"Mea loved Grant. I know that much or she wouldn't have gone off to look for him ten years later. When she talked about him her face came to life and her eyes sparked bright blue." While Elle talked Asher watched her in the mirrored. "She sang me a song-one she said Grant often sang to her. It was an old sixties song," she chuckled. "At first I thought it was funny, but then afterward I realized I was jealous. I wanted a guy to sing like that to me."

He gave her a halfhearted shrug. "Grant didn't sing," the doors opened and Asher headed toward them, "and neither do I."

Chapter Twenty.

The Enchanter The Plaza was a huge establishment with several shops and eateries, including a coffee shop on the bottom floor. A few years ago for Christmas Elle had spent the entire afternoon in the lobby watching people, come and go, in their holiday finery, carrying their presents and laughing. Julio had gone to spend Christmas with his family, leaving her home alone. Elle just wanted to be around people, but that was before she got thrown out for loitering. She watched Asher as he hurried on ahead of her.

He owned the building.

Something just didn't seem right, her following after him and both of them in their bare feet. Asher didn't steer her in the direction of the main dining room. Instead he stopped before a metal service door entrance and removed a white card from the back pocket of his jeans.

She had tried not to notice Asher, but tracking the movement of his arm seemed like the natural thing to do. Even in the loose fit jeans she had to admit he had a nice backside. He put the card back and removed the jacket. Asher wasn't some beefy body builder, which Elle had never found attractive. Asher had just the right amount of muscles to appear toned and fit. The way the shirt clung to his torso she could clearly make out some very impressive stomach muscles. The biceps were just as equally noticeable since with each move of his arms they danced and flexed.

The long layered hair was a problem though. Not only did it successfully hide his face, it prevented her from knowing at times where his gaze actually was. When he sent a furtive glance behind him down the empty hall, she knew in her distracted state he had caught her ogling him.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked. "I offered you my jacket." She felt like an idiot when she noticed that he was holding it out to her. She didn't even hear him make the first offer. "Yours is dirty, so I was offering mine."

Lowering her eyes to her jacket, Elle saw the smudge of red and black smeared across the left side of her chest, compliments of Mary's grimy face. "Oh no," she went for the zipper, "Kennedy will kill me."

"I can't recall ever seeing her in the same clothes twice so I don't think she's gonna care at all," Asher said.

Elle meant to remove the jacket so she could examine it closer or take it to the nearest women's restroom to scrub clean, but before she could act at all, Asher snatched it from her grasp. Walking across the hall, he dropped the jacket into a trashcan. When he returned, he pulled the door open, handed her his in passing and headed inside.

Halfway down a hall Asher came to an abrupt stopped. Since Elle was in the process of pulling the jacket over her shoulders and not paying attention to where she was going, she crashed into the back of him. Instinctively she put a hand on his hard back, and the second she did, she removed it.

"I'm sorry," Asher didn't turn around. He just continued to stare at the carpet. "I meant to offer upstairs but I couldn't work up the nerve. I get angry when I look at the bruises and I feel that I'm going to continue having to explain my actions, just as now in the hall if I can't take them away. Would you let me take care of them?"

"The fact that you can do that is amazing, but you didn't cause the bruises Asher," she said. At least now she understood why he couldn't look at her for very long.

"Well, you did say it was on the account of my book, so in a sense I did." He turned her way so fast Elle didn't have time to back away. At such a close proximity her eyes were level with his chin, and that meant being up close and personal with his lips, which made her just a little nervous.

When she started to move a step back that's when she became aware of the fact he was holding her by the arms. Tightening his grip, Asher kept her in place before him. Again he didn't appear to be giving her much of a choice.

"Please Elle, it's the least I can do."

"Aren't you afraid it will make you uncomfortable?"

He moved his hands so that they were in front of him and when he held them up, she saw that they were quite visually shaking. He smiled a very boyish smile when she gasped in surprise.

"I think that's obvious," he chuckled.

"You don't have to but you may if it will make you feel better."

"Slide the jacket off your arms," he inched forward appearing pleased by her answer, "and close your eyes."

Dropping the jacket down off her arms as she was instructed, Elle closed her eyes. She felt him take her hand and pull her left arm forward. She understood then that in the hall he must have noticed the huge hand print, Julio had left behind on the back of her arm, when she took off Kennedy's jacket. When his warm magic hand moved over the spot she knew that he had. Leaning forward to check out his handiwork, the tips of Asher's hair brushed over her skin, and wherever the light feathery strands touched, goose bumps formed.

"It doesn't hurt at all," she said.

"That would be conflicting, wouldn't it?" he softly answered.

She pinched her eyes even tighter when he pulled the collar back on the tee-shirt and slid his hand over her neck and the bite marks. She could not only feel the tension in his touch she could hear it in his breathing. She shivered.

"Are you cold?" he breathlessly asked.

"No, not in the least bit, you're making me quite warm," she uttered. "I meant because your hands are warm," she corrected herself when she felt Asher hesitate.

He let out a minty breath and moved his hand to a place right between the V of her shirt, and then asked in a sorrowful voice. "Why would he hit you here?"

"Not all the bruises are the results of his fist. That one I believe was from me falling into the bathtub, after he hit me."

"The reason is the same, no matter how you try to look at it, Elle. The man who hurt you is owed no justifications or mercy." he said. "I may not have caused them, but if buying my book was the trigger, I do apologize. I could never intentionally hurt anyone."

"The fight over the book was last week, but that's when things started escalating. I've lived with him for five years, and he's always been a walking time bomb, but when it gets this bad it's usually for a particular reason. You don't need to feel bad over the book, but if it's any consolation I did throw it at him."

His attempt to respond with a laugh broke off with a choking sound as he moved her hair aside from the right side of her neck. Julio was left handed so the majority of his damage was typically to that side.

"I hope to God you threw it hard. Did he...try to strangle you?"

"That's why I packed. He never acted like he wanted to kill me before."

"Why would he feel that way? What set him off?" Asher's hands circled her neck causing Elle to shudder involuntarily.

"I know what you're thinking Asher because of the way I fling things back at you, but I never provoked him because I was afraid of him. Actually, now that I think about it, I've never treated anyone like I've treated you, so I am sorry about that, the words just come out."

Moving his hands from her neck to her face, she felt his finger guide over her bottom lip. The tip came to a rest at the corner of her mouth where Julio's ring had cut her. The tingling passed through straight to her chest, which rose and fell in steady breaths. She wanted to open her eyes but knew better. Seeing him so close would only make matters worse for them both.

"I'm not sure what to make of that comment in regard to me," he said, "but we can save that for another time. You didn't answer my question. Why did a man that you've lived with for five years feel the need to strangle you when you're carrying his child?"

"He didn't know about the baby. I only found out a week ago and he's been so mean I haven't wanted to tell him. He strangled me because I told him he wasn't a man. That set him off, but the only reason I said it was because he said I was ugly, fat and that I disgusted him. We never really were a couple. He called himself my landlord and provider and that was all. I wasn't with him because I wanted to be," Elle declared. "Now, are you happy?"

Asher's hand hesitated as he moved over her right cheekbone. "No Elle I am not and it's because you are none of those things. Ari was right. That man didn't deserve you but your words have left me in a rather tough situation. I had thought I came to the right decision but now I'm not so sure. You can open your eyes now."

When she did, Asher still stood in front of her. He had moved his hair aside from his eyes and was peering down at her through his lashes again, just as he had in the room.

"I just have one more place that needs attention, so just stand still." Working around behind her, he returned the jacket to her shoulders. When she felt him move her long hair aside and lift up the back of her clothing, she twisted to look at him. "I asked you not to look at me because it makes me nervous and I need to concentrate my magic so I won't hurt you," he told her.

Elle faced away from him again just as he put his warm hand on the cut on the left side of her back. She tensed under his touch. This time she felt a slight burn on her skin as the cut healed.

"I tend to be obsessive but the bruises just don't stop," he said. "But if I were to heal every last one I would be officially drained of magic. I don't understand at all how anyone could be so-"

"Asher stop looking then." Elle was attempting to lower her shirt and jacket in place when a voice interrupted them.

"Excuse me Mr. Lake."

Elle noticed the woman before them. She stood in the hall in a waitress uniform and apron. She was a pretty woman with red hair, but her thinness was bordering on the point of unattractiveness. Asher instantly dropped her clothing back in place and stood up straight. Elle could only image what the waitress thought. She informed him that the food was ready to be served, and turned to leave.

"I bet that was a shock," he said. "People are not accustomed to seeing me with a woman."

Elle stopped walking and looked sideways at Asher. "Thank you Asher. I don't feel so self-conscious now."

"You have no reason to Elle." He started to move on but since she was still hanging back, he stopped and faced her. "Is there something wrong?"

"I was just curious about something. I was wondering about your vow and why that is?"

Asher lowered his gaze from her. She had successfully made him uncomfortable again by the look of his hands. This time Asher shoved them into the front pockets of his jeans. "I'm a Keeper. I'm expected to remain pure until the time comes that I choose a wife so that I can produce an heir."

"So then it's not a long term thing, for you to remain single?"

"No," Asher suddenly seemed anxious to leave, "but now I swear it seems an eternity."

Turning around, Asher hurried through the door and since he didn't hold it open for her, Elle rushed through before it could close. She stood in a private dining room that sported bright red carpet. The only furniture in the room was a large round table and a long buffet table against the wall where two older women sat out food. Asher quickly walked to the table and sat next to his waiting brothers.

Nixon had his back to her. Ari on the other hand had not taken his eyes off of her since she stepped through the door, and he didn't seem to care if she noticed. He had changed into a white dress shirt and his dark brown hair had been neatly combed into place, but he still donned a thin layer of scruff on his face. On Ari it was a good look. Rising, he met her halfway.

"You must forgive my big bad wolf of a brother. He has little sense and no regard when it comes to the opposite sex." Applying his hand to the small of her back, he led her to a seat between him and Asher. "And," he leaned close, smelling of alcohol, "he gets grumpy when he hasn't eaten all day. It's a wonder he didn't gobble you up on the way down, my dear."

Elle dropped onto the chair as Ari sat her down. She was doing it again, staring at Asher, but this time it was Nixon that was noting that fact. Asher reached for the pot of coffee in the center of the table and poured some into a mug. Coffee sloshed over the side of his cup onto his fingers as he lifted it to his lips.

"Asher man, are your hands trembling?" Nixon asked.

"Better yet," Ari said, as he dropped heavily to his chair, "I think he's blushing."

Forcibly Asher sat the mug down and more coffee sloshed over the brim, this time, to the white tablecloth. Discounting his brothers, he considered Elle with something close to agitation. "I heard what my idiot of a brother said. Did you not think I had an animal nature?"

"Pain doesn't. He's just magical like you."

"Oh there's nothing magical about Asher," Ari scoffed.

Again, Asher ignored the comment. "Regardless of what Ari told you on the stairs, not everything I wrote about in those books is truth."

"No just ninety-nine point nine percent." Ari reached for a decanter in the middle of the table and emptied the last of an amber brown liquid into a glass of ice. "What the fools not telling you is, he made Pain that way because he himself resents his animal form."

"Then you are a wolf, like Grant?" she asked.

"All Keepers are wolves," Asher replied.

"Yes," Ari said, "but unlike all the Keepers before him, who had blue eyes in their wolf forms, and were typically greys, Asher's a scary black wolf with blazing orange eyes. Satirical isn't it, given his blue aquarium fish-eyes you see now, but there's nothing normal about my brother. Even his ideas fall toward the more radical side. Just when I thought I understood the fool, he proves me wrong again. The one thing I do understand though is the fact he's spent the majority of his life making everyone miserable, and now he wants to turn his gloomy charm your way."

"Ari please!" She shocked all of them into silence with those two words. Not only had Asher opened his mouth to finally make a retort, so had Nixon. And she could tell by both their expressions, they were upset with Ari's behavior. She couldn't say she blamed them any.

She flashed pleading eyes at Ari. "I heard the arguing and I know you know about me, about my condition, and I know that my being here is causing stress. I don't want that." She looked around the table. "I've seen how you treat one another, all of you. You care about each other so stop this, whatever it is."

She cast a hurried look Asher's way. "I know you care about them too. You just have a different way of showing it. Now, it appears none of you have eaten yet. Why don't we get some food and then maybe we can discuss things politely." Elle lowered her eyes to her hands.

She knew they were still looking. She could feel their gazes heavy and hard. Fighting anxiety she giggled. "I would have directed that last comment to a specific person in particular, but it seems all of you struggle with the idea of being polite to one another-even the little tigress upstairs."

She hadn't expected them to laugh. But at the sound of an eruption of it, loud and boisterous, Elle flashed wary eyes around the table. The smiling faces relaxed her tense shoulders. Knocking over his coffee, Asher went to grabbing napkins to clean it up, while both Ari and Nixon stood and came to where she sat. More than likely due to Ari's inebriated state, Nixon reached her first. He pulled back her chair as she stood and took charge of her arm.

"I know Ari introduced us but I just wanted to make it clear. My name's Nixon." He steered her in the direction of the buffet table, while Ari hung back with Asher. "The fools back there occasionally call me a variety of that name but I prefer just Nixon. I didn't get a chance to thank you for helping me on the roof and for what you said."

"Well thank you. I do appreciate what you did. You were terribly outnumbered. Taking on those birds like that all by yourself was a very brave thing to do."

"Well I don't always feel brave, impulsive maybe, but not brave." Nixon cast a glance over his shoulder and then took a plate from the stack. He handed the plate to her and reached for another. "I would have said something before but I didn't want to in front of the bros. I came to and saw you there with your hair blowing back under the moonlight, and well you looked like an angel, so I thought I was a goner."

"Really now," she said. First she had to deal with Ari's overly friendly gestures and now she got the impression, Nixon wasn't much different when it came to the girls. His hair, now that it was washed, was much lighter, more blond than brown. Stiff with gel it stood up on top in sharp angles.

He snatched a carrot from the bar and bit into it, and as he chewed he showed off a dimple in his right cheek. He scanned the row of vegetables with eyes just as remarkable as Asher's. Not because they were blue like Asher's but in this case a light green with thin yellow strands woven throughout the iris.

"Well," Nixon flashed a shy grin her way, "I've seen your face, especially those blue eyes of yours for so long in Asher's drawings, I guess I was a little self-conscious." He turned to her then as Elle reached for some grapes. "I don't clean up too bad though do I?" Elle mechanically agreed so he went on, "And neither do you. You were pretty before but now your face is glowing. Looks like Asher worked his magic fingers on you. Given the location of some of those bruises, that kind of shines a little light on why he decided to drink straight black coffee and then spilled it on the tabletop."

Elle looked at her plate as Nixon moved on and started grabbing food as he went. Everything smelled and looked wonderful to Elle. And yet even though her stomach churned with hunger, she suddenly didn't feel like eating.

"You have nothing on your plate but fruit," Ari moved beside her. He along with Asher had arrived midway through Nixon's words and despite her noticing them he hadn't, or as Elle was apt to believe, didn't care if they heard. "Are you feeling okay?" Ari asked.

"I'm a little over tired."

Ari reached for her plate. "I'll get you a selection. Go have a seat."

Returning to the table, Elle poured some coffee in a mug and stirred in cream. The cramping had gone, but now as she sat sipping the warm liquid, she was fast becoming aware that she was feeling nauseous. Asher was the first to arrive. There was a brown ring of spilled coffee on the tablecloth where his mug sat. Before he could fully assume his seat the red headed waitress sat a new mug down. She poured him more coffee with a shaky hand and hurried away.

"My mother gave me the name Hatori. I was named after my great-grandfather. Matasuto was her maiden name."

"You and Ari don't look Japanese though."

"Our mother was only half-Japanese. Ari's dad died before he was born and my father and Nixon's," he looked over his shoulder toward the drink machine where Nixon and Ari stood quietly talking, "is actually Seminole Indian. Nixon looks like his mom. She was a blonde like you. But just FYI, Ari doesn't know about Nixon being my half-brother yet. As a matter of fact, that information just fell on Nixon's shoulders a few days ago, so what you feel here among us-the stress goes a long way back, and deeper than what happened today."

Asher took a sip of his coffee and sat it down. "What you said to him about being brave. That was very nice of you. I know that Nixon's been struggling with that lately." He turned his head and looked at her. "And you are right. I do care about them a great deal. I just didn't realize how much until here recently."

"Because of the people you said were trying to hurt them?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, Ari was abducted by the same group that those men in the abandoned building belong to. He wasn't hurt and we got him back, but one of the children was."

"Children, you have-"

"No, not me personally," Asher cut her off, "but I am their legal guardian as Keeper. It's my duty to adopt them. I've never looked at them as being my children though. I've been a bit of a reluctant leader."

"What was this about Asher, the Blackbirds and those men? What did they want with Mary and you?"

Asher shook his head, "I don't know about Steve and the Blackbirds part yet in the scheme of things, but those two men in the building are members of a group that opposes me, known as the Gothi. But then again, the fact that they came after me today is a mystery in itself. They had the chance to harm me if they wanted to the night we went after Ari. I apologize, after everything we put you through I wish I could give you more details, but I have to learn them first."