Sean stared at him. “Really?”
“Yeah.”
“But Seth would still hear about it.”
Zach sighed. “Immortal Guardians do love to gossip.”
“And how do you think that would go over?” Sean continued. “Seth is as protective of gifted ones as Reordon is.”
Bastien’s eyebrows rose. “Nicole is a gifted one?”
“Yeah. She has minor precognitive abilities like Melanie.”
He smiled. “Well, that’s perfect.” Because gifted ones could safely transform and become immortals without losing their minds.
Zach nodded. “Don’t worry about Seth. I sure as hell don’t.”
Sean snorted. “Because you’re as old as he is. If Seth gets mad at you, he won’t kick your ass.”
“What are you talking about?” Zach countered. “He did get mad at me, and he totally kicked my ass.”
Oh. Right. He had.
They all laughed.
A thoughtful expression crossed Cliff’s face. “I don’t know that Reordon would actually object to you two pursuing a relationship. Look at me. You know how many people I injured during my psychotic breaks. You saw some of it firsthand and know how dangerous I was to be around. And yet Chris looked the other way when he found out I was secretly seeing Emma, one of the many gifted ones under his protection. He even called her in to calm me down on some of my worst days. So you wouldn’t be the only one to tread where you’ve been told you shouldn’t.”
That actually gave Sean pause. Was he overthinking this?
A little ember of excitement flared to life when he let himself consider crossing the line and pursuing more than friendship with Nicole.
Cliff motioned to the barbecue’s gathering. “Look around you, Sean. I didn’t just do this because I know Nicole misses her friends and you both need a break after what happened last night. I did it because we’ve all been where you are. We’ve all wanted something or someone we thought we couldn’t have.”
Bastien nodded. “In other words, we have your back, brother.”
Wow. Sean couldn’t help but feel a little choked up over that vow. For years, Krysta had been the only one he could count on to have his back. His parents loved him. He didn’t doubt that. But they had kept their distance for a time so they wouldn’t inadvertently influence Krysta and Étienne’s meeting and falling in love after his dad foresaw it. Now, these guys were all saying they would stand up to Seth—the most powerful being on Earth—if need be to ensure Sean’s happiness?
“Thanks, guys. That means a lot to me.”
Zach’s lips turned up in a sardonic half smile. “Don’t get too choked up. We have your back was just code for get your head out of your ass.”
Sean laughed. “I’ll think about it.”
While Sean changed the subject, apparently not yet ready to take the plunge and say he was all in where Nicole was concerned, Bastien let his gaze wander over the men and women who’d come to Cliff’s barbecue, as well as the two children who watched raptly as Ami made them wildflower crowns.
It was weird being part of it.
Bastien hadn’t just burned a few bridges when he’d burst onto the immortal scene. He had blown them to smithereens. And yet not only was he invited to these get-togethers, he also felt comfortable in them now and—dare he say—welcome?
Contentment settled within him. He still marveled over the peace Melanie and her brethren had brought him after two hundred years of strife. For the first time in centuries, he was happy. Only one thing troubled him, and it kept peck-peck-pecking at him like that crazy rooster in the Moana movie Adira and Michael loved so much.
Bastien studied Cliff from the corner of his eye.
A smile curled the former vampire’s lips as he watched Emma. As Bastien had pointed out, Cliff’s smile grew every time his wife laughed. And there was an air of peace about him that Bastien had never seen before.
Yet, one doubt continued to plague him.
“Are you happy?” Bastien asked softly.
Cliff’s smile broadened. “Happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”
He deserved it after the years he’d struggled. Cliff had held out longer than any other vampire and had tenaciously clung to his deep-seated honor until the very end, when he’d decided to end his struggle by sacrificing his life to save others.
Thank goodness that hadn’t worked out the way Cliff had expected.
“No regrets?” Bastien couldn’t resist asking.
Emma chose that moment to wave.
Grinning, Cliff waved back. “No regrets.”
Bastien fought a strange urge to fidget.
“What’s on your mind, Bastien?” Cliff asked without looking at him. “I can practically hear the wheels turning.”
“Melanie,” he quipped lightly. “Naked. Always.”
Cliff laughed. “Aside from that.”
He shrugged. “It’s kind of hard to think about anything else when Melanie is up in my head, tempting me by—”
“Don’t you dare say it!” she shouted across the clearing.
All the immortals present laughed while the mortals—who lacked their hyperacute hearing and weren’t aware of the conversation—looked puzzled.
Once everyone returned to their conversations, Cliff looked at Bastien. “I know you better than anyone other than Melanie. Something’s troubling you. Tell me what it is.”
For a moment, he considered lying. But Bastien needed to know. “Don’t you wish you could’ve become immortal instead of human again?”
“No.” No hesitation tinged Cliff’s response, nothing to indicate he held even a tiny shred of doubt. His tone turned gentle, coaxing, maybe even a little apologetic. “I’m not like you, Bastien.” He nodded toward the immortals milling about his backyard. “I’m not like any of you immortals. I wasn’t born with special gifts I had to hide. I didn’t have to isolate myself from others to keep them from realizing I was different so they wouldn’t hunt me, capture me, or try to kill me. I was born human. I had an ordinary childhood. Lots of friends and adventures. Lots of long summer days spent bike riding; going to the beach; and playing baseball, basketball, or soccer until my mom or dad called me in for supper. I had two parents who loved each other as much as I love Emma and you love Melanie. Parents whose love shaped my dreams for the future.”
His gaze fastened on Emma. “I may not have been ready to settle down when I went away to college, but I knew what I wanted. I wanted to marry a woman who would be my best friend. Someone who would share the highs, the lows, and everything in between. Buy a house in the burbs or in the country. Raise children together. Have grandchildren. Spoil them rotten. Live happily ever after. And the vampire who transformed me took that away from me in an instant. All I’ve wanted since then was for life to go back to normal.”
Bastien had heard him say as much too many times to count during their years of friendship.
Cliff’s smile faded. “I admit, the idea of never growing old and of spending the rest of eternity with Emma sounds phenomenal. But I would’ve had to sacrifice the rest of my dream. A dream she and I both share. We want children. I want to watch her stomach get so big that she looks like she swallowed a beach ball. I want to rub her feet and her aching back and be there for her when she goes into labor. I want to hold our tiny newborn in my arms. Teach our children to walk. Take them to the playground on sunny afternoons. Spend the day at the zoo. Picnic on the beach and build sandcastles. All the things my parents did with me.”