by I. T. Lucas
“Unless disaster strikes and a plane explodes while I’m on it, you have nothing to worry about. With my compulsion, shrouding, and thralling abilities, I’m invincible.”
Rufsur cast him a sidelong glance. “So why are you still worried about your father finding you?”
“I’d rather avoid conflict if I can. My plans don’t involve any outward struggle. One day, I’ll just be the one pulling all the strings with no one any the wiser. A peaceful, non-hostile takeover.”
Phinas let out a long-suffering sigh. “If no one will know, why bother?”
Kalugal chuckled. “Because I’ll be a god.”
44
Kian
“Fuck!” Kian pushed to his feet and started pacing. “What do you mean, she froze?” he barked into the phone.
Syssi looked up at him. “Calm down. It’s not Jin’s fault. She wasn’t ready.”
Taking a deep breath, he tried to do as his wife suggested while listening to Arwel explain.
“Jacki thinks that Kalugal compelled Jin, but Jin says that she just got scared. We didn’t prepare her well enough.”
If the Guardian was implying that Kian had sent Jin after Kalugal without proper training, he wasn’t wrong.
Except, it was supposed to be simple. How hard could it be to bump into a guy and touch him?
Girls sometimes did that just to get a guy’s attention, and Jin wasn’t the shy type. She’d projected a badass attitude, but apparently, it had been all bluster.
Kian raked his fingers through his hair. “Now Kalugal knows what she looks like.”
“He does, but that isn’t really a problem. So what if he sees her in another club or bar and recognizes her? It’s not like San Francisco is a huge metropolitan area with thousands of places for young people to party. She could go up to him and say hi, and he wouldn’t suspect a thing unless she panics again.”
“How do we ensure that it doesn’t happen again?”
“We get Lokan to help. He can compel her not to respond to Kalugal’s compulsion. I think that was the main source of her fear. If that’s no longer an issue, she will regard him as just any other guy and won’t be afraid to approach him.”
“I’m not sure Lokan can do that. In fact, I’m pretty sure that he can’t. His compulsion works only on humans, not on immortals. Kalugal can manipulate both.”
“True, and there is no doubt that Kalugal is more powerful, but since Jin is still human, Lokan might be just as effective in compelling her as Kalugal.”
Kian stopped in front of the sliding door to the back yard. “I assume that Jin is not within earshot.”
“No. I’m in the car by myself. I was sent to get ice cream. Apparently, that’s what women medicate with when they are upset.”
“I can call Lokan and arrange a conference call with Jin.”
“Please. Even if it ends up not working, it’s worthwhile just as a confidence booster. She needs it.”
Kian opened the slider and stepped out. “I should send Parker to join his parents. Having a compeller in the house would make her feel even safer.”
“Vivian and Magnus would never agree to that. We are about two hundred feet away from the lion’s den, so to speak. It’s too dangerous to bring a kid in here.”
They were all overestimating how dangerous Kalugal was, including him. True, the guy was a powerful immortal, but he didn’t seem inclined to commit acts of violence.
Then again, when cornered, even a peaceful gorilla could tear a human to shreds.
“I’ve already suggested it, and they’ve already declined. But I thought that under the circumstances they might relent.”
“They won’t, and I agree with them.” Arwel sighed. “Putting Jin in danger is killing me, especially since I have to pretend that it’s not a big deal for her sake. Is there a chance I could convince you to call the whole thing off? We can tell Areana that we found her son but that it’s too dangerous for us to approach him.”
“I’m not doing it just for her.” Kian lifted the box of cigarillos from the side table and pulled one out. “Kalugal might be a threat to us, and now that he is in our neighborhood, we need to safeguard ourselves. Jin’s tethering ability could give us the only advantage over him to be had.”
“That’s not the only advantage. We also have more people. From what we have seen so far, he has about a dozen men with him. Maybe even less.”
“Our numbers are meaningless when Kalugal can blanket compel everyone other than Turner and Jacki. And we are not even sure about that. If he can compel immortals, he might be able to compel even the immunes.”
It was a scary thought, but Kian was right. Which meant that they couldn’t afford to cancel the mission.
“When are you going to call Lokan?”
“Right after I hang up with you.”
“I’ll be back in the house in about ten minutes. I’ll tell Jin to get ready.”
Syssi shook her head. “The girl needs to rest and unwind. It can wait until tomorrow.”
As usual, his wife was the voice of reason.
“I’ll call him tonight, but I’ll have him do it tomorrow, and not only to Jin. I want him to compel each of the Guardians as well. I’m pretty sure that’s a futile exercise, but what do we have to lose?”
“True. As you said, we need every advantage we can think of.”
When he ended the call, Kian lit up his cigarillo and called Lokan.
“Hello, Kian. If you are calling me this late, there is trouble. Bad news from the Bay?”
“You might say so. I need your help.”
45
Jin
“Don’t sweat it,” Kri said. “You’ll get him next time.”
Everyone was being so freaking nice, and it was annoying the hell out of Jin.
She wished someone other than herself would berate her and tell her that she couldn’t do it, so she could get mad, double down, and stubbornly prove that she could.
That had always worked for her. Whenever a teacher had told her that she wasn’t good at this or that and should choose another subject, she had studied her ass off and had proven them wrong.
That was how she’d ended as a business major. Math had been a struggle in middle school, and not her favorite subject, but after a teacher had made a disparaging comment about her inability to keep up, Jin had asked her parents to hire her a tutor.
Unlike her schoolteacher, the retired professor had been excellent at explaining and simplifying all those concepts she’d had trouble with, and after two months with him she’d gotten her first perfect score on a math test and had never looked back.
Jin needed someone to challenge her now, to tell her that she wasn’t good enough and make her so angry that she would forget about her fears.
But even Jacki, who she’d expected to be tough on her, was being uncharacteristically quiet.
Maybe she was shaken up as well?
Probably.
Except, Jacki was putting up a calm façade, while Jin was letting it all out. “Where is Arwel? I need that freaking ice cream.”
She didn’t like keeping things boiling up inside. It was better to let it go and move on.
“Do you need to spar?” Kri asked. “When I’m frustrated or angry, that usually helps.”
Michael nodded. “All that negative energy needs an outlet. If you are not into sparring, you can run on the treadmill.”
“Thank you, but that’s not how it works for me. I need the anger to fuel my resolve. I operate best when I have something to prove.”
“You do have something to prove,” Jacki said. “Next time we go after Kalugal, don’t freeze. Imagine that he is a big ice cream cone and that you need to get it.”
Vivian laughed. “I don’t think Arwel would appreciate that imagery.”
Jacki waved a hand. “I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that Jin is so desperate for Arwel to come back with that ice cream. She needs to feel just as strongly about tethering Kalugal.”
/> Kri snorted. “Hey, he could shroud himself as an ice cream cone. That could be fun for his lover.”
As Jacki’s expression turned dreamy, Jin wondered whether it had anything to do with Kalugal. After all, she’d gotten to see what he looked like without the shroud.
“How hot is he?” Jin blurted.
“Hot.” Jacki fanned herself. “He has that bad boy vibe that women find irresistible. I wonder why he shrouds himself as a less attractive guy.”
Jin cast a quick glance at William. As she’d expected, he had a pained look on his face.
Damn, Jacki was so obtuse.
“Maybe he doesn’t want to attract too much attention,” Vivian said.
“Then he shouldn’t drive a Ferrari.” Jacki rose to her feet and stretched. “I’m beat. I think I’m going to skip the ice cream and hit the sack.”
“Me too.” Vivian got up. “Doing nothing is very tiring.”
Naturally, Magnus followed. “Good night, everyone.” He looked at Jin. “Don’t agonize over what happened. We’ve all been rookies and have made our share of mistakes. Tomorrow is a new day.”
“Thanks. I’ll try.”
When they were gone, she turned to the three burly bears. “Did you make mistakes when you were newbies?”
Ewan chuckled. “I was fifteen the first time I had to fight off invaders. I didn’t only freeze, I pissed myself.”
Jin’s eyes widened. “Fifteen? You were just a kid!”
“Back then, fifteen was old enough. I wasn’t even the youngest.”
Shaking her head, she crossed her arms over her chest. “I can’t believe that. Who sends kids into battle?”
“It’s obvious that you are not a history buff,” Gregor said. “When needed, anyone who could swing a sword joined the defending force. Don’t forget that we were post transition immortals, and we were much stronger than the human males we fought.”
“Yeah, I forgot about that. Still, mentally you were boys.”
“They still are.” Kri chuckled. “I’m the youngest Guardian, and when they start goofing around, I feel like I’m their mother.”
Michael wrapped his arm around his mate’s broad shoulders. “You are not the youngest, I am.”
“You are not a Guardian yet. You are a Guardian in training.”
“Semantics.”
“How old are you, Michael? If it’s okay to ask. I don’t know what the immortal etiquette on age questions is.”
“It’s okay to ask, but not everyone will answer. I’m twenty-two.”
Jin looked at Kri, who looked about the same age as Michael, but that didn’t mean that she was.
“If you are wondering about me, I’m fifty.” Kri flipped her long braid back. “But just for your information, I’m considered a very young immortal. Gregor here is over three hundred years old, Ewan is pushing five centuries, and Duncan is a youngling at two hundred and something.”
“Wow. Is there a way to tell?”
Kri smiled. “Nope. Unless you are told, there is no way you can guess. We just don’t age physically, and the men don’t age mentally either. I think their brains stop developing at fourteen.” She cast Michael a fond look. “Except for my mate, who is incredibly mature at twenty-two.”
It occurred to Jin that she didn’t know how old Kalugal was, and whether it had anything to do with how powerful he was.
“How old is Kalugal?”
“He is young,” Kri said. “I don’t know his exact age, but I know that he is less than a hundred.”
“Does age have anything to do with an increase in power?”
Kri nodded. “It’s scary to think that he is already so powerful. He is going to surpass his father as the strongest immortal ever born.”
Jin lifted a brow. “Stronger than Kian?”
“Definitely.”
Damn. And that was who they were sending her up against?
“Suddenly, I feel like a sacrificial lamb. What chance do I have against him?”
Kri leaned forward and braced her arms on her thighs. “None. But you are not going up against him. Your only job is to touch him briefly. Try to think of it as touching a fully armed jet fighter. It’s much bigger and stronger than you, but you are not fighting it. You are just walking up to it and putting a hand on the metal. That’s it.”
46
Arwel
“I have a stomachache.” Jin walked into the bedroom with a towel wrapped around her head and another one around her body. “But at least I washed the gunk off my face, and that feels wonderful.”
Sitting on the bed, Arwel spread his legs. “Come here, gorgeous.”
She sauntered toward him, sat on his thigh, and wound her arms around his neck. “I like hearing you say that. I know you mean it, and it makes me feel sexy.” She dipped her head and kissed him softly.
Delving into her mouth, he could still taste the ice cream even though she’d brushed her teeth. “Sweet,” he murmured.
“I should be after all that sugar.”
“You are sweet no matter what you eat.”
“And a little prickly.”
“That’s what makes you so exciting.” He put his hand on her belly. “How is that stomach ache?”
“If you rub my tummy, it will go away.”
“I can do that. I can also rub you all over and massage the bad tension away while arousing the good kind.”
“I could go for that.”
He lifted her off his lap and put her on the bed. “I’ll get the lotion.”
Just imagining Arwel’s big hands all over her body made Jin purr like a kitten. “I’ll be waiting right here.”
She pulled the towel off and lay on her tummy.
“Now I can’t go. I have to kiss that beautiful ass first.”
She wiggled it. “Be my guest.”
Cupping both cheeks, he kissed one and then the other. Then went back for another round. It was a struggle to tear himself away, but he’d promised her a massage.
“Don’t move.”
Grabbing the lotion from the bathroom counter, Arwel rushed back into the bedroom.
He found Jin in the exact position he’d left her, which was what he had hoped for. That gorgeous ass of hers needed a lot more attention.
“That was fast,” she murmured.
“I didn’t want you to fall asleep before I got back.”
“No chance of that. I’m still buzzing with nervous energy, and I’d rather spend it playing with you than sparring with Kri.” She chuckled. “If she were standing next to Kalugal, I would have been less afraid of him than her. Kri’s shoulders are broader than his.”
“She’s a helluva fighter. Excellent instincts and the muscle power to back them up.”
Arwel squeezed a generous amount of lotion into his palm and then rubbed his hands together to warm them up.
“I like her. But her offer to spar with me wasn’t smart. Even if she does her best not to hurt me, she’s going to.”
Arwel put his hands on the small of Jin’s back and fanned out from there.
“She won’t. Kri teaches self-defense at the sanctuary and also at the halfway house. She knows how to handle fragile human girls.”
“I’m not fragile.”
Arwel smiled. Jin still thought of herself as a badass, which was good. It meant that her confidence had been shaken but not broken.
“Of course not. I meant the rescued girls.”
Her hair was still wrapped in the towel, which gave him free access to her shoulders and neck. “Your muscles are all knotted up here.” He applied gentle pressure.
As Jin moaned in pleasure, the sound sent a bolt straight to his shaft.
“That feels so good. You have magic hands.”
Suddenly, Jin lifted her head. “Crap, I forgot to untether Jacki.”
He gently pushed her head back down. “Good. Then we don’t have to worry about her running off on William.”
“No, wait. I did untether her. I did it in the car on
the way back. I just forgot.” She put her head down. “They are probably back already. Jacki only needed to buy dye for the wigs.”
“I didn’t hear them coming in. But I’m sure William would have called me if she gave him the slip.”
“Jacki is not going to run. But I wish she’d give William a chance. He’s such a nice man, and so smart.”
“Maybe the outing is his chance, and this day isn’t going to be a total loss.” Arwel regretted the words as soon as they’d left his mouth.
Jin groaned. “Now that you mention it, I remembered what my mom used to say. Bad things come in threes. Maybe I shouldn’t have untethered Jacki.”
He’d heard about that superstition. “Only one bad thing happened, not two. So, you have nothing to worry about.”
“Not true. Two bad things happened. I froze and didn’t tether Kalugal, and then I ate too much ice cream and got a stomachache.”
“I don’t think the stomachache counts. Just relax. Jacki isn’t going anywhere. I would have sensed if she was planning something.”
“I’m not worried. I was speaking hypothetically.” Jin turned her head and looked at him. “Can you sense how I feel when we make love?”
Arwel nodded. “I know when you get impatient and want to rush forward but don’t say anything because you trust me to bring you pleasure.” He leaned forward and took her lips in a gentle kiss. “And I know when you are about to come.”
“That’s not fair. You have insider information. No wonder you are such an exceptional lover.” She smirked. “But there is a downside. I can’t fake orgasms with you.”
Even though he knew she was teasing, Arwel arched a brow. “Did you ever do that?”
“No. There was no need.”
He paused with his hands on her shoulder blades. “Do you always climax?”
“With you, yes.”
That was a smart answer to a question he shouldn’t have asked. The past and other partners were inconsequential.