by I. T. Lucas
He smiled. “I’m so glad that you understand. I was afraid that you would ridicule my ambitions.”
He’d lost her somewhere. “I approve of your vision and the things that you want to fix, but you didn’t tell me yet how you want to go about it. I can’t imagine how you could possibly effect such a massive change all by yourself.”
74
Kalugal
Kalugal leaned over and kissed Jacki’s forehead. “That’s one of the many things that I love and admire about you. You are smart, and your thought process is clear. No matter how many layers of bullshit are between you and the truth, you point your laser sharp brain at them and blast them apart to get straight to the essence.”
“Thank you, but you are overestimating my mental prowess. I still don’t know what exactly you are planning to do.”
Kalugal took another sip from his tea and then put the mug on the vanity counter. “My plan is too complex to explain in one sitting, but I’ll try.” He looked into Jacki’s eyes. “Phinas and Rufsur are the only people who I've shared my vision with, and now you. I need you to promise that you will not talk about it, or even mention it, to anyone other than my two lieutenants and me.”
“I promise.” She reached for his hand. “I’m your wife, Kalugal. You have my complete loyalty, and I’ll always keep your secrets safe.”
He believed that she meant it, but that might change after he revealed more details. Perhaps the prudent thing to do was to keep talking in generalities and gauge her reaction before delving deeper.
“My eventual goals are very similar to the clan’s, but I disagree with the way they go about it. The change is dangerously slow.”
“What do you mean? Do you think humanity will nuke itself out of existence?”
“That’s one possibility, yes. The growth in human knowledge is exponential, but regrettably, human evolution cannot catch up. Not that immortals are all that superior to humans, as evidenced by my father and his island. If the world is left to its own devices, the suffering and oppression will continue, resources will be squandered by the greedy and powerful, and eventually, humans will destroy this lovely planet we share with them.”
“Are you talking about pollution? Deforestation?”
He waved a dismissive hand. “Things are getting better in that regard. The problem is China because they don’t give a damn about the rest of the world and keep polluting like there is no tomorrow, but they will be dealt with. I’m not worried about the planet becoming uninhabitable because of industrial pollution. What I’m worried about are the arsenals of destructive weapons, nuclear, chemical, and biological that many rogue regimes have. I’m also worried about the lack of preparedness for natural disasters like massive solar flares, meteors, earthquakes, and the like. And I detest the human rights violations that are rampant around the world.”
“What can you do about all that?”
“Take control. Make sure that resources are used properly, and that taxpayers money goes where it’s supposed to, and not to line the pockets of corrupt politicians and their friends and families first. You have no idea how much of the available resources are wasted that way. Most people don’t go into politics because of ideology. They want the power and the money that come with those positions. I’m going to fix all that. Under my rule, there would be no more homelessness, no more hunger, no more crime. The people will prosper, but the criminals will not, and the politicians and other power grabbers will be held accountable.”
“Take control how?”
“With the help of technology. Not right now, but in ten or twenty years, artificial intelligence will make it possible for me to control the entire world.”
Jacki narrowed her eyes at him. “You are scaring me, Kalugal. Your vision is benevolent, but your method is not. No one person should have so much power.”
“Not even if he wants to use it for the good of all?”
She shook her head. “Power is like a drug addiction. It’s corrupting, and if you have no one to answer to, no one to keep you in check, you might end up doing horrible things.” She swallowed. “I really don’t want to bring it up, but think about your father and grandfather. Maybe the reason they turned crazy and evil was having too much power? There was no one to stop them.”
It was a chilling thought.
Kalugal had often wondered about his questionable heritage. His grandfather had been one of the two most powerful gods, and his father was the most powerful immortal ever born. That was where his own power originated from, but the flip side of that was insanity.
Perhaps he was already insane for plotting to take over the world? He didn’t feel crazy, and he knew that what he wanted to do was for the good of others.
After all, Kalugal didn’t plan on taking credit for any of it. He was happy to stay in the shadows and have his puppets take the spotlight.
“What would you do? If you wanted to fix the world’s problems and you had the means to do it, would you sit back and do nothing?”
“I didn’t say that you need to abandon your plan altogether. But perhaps you should modify it. You could work together with Kian and Annani, help them achieve your mutual goals faster.”
Kalugal didn’t like the idea of having to answer to others or seek approval to implement his ideas. That would just slow him down. He knew what he was doing. He just needed someone to be able to stop him if he went crazy.
“I have an idea. You will monitor what I’m doing, and if you sense that I’m turning into my father or grandfather, you’ll stop me.”
“How? I don’t have any special powers. If you don’t want to be stopped, I wouldn’t be able to do anything.”
Regrettably, Jacki was right.
Areana did her best to keep Navuh from drifting all the way to Mortdh’s level of craziness, and maybe she was successful in that. But that wasn’t enough.
“I need to think about it.” Kalugal pushed his fingers through his hair. “The gods had a council, and the head god couldn’t do anything without their approval. That didn’t end well for them. While they argued about what to do with Mortdh, he annihilated them. The biblical kings had to answer to the religious authority, the prophet, or the holy man, but that’s not a good system either.”
Jacki sighed and closed her eyes. “We won’t solve the world's problems tonight. We can spend a few years thinking about a good solution, right?”
“Absolutely. There is only one problem with taking our time. If the Chinese beat me to it, it’s going to be very difficult to wrestle control of the world from their hands.”
Jacki opened her eyes. “What are they up to?”
He chuckled. “The same thing I am. They want to take over the world, and they are already well on their way, while I’m still in the planning stage. One thing I am sure of, though, their plans are not as benevolent as mine.”
75
Jacki
As Jacki woke up, she vaguely remembered a bizarre dream about Kalugal ruling over China by shrouding himself to look like its top official. But piecing it together from the disjointed fragments was not happening.
She was burning up, every muscle in her body hurt, and she needed to pee but lacked the energy to even lift her arm.
Where was Kalugal?
How could he have left her alone when she was transitioning and in danger of passing out? He was supposed to watch over her. Bridget had told him not to leave her alone for more than a few minutes.
When the door to the bathroom opened, Jacki let out a relieved breath. Kalugal hadn’t left her.
He came over and sat next to her on the bed. “Good morning, my love.” He leaned and kissed her forehead. “Your temperature has risen. Do you want to take more pills?”
“I need to use the bathroom,” she croaked through parched lips. “But I can’t move.”
His expression turned panicked in an instant. “Are you suffering paralysis?”
Despite how crappy she felt, Jacki smiled. “I’m just too weak to move.
Can you help me?”
“Of course.”
With the frown never leaving his forehead, he carried her to the bathroom and even helped her to get on the toilet. Then he just stood there, looking at her.
“Thank you. Now leave.”
“What if you faint? I don’t want to leave you alone.”
Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t pee in front of him or anyone else.
“Give me one minute.”
“Fine.” His lips pressed tightly together, he turned on his heel and left the bathroom.
Jacki didn’t hear the door closing behind him, but she pretended like she had and went about her business. When she was done, she activated the cleaning feature of the sophisticated toilet, which included rinsing and drying.
The thing probably cost more than what she’d gotten from selling her old car.
“I’m coming in.” Kalugal strode up to her and lifted her into his arms. “I’ll help you brush your teeth and put on your lotions, and then I’ll help you to get dressed. We are going to the clinic.”
“Can’t I just take more pills?”
He set her down on the vanity counter. “I called Bridget, and she said to bring you in.”
“I don’t want to go.” She pouted. “I want to stay here. In bed.”
“Would you feel better about going if I told you that Jin is in the clinic?”
“Why? What happened?”
“I don’t know. You will have to find out for yourself. Bridget is sending someone with a golf cart in half an hour.”
“Am I going to stay in the clinic?”
“Most likely.”
“Then you’ll have to pack an overnight bag for me.”
“I can do that.”
She knew he could, and he didn’t even need her to tell him what to pack.
Her husband paid attention to everything. He knew which lotions she put on and when, which outfits she liked to wear for what occasion, and even what shoes.
“I love you,” she murmured as a tear slid down her cheek.
“Oh, sweetheart.” He wrapped his arms gently around her. “I love you more than anything in the world. Don’t worry. Everything is going to be all right. Bridget knows what she’s doing, and she will take good care of you.”
“You are taking good care of me.” She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
The next time Jacki opened them, she was in a hospital room, with all kinds of wires hooking her to different machines and contraptions, and Kalugal’s worried face hovering over her.
“You’re awake.” He sat on the hospital bed and took her hand. “You lost consciousness. Bridget said that it’s normal, and your vitals were fine, but I was so worried.”
The doctor must have put something in the IV drip that Jacki was hooked up to because she was feeling much better. Her fever was down, and the muscle aches were not as bothersome.
“How long was I out?”
“A couple of hours.”
Jacki glanced at the hospital johnny she was wearing. “Did you dress me up before bringing me here?”
He smiled sheepishly. “I wrapped you in a blanket and ran. It was quite the spectacle, with Rufsur and Hivak running behind me, and the two guards that Kian had posted outside running after them. Halfway here, a Guardian with a golf cart intercepted us, and we rode the rest of the way.”
She squeezed his hand. “I gave you one hell of a scare, didn’t I?”
“You did. But everything is fine now. That’s what’s important.”
“We are not out of the woods yet.” Bridget walked into the room. “It’s not uncommon for a transitioning Dormant to slip in and out of consciousness.” She walked over to the monitor and scanned the readouts. “So far, it looks good.”
“Thanks for the meds,” Jacki said. “I feel much better now than I felt this morning.”
“Your temperature was very high.”
“And I was achy all over. I still am, but not as bad as before.”
Jin poked her head through the open door. “Can I come in?”
“Of course.” Jacki patted the spot to her left. “My bestie and I are transitioning at the same time. How cool is that?” She looked at Bridget. “Can we share a room?”
“The rooms are designed for a single patient. Besides, your mates want to be with you, and we will roll a cot in for the night.” She smiled at the three of them. “I’ll come later to take your measurements.”
“So, what happened to you?” Jacki asked when Bridget left. “Why are you here?”
“I fainted. I didn’t lose consciousness, but Arwel freaked out and insisted that we come in. Bridget wanted to hook me up to monitors, but I convinced her to wait until it was absolutely necessary.”
“How are your fangs doing?”
“They are still a no show, as you can see. I want them to grow already because the suspense is killing me. Will they elongate? Or won’t they? That is the question.”
76
Kalugal
As Kalugal’s new phone rang, he walked out into the corridor outside Jacki’s room and took it out of his pocket.
“Hello, Lokan.”
“How is Jacki doing?”
“She lost consciousness again in the afternoon, just as Bridget predicted. Her vitals are good, and the doctor reassures me that everything is progressing just fine. Nevertheless, I’m worried.”
The only time Kalugal had moved away from Jacki’s side was when Rufsur had brought him his phone. Kian had relaxed his rules, allowing Rufsur and Hivak to go back to the house, but they had only gone to get the phones and returned to hold a vigil on the bench outside the clinic.
Kalugal wasn’t sure whether they did that out of loyalty to him, worry for Jacki, or because they wanted to check out the clan females passing by the clinic on their way to and from the café.
“Carol sends her love and asks that you give Jacki a kiss from her.”
“I will.”
“Everything will be all right, Kalugal.”
“I hope so. I’ll let you know as soon as anything changes.”
“Thank you.”
After disconnecting the call, Kalugal put the phone back in his pocket and returned to sit on the chair he’d placed next to Jacki’s hospital bed.
Wonder and Callie had stopped by earlier, voicing similar encouragements, and after that Amanda and Syssi paid him and Jacki a visit with more of the same.
Jacki was young, healthy, and strong. She would transition successfully.
But those were all platitudes. No one knew for sure whether Jacki would make it, not even the doctor.
“May I come in?” Kian’s gruff voice was a surprisingly welcome sound.
“Please do.”
He walked in with two paper coffee cups from the café and handed one to Kalugal. “Have you eaten?”
“I’m not hungry.”
Kian lifted a chair and put it next to Kalugal’s. “I remember myself in your position all too vividly. Syssi was unconscious for over twenty-four hours, Amanda was missing, and I was losing my fucking mind.”
“Where was Amanda?”
“Dalhu had kidnapped her. But we didn’t know that until later. She didn’t come home when her butler had been expecting her, and he called to let me know. We figured out the last place she’d gone to before going missing, and William hacked into the security cameras of all the stores on that street. I saw the recording of every goddamned moment of the kidnapping, and it didn’t look good.”
“I can imagine.”
“Can you?” Kian arched a brow. “You don’t have sisters, so you have no idea how I felt.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Impotent fury. I knew he was a Doomer because he bit her. She went with him as if he’d drugged her. I had no idea where he had taken her. I didn’t know where to start looking.”
Something didn’t add up in the story. “You said that she walked out with him after he bit her? How is that possible?”
Kian chuckled
. “I forgot that you’ve never had sex with an immortal female. The venom doesn’t affect them as strongly as it affects human women. If they black out at all, it lasts only a few minutes, not hours.”
“What about the other effects of the venom?”
“The orgasms and euphoria are just as good.”
“That’s a relief. Jacki is quite fond of the effects.”
Kian nodded.
“Hello?” Someone rapped his knuckles on the door. “May I come in?”
Kalugal turned toward the voice and was taken aback. The guy didn’t look like any immortal he’d ever seen. Tall and wiry, he was dressed in loose purple pants, an orange button-up with a purple tie, and a white lab coat thrown over the hideous ensemble. But the most striking visual was his super-long white beard, which reached past his belt line.
“You may.” Kian waved him in. “This is Merlin. Our fertility expert.”
The strange doctor walked over and offered Kalugal his hand. Unlike the rest of him, his hand was elegant and clean.
Not that Merlin was dirty. Everything he wore smelled freshly laundered and his body odor was pleasant. But his clothes were so badly stained that from a distance, it looked like a deliberate pattern.
The guy was a slob, but a clean one.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, doctor.” Kalugal gently shook the hand he’d been offered.
A doctor’s hands were the instruments of his trade, and Merlin’s looked fragile.
“Same here.” Merlin pulled out a third chair and put it on Kalugal’s other side. “I’m not here as a doctor. I haven’t met Jacki yet, and I was curious. But as long as I’m here, I can offer you my services. Come see me six months after the transition, and I’ll prepare potions for you and your lovely lady.”
“You assume that we want to have children right away. We do, but how did you know that?”