A/N: This is pretty much going to be all new material from here on out. Sorry about the long wait between this one and the last one. Wish me luck!

Dark Absolution: Chapter 9

The diner where Amanda worked evenings was simple enough for him to find. Six blocks from the dingy apartment that she called home, the restaurant was in an only slightly better part of town. Adam stood outside on the sidewalk and intently gazed through the large, plate glass window into the small restaurant, watching a petite, blond waitress scamper from table to table but saw no sign of his lifemate. He could feel her inside, though, and his every instinct screamed at him to barge his way in, find her, throw her over his shoulder, and carry her off somewhere away from prying eyes but he knew better than to entertain that notion.

Running a hand through his dark, disheveled hair and straightening the collar of his jacket, he pushed his way through the door and into the restaurant. His eyes roved carefully over the occupants of the dining room as he searched for her face in the crowd. His need to simply see her was almost painful. She was close, he could sense her, but she wasn't at any of the tables or hidden in any of the booths. A frown tugged at the corners of his mouth as his gaze wandered back toward what could only be the entrance to the kitchen. She was back there, he knew it. He took a step in that direction, intent on claiming what was rightfully his.

"Can I help you, sir?"

A hand fell on Adam's arm, halting him. His head snapped back around and he found himself looking down into a pair of muddy, brown eyes. His only thought had been of his lifemate and he hadn't caught a word of what the woman had said. "Excuse me?"

The blond waitress cleared her throat nervously as the man's deep, velvety-smooth, slightly accented voice washed over her causing a blush to warm her face. She smiled shyly, flipping a tress of vibrant, blond hair over her shoulder even as her gaze wandered appreciatively over his powerful body. Her tongue flicked out to moisten her lips as she met his gaze, her attaction to him obvious. "I asked if there was anything I could help you with."

Adam, amused by the woman's blatant flirting, allowed himself to smile back at her. He wanted Amanda to look at him like that, with desire and hunger in her eyes. "I'd like a table for two. My life-..." Adam caught himself and cleared his throat before speaking again. " My fiancee should be joining me very shortly."

"Ah, of course." The blond sighed dejectedly, disappointment flashing in her brown eyes. She couldn't help but be envious of whomever this man would be meeting. He was the epitome of tall, dark and handsome, the very definition of masculinity. He had an old world elegance about him and seemed to radiate power and authority. "A nice, private booth, then?"

Adam nodded. "Yes, please. That would be perfect."

"Follow me, please." The waitress maneuvered her way across the dining room to an empty booth tucked away in the back corner of the restaurant. Every step she took, she was aware that the eyes of every woman in the place were on the man trailing her. "Will this be alright?"

"This is fine." Adam sat down and regarded her politely as she sat a menu in front of him.

The blond bit her lip and twined her fingers together nervously. "Is there anything else I can get for you while you wait?"

A slight smile curved the corners of Adam's lips. "No, but if you'd be so kind as to let Amanda know I'm here waiting for her I'd be most appreciative."

The waitress nodded vigorously, eager to do as he asked. "Sure, I'll-" Realization struck her. She looked at him dumbstruck. "Wait...what? Amanda?"

"Is there a problem?" Adam glanced toward the kitchen, the urge to simply walk in and take her as he wished returned stronger than ever.

"What? No!" The waitress shook her head. "No...no problem. Its just...she's never, um..."

Adam cocked an eyebrow curiously. "She's never what?"

"She's never mentioned you, that's all. " The woman quirked an eyebrow thoughtfully. "She's never even talked about having a boyfriend let alone said anything about her being engaged. I mean, I've worked with her for a little over a year and you'd think she would have at least mentioned it in passing." The waitress laughed. "Amanda has a fiance. This is just...wow. I was seriously starting to worry about the girl."

"Yes, well..." Adam shrugged and gave the woman a friendly smile. From the buzz of excitement the woman exuded over his claim, he could tell she was pleased that his mate had, well, a mate. He decided that he liked this woman very much. "I'm sure she had her reasons for not sharing. There were circumstances that kept us apart from one another for quite some time. It was a very...difficult time for us both. But, now that I've reacquired her I have every intention of making up for the time lost to us starting right now."

"Well, I guess congratulations are in order then." The blond waitress smiled brightly and extended her hand. "I'm Monica, by the way. Monica Sloane."

"Adam Cardei." Adam took the hand she offered and shook it. "Its very nice to meet you."

"You, too. I just can't believe it." The waitress giggled and shook her head. "Oh, but here I am talking you to death when you came here to see your girl. Let me run to the back and grab her for you."

"Thank you. I'd appreciate that." Adam chuckled as he watched the waitress scamper off toward the kitchen, rebuking a patron on the way to 'keep his pants on' when he dared to try to flag her down for a refill on his beverage. Once the blond was out of his sight, his mind immediately turned to more pressing matters. The most important being how to make up for the twelve year gap in the relationship with his lifemate when she had known him as nothing more than a plush, stuffed plaything. His confidence and sheer determination that nothing would further hinder him from having the one woman who had been created solely for him soothed him slightly. The worst was over, he told himself. Absolutely nothing would come between them this time. Come Hell or highwater, he would have his lifemate.

To be continued...

Just a short little something to get things rolling again. I hope to get to work on the next chapter this weekend.