He paused in the act of pulling up his jeans to look toward the doorway where her voice was coming from, damning the fact that his eyes were useless. “I make it very clear there is no relationship between us.Veryclear, Meiling. I’m a shifter. I have a vicious leopard who is always eager to tear them apart should I make one mistake and let my guard down. I’m careful because of him. I don’t spend time with them. I don’t promise to remember them or call for a second round with them. It’s a fuck and nothing more. We both understand that.”
“I’m not being judgmental about your choice of lifestyle, Gedeon.” Her tone was soft. Gentle. “I just want to make certain the women go into their time with you with their eyes wide open. You’re physically gorgeous. You have a mesmerizing quality to your voice. I imagine your eyes would be compelling coupled with your voice.”
He loved all the things she said about him. She was matter-of-fact about it, as if stating facts, not praising him, but that made her compliments all the more sincere.
“It isn’t a lifestyle choice, Lotus,” he objected. “I wish it was that.” He pulled on his favorite pair of jeans and slid his feet into his loafers before staring sightlessly up at the shirts on hangers. “Choose a tee for me to wear.”
“If it isn’t your choice to have three women in a night, what is it?”
She was closer, coming up behind him, her voice sounding curious. Gedeon stepped to the side to give her room to look at the array of shirts. She reached past him to push the shirts to one side.
“I had to find a way to counter the continual need for violence not only in my leopard, but in me. At eighteen, consensual sex seemed harmless enough. In fact, it seemed an exciting alternative. I didn’t realize I was teaching my body to exchange one alarming addiction for another.” He didn’t confess to anyone. Why he told her these things about himself when he wanted her to like and respect him, he couldn’t say, but he seemed to blurt out the truth. “Slayer was just as addicted and in need as I was.”
“I like this burgundy tee.” The hanger rattled and then she thrust the soft T-shirt into his hands. “Do you think Mr. Bojangles is responsible for you needing violence?”
“You arenotcalling Slayer Mr. Bojangles.” He was horrified at the name. Even if they were in private, he wasn’t allowing her to call his very vicious leopard a street performer’s name, even if that street performer was famous and a bit of an outlaw.
Her laughter bubbled up. “I thought it was better than Mr. Sparkles, or Sparky for short.”
“Woman, you are skating close to being strangled.” He accepted the jacket she handed him and shrugged into it. Out of all the ones hanging in his closet, she’d found his favorite.
“You’re so tough, Leopard Boy. The next time you’re lounging around naked, I’ll call to him and see if he’ll come out. If he does, I’ll be able to come up with a proper name for him.”
“You want me to let out my leopard in the same room with you?” They went out of the master bedroom into the main hall and walked together toward the front door.
“How else will I get to know him?” she asked. “Do you have your dark glasses? And your walking cane?”
He despised that cane. “I think waiting until I have my eyesight back would be a better idea,” he hedged. “And yes on the dark glasses. No on the cane. I can hang on to your arm.”
“Gedeon, you don’t know how long it will take to get your sight back. You can’t count on me being here every time you want to leave the house. You need to learn to walk with the cane. In any case, Decatur Street is a bit of a distance to walk from here.”
“Not tonight,” he said firmly. Conversation closed. If she wanted to refuse to go out with him, so be it. He wouldn’t go. He could accept staying in, even though he was sick of it.
“I understand that. I’d be the same way. I’m a little worried about the stairs, but we managed them when your leg was a mess. If you could do that then, you can manage the stairs now.” She said the last with confidence.
They walked to the front door together and she stepped forward to open it. It was Meiling, not Gedeon, who went out first to ensure that no one was lurking outside to harm either of them. That did set his teeth on edge. He knew the situation wasn’t going to last forever. Two and half weeks had gone by and the infection in his leg was gone.
His eyes were so much better. Already there was a small slit of light beginning to show itself at the bottom of his eyes. Dr. Bouet had told him that was to be expected and to keep putting the thick salve in and wear the darkest possible glasses. Eventually that light would grow until it would be visible throughout his eye.
It was just that—he couldn’t protect Meiling properly. She was always in the position of having to protect him. He didn’t like that. He felt less than a man.
Slayer stirred a little lazily.There is no danger nearby. I would let you know.
Gedeon was moody and bad-tempered. Out of sorts. It sucked that Slayer was calm and unruffled. He couldn’teven blame his bad mood on his leopard. Meiling took his arm and led him to the stairs.
“Seven stairs, Gedeon,” she told him, placing his hand on the wrought-iron guardrail.
He felt for the first step. Meiling didn’t leave his side, stepping down with him. She gave him room, but she stayed close, mirroring his steps. He had never been more aware that she was very small and felt delicate and fragile.
“I don’t want to fall on you, Lotus. You might want to step back and wait to see if I can get to the bottom of the stairs without mishap.” He didn’t mean to sound snarly and growly, but he wasn’t taking chances with her either.
Meiling didn’t give him one of her smart-mouth replies. She stepped back, but she didn’t go up the stairs or down them. She just gave him more room. He made it down the stairs without a problem. That gave him a feeling of triumph. Meiling tucked her hand in the crook of his arm as if he was walking her rather than the other way around. Together they began to make the trek to Decatur Street and the original Café Du Monde.
They weren’t in a hurry. There was no one around at that time of morning and the two of them could appreciate the quiet as they made their way through the streets together. The slight wind was capricious, rushing first one way and then the next, carrying drops from the river toward them to touch their faces with refreshing dew.
Gedeon found he really enjoyed being outside after being cooped up for so long. Stars glittered in the sky. The moon glowed, casting a silvery light that managed to find the slit that lit up the tiny, minuscule area below his eye that he could make out even with his nearly blackout glasses. That gave him a sense of joy.
“There’s a full moon, isn’t there?”
