Daniel got up and took the plates. "Are you ready for the entrees?"
"Ready Freddy. What are the entrees?"
"Uni and Maguro hand-rolled sushi. I had someone fly the freshest ingredients in from Tsukiji Market in Tokyo. They've just arrived this morning."
Charlotte was deeply impressed. "You're going to make it now, right? Can I watch? Sorry, may I watch you prepare it?"
"You're more than welcome."
Charlotte traded her seat for a high stool by the kitchen counter, watching Daniel work deftly. The uni, sea urchins, still alive, were cooled in the sink. They looked like dust balls, only with long, menacing spikes. She was repelled and yet fascinated by it the first time she saw it. Who would think that kind of stuff was edible? However, she was quite an adventurous foodie and discovered that despite the appearance, sea urchin was delicious.
Daniel put on disposable gloves and pried open the uni with two spoons facing opposite sides. Once opened, he carefully scooped the edible part, the roes, from the hard shell and plunged them in iced water. He prepared the Bluefin tuna next. With a sashimi knife, he cut the expensive tuna into strips. He took off his gloves and hand-rolled the vinegar-seasoned rice, smeared on a dib of wasabi and placed the tuna on top. He repeated the process with the uni and garnished the dish with pickled ginger and fresh shiso leaves.
Charlotte helped him clean up the counter and bring the sushi to the table. Daniel replaced their wine with Japanese sake to complement their dinner. He offered a toast, and Charlotte raised her cup. "Kanpai, cheers." She downed the sake in three gulps. Ooh, doggie. That was good stuff-strong, rather sweet with a clean aftertaste.
They dug in. The sushi melted in her mouth. "Compliments to the chef."
"Thank you." Daniel looked pleased that she was enjoying his food. "I'm thrilled that you like it."
Charlotte wondered why he was so much different from the Daniel she'd seen in her premonition-the primal Daniel. The half-beast Daniel. In that vision, Daniel was half-naked, feral, with a face covered in soot as he snarled and tore at someone, a man who was like him. The fury and incessant urge for blood is what had frightened Charlotte that day at the park.
Now, sitting across from him enjoying a nice dinner, Charlotte questioned whether the premonition was false or if it was nothing but a glimpse into his deep, recessed psyche. She rarely got forewarning when she accidentally touched someone-except that one time with Grandmaman before her death. Charlotte foresaw Grandmaman being trundled out of a grocery store on a stretcher. Two months after the vision, Grandmaman had a heart attack while she was waiting in line for checkout in the nearby supermarket.
Charlotte explored the thought a little deeper. If the vision she saw was going to happen, would Daniel be involved in a situation where he had to go all out? Making love and holding his baby-cub was nice, but to see that primeval part of him was downright scary.
"So, Charlotte, how often did you speak to your father?" asked Daniel.
"Huh?" She floated back to reality. "I thought we weren't going to talk business until dessert?"
"Getting to know you better isn't part of the negotiation."
"I see." Charlotte furrowed her eyebrows, trying to remember. "I don't think I ever spoke to him in person. I dreamed about him when I was little. When I asked my mom about who he was, she always got mad. That subject was taboo in our household, so I never brought it up."
Daniel looked astonished. "You were never curious about your father?"
"No. I just think of him as a deadbeat bastard. A lot of kids in my old neighborhood shared the same story. Their dads went to prison and never came back. Went to pick up a carton of milk and never came back. Same old, same old."
"How did your parents meet?"
Charlotte shrugged. "Who knows? Neither Mom nor my Grandma ever raised the subject, and I didn't feel like asking. I've got enough problems on my own, thank you very much."
"Interesting. A Dream Lord is an important figure in the Netherworlder community. Very powerful and as old as death itself, and also the most elusive. Meeting his daughter is a great honor."
"Netherworlder. My grandmother used to say that. Such things exist?"
A faint nod. "I take it you've never been in contact with anyone that shares our unique trait?"
"If what you mean by unique trait is weirdness, then the answer is no. My grandma always said stay away from weirdoes, so that's what I've been doing since her passing."
Daniel only smiled. "Don't you ever wish to see your father?"
"Many times in the past. He owes my mom eighteen years' worth of child support, and he owes me twenty-four years of birthday gifts."
"I understand your anger."
"What about you? Do you get along with your dad?"
"To be honest, my relationship with my father is quite complicated."
"How so?"
He paused. "You see, my father is a womanizer. He left my mother for her sister. Anika and Jeremy are my half-siblings-"
"Your stepmother is also your aunt? Wicked."
"Wicked. If I could describe her in one word, ‘wicked' would be my choice."
"Wait, you have a brother too?"
"Half-brother, yes. Jeremy is three years younger than me."
"Do you get along with him?"
Daniel let out a sigh. "I wish it to some extent. My stepmother wanted Jeremy to replace me as the alpha of our pride and take control of our family fortune. But by birth right, Jeremy isn't qualified, and it has strained our relationship since we were children."
Charlotte was intrigued. Daniel's personal life rivaled a soap opera. "What about Anika? You seem to get along with her."
A weak laugh. "Ah, my dear Anika. She's the wickedest one in the family. Anika has no loyalty to either side. She sticks to whoever entertains her the most. Once she gets bored, she'll move on to a new green pasture. Hence, her three ex-husbands."
"Oh, I get it now. That explains the odd last names. Is she dating someone right now?"
"Anika is always dating someone. I heard she's dallying with a Spanish actor at present. She just returned from the Bahamas with her new paramour last week."
Charlotte thought about it for a moment. "Do they-her exes-know about your family secret? Are they Netherworlders too?"
"Her first husband, Alexander Ruis, is one of us, but he belongs to another pride. It has become an unspoken rule among us that we don't disclose our condition to humans."
"I've never met another Netherworlder besides you. Are there … plenty of them out there?"
"Not as many as humans. I'd say it pales in comparison. If I'm calculating it right, it's approximately three percent of the world's population."
"Three percent, huh? That's a lot."
"I agree." Daniel ate the last bite on his plate. "Now, are you ready for dessert?"
"What's for dessert?"
"Traditional wagashi, Japanese sweets. I had someone pick up some peach mochi from Minamoto on Madison Avenue. They're really fresh."
"I didn't know there was such a place here."
"New York is a melting pot for many cultures; one can find anything in this city. You just have to look for it."
The mochi was sweet, delicate and bursting with fruity flavor. It was made from rice flour dough with peach flavored red bean paste. Charlotte savored every morsel. She could eat the whole tray for breakfast, lunch and dinner and never get bored.
"So," Daniel began. "Shall we talk business?"
"Yeah. The answer is no. But I don't mind if we stay as friends as long as you invite me for sushi and mochi now and then."
"Ah." Daniel tapped his fingers on the table. "Regretfully, I don't take no for an answer. I want you as my woman. We can do it the easy way or the hard way."
"How about the semi-easy hard way?" she joked.
Daniel leaned over his plate. "I've never pursued anything half-heartedly, Charlotte. I've always known what I wanted since a very young age. I want you as mine, no matter what it takes. If I must climb a mountain and swim an ocean to get you, I'll do it. I believe we are meant to be together."
Charlotte paused. The half-chewed mochi in her mouth suddenly tasted bland. She swallowed. Was that a trait of an alpha? How Neanderthal, considering this day and age. Why didn't he just select a woman, club her and then drag her into his cave? Wait … that was what he was trying to do with her. "You can't just expect somebody to fall for you like that. I don't even love you."
"Then I'll make you fall in love with me."
"Don't you think you're coming on a bit strong?"
"You didn't give me a chance to play subtly. You're impervious to my seduction; you even bolted in the middle of our conversation."
"You tried to get me into your car. My grandma told me never to get into a car with a stranger."