Jay Gardiner doing what he does best …. smouldering.
***
Jay’s story so far
After seeming to have it all – Money, good looks, great job, Jay Gardiner even manages to bag himself a siren––A rare creature that can satisfy a man’s wildest dreams. Then he goes and gives it all up. Yeah, you heard right. Just pushes her away, straight into the arms of his best friend. Then he goes into a tailspin like you wouldn’t believe.
Women
Blood addiction
Just about any destructive behaviour.
That just about sums Jay Gardiner up in the series so far. I’ve been dying to catch up with him before the release of book five, Night Goddess, to find out exactly what the hell is going on.
He wasn’t that easy to pin down this time. He is now full time with the Santalini royal family. So to speak to him I had to travel out to Italy to one of their palatial homes on Lake Como.
Italy
The maid showed me in over ten minutes ago, brought me a hot tea and left me to look around the room that looks like a study/library. These Atlanteans do love their books. Look really old too.
I was just about to get up to nose through some of the dusty volumes when the door opens and in he breezes. Freshly showered but still casually smart – a waft of au de Jay hits my nostrils and I can’t help taking in a huge lungful.
He gives me that stunning smile and sits and apologizes for keeping me waiting. Then he thanks Maria, the maid, when she passes him a steaming cup of something too.
J – HI T, how are you. Haven’t seen you for a while.
T- I’m well, thanks. Been busy writing Night Goddess.
He tips his head. “Of course.”
T- Thanks for making the time to see me today. How is little JJ doing?
Jay’s face immediately lights up.
J- He’s great. A real handful, though.
He’s shakes his head but smiles indulgently. Then his face clouds over suddenly, leading me straight to my next question.
T- Like his mum?
He turns his head and looks me dead in the eye and for a moment I think I’ve totally blown the interview already.
J- Yes.
That was all he said. One syllable that captured it. I couldn’t help studying his strong face that said everything by not saying anything at all. I decided to steer the conversation back.
T- JJ must be around 3 or 4 now?
His face became animated again.
J- He’s actually only two, but as you know, Atlantean children mature more quickly than humans. Dante’s kids look even older at around 7 or 8, even though they’re the same age.
T- But JJ looks a little younger because of his human DNA.
J – Yes.
He looked genuinely impressed, which was weird, considering.
I looked around the large study.
T- So you’re a Santalini now. Life has changed a lot for you.
Jay tips his head.
J- Yes, it has. I’m the newly adopted son.
Then he let me have the full knock out smile as if to prove Dante’s point, that everyone always falls in love with Jay. They just couldn’t help themselves.
I used the opportunity to get into something a little deeper.
T- At the end of Tiger Lily, Dante ordered you to marry. Has that happened in the latest book?
His smile became a little more guarded. It made me wonder if it was more than not wanting to give too much away–More to do with not being sure if he was happy with it. Then he surprised me with a straight answer.
J – Yes!
T- Yes?
I was shocked and wasn’t sure I’d heard right.
T- You’re married.
J- Yes I am.
My eyes went wide.
T- Can you confirm for the readers who to?
Jay grinned and shook his head.
T- Ah, come on. You can’t say something like that and not spill who it is.
He laughed.
J- It wouldn’t be fair to my new wife to talk about her at this stage. I’ll let the readers decide whether or not they like her when they meet her in the book.
T- What about you, Jay. Are you happy?
We all knew just how deeply his feeling really went for Tia. It just didn’t add up.
There was an obvious pause where he appeared to be analyzing himself to genuinely answer the question. The pause said more than words.
J- My wife and I are working through a very difficult situation. As you can imagine?
His eyebrows were up in a question, but the stress lines were really visible on his face.
I nodded. I knew exactly what he was driving at. It meant I simply had to ask my next question.
T- Have you renewed the bond with Tia?
Jay looked a little disappointed with me and it made my heart sink. There was something about the guy that made you want his approval all the time.
J- I’m not going to answer that.
T – You can’t or you won’t?
He just smiled without it reaching his eyes–my cue to shut up about it. It did make me think he probably had, other wise it would have been a no. It posed more questions as he was supposed to be on strong meds.
T- How are you getting on with Dante these days?
He laughed loudly at that.
I tried to look innocent about it.
T- What? Things were strained at the end of Tiger Lily.
He took a deep sigh
J- We have a kind of love/hate relationship. What can I say?
T- So you’re good?
J- He’s my brother. We will always have each other’s back.
I nodded. He was right. Despite everything, they did love each other. They may not physically see a lot of each other these days, but they felt the same.
T- How has your marriage affected your relationship with Tia?
It was a cheeky question, thrown in to take him off guard but he was ready. In fact, he looked mischievous.
J- Tia and I are closer than ever.
My eyes went wide. My mind was filling with a hundred questions. Most of which I knew he’d never answer.
T- you’ve resumed your relationship?
J- No.
He shook his head emphatically.
I was confused.
J- She’s chosen
Then he looked away.
J– I’ve chosen.
Sensing his discomfort I steered the conversation away from the sore subject.
T- In book 5 a new enemy appears. Can you tell the readers about them?
Jay seemed relieved the heat was off him and became all business.
J – Yes I can. They’re a small order of warrior monks called Scythians. They kidnap, train and indoctrinate small boys. They’re are sworn enemies of the Atlanteans and see it as their God-given mission to rid them from the earth.
I nodded. I’d heard of them.
T- Are they a real threat, if there are only a few?
J– Very real. They’ve been in the background for the last century, but they’ve grown and have their fingers in many influential pies.
T– Jay, I’ve been dying to know, and so have my readers, is Delissi a good guy?
Jay sighed deeply as if there was no easy answer to that question. Then he shrugged.
J– Look, Delissi does an incredibly difficult job trying to keep everyone happy on both sides. He is only effective if he can do that. He has to know everything and have contacts everywhere. He also has to keep the Orb and the fates happy. It’s kind of impossible if he takes sides.
T- So you’re saying he’s neutral?
J- I’m saying he has to appear neutral.
I absorbed what he said. I was no closer to knowing if that meant he was good.
T– He has done some pretty shady things.
Jay bobbed his head in agreement.
J – That’s politics. Sometimes you have to sail close to the wind.
The look on his face made me wonder if he was talking about more than Delissi.
J- Is that what you’re doing at the end of NIghht Goddess?
Again that steely direct stare. Then he tipped his head slowly like a bow.
J– Sometimes the end justifies the means.
I could tell he wouldn’t expand further than that. I was dying to ask about what the Murrs were really up to. Also about how bad his blood habit had got. But he was one hell of an intimidating guy when he wanted to be. I had to build up the guts to ask him probing questions and he was shifting in his chair as if our time was almost up.
T – OK, I can see you’re busy and need to get off somewhere. Can I just ask what you think of the new siren, Phoebe Ray?
Jay nodded a thanks.
J – She’s beautiful like all the sisters are. A red head. She seems quieter, completely glued at the hip with her partner.
I smiled.
T – Are you saying she’s not as wild as the others?
He chuckled and shook his head.
J – Nooo, I’m definitely not saying that.
The mind boggled.
T – Do you like her?
J – Honestly, I don’t know her. I’ve been kind of busy.
A small smile played on his lips.
J- But its kind of hard for all the sirens, you know?
I nodded. That was for sure. They were under enormous pressure.
T– And Drew Stone? What do you think of him?
Jay sat back in his chair to think about that question.
J– Its even harder for humans in this world. I’m sure he was a great guy.
T– Was?
Jay just looked at me steadily, not willing to offer up anything further. Did he mean he was no longer human, or no longer around?
T– What’s the future like for Jay Gardiner?
He bobbed his head.
J– Uncertain for the most part. I guess it’s the most positive its been in a long while.
Wow, that I wasn’t expecting.
T– Is that with Tia and Dante?
J– with everything
It gave me a lot to think about. After all, I did know how night Goddess finished. Uncertain was an understatement. It was left on one hell of a cliffhanger. It was my turn to look him dead in the eye.
T– Good luck with everything, Jay.
I tried to convey everything with that look so he got my meaning. That I knew how much was riding on what he did next.
The smile he returned was beautiful but so sad. Like the weight of the world was resting on his shoulders.
J- Thanks, T.
Then he stood and I rose too. He pulled me into the heat of his body and kissed both cheeks. It made my heart flutter. I couldn’t lie.
Then he left the room and I stood there looking at the door a full minute after he left. He always left an impression- so strong, but seemingly so lonely too. Like no one could reach him – well except Tia, and sadly she was with someone else.
I really did wish him luck. Now I had the unenviable task of tracking down Dante and after the end of Night Goddess, that wasn’t going to be easy …