Page 10 of Dark Rover’s Luck (The Children Of The Gods #95)

10

DIN

A s Din waited at the arrival gate in LAX, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, the memory of the emergency water landing kept replaying in his mind. Given all the obstacles that had popped up on his way to Fenella, trying to keep him from this moment—the traffic accident, the canceled flight, the storm, and finally the landing gear malfunction—it felt almost surreal to have finally made it.

Well, almost.

He was at the airport, but he still needed to get to the village, and someone was supposed to pick him up, but he didn't know who. Naturally, he hoped it would be Fenella, even though she'd said nothing about it when he'd called her earlier to let her know he'd landed safely.

He still hoped that she wanted to surprise him and had been on her way over when answering his call.

Scanning the faces of the people waiting for the arriving passengers, his eyes landed on a familiar figure, and his heart sank.

Max stood there, hands in his pockets, as cocky and as self-assured as ever, but with a welcoming smile. They had seen each other not too long ago on the clan's wedding cruise, but they had mostly ignored each other then, as they had for the past few decades. After the fiasco with Fenella, Max had tried to rekindle their friendship, but getting the cold shoulder from Din time and again discouraged him from making any further attempts.

Not that Din could blame him. He hadn't expected Max to keep trying. In fact, he'd been relieved when Max had finally stopped.

"Din," his old friend called, raising a hand in greeting.

He approached cautiously, unsure of what to expect. "This is a surprise."

Max extended his hand. "It's been too long, my friend."

Din didn't hesitate before grasping Max's hand, and he didn't fight him when the guy pulled him into a brotherly embrace and clapped him firmly on the back.

He felt something loosen in his chest, a knot of resentment he'd been carrying for so long he'd almost forgotten it was there. "It's good to be back," he said, meaning more than visiting the village again. "I held on to this grudge for too long."

Apologizing had never been easy for him, and he couldn't say the word sorry even now. Hopefully, what he'd said would be enough for Max.

"Water under the bridge now," Max said with a dismissive wave. "Or should I say, plane on the river?" He grinned at his own lame joke.

"Too soon to make jokes about that."

Max had always been terrible at coming up with funny things to say, and his jokes were often inappropriate, not because they were vulgar or nasty but because they were just bad. Still, Din couldn't help smiling.

Max helped him with his luggage, which, fortunately, had been retrieved from the downed plane with no water damage.

While leading him toward the parking area, he said, "I asked for a few hours off just so I could pick you up. Thought it might be good for us to clear the air before you see Fenella."

"Does she know that you're here?"

"She has no clue. I told her that someone was going to pick you up, but I didn't say who that someone was." He led Din to a sleek sports car that gleamed under the parking garage lights.

"An Audi R8. I'm impressed."

Max patted the car's hood affectionately. "Melinda is my baby. A V10 engine, top speed of 205 miles per hour, and zero to sixty in 3.2 seconds."

"Nice ride." Din slid into the passenger seat. "I assume you had her modified to meet the village security requirements?"

"Of course." Max started the engine, which purred to life with a sound that was almost indecent.

As they pulled out of the airport and onto the highway, Din started to relax. The atmosphere between them was surprisingly comfortable, the decades of silence somehow smoothing over the jagged edges of their broken friendship.

"That landing looked pretty intense on the news." Max glanced over at him. "Was it as bad as they made it out to be?"

Din considered this. "At the time, it didn't seem so terrible. The pilot was calm and professional. It wasn't until afterward, when I saw the footage and heard the commentary, that I realized how dangerous it was and how lucky we were." He ran a hand through his hair. "Water landings don't often end well."

Max nodded solemnly. "Thank the merciful Fates. They were looking out for you."

Din chuckled. "Those Fates have a strange sense of humor, and they are vengeful. They wanted me to struggle to prove that I was sincere about Fenella, or maybe they were punishing me for missing the opportunity they'd given me fifty years ago and screwing Fenella's life over."

Max shook his head. "If they wanted to punish you for that, they would have done so a long time ago. Besides, your punishment was self-inflicted. You lost not only fifty years with your best friend but possibly also with your mate."

"You were never one to mince words." Din let out a breath. "I see that hasn't changed over the last five decades."

"Why would it?" Max cast him an amused look. "Neither of us was a young lad back then, and for better or worse, our personalities were set. You are probably still the same judgmental grudge-holding asshole you were back then. Still, I loved you despite your rotten personality, and I'm willing to love you again." He batted his eyelashes.

Din laughed. "You're no less of an asshole than I am, just in different ways. I loved you, too, until you crossed the line."

"I thought we were done with that." Max tilted his head. "I'm a mated male now, and I no longer chase after every desirable female in my vicinity. I'm also working on my other shortcomings. You should work on yours, meaning being less judgmental and more forgiving."

"Touché." Din let out a breath. "So, what am I walking into? You know Fenella better than I do."

Max's expression grew somber. "She's been through hell, Din. That bastard—" He cut himself off, his knuckles whitening on the steering wheel. "Fenella is tough, and if you thought that she was a ball buster before, then get ready for the new and improved version."

That was a very diplomatic way to describe what Fenella had endured and how she'd survived. Still, Din felt his fangs itch and his venom glands fill up.

"I'd expect nothing less after what she endured, and I'm ready for whatever she will throw at me."

"Just be patient with her," Max said. "She acts like nothing fazes her, but it's mostly bravado. I don't know what she's ready for, if anything."

Din nodded. "I'm a patient male. I'll wait as long as it takes."

Max looked satisfied with his answer. "I'm glad you're here for her, and not just because it resolves the guilt I've been carrying around. She needs someone who sees through her defenses but respects them anyway."

"She might not want me at all," Din pointed out.

"True," Max conceded. "But she's curious and she's willing to give you a chance. That's a good start. Did she tell you she wanted to fly out to you instead? After your plane incident?"

"She did, but I thought it was just talk."

"She meant it, but I suspect she wanted out of the village more than she wanted to see you." Max cast him an apologetic look. "No offense, it's just that Fenella is a rover. She feels cooped up in the village. If the two of you hit it off, and you want to make her happy, expect to travel a lot."

That wasn't good news given his job, but a mate came first, and he would find a way to make it work. Instead of teaching, he could actually start taking part in digs, but not as the onsite archeologist because that would bore her as well. A consultant job would be perfect.

They rode in silence for a while, the landscape passing in a blur as Max navigated his sleek car with the care and devotion of a lover.

"I've arranged for you to stay with Thomas," Max said. "He was my roommate until recently. Good bloke, keeps to himself mostly."

"Until recently?" Din asked, raising an eyebrow. "You and Kyra moved in together, I take it?"

Max grinned. "We did. We live across from Jasmine and her mate. It's nice."

"That sounds so domestic. I'm happy for you."

"Kyra is extraordinary," Max said with such naked adoration that Din had to look away. Max in love was a different male from the Max he used to know.

They fell back into comfortable silence as the city gave way to winding mountain roads. Din grew nervous when they entered the tunnel leading to the village, and when they parked and stepped out of the car, he was once again disappointed that Fenella wasn't there to greet him.

"Where is she now?" he asked as they entered the elevator. "Fenella, I mean."

"I don't know. She could be at her place or with Kyra or Jasmine or both. The three of them have become good friends." Max looked him over. "I can call her to find out, but the question is, do you want to freshen up first or go see her straight away?"

Flying from New York to Los Angeles wasn't the kind of journey that required a change of clothing, but Din needed a moment to compose himself. After fifty years of building Fenella up in his mind, the reality of seeing her again was more daunting than he cared to admit.

"I think I'll freshen up first," he decided. "Then perhaps we can meet at the village café."

Max nodded. "She'd probably prefer that. Baby steps."

"We need to go through the entire courtship dance, and I'm actually looking forward to it." Din smiled. "I'm not just old-fashioned. I'm old, and I kind of miss the days when the hunt required skill and finesse. It's too easy these days, making the whole thing meaningless and less satisfying."

Max shrugged. "I quite enjoyed the ease of conquest until I met my one and only, but if you like your balls slow-cooked, I have no problem with that."