Page 33 of Dark Destiny: The Fates' Bargain

Mattie walked over to the door he'd indicated, pulled it open, and made a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a gasp. Clothes hung in two neat rows, one for her and one for him, and folded items were stacked on shelves beside them. Everything was new, tags still attached, sized exactly right.

"Who did the shopping?" she asked, running her fingers along the sleeve of a blouse.

"A personal shopper, I guess," Robbie said.

Dimitri blinked. "That's an actual occupation? Someone whose job is to buy other people's clothes?"

"You'd be surprised." Robbie looked faintly amused. "Rich, busy people are willing to part with their money in exchange for time saved. After all, for humans, time is the most precious commodity there is."

Dimitri swallowed.

He didn't like to be reminded of Mattie's human lifespan compared to his never-ending one.

There must be a solution to that. He felt it in his core like a whispered promise from fate herself. If he could find a way tokeep a bunch of enhanced immortal warriors with a shared mind coherent, he would find a way to extend Mattie's life.

"Please thank the shopper," Mattie said, still running her fingers over the luxurious fabrics. "And whoever paid for this. Everything is so beautiful."

"I will," Robbie promised. "But you haven't seen the best part yet."

She turned to him. "Better than this?"

"You tell me." He waved a hand at another door. "Check out the bathroom."

Arching a brow, Mattie let go of the sleeve she was holding and went to investigate the wonders of the bathroom.

The squeal that followed was proof that Robbie hadn't been exaggerating.

Dimitri followed her in and found her standing in front of a jacuzzi tub large enough for two, with a glass-walled shower beside it, stocked with more showerheads than any single person could possibly need.

"I'm never leaving." Mattie turned to Robbie. "You will have to drag me out of here kicking and screaming."

Robbie laughed. "You'll have to take that up with Kian. It's his penthouse."

"Isn't he the big boss?" Dimitri asked.

Robbie nodded.

"When are we going to see him?" Dimitri asked.

"In good time," he said cryptically and turned around. "Dining room's this way. There's takeout waiting, and it's getting cold. Golden Dragon makes the best Chinese food in LA, so you are in for a treat."

Petrov and Anita were already seated at the table when Dimitri and Mattie walked in.

"Finally," Petrov said. "I'm starving."

"You could have started without us." Dimitri pulled a chair out for Mattie.

"Anita wouldn't let me." Petrov cast her an accusing look. "I'm a convalescing patient, and I need to be fed in a timely manner."

She patted his arm. "You are not starving. You are salivating because everything smells so good."

"Same thing." Petrov tried to reach for one of the boxes and winced when the motion pulled on his injured side. "You'll have to help me."

The conversation stopped when they started eating, and the only words exchanged were requests to pass the containers.

They were partway through the meal when a man walked in.

"Welcome to America," he said as he pulled out a chair for himself. "I'm Turner." He was short, blond, with pale blue eyes that seemed sharply intelligent.