by I. T. Lucas
It was late afternoon when Kian finally woke up.
Unbelievable.
He couldn't remember when was the last time he'd slept for so many hours straight. And as it turned out, his mother had been right—it was exactly what he'd needed. Without the exhaustion, last night's events and even her bizarre request to see the Doomer, although still troubling, no longer triggered an uncontrollable rage.
Instead, he wondered what she had learned.
But first thing first—he had some unfinished business with Syssi.
On that note, he was out of bed, showered, and dressed in a matter of minutes.
Well, the dressed part was an overstatement; he pulled on some pants to go look for her but was planning on shucking them as soon as he found her.
Smirking, he freed the top button and headed for the kitchen. Maybe he would start on the fun right there.
Except, instead of his lovely Syssi, he found Andrew sitting at the kitchen counter, drinking coffee and reading the morning paper.
Kian's morning newspaper.
Great. So much for his plans to use the counter for something other than eating… Or better yet, feasting on something other than food.
"Morning," Andrew muttered from behind the newspaper.
"Don't you mean afternoon?" Kian pulled out a barstool and helped himself to some of the coffee from the stainless-steel, thermal carafe.
"Nah, it's still morning for me as well. I woke up not so long ago."
"Where is Syssi?"
"She left a note." Andrew pushed over a folded piece of paper.
To my two best guys, it said on the top flap.
Hope you slept well. Coffee is in the thermos on the counter, and Okidu's delicious walnut pancakes are in the warming drawer. I'll be over at Amanda's. Come join us when you're ready.
XOXO
Damn, how disappointing.
With a sigh, Kian got up and headed for the warming drawer.
"Want some?" he asked Andrew as he piled a plate for himself.
"Sure."
Kian dropped the two plates stacked with pancakes on the counter and got some jelly and a can of ready-made whipped cream from the fridge.
As he sat down, Andrew passed him the headline-news section, while he moved on to sports. Together, they ate and read in companionable silence.
Strange, how at ease they were with each other after butting heads like two bucks only yesterday. But as pleasant as this camaraderie was, Kian would have preferred to have Syssi sitting next to him while he ate his breakfast, or better yet, on his lap.
He missed her.
Wolfing down his pancakes at a record speed, he poured himself another cup of coffee to wash it down with. "I'm going to get dressed and head over to Amanda's. You're coming?"
"Yeah, just give me a moment to put on my boots."
A few minutes later they met by the front door and crossed the few feet between Kian and Amanda's apartments.
Halting in front of her front door, Kian turned to Andrew. "Before we go in, I just want to warn you. You are about to meet our Clan Mother, the only surviving goddess—"
"You're kidding me, a goddess?"
"That's right, I forgot you don't have the whole story, yet. So here is the very short version; the gods of old got wiped up by a nuclear bomb with only one goddess surviving. The mother of our clan. The bad guys, our enemies, are the descendants of another god, one who hated her. His son is their leader and he carries on his father's mission to destroy her and the rest of us. The full version can wait for later."
"You keep saying that, but no one tells me anything. True?" Andrew arched a brow. "But whatever. What did you want to warn me about?"
"First and foremost, the fact that she is here is known only to a select few. She came when Amanda went missing, and to be with Syssi…Anyway, we can't risk our enemies finding out that she is here. So you talk to no one about it. Second, watch your language. Just behave as you would in the presence of a queen and you'll be fine."
"What do I call her? Your highness? Your holiness?"
"No." Kian chuckled. "You can start with Clan Mother, and once she approves of you, she'll let you call her by her name, Annani."
"Got it."
"Ready?"
"Lead the way."
Kian rapped his knuckles on the door and pushed it open without waiting for an invitation to come in. If no one was giving him the courtesy, why should he?
"Oh, good, you're up." Crossing into the living room from the terrace through the open sliding doors, Syssi walked up to them and gave each a kiss on the cheek.
Yeah, a damn kiss on the cheek—that's all I get for all my troubles. But no worries, he was going to collect later…
"How is Amanda doing?" Andrew asked, craning his neck to see if she was outside.
"Um, she is taking a nap." For some reason, Syssi's cheeks reddened.
Something was afoot. "A nap? In the middle of the afternoon?" Kian lifted a brow, pinning Syssi with a suspicious stare.
"She had a rough night. A nightmare woke her shortly after she got in bed, and she couldn't shake it off for a long while. But eventually, the fatigue sent her crashing."
Syssi was hiding something, but Kian knew she wouldn't dare an outright lie in front of Andrew—the human lie detector.
"Perfectly understandable after what she had been through," Andrew murmured.
"Yeah, it is. Please, join us outside."
Out on the terrace, his mother welcomed them with a radiant smile, rising to give Kian a hug. "Thank you for bringing Amanda safely home. And you too, Andrew." She hugged the speechless Andrew.
The guy was stunned even though Annani's natural luminescence wasn't as visible in daylight, and her ancient, knowing eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses. Still, there was no mistaking her palpable power and perfect features as anything but otherworldly.
"Andrew, this is my mother, Annani." Kian nudged Andrew with his elbow.
It took the guy a moment to respond as he glanced between Kian and the misleadingly youthful goddess. He dipped his head. "I'm honored, Clan Mother."
"Please, call me Annani, Andrew. You are part of the family now, and there is no need for formality." She patted his cheek. "Come, boys, take a seat. We have a lot to discuss." She sat back down and poured each of them a cup of black coffee.
"Your mother?" Andrew whispered, locking stares with Kian.
"Yes."
"And Amanda's…"
"Yes."
"Damn… "
Annani cleared her throat.
"My apologies, Clan Mother." Andrew bowed his head, belatedly reminded of Kian's instructions.
"Yes, well, you are forgiven." She sighed. "It is most unfortunate, though, that foul language became so prevalent in this age. It used to be that only the lowborn uttered such profanities. Now it is everyone. Even my dear children—who should know better." She lifted her brows at Kian.
He chuckled. "You see, Andrew? A mother is a mother, even a queen or a goddess. No matter how old her children are, she always finds something in need of improvement."
Annani smiled indulgently. But then she lifted her palm to end the casual banter, her expression reverting to its regal composure.
"There is an urgent matter that I need to discuss with both of you," she began. "I spent over an hour this morning chatting with Dalhu, and I was greatly troubled by the things he told me. But first, we need to address the issue of Amanda's safety."
Kian stiffened. "She is perfectly safe here in the keep."
"Yes, she is. But she needs to go back to work. Unfortunately, her identity is known to the few men remaining from Dalhu's original unit. He suggests we eliminate them before the reinforcements he asked for are scheduled to arrive, which he estimates will be over the next few days. He does not know the exact date."
"What makes him think his superiors are still in the dark about Amanda?" Andrew asked.
"He was in charge of this unit, and he did
not disclose the information. The way their organization works, his men will do nothing without him ordering it. They will wait for him to return, or his replacement to arrive."
"And you believe anything that leaves a Doomer's mouth?" Kian humphed, crossing his arms over his chest.
Andrew cleared his throat. "It's actually not uncommon in cult-like organizations—correct me if I'm wrong to assume that this is the case here." He glanced at Kian, then continued when Kian didn't refute his assessment. "The brainwashing of the rank-and-file into blind obedience effectively nullifies simple soldier's decision-making ability."
"And besides," Annani said. "Dalhu would not lie about anything that has to do with Amanda's safety. He is completely enamored with her, and he is committed to doing whatever it takes to safeguard her." She injected power into her tone, suggesting that as long as she didn't doubt the Doomer's sincerity the subject wasn't open for debate.
Keeping his yap shut with difficulty, Kian met Annani's hard stare head on.
She just smiled, shaking her head at him as if to mock his agitation. Then shifting her gaze to Andrew, she continued. "I believe that for the first time since this conflict began, we have a reliable source of information. Dalhu is more than willing to share with us all that he knows, shedding a light not only on his former leader's machinations but on what is going on in their back yard." Annani glanced briefly at Kian, anticipating a retort.
But as much as he hated to admit it, he was intrigued.
Annani sighed. "Except, for this information to remain relevant, it is imperative that his superiors never find out we have him, and that he is cooperating with us. With his whole unit gone missing—if we follow Dalhu's suggestion and take his men out—his superiors are going to suspect that someone was providing us with inside information."
"Yes, but what else can we do?" Syssi said in a small voice. "If you don't do as he says, Amanda will become a prisoner in here. She would hate it." She darted a nervous look at Kian, unsure she had a voice in this discussion.
Silly girl, of course she did. For better or worse, she was now a member of the crew. Reaching for her hand under the table, he clasped it and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Annani smirked as if she was waiting for just this objection. "I gave it a lot of thought and came up with a plan."
Oh, hell. Kian knew he was not going to like it.
"Instead of taking them out, which will entail entombing them in our crypt, I will fuddle their memories so they will remember nothing of taking Amanda's picture from Mark's home or staking out Syssi and Michael, not even the raid on the lab."
Annani raised her hand to shush Kian's objections. "To fill the gap, I will double their memories of the search for immortal males in nightclubs. Which, by the way, is the reason reinforcements are coming."
Her eyes turning fierce, she looked at Kian. "They need more manpower to cover an area as large as Los Angeles and its adjoining cities. And on that note, we need to issue a warning for everyone to stay away from clubs that admit indiscriminately. With some added security, the higher class members-only clubs should still be fine."
His mother must've lost her mind completely. "If you think I'll let you anywhere near those animals, you have another thing coming. This is the most harebrained idea you've ever come up with, and that's saying a lot." He pushed to his feet and began pacing.
"There is no other way, Kian. Sit down, please."
Annani waited for him to obey her command. "I am the only one that can affect other immortals' minds, and I will not be going alone. Andrew will accompany me, and you together with the other Guardians will be nearby. Far enough so the Doomers will not sense your presence, but close enough if anything goes wrong. Not that I anticipate any trouble; their simple minds will be like putty in my hands. I am only suggesting the escort for your peace of mind."
"So you plan on just walking up to their front door and knocking?" Kian threw his arms in the air. "What then? What if one of them isn't there? What if this is an ambush?"
"I can ask the Doomer some questions," Andrew suggested. "If there is any subterfuge, he won't be able to hide it from me."
"And I am going to use a disguise," Annani chirped, excited by what she no doubt thought of as a fun game. "Do not assume that I have not thought this through. I have a great plan. Andrew will pretend to be a health inspector, checking the house for mold contamination, and I will be the nurse checking each of the occupants for signs of mold poisoning—erasing their memories while I am at it."
"What makes you think they will not slam the door in our faces?" Andrew asked.
"Easy, you will tell them the inspection was prearranged with Dalhu. If they refuse, they will have to vacate the house and be put in quarantine. A very aggressive mold is suspected, and if indeed detected, it must be neutralized before spreading to neighboring houses."
"Very clever. We can show them some fake documentation to validate our official status. Even an inspection order. With one phone call, I can have the real thing delivered here in less than an hour."
"Don't encourage her." Kian shot Andrew a murderous glare before shifting to Annani. "I am not going to allow it. We do not go to the extreme measures we do to keep you safe and to guard your whereabouts, only to have you march head first into danger, treating a potentially disastrous situation like some silly little game."
In the silence that followed, Andrew and Syssi held their breaths as Kian held his mother's angry gaze. Eventually, Annani smiled, but it was the insidious, ill-boding kind of smile he was, unfortunately, all too familiar with.
"It is going to be done, my son. Your options are to either offer me your help or not. Whatever you decide, it has no bearing on my decision. As I have stated before, I do not require your permission, nor your assistance."
Grinding his teeth as he struggled to contain his outrage and stifle the bellow in his throat, Kian felt his face muscles tighten. Knowing nothing he could say would change her mind, and hating that he was helpless to prevent this new disaster in the making, he turned to Syssi and Andrew with the faint hope that they might have a better chance of talking some sense into her stubborn head.
But by their expressions, it was obvious he was on his own. He wasn't sure, though, whether they were siding with Annani because they agreed with her, or because they feared the Goddess's wrath.
CHAPTER 19: ANDREW
"What health inspection?" The Doomer who’d opened the door was talking to Andrew but his eyes were trained on Annani's seductive smile.
Andrew flipped closed his inspector badge, which the Doomer had summarily ignored, and stuffed it into his jacket's inner pocket. Apparently, it had been a waste of time and resources to bother with obtaining authentic documentation. All that had been needed was a pretty girl with a smile. Not that Annani was a girl, but she sure as hell looked like one. And she had a killer smile.
Well, it wasn't a complete waste. With the badge and inspection order made and delivered on such a short notice, Andrew had gotten to show off his impressive resources and connections.
Puffing out his chest, Andrew cleared his throat. "It was all arranged with Mr. Dalhu. Could you please tell him that Mr. Wyatt from the health department and the nurse are here to check for the mold infestation? I've already explained everything once. I would rather not have to repeat myself." Andrew affected a haughty, impatient tone.
Without acknowledging Andrew, the Doomer smiled at Annani and stepped back. "Mr. Dalhu is indisposed at the moment, but if you cleared this with him, then by all means, come in." He extended his arm and with a dip of his head invited Annani to go ahead. Following her inside, he left Andrew to trail behind.
"How can I be of assistance? Miss.?"
"Rebecca… " Annani pointed to the name tag pinned to the lapel of her short nurse's dress. "Nurse Rebecca McBrie."
Annani's outfit looked dangerously close to a naughty nurse's costume, even though it was the real thing and had been purchased from a de facto nursing sup
ply store.
Cinched with a matching belt, the white dress accentuated Annani's tiny waist, and with its top buttons unfastened, the top of her braless breasts were enough to cause a riot. White pantyhose and flat, white shoes completed the fetching outfit. She had tied her voluminous red hair in a loose bun, leaving a few wayward strands to frame her stunning face.
The Doomer was practically drooling, enthralled even before the Goddess used any of her formidable powers.
Apparently, she didn't need to.
Gazing up at the tall guy, Annani said, "Any room with a chair would do. And a door. I need to take skin and blood samples from each occupant." She smiled and winked. "In privacy." She touched the guy's chest.
The Doomer sucked in a breath. "Of course, let me show you to the study." He reached for her arm.
"Hold on…" Andrew stayed the guy’s hand. "First, I need to collect a few samples from the walls, and Nurse Rebecca is not allowed to draw blood unsupervised. Standard protocol." He'd promised Kian not to let her out of his sight. Not that he would've even without that promise. "Please, assemble the home's occupants first, and once everyone is here, we'll go ahead and test each one individually."
The Doomer narrowed his eyes and scrutinized Andrew for a long moment as if just realizing that there was someone besides Nurse Rebecca in the room.
Andrew managed to look down his nose at the guy with all the self-importance of a pompous city official, but as the seconds ticked off, he tensed, expecting the Doomer to smarten up and turn them away.
"What is your name, big guy?" Annani touched the guy's bicep. "Oh, my, you must work out, like a lot. Look at those arms." She brought her other palm and tried to connect the fingers of her tiny hands around the muscle he was now flexing for her. "I cannot encircle it even with both my hands… the fingers do not meet… so strong…" she gasped.
"Edward." The Doomer grinned like an idiot, Annani's somewhat odd speech pattern escaping his notice as he flexed both arms for Nurse Rebecca to squeeze and ooh and ah over.
Hell, with how he was ogling her, a gorilla could've been crapping in the middle of the room and he wouldn't have noticed.