“I’m sure I will.”
I walked next to a man who was over two thousand years old. Something so obvious finally occurred to me as we traveled down the stairs to the foyer. “Theron, feel free to tell me no on this, but would you enjoy coming to my classroom at the university and speaking about any particular part of history that you loved? The civilizations and people. We could pretend like you’re an expert on that topic.”
His eyes narrowed. “What’s history to you…was mylife. I’m not sure if I’d want to act as if it weren’t. Every action I’ve done, the places I’ve lived, the societies I’ve seen crumble only to be rebuilt, it all deserves meaning, not to be denied as if it doesn’t apply to a few young individuals who aren’t even a blip on my long-lived radar.”
My breath caught. “My apologies. I am so sorry. I didn’t even think of that. It was incredibly inconsiderate of me to ask that of you. I tend to get excited about my students—and myself—learning something new.”
He patted the air. “Calm down, Mina. I’ll think about speaking with them and contact you when I decide. But only because so many texts on history were destroyed in this last war.”
“Thank you,” I stated, my entire being humbled.
“You’re welcome.”
We turned around yet another corner.
Only five more until the kitchen.
Abruptly, he stopped in his tracks.
I stopped with him, probing, “Is something wrong?”
The Ancient tilted his head back and sniffed the air.
His brows lifted in interest and his eyes closed.
Theron stood there for a full minute, just sniffing at the air, appearing as if he were peacefully asleep. Then he spoke, his voice dreamy, “That’s something I would kill to taste.”
I blinked and pointed toward the kitchen at the back of the house. “Well, I got all types of pizza because I had no clue what kind you wanted. I’m glad you’re happy with one of them.”
The ancient beautiful dark eyes opened. He peered down at his outfit, even lifting his hands that had enormous paw gloves on them. His attention snapped to me. “Help me out of this thing.”
I blinked. There was the Theron I knew.
“Okay,” I whispered. I rolled a finger in the air. “If you would turn around, I’ll get the zipper for you.”
He pivoted and presented his back to me.
While I unzipped the costume, my fingers holding steady, he yanked off the paw gloves. I inquired, “Why are you—”
“No questions right now, Mina. Just help me.”
“Helping it is.”
Together we pulled the furry attire off him.
Then he stood in his boxer briefs. And nothing else.
I kept my eyes studiously on his face. “If you want to remove any further clothing, I would ask that you find a bedroom for privacy.”
