38. ZARA
ZARA
“What are you doing here on a Sunday?” I’d spent the remainder of last night tossing and turning in my bed thinking about what Nero had told me, I hadn’t got around to getting dressed yet, and I was in dire need of a shower.
So I wasn’t best pleased to find Eli in the kitchen and the table set for two.
“Good morning to you too, Princess. Rachel’s gone out for brunch and shopping with Jules, so I thought I’d come and make us some pancakes. Sit yourself down, they’re about ready.”
“I’m not hungry thanks.”
“Hungry or not, you need to eat, Zara.” Oh not this again, please.
He deposited two plates of pancakes on the table, along with a bottle of maple syrup.
“Can’t have you wasting away or Seth will be after all our heads when he comes back.
And before you tell me you don’t eat breakfast, it’s practically lunchtime. ”
I frowned. “Is it?”
“Yes. It is. Now come and sit down,” he said, handing me a mug of coffee. “And as to why I’m here, Rachel tried calling you to see if you wanted to go out with her and Jules, but you weren’t answering your phone, so—”
“So you thought you’d better come and check up on me,” I finished for him as I sank down into the chair opposite his, not knowing whether to be touched or annoyed.
“I’m not about to fling myself into the lake you know.
” He quirked an eyebrow. “And even if I did, I’m immortal so I’d just end up cold, wet and even more miserable than I was before. ”
“Well you can hardly blame us for worrying about you. You’re hardly eating anything, you look like you barely sleep, and you won’t talk to any of us about how you’re feeling.”
“You don’t have to worry about me,” I mumbled around a gulp of coffee, hoping he wouldn’t notice the way my voice had wobbled. “I’m fine.”
“I don’t worry because I have to, I worry because I care about you.
” He reached out and prised the mug out of my grasp so he could take my hands in his.
“We all care about you, Zara, and we’re all worried.
I know it sucks that Seth didn’t come back when we expected him to, but it’s not like it’s forever.
You asked for space and we’ve given it to you, but enough is enough. ” He stopped and took a deep breath.
“You’re probably going to hate me for saying this, but it’s time to pull yourself together. Now eat your pancakes. I’m not leaving until you’ve polished off at least half of them.”
He obviously wasn’t going to back down on this, so ignoring the fork I tore off a tiny piece and shoved it into my mouth.
“There, satisfie— oh, these are good.” I hadn’t bothered with anything much beyond toast or cereal for the last week and I hadn’t been prepared for the burst of flavour that hit my taste buds.
“And they’re even better with maple syrup on,” he said, passing me the bottle with a smug grin on his face. I felt a little smile trying to break through as I took it and poured some over the pancakes, picking up the fork to use now they were too sticky for fingers.
“Nero came to see me last night,” I said between mouthfuls. “He had something to tell me. Something he’s been keeping from me since my birthday.”
“I can understand why Seth didn’t want you to know it was real,” he agreed when I’d told him as much as I could without oversharing, “but I’m a little hurt he didn’t let me know he was around.”
“You weren’t here though. And I doubt Gabriel would have been willing to take him anywhere else. Besides, would you really have felt comfortable knowing and having to keep it from me?”
“If I thought it was in your best interests, of course I would,” he said without a second’s hesitation, which I suppose I should have expected. “He could have at least left me a note dammit.”
“He didn’t want anyone to know. Nero only found out because he happened to be here and he swore him to secrecy. Although I’m very glad he was here, because I feel a lot better about all this now. In fact, I’m going back to work tonight. Apparently I’ve been wallowing in self-pity long enough.”
I scraped the last of the maple syrup off my plate with the last bit of pancake, surprised to find I’d eaten the whole lot while I’d been distracted by our conversation.
“I didn’t say you were wallowing, Zara,” he protested.
Not in so many words. “I know this has been much harder for you than it has for the rest of us. I can’t even begin to imagine how I’d feel if it was Rachel.
I’m just telling you that it’s okay to get on with your life while you’re waiting for Seth to come back.
You don’t have to put everything on hold when we have no idea how long he’ll be gone for.
He wouldn’t want that for you, any more than I’d want it for Rachel.
All that matters is that you’re here waiting for him when he does get home. ”
I nodded and carried the empty plates over to the dishwasher.
“Are you going home now you’ve pulled the plug on my pity party for one?” I asked as I stacked them, wrinkling my nose at the smell of stale milk that was wafting off about a week’s worth of dirty cereal bowls. I should probably run it even though it wasn’t full yet.
“Not for a bit. I have a few things to do here so I might as well get on with them while Rachel’s out with Jules. I’ll come and say goodbye before I leave.”
“Thank you for coming to check up on me.”
“Always.” He opened his arms and I walked into them without hesitation and gave him a long hug.
“Now you should probably go and take a shower,” he teased as he gently released me. “Because I hate to say it, but you don’t smell much better than the dishwasher right now.” He gave me a playful wink to soften his words, then blurred away at vampire speed before I could retaliate.
As soon as Eli had gone home, I headed into the dining room, yelling for Gabriel on the way.
He could probably appear just as easily in the kitchen, but this room felt like a more suitable setting for a negotiation.
And despite everyone else being content to just wait and see what happened, I had no intention of doing that.
I barely suppressed a scream when I found him already lounging at the head of the table.
“What on earth do you want now, you little pest?” he said irritably. “I’m not your personal assistant you can just call on whenever you feel like it you know.”
“And yet here you are.” There was just something about him that made winding him up irresistible. “I want to see Seth. And don’t bother telling me you can’t bring him here because I know full well you’ve done it before.”
A flicker of surprise, quickly masked, flitted across his face. “Very well.” For a second I thought he was agreeing, but that delusion was short-lived when he gave me a smug grin and added, “I won’t tell you I can’t. But I’m still not doing it.”
“Why not?” I demanded.
“Because this matter doesn’t concern you. I’ve done you the courtesy of letting you know that he’s been delayed. That’s all you need to know. What happens next is between him and Luci.”
“And how do I know you’re not just keeping him there against his will? Bring him here. Just for a day, or even a few hours. Let him tell me himself that he’s okay, and then I’ll stop bothering you. Please Gabriel?”
“This is starting to become tiresome, kitten. There will be no visit, and I strongly advise you to drop the subject now. I understand that this is hard for you, which is why I’m being very patient with you at the moment. But if you anger Michael, he won’t be so forgiving.”
I was wasting my breath, I could see it in his face. Pleading with him would get me nowhere and, worse, he’d probably enjoy it.
“Fine,” I huffed, “but don’t expect me to just give up and go away. So unless you want me to become a Spear of Lazarus sized thorn in your side, you’ll—”
“Keep dreaming, Zara.” The bastard disappeared in a flash of golden light, leaving me with only an empty room to rant to, and I sank down into a chair with an annoyed huff. I hated that he could just zip away like that whenever he got tired of listening to me.
“Rude, Gabe,” I yelled. He probably wouldn’t hear me, but it made me feel better.