by I. T. Lucas
Dormants were rare and precious, and by letting Kalugal keep Jacki, Kian was depriving his own clansmen of a possible life partner.
The logical conclusion was that he didn’t want a criminal to become part of his clan. Except, there was no time to find out what Jacki’s crime was and, if necessary, cancel the deal.
Still, he could do that later, after he talked with her and found out. Worst case, he would have to pay for one day of her stay and then send her back to Kian with a 'thanks, but no thanks' note.
“Come in. Kian is on the line and he wants to talk to you.” Kalugal motioned for her to take the seat he had vacated. “The speakerphone is on.”
She sat down and leaned over the device that he’d left face up on his desk. “Hi, Kian. Did Kalugal explain the deal to you?”
“He did. But I want to hear it from you in your own words, so I know that we are all on the same page.”
“It’s simple. For every day that I stay here, Kalugal will donate twenty-five thousand dollars to the clan’s charity for the rescued victims of trafficking.”
“How long do you intend to stay?”
She chuckled. “How much will it cost to build a shelter in California? Kalugal says that Alaska is a miserable place for that and that the victims deserve better. I agree.”
For a moment, Kian didn’t say anything, and Kalugal imagined him calculating the costs in his head.
Building in California was expensive everywhere, even inland, and not only because of the land cost. The state and its various cities charged insane amounts for the numerous permits and fees they demanded, nearly doubling the cost of construction and pricing decent housing out of most people’s reach. No wonder it had the worst homeless crisis in the States.
It was one of the many things that would change when he took over the world. Kalugal would do away with corrupt politicians who were lining the pockets of their donors, like by approving so-called building projects for the poor with price tags of over half a million per unit.
What a joke that was.
The problem was that the Californian homeless situation was just one small drop in the enormous worldwide bucket of things that needed fixing, and he didn’t trust humans with implementing his policies. Corruption and nepotism were rampant everywhere, and the misuse of taxpayers’ money was criminal.
The solution Kalugal envisioned was managing everything with the help of artificial intelligence, but the technology was decades away from being ready.
Good thing that he was a patient man, and that time was on his side.
“A year,” Kian eventually said, confirming that he’d been calculating the costs in his head. “Are you planning on staying that long with Kalugal?”
28
Jacki
A freaking year?
Jacki knew she wouldn't survive that long. Heck, she wasn’t sure she was going to survive a month.
“No, I'm not. Will a month’s worth of donation be enough for a down payment?”
“You don’t have to do that, Jacki. Not unless you like Kalugal and want to spend more time with him. I won’t say no to his contributions, but I don’t need them.”
Kalugal put his hand on her shoulder. “Stay as long as you are comfortable. Don’t feel obligated to fund Kian’s charity.”
She turned to look up at him. “You are the one funding it, not me. But let’s see how it works out. I might stay a week, or a month, or two.”
“Good,” Kian said. “I’m glad that we have reached an understanding with five minutes to spare. I will expect a phone call from Jacki every day, and after the call to Areana, I’ll provide you with bank information for the wire transfers.”
“Goodbye, Kian. And send my regards to Jin.”
“I will.” He ended the call.
“Thank you.” Kalugal gave her shoulder a little squeeze. “If you don’t mind, I would like to speak with my mother in private, or as privately as I can with Kian listening in.”
“Of course.” Jacki jumped to her feet. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”
“Okay. When I’m done, I’ll come to get you.”
Kalugal hadn’t even asked her why she was going there, but that was because he was literally out of time.
Not wanting to intrude on Kalugal’s first conversation with his mother even for a moment, she grabbed Phinas by the elbow and headed for the door. “Can you introduce me to Atzil?”
“Certainly.”
When they were out in the corridor, Jacki cast him an apologetic smile. “Sorry about dragging you out of there, but Kalugal needs to be alone for that.”
Phinas nodded. “I would have left without your intervention.” He looked at her with curious eyes. “I understand that you’ll be staying with us for a while. “
“Yes. Kalugal explained that he needs a human’s perspective on certain things. I’m not sure what they are, but I’m happy to help in exchange for his very generous donation to a worthy cause.”
“What are you getting out of it?”
She shrugged. “Nothing monetary. It just makes me feel good to know that I’m contributing to the cause.”
Phinas seemed doubtful, but he didn’t press the issue. “Why do you want to meet Atzil?”
“I convinced Kalugal to let me cook for him, you and Rufsur while I’m here. I want to talk it over with Atzil and figure out how we can both use the kitchen without stepping on each other’s toes.”
“Are you a good cook?”
Jacki smiled. “You will soon find out.”
“I can’t wait to sample your cooking. But don’t tell that to Atzil.”
“I won’t.” She let out a breath. “I can imagine how excited Kalugal is about talking with his mom.”
Phinas nodded. “I’m glad for him. I wish I could talk to my mother, but she is long gone.”
“She wasn’t an immortal?”
“No.”
“So your father was an immortal?”
“It doesn’t work like that.”
“So how does it work?”
“I don’t know what I’m allowed to tell you. You will have to ask Kalugal.”
Right, as if he was going to tell her anything. As it was, she already knew too much, and because of her immunity, they couldn’t erase the knowledge from her head.
Kalugal’s speech about her being free to leave was nonsense. She might be able to leave his house, but she would be collected by Kian’s men and taken back to that underground facility, or wherever the clan was.
Jacki no longer thought that either of them would kill her, but she was certain that she would never be free to live out her life as a human among other humans.
When Kalugal had said that Kian was never going to let her go, he might have done it to convince her that she would be better off staying with him, but he hadn’t been lying.
Actually, it worked in his favor. With Kian taking care of the problematic immune, Kalugal could appear like the good guy who was not holding her against her will.
It wasn’t the end of the world, and Jacki could definitely see the upside of being taken care of. Her days of worrying about paying rent and having enough left over for food were over. But she’d already had that in the program and had chosen to leave it behind for freedom.
Apparently, she’d just exchanged one form of captivity for another. Both had their advantages and disadvantages.
The program had given her financial security, but the director had selective breeding plans in mind that she had no wish to be part of. Living among immortals, on the other hand, meant a life of spinsterhood unless she eased up on her convictions. She couldn’t have a future with any of the men, and the only type of relationship she could have would be as a temporary lover.
Forget about being a wife or a mother.
But wait, maybe she could at least have children?
Would they be immortal?
Phinas had said that his mother had been human. Jin wasn’t immortal either, and yet she and Arwel seemed very s
erious about each other.
Was there a way to make it work?
29
Kalugal
As Kalugal waited for Kian to connect him to his mother, he decided to keep the conversation with her as positive as possible.
The troublesome questions that burned in his heart would have to wait for another time. Like how she could live with Navuh and not seek a way to get out of the harem, especially now that she could solicit the help of her sister to get her out. Or why would a goddess bind her life to a mere immortal?
The truth was that there was no point asking her those questions at all because he knew the answers, and it would only upset her.
There were no male gods left for Areana to choose from, and Navuh was next in line as the most powerful immortal ever born. If that was the only criterion for choosing a husband, then Areana had chosen the best one available.
Secluded in the harem the way she was, Areana might not have been aware that her mate was a cruel despot who ruled his people with an iron fist, and who had no regard for human lives. With her, he might have been indeed as loving and as respectful as she had claimed he was.
Was that what she’d said, though?
Things were a little blurry after all this time, and what Kalugal had heard her say as a five-year-old boy might have morphed into something different over the years.
What he remembered clearly, though, was her telling him how much she loved him and his brother and that, in his own way, their father loved them too. Removing them from the harem and separating them from their mother had been done to protect them.
Still, Areana had feared for him and had told him to keep his unique abilities secret from his father. Which meant that she hadn’t been entirely oblivious to the kind of man Navuh was.
And yet, she’d said that she loved him, and she had made Kalugal swear that he would never use his power against his father.
Chuckling mirthlessly, Kalugal swiveled his chair around and looked out the window. It seemed that she’d left him a loophole, though. He didn't think his vow had included not killing his father by conventional means. But the problem was that he couldn’t be sure of that. He remembered vowing not to use his power of compulsion against Navuh, but he might’ve vowed not to kill him as well, and over the years the memory had changed.
When his phone rang, Kalugal snatched it off the desk. “I’m ready.”
“We are patching you through,” Kian said.
“Kalugal?” His mother’s melodic voice was loud and clear, and exactly like he had remembered it.
His throat suddenly constricted, he managed only to whisper, “I’m here.”
She started sobbing quietly. “I thought that I would never get to talk with you again. This is a miracle.” She took a shuddering breath and regained her composure. “How have you been, my son? Has life been good to you? Better than it was in the Brotherhood?”
“Running away was the best decision I’ve ever made. Thank you for planting the idea in my head when I was a small boy. I am free, I am my own man, and I don’t have to answer to anyone. I struggled only for a short time at the beginning, but I found a way to make money, and my men and I live very comfortably.”
“Yes, Annani told me about you making a fortune on the stock exchange. You were always clever.”
“Thank you. How have you been? How is Tula?”
“You remember her? We are both fine, keeping each other company. Life is uneventful in the harem. Or rather it was. After Annani had tried to rescue me, and I was given this communication device, things became much more interesting. She keeps me informed on everything that is happening in the world.”
This was news to him.
Kian had said nothing about the clan trying to rescue Areana. He’d only said that they’d managed to smuggle a communication device to her.
“What happened to the rescue, did it fail?”
She laughed, the beautiful sound confirming beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was indeed talking with his mother.
As a child, he’d thought that his mother had a beautiful voice because she was a beautiful woman. As an adult, he should have wondered about the otherworldly quality of her laugh, but the idea that Areana was a goddess had been too preposterous to even tickle at his awareness.
“I didn’t need rescuing. Annani thought that your father was mean to me and that I had suffered for thousands of years at his hands. But she was wrong. I love your father, and he loves me. He is good to me.”
That was debatable, but Kalugal had promised himself not to touch on the subject during his first conversation with his mother. Instead, he moved to the rescue operation. He was consumed by curiosity and a little envious of Kian. The guy had come up with an actionable plan to rescue Areana while Kalugal had never figured a way to do that.
“I’m sure that it wasn’t Annani herself who organized the rescue. I assume it was Kian?”
“Your brother was the one who came up with the idea for infiltrating the harem, and Annani was the one who ordered Kian to implement it.”
Talk about big news. His brother had been involved in the rescue?
Covering up for his surprise, Kalugal chuckled. “Annani couldn’t have ordered Kian to do anything. She is just a figurehead. He runs the show.”
Areana laughed again. “You haven’t met my sister yet. She is very much in charge, and what she says, goes. Kian might argue, but in the end he has to do as she commands.”
Sly Kian. He had bluffed about being the clan’s leader, the same way he had bluffed about hurting Areana if Kalugal hurt Jin.
“Apparently, I have gotten the wrong impression. I thought Kian was the head of the clan.”
“He is. Most of the time, Annani doesn’t interfere. But she is the Clan Mother, and if she wants something done, it gets done.”
His mother sounded both proud and fond of her sister, whetting Kalugal’s appetite to meet her in person.
“I wonder if you can do me a favor and tell Annani that I would like an audience with her.”
If Annani was indeed in charge, then he didn’t need Kian’s permission and could go straight to the boss.
“I will ask her. Did you have a chance to meet Lokan?”
“No one has told me that it was a possibility.”
“Then you should certainly do that first.” Her voice broke. “My boys together at last. It will gladden my heart to know that you’ve become friends and allies. And maybe one day, the bonds of friendship could blossom into brotherly love.”
30
Wendy
When the door mechanism activated with a hiss, Wendy expected Bowen or Leon to come in. It wasn’t their regular time, but there could be no one else. The guards came in only to deliver her meals, and since those consisted of wrapped sandwiches and coke cans, they had no reason to come back and collect dishes. Everything except for the tray went into the trash bin.
The person who entered wasn’t one of the guards, though. It was a woman, and she had one of those professional fake smiles plastered on her face.
Had Kian sent a social worker to talk to her?
Wendy doubted that.
Keeping her prisoner was illegal, so it wasn’t like they could involve anyone from the outside.
“Hello, Wendy.” The woman walked over to her and extended her hand. “My name is Vanessa, and I’m a therapist.”
“You mean a shrink? I’m not crazy.”
“I didn’t say that you were.” Vanessa sat on the other side of the couch. “Kian sent me to talk to you.”
Wendy shrugged. “I have nothing to say.” She cast the therapist a sidelong glance. “Are you here to erase my memories? Because that will be the best thing for everyone. After you do that, you can drop me off somewhere, and if my mind hasn’t turned into mush, I will call the director again and ask him to send someone to pick me up. Case closed.”
“Do you want to go back to the program?”
Damn. Wendy hated shrinks and their stupid questio
ns. Would she have called her uncle and told him where to find her if she didn’t want to go back?
“Of course, I want to go back. In the program, I have a great-paying job and a secure future. Over here, I have nothing.”
“What about Vlad?”
Wendy’s heart squeezed painfully, but she affected a shrug. “He hates me now, so that’s water under the bridge.”
“What if he doesn’t?”
“I’m not going to give away my job security and my future for a boy, no matter how sweet he is. That would be stupid.”
“Why do you think that?”
Wendy narrowed her eyes at the therapist. “Would you leave your cushy therapist job for a guy? Especially if you knew that no other place would hire you because you can only treat paranormals?”
Vanessa nodded in understanding. “I get it. You think that other than your paranormal talent, you have nothing to offer.”
“I don’t think that. I know that.”
“You are still a very young woman. You can become whoever you want to be.”
“Not really. My father will only pay for community college, and I will not qualify for financial aid to complete my education because he’s not poor. Besides, why would I bother to study anything when the program pays me a huge salary anyway? Without any education, I’m getting paid as much as a doctor who’s just starting out.”
“Why did you run, then?”
She hadn’t.
Wendy had joined the group to spy on them and gain favor with her uncle. If she wanted to advance in her job, she needed to go above and beyond, and that was exactly what she had done. After all, she was supposed to be the director’s eyes and ears in the program.
But that wasn’t what she was going to tell the therapist.
“It was a stupid decision, which I regretted almost immediately. I just got carried away.”
Vanessa tilted her head. “I doubt it. You could have asked to get dropped off.”