Page 27 of Zar

In an instant Flare was gone. Callie kept her sight trained on Zar’s brothers. They were watching her still. Like she was a traitor to the crown, or whatever the hell. A shaft of fear raced up her spine. These men could easily overpower Zar if they wanted, couldn’t they? What if they saw her as an outsider and wanted her gone? Suddenly one of the brothers stepped towards her, a flirty smile curving his lips. “I’m Venn. I’m pleased to meet you, Callie.”

Okay, that seemed friendly. She took his hand and replied, “Likewise, Venn.”

The last brother stepped up next. He held out a hand. His voice was harsh and low when he said, “I’m Zadoc. Welcome to our home, Callie.”

“Thank you, Zadoc,” Callie said, feeling a little intimidated by the intensity of his stare. He didn’t smile either. And his deep voice scared her a little. When she looked downward, a scar on his throat caught Callie’s attention. It looked deep. Like someone had taken a knife and tried to slice him open from ear to ear. Ouch.

Zar squeezed her waist and she looked over at him. “Zadoc was injured during the uprising,” he explained. “He suffered a near killing blow to the throat.”

Kade moved up next to Zadoc, then punched him on the shoulder. “Don’t mind the scary voice. He’s as sweet and gentle as a hummingbird. Right, Zadoc?”

Callie heard the man curse, then he punched Kade back. Kade laughed and dodged the next one. The love they had for each other was clear. Callie had never had siblings. Is this what is was like? A brother or sister would’ve been a welcome addition to the Wilson house. Maybe then her childhood wouldn’t have been so lonely.

Therius stepped between the pair and put a stop to the roughhousing. “Come on, you heard the lady.” He turned towards her and winked. “We’ll save the meet-and-greet for tomorrow.”

“Thank you,” she replied, meaning it. Flare came back just as the brothers were leaving. He handed Zar her purse then left as quietly as he’d come. Zar thrust it at her. “I’ll put on a cup of coffee and give you some privacy.”

Callie was surprised that he was willing to leave her alone. She could say anything to her dad or even call 911. After all, she’d accused him multiple times of kidnapping. But Zar was trusting her and it warmed her insides. Callie wouldn’t let him down. As she unzipped her purse, she realized the gun she’d stashed in there was gone. A grin slipped. Of course, Flare had confiscated it. He was no idiot. Locating her phone in a side pocket, Callie pulled it out and noticed she still had twenty percent battery life left. She tapped on the phone icon and saw several missed calls from her father. Oh joy. He’ll be in a tizzy now. She pulled up her father’s cell phone number, then took a deep breath. Quinn Wilson answered on the first ring.

“Callie?”

And while other fathers would be concerned that their only child had been unreachable for over twelve hours, her dad sounded pissed. There goes that Father of the Year badge. She began to pace the room as she answered, “Yeah, Dad, it’s me.”

“Where are you? I’ve tried to call you. I have an important client I’m meeting with first thing in the morning and I want you to sit in.”

Callie decided to stick as close to the truth as possible. “I’m not in the city, Dad. I’ve been feeling burned out and decided a few days away would give me some perspective.”

Her father cursed a blue streak. Several words she was familiar with, a few were ones she hadn’t heard him use before. She could at least appreciate his creativity. Finally, when he seemed to run dry, he said, “That is not acceptable, Callie. Get back here now.”

Once upon a time there was a girl who idolized her dad. Then she grew the hell up. “Nope, sorry. I’ll be gone at least a week. Surely you’ll survive without me.” Saying that felt a little too good. In fact, it felt great.

“No? Did you just tell me no?”

“Yep,” she blurted out, feeling somewhat giddy now. “Gotta go, Dad. Love you. See you soon!”

Callie stared at her phone and realized she was smiling. Like grinning from ear to ear. When had she ever told her father no? Uh, never. It had literally never happened. And it felt good. Like winning the lottery good. She tossed her phone back into her purse and laid it on the end of the couch. As if on cue Zar came back into the room with a tray. He had cups, a coffee pot, cream and sugar, even something that looked a lot like chocolate chip cookies. He placed the tray on the table in front of the couch, then he looked over at her. “Everything okay with your father?”

She eyeballed the cookies. “It’s great actually.”

Zar sat, his wings flipping behind him to rest on the back of the couch. “He won’t cause problems?”

Callie took the spot next to him and picked up a cookie. Shit, they were chocolate chip. Damned if that wasn’t her weakness. Superman had kryptonite; Callie Wilson had chocolate chip. She took a bite of one and it melted in her mouth. She moaned, taking her time chewing and swallowing before saying, “I told him I was taking a few days away to rejuvenate. He’s not happy, but he’ll get over it.” She took another bite, then mumbled, “These are amazing.”

Zar chuckled as he poured their coffee. “Flare introduces us to Earth-born luxuries from time to time. We’ve all come to enjoy pastries and sweets.”

Callie bobbed her eyebrows as she watched him spoon sugar into his cup. “Also, coffee it would seem. Unless you had that back on your planet?”

Zar lifted his cup and blew to cool it off. “No, this is a decadent pleasure unique to Earth.”

She nodded as she polished off her cookie and reached for her own cup. “Coffee is kind of a universal thing, I guess.”

They were quiet a moment while they drank. Zar ate three cookies and Callie wondered how he stayed in such great shape. “Do you have a workout gym here or something?”

Zar lifted his shoulders in a half-shrug and set his now empty cup back onto the tray. “We have training areas as well as a building to work off tension. Is that what you mean?”

“Um, sort of,” Callie replied as she imagined Zar laying on a bench and lifting a bar loaded down with weights above his head. Sweat trickling down his perfectly sculpted body. Those biceps flexing as his wings flipped outward with each rep. Holy hell, she was getting all turned on again. Chill, you hussy. He already took you to heaven and beyond.

“I can take you there tomorrow if you wish,” he murmured as he reached out and brushed something from the corner of her lip. “In fact, I’d love to show you my home, Callie.”

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