by I. T. Lucas
Kalugal, who up until now had seemed relaxed and unconcerned, tensed. “I’m not comfortable with that. I want to trust you, but I’m not there yet.”
“You are willing to put yourself in my hands and allow me to snap a cuff on you, but you are worried that I have nefarious plans for Jacki?”
“I don’t worry about myself. I worry about you taking her away from me.” Kalugal narrowed his eyes at him. “Was all that talk about Jacki and me being fated for each other a ploy to make me lower my guard?”
The only reason Kian didn’t get angry was that he understood. He wouldn’t trust Kalugal with Syssi either, even if the guy didn’t have the power to compel immortals. “Perhaps it is best that we wait for William to send another cuff over, and then you can come with her. Naturally, Turner will have to accompany you.”
“I'd prefer that. But then my men will have to join us as well. Turner could disable me, and then you could snatch Jacki as if I wasn't there.”
“I swear on my honor that I will do no such thing.” Kian smiled sheepishly. “I wouldn’t dare. My mother would depose me in a heartbeat, and she might put Amanda in charge. That terrifies me more than you, your compulsion, and all of your men combined.”
Kalugal chuckled. “Is she that bad?”
“No, Amanda is an amazing scientist and a wonderful person, but she is not cut out for this kind of work.” Kian sighed. “This position is such a tremendous burden of responsibility that I wouldn’t want to drop it on anyone I care about.”
Kalugal frowned. “I get it. That’s why I wouldn’t want my father’s job even if he handed it to me on a silver platter. Your mother, on the other hand, has the right idea. She dictates policy but leaves the day-to-day management to you.”
Kian didn’t correct him. So far, Kalugal didn’t know about Sari and the European arm of the clan, and the less Kalugal knew, the better.
Raking his fingers through his hair, Kian cast his cousin a sidelong glance. “We digress again, and I want to go back to discussing Jacki and your upcoming wedding. You need to tell her about her dormancy before the ceremony. If she pledges herself to you before you tell her, she will never forgive you.”
Kalugal shook his head. “I have to know that she wants to be mine because of me and not the immortality I can give her.”
“You already have the answer to that. She agreed to marry you.”
“That’s true. But what if she doesn’t transition? Jacki is not like the other Dormants that you’ve dealt with. Her memory can’t be erased.”
Kian sighed. “Look, Kalugal, we both know that no matter what, neither of us can allow Jacki to go back into the human world knowing what she already knows. If she doesn’t transition, and you decide to end the marriage, I’ll take her, and she’ll be the first human to join my clan. At this point, it really doesn’t matter if she learns one more thing about us. Trust me, you will thank me for convincing you to do that.”
For a long moment, he and Kalugal walked in silence, but Kian believed that his cousin was smart enough to realize the wisdom of his advice.
And if he didn’t, Kian would have to tell Jacki the truth before she went through with the ceremony. He’d humored his cousin’s request, but things were getting serious. It wasn’t fair to Jacki to let her marry Kalugal without being told what he would gain from it.
Hopefully, Kalugal would do the right thing and spare Kian the need to go back on his promise.
“You are right,” Kalugal finally said. “As a married man, you probably have a better insight than I do. Keeping secrets and shrouding myself was a way of life for me, and it’s difficult to switch gears.” He looked at Kian. “It’s even hard for me to drop my shroud when I enter the conference room, which is ridiculous since you all know what I look like. I’m so used to only my men seeing my real face, and now Jacki.”
“I can imagine that it’s difficult, but it also must be liberating for you to have a woman look upon your face with appreciation and know that she sees you.”
Kalugal tilted his head. “Are you speaking from experience?”
“I wasn’t shrouded when I met Syssi. It’s not something I do. But having her love was the best thing that has ever happened to me. She loves me, the man, not the regent, not Annani’s son, just me. And with her, I feel free. I don’t feel that way with anyone else, not even with my sisters and my mother. They all expect me to be the leader and the head of the clan’s business empire. Syssi just wants my company and my love.”
Kalugal nodded. “That’s what I want from Jacki.” He chuckled. “I wasn’t aware that this was what I wanted, or maybe I just didn’t know how to verbalize the need, but you nailed it.”
“Experience.” Kian clapped his cousin on the back. “There were many things I didn’t understand before Syssi entered my life. She still teaches me new things every day. Like this conversation that we are having? That wouldn’t have happened three years ago. And if I heard two of my Guardians talking about feelings and relationships, I would have rolled my eyes and walked away.”
“I’m not that bad. Love doesn’t scare me.”
Kian frowned. “I wasn’t scared of love. I just didn’t think that any sane woman could love me. I’m not exactly Prince Charming.”
Kalugal laughed. “No, you are not. You’re an ogre with a heart of gold.”
27
Kalugal
Regrettably, the drive home was too short for Kalugal to come up with the best way to tell Jacki about her possible dormancy.
Which gave him a splendid idea. He could delay his return by driving to a jewelry store and buying her an extravagant engagement ring. Perhaps a massive diamond would stun her into forgiving him.
He glanced at his watch. It was six in the evening, which might be too late to find an open jewelry store, if any were open at all. Stores were closing all over because of the damn virus. Where could he even find one that carried the quality he was looking for? It wasn’t as if he’d ever bought stuff like that before, and he didn’t have enough time to educate himself about it.
“Phinas, do you know where I can buy an engagement ring?”
The guy turned to look at him. “A ring? Are congratulations in order?”
“I hope so.”
After Jacki learned that he’d been keeping such crucially important information from her, she might rethink her acceptance of his proposal.
“It’s not my place to question your decision, boss, but isn’t it too sudden? You’ve only known Jacki for one short week. Besides, she is human, and your stance on the issue has always been that getting attached to a mortal is a bad idea.”
“I have my reasons, which at the moment I can’t reveal.”
He couldn’t tell Phinas and the other two before he told Jacki. That would make things even worse. He also wasn’t ready to admit that he’d known she was the one from the first moment he’d seen her without the ugly disguise.
The truth was that he’d felt drawn to Jacki even before that, but since he couldn’t understand why he felt that way about a stranger who wasn’t even attractive, he’d explained it away as a feeling of familiarity. He’d thought that he’d met her before and had forgotten.
Except, now that he thought back to that moment outside the cigar club, he realized that there had been something about her that had appealed to him on a visceral level.
The best way he could describe the feeling was affinity.
Kalugal had only gotten that feeling about a human twice before. One was a professor of philosophy at Stanford, and the other was a lowly laborer in one of his archeological digs in Egypt. Both were males, and both had a rare sort of intelligence, an inner light that shone through their eyes and hinted at knowledge that hadn’t been learned but was innate.
Or so he’d thought.
Perhaps both had been Dormants, and that was why he’d felt an affinity toward them? It could be a good idea to get in touch with them again and find out whether either possessed paranormal abilities.
Except, Professor Levinson was in his late thirties or early forties, and Kian had said that transition was dangerous for older Dormants. So he might not be a good candidate. The laborer, on the other hand, was a young man in his mid-twenties. But then the guy was probably married with a bunch of kids. In places that forbade premarital sex, people got hitched at a young age. So Ahmed wasn’t a good candidate for induction either.
“I’ve seen commercials for a place that specializes in engagement rings,” Phinas said. “But I doubt they’ll have the quality that you’re looking for.”
“Drive toward the city while I search online.”
“Yes, boss.”
Kalugal needed to catch someone on the phone and compel them to wait for his arrival.
It took him less than ten minutes to go through his options, and a few minutes later, he had a private appointment with the owner of the most exclusive jewelry store in San Francisco.
After the guy had heard how much Kalugal was willing to fork out on an engagement ring, he’d said he would open the place just for him and wait for his arrival with a selection of the best readymade rings his store had to offer.
Jacki deserved the best, and Kalugal would have loved to order a custom-made ring for her, but if he wanted it right now, he would have to settle for what was there.
The next step was to organize a romantic dinner.
He called Atzil.
“What’s up, boss? Are you on your way back?”
“Not yet. Is Jacki next to you?”
“No, she went up to her room.”
“Good. I’m ordering dinner delivered from Magonito’s, and I need you to set it up in my suite. Get a table and a couple of chairs in there, but try to do it discreetly. I want it to be a surprise for Jacki. Use a tablecloth, get candles and flowers, and your best place settings. I want this to be a romantic dinner to trump all others.”
“You don’t need to order. I can prepare a nice dinner.”
Kalugal rolled his eyes. Atzil was a fine cook for everyday fare, but he wasn’t a gourmet chef. Except, he couldn’t say that without hurting the guy’s feelings. “I’m sure you could, but since I want it to be a surprise and Jacki likes to hang around the kitchen, you can’t.”
“Got it. When do you need everything to be ready?”
“I’ll order delivery for eight.” Then it suddenly occurred to him that Jacki might have prepared something, and she might get mad at him for ordering from a restaurant. “Did Jacki cook anything today?”
“She made crepes for an afternoon snack, but most are gone. She barely managed to save a couple for you.”
“Excellent. If you can, keep her busy somewhere else while you set things up.”
“Yes, boss.”
28
Jacki
Jacki put her new cellphone in the back pocket of her jeans and headed down to the kitchen. She’d been hoping that Kalugal would call her with questions about the program, but her phone had remained silent.
She missed his voice, she missed his perfect lips curving in his signature smirk, and she missed his smiling eyes.
Today, the summit was being held only in the afternoon, so their separation was short, but tomorrow it was scheduled to start in the morning and last all day. How was she going to survive so many hours without seeing him?
There was no point in denying what was obvious.
She was already in love with Kalugal and couldn’t fathom life without him. Luckily, they were getting married, and hopefully that meant at least several years with him.
Jacki refused to think about a more distant future. If she did, she would get depressed and start crying, and that wasn’t going to do her or anyone else any good. She was strong, a fighter, and she could handle whatever life threw at her.
Entering the kitchen, she scanned for Atzil, but he wasn’t there. He was probably serving another round of dinner in the dining room. Since the men ate in shifts, every meal involved several sittings, and the entire thing lasted about two hours. Poor Atzil practically lived in the kitchen.
She peeked through the open door to the dining room, but he wasn’t there either.
A moment later, the walk-in pantry door opened, and Atzil emerged. Seeing her, he grinned. “You’re right on time to help set up the table.”
Jacki grabbed a stack of plates. “Did you hear anything from Kalugal?”
“He called a few minutes earlier and said that he’s running an errand in the city.”
“Did he say when he’d be back?”
“Around eight, or maybe a little earlier than that.”
That was disappointing. She’d hoped that he would be back shortly. “Did he leave a message for me?”
Atzil hesitated for a moment. “He said that he wanted to dine with you, but if you are hungry, you can grab a snack.”
“I’m fine.” She carried the plates to the dining room. “I can wait until he comes back.”
As Jacki started putting the plates down, it occurred to her that it was easy to figure out how many men Kalugal had. Since the table could seat twelve, and Atzil served three rounds of each meal, it meant that he had about thirty-six men.
Except, some of the men supposedly ate at the bunker, and it was also possible that not all twelve seats were occupied at each sitting.
What irked her, though, was that Kalugal still kept the real number of his warriors a secret from her. Evidently, he didn’t trust her not to tell Kian. Would that change after the wedding?
Kalugal had said it would. But maybe not right away. He’d admitted to having secrets he couldn’t share with her until he was positive that he could trust her.
Damn, that wasn’t the right way to start things. If she hadn't been so stubborn about her no sex without commitment rule, they could have let their relationship develop naturally, but she didn’t trust him enough to do that either.
Whatever. No couple was perfect, and different people had different issues. Hers and Kalugal’s was trust, and hopefully, marriage would help them both over that hurdle.
When she was done with the plates, Jacki went back to the kitchen and collected twelve sets of utensils. “Anything else you need me to do after I’m done?”
He closed the oven and nodded. “I’m getting a large delivery of dry goods supply tomorrow, and I need to organize the pantry. Would you mind doing that for me?”
“Not at all. What do you need me to do?”
“Check the containers and bring out those that are nearly empty. I’ll get Shamash to clean them up. Also, check expiration dates on everything that is still in its original packaging. I have a feeling that many items need to be thrown out.”
“No problem. Consider it done.”
“Thank you. It’s a big project, and not everything needs to be done today. You can continue tomorrow.”
It was the first time that Atzil had asked her to do more than just set up the table or chop vegetables for him, and Jacki was glad for the opportunity to prove herself helpful.
When she was done with the utensils, she went back into the kitchen and smiled at Atzil before walking into his holy of holies. In her imagination, dramatic harp music started playing, and the two cherubim guarding the entry lowered their swords to allow her passage.
The pantry didn’t disappoint.
It was the size of a bedroom, and other than dry goods and paper supplies, it also housed a large freezer. Atzil hadn’t said anything about checking the expiration dates on the frozen goods, and Jacki wasn’t sure whether she should. But when she stepped out of the pantry to ask, he wasn’t there.
He wasn’t in the dining room either.
Oh, well, she could ask him later. Going over the dry goods would take her at least a couple of hours, and if Atzil wanted her to check the stuff in the freezer, she could do it the next day.
Except, Jacki had a niggling suspicion that Atzil was up to something. When he’d asked her to organize the pantry, his cheeks had gotten a little ruddy, but that c
ould have been because he’d just peeked into the oven. Except, that didn’t explain the goofy grin that had been stuck on his face since she’d entered the kitchen.
What are you plotting, Atzil?
Or maybe it wasn’t the cook who was up to something, but his boss?
29
Kalugal
Kalugal felt ridiculous sneaking into his own house, but he wanted to shower and change before seeing Jacki. She was still a vulnerable human, and he might have picked something up during the day. Immortals couldn’t get sick, but they could be carriers during the short time it took their bodies to eradicate pathogens.
He wasn’t taking any chances with her.
Kalugal still remembered how helpless he’d felt when Jin had gotten sick, and she wasn’t even someone he’d cared about at the time.
Jacki was absolutely precious to him, and if he needed to put her in an isolation chamber until this damn virus’s spread was over, he would do that.
That was why he’d also ordered his men to shower and change as soon as they got home.
Perhaps he was going a little nuts with that, but he had to keep Jacki safe.
Kalugal hadn’t been aware of how bad it was until he’d met with the jeweler. The guy hadn’t stopped talking about all the precautions he and his staff had taken to ensure their clients’ safety, and he’d filled Kalugal’s head with ideas.
After leaving the store, he’d called Shamash to make sure that no one else had left the house that day. He’d also told him to wipe all surfaces, doorknobs, and light switches with disinfectant wipes.
If Kian and his people decided to come to the wedding, he would have to ask them to refrain from going near humans for at least twenty-four hours prior. Kalugal wasn’t a doctor, but that was probably more than enough time for immortal bodies to kill any pathogens.