what mattered tonight. He already knew that Tula was attracted to him. What mattered was making her feel cherished, desired, and thoroughly satisfied so she would want to come back for more.
He had five thousand years of experience to draw on.
There wasn't a technique he didn't know, a trick he hadn't mastered.
He'd been with more women than he could count, but most of them had been human.
He'd been with a couple of immortal females before the fall of the gods, but the memory of those long-ago encounters had faded over the millennia.
What he remembered most was their stamina, which had matched his own.
Human females couldn't compare in that regard, and they were also incredibly fragile, but he'd known pleasure with them and had given plenty in return.
He knew how to read a woman's body, how to find the spots that made her gasp, how to build pleasure until it crested and broke like a wave.
Still, the fact remained that it had been five thousand years since he'd been with an immortal.
The thought made his pulse quicken.
He always had to hold back with human women, to temper his strength and his appetite. With Tula, he wouldn't have to hold back. Then again, she was pregnant, so perhaps the rules were different when an immortal female was expecting?
How would his venom affect the baby? Had she asked Bridget if she could even have sex with an immortal in her condition?
Suddenly, he was no longer sure about his seduction plans. As much as he wanted Tula, he wouldn't do anything without verifying first that it was safe for her baby.
It probably hadn't even occurred to Tula to ask because she'd never been with an immortal male before.
She must have experienced one venom bite that had induced her transition, but it hadn't been accompanied by sex.
For young girls, the bite was enough, and the experience couldn't compare.
Even the euphoric trip was diminished in comparison with the full effect.
Esag's fangs tingled at the thought of giving Tula this unique pleasure that only an immortal male could give her. Tula's lovers had all been human, so she'd never experienced it.
Was it safe, though?
It should be. He didn't remember anyone mentioning it back when immortal families were common, and children were born to them. If abstinence was required during pregnancy, he would have heard about it.
The doorbell rang, and Esag's heart lurched.
He took a deep breath, smoothed his shirt, and walked to the door.
When he opened it, his breath caught.
Tula stood on his doorstep, wearing a loose silk gown in a deep purple that draped elegantly over her curves and the gentle swell of her pregnant belly.
Her dark hair was swept up in a simple twist, a few tendrils escaping to frame her face, and she'd done something with her makeup that made her eyes look enormous and luminous.
She was magnificent.
"Hi," she said, and there was a nervous edge to her voice that made him feel slightly better about his own anxiety.
"Hi." He stepped back to let her in. "You look beautiful."
A smile curved her lips. "Thank you. You look good enough to…" She laughed nervously. "You look good."
Tula being shy?
That was a surprise.
Smiling, he closed the door behind her, and for a moment they just stood in the entryway, looking at each other, the air between them feeling charged.
"Something smells good," Tula said, and he had a feeling she'd only said that to break the uncomfortable silence.
"That's an elaborate illusion designed to make you think I can cook." He gestured toward the dining room. "My culinary skills are extremely limited. If you were expecting something fancy, you're going to be disappointed."
"I wasn't expecting a fancy dinner. I was expecting you."
The honesty and directness of her words were startling, but welcome.
That was the Tula he knew, the Tula he was desperately attracted to. She wasn't shy, she wasn't demure, and she wasn't hesitant.
He led her to the dining room, pulling out her chair before taking his own seat across from her.
The table looked too nice for the meal he'd prepared, with candles flickering and wine already poured into crystal goblets.
The pasta and salad, on the other hand, looked almost shameful in their containers.
"This is lovely." Tula smiled. "And you told me not to expect anything fancy. That looks pretty fancy to me."
"Wait until you take your first bite. You'll change your mind."
She laughed, and the sound loosened some of the tension in his chest. "I promise that I won't." She eyed the covered pasta dish. "I'm hungry, and this smells incredible."
This was Tula—sharp-tongued, fierce, beautiful Tula.
He knew her better than she'd suspected.
He'd seen her at her most vulnerable, shared visions with her across great distances, and held her hand while she showed him pictures of her baby.
Their connection had started five thousand years ago but had lain dormant until she'd first appeared in his vision.
He served her pasta, watching anxiously as she twirled noodles around her fork and took her first bite. Her expression was unreadable for a moment—and then she smiled.
"This is good."
"You don't need to lie to spare my feelings. I'm a big boy."
The look she gave him was enough to make him harden in an instant. The hunger in her eyes had nothing to do with pasta.
"I'm not lying. It's simple, but it's tasty." She took another bite. "I like simple dishes. Especially lately. I'm always hungry." She looked at him from under her long, thick lashes, hinting at a double entendre.
He swallowed, not knowing how to respond. "Then it's good I prepared plenty." He scooped a generous portion onto his plate.
"Indeed." She twirled more noodles around her fork. "Are we supposed to leave some for your roommates?"
He shook his head. "They are not coming back tonight."
Tula arched a brow. "Oh? Where are they staying?"
"With their dates for tonight." Esag filled his mouth with pasta to give himself a moment.
He was too nervous to taste what he was eating, but when he was done chewing, he twirled more noodles on his fork.
"They are quite popular. There is a high demand for unattached immortal males in the village. The clan ladies are all over them."
"What about you?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are they all over you as well?"
He chuckled. "They would have been, had I given them a chance, but I stay away from the bar where all the activity is happening."
"Why?" Her eyes were boring into his. "You are a bachelor."
He put his fork down and wiped his mouth with a napkin.
"At first, I was obsessed with carving figurines of Khiann, Annani's mate, hoping to induce a vision about his whereabouts.
She suspects that he's not dead but in stasis, and that the witnesses who testified to seeing Mortdh behead him had been compelled by Ahn to incriminate Mortdh. "
Tula nodded. "She told Areana about her theory, but I doubt her father would have done that to her."
"Ahn was a complicated god. He often put politics, or what he regarded as the greater good, before personal needs. He could have decided that getting rid of Mortdh was more important than his daughter's feelings."
Tula sighed. "We've gotten off topic. So, you were obsessed with carving figurines of Khiann, and couldn't find time to visit the village bar and flirt a little?"
He held her gaze, letting her see the desire he'd been carefully banking all evening. "Perhaps I was waiting for you without knowing that I was waiting."
Tula's breath caught, but then she laughed. "You were saving yourself for me?"
"It would seem so."
"Based on visions and dreams?"
He shook his head. "I didn't expect anything of the kind after seeing you in my visions. I thought that you just needed my help." He put a hand over his chest. "I felt that you needed me. I just didn't know why and for what."
Tula regarded him for a long moment. "You waited for me in the submarine."
He nodded. "I thought you would appreciate seeing a familiar face, even if it was of someone you hated."
She chuckled. "I hated you for hurting Gulan, but I don't hate you anymore."
"I would hope so, or my seduction plans for tonight are misguided."
She put her fork down and leaned back. "Seduction plans. That sounds interesting. I don't think I've ever been seduced. It has always been me doing the seducing."
The air between them crackled with sudden tension.
"Then you are long overdue." He leaned forward and took her hand. "Let me show you what it's like to be with an immortal male. I can give you pleasure you've never experienced before."
"That's quite a promise," she said. "You sound very confident."
"I don't make empty promises. I have five thousand years of experience to be confident about." He smiled. "But I'm also nervous."
"Why?"
"Because this matters. You matter. You make me feel like a nervous boy again, desperate to impress, terrified of disappointing."
Her fingers tightened around his. "I know that you are not going to disappoint me." She met his eyes, and there was warmth there, and trust, and a hunger that was barely held in check. "But you need to stop talking and start delivering on those promises."
Esag laughed, the sound rough with desire. "So impatient." He stood, still holding her hand, and drew her to her feet. "And so direct. I love it."
She stepped into his arms as if she had done it a million times before.
Tilting her chin up, he kissed her, soft at first, then deeper as she melted against him, tasting of wine and tomatoes and Tula.