by I. T. Lucas
Kian huffed out a breath. “Aside from once in the club, Kalugal hasn’t used his power against the clan or me. And yet, I don’t trust him not to use it in the future.”
“Kalugal doesn’t mistrust you as much as you mistrust him.” Rufsur spoke up for the first time. “And he doesn’t mistrust his aunt either.”
“Then why is he so concerned with me getting into his business?”
Rufsur chuckled. “Because he doesn’t trust you in that. Kalugal doesn’t think that you will harm him or his men physically, but he fears you butting into his business. If that concern is taken care of by having an office in the city, and if he can see significant benefits to living here, we have a good chance of convincing him.”
Edna cued in the animated presentation but didn’t press play. “First, we need your tentative approval, though. There is no point in approaching Kalugal if you are not okay with him and his people moving into the village.”
Kian glanced at the screen with a beautiful rendering of a castle-like mansion built over the new plots, complete with a deep ravine, a moat, and a drawbridge. Smaller houses surrounded the mansion. “Is that where they are going to live?”
“It’s just a concept rendering.” Edna glanced over her shoulder at the screen. “The moat and drawbridge are meant as a joke, but the rest is Dalhu’s vision of the new place.”
Kian smiled. “I kind of like the idea. Except, I want the drawbridge to be on our side of the ravine.”
Sari chuckled. “One of the first things that Kalugal asked me when I told him that I live in a castle was whether I had a moat. He might want one.”
“What do you think of this?” Kian asked.
“I like the idea. If you say no, I might invite him and his people to live with us. My ladies would appreciate an influx of immortal males they are not related to.” She looked up at Edna. “But I guess that’s not on the table.”
“Sorry.” Edna wrapped her arm around Rufsur’s middle. “I have a vested interest in this.” She turned to Kian. “Do we have your tentative agreement?”
Looking around the room, Kian nodded. “With all of you supporting this, I can’t refuse. But I’m not paying for that.” He pointed at the screen. “If Kalugal wants to build a mansion, let him do it on his dime.”
73
Rufsur
By the time Kalugal and the others arrived, Edna and Rufsur had finished answering the barrage of questions everyone had kept shooting at them, Annani and Alena retired to their home, the backyard had been set up for an outdoor buffet-style lunch, and Kian was relaxing with a cigarillo and a beer.
The presentation had been a success, and the mood Rufsur sensed from everyone was optimistic.
Hopefully, things would go just as smoothly with his boss.
It had been the goddess’s decision to leave before Kalugal’s arrival. She didn’t want to put pressure on him by being there. If he were to accept their proposal, it would be because he wanted it, and not because he was intimidated into it.
“You’ve gotten here early.” Kalugal clapped him on the back. “I was sure that you and Edna would prefer to spend the day in bed and arrive at the last minute, if at all.”
Luckily for Rufsur, Kian spared him the need to make up an excuse by waving Kalugal over.
“Grab a beer and join me.”
Kalugal shook his head. “I haven’t developed a taste for that vile beer, and it’s too early for whiskey.”
“How about a vodka cooler?” Syssi handed him a bottle. “Very low alcohol content and perfect for a warm day like this.”
“Thank you.” He took the bottle, and after saying hello to the other guests, joined Kian on the other lounger. “A big gathering you have here today.”
“It’s a happy occasion.” Kian winked.
Kalugal looked taken aback. “Is it someone’s birthday and no one told me?”
“Perhaps.” Kian handed him the cigarillo box.
Arching a brow, Kalugal pulled one out. “Is it or is it not someone’s birthday?”
“It depends on how the birth goes.”
Glancing from one lady to the next, Kalugal shook his head. “I don’t understand. No one here is about to give birth. At least I hope they are not. It’s not time yet.”
Kian leaned forward and lit Kalugal’s cigarillo. “I’ll let Edna and Rufsur explain.”
One of the butlers rolled out an outdoor screen, while the other rolled out a cart with a projector. The backyard was pretty well shaded by the dense tree canopy overhead, but Rufsur still doubted the picture would be clear.
Except, he should have known that Kian would have top-notch equipment. As Edna hooked her phone to the system, and Dalhu’s rendering appeared on the screen, it looked just as good as it had inside, or even better because the screen was at least twice as large.
“What is that?” Kalugal waved his hand at the rendering.
“Your future castle,” Sari said.
Leaning forward, he narrowed his eyes at the picture. “I recognize the mountains in the background. Is this the new plot of land you are developing?”
Kian nodded. “Naturally, that’s not what I’d planned to build on it, but my people and yours had other ideas.”
Releasing a puff of smoke, Kalugal looked at Rufsur. “Are you one of those people?”
“I am. Edna and I have been working over the past two weeks on a plan that will make it possible for us to join the village. We’ve already presented it to Kian and he’s agreeable. Now it’s your turn.” He motioned for Edna to start the animated video presentation and sat down on one of the chairs.
It was funny how they had ended up building the two presentations opposite to what they had originally planned. Kian, who they’d thought would respond better to an emotional appeal, had been presented with the dry facts first. And Kalugal, who was much more cerebral, was being shown the animated film first, the beautiful renderings Dalhu had prepared second, and the facts third. If he was still unconvinced after all that, they were going to play Jacki’s recording.
Rufsur preferred not to use the emotional blackmail, and he was pretty sure that Kalugal wouldn’t be happy with his mate’s plea either. By asking that he fulfil his wedding vow to do everything in his power to make her happy, she would in effect be forcing him to accept Kian’s invitation. It would be much better if Kalugal agreed to do so because he liked the idea and believed that it would make his life and the lives of his people better.
74
Kalugal
As Kalugal watched the animated movie, he vacillated between amusement and worry.
The animators had done an amazing job, drawing him and Kian sitting in Kian’s backyard, sipping on whiskey and smoking cigarillos. They also drew couples walking down the pathway and pushing baby strollers, toddlers in the playground with happy dads pushing them on the swings, Jacki chatting happily with her friends in the café, and moonlight dance parties in the village square.
It was a masterfully done propaganda presentation, but as much as he tried to let it just wash over him, he couldn’t help yearning for the kind of life they had painted.
But the pièce de résistance was the rendering of the museum for his artifacts that would be part of the entry pavilion, followed closely by the drawing of his future castle-like mansion surrounded by smaller houses for his men, complete with a moat and drawbridge.
It was beautiful, but Dalhu had gone a little overboard with the fairytale setup.
The drawbridge was useless as far as keeping immortals in or out of their section of the village, and even though it was a cool feature, the limited utility did not justify the expense of building it.
Was he actually considering it?
The waves of hopeful energy that Jacki was emitting were enough to motivate even the most reluctant ox to shackle itself to a plow. But he just couldn’t envision himself living in a place where he was subject to another’s authority and couldn’t conduct his business in privacy. It was especially p
roblematic given his world-domination plans. If Kian got even a whiff of that, it was game over.
As the presentation ended, Dalhu brought his original drawings and propped them against the bottom of the screen. “You can take them with you. This is Amanda’s and my second wedding present to you and Jacki.”
“Thank you.” Kalugal dipped his head. “They are beautiful, and the utopian future the animators drew is most enticing. But I just can’t see this working.”
“You will, in a few moments.” Rufsur motioned for Edna to step forward. “I was supposed to be the one in charge of this part, but since you’ve done such a splendid job with Kian, I’ll let you repeat it with my boss.”
Kalugal cast a sidelong glance at Kian. “You’ve seen this already?”
“Only today. They kept us both in the dark until they had everything ready. Smart decision, I might add. Their plan is airtight.”
Kian, the second most paranoid guy Kalugal knew, was okay with a compeller moving into his village? What had changed?
“How did they convince you?” He looked at Syssi.
She shook her head. “I had nothing to do with it other than organizing the two get-togethers.”
“Let me explain.” Edna tapped her phone, and two slides appeared side by side on the big screen, but then she moved in front of the projector and blocked the display. “Before I let you read the slides, I want to give you the solution for your biggest objection, which is keeping your business endeavors private and separate from the clan. You can get an office building in the city for you and your men. That way, you can conduct your business in complete privacy. When your workday is done, you’ll come back to the village and enjoy your time with your wife, family, and friends.”
It was such an incredibly simple solution that Kalugal couldn’t fathom why it hadn’t occurred to him before. He liked working from home, but commuting to the city for work was a small price to pay for Jacki’s happiness, as well as that of his people. And as for his business dealings in the Bay Area, he could fly there once or twice a week. Perhaps he could purchase a private jet and store it in the clan’s hangar.
Regrettably, though, those weren’t his only issues.
“That’s a wonderful idea, but it doesn’t solve everything. Kian still fears my compulsion ability.” He smiled at his cousin. “Although it seems that he’s mostly gotten over it. But I still fear Annani’s.”
“We have a solution for the trust issues as well.” Edna moved to the side, revealing the screen. “The pledge on the right is yours, and the one on the left is Kian’s. Kian’s is going to be enforced by your compulsion, and yours is going to be enforced by Annani’s. That would turn them both into binding oaths.”
Kalugal read through the pledges, once, twice, and a third time, but he couldn’t find fault with the phrasing. There was no convoluted legalese, and the main gist of it was keeping both communities safe. Naturally, a more detailed document would have to be drawn up to cover every aspect of their cooperation, but the foundation Rufsur and Edna had prepared was solid.
“What do you think?” Jacki asked.
“I think it’s doable.”
Letting out a breath, she slumped in her chair. “Thank God, the merciful Fates, and whatever higher power that aided us today.”
Sari chuckled. “She is in the next house over, and her name is Annani.”
75
Edna
It had been a long, stressful day, and Edna should have felt exhausted, but excitement and hope for the future were keeping her energized.
Sitting on the outdoor loveseat in Kian’s backyard, she rested her head on Rufsur’s shoulder and listened to the cousins discuss details and consult Turner’s opinion on this and that item.
“We owe this deal to Turner,” Rufsur whispered in her ear. “If he hadn’t been behind it, your boss would have been much more hesitant about agreeing to it.”
She took his hand and gave it a little squeeze. “We did it, Rufsur. We pooled our resources, asked friends for help, and we made it happen.”
“I did very little. It was all you. And we ended up not using my only resource, for which I’m thankful. It would have put both Jacki and Kalugal in an uncomfortable situation and forced Kalugal’s hand instead of him agreeing to our plan freely. I’m glad that it wasn’t needed.”
Edna sighed. “We are not out of the woods yet. They might get stuck on some stupid item and blow the whole thing up.”
“You’ll watch Kian, and I’ll watch Kalugal to make sure neither of them gets hung up on trivialities.”
Syssi walked over with two vodka coolers. “I wish I’d thought to stock up on champagne. But this will have to do.” She handed them each a bottle. “Congratulations. You did it.”
Edna smiled up at her. “We had a lot of help from our friends. But since the deal is not finalized yet, I don’t want to jinx it by drinking champagne.” She unscrewed the cap and lifted the bottle. “Cheers.”
Syssi clinked it with her Perrier. “Cheers.”
“I have a wonderful idea,” Sari said, loud enough to be heard by everyone. “After you guys iron out the details and make your pledges, how about we celebrate the signing of the agreement at my place? Kalugal and Jacki, you still haven’t given me an answer regarding your honeymoon. Do you have a problem combining a Highlands vacation with the signing celebration?”
Kalugal grinned. “I don’t mind at all. Besides, now I have one more reason to take you up on your offer. I need ideas for the castle I’m going to build for Jacki and me.”
“You are paying for it,” Kian said. “That’s not part of the deal.”
“Of course. I’m also going to pay your contractor for the work he’s done so far, and for everything else that will go into building my part of the community.”
Kian lifted a hand. “Not so fast. First, we determine the exact terms of our deal, sign it, and only then you’ll pay me.”
Evidently, Annani’s compulsion was starting to wear off, and Kian was back to his old cautious self.
Sari pushed to her feet. “I should bring Mother and Alena back. They will want to share in the celebration.”
Amanda motioned for her to sit back down. “They are coming. I texted them the good news.”
“Let’s decide on a date, then.” Sari returned to her seat. “Would a month suffice?”
Kian and Kalugal exchanged glances, then Kalugal nodded, and Kian shrugged. “Provided that no new catastrophe strikes, that should be long enough to iron out all the details, but since something always happens, let’s make it six weeks. If we are ready before that, we will let you know.”
“Wonderful.” Sari clapped her hands. “Who else is coming?”
“I can’t,” Andrew said. “I have an important project I’m working on, and I can’t leave.”
“We can’t come either,” Eva said. “I don’t like the idea of traveling with Ethan.”
“How about you?” Sari looked at Edna and Rufsur. “Would you like a Scottish wedding party?”
Edna shook her head. “We are not ready for a wedding yet.” The truth was that Scotland still held too many painful memories for her, but perhaps it was time to woman up and say her final goodbye to Robbie. “But if it’s okay with Kian and Kalugal, we would like to be there for the signing.” She looked at Rufsur. “Right?”
“Of course. Kalugal can’t sign anything without his right-hand man beside him.” He looked at Phinas. “Sorry, but one of us has to stay behind to keep things running.”
“I wish Carol and I could come,” Lokan said. “But I’m already pushing it by being here. It’s too risky.”
“Dalhu and I are coming.” Amanda rubbed her flat belly. “After the baby is born, I will stay put like Eva, so I’d better get all my traveling done before that. Besides, I don’t want to miss a historical moment like that.”
Rufsur’s hand tightened around Edna’s shoulder. “The question is, what happens until then? I don’t want to be separated from Edna
.”
Kalugal turned to Kian. “You know what my problem with that is. But it can be solved if we take the pledges now. Provided that you are ready, that is. I have no problem with keeping any of the promises even if we don’t end up living here. I’ve never intended to harm you or your people or your business endeavors, and I don’t intend to do so in the future.”
“Same here.” Kian offered him his hand. “As soon as my mother gets here, we can proceed.”
As Kalugal was about to shake on it, Jacki put a hand on his shoulder. “What about the remote video thing? You two were supposed to have Turner and me with our fingers on the disconnect button in case someone got overzealous with the compulsion and strayed away from the pre-agreed script.”
Kalugal shook his head. “I don’t need that. If Annani wanted to compel me to do anything I didn’t want to, she could have done so anytime during this visit. I trust her not to stray from the script.” He extended his hand to Kian.
“And I can do no less.” Kian took Kalugal’s hand and shook it firmly. “One big family. I’m starting to warm up to the idea.”
COMING UP NEXT
The Children of the Gods Book 44
Dark Secrets Resurgence
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