by I. T. Lucas
Kian shrugged. “There are no new babies in the sanctuary, so Annani is in no hurry, but that won’t last long. As much as my mother enjoys her temporary lodging in the village, she’ll eventually want the comfort and luxury of her Alaskan paradise.”
Syssi halted and turned toward him. “What if we build her a mansion here?”
Kian chuckled. “Even if we had the money to splurge, which at the moment we don’t, that won’t keep her here.” Wrapping his arm around Syssi’s waist, he kept on walking. “Annani needs her freedom, and she also likes to go on excursions to various places around the world. She knows that I worry when she does that, so she didn’t go anywhere while she was here. I’m sure she’s already restless and itching to return home.”
“How come we are still in a money squeeze? I thought that Ella’s fundraiser was going well.”
“It is, and maybe in a year or two, it will raise enough money to cover the ongoing living expenses of the rescued girls, but not yet. On top of that, we still have more than seventy Guardians on payroll, and we have financed several super expensive rescue operations.” He lifted her hand to his lips. “Don’t worry, love. I’m working on a solution. I just need to find ways for the clan to make money faster.”
Syssi cupped his cheek. “My poor baby. No matter what you do, it’s never enough.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Kian mimicked Turner’s southern accent.
“Here you are, darlings.” Amanda opened the door and waited for them to climb the three steps to Annani’s front porch. “We are ready to sit down to dinner.” She pulled Syssi into a gentle hug and then kissed Kian’s cheek.
Andrew and Nathalie were already sitting at the table with their little girl, and Eva was holding Ethan while Bhathian was making funny faces for the baby’s delight.
Watching the normally gruff Guardian acting like a clown, Kian wondered if he was going to be as silly when his child was born. Maybe in private, but not in public. After all, he was the leader of this community and had to maintain certain standards of behavior. Clowning around was not part of that.
Once all the kisses and hugs had been exchanged, Annani clapped her hands. “Everyone to the table, please.” She smiled at Dalhu. "Come sit next to me. We have not had a chance to chat in a while."
The guy turned a little gray but recovered quickly. "You honor me, Clan Mother." He dipped his head before taking the seat next to her.
Annani patted his arm. "We are a family. There is no need for formality."
As Annani’s servants brought out dinner, Kian thought about Okidu and how different his butler seemed lately.
Something must have gone wrong with Okidu’s circuitry during his reboot, but no one dared take a look at his insides for fear of messing things up. William had said that the ocean fall couldn’t have caused any serious damage, and that whatever went wrong would repair itself in time.
Supposedly, the Odus were indestructible, but the truth was that this had never been tested. At least as far as Kian knew. Perhaps their resilience had been proven when Annani had been all alone, and they had been her sole companions and defenders.
But what if Okidu’s strange behavior had been caused by something other than the reboot?
Maybe the frequent changing of masters he’d had to obey during the mission had messed with his programming. Before the incident, Okidu used to hover over Syssi and Kian until he was dismissed. Now he was slinking away to his room unless ordered otherwise.
“Kian, dear, you are not paying attention.”
“My apologies, Mother. Did you ask me something?”
“I said that we need to look for Kalugal. I know that Areana asked Lokan to do that, but he is just one man, and he already has enough on his plate. We need to help him.”
Kian lifted a brow. “Why?”
Annani leveled a hard stare at him. “Because my sister asked me to. She does not know whether her son is alright or not, and she worries about him. If our positions were reversed, I would have counted on my sister’s aid.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I would have been very disappointed if she did not do everything in her power to help me.”
Kian stifled a scoff. Annani was projecting her assertive nature onto Areana, but her sister was nothing like her. She was a follower, not a leader.
Except, Annani probably felt that she owed Areana because of the sacrifice she’d made for her five thousand years ago. The irony was that by taking Annani’s place, Areana had found her truelove mate and had him by her side for all those years. Annani, on the other hand, had lost the love of her life and had spent that time alone.
“What’s wrong?” Amanda asked, her alarmed tone catching everyone’s attention.
Following her worried gaze, Kian turned to look at Syssi just as her eyes rolled back in her head and she started sliding down the chair.
“Call Bridget!” he yelled as he caught his wife before she slid all the way to the floor. Carrying her to the couch, he added, “Call Merlin too!”
“I’m on it,” Andrew said.
Adding to the commotion of people getting up and chairs being pushed back, Phoenix started wailing, and then Ethan joined her.
“Take the children out of here,” Annani commanded. “They are frightened.”
In Kian’s arms, Syssi groaned and opened her eyes. “I had a vision.”
Except for the little ones, everyone went silent at once, and a moment later, the crying subsided as well.
Kian didn’t give a damn about the fucking vision. “How are you feeling?”
She smiled up at him. “I’m fine. It wasn’t any worse than the others.”
That was why he hated it when she had them. “You weren’t pregnant when you had the other visions.”
Syssi’s smile vanished, replaced by a frown. “Do you think the visions can harm Allegra?”
“I’m not a doctor, love. But in my opinion, the visions themselves are not harmful. It’s your body’s reaction to them that worries me.”
“Bridget is on her way,” Andrew said. “I couldn’t get ahold of Merlin.”
3
Lokan
“Lokan!” Carol threw her arms around his neck, jumped up, and wrapped her legs around his hips. “I missed you so much.” She covered his face with a barrage of little kisses.
Dropping his suitcase on the floor, Lokan kicked the door closed and carried her to the couch. “I’ve never had such a joyous welcome home before.” He took his time kissing his mate, pouring his love into every leisurely swipe of his tongue and every gentle nip.
After spending a week together, some of it in Arturo Sandoval’s estate in Bolivia, and some of it in Washington, leaving her again had been agony.
“I missed you too. Unless I absolutely have to, I’m not going anywhere without you again.”
“How did it go?”
Lokan cocked a brow. “Perhaps we should shower first?”
Since their return to Washington, all of his and Carol’s conversations involving the clan or the island had been done in the bathroom with the water running.
“It’s okay. William was here and gave the place a thorough scanning with his gadgets. He found no bugs, which was surprising. Just to be safe, though, he left behind a device that interferes with any signals coming out of here. The downside is that we have to go out on the terrace to use our cellphones, and we can’t use Wi-Fi.”
Lokan let out a breath. “That’s a small price to pay for privacy.”
“We won’t have it for long, though. Didn’t your father insist that you take new men with you to replace the others? Because that might be a problem. What if they recognize me?”
“That’s why I told him that I don’t want any. Besides, I prefer not having men around while you are here.”
Carol frowned. “Didn’t your father find it odd? And what about your safety? Isn’t he worried about that?”
Smiling, Lokan kissed her forehead. “I made a big show of being angry and disappointed with
my men and their lack of loyalty. I fumed that after years of service, they had taken the first opportunity to defect and steal my private jet. I told my father that I’m going to hire a couple of humans to take care of my place and that I don’t need a permanent security detail. When I go to places I deem unsafe, I’m going to hire human bodyguards.”
“Are you?”
“We need a housekeeper. And when I travel, which I have no intention of doing anytime soon, I’ll hire a human security firm.”
Carol scrunched her nose. “We don’t need a housekeeper. I can take care of the apartment.”
As if he would ever let his mate do household chores. Carol was going to live like a princess. “I want to pamper you, my angel. I don’t want you washing floors or dusting or doing any of those things.”
She grimaced as if he was being unreasonable. “Can I at least cook? I’ve been going out of my mind with boredom while you were gone.”
“Didn’t you go shopping like I asked you to?”
One of the first things Lokan had done when he’d returned was to check his safe. Surprisingly, none of the cash had been taken, only his spare phone. He’d given Carol ten thousand before leaving for the island, with instructions to buy herself a new wardrobe and whatever she needed to make the place feel like home.
“I did. But even shopping gets boring after a while. I need something to do while you’re schmoozing with politicians.”
That was a problem. As a former café manager, Carol was used to being surrounded by people all day, but she knew no one in Washington.
“Maybe you should study something? You’re an amazing cook and you love feeding people, so maybe the culinary arts?”
She waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll think about it later. Right now I’m still in recuperating mode.” She smiled coyly. “While you were gone, I’ve been reading a hot romance novel every night, which made me even hornier than usual. How about you take me to bed to celebrate your safe return?”
“With pleasure. But there is something I need to do first.”
Carol didn’t like his answer. “What’s so important that it cannot wait?”
“The call I need to make to Losham. I promised Kian to take care of the detectives watching this place as soon as I returned from the island.”
“He didn’t mean it literally.”
“I’d rather not take chances with Kian. He wasn’t happy about letting me go. I could feel his mistrust as well as see it in his eyes. Kian caved under pressure. He didn’t do it voluntarily, and he’s going to jump on the first opportunity to lock me up again.”
“You’re wrong. Turner convinced him that it was the right thing to do, and Kian accepted it. That’s not pressure. That’s a well-informed decision.”
“Semantics.” He kissed the top of her nose. “I’ll make it short.”
Just then, his belly rumbled, and Carol’s eyes widened. She put her hand over his stomach. “My bad. I prepared a nice dinner for us and then forgot all about it when you came through the door. It’s your fault for being so devilishly handsome.”
Lokan laughed. “I accept responsibility. How about you heat it up while I make the call?”
“It’s a deal.” She pushed out of his arms. “Don’t forget that you need to go out on the terrace.”
Grasping his phone, Lokan got up and walked over to the sliding doors. The drapes were drawn, shielding his living room from the detectives’ view. He left them like that, getting behind them and pushing the sliding door open.
He had no proof that Losham was behind the surveillance, but he was the most likely culprit.
Lokan sat on one of the recliners and punched in his brother’s number. Not a brother, a stepbrother? Or maybe adopted brother was a better definition?
“Hello, Lokan. I was worried about you. Why haven’t you returned my call?”
“I was in South America, and the place was bugged. I didn’t want to risk having a conversation with you overheard.”
“I see. How was your trip?”
“Eventful, but that’s not what I want to talk with you about. I want you to fire the idiots you’ve hired to spy on me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come on, Losham. Don’t insult my intelligence. Our father would have hired pros, not clowns, and no one else has reason to spy on me.”
“Maybe the Secret Service is interested in your activity.”
“And that’s why they only watch my apartment instead of following me around? I never bring any of my contacts to my place. Just fire the idiots, and I won’t mention this fiasco to our father.”
“I’ll see what I can do about your problem.”
It wasn’t an admission of guilt, but it was good enough. “How about that lunch you called me about. Are you still in the area and want us to meet?”
“Unfortunately, I’m back in San Francisco, so that’s no longer an option. But if you want to visit me in California, I’ll gladly meet with you.”
“I just came back, and I have a lot of work to do, but once my schedule clears I’ll give you a call.”
“I’m moving in a couple of weeks, so plan on meeting me in Los Angeles.”
That was unexpected. “I thought you enjoyed San Francisco.”
“I do. But after the initial seven girls that we shipped to the island, security on campuses in the area has been ramped up. Los Angeles is a much bigger pond with more fish.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Thank you. We are going to be more careful this time and spread out over a large area. One girl per campus, no more.”
“Good strategy. I’ll give you a call as soon as I can make time for a visit.”
“Excellent. I’m looking forward to seeing you. Goodbye, Lokan.” Losham disconnected.
As Lokan got back inside, he wasn’t sure if that was good news for the clan or bad. Losham was moving his operation to their backyard, so that would make things easier for them. But on the other hand, he was sure they didn't want a bunch of Doomers hanging around their city either.
Damn, now he also had started using their derogatory nickname for the Brothers.
“I made your favorite dish,” Carol said from the kitchen.
He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. “Thank you. I have news for Kian, which I’m not sure he’s going to like. Losham is moving his operation to Los Angeles. You should let him know.”
“When is Losham moving?”
“In a couple of weeks.”
“Then it can wait until after we have dinner.”
4
Annani
“You’re fine.” Bridget patted Syssi’s arm. “I just wish I’d been here when it was happening. Whatever was going on is back to normal now.”
Annani joined everyone gathered around Syssi in the communal sigh of relief. Truth be told, Kian’s reaction had stressed her out more than Syssi’s momentary fainting spell. His anxiety for his wife had been so strong that it suffused the room with the unpleasant scent, making every immortal in his vicinity feel as if the fear was emanating from them.
That surely had not been good for mother and baby.
The color returned to Kian’s face. “Thank the merciful Fates.”
“I don’t know why you freaked out like that.” Syssi cupped his cheek. “You’ve seen me having visions before. Pregnancy doesn't make me more vulnerable. I’m a strong immortal, remember?”
He nodded, but his face looked pained.
“Can you tell us what you saw?” Amanda asked. “If you’re up to it, that is.”
Nathalie handed Syssi a glass of water. “Maybe you are a little dehydrated.”
“Thanks.” Syssi took a few sips, then handed the glass back the Nathalie. “I think I saw Kalugal.”
“Did you recognize him from Dalhu’s portrait?” Eva asked.
With her detective skills taking over, the woman did not think about how her mate would react to her mentioning the name of the immo
rtal who had induced her transition.
As Ethan uttered a little whine, Annani cast Bhathian a sidelong glance. Holding his son close to his chest, the Guardian did his best not to show any reaction to Eva’s question, but Annani scented his tension.
Kalugal had activated Eva’s dormant genes nearly fifty years ago, possibly taking her virginity while she had been drunk. Eva did not remember the details of that night, and it was likely that Kalugal had thralled her to forget the encounter in which she had been a willing participant. Nevertheless, the doubt was enough to anger her mate.
Syssi nodded. “It was weird. One moment I saw him looking exactly like his portrait, and the next his image wavered and turned into someone else. Except, I knew it was still him. Perhaps he was shrouding himself?”
“That’s possible,” Kian said. “Perhaps Areana was wrong about his compulsion ability, and what he used as a child to sneak into the harem was shrouding.”
It was an interesting thought. A strong shrouding ability was not as rare as compulsion.
“Did you see where he was?” Amanda asked.
“Yes. That’s the most exciting part.” Syssi sat up straight. “He was entering the Stock Exchange building in New York. I recognized the distinctive façade.”
Annani’s heart leaped in excitement. “We should send Guardians over there to look for him. I know it is a big city, but if he is involved in the stock market, perhaps the Guardians can start with monitoring that building.”
Syssi shook her head. “The way my visions work, there is no guarantee that he is still in the New York area. I could have seen the past or the future.”
Plopping down on a chair, Annani let out an exasperated sigh. “This is the only clue we have. There must be a way to follow it. Any ideas?” She looked at Kian.
His expression revealed his disinterest. “Even if Kalugal is there now, it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Especially if he can shroud himself from immortals as well as from humans.”
“What was he wearing?” Amanda asked. “With his ability, I assume that he’s making a killing on Wall Street and that he’s wearing the latest fashion. His clothing might clue us in as to the timeline of the vision.”