Dark Stranger Immortal (The Children of the Gods #3)(18)

Pulling out his phone, he texted Syssi and then Amanda, informing them about the dinner.

“Okay, what else do we have?” He glanced at the pile of files Shai had stacked on his desk.

Damn, this was going to take a while.





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S Y S S I

P eeking into the dining room, Syssi exhaled in relief. No one was there yet.

Talk about stressful.

As if the prospect of dinner with Kian’s posse of Guardians and members of his council wasn’t bad enough, he texted her saying he and Amanda were going to be a few minutes late and to go ahead without him.

Great.

It was like inviting your boyfriend’s parents to dinner… only worse…

because he wouldn’t be there with you to greet them.

Imagining the looks and the questions and the judgments passed, Syssi cringed. If she could’ve thought of any way to wiggle out of it, she would’ve.

Unfortunately, there was a doctor in the house to disprove any pretend maladies she could’ve come up with. And though the idea of hiding somewhere until Kian showed up crossed her mind, she dismissed it. That would mark her as a coward. Not going to happen. Even though in truth, she was one.

Oh , well, she’d survive.

Shoving her insecurities aside, she turned her focus to the beautifully set table. There was only one way to describe it. Wow.

Okidu had outdone himself preparing for this dinner. Though if that was supposed to be casual, she wondered what possibly more could’ve been done for a formal affair.

Maybe the butler just didn’t get the memo… or got it and ignored it…

He certainly went all out.

Set with fine china, crystal goblets, and what seemed to be real silver silverware, the table looked like something from a period movie. It held the kind of old-world splendor that implied evening gowns and tuxedos. Not jeans.

Everything gleamed, the sparkle bouncing between the expensive-looking stuff on the table and the crystal chandelier above it. Even the artfully folded, pristine white napkins seemed to shine. And the silver goblets, with their tiny though elaborate flower arrangements, must have been delivered fresh from some exclusive florist. No way Okidu could’ve made those as well.

With a quick look behind her, Syssi pulled her phone out of her back pocket and snapped a picture. The table was so beautiful, she just had to preserve the image.

“Good evening.” Onidu startled her as she returned the phone to her pocket.

“Hi, I was just admiring the magnificent table. Was it you or Okidu who set it up so beautifully?”

“It was a joint effort, Madam. And I thank you kindly for your praise.

Please, let me show you to your seat.” He bowed at the waist and proceeded to pull out a chair for her. The one to the right of Kian’s place of honor at the head of the table.

“Thank you.” She smiled at him.

As Syssi sat down, the tablecloth’s heavy, luxurious fabric brushed against her plain blue jeans, as if to point out that she was underdressed for the occasion. Not that she had much choice in the matter. Besides jeans, her only other option was the black yoga pants she had been wearing when Kian had whisked her to safety. Luckily, she’d at least put on a nice blouse and exchanged her flip-flops for heels.

Good thing she hadn’t listened to Amanda’s reassurances that it was a casual affair and she didn’t need to change.

Yeah, right, casual. Maybe for the queen of England it was!

But then, as the guests began trickling in, dressed just as plainly, she might have relaxed if not for the way they looked at her—as if she was a strange exhibit.

Fidgeting with her napkin, she returned their nods and hellos with a strained, fake smile plastered on her face—all the while secretly plotting revenge on Kian for abandoning her like that.

Except, was it possibly all in her head?

Between the Guardians’ friendly, familiar smiles and easy banter, and William’s whining about not being seated next to her, she loosened up a bit.

Yeah, it must’ve been.

And yet, casting a sidelong glance at Michael, she envied the ease with which he seemed to fit in. Calm and confident, his handsome young face smiling, he was chatting with Yamanu and the other Guardians as though they were his lifelong friends.

He seemed happy, excited.

But maybe his good mood had less to do with the camaraderie he felt with his new friends and more with Kri’s palm resting possessively on his thigh—publicly staking her claim on him.

Smiling, Syssi looked away from the young couple… Well, one of them was young. Kri, supposedly, was old enough to be Michael’s mother.

Oh, well, Syssi shrugged. With an almost two-thousand-year-old boyfriend, who was she to pass judgment.

Boyfriend… the term kind of didn’t feel right… whatever… But where the hell was Kian?

Glancing at her watch, Syssi frowned. What was keeping him and Amanda? Most of Kian’s guests were already there and waiting for them to show up. Besides theirs, there were only two other vacant spots at the table.

And then even those last two arrived.

One was a frumpy, plain-looking woman; the other a very stylishly dressed, good-looking man. The woman had to be Edna, the judge, but Syssi had no idea who the guy was.

As she contemplated the dichotomy in their appearance, the woman turned her gaze on her, piercing Syssi with pale blue eyes that could only be described as otherworldly. Nailed by that penetrating stare, what Edna or anyone else was wearing became inconsequential.