by I. T. Lucas
“It does, but there is no internet connection, so no streaming services. But the server has thousands of movies and shows on it, so you will have plenty to choose from.”
She grimaced. “I bet there is no anime.”
“I’m not sure.” Leon cast her a sidelong glance. “Why do you like it so much? Aren’t you too old to watch cartoons?”
“Anime is not cartoons, and some of the shows are very grownup. I prefer animation to real actors. No matter how bad things get, I know that it’s not real, so I don’t get sad or angry.”
“How about regular shows that are more funny than sad? Like Scrubs, or Friends, or How I Met Your Mother?
“Those are old. And besides, they annoy me.”
“Why?”
“Because they pretend to be real but are not. People are never as nice to each other in real life, or as happy, or as hopeful.”
“I don’t know about that. People in our community are usually kind to each other, and I know that if I need help with anything, I can count on my friends to do their best to provide it.”
She snorted. “Until you put it to the test. Then you’ll see how quickly they will scatter. People are selfish.”
“That’s not my experience. I’ve put it to the test many times and was never disappointed.”
“Oh yeah? Give me one example.”
Leon frowned. “Do you know that our organization is involved in rescuing trafficking victims?”
Wendy had heard Mey and Jin talk about it, but she hadn’t paid much attention. At the time, she’d been more interested in keeping her distance and plotting how to get her hands on a phone.
“I heard something, but I’m not sure what exactly you do for them. Besides, what does that have to do with your friends having your back?”
“My friends and I raid places that buy trafficked individuals who are then forced to sell their sex services. We rescue the victims, destroy the houses so they can no longer be used for that purpose, and deliver the scum who run those places to the police. Those raids are not without risk, and my friends and I have to work as a team and watch each other's backs.”
“Why do you do that? Isn’t that something the police should do?”
He cast her an indulgent look. “As disillusioned as you are with society, I’m surprised that you believe that. If the authorities could handle it, trafficking wouldn’t be the worldwide plague that it is.”
He had a point. “What do you do with the people that you rescue?”
“We take them to a sanctuary for rehabilitation. Vanessa is in charge of that. Once they are better, we move them to a halfway house and help them find jobs or get training or both. When they’re capable of taking care of themselves and think that they are ready, they can leave. We never kick anyone out. But if they try to live independently and it doesn’t work out, they are welcome to come back.”
“Sounds very altruistic. Who pays for all that?”
“We have many donors.”
So that was why they were doing it. It was a neat way to fund their organization by pretending that it was all about helping the victims of trafficking.
“I bet that you keep a hefty chunk of those donations to cover so-called administrative costs and pay the directors’ salaries. All those charity organizations are just another way for the people running them to get rich.”
Leon shook his head. “When we started, we covered all the costs from our own pockets. It put a tremendous strain on our resources, but we all voted to do it anyway because we believed that it was the right thing to do. Later, we started to receive donations, but we still cover the lion's share of the expenses.”
“I don’t believe you.”
He arched a brow. “You’re an empath. If I were lying, you would have sensed it.”
“You might be a good actor. As long as you convince yourself that what you are saying is true, you can fool the best of empaths.”
“Was that how you fooled Edna?”
“More or less.” It was more, not less, and her method was not something anyone could emulate.
“I see. Well, I’m not a good actor or a good liar, and everything that I told you was true. People are a mixed bag, good and bad, but there are many more who are good than those who are bad.”
“Not in my experience.”
He grimaced. “I bet.”
6
Jacki
Jacki had spent most of the night thinking about Kalugal’s marriage proposal, or rather her joke of a proposal which he’d accepted, saying that the idea wasn’t crazy and that they should sleep on it.
What had he meant by that?
Was she supposed to give him an answer this morning? Or was he supposed to give her his?
Damn. It was all very confusing.
But assuming that he’d meant it and that she was supposed to give him an answer after sleeping on it, what would it be?
Her heart and her soul had already said yes, but her mind knew that it would be a mistake. Nothing had changed, Kalugal was still a demigod, and she was still a human.
Except, Kalugal’s admission that he liked everything about her and wouldn’t change a thing was almost as good as a declaration of love, and it pretty much obliterated her determination to say no.
Why keep fighting it?
Why give up a chance for something amazing because it would only last a couple of decades at most?
Half of all marriages ended in divorce anyway, so no one had a guaranteed happily ever after. And perhaps a couple of decades with Kalugal were worth more than a lifetime with a human.
A demigod wanted to marry her, and she was still thinking whether she should say yes?
Anyone else in her position would have jumped on it without hesitation, and the only reason she was still undecided was because of her stubborn all-or-nothing attitude.
She needed to compromise and accept a little bit less than all but much more than nothing.
As the realization settled upon her, Jacki felt a tremendous weight lift off her chest. She was going to say yes, marry Kalugal, and have the best twenty years any woman could dream of.
And if it was less than that? It was still worth it.
Flinging the comforter off, Jacki swung her legs over the side of the bed. Without bothering with slippers, she padded to the bathroom door and put her ear to it. When she could hear no sounds from the other side, she pushed it open and ran across to lock the other door.
Was Kalugal still asleep?
She hadn’t heard him in the bathroom, but he might have used it while she’d dozed off.
In total, she hadn’t slept for more than five hours, but after her decision to say yes had been made, Jacki was too hyped up to stay in bed, and she no longer felt tired.
Except, the mirror told a different story. Jacki had dark circles under her eyes, and if she wanted to look good while giving Kalugal her answer, she needed to apply a bit of concealer.
But that was the last step. First, she had to shower and then blow dry her hair.
That part was done in fifteen minutes flat, mainly thanks to the Dyson hairdryer that had arrived the day before, along with several brushes and a makeup kit she’d ordered. But then Jacki spent another half an hour deciding on the right outfit.
She couldn’t show up for breakfast in a cocktail dress, but she wasn’t going to wear jeans either.
After trying on and discarding at least ten outfits, she settled on a pair of skinny black pants and a yellow blouse embroidered with a pink thread. It was a little sheer and had a deep neckline, but it was sexy without being slutty, and the color looked great on her.
The last decision was whether to wear pumps or flats, and the pumps won. Jacki was tall, and most of the time she wore flats, but today she wanted to look sophisticated and well put together.
As the fiancée of a demigod, she needed to show some class.
Checking herself in the mirror, she was reminded of Kalugal’s perfume-container analogy. He’d said th
at an expensive perfume shouldn’t be put inside a cheap plastic bottle.
Funny how that remark had changed the way Jacki thought about herself. Whenever she was gripped by insecurities, all she had to do was remember Kalugal’s cultured voice comparing her to an exquisite fragrance, and it made her stand a little taller.
Taking a deep breath, she flipped her long hair back, squared her shoulders, and headed out.
Hopefully, Kalugal was waiting for her in the library. If she had to start looking for him all over the house, she would probably lose her nerve.
7
Kalugal
As Jacki opened the library doors, Kalugal got up and walked up to her.
“Good morning, beautiful.” He took her hand and kissed her cheek.
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
Hearing her tossing and turning all night, Kalugal had been wondering what was going through Jacki’s head, and those thoughts had kept him awake.
Luckily, he didn’t need much sleep to recharge, and the few times he’d dozed off had been enough.
“Thoughts of you kept me awake,” he admitted as he led her to the table. “Coffee?”
“Yes, please.”
He poured her a cup. “Given that you haven’t slept much either, I assume that you’ve been thinking about my marriage proposal.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you have a hidden camera in my room?”
He tapped his ears. “I don’t need one. When the rest of the house is quiet, I can hear you moving around.”
“Oh, boy.” She cringed. “That could be embarrassing. I don’t want you to hear every sound I make.”
Leaning in, he covered her hand with his and smirked. “Nothing is embarrassing between a husband and wife. You can make any sounds you like, and I will cherish every one.”
“Right.” She pulled her hand from under his. “Does that cover the smells too?”
Kalugal stifled a laugh. “Naturally.”
She chuckled. “I like your attitude, but we are not there yet. And as for the proposal, I was the one who popped the question. Not you.”
He nodded. “You brought it up, but you weren’t serious. I was.”
“It doesn’t really matter.”
As she lifted the cup to her lips and took a sip, her hair spilled forward, framing her face in a golden halo.
So beautiful, and that was just the cherry on top of all of Jacki’s other attributes. He counted himself incredibly lucky for having her fall into his lap, and that was worth the entire mess with Kian and the damn tether that Jin had attached to him. Otherwise, he would have never met this amazing woman.
“I agree.” He leaned closer. “So, what’s the verdict?”
Jacki hid behind the curtain of her hair. “I’ve given it a lot of thought.”
“And?”
“You go first. You said that both of us needed to sleep on it, meaning that you’ve been undecided as well.”
“I wasn’t. I just didn’t want to pressure you. As far as I’m concerned, we can apply for a marriage license on Monday.”
She swallowed. “So soon?”
“Why wait?”
“To make sure that we make the right decision. This is crazy, Kalugal. I know that I suggested it, but it was really meant as a tease. I didn’t expect you to take me seriously.”
He sighed. “I want to move to the next stage of our relationship. And you won’t do that unless we are married. I’m fine with that, even though it’s putting the carriage in front of the horse. You are perfect for me, and I think that I’m perfect for you, but if it doesn’t work for some reason, and you don’t get what you want from me, we don’t have to stay married.”
She shook her head. “I don’t want to enter a marriage with divorce as a contingency.”
Damn. The woman was confusing. What else could he offer her? Maybe he could give her a little more time.
“Do you want one more night to think it over?”
“It’s not going to help.”
“What are you scared of, Jacki?”
She lifted her head and looked at him. “Of not being loved. You are promising me everything but that.”
“Would you believe me if I did?”
“I don’t know. Yesterday, you sounded as if you were halfway there.”
“That’s because I am. But I will not allow myself to fall in love completely unless I have your love and loyalty first. I know it’s unfair to you, and I know that I’m asking you to trust me before I trust you, but I have much more to lose than my heart.”
That was as much as he was willing to reveal, and if that was not enough, so be it. Kalugal was a patient man, but in the end, it was a leap of faith that Jacki either took or didn’t. He couldn’t tell her more.
“Okay,” she whispered.
“Okay, what?”
“I’ll marry you.”
Kalugal let out a relieved breath. “Wonderful.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “On Monday, I’m going to send Rufsur to pull a marriage license for us.”
“He can’t do that. You and I have to be there in person, and we need to show proof of who we are. I’ll have to ask Kian to mail my fake documents to me.”
“I forgot about your fugitive status. I can ask Kian to bring them to the summit. It’s still early, so he probably hasn’t left yet for our meeting later this afternoon. But I still think that it would be better for Rufsur to thrall the clerk to think that you and I are there in person. It would save us the trip and be safer for you.” He gave her hand a little squeeze. “I can keep you safe, and no one is going to take you away from me.”
8
Jacki
Jacki hadn’t been born yesterday, and Kalugal’s insistence on sending Rufsur to pull the marriage license was awfully suspicious.
Was he planning to trick her?
He could print a fake certificate, show it to her, and then compel someone to officiate over their wedding without checking that the certificate was valid.
Great. She was marrying someone she didn’t trust with the most basic stuff.
Except, what if the reasons he’d given her were legitimate concerns?
Furthermore, she couldn’t even get married using her real name. She wasn’t pulling the certificate as Jacqueline Radford, and she would have to use the fake identification that Kian had supplied her with, which could be just a simple forgery and not the kind that would pass scrutiny.
The marriage idea seemed stupider by the minute.
Jacki let out an exasperated breath. “Let’s forget about the whole thing.”
Kalugal tensed. “If it’s so important to you, we can go to the city hall in person.”
“It is important, but it’s not only that. I would have to use a fake identity, and so would you. You’ll probably shroud yourself in one of your many disguises, and I will have to put the wig and glasses on. So, no matter what, the two of us are not really going to be legally married.”
“What about a religious wedding? We can have a priest marry us.”
“Are you a Christian?”
“No. Does it matter?”
“Yeah, it does. If you are not a believer, having a priest marry us will be meaningless to you.”
He snorted. “And you think that a state-issued marriage license will mean anything to me? I’m doing this for you.”
Closing her eyes, Jacki slumped in Kalugal’s arms. “None of this is real. You should just let me go. Kian’s people will pick me up, and that will be the end of the story.”
His arms tightened around her. “I’m not letting you go. There must be another solution.”
“How do immortals get married? All of you have fake identities, and if you have no religious authority, then who officiates over your weddings?”
“There were no weddings where I came from, but I can ask Kian how the clan handles that.” He started rubbing her back again. “In the past, human marriages used to be simple. Two people would
pledge to love and cherish each other in front of witnesses, and that was it. Their community knew that they were husband and wife, and that was enough.”
“Are you suggesting that we do the same?”
“Why not? It will be more real than anything else. No fake names, no disguises, just you and me and our witnesses.”
Sounded good in theory, but if their witnesses were exclusively Kalugal’s men, it would be like having no witnesses at all. They would always side with their boss.
“I might consider this on one condition.”
“Shoot.”
“I want my new friends to be at the ceremony.”
“You mean Kian’s people?”
She nodded.
“He will never agree to that. Did you forget how cautious he is around me? He will think it’s a trick, and that I want to compel his people and turn them against him.”
“They can all wear earplugs.”
“Then how are they going to hear us pledge our commitment to each other?”
“We can learn to say it in sign language.”
Kalugal laughed. “Of all the silly ideas, this one takes the cake.”
“Why? What’s wrong with sign language? It can’t be too hard to learn a few sentences.”
He eyed her with a raised brow. “You’re serious.”
“It’s a legitimate solution. I don’t want to get married with only your men as our witnesses.”
“I’ll try to persuade Kian to do this for us. He might agree to let a couple of civilians who are not privy to any strategic secrets join our ceremony, but I sincerely doubt that he would allow any of his warriors to come.”
“I would love for Arwel to be there, but I’ll settle for the civilians.”
Kalugal let out a breath. “I’m glad that we found a solution that works for both of us.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“Are you still excited?”
Was she?
Their wedding plans hadn’t been romantic to start with, and the discussion about practicalities had kind of ruined it for her entirely. Did she even want to go through with it?