by I. T. Lucas
It hadn’t occurred to him before, but Kian was right about having immortal children ensuring his complete loyalty to the clan. As a father, he would do anything to protect his children, and that meant keeping their immortality a secret. That made the prospects of staying on even more appealing. He could have his cake and eat it too.
“I love it here, and I don’t mind spending my entire life in the village. But it would be nice to be able to take vacations after I father a child.”
Kian smiled. “I said that I will consider letting you come and go, I didn’t promise it. Also, you will have to wear a locator cuff at all times.”
Richard lifted his arm. “I already do.”
“It will be a different cuff, but it will probably look the same. So if this one doesn’t bother you, the other one shouldn’t either.”
“I got used to it.” Richard lowered his arm. “May I ask what made you decide to let me stay?”
“You are well liked, which implies affinity. According to Amanda, immortals and Dormants feel a special connection, and it seems that they feel it toward you. But it could be that you are just a charming guy who is easy to like.”
“Do you still think there is any chance I will transition?”
Kian nodded. “A slight chance. There’s one component missing from your story that might be preventing your transition. It is the lack of a bond with an immortal female. All the other male Dormants had it prior to their induction, and perhaps that’s the missing ingredient. Provided that you find your fated one and bond with her, there is a small chance that you will transition.”
Hope surging in his heart, Richard thought of Stella. Could she be the one? His fated one and only?
Rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, he debated whether he could ask Kian to excuse him from the auctions. If he wanted a chance with Stella, he had no choice.
“May I ask for a favor?”
Kian arched a brow. “You may ask, but I can’t promise to grant it.”
“Of course. I started seeing Stella, as friends for now. I like her a lot and she likes me, but she won’t date me as long as I’m being auctioned and providing my services to other women. Could I be excused from that to pursue a relationship with her? Perhaps she is my missing ingredient?”
Kian nodded. “No problem. In fact, you can be excused from the auctions for good. Now that there is no rush, you can take your time and explore at your leisure. Maybe Stella is the one, and if not, perhaps it’s someone else.”
“Thank you. I really appreciate it.” He rubbed his neck again. “The ladies will be disappointed.”
Kian waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t worry about it. Soon, Kalugal’s men will take your place, and the ladies will enjoy immortal males much more than they enjoy you.”
“Ouch. I hope Stella won’t be tempted to participate in the auctions and get herself an immortal male.”
Kian smiled. “You have less than a week before they arrive for the wedding, so you’d better win her heart fast. Good luck.”
50
Syssi
“Are we waiting for Vivian?” Amanda asked. “Or do we start without her?”
“She’s not coming.” Syssi put her coffee cup down. “She’s babysitting Eleanor.”
“I can’t believe she’s here.” Jin shook her head. “I understand that Kian had no choice, but that woman needs to be watched closely. I just hope her compulsion ability won’t include immortals now that she is one. Talk about allowing a Trojan horse into the village.”
For several long moments, the three of them sat in silence, sipping on their coffees and nibbling on their pastries. The meeting was supposed to be about taking care of the last few details for the upcoming wedding, but Eleanor’s capture and transition was too big of a deal to ignore.
It was ironic that Kian feared Kalugal’s inclusion in the clan, but he hadn’t hesitated to invite Eleanor despite her history, and despite the possibility of her gaining the ability to compel immortals in addition to humans.
Did Kian underestimate the threat she posed because she was a woman?
Even men who thought themselves as progressive had a tendency to do that. The truth was that women seemed to be less predisposed to doing evil than men, but every generality had its exceptions.
“We should befriend her.” Syssi looked at Amanda. “You know the saying. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I’m not saying that Eleanor is the enemy, but Jin is right about the need to watch her. The thing that worries me the most is her gaining the ability to compel immortals.”
“We can go visit her at Vivian’s,” Amanda suggested. “But first we need to finalize the bridesmaids' dresses. I also want to email Jacki the menu even though she’s left it entirely up to me. I want her to feel included in the decisions. It is, after all, her wedding, and she needs to enjoy it.”
“I have her email,” Jin said. “I can send it to her.”
“I have it too.” Amanda pulled her tablet out of her purse. “What do you think of these?” She passed it to Syssi. “Flip through the drawings. There are several styles.”
“Gorgeous. And thanks for thinking of me. Any of these will look great even on my less than svelte physique.”
“Stella designed them. Each is a little different but they follow the same theme.” Amanda passed the tablet to Jin. “What do you think?”
“If they are all different, which one is mine?”
“Any of them. Stella will make adjustments if necessary, but because the style is loose and the fabric is so thin, it will drape nicely over any body shape.”
Jin shook her head. “What about the length? Syssi, Wendy, and Edna are average height, while you and I are tall.”
“The dresses are not floor length, so that shouldn’t be a problem either. They will be ready on Wednesday, and we will each get to choose. Provided that Jacki doesn’t hate them, that is.”
“They are all beautiful.” Syssi took the tablet from Jin. “Perhaps you should hire Stella for your clothing line.” She passed it back to Amanda.
“Good idea. Mey is not going to be happy about it, though. She was supposed to be in charge of designing the collections. The problem is that she’s basically an amateur, and I would rather have a professional.”
“Mey can be in charge of approving the final designs,” Amanda suggested while typing away on her tablet. “She doesn’t need to make them.”
Jin smiled. “That’s how I’m going to sell her on the idea.”
“Are you going to manufacture the clothing in China?” Syssi asked.
Jin shrugged. “It will be cheaper, but I don’t like the idea of having to leave the village and travel over there. Everyone will assume that I can speak the language, and I will have to explain that I don’t.”
“You can’t make them here.” Amanda chuckled. “Stella and Vivian can sew, but they are not production-line workers.”
“I know.” Jin sighed. “I was thinking about hiring the girls we rescued, but sewing is such a dead-end job. They deserve something better. That kind of work should be done by robots.” She chuckled. “I could use fifty Odus working around the clock.”
Syssi smiled. “One day, that’s how it will be done, but I keep wondering what people will do once all the manual jobs are automated. Not everyone can become a programmer. It reminds me of a science fiction book I read that posed the same question. In that story, only twenty percent of the population worked, and the rest lived on welfare. Everything was provided by the state, but that wasn’t a good life. People need something to do, something to achieve that they can be proud of. I can’t conceive of just existing without doing anything.”
Jin snorted. “They could take up hobbies, or do sports, or read. There is plenty to do aside from working for a living.”
“Jacki replied to my email.” Amanda swiped her tablet open and read it. “She loves the dresses. Her only problem with the menu is that she has no clue what half of those words mean.” Amanda smiled
. “Gerrard is such a damn snob. I should have translated the fancy French names for her.”
“What’s in the attachment?” Jin pointed at the screen.
“Let me see.” Amanda opened it. “Oh, wow.” She passed the tablet to Jin. “What a gorgeous wedding dress. Jacki looks like a fairytale princess.”
“Beautiful.” Jin passed the tablet to Syssi.
The dress was indeed beautiful, but Syssi was more interested in the woman wearing it. “Jacki looks amazing, radiant and happy, which speaks volumes in Kalugal’s favor.” She sighed. “I would love for them to move here so we could meet more than once in a while. I would love to share family dinners and celebrate happy moments together.”
If Kalugal and his people moved into the village, she and Kian would have to remodel their house. They’d need a larger dining room.
Reaching for a napkin, Syssi started drawing a design for adding to the house. Fortunately, the homes weren’t built too close to each other so she could steal a few feet from the side yard.
“What are you doing?” Amanda peered over the napkin.
“I’m designing an extension to the house. Our dining room is too small for big family dinners.”
“So Kalugal was right.” Amanda chuckled. “Kian should have built a mansion instead of a regular house. As regent, he is expected to host parties and entertain guests.”
Syssi laughed. “That’s precisely why he didn’t want one. You know how much he hates being a host. Kian would rather dig trenches or shovel horse manure than mingle.”
51
Eleanor
Eleanor sat on the lounger in Vivian’s backyard and patted Scarlet’s head. “Your hair is so soft. I wish mine was just as nice.”
The dog looked at her as if she understood and gave her an expectant doggie smile.
“Okay, you win.” Eleanor pulled her legs up and patted the spot she’d vacated. “Hop on.”
Scarlet was a fairly large dog, and as she jumped up, the lounger tipped forward. But it wasn’t the first time Eleanor had shared it with her, and once Scarlet got settled at her feet, everything was fine.
“Good girl.” She patted the dog’s head again and leaned back.
Living with Vivian and her family was challenging. They all treated her nicely and tried to make her feel at home, but it felt forced, especially from Magnus.
The guy had taken her aside and warned her that if she did anything to harm or even upset his family, she would regret it dearly.
Eleanor had no doubt that he meant it.
Vivian was okay, but Eleanor still had a hard time letting go of the resentment she felt toward her, and when Ella came over, she was just as suspicious as her adoptive father.
And that was another reason for Eleanor’s resentment. She could understand adopting Parker, who needed a father figure in his life. But why had Magnus adopted Ella? She was a grown woman who didn’t even live at home anymore.
Two things gave her solace, though. Joshua’s picture was proudly displayed on the fireplace mantel, and Parker and Ella didn’t call Magnus ‘Dad’. They referred to him by his name.
Her brother hadn’t been forgotten, and evidently, Magnus had no problem with his portrait being so prominently displayed. Just for that, Eleanor had forgiven him the warning talking-to he’d given her. The guy was okay in her book.
Parker was a delightful kid, and it was fun to compare notes on compulsion with him. The dog was fun too.
As the sliding door opened and Vivian stepped out, Eleanor tensed. For the past two days, her sister-in-law had been nagging her to go out for a walk through the village, or to visit the café, which was where everyone supposedly hung out. But Eleanor wasn’t ready to face other immortals yet.
There were no secrets in a small community like this. Everyone knew everything about everyone else, and she was the bad guy in their midst.
Vivian walked up to the lounger and sat on the side table. “I know that you don’t want to see anyone, but Amanda refuses to take no for an answer. She and Syssi are coming over.”
Eleanor closed her eyes. “Remind me who they are?”
“Syssi is the boss’s wife, and Amanda is his sister.”
“What do they want from me?”
Vivian shrugged. “They are just being friendly, so try not to scowl too much at them. They are influential ladies, and befriending them will ease your acceptance into the village.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Vivian didn’t look convinced. “Do you want to come inside? Or are we going to entertain them here?”
“Here, if it’s okay with you.”
“It’s fine.” Vivian pushed to her feet. “I’ll get refreshments.”
Eleanor smoothed her hand over her hair, but even without the benefit of a mirror, she knew it looked bad. The rest of her, though, was getting better by the day. Her marionette lines had disappeared almost completely, her skin looked healthy even though she was still very thin, the dark shadows under her eyes were less pronounced, and the scar on her arm was gone as if it had never existed.
If she could only fix her mind as well, she would be literally as good as new. Regrettably, though, the transition did nothing for that. Years of dark thoughts couldn’t get erased like the tiny lines around her eyes and on her forehead.
Vivian was pushing her to see the clan’s therapist, but Eleanor was wary of that. In the human world, therapists were obligated to observe client confidentiality. In the immortals’ village, she was pretty sure that wasn’t the case. If the therapist learned something that she deemed dangerous to her clan, she would most likely run to the boss to tell him.
Supposedly, Eleanor had met Kian during her previous abduction by the clan, but she didn’t remember him. Perhaps if she heard his voice, it would jog her memory, but so far, he hadn’t shown any interest in seeing her.
Instead, his wife and sister were coming. Was he the chauvinist type, and that’s why he thought it would be better to send females to talk to her?
Probably.
Some of these immortals were really old, and still held on to misogynistic attitudes. In her case, though, it wasn’t a bad thing necessarily. Chauvinists underestimated women, and were easy to manipulate.
Eleanor smiled. She would take a chauvinist over a so-called progressive any day. Not as a boyfriend, of course. But as someone she could wrap around her little finger and pump for information, hell yeah.
With those types, she could get whatever she wanted, no compulsion needed.
52
Syssi
“Eleanor refuses to leave the house.” Vivian led Syssi and Amanda through the living room to the patio doors. “She spends most of her time out in the backyard with Scarlet.”
Syssi smiled. “If the dog likes her, she can’t be all bad.”
“She’s complicated.” Vivian pulled the sliding door open.
Syssi hadn’t gotten to see Eleanor during Jin’s retrieval, but she’d seen old photos of her. The woman sitting on the lounger bore little resemblance to those pictures. She was too thin to the point of looking gaunt, but Syssi found her oddly beautiful.
She was well aware that few people would have shared her opinion, but there was something unique about Eleanor. Once she recovered from her transition and with a little help from Amanda, the woman could be quite attractive.
“Hello, Eleanor.” Amanda walked up to her and extended her hand. “I’m Amanda.”
Affecting a smile, Eleanor pushed to her feet and shook what was offered. “Hi.”
“And I’m Syssi.” They shook hands as well.
Eleanor's eyes scanned her in an instant and then focused on her belly. “You are the wife, right?”
“Kian is my husband.”
“Please.” Vivian waved toward the bistro table. “Take a seat and help yourself to some fruit.”
“Thank you.” Syssi sat down. “I find that I crave fruit even more now.” She took a slice of melon.
“You are expect
ing?” Eleanor sat next to her.
“Yes.” Syssi patted her rounded belly.
She wanted to say that Amanda was expecting as well, but it was up to Amanda whether she wanted to bring it up.
“Congratulations,” Eleanor said.
“Thank you.”
“Did you get to meet the other people from the program?” Amanda asked.
“Not yet. I’m still recuperating from the transition, and I don’t have the energy for anything.” Eleanor grimaced. “Especially not for accusing looks and guilt trips, which I’m sure to get from those four.”
“Not necessarily.” Amanda reached for a slice of watermelon. “If not for the program, they wouldn’t be here, enjoying immortality and their fabulous mates. Except for poor Richard, but I’m not ready to give up on him yet.”
“I bet they don’t see it that way.” Eleanor folded a paper napkin in half and put a few grapes on it. “To them, I’m the evil witch who compelled them to give up their freedom and join the program. Never mind the huge salary they were paid, they won’t remember that. People always focus on the negatives.”
“You’d be surprised,” Syssi said. “If you hadn’t compelled them into joining the program, none of them would be here. They know that.”
Eleanor pushed a strand of frizzy hair behind her ear. “Are all of them here in the village?”
“Jacki is the only one who isn’t,” Amanda said. “But she’s coming Friday for the wedding.”
“Who is the groom?”
Syssi cast a sidelong glance at Vivian, who shook her head. “I didn’t know if I should.”
“Should what?” Eleanor asked.
“Jacki is getting married for the second time on Sunday,” Syssi said. “Her first wedding party was destroyed by Simmons and Roberts.”
“Tell me what happened.”
Syssi took a sip of water before plunging into the story. “Simmons and Roberts showed up with a noise cannon. Their plan was to use it to disable everyone in the party, then come in, pick us up off the ground, load us into vans, and drive us to their facility in West Virginia. They brought a bunch of ex-commandos with them to transport us. Luckily for us, the wedding was monitored and kept secured by armed drones. The drone operator shot at the noise cannon, destroying it, and since most of the guests were immortals, we recuperated pretty quickly. Jacki and Jin were still human at the time, so they were rendered deaf for a while.”