Fantasy Lover (Dark-Hunter .5)

Grace jumped back at Selena's voice.

Julian said something to Selena in a strange language Grace didn't understand.

"Now, now," Selena said with a chiding note in her voice. "Gracie doesn't understand ancient Greek. She slept through the entire semester."

Selena looked at Grace and clucked her tongue. "See, I told you one day it would come in handy."

"Oh, yeah," Grace said with a laugh. "Like I knew back then that one day you were going to conjure up a Greek love-sl..." Grace let her voice trail off as she realized what she'd almost said in front of Julian.

Embarrassed, she bit her lip.

"It's all right, Grace," Julian said quietly.

Still, she knew it bothered him. There was no way it couldn't.

"I know what I am. You can't offend me with the truth of it. I'm actually more offended by the word Greek than I am love-slave. I was trained in Sparta, and fought for the Macedonians. I made it my habit to avoid Greece as much as possible before I was cursed."

Grace cocked her head at what he'd said, or more to the point what he hadn't said. There was nothing about his childhood.

"Where were you born?" she asked.

A tic started in his jaw and his eyes darkened ominously. Wherever his birthplace had been, he didn't care for it. "Very well, I'm half Greek, but I don't claim that half of my heritage."

Okay, big nerve there. From now on, she would drop Greek from her vocabulary.

"Back to the black nightie," Selena said. "There's a red one over here that I'm thinking would look a whole lot better on her."

"Selena!" Grace snapped.

She ignored her, and led Julian to where the red negligees were kept. Selena picked up a sheer red baby-doll number that was split down the front and only held together by two ribbons at the shoulders and one in the middle. Crotchless red panties and a lace garter belt completed the ensemble.

"What do you think?" Selena asked as she held it up in front of Julian.

He gave Grace a speculative glance.

If they kept this up, she was going to die of embarrassment. "Would you two stop?" Grace asked. "I'm not wearing that."

"I'm buying it for you anyway," Selena said in a firm voice. "I'm relatively sure Julian can get you into it."

Julian gave her a droll stare. "I'd rather get her out of it."

Grace covered her face with her hands and groaned.

"She'll come around," Selena said conspiratorially.

"I will not," Grace said from behind her hands.

"Yes, you will," Julian said, as Selena went off to pay for the red negligee.

There was such arrogance and assuredness in his words. She could tell the man wasn't used to anyone defying him.

"Have you ever failed?" she asked.

The teasing in his eyes faded and she saw the veil come down over his face. He was hiding something with that look, she knew it. Something very painful, judging by the sudden tenseness of his body.

He didn't say another word until Selena returned and handed him the bag. "Now," she said. "I'm thinking some candlelight, nice mood music, and-"

"Selena," Grace said, cutting her off. "I appreciate what you're trying to do, but instead of focusing on me for a minute, can we talk about Julian?"

Selena glanced at him. "Sure. What about him?"

"Do you know how to get him out of the book? Permanently?"

"Absolutely clueless." Selena turned her attention to Julian. "Do you know?"

"I keep telling her, it's impossible."

Selena nodded. "She is stubborn. Never listens to a word said unless it's the word she wants to hear."

"Stubborn or not," Grace inserted, focusing on Julian, "I can't imagine why you'd want to stay cursed in a book."

He looked away.

"Grace, give the man a break."

"That's what I'm trying to do."

"Fine," Selena said, finally giving in. "Okay, Julian, what wretched awful act did you commit to get sucked into the book?"

"Hubris."

"Ooo," Selena said ominously, "that's a baddie. Grace, he may be right. They used to do things like rip people to shreds over that. You should have paid attention in your Classics class. The Greek gods are really vicious when it comes to handing out punishments."

Grace narrowed her eyes on both of them. "I refuse to believe that there's no way to free him. Can't we destroy the book or summon one of your spirits or something to help?"

"Oh, so now you believe in my voodoo magick?"

"Not really, but you did manage to get him here. Can you manage to help?"

Selena chewed her thumbnail in thought. "Julian, what god was most partial to you?"

He took a long, deep breath as if completely bored by their questions. "In truth, none of them were overly fond of me. Being a soldier, I sacrificed mostly to Athena, but I had more direct contact with Eros."

Selena flashed him a wicked grin. "The god of lust and love, I can see why."

"It's not for the reasons you think," he said dryly.

Selena ignored him. "So, have you ever tried to appeal to Eros?"

"We're not speaking to each other."

Grace rolled her eyes at his flippant sarcasm.

"Why don't you try calling him?" Selena suggested.

Grace glared at her. "You know, Selena, you could try to be a little more serious. I know I've mocked your beliefs over the years, but this is Julian's life we're talking about."

"I am perfectly serious," she said emphatically. "The best way would be for Julian to summon him directly and see if he can help."

What the hell? Grace thought. Last night, she would never have believed anyone could conjure up Julian. Maybe Selena was right.

"Would you try it?" Grace asked him.

Julian gave a frustrated sigh, as if he were ready to shake both of them.

Looking greatly peeved, he leaned his head back and said quietly to the ceiling, "Cupid, you worthless bastard, I summon you to human form."

Grace threw her hands up. "Gee, I can't imagine why he wouldn't respond to that."

Selena laughed.

"Fine," Grace said. "I don't believe in this mumbo jumbo anyway. Let's go put this stuff in my car, get some lunch, and try to think up something a little more productive than 'Cupid, you worthless bastard.' Shall we?"

"Fine," Selena said.

Grace handed Selena the bag that contained the clothes Selena had brought over. "Here are Bill's things."

Selena looked into the bag with a frown. "Where's the white tank top?"

"I'll give it back later."

Selena laughed again.

Julian trailed along behind them, listening to their bantering, as they made their way outside the store.

Luckily, Grace had found a rare parking place right outside the Brewery.

Julian watched as the women put the bags in the car. If he dared admit it, he actually liked the fact that Grace was so interested in helping him.

No one ever had before.

He had walked the whole of his life in solitude with only his strength and his wits to save him. Even before the curse, he'd been weary. Tired of the loneliness, tired of having no one on earth, or beyond, who gave a damn about him.

It was a pity he hadn't met Grace before the curse. She would have definitely been a nice balm to soothe his restlessness. But then, the women of his time had been very different.

Grace saw him as an equal whereas the women in his day had seen him as a legend to be feared or placated.

What made Grace unique? What was it about her that allowed her to reach out to him when even his own family had turned their backs on him?

He didn't know for sure. She was just special. A pure heart in a world populated by selfish ones. He'd never thought to encounter anyone like her.

Uncomfortable with the direction of his thoughts, he glanced around the thronging crowd of people who didn't seem to mind the oppressive heat of the strange city.

His ears picked up on a couple arguing a few feet away, the wife angry over something the man had left behind. They had a small boy no older than three or four between them as they approached the sidewalk in front of him.

Julian smiled at them. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a family together, going about their routine business. It touched a part of him he barely remembered he had. His heart. And he wondered if they knew just what a gift they had in each other.

While the two parents continued to bicker, the child stopped, his attention focused on something across the street.

Julian held his breath as every instinct in his body told him what the little boy was about to do.

Grace closed the trunk to her car.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a blue blur headed for the street. It took her a full second to realize it was Julian running across the lot. She frowned at his actions, until she saw the small boy who was stepping off the curb into traffic.

"Oh, my God," Grace gasped as she heard car brakes squealing.

"Steven!" a woman shouted.

With a move straight out of Hollywood, Julian jumped over the low parking lot wall, plucked the child up from the road, and, holding the boy against his chest, he ran up onto the fender of the braking car, then turned a side flip, up, over, and away from the car.

They landed safely in the other lane a spilt second before a second car jerked around the first and plowed straight into them.