Free The Golden Bell by Autumn Dawn Page A

gained strength.
    “You’ve decided I’m some sort of
playboy.”
    “Aren’t you?”
    He considered that. “In the past, I’ve been
as wild as any youth. Trust me, the lifestyle pales as a man gets
older. I’m thinking differently these days, planning differently.
You have nothing to fear from me.”
    She met his eyes with apparent difficulty.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
    “It means I’m looking for a wife. My friends
have settled down and I like what they’ve done with their lives.
They’ve got a good thing going.”
    “Well, if you’re looking for a wife, we know
you won’t choose me,” she said bitterly. “Besides, you barely know
me. Like I said, find someone else.”
    He continued doggedly, “There’s an appeal to
coming home to a house with someone in it. I like the idea of a
wife lighting up my home.”
    “You want kids,” she accused him.
    He shifted uncomfortably. “Not really. Not
right now, at least. Don’t misunderstand, I like playing with my
cousin’s children, but it’s a relief to know that they’re his at
the end of the day.”
    She raised a skeptical brow. “You’re going to
have a hard time marrying a girl who doesn’t want kids.”
    “Do you?”
    That caught her off guard. “Well, no. Not
really. I mean, I don’t think I’d be a bad mom, I just don’t have
the urge, you know? I don’t like the idea of being pregnant, or
childbirth, or diapers. I think it would be better to adopt a kid.
Someone else has already done the worst stuff, that way.”
    “What about the teenage years?”
    She shrugged. “I’m not afraid of teens.
They’re easy to talk to.”
    He smiled. “You see? We’d be perfect, not
that anything’s decided now. Here, try these fruit jellies. They’re
delicious.
    “Did I tell you I’ve officially retired from
my post as ambassador to Earth? Kirk took it over. Not that there’s
much traffic these days. There are only a few families left on
Earth, most of which are making noise about crossing over. Some of
the Elders are retiring, acknowledging that their roles are being
phased out. Elders Azion and Traforte should arrive in a couple of
days.”
    She stiffened. “Really?” That couldn’t be
coincidence. She was a sitting duck, nicely boxed in by Fallon’s
protective care.
    She suddenly realized that Fallon hadn’t
asked her any more questions about her father’s death and the Haunt
involved. He’d seen how much the experience still affected her. For
all she knew, even her allergy to Haunt fur could be
psychosomatic.
    Granted, he sometimes came off as a flake and
a playboy, witness his talk about marrying her…but how much of that
was real? Someone had put him in charge of the portal, and that was
no position for a fool. He might be easygoing around her, but she
remembered her first glimpse of him, wreathed in dust from the
bomb. This was a dangerous man. Relaxing around him was
hazardous.
    Becoming his lover was the act of a
madwoman.
    “There’s going to be a party for them in a
couple of days. We’re invited, of course.”
    “Not interested.” She picked up her wine and
took a slow sip, just to have something casual to do. She had a
poker face when she wanted, and these weren’t thoughts she wished
to share.
    Her father had talked to both Elders Azion
and Traforte within days of each other. Soon after that they were
swarmed with murderous Haunt. For a girl who hadn’t known about
them until her teens, nor ever seen one transformed, it was a
horrific experience. If she hadn’t wanted to be one of them before,
she really wasn’t happy about it then.
    One of them wanted the Bell, and they wanted
to keep quiet about its existence. She wasn’t eager to reveal it,
either. It was her ticket out of there…she thought. After all, it
hadn’t been tested yet.
    “You’re still angry at them for sending you
here?”
    Fallon’s casual question made her refocus. “I
have no use for the council,” she said coolly. “Like I said,