by I. T. Lucas
Roni didn’t deny it. On the contrary. The satisfied smirk on his thin face confirmed what Kri had said. “My ego is in direct proportion to my abilities.”
Kian lifted his hand. “Can we get down to business, people? I have work to do.”
Nodding, Turner pulled two overstuffed file folders out of his briefcase and handed one to Kri and one to Eleanor. “Everything you need to know about the mission is contained in those. That includes your fake identities, the background history that Roni planted in various sites, and the social media profiles he created for you. Anyone checking into your fake pasts will find enough information to satisfy them that you are legit.” He pointed at the files. “Learn those by heart. I will test you on them in three days. I want you both to score 100% on it. Anything below 90% will disqualify you.”
Eleanor opened her file and chuckled. “Marisol Hernandez? That’s not very original, Roni. When I worked for the government, I called myself Marisol Ortega.”
The hacker shrugged. “It was available, and she was about your age.”
She lifted her eyes to him. “Are you telling me that this was a real person? Do you have access to government databases?”
“Of course. But don’t worry. The social networks profiles I created are brand new, and all the people you went to high school with and are friends with are fake personalities that I created as well.”
“What about the other Marisol?”
“Her profiles were taken down by her family. Besides, it’s a popular name. She wasn’t the only one.”
“I’m impressed. That must have taken a lot of work.”
“Not really. I have a bunch of them ready for when I need them, and Sylvia helps me create new ones.” He smiled. “She’s my mate.”
“I think I met her. Is she the one who can control electronic devices?”
“That’s her.”
“How come I didn’t see you before?”
“I don’t go to the café, and I don’t participate in any of the fitness classes.”
“That explains it. You should, though, I mean the fitness, not the coffee. That’s optional.”
Turner pulled two thinner file folders out of his briefcase and handed one to Kri and one to Eleanor. “Those are the applications for the retreat. I printed them so we can fill them out together. Once that’s done, you’ll copy the answers to the online application. We want to make sure that both of you get invited to the program.”
38
Lokan
“I don’t want to go without you.” Carol dropped another skirt into her suitcase. “You should come with me.”
Lokan pulled her into his arms. “I can’t. I need to get to the bottom of this and find out who hired the detective firm to follow me.”
“You don’t have to be here for that. Kian is sending Guardians. They will just walk into the agency’s offices, thrall the receptionist, and have her or him tell them who wants you followed.”
“What if she doesn’t have that information? I need to bait the tail to follow me somewhere I can trap him and compel the guy to tell me what he knows. He might not know who hired his firm, but learning what he was supposed to find out would be informative enough.”
Lifting her face, she pursed her lips. “First of all, you are being sexist. The receptionist could be a guy, and the tail could be a woman. And secondly, I’m scared. You’ve been dragging this out for far too long. It’s time to stop straddling the fence.”
“I can’t give up yet. If I abandon ship and move into the village, I can kiss my plans for the island goodbye.”
“You don’t have any plans.” She pushed out of his arms. “You have pipe dreams. I’m sorry to douse you with a dose of reality, but none of your schemes are doable. You can’t conquer the island, and as long as your father controls the minds of everyone there, you can’t cause a revolution either.”
Letting out a breath, he sat down on the bed. “I’ll come up with something. I just need more time.”
Carol sat next to him and leaned her head on his arm. “You are still hoping that Kalugal will help you, but he won’t take the risk for something he is not even interested in. Especially now that he’s going to become a father.”
He curled his arm around her middle and pulled her closer. “Kian suggested that I join Kalugal in his business instead of trying to get him to help me with my plans.”
“Kian is a smart man. You should listen to his advice.”
“Oh, yeah? He also said that we should go for Merlin’s fertility treatments.”
That managed to shut Carol up for about thirty seconds. “If I agree to take Merlin’s potions, would you agree to move into the village?”
He hadn’t expected that. “Really? Since when do you want to be a mother?”
“I don’t. Not yet, anyway. But if that would keep you out of the line of fire, then I’m willing to do it.”
Chuckling, he kissed the top of her head. “I appreciate the sacrifice you are willing to make for me, but that’s not a reason to have a child.”
She shrugged. “It’s as good a reason as any. Humans get pregnant all of the time, and often those pregnancies are not planned or even welcome, but when the child is born, it is loved nonetheless. Nature takes over and ensures the propagation of the species.”
“We are not human, and the only reason to have a child is wanting one. Not to use it as a bribe.”
Her gaze flickered up to him. “Do you want a baby?”
“I wouldn’t mind one, but then most of the work is not going to be mine, and you are not ready for that. You’d be miserable being stuck at home with a baby.”
“Once again, you are being unapologetically chauvinistic, but you are right. I’m the one without a job, so I’d be taking care of the baby and feeling stuck. But we could hire a nanny.”
He lifted a brow. “In the village? Who is going to apply for the job? Okidu?”
“You have a point.” She sighed. “Not that I would have minded having an Odu nanny. I wish we could buy an Odu in a store.”
“The Odus have no real emotions, and even I know that a child needs love. I don’t think they would make good nannies.”
“They raised Annani’s children.”
“They served Annani and her children, but she raised them herself, and she showered them with love.”
“We will do the same for ours. We will give Junior all the love, and the Odu would do all the nasty jobs like changing diapers and cleaning up messes and making sure that Junior doesn’t get hurt.”
Lokan chuckled. “So that’s going to be her or his name, Junior?”
“It’s a place holder.” She sighed. “Regrettably, there are no Odus available for sale.”
“It’s a shame in more ways than one. Imagine if we had an army of them. They are indestructible, and my father can’t compel them. Conquering the island would be a breeze.”
39
David
The mood around the breakfast table was somber. Ronja’s expression was pinched, and Lisa stirred the cereal pieces in her bowl without lifting the spoon to her mouth.
David didn’t have much of an appetite either. He wasn’t looking forward to the hospital visit. None of them expected good news.
They hadn’t gotten a call, which meant that Frank was still hanging in there, but that could change at any moment, and they were all painfully aware of that.
“I spoke with Kian earlier this morning,” Sari said. “I asked him whether he would be okay with you moving into the village if you so choose, and he agreed.”
Lisa lifted a pair of sad eyes. “Does the invitation include my dad?”
“Of course. In Kian’s opinion, though, if you don’t transition with just the bite, it would be better for you to go back to your old life and finish high school. We will hire a caretaker for Frank and pay all the expenses, so that shouldn’t be a consideration. We will thrall your memories of immortals away, and David will keep his immortality a secret when he visits you.”
Ronja put her coffee cup down. “Why does your brother believe that it’s best for us to go back to our lives?”
Shifting in her chair, Sari pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “He thinks that it would be more merciful if you didn’t have to live with the knowledge that you could have been immortal if we had found you sooner. Ignorance is bliss. Also, if Frank doesn’t make it, you could possibly remarry and have a normal life in the human world. You would be lonely in the village or in the castle.”
“She wouldn’t be lonely,” Bowen muttered without looking up from his plate.
David cast him a curious glance. What had the Guardian meant by that? That she would have no shortage of friends, or that some of the immortal males would be interested in her company?
His mother had always been a beautiful woman, and she still was at fifty-seven. Her skin was smooth with barely any wrinkles, and her pale blond hair was thick and lustrous. In fact, prior to her ordeal, Ronja had looked a lot younger than she actually was. Once she fully recovered, she would once again be a strikingly good-looking woman.
“I want to be with my children,” Ronja said. “And even if poor Frank doesn’t make it, I have no plans to get married for a third time. I’m done with that.”
David wanted his mother and sister to come live with Sari and him, not in Kian’s community, but he decided to play devil’s advocate to crystallize their decision. “Once Lisa graduates high school, you could choose to either move with her to the village or come to Scotland to live with Sari and me.”
Lisa dropped her spoon with a clang. “I already said that I don’t want to go back to high school. Unless we are not welcome, I want to live among my people.” She threw her hands in the air. “All that talk about affinity, it’s not just about Dormants recognizing immortals and the other way around. It’s finally feeling like I belong, like I’m part of the tribe, or the clan. Is that so hard to understand?”
“Not at all.” Sari put a hand on her arm. “I get it. But it’s not only about you. We need to think about what’s best for your mother as well.”
“I second Lisa’s opinion,” Ronja said. “With what happened to Frank and me, nothing is going to be the same anyway, and I’m too old to start over twice. I don’t want to go home, wait for Lisa to graduate, and then move again. This is going to be my last move. If Kian doesn’t want us in his community, we will come to live in yours.”
“He didn’t say that. You can choose to live in the village so Lisa can go to a local high school, and spend the summers with David and me, or you can come with us, and Lisa will be homeschooled.”
“Are you sure?” Lisa asked. “Because I need to know. I can’t handle any more uncertainty.”
“You have my word. Whatever you choose, I promise to make it happen.”
Lisa let out a breath. “Thank you.”
40
Sari
As the family followed the physician to Frank’s room, Sari stayed in the waiting area.
The doctor’s face had been grim when he’d escorted them, and she knew the news they were about to get would be devastating.
Hoping to get her mind off the impending tragedy, Sari opened her email application, but trying to focus on work proved impossible. Leaning back, she closed her eyes.
It was so tough to be human.
David was affected as well. Frank wasn’t his father, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t going through a rough time as well. Sari didn’t know the man at all, and still, her heart was breaking for his wife and daughter.
Frank was unconscious, unaware of his condition, and if he died, it would be a peaceful death. He didn’t feel pain or fear, but his family did, and her heart went out to them.
It was all about love.
Life had no meaning on its own. If she didn’t love anyone, facing death would be easy. Naturally, the survival instinct that all living creatures have imbedded in them would make it scary, and she would do anything to avoid it, but on a philosophical level, Sari realized that what bound her to this existence was her love for her family, for her clan, and for David.
If anything happened to her, they would suffer like Ronja and Lisa were suffering now.
A sniffle had her open her eyes, and a moment later, Lisa shuffled into the waiting room, her tear-stricken face delivering the sad news Sari had anticipated.
Pushing to her feet, she pulled the girl into her arms and held on as Lisa wordlessly cried on her shoulder.
Not sure what to do, Sari rocked her like one would soothe a baby and kept whispering, “It’s going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay.”
“No, it’s not,” Lisa murmured into her shoulder. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye. He just slipped away.”
“He’s at peace now. He wasn’t scared, and he wasn’t in pain. There are worse ways to die.”
Lisa nodded. “And he is not really gone, right? Maybe Jonah will show him around.” She sniffled. “You know, introduce him to the other spirits in the good place.”
“Were Jonah and Frank close?”
Lisa shrugged. “They liked each other. Jonah didn’t blame my dad or anything like that. Mom met him a year after she divorced David and Jonah’s dad, so it’s not like he stole her from him.”
“Where are David and your mom?”
“Mom is not done saying goodbye yet, and David is providing emotional support. I had to get out of there. I couldn’t handle it.” She started sobbing again.
“That’s okay.” Sari patted her back. “Cry as much as you need to. I’ve got you.”
“Can we sit down? My legs are wobbly.”
“Of course.” Sari would have loved to have the girl sit in her lap and cradle her like a baby, but Lisa wouldn’t appreciate that. Instead, Sari led her to a row of armless chairs so the girl could lean on her while sitting.
“I’m glad that you are here.” Lisa rested her head on Sari’s shoulder. “I need to be strong for my mom, and so does David. You are the rock, the pillar of strength that I can hold on to to keep from drifting away.”
Tears pooled in Sari’s eyes. “Thank you. That’s one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me.”
Lisa chuckled through her tears. “You don’t get out much, do you?”
“I don’t. But I’m surrounded by people who depend on me. I love what I do, and I know that they appreciate me, but no one ever thinks that I need to hear a good word once in a while.”
“What about David?”
“He tells me that I’m great all of the time, but that doesn’t count.”
“Why not?”
“Because he is my fiancé. That’s his job.”
“You’re funny.” Lisa wiped her tears and sniffled. “I need a tissue.”
Damn, she should have thought about putting a bunch in her purse before leaving the house. “I don’t have any, but I can get them from the bathroom.”
“Thank you.”
When Sari returned to the waiting room, David and Ronja were there. Mother and daughter had their arms around each other, and David had his phone out.
His eyes looked vacant as he shifted them to her. “I need to arrange the funeral.”
“Don’t worry about a thing.” Sari pulled the tissues out of her purse and handed them to Lisa. “Take care of your mother and sister. I’ll take care of everything else.”
41
David
Ronja opened the front door to her house, then stepped back and motioned for David to go in with the suitcases.
As Lisa and Sari followed with the rest of their things, Ronja closed the door behind them.
“I’ll make tea.” Sari left her carry-on next to the front door and headed to the kitchen.
“Thank you.” Taking a couple of steps, Ronja stopped and looked around her living room. “It’s so strange to be back here without Frank. I can’t help but think that he will come out of the bedroom, shuffling his feet in those old slippers of his, and ask us where have we been.�
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David left the suitcases next to Sari’s carry-on, walked up to his mother, and put his arm around her. “Do you need me to come with you to the bedroom?”
She turned her face up to him. “If you don’t mind, I’d rather sleep in the guest room. You and Sari can take the master bedroom. I’ll just change the bedding.”
“I’ll do it, Mom,” Lisa said. “You go sit on the couch and rest. Do you want me to make you a sandwich?”
“We will order lunch.” Sari walked out of the kitchen with a tray that held a teapot and four cups.
Where did she even find those? David didn’t remember his mother using any of that stuff after she’d divorced his father.
Frank had been a simple man with simple tastes, and his and Ronja’s friends were not the types who sipped tea from porcelain cups.
That had been more David’s father’s style.
Dr. Michael Levinson had been a snob, and so had been his friends, or rather acquaintances. He hadn’t had any real friends. Working sixteen-hour days hadn’t left much time for social activities.
“Any preferences?” Sari put down the tray on the coffee table.
“I’m not hungry.” Ronja sat on the couch and poured the tea into the four small porcelain cups. “Maybe I’ll just watch a little TV. I need to get out of my head.” She reached for the remote and clicked the device on.
A soap opera was on, but David doubted that his mother was actually paying attention to it. Sipping on her tea, she stared vacantly at the screen.
“How about you?” Sari smiled at Lisa. “Chinese? Thai? Something else? What are you in the mood for?”
“I like Thai, but Mom can’t tolerate anything spicy, so I guess Chinese.”
“I’m on it.” Sari pulled out her phone.
David was so thankful for Sari’s take-charge attitude. She’d been a life saver, making all the arrangements for the funeral, which was scheduled for Monday, helping Ronja and Lisa pack their things, and then herding everyone to the airport.