by I. T. Lucas
Perhaps he needed to build houses on those fifty plots he was grading sooner rather than later. Could he make it a separate community with a fence around it?
As if that was going to solve anything. And what if fifty new homes were not enough?
Currently, most clan members were sharing houses, but once they had mates, they would need family homes. Aside from Kalugal’s men, they would also have new Dormants coming in thanks to the Echelon system, which meant even more matings in the near future.
So far, other than Richard, all the trainees who’d followed Jin out of the program had transitioned, which indicated that Echelon was spitting up good leads.
Then why wasn’t he happy?
Because it seemed too easy, and life didn’t work like that. He just knew that something would screw this up for them. But what if the uneasy feeling in his gut had nothing to do with future housing and former Doomers mating clan females? What if it was about Amanda and her pregnancy?
Kian was overjoyed about becoming an uncle, but he feared for Amanda. Until that child’s successful transition, he should offer the Fates daily prayers for its safety.
As he noticed that the room had fallen silent and everyone was waiting for him to say something, Kian tried to remember what was the thing Kalugal had said that had him thinking about building more houses and then about Amanda’s pregnancy.
Right, he’d said that most of his men were willing to be auctioned.
“We’ve tested the auction idea with Jacki’s friend Richard, and so far it’s been a big success. The ladies flock to the auction room, and Richard is having a blast watching them go crazy over him.” Kian chuckled. “Except, the guy is still human and has a hard time keeping up. A couple of days ago he asked for a break.”
“Tell me more about it.” Kalugal turned toward him. “How many of the clan’s single ladies attended the auctions?”
“I wasn’t there, but Amanda reported that the room was packed each night.”
17
Edna
With Rufsur just down the hall in Kian’s office, there was no hope for Edna to finish her work for today. It was as if a magnet was pulling at her, and it was a struggle to keep her butt in the chair and her eyes on the contract in front of her.
Hell, whatever she’d managed so far was probably garbage, and she would have to redo everything on Monday.
She shouldn’t have even tried.
Ever since she’d woken up that morning, her heart and her mind had been at war. First, she’d fought the urge to go greet Rufsur at the airstrip, and when that timeline had expired, a new struggle had started to stay away from the parking garage.
But if she’d acted on her impulses, it would have sent the wrong message, and Rufsur didn’t need any encouragement from her.
He was tenacious enough as it was.
And why was she smiling while thinking that?
Because she loved it about him, that and many other things. Like his cocky smile and the dimples in his cheeks, and the way he looked at her as if she was beautiful.
But what did it matter if they couldn’t be together?
How could she give Kian grief about spending money on preparing plots for homes that would remain unoccupied, and at the same time fantasize about building a life with Rufsur in one of them?
Pushing to her feet, Edna walked up to the window and glanced at the café below. It was after five in the afternoon, so the place was packed, but she had no trouble spotting Jacki and her friends in the center of the enclosure. They’d put several tables together, and although she couldn’t hear what they were talking about, they seemed to be having fun.
Two men whom she didn’t recognize were sitting with Theo and Jay. Kalugal’s men no doubt. One was a burly blond with a military buzz cut and a jaw so big and square that it looked almost cartoonish. The other one was slim and dark, with curly hair that looked black from where she was standing, and a short-trimmed beard. Both were handsome in their own way, but neither could hold a candle to Rufsur.
Perhaps she should go and join the gathering?
That would take her mind off him.
Right. As if anything could, or as if she really wanted to forget about him.
She was such a hypocrite. And what was worse, she was lying to herself. If she didn’t want to see Rufsur, then why had she ordered a bunch of new clothes? And why was she wearing a new outfit today, including new shoes?
She still didn’t have any makeup on, and her hair was in its usual tight bun, but that was because she’d been fantasizing about Rufsur taking the pins out one by one and fanning it over her shoulders as he had done before.
Talk about being conflicted.
With a sigh, Edna turned away from the window. The next five minutes were spent organizing her desk, and once everything was put away, she walked out the door and headed downstairs.
As soon as she exited the office building, Amanda turned to look at her and smiled. “Edna, come join us.” She waved her over.
Theo grabbed a chair and squeezed it between Syssi’s and Amanda’s. “Here you go, judge.”
“Thank you.” Edna sat down and smiled at Jacki. “Welcome back. How is married life treating you?”
“I’m living a fairytale. Let me introduce you to Kalugal’s men.” Jacki turned around and motioned for them to approach. “This is Atzil, who runs Kalugal’s kitchen and feeds everyone.”
The guy dipped his head. “A pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
Up close, Atzil still looked like he was straight out of a comic strip, but he had a pleasant smile, and Edna had no trouble picking up on his positive vibe.
“Same here.” She smiled at him.
“And this is Ruvon,” Jacki continued the introduction. “He is Kalugal’s William.”
Ruvon shifted from foot to foot. “From what I’ve heard, I’m nowhere near the caliber of the legendary William. I can’t wait to meet him.”
The guy was shy and anxious, but he seemed just as harmless and as pleasant as Atzil.
Was she losing her touch and everyone she met was suddenly a wonderful person?
Edna wasn’t the type to look at the world through rose-colored glasses, but apparently her outlook was changing. Hopefully, she wasn’t making a mistake by letting her guard down.
“William would love to talk to you.” She smiled at the shy immortal. “In fact, he might not let you go. It’s rare for William to find someone who is interested in the same things he is.”
Ruvon grimaced. “I know exactly how he feels. Whenever I try to explain the most basic things to the guys, their eyes gloss over, and they just nod like idiots.”
Atzil slapped his back. “Don’t talk about your friends like that. Do I call you a moron because you don’t know how to cook a sausage?”
Ruvon blushed. “I know how.”
“Without burning it?”
“I burn it on purpose. It’s tastier like that.”
Atzil rolled his eyes. “Why do I even bother.”
As the two returned to their seats next to the Guardians, Amanda put her hand on Edna’s shoulder. “I have good news, which everyone here already heard about. I’m pregnant.”
Edna’s heart skipped a beat.
Amanda had been terrified of having another child. How was she going to survive this?
Even though she seemed happy and excited, Edna could sense the anxiety rippling just underneath the surface, but the waves weren’t as violent as she would have expected given Amanda’s past.
“Congratulations.” She wrapped her arms around Amanda in a rare expression of physical affection. “When did you find out?”
“Wednesday. Naturally, I freaked out and called my mother to tell her that I’d be moving to the sanctuary until my child transitions, but Kian came up with a less drastic solution for me to keep my sanity.”
“And what’s his solution?”
“The Odus. Onidu and Okidu will take turns, so one is always around to keep an additional ey
e on him or her.”
“That’s an excellent idea. How is Dalhu taking it?”
Amanda grinned, her beautiful face turning radiant. “He’s walking on clouds. Dalhu always wanted to have children, but he didn’t say anything because he knew that I couldn’t even think about it without having a panic attack.”
“I’m glad that it’s all working out for you.”
Amanda took in a deep breath. “It’s a long road, and I’m going to take it one step at a time. I’m even going to talk to Vanessa because I don’t want random panic attacks to affect the baby. I want to be serene for its sake.” She cast a loving glance at Syssi. “Our children will grow up together. How awesome is that?”
Syssi patted her rounded belly. “Little Allegra will have a cousin for a playmate. It doesn’t get better than that.”
Indeed.
As the two talked about Amanda and Dalhu needing to build an addition to their house, Edna smiled and nodded, but her mind was elsewhere. If she accepted Rufsur’s offer, and if Merlin’s potions worked, she could be part of that exclusive circle of expecting mothers.
It seemed like such an impossible dream, but that was because she was used to thinking of it as unachievable. Except, it was now within her grasp, provided that she was willing to compromise.
Casting a look at Kalugal’s men, she had to admit that they seemed like nice fellows, and not murderous enemies who plotted to attack unsuspecting clan members and murder them in their sleep.
The problem was that impressions were deceptive. Those guys could be perfectly decent immortals, but when the command came from their leader, they would follow orders even without him having to use compulsion on them. That was how military organizations, or even quasi-military ones like the clans of old, operated.
Friendliness meant nothing. Clan loyalty was everything.
“Excuse me.” Edna pushed her chair back. “I would love to stay, but I forgot something in my office that I need to retrieve.”
There was nothing she needed to get back except for her sanity, but regrettably, it wasn’t waiting for her on her desk.
“Come back later,” Amanda said.
“If you are still here when I’m done, I will.”
18
Rufsur
“Would you like to see the new fence?” Kian asked. “I can take you on a tour, and from there, we can continue to the fifty new plots that I’m grading on the eastern side of the mountain.”
Rufsur stifled a groan. He’d thought they were done and that he could finally go to Edna’s. Instead, it seemed that he would be dragged on a boring tour of Kian’s new construction project.
“Perhaps tomorrow,” Kalugal said. “Jacki is waiting for me down at the café, and I’m sure that she wants to get to the house and unwind a little before dinner. We will see the fence on the way, and tomorrow, you can show me the grading project.”
Rufsur released a relieved breath. He’d already talked it over with Kalugal, and his presence at dinner was not required. Atzil and Ruvon were not going to accompany Jacki and Kalugal either. He didn’t like it that they were going without protection, but Kalugal wanted to show Kian that he trusted him in the hopes that his cousin would return the favor.
“Trust breeds trust, and mistrust breeds more mistrust,” Kalugal had said. “And it all boils down to fear. If I show Kian that I don’t fear him, I hope it will convince him that he has nothing to fear from me.”
Rufsur wasn’t sure about that, but since he needed Kalugal and Kian to get along, he hadn’t argued. The better the relationship between those two was, the better were his chances with Edna.
“As you wish.” Kian pushed to his feet. “Syssi is down there with the rest of Jacki’s friends, so I might as well join you.”
Perhaps Edna was there as well? That would save him the trouble of hunting her down. With Amanda and Syssi present, she wouldn’t be able to escape him without making a scene.
Except when they got to the café, she wasn’t there.
Rufsur plastered a confident smile on his face. “Hello, ladies. Does anyone know where I can find Edna?”
Amanda looked up at him and smirked. “She went up to her office to get something, and I didn’t see her coming out, so she must still be there. Her office is the third door down the corridor from Kian’s.”
Rufsur dipped his head. “Thank you.”
As he turned on his heel and headed back into the building, he heard several murmurs and a few giggles. Apparently, they all knew what was going on between him and Edna.
Not that either of them had tried to hide it, but given Edna’s dry emails and lack of enthusiasm about seeing him, he’d assumed that she’d been pressured into severing ties with him.
It was good to see that Amanda wasn’t opposed to them having a relationship. Kian’s wife had smiled when he’d asked about Edna, so she was also in favor. It seemed like the only one against it was the lady in question.
No matter.
One way or another, he was going to change her mind.
As he stopped in front of Edna’s door, Rufsur debated whether he should knock or just walk in and surprise her. He would have preferred the latter, but Edna didn’t seem like the type who liked surprises. She might have an issue with him entering without an invitation, and he didn’t want to start their reunion with an argument.
He knocked and waited.
“Come in,” she called, probably not expecting it to be him.
Depressing the handle, he pushed the door open. “Hello, Edna.”
“Rufsur.” She looked at him with wide eyes. “I wasn’t expecting you.”
“And yet, here I am.” He closed the door behind him, walked over to her desk, rounded it, and pulled her up to his chest. “Missed me?”
She gasped, but she didn’t resist his hold. “Yes.”
“So why didn’t you answer my emails?”
“I did.”
“I wouldn’t call a couple of dry lines in response to every three of my emails a proper answer.”
“What do you want from me, Rufsur?”
“Everything.” He cupped the back of her head and smashed his lips over hers.
Letting out a shuddering breath, Edna went soft in his arms and surrendered to the kiss.
It felt so good to hold her, to kiss her, to feel her soft breasts pressed against his chest, but it wasn’t enough.
His need was too great to pause what they were doing and walk all the way to her house. He was going to have her right there on her neatly organized desk.
The famous soundproofing of the buildings in the village ensured that no one outside Edna’s office could hear them, and the windows were covered with antiglare film, so as long as the sun was out, no one on the outside could see what was going on inside.
Sunset wasn’t happening for at least two more hours, and if he wasn’t done with her by then, they would just turn the lights off and keep going.
He’d noticed a leather couch as he walked into Edna’s office, and he planned to put it to good use after they exhausted the possibilities on the desk.
But right now, he couldn’t wait another goddamned second.
Kicking the office chair away with his foot, he spun her around and pushed her down on the desk. With one hard yank, he had her pants down together with her cotton granny panties.
“Fates,” Edna gasped. “What are you doing to me?”
“Giving you what you need.” He cupped her hot center from behind and leaned over her to kiss her neck. Raking his fangs over the silky skin, he whispered in her ear, “I missed you.”
When she moaned, he ground his hips into her ass, letting her feel his hard shaft through his slacks.
There were advantages to not wearing jeans.
Holding her down with a hand on her back, he went down to his knees and kissed each cheek in turn. “You have a gorgeous ass, my lady judge. And after the way you treated me, I’m going to paint it pink.” He smacked one smooth globe, kissed it, an
d then repeated it with the other.
He’d never done anything like that before, and yet, for some reason Rufsur felt like that was precisely what they both needed. It was a gamble, though.
If Edna perceived it as offensive, she might kick him out and tell him that she never wanted to see him again.
Except, his gamble paid off.
As the scent of her desire blossomed, filling his nostrils with the best aroma there was, he smacked the other side a little harder this time.
Edna groaned, but didn’t move an inch.
Given her response, she wasn’t averse to a little play. On the contrary, when the next smack landed on her ass with a loud clap, she responded with another throaty moan.
“More?” he asked to make sure.
“Yes.”
19
Edna
Why was getting her bottom smacked so damn arousing?
So intimate?
Edna hadn’t been aware of having any fetishes, but there she was, moaning and running wet in anticipation of another smack.
Except, it didn’t come.
Instead, Rufsur ran his hands down her thighs. “Lift your leg.” He commanded. When she did, he took her shoe off, tossed it aside, and then freed her foot from her pants. “Now the other one.”
When he was done, he ran his hands up her inner thighs, pushing them apart. And then his mouth was on her core, kissing, licking, his strong fingers digging into her butt cheeks.
Gripping the desk’s edge on the other side, Edna sagged against it. Lost to the pleasure, she rocked on Rufsur’s tongue as much as his grip on her ass allowed.
He was like a man possessed, going in deep with his tongue, then retracting it and kissing her folds, her inner thighs. Then out of nowhere, he smacked her bottom again, once, twice, and then went back to the licking and kissing.
The combination of pleasure and slight sting was driving her up the cliff, toward an orgasm that she knew would be epic, but she didn’t want to get there yet.