by I. T. Lucas
Syssi closed her eyes. “He had a navy blazer on. The lapel was slim, so it wasn’t too old. But then those are not new.”
“No, they are not.” Amanda tapped her finger on her lips. “They’ve been in for the past five years, but that’s good. At least we know it wasn’t twenty years ago.”
“What if we can flush him out?” Annani rose to her feet and started pacing.
“How?” Kian asked.
“He knows what his mother looks like, and I bet he misses her. What if he sees her face on an advertisement?” She turned to Eva. “Alena and Areana share the same build and coloring, and their facial features are similar. Can you work with that? Can you make Alena look like Areana?”
“I will need to see Areana’s portrait,” Eva said.
“Could you please bring it over?” Annani motioned to Oridu. “It is the one hanging in my bedroom.”
He bowed. “Right away, Clan Mother.”
Kian rubbed his jaw. “They do look somewhat alike, but it’s not as if you could mistake one for the other.”
In her usual stoic manner, Alena’s only reaction was an amused smile. The resemblance she bore to Areana was only superficial. On the face of it, they both appeared soft and gentle, but their characters could not have been more different.
Alena’s softness surrounded a powerful core, while Areana was soft all the way through. Which might have explained how she could stand being mated to someone like Navuh.
Annani still had a hard time accepting that, but she had to tread lightly with Areana.
They were rebuilding their relationship in ten-minute daily increments, and that did not leave room for criticism. Besides, Annani knew that nothing she said was going to change Areana’s mind about her mate. The bond between Navuh and Areana had been cemented over five thousand years, and nothing but death was going to break it.
“Should I place the portrait over the mantel, Clan Mother?” Oridu asked.
“Yes, please do.”
For the next couple of minutes, everyone in the room gazed at Areana’s portrait, then at Alena, and then at the portrait again.
“It can be done,” Eva said. “But it would involve elaborate makeup that Alena would have to apply daily. It’s not easy to do for an amateur.” She glanced at her baby who was sleeping peacefully in Bhathian’s arms. “I don’t mind going to New York with you, but only if I can take my family with me.”
“I still don’t get what you want to do, Mother,” Kian said.
“I’ve got it.” Amanda walked over to where Kian and Syssi were sitting on the couch and joined them. “We need to make Alena a famous model. We will get her an appointment in one of the major modeling agencies in New York. Brandon can help with that. Yamanu will go with her and thrall whoever needs thralling over there to sign her up for a big gig. Something that will get her face on billboards and buses. Kalugal will see it and he will get curious. He will want to meet his mother’s doppelgänger in person.”
Annani clapped her hands. “She can even go by Areana’s name.”
“That’s going too far,” Syssi said. “How about Ari? Her full name could be Arielle.”
“You are all forgetting something,” Alena said. “No one asked me if I’m willing to go.”
“Oh, dear.” Annani walked over to her daughter and took her hands. “I am so sorry. I assumed you would love a little adventure.”
Alena smiled. “I’m not you, Mother. I’m not adventurous, and I’ve spent most of my life by your side. I wouldn’t know how to act.”
Amanda gave a dismissive wave of her hand. “Easily fixed. Since you will come out of nowhere, you will pretend to be from Slovenia. That will also explain any oddities about your behavior.”
“I don’t speak Slovene.”
“Out of sheer curiosity, why Slovenia?” Kian asked.
Amanda rolled her eyes. “Because Slovenia is a tiny country, and the chances of Alena bumping into any Slovenians are slim. Besides, with her pale skin and blond hair she looks Slavic, but we don’t want to make her Russian. We want something obscure.”
“Many of the top models are from the Eastern Bloc,” Syssi said.
Alena cleared her throat. “As I mentioned a moment ago, I don’t speak Slovene.”
Annani gave Alena’s hands a light squeeze. “If we get you a tutor, how long is it going to take you to learn? A week? Two weeks? That is not really an obstacle. But if you do not wish to go, we can probably find someone else to impersonate Areana. In a pinch, Lucinda might do.”
Alena shook her head. “Lucinda is too short to be a model.”
“I know, dear. But I do not wish to force you into doing something you are not comfortable with. And cosmetics models do not need to be tall.”
Letting out a sigh, Alena nodded. “I’ll do it. I’ve been doing the same thing for thousands of years. I guess it is time I tried something new.”
5
Kian
As everyone around Kian was getting more and more excited about his mother’s idea, he wondered whether he should put an end to it or play along.
Sending Alena to New York accompanied by several Guardians was not going to be particularly costly, and his sister could certainly use the change of pace.
Instead of dousing his family’s enthusiasm with a cold dose of reality, he could indulge their fantasy at no great cost to the clan.
“I can have Roni create fake social media accounts for Alena,” he offered.
And wasn’t that magnanimous of him.
“Arielle,” Syssi corrected. “Known as Ari.”
Kian nodded. “For Arielle.” He turned to Alena. “Are you sure about this? We can have Lucinda wear platform shoes.”
Lucinda bore only a slight resemblance to his mother’s sister, and she was a head shorter than Alena and therefore Areana. So she wasn’t going to work, but if Alena refused, he could scrap the idea without risking his mother’s wrath.
After all, he’d been helpful. He’d offered an alternative.
Alena spread both hands in a dismissive gesture. “And drag her here from Scotland? I don’t think so.”
Regrettably, it seemed that Alena was warming up to the idea.
“I can arrange lodging for you and the Guardians in Ragnar’s hotel.” He turned to Eva. “I can put you, Bhathian and Ethan in one of the suites. Alena will take the presidential suite with Arwel and Yamanu, and two other Guardians will be in a third.”
Alena huffed. “I don’t need five Guardians. I’m just going to play at being a model. There is nothing risky in that.”
Kian cast her a hard look, making it clear that he was not going to budge on that. “Two Guardians accompany me wherever I go, and I’m not doing anything riskier than business negotiations.”
She grimaced. “You have a point. I’ll also bring Ovidu along. He doesn’t really need a bed, and he can take his one-hour rest in a chair.”
“That is a splendid idea,” Annani said. “You will be safe with him.”
Alena frowned. “Do you also expect me to take two Guardians with me anywhere I go?”
“Of course.”
“How am I going to explain it?”
“Arwel can be your overprotective boyfriend,” Amanda suggested. “And Yamanu can be your manager. Either that or your translator. You can pretend to speak very little English.”
“What about the other three Guardians?”
Amanda lifted one shoulder in a dismissive gesture. “They can take turns being your driver, or a visiting family member. I’m sure you can come up with ideas.”
Alena glanced at Eva. “You’ve been a DEA agent. You can come with me to shoots as my makeup artist and watch out for Kalugal.”
Eva’s eyes started glowing. “I would love to.” She turned to Bhathian. “Are you willing to stay with Ethan while I accompany Alena to photo shoots?”
The Guardian shrugged, pretending that he hadn’t heard the part about watching out for Kalugal. “Why not? It’s a paid vacat
ion for me.” He looked at Kian. “Right, boss?”
“Correct. And I will pay Eva for her time as well.”
Eva shook her head. “Don’t. I’m also looking forward to a change of pace. I promised myself that as long as Ethan is still nursing, I wouldn't do anything dangerous or deal with filth. I don’t want any darkness touching him even indirectly. But this seems like a fun assignment, and all I’ll be doing is using my makeup skills.”
When Kian opened his mouth to argue, she lifted a hand to stop him. “I’m volunteering for this. It’s enough that the clan is paying for the flights and the hotel. Not to mention my mate’s salary.”
Kian was about to voice his opposition, but Eva’s glare stopped him. He relented. “Fine. I know better than to argue with you.”
She rewarded him with a bright smile. “I always knew that you were a smart guy.”
“We need to go shopping.” Amanda rubbed her hands with glee. “You need a designer wardrobe, a contemporary haircut, and a manicure and a pedicure.” She walked over to Alena and squeezed into the armchair beside her. “We’ve never done this before. It’s about time we did something sisterly.”
Alena’s horrified expression was comical, but not unwarranted. Amanda was a shopping beast.
Syssi chuckled. “I still remember when Amanda took me to do all that.” She looked at Alena. “You’re going to have fun. She is a pro at this.”
Alena lifted her braid. “What’s wrong with my hair? Or with my clothes?”
Kian was wondering the same thing. Alena was wearing a pretty long dress with small pink flowers printed on the soft fabric, and her long blond hair was gathered into a thick braid. She even had a matching pink band on the crown of her head, securing the flyaways. She looked lovely.
“Nothing, it’s gorgeous.” Amanda wrapped her arm around Alena’s shoulders. “But you look like a fairytale princess from a couple of centuries ago. You need a modern makeover.”
6
Yamanu
“Do you have any idea what this is about?” Yamanu asked as he buttoned up his white dress shirt. “I’ve never been invited to the goddess’s home before.” He pushed his feet into a pair of loafers.
When Kian had called, asking Yamanu whether he and Arwel could come over to the Clan Mother’s home, he’d said there was a mission he needed to discuss with them, but he hadn’t elaborated.
Arwel shook his head. “No clue.”
“It must be something about Lokan.” Yamanu pulled out his phone. “I’m going to call Carol.”
“Why?” Arwel opened their front door and waited for Yamanu to step out.
“Because if the bastard did something to her, I’m going to make him regret he was ever born.”
Arwel smiled. “Relax. I spoke with her a couple of hours ago, and her main complaints were about being bored and missing her mate. Lokan is probably back home by now, and the two of them are celebrating his return.”
The tension left as quickly as it had seized him. Yamanu could handle almost anything with calm, except for a friend getting hurt. More so if the friend was a female, and especially one cohabiting with a Doomer.
Lokan seemed okay, but no one really knew what his deal was, and the thing with brainwashing was that it could raise its ugly head unexpectedly and override rational thought.
“Maybe it's news from the island?”
“How about instead of playing twenty questions, we wait until we get there and Kian fills us in?”
“I don’t like surprises.”
For the next five minutes neither of them spoke, but as they neared Annani’s house, Arwel slowed down.
“I sense a lot of excitement.”
“Good or bad?” Yamanu asked as they climbed the steps to the goddess’s front porch.
“Good.”
“Thank the merciful Fates.” Yamanu knocked on the Clan Mother’s door. “Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't involve another trip in a narco submarine. Once in a lifetime was enough.”
Oridu opened up. “Good evening, masters. Please come in.”
Inside, the living room was bursting with a lively conversation that for some reason seemed to revolve around Alena. Not only that, but in a rare sisterly display, she was sharing an armchair with Amanda.
The two weren’t close.
Whatever was going on, Alena was in the center of it.
Strange. Normally, Annani’s eldest liked to blend into the background and observe. She didn’t like to attract attention to herself.
Kian rose to his feet and walked over to greet them. “Thank you for coming over. I hope I didn’t interrupt your weekend plans.”
As if he cared about that. The apology was most likely meant for Annani’s ears, to show his mother that he was polite and treated his people with respect. The second part was true, but the first one not so much. Kian was a pragmatic guy who rarely wasted time on niceties.
Yamanu shook Kian’s hand. “Not at all. So, to what do we owe the honor?”
“Grab a couple of chairs and join us,” the boss said.
As they took their seats, Yamanu crossed his legs and plastered a smile on his face. He was going to pretend that sitting in Annani’s living room, with three out of her four children present and looking at him expectantly, was an everyday event.
“Syssi had a vision,” Kian began. “She saw Kalugal entering the Stock Exchange in New York.”
While Kian explained the plan, Amanda and Annani added details, and Syssi offered a few suggestions. Everyone was excited about the idea, except for Kian who seemed skeptical, and Alena who looked unsure.
It wasn’t like her. Usually she was the picture of serenity and composure.
“What troubles you, Alena?” Yamanu asked.
“It’s nothing.” She waved a hand. “I’m so used to my quiet and uneventful life that I don’t know if I can pull it off. What do I know about being a supermodel?”
Amanda chuckled. “First of all, calling your life uneventful is a joke. You’ve given birth to thirteen children. In my book, that’s huge. And secondly, you live with the queen of mischief. I’m sure our mother provides plenty of excitement. And thirdly, to act like a model, all you need to do is channel Annani.”
“Or you.” Alena leaned and kissed her sister’s cheek. “Maybe you should put on a blond wig and makeup? You’re tall, fashionable, and have the proper attitude.”
Sighing wistfully, Amanda leaned her head on Alena’s shoulder. “I wish I could. But no amount of makeup is going to make me look like Areana.”
Eva cleared her throat. “Don’t underestimate what can be done with the proper tools. We can create a face mask that will make you look exactly like Areana, and with me by your side, you’ll have no problem transforming into her every morning.” She smirked. “It’s a pity you’ve never seen me in one of my disguises. If not for the smell of latex, Jackson and Bhathian wouldn’t have figured out that I wasn’t who I pretended to be, and I would probably not be here.”
Sensing his daddy’s agitation, the baby in Bhathian’s arms whimpered.
“But I’m so glad that I was unmasked. If I weren’t, I wouldn’t have my happy ending,” Eva added. “I should thank the good Lord every day for my blessings.”
She got up and walked over to Bhathian. “Come to Mommy, precious.” She took the baby and cradled him in her arms.
Ethan sighed contentedly and went back to sleep.
The woman was full of contradictions. A tough as nails detective but such a devoted and loving mother. Yamanu didn’t know much about her past, but Bhathian had let a few things slip. Apparently, the lady had no qualms about taking out evildoers despite being deeply religious.
“So, who is going to New York?” Kian asked. “Alena, Amanda, or Lucinda?”
“I am,” Alena said. “With Yamanu and Arwel keeping me safe, I have nothing to fear. And if I need performance advice, I’m sure Eva can help with that as well as with the makeup.”
“I sure can.” Eva kissed he
r baby’s forehead. “Wearing a disguise is not enough. To be believable, I acted like the person I was supposed to be. I’m a decent actress.”
“Don’t be so modest. You are amazing,” Nathalie said.
Eva shrugged. “I didn’t want to toot my own horn.”
“Who else are you sending with us?” Yamanu asked Kian.
“Bhathian is going because of Eva. But I want you to take two additional Guardians, so you can take turns watching over Alena. It’s up to you who you want to work with on this mission. I’m putting you in charge of this operation.”
“Good deal. But to call it a mission or an operation is an overstatement. It’s more like a vacation.” Yamanu smirked. “Thank you for rewarding Arwel and me with this little perk. I would like to think it’s because of the good job we did with Carol and Lokan.”
“It has nothing to do with it,” Kian said. “You are needed because of your incredible thralling ability, and Arwel can sense even immortals’ emotions. If Kalugal takes the bait, Arwel might sense him snooping around.”
Arwel rubbed his jaw. “I wouldn’t count on it. I didn’t sense Lokan coming, and he snatched Vivian and Ella right from under my nose.”
The room went silent. Arwel’s remark was a reminder of how easily even the best planned operations could go awry.
“He was using an underground tunnel. That’s why you couldn’t sense him,” Kian said. “There are no tunnels under our hotel in New York.”
“What if Navuh sees the advertisements?” Nathalie asked. “He might send Doomers after Alena.”
“Not likely.” Annani spread her hands in a dismissive gesture. “He never leaves the island, and we are not going to have Alena appear on television commercials. And even if he somehow sees one of those ads, he will dismiss Ari the model as a lookalike. After all, he knows that Areana is safely sequestered in his harem. Kalugal, on the other hand, cannot be sure that his mother is still on the island. He will get curious and investigate.”