by I. T. Lucas
“Did you get angry?”
“Maybe a little bit.”
“When you practice on Ella and your mom, pay attention to how it feels.”
“I will.”
“You can also practice on me. But every time you do, you need to give us a warning.”
“Okay.”
Magnus smoothed his hand over his goatee. “Right now it’s not a problem yet, but when you get a little older, you might get tempted to use your power on girls.”
Parker’s eyes widened. “What do you mean? Like to get a kiss or something?”
It was endearing that he was still so innocent despite his secret forays into anime porn.
“Yeah, like that. Always ask permission first. You might think that the girl wants a kiss, but don’t kiss her unless you’re sure she does.”
Parker frowned. “Should I just ask, can I kiss you?”
“That’s one way, and it’s a very good one. But if you’re embarrassed about asking, you can also stop a moment before your lips touch and let her close the distance.”
Blushing all shades of red, Parker shrugged, pretending nonchalance. “I’m not going to kiss anyone for years. And besides, what does it have to do with my talent? This is basic stuff every guy should know.”
Magnus felt his chest swell with pride even though Parker’s attitude wasn’t his doing. It was Vivian’s.
“You are absolutely right. But when you can thrall or compel, it is easy to get consent that otherwise would not have been granted.”
“I will never do that.”
“I believe you. Nevertheless, I have to tell you what the consequences of breaking this most important law are.” He took a deep breath. “It might seem barbaric to you, but you have to remember that teenage boys are usually not as mature and level-headed as you are, and when they have supernatural powers, it’s even worse.”
“You’re scaring me with all this pep talk, Magnus. Just say it.”
“Whipping. The penalty is whipping.”
Vivian sucked in a breath. “That really is barbaric. Tell me that it hasn’t been done in ages.”
Magnus grimaced. “Unfortunately, I can’t. It wasn’t a boy, though. The offender knew what he was doing and was willing to suffer the consequences. I don’t want to say too much, but he had a good reason for what he did. The judge wanted to reduce his sentence to a short prison stay, but he preferred to get it over with.”
She shook her head. “Is he a masochist?”
“I don’t think so. You forget how quickly we heal. He was fine the next day and could go back to work.”
Parker hadn’t said a word and was still staring wide-eyed at Magnus.
“Are you okay, buddy?”
Parker shook his head. “I’m just not going to do it. At all. I’m going to always ask nicely and say please, so no one can accuse me of compelling anyone.”
“Don’t be scared. As long as you ask permission, it’ll be okay. And anyway, you are only going to practice on your family. We are not going to judge you too harshly if you slip up here and there.”
19
Ella
With thoughts of Julian filling her mind, Ella was afraid to go to sleep. If Logan entered her dream, she couldn’t afford to be consumed by thoughts about another man.
Except, things were not working between them, and even though she’d told herself to wait until the thing with Logan was over, it bothered her.
Julian was the one for her. Ella knew it like she knew her own face in the mirror, before and after the makeover. They were destined to be together, and she had to fix what was broken.
Was it her?
Yeah, it definitely was. How could she be falling in love with one man while feeling attracted to another?
Julian was the one she wanted to spend her nights with, sleeping in the safety of his arms, listening to his heart beating against her chest, looking into his eyes first thing when she opened hers in the morning.
This was her future, the one that gave her hope and made her heavy heart feel lighter.
Until she remembered the dark one, with his semi-evil smirk, his condescending attitude, and the dark eyes that emitted a red demonic glow whenever he got excited.
Then her heart would get heavy again, and the hope for a better future would seem distant and unachievable.
If only the clan didn’t need her help, and if she could find a way to banish Logan from her dreams, she might be able to forget him and concentrate on building her relationship with Julian.
Except, indulging in what ifs was not going to solve those problems for her. The clan needed her, and she had no way of getting rid of Logan.
With an exasperated sigh, Ella opened her laptop and searched the internet for her old high school’s site. If her login credentials still worked, she could download pictures from the recent yearbooks which, thankfully, had all been digital to save on printing costs.
It was a small security breach, but she was sure Gorchenco’s people wouldn't go as far as checking that. Entering her user name and password, she had little hope of getting in, but apparently her school hadn’t revoked her user credentials yet.
First, she copied and pasted Maddie’s picture, then enlarged it until it filled an entire page. Next, went Mr. Panties Fetish, Jim. A best friend and a pretend boyfriend would be enough to fill her head.
After printing out both, she taped them to the bathroom mirror next to hers.
Jim even had the same coloring as Julian, though his hair was short, his face was clean-shaven, and he wasn’t nearly as handsome. But he would do. As far as Logan was concerned, that was the guy she was dating.
Lying in bed, Ella closed her eyes and replayed old memories in her head. Hanging out with Maddie, Jim’s smiling face, sleeping over at Maddie’s, laughing her ass off as she’d told her best friend about Jim’s panties obsession.
She hadn’t realized it back then, but those were the good times. That Ella no longer existed, but the new Ella could still enjoy those memories and fall asleep smiling.
“Come on, Ella, what’s the big deal? I’ll pay you for the fucking panties. How much did they cost? Five bucks?” Bracing his beefy arm on the lockers, Jim smirked and leaned over her. “Or are you hiding something sexy under those jeans?”
Laughing, she pushed on his chest. “Give it up, Jim. You’re not adding mine to your collection.”
He didn’t resist, letting her push him off. “To be included in my collection is an honor, Ella.”
Walking away, she flipped him the bird. He was such an asshole, but she liked him anyway. The good thing about Jim was that he didn’t take himself too seriously.
“Is that the guy you’re seeing?” Logan asked.
Suddenly, she was not walking down the wide corridor of her high school, but a fancy shopping mall’s.
“Where are we?”
“Paris. I got sick of your beach. I hope you don’t mind the change in scenery.”
Wow, that was progress for Logan. He was actually interested in her opinion.
To reward him, Ella threaded her arm through his. “Not at all. I’ve always wanted to see Paris. Although the inside of a mall doesn’t count as sightseeing.”
He grinned at her. “Where would you like to go?”
“The Champs-Élysées.”
He snapped his fingers. “Voilà.”
“Awesome.” She leaned her head against his bicep. “You’re learning. Taking a girl to Paris is so romantic.”
He chuckled. “No one has ever accused me of being romantic. I’ve never even taken a woman on a date.”
Ella faked surprise. “A handsome guy like you? You must be joking. I’m sure it was not for lack of candidates.”
“No, of course not. I just don’t date.” He winked. “I take them straight to my bed.”
Ella huffed. “Well, I’m not that sort of girl. If you want a chance with me, you’ll have to behave like a gentleman and take me all over the world.” She waved a hand at t
he street. “Or just to Paris. It’s such a beautiful city.”
“I can take you wherever you want to go. The one caveat is that it has to be a place I’ve been to before. Otherwise, I can’t create it in my mind.”
“Have you been to many places?”
“I’ve traveled all over the world.” He looked down at her. “But most of it is not as pretty as this.”
“Then take me only to the nice parts. Which city is your favorite?”
“St. Petersburg is beautiful.”
That reminded Ella of the Russian. “How is Gorchenco doing?”
“Recuperating. He’s a stubborn human. He’ll be fine. Physically.”
Ella ignored the ‘human’ slip up, pretending not to notice. “Maybe you should suggest a visit to that vacation spot you guys were talking about at that lunch meeting. Something to take his mind off his loss. In fact, I’m curious about that place. Can you take me there?”
Logan laughed. “It’s beautiful, but I don’t think you’re going to like it there. It’s where rich men go to indulge, if you catch my drift.”
“Wow, Logan, you’ve changed so much since our first meeting. Back then you would’ve just said that it was a sex resort.”
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he tucked her closer against his side. “I want you, Ella, you know that, and it gives you power over me. In the past, I would’ve resented you for it, but I find myself enjoying being different with you. It’s a new experience for me, and I didn’t think there were any left for me to try.”
She smiled at him sweetly. “That’s nonsense, Logan, you are talking like an old man. There is plenty you haven’t experienced yet. And if you play your cards right, and by that I mean keep being nice and not acting like a jerk, you might enjoy those experiences with me.”
20
Kian
“Have a great day at work.” Kian pulled Syssi into his arms for one last kiss before they had to part for the day.
He hated letting her go and kept on kissing her until she pushed on his chest. “I’m already late, my love. I have to go.”
He nodded, handing her the coffee thermos Okidu had prepared for her. “Don’t drink and drive.” He winked.
She popped the lid and took a sip. “Only when I’m waiting for the lights to change. Don’t work too hard.”
“I’ll try.” Kian closed her door and then watched her drive away.
On his way to the office, he stopped by the row of vending machines and bought a pastry, popping it into his mouth as he moved over to the coffee machine and ordered a double cappuccino.
Usually he and Syssi had breakfast together, and that included at least two cups of her unrivaled cappuccinos, but this morning’s romp had taken a little longer, and they’d had to rush out without eating.
Cappuccino cup in hand and his laptop tucked under his arm, Kian took the stairs to his office two at a time. With as little time as he was spending in the gym lately, he needed to take every opportunity to do at least something.
Regrettably, frequent sex with his wife didn’t count as exercise.
Kian smiled. If it did, his quota would have been covered.
Ah, the good life.
As he reached the top of the stairs and turned into the corridor, he found Turner waiting for him outside his office.
If it were anyone else, Kian would have sensed his presence as he was coming up, but with Turner’s lack of emotional scents, he had no forewarning. It was disconcerting to an immortal who relied on his sense of smell to detect unexpected visitors.
The guy should at least put some cologne on to announce his presence, but he was probably avoiding it purposely so he could sneak up on people.
“Good morning, Turner. What brings you here so early?”
“I wanted to talk to you before I left for the office. I have an idea I want to run by you.”
“You could’ve waited inside. My door isn’t locked.” Kian opened the way.
Following, Turner closed the door and then pulled out one of the visitors’ chairs. “After our talk yesterday, I spent some time thinking about a safe way for Ella to lure Lokan into a trap.”
Putting his coffee cup and laptop down, Kian sat behind his desk. “Go on.”
“Ella is eighteen and a recent graduate from high school. Before she was taken, she had plans to go to college. I think she should start looking into that again.”
"That is a good excuse to get her out in the open. But if she lives on campus, it’s going to be difficult to guard her.”
Turner shook his head. “That’s not what I’m suggesting. All she needs to do for now is start thinking about colleges and talk about it with Lokan. Let him suggest one. If he takes the bait, he will probably choose one that’s near him, and reveal his general location. Not that it’s necessary for my plan to work. But if she schedules a visit to the college he suggested, he’s not going to be overly suspicious about her decision to check it out.”
“We lure him during her visit.”
“Precisely. And that also solves another variable that kept bothering me. What if Lokan is interested in Ella because of the telepathy, and he uses seduction as a way to lure her to him?”
“That’s a possibility, but I don’t see how it affects our plans for capturing him.”
Turner smirked. “Since Ella and Vivian can only communicate with each other, their talents are useless unless he has both of them. If Lokan wants to use Ella’s telepathy, he would need Vivian too. We have to assume that he probed Ella’s mind during their one face-to-face meeting and that he knows that.”
Although by now Kian shouldn’t have been surprised by Turner’s smarts, he was nevertheless impressed. The idea that Lokan might be more interested in Ella for her ability than her looks hadn’t even crossed Kian’s mind. He’d been so focused on her uncommon beauty and what had happened to her before that he hadn’t taken into consideration the most unique thing about her.
Unlike Kian, Turner was logical and methodical. Now that he’d brought it up, it seemed so obvious, but it had taken someone who thought with his brain and not his heart to consider all the variables.
“Brilliant as always, my friend. An eighteen-year-old girl wouldn’t travel alone to tour a college. Her mother would go with her.”
Turner nodded. “We can have Guardians stationed in the same hotel Ella and Vivian are going to stay in, other Guardians posing as the taxi drivers taking them places, and we can have some posing as students who are giving them the college tour. They won’t be without protection even for a moment.”
Kian smirked. “I like it.”
“I can see only one problem with my plan, but it’s a major one. If Lokan can compel immortals, then this is out because we won’t be able to keep Ella and Vivian safe. Not if he can compel a Guardian to let them go.”
Kian rapped his fingers on the desk. “Dalhu doesn’t think so. As far as he knows, Lokan can only compel humans.”
“But he is not certain. I won’t risk Ella and Vivian’s safety unless I’m sure we can protect them and overpower Lokan.”
Kian pulled out his phone. “Instead of speculating, we should talk to the man himself.” He looked at Turner before pressing the call button. “Do you have time now, or should I tell Dalhu to come over this evening?”
Turner leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll wait. Otherwise, the uncertainty is going to bug me all day long.”
21
Dalhu
Absorbed in sketching the outline for a new painting, Dalhu ignored the phone ringing.
Whoever was calling was most likely looking for Amanda, not him, but she had left for the university already. The caller would either leave a message or try her cellphone number.
But when the ringing stopped and immediately started again, Dalhu got worried.
What if it was Amanda trying to reach him?
What if she had car trouble? Like a blown tire she needed him to change?
&nbs
p; But why would she call the house phone instead of his cell?
In his rush to pick up, Dalhu didn’t wipe his hands clean and cursed as his charcoal-covered fingers stained the white receiver.
“What?” he barked into the phone.
“Am I calling at a bad time?” Kian asked.
Fuck.
“No, it’s nothing. I answered the phone with dirty hands. If you’re looking for Amanda, call her cellphone. She already left.”
“For a change, I don’t need Amanda. I need you. How quickly can you get to my office?”
Dalhu tensed. “What’s going on?”
“Relax. Everything is fine. I have Turner here, and we need to ask you a few questions about Navuh and his sons.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“We are waiting.”
Dalhu would rather not talk about the fucking island and its leaders. The less he thought about it, the more he could forget. He would much rather focus on the blissful life he led with Amanda and his canvases.
But Kian needed his help, and he owed the guy.
Kian hadn’t welcomed him into the clan with open arms, far from it, but he had been man enough to change his mind and accept a former enemy not only as his sister’s mate, but as a full-fledged, trusted clan member.
In a hurry, he washed his hands and put on clean clothes that he double-checked for paint splashes. If he was being called in as a consultant, he’d better look the part.
When Dalhu knocked on Kian’s door, it was precisely ten minutes after he hung up the phone.
“Come in!”
He walked in and pulled out a chair next to Turner. “Morning.”
The guy nodded.
“How can I help you?” Dalhu asked Kian.
Turner answered, “Tell us everything you know about compulsion on the island. Who was doing it, when was it done, what were the effects, how long did it take you to shake it off, and how did you manage to do it?”