Wanted: Undead or Alive

Kings, Gods, and Devils

Nick and I sat in his bathtub, suds up to our armpits, my back pressed to his chest. It was either the bathtub or the floor and he'd really needed a bath. He held his arms around my shoulders and chest, pinning me to him a little too hard. I didn't mind. I rested my head on his shoulder.

"Tell me again?" he muttered against the top of my head.

I grinned a stupid, loopy, love-drunk grin. "I love you."

He nuzzled his nose against my ear. "I love you, too."

"Really? I had no idea. You definitely haven't told me that any time in the last thirty seconds."

"I'll try harder. I'll do better."

"I love you," I said.

He squeezed me even tighter. "I love you, too." Apparently noticing I could barely breath, he eased up a bit. "What do we do now?"

"Your mom says I should learn about your past." I poked a fat soap bubble with my toe.

"That's a long story to tell. Please believe, I'm not trying to hide anything. It's just a lot of ground to cover."

"It's okay. We'll get to it."

Restful quiet settled over us. I fell into a contented half sleep.

"I'm scared, Nowicki. All the time."

"I know. I see you. I love you, just the way you are. We'll figure the details out as we go."

"I hate that you... that I..." The heat radiating from his chest intensified.

"Don't go electric, Nick. We're in water."

He relaxed.

"I love you," I said.

He rested his chin on top of my head. "I love you, too." Then, "When my birth mother died, my father didn't want anything to do with me, so he dumped me on Hawwa's doorstep. She's known for taking in strays. He didn't even name me. She did. Nicolai meaning victory because, according to her, she saw in me an end to the curse of death."

I drew circles on his kneecaps to distract myself from the goosebumps that had risen all over my body.

"Adamos, son of Adom. He is my father's father."

Well, I'd been right about Adom being far along in the lineage. I'd underestimated exactly how far.

"I was with Hawwa when Vesuvius happened. My father showed up, furious. He blamed her. Apparently, she should have known better and done something to prevent it, and it was in no way his fault. He took me back to Dál Riata and caged me in a warded cave, not terribly different from this one, though with far fewer comforts provided."

Blinding rage seared through my heart. I shifted, turned, slopped some water over the edge of the tub, and got on my knees to face him. "How long were you there?"

"Two hundred years, give or take. Every day he came and told me how evil I was, that my freedom would be the death of humanity, that he'd kill me if he knew how." He reported this the way he might have shared that he'd owned a red jacket as a child. Just a matter of fact. No big deal. "Mx. Landry heard from some superstitious villagers in Erainn that there was a monster in a cave. They knew my father lived in the area. No love was lost between them. As much to spite him as anything, they set me free and took me away from him."

He reached up with a soapy hand and caressed my breast, running his thumb over my nipple. "That's enough for now. I'll tell you more another day."

"I don't know those places," I admitted.