by I. T. Lucas
A tracker here and there, or one simple listening device he could get away with, but more missing equipment would trigger a red flag at accounting and he'd have internal affairs on his ass.
Still, keeping his job and at the same time helping the clan would be a tough gig to pull. He'd be working endless hours. And if he were to run missions for the clan, he'd have to miss work days at the agency.
As he had done for Amanda's rescue.
The long hours didn't bother him. It wasn't as if he had anything better to do with his life. Always better to keep busy than go home to an empty house and stare at the stupid tube until it was time to sleep.
The problem would be taking time off.
True, Andrew hadn't used his vacation days in God knows how many years, and he had accumulated quite a lot. Nevertheless, he would run out of them pretty quick if he went on missions for the clan.
He would have to make it work, somehow, because for the first time in God knows how long, Andrew was excited about something, anything, and it felt good.
CHAPTER 23: SYSSI
"Come in," Annani chimed.
Syssi would never get used to the quality of that voice.
Heavenly. As befitting a goddess.
"Good morning," she said as she opened the door to Amanda's apartment.
"And a lovely morning to you too. Did you have breakfast already, my dear?"
Judging by the dark sunglasses perched on her pert nose, Annani was about to take her breakfast out on the terrace.
It seemed the Goddess couldn't get enough of Southern California's sunshine. Not a big surprise considering her home was in Alaska. Still, with her sensitivity to the bright light, it must've been a mixed bag of goods.
"Yes, I did, but I would gladly have another cup of coffee." Syssi followed Annani out, joining her at the table that was being set by… not Onidu, but someone who must've been his brother.
More like a twin.
"How many brothers are there?" Syssi reached for the coffee press while sneaking a surreptitious glance at the guy, but she only got his profile.
"Brothers?" Annani tilted her head, her dark red brows arching above the black frame of her sunglasses.
"Onidu and Okidu and now… I'm sorry, I don't know your name…" As he turned, Syssi looked up at Annani's butler, searching his face for dissimilarities between him and his two other brothers.
"Oridu, Madame, at your service." He bowed at the waist. "Would there be anything else Mistress might require?" he addressed Annani.
"No, thank you." Annani sounded like she was choking down giggles.
"What's so funny?" Syssi asked as soon as Oridu disappeared inside.
"I see that Kian did not tell you. He must have forgotten in all the excitement," Annani chortled.
"Didn't tell me what?"
"The Odus, they are not brothers, well, at least not in a strict interpretation of the term, though they were probably made by the same person.”
Wasn't that the definition of brothers? Or half-brothers at the least?
Annani must've realized Syssi's confusion. "What I mean by made, is manufactured, constructed, not born of a mother and father."
"Like clones?" Syssi scooted to the edge of her seat. This was so exciting, though somewhat morally disturbing. But to see a living proof that cloning humans was possible? Mind-boggling.
"No…" Annani paused to think. "I guess their creator might have used some genetic material to build their outer shell. And if I would hazard another guess, it was probably his own."
She chuckled. "Funny, I often tried to imagine the genius behind the Odus, and yet, it never crossed my mind that he might have created them in his own image."
What Annani was trying to say was starting to sink in.
Except, no way…
"You mean that they are some kind of robots? It's impossible… or more accurately, impossible with current technology." But God only knew how… now, that's funny… how advanced the gods' technology had been.
"You are right. We do not have the technology either. The Odus are marvelous, practically indestructible, invaluable. They were a wedding present from my Khiann, and they were considered an ancient relic even then."
Khiann must have been the young husband Annani had lost so long ago. Her voice had faltered when she'd said his name. For her to mourn his death thousands of years later, their love must've been indeed legendary.
"And speaking of weddings…" Annani perked up. ""It is time we started to plan yours."
"Oh, no, Kian and I haven't discussed anything yet. It is way too early to be even talking about a wedding, let alone planning it."
"You mean to tell me that there is any doubt in either of your minds? Or that the subject did not come up?"
"No… and yes…" The damn blush was taking over her face again.
"I do not understand. Is it a no, or a yes?"
Oh boy, how to answer when she wasn't sure herself. "No, I don't have any doubts, and I'm pretty sure Kian doesn't either. And yes, the subject came up… sort of…"
"What do you mean, sort of? Has Kian proposed or not?" The Goddess leaned forward, her displeasure evident even behind the dark sunglasses.
Why? Oh, why? Did she have to probe like this? Like I'm going to tell her about Kian's pervy proposal.
Oh, hell, here goes nothing.
"He did, but I think it was meant as a joke." Syssi's ears were so hot they were in danger of catching fire.
Annani smiled and leaned back. "Then it is settled."
"But what if he was only joking?"
"Trust me, child, men do not joke about things like that."
Most men wouldn't. But Kian's kinky mind had been busy imagining her in nothing but stilettos and a collar, and attempting to make it sound less pervy, he had exchanged it for a diamond choker, throwing in the wedding ring as a bonus.
"I see you are still unsure." Annani pursed her lips and produced a smartphone from a hidden pocket in her dress. Before Syssi had time to process her intentions, the Goddess's small fingers flew over the screen and she pressed send.
"What have you done?" She would be so humiliated if Kian laughed at the idea. And why wouldn't he? It was absurd to talk about marriage so soon.
"Do not worry, my dear. I only asked Kian when and where he wants to hold the wedding."
As Syssi's mouth did an imitation of a fish out of water, Annani's phone pinged with a return message.
"That was quick…" Annani smiled as she lifted the phone from the table. "Let me read it to you; as soon as you can make the arrangements and get all clan members here. First wedding. We celebrate big."
"Can I see that?" Syssi wouldn't have put it past Annani to invent this.
The Goddess handed her the phone.
Yep, there it was, black on screen. "I don't know what to say." Syssi cradled the device. "Could you send me a screenshot? I want to save this."
"As soon as you give me my phone back." Annani chuckled.
Reluctantly, Syssi did. "Is Amanda still sleeping? I need to talk to her…" Syssi felt like she was falling down the rabbit hole again. She needed Amanda to keep her from going into full panic mode.
Why was all this talk about a wedding making her so anxious? It wasn't about second thoughts. Syssi had none. Kian was the only man she would ever want. It was just that everything was moving too fast.
What was the rush?
She wasn't pregnant, so why the shotgun wedding?
"No, Amanda is not here. My daughter decided to take some time off by herself." Annani sighed. "Poor girl…"
"Where? When?"
And how could she? The deserter. Apparently when the going gets tough, Amanda splits, probably to go shopping.
"She did not say. But Amanda has her phone with her so you can call her with the good news. I am sure she will love to help us plan the joyous event."
Planning any grand party, and Syssi's wedding in particular, was definitely something Amanda would love to sink h
er claws into, and she was much better suited for that than Syssi. Problem was, Syssi didn't feel ready for a wedding, even if someone else took over the preparations.
"Why the rush, though? I don't understand. Is it about propriety? I would have thought that your… " she corrected herself, "…our people don't concern themselves with things like that."
Annani sighed and leaned to take hold of Syssi's hand—the one holding a spoon and endlessly stirring creamer into her coffee. "My dear Syssi, I understand that you are overwhelmed and that everything is moving too fast. And considering that you and Kian have all the time in the world, literally, you do not understand why I am rushing you."
"Exactly…"
"In part because it is my nature. Once I make up my mind about something, I do not procrastinate, I do not examine and question my decision, I move forward. I trust my intuition because it is smarter than me."
Annani's eyes shone with ancient wisdom as she patted Syssi's hand. "Action is a forward movement, fear and procrastination are not. You have already made the decision to tie your life with my son's. Do not let fear hold you from moving forward."
"It's not about fear…" yeah, it was totally about fear. "I just prefer to progress at a slower pace."
Annani wasn't fooled. "Do not fret, child, trust your instincts."
Syssi sighed, she was going nowhere with the Goddess, and it seemed that resistance was futile when dealing with Annani. "So what is the other reason for the rush? You said it was only in part about moving forward…"
"Excitement, hope. Do you realize that your and Kian's will be the first clan wedding? The best cause for celebration we've had in ages? This is why Kian wants to invite everybody, and why the party we are going to plan must be grand—unforgettable."
Syssi felt herself relax a little. That kind of a party would take months to plan, maybe even a year, which would give her time to get used to the idea. And in the meantime, Kian would get to know her better, and hopefully still want to stay with her. The worst scenario she could imagine was if Kian regretted his decision. Which he still might, once they spent more time together.
"How long do you think planning and producing an unforgettable party will take?" Please say a year…
"To plan a ball for close to six hundred people, including travel arrangements for those who will come from out of town, we will need at least two weeks."
"Two weeks?" Syssi croaked.
"Maybe I could shave off a day or two, but no less than ten days."
Oh, boy, it was getting hard to breathe through the surge of panic. "My parents… are in Africa…" she managed a whisper, or rather a whimper… "My mother is a doctor, she cannot just get up and go on such a short notice, and travel is complicated."
"It is not a problem. We will send another doctor to cover for her in her absence and charter a private jet to bring your parents here. Same for their return trip."
Evidently, enough money could move things forward very quickly, and Annani was going to move mountains to have her grand celebration in two weeks or less. If Syssi wanted a say in her own wedding, she'd better stop chickening out.
If you can't fight them, join them. Right?
"What are we going to tell my parents?"
"About what, dear?"
"Who you are, who I am now, why the shotgun wedding…"
"We can pretend to be mortals, and you could tell them that you fell in love with a Scot, who comes from a large family, a clan, and that you are rushing the wedding because his mother has to return home, which is true. I cannot stay here indefinitely."
Syssi snorted. "Yeah, right. I can just imagine introducing you as Kian's mother. You look younger than him. And the rest of the clan? You think my parents wouldn't notice that everyone seems to be no older than thirty-five?”
"Yes, I see, you are right. Which means that you will have to tell them the truth, and then before they go home, someone will have to thrall them."
"Maybe I shouldn't invite my parents at all. Instead, I could send them a postcard from my fake honeymoon in Hawaii, informing them that I've eloped." Her parents would most likely prefer for her to do it this way. She would save them from being inconvenienced by their only daughter's wedding.
Bitter, much?
"It is up to you. Whatever you choose to do, Kian and I will support your decision. But if you decide not to invite them, just bear in mind that you are only getting married once, and later on you might regret not having them witness your wedding."
Yeah, Annani had a point. After all, it wasn't as if Syssi was estranged from her parents, or didn't love them. She shouldn't let her resentment over petty grievances cloud her judgment or influence such important decisions.
But on the other hand, the issue of them attending the wedding wasn't the only thing to worry about regarding her parents. In the long run, the real problem would be how to explain why she wasn't aging.
Makeup?
Refrain from seeing them altogether?
"I need to think about it."
"You do that, dear. But do not take too long, because if you decide to invite them, we will need time for the travel arrangements."
"Yes, I know."
"How about we ring Amanda now? If we are to pull it off successfully, we need her on board." Annani handed Syssi the phone. "Go ahead, call her," she prompted.
Syssi narrowed her eyes at the Goddess. "I see what you're doing. You want to lure her back with the wedding plans."
"But of course, what is wrong with that?"
"Absolutely nothing."
CHAPTER 24: AMANDA
On board the Anna, Amanda lounged on the top deck with a martini in one hand and a tablet in the other—reading the same paragraph for the third time.
Her mind just refused to stay focused on the romance novel, even though it was the latest release by one of her favorite authors. And it wasn't as if reading about someone else's love tribulations was upsetting her. After all, misery liked company. However, unlike the novel's protagonist, Amanda's problems wouldn't get resolved at the end of the three hundred and some pages, and her story had no chance of culminating with and-they-lived-happily-ever-after.
But her troubles, as grave and as daunting as they were, weren't the reason for her inattention.
Since her first moment onboard, Amanda couldn't shake the feeling that there was something fishy about Captain Geneva and her crew. And if these females were Alex's type, then there was something wrong with the guy as well.
The Anna's all female crew was an unpleasant bunch of butch lesbos if she ever saw one. The vibe they projected was absolutely nasty.
The gay part didn't bother her, and it wasn't as if anyone could accuse Amanda of having a prejudice against her own gender. To the contrary. Although she loved men for sex, she preferred the company of other women. And not only because she could carry on an intelligent conversation without lust scrambling her brain.
In her experience, and contrary to popular belief, women were by far more honest and trustworthy than men.
Unless they were vying for the attention of the same guy, then all bets were off. But when chasing tail, men weren't any better, and the whole bros-before-hoes was another urban legend.
At first, Amanda had thought she was imagining the nasty looks. Then, as Captain Geneva had made the introductions, and Amanda had realized all six women were Russian, she had speculated that cultural differences might've been responsible for the cold welcome.
Then again, she had known quite a few Russians in her day, and although a scowl was the Russians' most popular expression, the people she had met were also easy to joke and laugh with once they'd grew comfortable around her, especially after a few drinks. Not these girls, though. They'd remained unfriendly, if not outwardly hostile.
Apparently, onboard the Anna, the cold war was still on.
Except, she hadn't tried to get them drunk yet.
Hmm, alcohol might improve their predisposition. If she wanted to enjoy her trip,
she should throw a party and get the bitches drunk. Hopefully, the free booze would cure their hostility.
"Hey, Lana," she called the one who was supposed to be a stewardess. A tall, leggy blonde that kept an eye on her as if suspecting Amanda of planning to abscond with the silverware.
"What you want?"
Now, how is that for polite?
"Do you have a karaoke on board?"
"Why?" Lana of the many words asked.
"Maybe I want to throw a party, get you girls to loosen up a bit so you'll pull the sticks out of your butts."
"Ha, you lucky Alexander said to treat you nice."
"Or what?" Bring it on, bitch…
"Or you find out what happens to stupid American girls like you." Lana smiled menacingly.
"Lana!" Geneva barked. "Zat'knis!" Shut up.
"Shto?" What? Lana shrugged. "Ona nie ponimayu." She doesn't understand.
Oh, she understands all right, suka—bitch.
"Idi suyda," come here, Geneva commanded.
"B'lyad…" Fuck, Lana muttered and stomped up to Geneva.
The captain said nothing besides glaring and pointing a finger toward the stairs leading down. Once Lana disappeared down the stairwell, Geneva walked over to Amanda.
"I apologize for Lana's rudeness. She will be punished." Geneva dipped her head then pivoted on her heel.
"Wait…"
"What?"
"What are you going to do to her?"
"What disciplinary action I decide on is none of your concern, Dr. Dokani."
Oh, so now I am Dr. Dokani…how cordial.
"Look, Captain, Geneva, I don't know what's going on, but I don't understand why you are all so, how to put it nicely, bitchy. Did everyone go into her period at the same time or something? I heard it happens when several females live together."
"Again, I apologize. Is there anything I can do to make you feel more welcome?" Her eyes colder than a Siberian winter, Geneva looked like she was holding herself in check by a thread.
"Yeah, give everyone a bottle of vodka, I'll gladly pay for it. But seriously, what have I done to earn such animosity? I'm a pretty cool chick once you get to know me."