by I. T. Lucas
"I think you should start from the beginning and tell us everything that happened. Unless you are tired and prefer to do it tomorrow." Annani took her hand and covered it with her other palm. "You are my daughter, Amanda, and I love you no matter what. There is nothing you can say that will change how I feel. Do not be afraid to share your burden with me. This is what mothers are for." She leaned up and kissed Amanda's cheek.
"You promise not to get mad?"
"I promise. But you look exhausted, and it can really wait for tomorrow."
"I'm beat, but I won't be able to sleep until I know… until I am sure you are not going to hate me for what I have done." Amanda sniffled and dropped her head onto her hands.
"Come, child, no need to be so dramatic. You can tell me everything."
"Okay." Amanda wrapped her fingers around the stem of the second margarita glass Onidu had handed her. "Thank you." She reclined into the comfort of the sofa cushions and crossed her legs.
"After leaving Syssi and her brother Andrew in the restaurant, I headed to a jewelry store. My plan was to order a duplicate of the pendant Syssi gave me. You see, it was a present from Andrew for her sweet sixteen." She looked at her mother. "I didn't want her to get in trouble for giving it to me. But it must've been fated because that pendant is how they knew where to find me. Apparently, Andrew had a tracking device installed in it without Syssi's knowledge."
Amanda sighed and turned to Syssi. "He is so sweet. You are so lucky to have a brother who cares so much about you."
Syssi almost choked on her margarita. "Andrew? Sweet? Are we talking about the same guy?"
"Yes, he is a wonderful man. When Kian was treating me like dirt, Andrew was the one who asked me how I was holding up and offered his support."
"If you say so…" Syssi chuckled.
"I know it was somewhat deceitful of Andrew not to tell you that he had a tracking device installed in the pendant. But he had only your best interest at heart. If it were you instead of me who were kidnaped, you would've been grateful to him for ensuring that you'll be found."
"Of course, I'm grateful. Realizing the tracker's significance, I even told Andrew he was my hero. Without it, we wouldn't have known where to even start looking for you."
"So that's that. You can think of him any way you want, but to me, he is Andrew the sweet." Amanda shrugged. "But back to my story. So, I entered the store and immediately noticed a delicious scent, something male—enticing and calming at the same time—something that called to me like catnip to a cat. I looked around to see where it was coming from, and that was when I saw him—a gorgeous, huge male. It took only a moment for the clues to snap into place. He was an immortal, but not one of ours, therefore a Doomer. But that split second between realization dawning and my legs reacting to the command to move was more than enough for him. He pounced, his huge hand closing over my neck."
Amanda was getting into her story, enjoying the breathless anticipation of her small audience.
"I was terrified. I thought that he would tighten his grip and choke me at any moment. Instead, he bit me."
She paused to take another sip, her eyes darting between Syssi and her mother, who were scooting closer and closer to the edge of their seats with each new and exciting detail.
"It was incredible. I've fantasized about an immortal male's bite for so long, but it was even better than I've imagined. My legs turned into two useless noodles, and I leaned into him. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I wanted his hands all over me."
Amanda smiled sheepishly. "I even begged him to touch me. But he refused, saying he wouldn't do it without my sober consent. Can you imagine that? He said no to me…" She pointed at herself, regarding their shocked expressions with a satisfied smirk. "Then he took care of the girl at the counter, thralling her without even looking her in the eyes. Impressive, right?"
Her mother nodded. "Indeed."
"After switching cars with some guy at the mall, he took me to this motel and cuffed me to the bed. Normally, I could have just broken the wooden slats to get free, but I was loopy from the venom and so horny I was going out of my mind."
Syssi spattered, spraying the coffee table. "Sorry…" she choked, "I keep forgetting how nonchalant you people are about these things."
"It is okay, sweetie. No harm done," Annani reassured her with a pat on her knee. "Go on, Amanda."
"So, I was going out of my mind with lust… you okay, Syssi?" Amanda cast her a glance. The poor girl's cheeks were so red they must've been burning.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Go on," she croaked, touching the cool margarita glass to her hot face.
"I even cussed him out for refusing to provide the relief I needed. The guy was completely clueless about immortal females, but when he realized that I was really suffering, he gave me a sedative, saying he needed to retrieve stuff from wherever he and the other Doomers were staying. He must've done it while I was out because he was back when I woke up. I asked him what he wanted from me."
Syssi rolled her eyes. "Duh—"
"Yeah, that's what I thought. But it wasn't sex. Dalhu had something else in mind."
"He didn't want that? Is he gay?" Syssi interrupted.
"No, he is not gay. He said he wanted a future with me, wanted me for his wife, his mate, to have children with him."
"And what did you reply?" her mother probed gently.
"I told him he was delusional, of course. That there was no way to bridge the differences between us." Amanda sighed. If that were the only obstacle in their way, she wouldn't be sitting here with her mother and Syssi and telling a story instead of enjoying her man. "And not to forget the fact that we are each other's worst enemy." Though, that was no longer true… Dalhu had pledged himself to her.
"You know what his answer was?"
"What?" Syssi and Annani asked in unison.
"He said he would do everything to win my heart. Abandon the Brotherhood, support our cause, do whatever I demand from him. Except for letting me go, that is."
"Wow, that's…. well… kind of romantic… delusional, but romantic." Syssi squinted as if afraid her words wouldn't be well received.
"I know, right? But still, I asked him how he thought to achieve that impossible goal. He said we would run away and hide somewhere where we could spend some time together and get to know each other. I thought he was completely nuts. But what choice did I have? Right? He drove us to this remote cabin high up in the mountains, but on the way, he broke into a store for provisions. But wait for it…" She paused dramatically. "He paid for it. Left cash on the counter to cover the cost."
The surprised expression on Annani's face should've been gratifying, but it wasn't. Amanda's dramatic delivery failed to give her the usual kick. Worse, it made her feel immature and foolish. But apparently, old habits died hard. Amanda wouldn't be herself without the added flourish. "I didn't realize it at the time, but this was the turning point. His behavior intrigued me. I began asking questions, and he told me about himself. He didn't try to make himself sound good and admitted that he had done a lot of killing during his long life. But I glimpsed something remarkable in between his words. Despite all he had been through, there was still a small spark of light inside him. And honor."
"How old is he?" Annani asked.
"He is over eight hundred years old."
"For you guys it's not that old," Syssi said.
"It is not young either. Go on, Amanda, I want to hear the rest of the story."
"We got to the cabin and, at least emotionally, it was a rollercoaster ride. There were moments I was terrified of him, and others when I was beginning to like him. Then for a little while, I was plotting to clobber him over the head with a shovel but couldn't bring myself to do it because he was so incredibly nice to me. He even offered to send you a warning about the reinforcements his ex-bosses are sending to Los Angeles to hunt us down. Which reminds me that as much as I loathe to, I need to talk to Kian."
"What happened between Kian and you?" An
nani asked.
"I'm getting there… Throughout our time together, Dalhu was doing exactly what he promised; everything he could to win my heart. And you know what? He was doing a damn good job of it. Obviously, it didn't hurt his efforts that he is so hot—very tall, beautifully built and sexy as hell—or the fact that my hormones went into overdrive whenever he got near me. I fought the attraction, but he was chipping away at the fragile wall of resistance I was struggling to keep up. Eventually, last night, it crumbled, and I let Dalhu pleasure me. It wouldn't have ended at just that, but as I was coming down from the most fantastic completion I ever had, Kian blew a hole in the wall and leaped through it like some avenging demon."
"Oh, shit," Syssi blurted. "Sorry." She slanted a quick glance at Annani.
"No, oh shit, is appropriate in this case, Syssi." Annani got to her bare feet and began pacing. "I can guess what happened next, but please, continue."
"I must've screamed my head off when I climaxed, and Kian assumed I was being tortured…"
Syssi snorted. "Sorry… I couldn't help it."
"And if my screaming wasn't enough to get Kian's blood boiling, I had Dalhu's shirt tied around my wrists… We were playing a game, you see…"
Amanda glanced sheepishly at Syssi and then at her mother. "Kian was already not thinking straight, so the moron didn't stop to think that a piece of fabric wasn't enough to restrain me for real. He attacked Dalhu, who was just defending himself while trying to protect me at the same time. It took me a moment to come down to earth, and as I did, Kian had his fangs embedded deep in Dalhu's throat and was about to tear it out."
Syssi gasped, "Oh, my God."
"I knew screaming at him would achieve nothing, not fast enough to save Dalhu, so I did the only thing I could. I tore out of the binding, jumped on Kian's back, and pulled at his head with all my strength while shouting and threatening him. Eventually, he let go. I tried to explain that the scream was one of pleasure, not pain, and that Dalhu didn't force me."
Recalling Kian's look of disgust, Amanda's gut twisted. She reached for her third margarita and drained it in one long gulp.
"You should have seen the way Kian looked at me," she whispered. "Like I was repulsive to him. Then, as if he couldn't stand the sight of me for even a moment longer, he issued a command to Anandur to cuff Dalhu and stormed out. He didn't say a word and hasn't looked at me since." Her chin began quivering, tears sliding down her cheeks.
Syssi moved to sit beside her and pulled her into a warm hug. "He'll get over it. You know he loves you."
"I'm not so sure. I gave him plenty of reasons to be mad at me before, but he never acted like this."
There was a long moment of silence, with her mother and Syssi deep in thought—no doubt trying to figure out a way to help her get back into Kian's good graces.
Yeah, good luck with that…
"The question is not if Kian would get over Amanda's liaison with the Doomer. The real question is whether Amanda would. How do you feel about it, dear?" Her mother regarded her with her ancient, knowing eyes.
Right, that was the real question, and while her mind was still struggling with it, her gut had already known the answer.
But was she going to fess up?
Yeah, she was.
Amanda wasn't one to chicken out and had no intentions of pretending she was going to let it go when in fact, she wasn't.
"No, I’m not going to get over it. Not yet, and not because Kian disapproves. I do not claim to have fallen in love with Dalhu, but I certainly felt something."
Amanda trained her eyes on Annani as she continued in a near whisper. "There was this intimacy, a connection I've never experienced with a man before."
She humphed. "Heck, the only thing I ever felt towards a guy was lust, and the moment my needs were satisfied, I couldn't wait to be rid of him."
Amanda pushed to her feet, walked over to the bar, and poured herself another drink. "It might be as simple as immortal pheromones at work, or as complicated as a budding relationship, but I would like to have the opportunity to find out."
With the drink in hand, she sat back down. "But how? It's such a complicated mess. Kian has Dalhu locked up somewhere in the dungeon. And even though I believe Dalhu was sincere in his promises to me, I'm in no way suggesting we should let a Doomer, even an ex-Doomer, roam free. Or that we should embrace him with open arms and invite him to join the family. I'm not that naive." Amanda reclined into the sofa's soft cushions and closed her eyes.
She was so damn tired.
Her mother's small palm caressed her cheek. "Do not despair, child. It is a difficult situation, but not an impossible one."
Annani clasped Amanda's hands. "The three of us, working together, are powerful enough to conquer the world, right?" She waited for Amanda to nod. "Then unraveling this tangled knot should not be an obstacle too great for us to surmount. Do you agree?"
"Absolutely." Syssi stood up and joined Annani, placing her hand over hers. "Come on, Amanda. Put it here." They waited till she added her own hand to the pile.
"Thank you. Your support means the world to me." Amanda choked up. Her mother was right. Among the three of them, there was no way they wouldn't find a solution.
Annani pulled her hand out. "Although I'm sure both of you are as eager, just as I am, to jump right in, our plans for world domination will have to wait for tomorrow. It is very late, and Amanda needs to recover from her ordeal." She winked and patted Syssi's hand, then gave Amanda's a tug. "Come, let us get you showered and then straight to bed."
Amanda didn't mind that Annani was pulling her by the hand like a small child, not at all, nor did she question why it felt so damn good to be ordered around by her tiny mother again.
"Goodnight, Syssi, whatever is left of it. We convene again tomorrow," Annani threw over her shoulder as she headed down the corridor to Amanda's bedroom.
"Goodnight," Syssi called after them, and a moment later Amanda heard her front door open quietly and close.
Syssi was such a good friend.
Maybe she could talk some sense into Kian. If anyone had a chance to break through his hateful attitude, it was Syssi. On the other hand, the girl was so timid, she might not be up to it. Syssi shied away from confrontations. Heck, she couldn't even bring herself to deal with David, who'd been tormenting her at work with rude, unwanted advances. It had gotten to the point where Syssi had been afraid to ask for his help with programming, even though she'd needed it desperately.
It might be a good idea to replace David with someone Syssi would be more comfortable working with. Professor Goodfellow wouldn't mind taking the guy off Amanda's hands. After all, though unpleasant, David was a decent programmer, and there weren't many available. Anyone with a knack for computers was working for tech companies and making double what the university offered.
Good idea. And while she was at it, she should hire more staff to work on her paranormal side project, or rather the main project as far as she was concerned. But for the university administration's sake, she still needed to maintain appearances and show worthwhile results on her official research. Luckily, she had her own financial backing and didn't need to explain a bloated staff to anyone.
Now that her hypothesis about Dormants displaying paranormal abilities had been proven right, Amanda wanted to run with it, not walk.
Tomorrow, she would talk with Syssi and together they would plan a course of action to put the search for Dormants on a faster track.
CHAPTER 3: DALHU
Dalhu woke up in a dark, dingy prison cell, or so he thought. But as he raised his arm to check the time on his watch, a harsh, blinding light flooded the place.
What the hell? Bloody motion detectors?
After a couple of seconds, his pupils adjusted to the bright illumination, and he swept a quick look around, taking stock of his surroundings. The windowless room was tiny, about seven feet wide by ten feet long, and bare—save for the mattress under him. At the back, a utilitaria
n bathroom area extended the space by another five feet or so and was separated from the main room by a low privacy wall made of semi-transparent glass blocks.
Pretty standard for a single occupancy jail cell. Except for the door, which was a monster. The thing was at least twelve inches thick, and he knew this because there was a little glass door at the bottom of it and then another one about a foot away.
So he was in solitary confinement, and they planned to provide his meals through that contraption. Smart.
Still, he'd expected worse.
Hell, these accommodations were luxurious compared to some of the places he'd stayed in. And not as a prisoner. The room was clean, free of mildew, and the mattress didn't stink. There was a clean sheet over it and they even provided him with a warm blanket.
Both smelled new.
Other than that, there were the requisite cameras, mounted high up on the high ceiling where even he, as tall as he was, couldn't reach them.
Real clever. There was nothing he could fashion a weapon from, and no real privacy.
He was going to lose his fucking mind in no time.
The situation reminded him of a scene from a silly movie he had once seen, Rocketman, if Dalhu remembered correctly. As part of his training for a space mission, the would-be astronaut was locked for twenty-four hours in a container about the size of this room. Passing the time singing nonstop and enacting puppet shows with his socks, he drove his competitor in the adjoining tank insane.
Maybe Dalhu could do the same. Trouble was, he didn't know any songs, and he wasn't wearing any socks.
Great, his only entertainment option was thinking about his impending torture and execution.
Or worse, torture and indefinite imprisonment.
With a muffled sigh, Dalhu got up and went to check out the facilities. Finding a new toothbrush and a battery-operated shaver inside the niche over the sink was a pleasant surprise. There was no mirror, but then he didn't need one to use either. He brushed, shaved, and showered, then got dressed, putting on his old clothes.