by I. T. Lucas
Not knowing how to respond to the story that he was hearing for the first time, Vlad shifted uncomfortably. “Did Brundar save you? I remember that he got injured. Was it connected to the kidnapping?”
“Brundar was so brave, rushing after me without thinking about his own safety, but he almost paid with his life for his selfless bravery. Luckily, he had the presence of mind to call his brother before entering the house, and Anandur rescued us both.” Leaning back in her chair, Callie crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m surprised that you don’t know the story. Usually, rumors spread like wildfire through the clan.”
“Not all rumors. It sounds like your ordeal was too serious to become gossip.”
“Right.” She smiled. “And since Anandur is the source of most rumors, he must have shared your opinion. Or maybe Brundar asked him to keep quiet about it.”
Vlad pushed his hair back. “May I ask you a personal question?”
“Let me guess. You are wondering how I ended up married to a psychopath.”
He nodded.
Perhaps it would help him understand why Wendy’s mother had married her father, and why she’d abandoned her child, leaving her with the monster.
Callie sighed. “I was young and naive and knocked up. I’m convinced now that Shawn tampered with the condoms to get me pregnant and trap me into marrying him. He was older, bossy, but also very charming. Still, it didn’t feel right, but I was carrying his child, so I ignored the small voice in the back of my head that was warning me not to do it. I lost the baby shortly after we got married, and Shawn wanted to get me pregnant again right away, but I resisted. When he became even more controlling, and his angery outbursts became more frequent and more violent, I knew that I had to leave him, but I didn’t know how. He had complete control over our money, monitored my every move, and was suspicious of me even though I gave him no reason.”
Vlad wondered whether Wendy’s mother had gone through something similar.
Had she run away because she’d feared for her life?
Except, it still didn’t explain why she’d left Wendy behind, which was why he suspected that the story about her leaving because of a drug problem had been a cover-up for her murder.
“How did you get out?”
Callie smiled. “Brundar showed up at the restaurant I worked in, and like a guardian angel, he offered to help me escape Shawn.”
“How did you meet him? And how did he know that you needed help?”
She leaned forward. “A year before that, Shawn and I went to Brundar’s club, but since I wasn’t twenty-one yet, we weren’t allowed in. After Shawn made a big fuss about it, the receptionist called Brundar. He thralled Shawn to calm down, but while peeking into his head, he realized that I wasn’t safe with him.”
Callie smiled. “Both of us felt something, a special connection, but I was married, so Brundar resolved to just keep an eye on me and make sure that I was safe. When things got really bad, he could no longer watch from the sidelines and approached me at work. I was desperate, so I took him up on his offer to help me escape my abusive husband.”
“Did he hide you?”
She nodded. “He put me up in an apartment, gave me a job at his club, and had Edna help me with the divorce. He then took the papers to Shawn and thralled him to sign them. Naturally, I was completely clueless at the time and thought that he beat Shawn up to make him sign.” She chuckled. “He did that too. But long story short, Shawn somehow remembered Brundar, figured out that he was my lover, and decided to get his revenge on both of us. His plan was to kidnap me, wait for Brundar to rush to my rescue, kill him, and then keep me as his pet slave until the day I died.”
Callie shivered. “If he’d succeeded, that day would have arrived sooner rather than later. I would have killed myself at the first opportunity. With Brundar gone, I would have had nothing to live for. Besides, Shawn promised me a living hell, and I knew he would deliver on his promise.”
“What happened to him?”
Vlad had a good idea, but he wanted to make sure. If Anandur hadn’t killed the monster, he would finish the job himself.
Callie smiled sadly. “You can retract your fangs, Vlad. Shawn is no longer a problem.” She tilted her head. “Why did my story upset you so much?”
He glanced at Wendy, who was standing behind the counter and smiling at a customer while taking his order.
She had changed so much in the short time since her transition.
Wendy was happy, confident, and she loved working at the café. The worry lines that used to mar her forehead were gone, and she was quick to smile.
Dragging out the past might ruin the progress she’d made, which was why Vlad hadn’t approached Roni yet and asked him to dig into what had happened to her mom.
“Someone I care for was abused by her father.” He knew that Callie would guess it was Wendy, but as long as he didn’t say her name, it would remain just a guess. “I have a bad feeling that he did something to her mother. If he was anything like your ex, it’s possible that he murdered her.”
5
Richard
“Do you have to leave so soon?” Marla pulled Richard down for another kiss.
So far, out of all the clan females who’d won him for the night, she was the best, but regrettably, Marla wasn’t 'the one' either. The sex had been great, and she was fun to talk to, but neither of them had felt that special connection.
“Are you kidding me? So soon?” He chuckled. “I need to go home and sleep for twelve hours straight to recover my strength. I’m getting auctioned again tonight.”
She pouted. “Poor baby. It’s such hard work being the clan’s gigolo.”
“You have no idea.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and pushed up. Only to fall back down.
“What’s the matter?” Marla frowned.
“I feel dizzy like I used to after a night of drinking. But I haven’t had any alcohol in days.” With a groan, he dropped his head on his fists. “I can’t go on like this.”
She put a hand on his forehead. “Maybe you’re finally transitioning?”
“I wish.” He had only two more days left.
After three inductions performed by three different males, he was still a human, and it seemed like that wasn’t going to change, which meant that in two days, Bowen would erase his memories, and he would be sent on his way.
Except, Richard had no intention of leaving. Even if he didn’t transition, he was going to stay on as a human. The village was a beautiful place to live in, he had more friends here than he’d ever had on the outside, and if he could slow down the rate of his gigolo services, he could keep on going for a while longer.
Somehow, he had to convince Kian not to kick him out.
Bowen had promised to talk to the guy about inducing Richard himself, but he hadn’t heard back from Kian yet. As the goddess’s son, Kian was the clan’s most pure-blooded immortal, and therefore his venom was supposedly the most potent. If that didn’t work either, Richard would have to accept that he just didn’t possess the godly genes.
It was so unfair.
Bringing him all the way to the fountain of youth and then denying him access was just too cruel. What had he done to deserve such punishment?
It was one thing not to know about immortals and never to hope to become one, and another thing altogether to have the prospect of immortality dangled in front of his face and then snatched away.
“Do you need help getting home?” Marla got out of bed and put a robe on. “I can get the golf cart for you.”
“No way. I’d become the laughingstock of the village. But if you could be a doll and make me a cup of coffee, that would be great.”
“No problem, sweetie.” She patted his cheek. “I’ll do more than that. How about a couple of juicy steaks? That should replenish your depleted energy reserves.”
“You’re awesome.” He pulled her between his spread thighs. “Perhaps you are the one for me?”
M
arla grimaced. “I wish. But I don’t feel it. Sorry, Richard.”
“Don’t be. I was just teasing. You are great, and I wish you were the one, but I don’t feel it either.” He let go of her and pushed up slowly this time. “I’ll grab a shower if you don’t mind.”
“Go ahead. By the time you’re done, I’ll have the steaks ready.”
He watched her saunter away, her beautiful ass swaying from side to side under the sheer robe that did nothing to hide her enticing curves.
Except, as lovely as Marla was, Richard couldn’t get it up for her one more time even if his life depended on it.
Unbelievably, he was tired of his gigolo role only ten days after assuming it. The problem was that he hadn’t taken into consideration the incredible stamina of immortal females, or their desire to get their money’s worth after winning him for the night.
If not for the urgency of his situation, a more relaxed schedule would have been better.
Richard loved the bidding process. Watching the ladies go wild over him was an ego boost like no other, especially since their excitement spilled over into the bedroom. Their aggression and boldness was invigorating, but it was also tiring.
In fact, he was considering swallowing his pride and asking Amanda to cancel tonight’s auction because he was exhausted, physically and mentally.
Right now, spending an evening in front of the tube seemed like a sweet dream. Or, if he could stay over at Marla’s and just spend time talking with her, it would be even better.
He really wasn’t in the mood to jump into the next female’s bed.
The question was whether Marla would want him to stay if sex was no longer on the table. Worst case scenario, if she said no, he could go home and sleep for twenty-four hours.
With that prospect becoming more appealing by the minute, Richard got out of the shower, wrapped himself in one of Marla’s fluffy towels, and padded to the bedroom to get his phone.
Amanda answered on the third ring. “Richard, darling, are you ready for tonight’s auction?”
“That’s what I’m calling about. Is it possible to cancel it? I’m feeling a little under the weather.” He sat on the bed and adjusted the towel around his thighs.
Amanda gasped. “Are you transitioning?”
“I wish, but I think it’s just fatigue. I’ve had too much excitement for the past week and a half. This human needs to rest.”
“I understand. The ladies will be disappointed, but I don’t want you to force yourself to do anything that you’re not comfortable with. This should go on only as long as you are having fun.”
“I’m having fun, just too much of it. I didn’t expect the vigor if you know what I mean. I’m good in the sack, but I’m not a god.”
Amanda laughed. “Of course, darling. I should have realized that a human, no matter how energetic, couldn’t possibly keep up. How about canceling the auctions for tonight and tomorrow?”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Did you talk with Kian yet?”
“About what?”
“You need to ask him to induce you himself.”
Richard switched the phone to his other ear. “Bowen promised to ask on my behalf.”
“I see. I’ll put in a good word for you as well. You’ve been a trooper through it all.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Amanda.” He disconnected the call and put the phone on the nightstand.
As Marla opened the door, the smell of grilled steak wafted into the room. “Who were you talking to?”
“Amanda. I asked her to cancel the auction for tonight.”
“Did she agree?”
“Yes, which means that I can stay a little longer.”
The smile that spread over Marla’s face had sex written all over it. “I’m glad.”
“I thought that maybe we could watch a movie or just talk.”
“Not my idea of fun. Come, the steaks are almost ready.” She smirked. “Let’s revisit the plans for tonight after you eat.”
6
Kian
“Turner should be here any minute.” Kian motioned for William to take a seat at the conference table. “Would you like something to drink?”
“What are you offering?”
He opened the sideboard that served as his bar. “Sparkling water, beer, and whiskey.”
“I’ll take a beer.”
Expecting that Turner would like one too, Kian pulled out three bottles of Snake Venom. When he’d spoken with him earlier, Turner had sounded stressed, which was unusual. The guy had nerves of steel, remaining calm and collected even when everything around him was going to shit.
But maybe his agitation had nothing to do with his work and was personal in nature. Turner’s daughter-in-law was expecting a second child, and Kian had heard from Syssi that there had been some complications. Hopefully, everything was okay over there, but it wasn’t as if Kian would ask Turner about it.
The guy didn’t like sharing details about his private or professional life.
Perhaps he could ask Syssi to talk with Bridget.
Damn, he was turning into a busybody like Anandur. It was none of his damn business.
Except, Syssi would probably disagree. She was trying to teach him how to appear more compassionate and involved in his people’s lives, and a big part of it was asking questions.
The problem was that it required finesse that Kian lacked. He never knew what constituted prying and what was acceptable as genuine concern, which meant that he usually tried to avoid personal matters.
At nearly two thousand years of age, he wasn’t going to change, no matter how hard his wife was working on it.
When a knock sounded at the door, Kian put the bottles down on the table. “Come in.”
“Good afternoon.” Turner walked in, put his briefcase on one chair, and sat on the next one over. “I could use a cold one.” He lifted a bottle, popped the cap, and took a sip.
“Rough day?” William asked.
“In my business, every day is rough.” He smiled at Kian. “I consider the things I do for the clan a pleasant reprieve.”
“Good.” Kian sat down. “It makes me feel less guilty about asking for your help while you refuse to get paid for your services.”
“I owe you big time.”
Kian waved a dismissive hand. “You’ve repaid your debt to the clan ten times over already. What you do now is purely voluntary.”
Turner leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I place a much higher value on my immortal life than on my services. So, what’s on the agenda for today?”
The guy wasn’t one for chitchat, and Kian appreciated that.
“Long-range acoustic devices and our vulnerability to them. If two old humans could come up with the brilliant idea of using sound technology against us, then Navuh could figure it out as well. It’s more effective on us than any other kind of weapon, especially if the intent is to take us alive.”
“Navuh would need to find us first,” William said. “And then he would have to get close enough to deploy the weapon.”
“Can it be used from a helicopter?” Kian asked. “Or several of them at once?”
William pushed his glasses up his nose. “It would probably need to hover nearly at ground level. I’m not an expert on acoustics.”
“So it’s possible. What if he discovers our location and deploys several helicopters at once?”
“Then we are screwed.” William crossed his arms over his chest. “But I can design a defense system for shooting them down.”
Turner put his bottle down. “If everyone is on the floor with ear damage, who is going to operate the defense system?”
“I can design a program that deploys attack drones in response to sounds above certain decibels.”
Turner shook his head. “Wouldn’t it be simpler to have one of the Guardians wear earplugs? Naturally, it should be the one responsibl
e for the attack drones. The problem I see with shooting down helicopters over the village is that people would get hurt, property would be destroyed, and containment would be a bitch.”
“True.” Kian raked his fingers through his hair. “Any other suggestions?”
“I can design a signal disrupter that will disable the helicopters’ electronic systems,” William suggested. “But the result would be the same. They would fall out of the sky over the village.” He took off his glasses and wiped them with the corner of his shirt. “I could enlarge the perimeter so that their systems would malfunction before they got into our airspace, but that would endanger other aircraft flying in the area.”
“We can’t do that.” Kian sighed. “Quite a few helicopters pass through these mountains daily.”
For several long moments, the three of them sat in silence, each trying to come up with a solution.
William sighed. “I need more time to think about it.”
“Earplugs are the only things that come to my mind,” Turner said. “If everyone carries them around, they can stick them in as soon as the noise starts.”
“I might have another solution.” William took off his glasses again. “But I need to do some research on acoustics, which I admit I don’t know much about. Perhaps there is a way to deploy a countermeasure. Sound is a wave, so theoretically, all we need is a counter cannon that generates a sound that is 180 degrees phase-inverted to the cannon’s. If I can design a device that will capture the noise, invert the signal to create an anti-noise, and blast it back, that could be the solution. The problem is that capturing sounds accurately isn’t easy. Microphones have imperfect frequency responses, so the cancelation wave might not align perfectly with the phase of the noise. But even a small reduction would mean the difference between just unpleasant sound and an incapacitating one.”
Kian let out a breath. “Good. So, we have a solution.”