by I. T. Lucas
“Right, I forgot about that.” William pushed his glasses up his nose. “You can look at the photos taken during daylight.”
“What about clubs?” Jacki asked. “He is a young guy, right? Is he single?”
“He is.” William put the phone on the table. “But we haven’t caught him in a club yet. Actually, this is only the second time that we’ve gotten him on camera at all, which is odd. He must leave the house more often than that.”
“Maybe he has a tunnel leading out somewhere else,” Jin suggested.
She was probably thinking about the keep and the tunnel leading to the building across the street.
Arwel took her hand and gave it a little squeeze, reminding her not to say anything about it in front of Jacki. “That’s possible, but Kalugal doesn’t need it. He is confident that his shrouds are camouflaging his comings and goings.”
“Maybe he goes to clubs that you are not monitoring,” Jacki suggested. “He might be partying in San Francisco, and if he is, then you are screwed because there are probably hundreds of them.”
“Or he takes care of the camera feed.” William took his phone and started texting. “I’ll ask Roni to watch the feed and see if it disappears at some point. Kalugal might erase it before he leaves the place.”
“Why does he go to so much trouble to hide?” Jacki asked. “And why is he so important to your organization?”
Anticipating the questions, Arwel had prepared the answers. “He uses the shrouding to get inside information about stocks. And it’s crucial for him to keep his identity hidden or he’d get caught. He also might pose a threat to our organization. We would rather have him as an ally than a foe, but we need to find out the extent of his illegal activity.”
Leaning back, Jacki crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes at Arwel. “I don’t buy your explanation, and frankly, I don’t care what your real reason is. Just tell me one thing. Are you planning on killing him?”
“No.”
“You sure about that?”
“Positive.”
“How so? Because you are the good guys?” Her tone was mocking.
“We are, and also because he is Kian’s cousin, and Kian’s mother would be majorly pissed if we killed her nephew.”
Arwel figured the information would be meaningless to Jacki, but because it was the truth, it would sound convincing.
Her eyes widened. “But if he is family, why doesn’t Kian just call him and talk to him?”
“Kalugal doesn’t know that Kian is his cousin. In fact, he doesn’t know anything about his mother’s side of the family because he hasn’t seen her since he was a boy.”
Jacki’s eyes softened. “Are his parents divorced?”
“Worse. His father is a dangerous man, and Kalugal is hiding from him.” As Jin kicked Arwel under the table, he put his hand over hers and gave it a little squeeze, reassuring her that it was okay before continuing. “That’s another reason he is so careful. He probably fears his father more than the authorities and definitely more than us.”
Naturally, that answer prompted Jacki to ask more questions. “Why? What would his father do to him if he finds him?”
Jin pulled her hand out of Arwel’s clasp. “Force Kalugal to come home and join his crime syndicate,” she said. “Or kill him.” She pushed to her feet. “I’m ready for coffee and dessert. Are you coming to help me?”
“Yeah.” Jacki got up. “Let’s divide the chores. The guys can clear the table and load the dishwasher while we take care of the coffee and cake.”
“There is a cake?” Kri asked. “Because Michael and I didn’t buy any. We only got cookies.”
“Cookies will do,” Jacki said.
25
Jin
Jin sat down on the bed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Kian said that this was supposed to be top secret, and yet you just blurted it to Jacki. What’s the deal with that? And you also promised to tell me more about Annani and Areana and never did.”
She hadn’t wanted to ask him in front of Jacki because Arwel would have given her a censored version, and the truth was probably fascinating.
He sat next to her on the bed. “It’s a long story, and it doesn’t really matter. Kalugal and Kian could be enemies or allies, depending on Kalugal’s agenda. Even Lokan doesn’t know the guy, and he is his full-blood brother.”
After kicking her shoes off, Jin swung her legs onto the bed and pushed up against the headboard. “We have time. Tell me the whole story.”
He followed her, wrapping his arm around her middle. “I would rather spend the time doing something else.”
Jin wanted that too, but later. Right now, her curiosity had been whetted and she wanted to hear about the two sister goddesses. “Tell me an abbreviated version. Or is it a story I’m not supposed to know?”
“Frankly, I’m not sure.” Snaking his hand under her shirt, he drew small circles on her belly. “Kian said that you shouldn’t be told too much, not because he didn’t trust you, but because there is a slight chance that Kalugal could capture you. He could get any information out of you.”
“But he can do that to anyone, right?”
Arwel nodded. “Except for Jacki, but she doesn’t know anything. You and she are the only ones who will get close to him, and if he is also a strong empath, he might feel your anxiety or your intention to attach a tether to him. It’s very unlikely, but it’s always better to err on the side of caution.”
“So, tell me only the things that Kalugal already knows.”
“I can’t. He will wonder how you found out. You already know too much because Kian didn’t think it through when he told you Kalugal’s background. If he compels you to tell him everything you know, he might realize the clan’s weaknesses and how to exploit them.”
When the hand that had been drawing lazy circles around her belly button inched higher, it became harder to think.
“You are distracting me.”
He smirked. “Do you want me to take my hand away?”
“No. Keep going but keep talking too.”
“You think I can?” He cupped her breast over her bra.
“Give it a try. We can call it the focus and endurance test.”
“Are you challenging me?” He tweaked her nipple.
“Yes. Let’s see who can keep up a coherent conversation longer.” She wasn’t sure who was going to win that game, but even though it was going to be torturous, it would be fun to try. It was a challenge, and Jin loved pushing herself to the limit.
Besides, she was a spy in training, and spies should be able to extract information from their targets even during sex. Heck, especially then.
Oh, damn. Now she really had to win.
“Any rules?” Arwel pushed her shirt up and the bra cups down, and then dipped his head to lick her nipple.
Jin shut her eyes. He wasn’t going to make it easy on her. But then she was planning on doing the same to him.
“No rules. Anything goes.”
“Oh, lass, you should never say that to a guy.”
He nipped her nipple, sending a zing of pain straight into her core, the tiny current turning the dial on her burner from simmer to high.
“I trust you.”
Raking her fingers through Arwel’s long hair, Jin was glad that Amanda had only trimmed it a little instead of giving him a full haircut. Fisting his silky hair, she held him to her breast.
He lifted a pair of glowing eyes to her. “That means a lot to me.”
The adoration in his gaze was enough to melt her resolve, but she wasn’t going to let him distract her. “That look is not going to work. Start talking.”
He looked at her breasts with longing. “I can’t talk and kiss these at the same time.”
“Yes, you can. Alternate.”
“Okay.” He sucked on her other nipple, then let it go and cupped both breasts. “Annani and Areana are half-sisters. They shared a father but had different mothers. In the gods’ cu
lture, that wasn’t considered a close blood relation. A half-brother and a half-sister who shared only a father could mate.”
“Gross,” Jin murmured.
“Yeah, I agree. According to their beliefs, the hereditary material passed through the mother, not the father, but we know it’s not entirely true. It seems that the immortality gene passes through the mother, but paranormal talents can pass through the father as well. Lokan and Kalugal are proof of that. They inherited their powers from Navuh.”
“Can’t you check it? I’m sure that the clan doctor could examine the goddess’s blood.”
“Even if Annani allowed it, which I don’t think she would, we don’t have Areana’s blood to compare, and we can’t get it.”
“Do they look alike?”
“Not at all. Annani is a tiny redhead with a strong and fiery personality to match that wild hair of hers. Areana is a tall blonde, who is mellow and timid and so lacking in power that she is supposedly weaker than most immortals.”
“So, maybe they were right about the genetics. Heck, one of Kian’s single sisters could marry Kalugal and bring peace to the two factions like they used to do in the olden days. They are only second cousins, and that’s not a problem genetically even for humans. Second cousins marrying each other is common in many cultures.”
26
Arwel
“Not a bad idea, but I doubt that Sari or Alena would be game for that, and not because Kalugal is a second cousin. He is an ex-Doomer of questionable morality, and even though he is of even purer blood than they are, Annani’s daughters would look down on him.”
Jin frowned. “What about Amanda? You told me that Dalhu is an ex-Doomer too, and that he was just a lowly commander.”
“That’s different. The Fates brought those two together. They were destined for each other. No one wanted Dalhu to be Amanda’s mate, not even Amanda. She went away for a while, hoping she could get over him, but the pull to come back was too strong. Fated mates can’t stay away from each other.”
All that talk about the goddesses and their children had distracted them from getting on with the business of making love, and Arwel wasn’t happy about it. Apparently, they had both failed at the focus test, but not in the way they’d thought they would.
Instead of necking, they were talking.
Staring into his eyes, Jin caressed his cheek. “Mey says that the pull is very strong. But since we’ve been together from the moment we met, we haven’t had a chance to test it.”
“I don’t want to test it. I want to be with you always.”
“That’s sweet, but after this assignment is over, you will have to go back to your everyday work, which I assume is rescuing girls and boys from traffickers, and I’ll have to focus on building my business. We will have to be apart.”
“We will manage just like the other couples. From what I hear, the first two weeks are the most intense. I guess it’s our physiology at work. The insatiable pull lasts until the addiction sets in. Once that happens, it is possible to stretch the rubber band a little further.”
Jin’s hand on his cheek stilled. “Addiction? What are you talking about?”
Damn. Mey hadn’t told Jin about it. Did Mey even know?
“I thought your sister explained.”
“She didn’t.”
“The venom is addictive. The time it takes differs for every couple, but after a while you will crave only me.”
“What about you?”
“Same thing. But it takes longer for the males to get addicted to their females.”
“Figures. The guys always have it better. Will it work on human males as well?”
“I suppose so. So far, no one has tested it. All the clan couples are happily mated.”
“I wonder what came first, the chicken or the egg. That’s an awesome way to ensure fidelity.”
Arwel groaned. He really didn’t want to talk about that while staring at Jin’s magnificent, bare breasts. But if he kept the information from her, she would think that he had an ulterior motive for doing so.
“When the mating is fated, the couple doesn’t mind the addiction. But in the goddess’s times arranged matings were common, and the partners didn’t want to limit themselves to the official mate. The way to circumvent it was basically the opposite of fidelity. The more males the female was with, the less chance there was she would get addicted to just one venom. And if she didn’t get addicted to her mate, he didn’t get addicted to her because her scent didn’t change to match his.”
Winding a lock of his hair around her finger, Jin smiled. “For an advanced species, immortals have a lot of animalistic traits.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” He climbed up and covered her body with his. “The time for talking is over.”
As he took her mouth in a careful kiss, Jin grabbed his T-shirt and pulled it up, bringing them skin to skin. It bunched under his arms and neck, and Arwel wanted to take it off and expose more of his skin to Jin’s silky smoothness, but he didn’t want to stop kissing her. With the soft mounds of her breasts pressing against his chest, and her hard nipples rubbing against its sparse hairs, it felt too good to interrupt.
Eventually though, he had to let her come up for air.
“What about the others?” Jin whispered in his ear. “You said that they can hear us.”
“I don’t care. Besides, they are all downstairs watching television. I can hear it blaring from here.”
“I’ll be quiet. Did you bring condoms?”
“You betcha.” They were still in his duffle bag and going for them was a mood killer. “I’ll get them.” He rolled out of bed.
Well, that was an exaggeration. Nothing short of a fire or some other disaster could kill his mood for sex, but it certainly detracted from the experience.
Taking two packets out, he put them on the nightstand and then pulled his T-shirt over his head.
“I’ll never get tired of seeing you like that.” Jin pushed her leggings down. “You are made beautifully.”
“Thank you.” He looked at her long legs. “But you are perfection. When we move into our own house, I want you naked all the time. We will keep the shutters closed so the neighbors won’t see anything.”
“Same for you.” She laughed. “We will live in a nudist colony of two.”
Luckily, Jin thought he was joking or talking in the hypothetical. For now, he would leave it at that. There was plenty of time to discuss living arrangements after the mission’s completion.
He climbed on the bed and covered her body with his. “I accept your terms.”
27
Kian
As Kian opened the door to his office, his phone buzzed. Glancing at the display, he accepted the call.
“Good morning, William.”
“Good morning. I hope it’s not too early for our daily update.”
Kian put his thermos down. “You have perfect timing. I just walked into my office. What do you have for me?”
“We started watching the mansion shortly before lunch, but Kalugal’s gate didn’t open until evening. After that, four left the premises and later returned. The first was a Ferrari convertible, so it was relatively easy to see the driver, but Ewan said that it wasn’t Kalugal. I had a hunch that only he would be driving a car like that, so I had Roni check surveillance feeds from parking lots of nearby restaurants and clubs. We got lucky, and Roni found it parked outside a restaurant. When he checked the feed from inside the place, Kalugal was there. Apparently, the guy doesn’t leave the house without shrouding himself first.”
“That complicates things.”
“It does. Whenever they can, the guys will snap photos of the driver and show them to Jacki. But the solution might be simpler than that. If Kalugal is into fancy cars, we can narrow it down to just checking those.”
“He might have many of them. You’ll need more Guardians to follow the vehicles to their destinations. Besides, I wouldn’t mind getting snapshots of his men as well
. In time, we can collect all of them, provided that they leave the compound during our stakeout.”
“That won’t solve our Kalugal problem, though. The Guardians won’t be able to see past his shroud.”
“That’s true, but they can report the location to Roni and have him check. That would save him time searching for Kalugal’s car in parking lots. Those minutes could make all the difference between Jin getting to him on time or missing the opportunity. And given that not every place has surveillance cameras that Roni can hack into, we won’t have that many opportunities to get Kalugal.”
“That’s true. But managing more Guardians complicates the logistics. We can’t fit more people in here unless you want them sleeping on the floor in the living room.”
“We’ll figure it out. I’ll talk with Onegus and let you know.”
“What do you want us to do in the meantime?”
“Keep doing it the way you suggested until I get you reinforcements.”
After ending the call with William, Kian called the chief. “Good morning, Onegus. Can you come up to my office?”
“I’m on my way.”
Less than ten minutes later, the chief knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
“Is it about the Bay Area mission?” He took a seat in front of Kian’s desk.
“Yes. I just got off the phone with William. We need the cars leaving Kalugal’s estate followed. Only four cars have left the gate since they arrived, so that could have been handled by the team already there. But it would have left fewer Guardians in the house to watch over Jin and the gate.”
Onegus frowned. “I thought that you didn’t want to risk alerting Kalugal to the fact that he’s being watched. Following him and his men around would do that. Isn’t it better to rely on Roni and William’s virtual surveillance?”
“It has limits. Not every place has cameras, and out of those a significant percentage are closed-circuit and not hackable remotely. What can we do to follow him around discreetly?”