by I. T. Lucas
As to the visions, she was done with that. No more courting those. She could do nothing about them when they came out of the blue, but there was no reason to actively seek them.
No more visits to the famous medium either.
When Nathalie was ready, she could go see Madam Salinka and learn how to deal with her ghosts. As of late, Mark was her only visitor. Nathalie was perfectly fine with him popping in and out of her head, but his comments about keeping the bad spirits at bay had scared the crap out of her. Not that Syssi blamed her. Mark could cross over at any moment and leave Nathalie exposed. The sooner she learned how to block those nasty ghosts the better.
It didn’t take Syssi long to get ready, and an hour later they were sitting in their favorite private enclave and going over the revamped menu.
Syssi shook her head. “Gerard must’ve gone through another of his culinary crises. I don’t recognize any of these items.”
Kian seemed unfazed. “He can’t afford to become boring or predictable. His finicky clientele would abandon him.”
“After the membership fee they paid? I don’t think so. It was a brilliant move. Guaranteed repeat business.”
A chuckle bubbled up from Kian’s chest. “For most of the people here, the cost is insignificant.”
She crossed her arms under her chest. “If they are so rich, they should donate that money to charity.”
“The word doesn’t work that way. Most of them donate plenty. That’s what all those charity balls are for. What’s the fun donating extravagant amounts if they can’t show off to their rich friends?”
Syssi uncrossed her arms. “I don’t mind that. Whatever they get out of it is fine. Fame, admiration, I don’t begrudge them these thrills. What’s important is that the people who need the help get it.”
Kian reached across the table and took her hand. “My sweet Syssi. I love how practical and level-headed you are.”
She smiled at her husband and squeezed his hand back.
He would disagree, but Kian was so sweet. He never failed to compliment her on every little thing. So yeah, he was often late to dinner, and sometimes he worked in his home office long after she’d fallen asleep, but his love for her was ever present and unwavering. For a guy that didn’t smile much and had a quick temper, the joy he expressed at just being with her was all the more precious.
“Thank you for taking me out. I needed that.”
“I should have done so sooner. But you know me, I want to make you happy, but sometimes I just don’t know how. Clueless as usual.”
“Oh, Kian.” She reached for his other hand. “You make me happy just by loving me. You don’t need to do anything special. Some things are just beyond your control.” She smirked. “I know how hard it is for you to accept that you’re not omnipotent and all knowing.”
His eyes peeled wide as he pretended shock. “I’m not? I think I’m plenty potent.” He waggled his brows.
“You are plenty potent, just not omnipotent.”
“I wish I was.” His expression got serious. “I wish I could protect you from your visions. And more than anything I wish I could give you the baby you want.”
It dawned on her then that she hadn’t been the only one suffering. Her misery had been affecting Kian as well.
Time to toughen up, girl.
It was one thing to wallow in self-pity all by her lonesome, but dragging Kian down was another. It was her duty as the clan leader’s mate to provide him support, not weaken him.
They were a team.
“We will have our baby. Eva pointed out that she was forty-five when she got pregnant for the first time, and she hadn’t been using any contraceptives because she’d thought she was barren. I’m still young, even in human terms. I shouldn’t be obsessing about babies yet.”
Kian looked as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and he winked. “I don’t mind keeping trying.”
“Me neither.”
“Good. Let’s go home and practice.”
She laughed. “We didn’t eat yet.”
“Right. After we eat. You’ll need your energy.”
When their dinner arrived, Kian wolfed down everything on his plate in record time. The new menu items they’d ordered were unsurprisingly excellent, but Syssi had a feeling his haste had more to do with wanting to get her home than with hunger.
“Gerard is a true culinary genius,” she said, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
Kian nodded. “An unparalleled talent with an attitude to match.” He leaned closer. “To call him a prima donna is a polite understatement.”
True. The guy was a pompous ass. The way he’d treated Carol when she asked for an apprenticeship had been despicable. If Gerard had been more accommodating and less insulting, Carol might have not chosen a new career path as a spy.
It was so scary to think of the pixy blond in the midst of the hornets’ nest that was the Doomers’ base, alone, with no support and no one to rescue her if needed.
“I worry about Carol. If there is one reason I would consider courting visions again, it would be to try and foresee her future.”
“Carol is not going anywhere yet. First, she’s not ready. Second, until we figure out how to communicate with her and find a means to extract her if necessary, I’m not green-lighting the mission.”
“Good. Please keep me in the loop. I’ll sleep better knowing what’s going on with her.”
“I will.”
An uneasy expression flitted across Kian’s handsome features, and Syssi wondered what he was trying to shield her from.
“What is it? What are you hiding from me?”
“I don’t want to upset you.”
She rolled her eyes. “Come on, out with it.”
“Robert came to see me today and showed me a news article about a series of murders. Someone is biting women and leaving them to bleed to death.”
That was horrible. “Doomers?”
“That was my first thought too, but Robert pointed out that killing females is not their way. He said that it could be any immortal male gone crazy, and I had to agree since it’s not the first time something like that has happened.”
“Are you talking about Dracula?”
“It was a dark time in our history.”
Syssi frowned. “Where were the bodies found?”
“The article didn’t say. The police are not releasing much information yet. Why?”
“Maybe the deaths in my vision were of these women? The first victims I saw were all female. After that the vision got blurry, and I couldn’t tell anymore. I was so sure the vision was about us, but maybe it was about what’s going on now.”
“It could be. I put Onegus in charge of the investigation, and Andrew is looking into it as well, trying to dig out whatever information the authorities are hiding. We will know more tomorrow.”
As a shiver ran through her, Syssi rubbed at her exposed arms. “Poor women. I hope he is not one of ours.”
Chapter 24: Brundar
“What’s up with you, bro?” Anandur opened the bathroom door and leaned on the jamb.
His brother had no respect for personal boundaries.
“Get out.” Brundar snapped a towel off the hanger and wrapped it around his hips.
“If I do, you’ll just slink out like a shadow, and I’ll miss the opportunity to bond with my little brother.”
“What do you want, Anandur?”
“You’re acting strange lately. Let me rephrase. You’re acting stranger than usual.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Denial was the best defense. Telling Anandur anything was like announcing it to the entire clan.
To be fair, the guy knew how to keep a secret when it was important, but anything involving Brundar and a woman was too juicy a bit of gossip for Anandur to keep to himself.
“I’m smelling a woman.”
Without thinking, Brundar sniffed at his body, searching for Calypso’s scent. It dawned on him then
how ridiculously he was acting. He’d just stepped out of the shower. Besides, like any other immortal male, he often returned home smelling of a woman. Nothing unusual about that. But the only one who came to his mind was Calypso, even though they never touched more than hands.
He frowned at his brother. “What if I am?”
Anandur chuckled. “I meant figuratively. Wrap a towel over that hair of yours. You’re dripping all over the floor.”
He was. Catching the long strands, Brundar leaned over the sink and wrung his hair out.
“Want me to blow dry it for you?” Anandur teased.
Brundar ignored the obnoxious oaf and stepped into his closet to get dressed.
Looking at his sparse selection, he wondered what should he wear for his appointment with the judge.
Should he put on dress slacks?
Edna always managed to unnerve him and disturb his equilibrium. Though not as much as Calypso, and for different reasons. Brundar did his best to stay as far away as possible from the Alien Probe.
His secrets were no one’s business, and Edna didn’t always ask before probing people’s emotions and intentions. It was different from thralling, and in her defense, she only did it for the right reasons, but it was disconcerting nonetheless.
When it came to the clan’s safety, Edna had no qualms about probing. She’d done it to Syssi without the girl’s permission. Worse, she hadn’t even asked Kian’s. Apparently, even their almighty regent was afraid of reprimanding the judge because as far as Brundar knew, Kian hadn’t done anything about it. Not publicly. Maybe he’d had words with Edna privately.
Anandur followed Brundar into the closet, eyeing the gray dress slacks he was pulling on. “Where are you going?”
“None of your business.” Brundar grabbed a white button-down off the hanger and shrugged it over his shoulders.
Anandur crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re neglecting Carol’s training.”
Brundar stopped with his fingers poised over a button. It was true. Over the past week, he’d canceled three training sessions in a row. Then again, Carol wasn’t taking the training as seriously as she should.
Until she was willing to kill, he wasn’t going to invest more time in her training and definitely not going to authorize her for any missions. “She needs to make up her mind whether she is in all the way or not.”
Anandur frowned. “I thought she was.”
“She did too. Until I told her she would need to kill an animal and take its heart out.”
Anandur cringed. “Ouch. No wonder she is having second thoughts. Carol is a lover, not a fighter.”
“She needs to be both to have a chance in hell to get out alive from where she is going.” His dress socks in hand, Brundar glanced at his brother. “No objections?”
“No. You’re right. Target practice and real life are two different things. She needs to toughen up.”
Brundar pulled a pair of black loafers off the shelf and blew on them to remove the dust. He hadn’t worn those since the last wedding he’d attended.
Should he wear a jacket? The only place he could hide knives under his dressy outfit was strapping them to his calves. If he put a jacket on, he could strap some to his back and front as well.
“Feeling naked without your toys?” Anandur knew him well.
Brundar tapped the numbers on the combination lock securing his metal weapons closet and took out only two small blades. Edna would appreciate him showing up practically unarmed.
“Not now, I don’t.” Brundar adjusted his pants over the hidden weapons.
“Do you want me to help with Carol?”
“Doing what?”
“I can get her to kill something.”
Maybe. But Brundar didn’t trust the big softie. Anandur would do the killing and give Carol credit.
“No. Kian entrusted her training to me.” Using his fingers, Brundar combed his long hair away from his face and secured the long ponytail with a stretchy piece of leather string.
“I promise I won’t cheat. It’s going to be her kill.”
Brundar eyed his brother suspiciously. “What makes you think you’ll succeed in convincing her to do it while I couldn’t?”
“A little humor and supportive attitude will help ease her into it. The first time is the toughest. The next one is not going to be as difficult. It takes time to turn someone into a cold-hearted killer. Especially a female.”
Brundar arched a brow. He’d been turned into one overnight. Except it had been in his nature, and only needed the right catalyst. Carol, on the other hand, had suffered much worse than he had but was still averse to killing. She wasn’t born with the right instincts.
It was an interesting thought. “Maybe she doesn’t have it in her? If we push her too hard, she’ll break. Carol needs to decide for herself.”
Anandur scratched his bushy beard. “As unbelievable as I find you having such insight, I have to agree. I’ll talk to Vanessa, and ask her if I should bring Carol for an evaluation. We need a professional’s opinion.”
“Thank you.” Brundar passed his brother on his way out.
“You’re welcome. You know I always have your back.”
Brundar stopped with his hand on the door handle and turned around. “I know.”
Chapter 25: Brundar
“Come in,” Edna called out when Brundar knocked on her office door.
He pushed it open and strode in. “Thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice.” Brundar’s tongue twisted in his mouth as he forced himself to address the judge politely. Not only because he needed to ask a favor, but because she’d chewed him out for his laconic speech patterns before. As an attorney, Edna appreciated clarity and exact usage of language.
He’d do all the tongue twisting necessary, including reciting poetry if it helped him avoid the trap of her hypnotic eyes. Even without actively probing, the woman saw too much.
“That’s what I’m here for. What can I help you with, Brundar?”
“A friend of mine needs to file for a divorce, and she’s short on cash.”
Edna’s brows lifted in sync with the corners of her lips. “You’ve got a friend?”
Brundar shifted in the uncomfortable chair. Everyone knew he didn’t have any.
Was Calypso a friend?
Probably the closest he’d got to anyone since he was a kid, but that didn’t make her a friend. “An acquaintance.”
“You need to tell me more, Brundar.”
He’d been expecting that. “She is married to an abusive jerk and fears for her life. I helped her make a clean exit, and I’m helping her hide from him. She wants a quick divorce. There are no children involved. She took half of their cash savings and wants nothing more from him. The house they bought together can stay his, and she is not asking for support.”
As Edna regarded him with her old, pale blue eyes, Brundar focused his gaze on the top of her forehead.
“What is your involvement with her? Did you influence her in any way to leave her husband?”
He’d been expecting that line of questioning as well. Hopefully, Edna would believe him and not try to push her ghostly tentacles into his head to check his veracity.
“I didn’t thrall her. I only told her what she already knew. Her husband is manipulative, controlling, dangerous, and unstable. Up until now he only took out his anger on inanimate objects, but that’s about to change. I allowed myself a quick peek into his mind. He’ll rather kill her than let her go.”
Edna nodded. “With no kids and no property to divide it’s going to be a simple procedure. I can file the paperwork for her.”
“Thank you.”
“Naturally, I need her to come see me.”
“I can bring her to your outside office.” The one she kept for her dealings with humans.
The judge brought up her schedule on the screen. “Can she come at two o’clock?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” Edna smiled. “I’m g
lad you finally found someone.”
“It’s not like that. I’m just helping her out. She is human.”
“No special talents?”
He shook his head. “None. She is an ordinary, young human female.” Calypso was nothing but ordinary to him, but Edna didn’t need to know that.
“I’ll see you both tomorrow.” She rose to her feet, her baggy slacks too long, their bottoms pooling over her sensible Oxfords. “I’m curious to see the girl that managed to penetrate the shields of our most formidable warrior.”
Brundar couldn’t help the wince that twisted his lips. His strategy hadn’t worked, and Edna had read him as if he was an open book.
Unnerving woman.
“As I said, she is only an acquaintance. Someone who needs my help.”
Edna patted his arm, her sad eyes getting sadder as he flinched away from her touch. “Sometimes all that’s needed is a small initial spark. You deserve to have someone care for you. Other than your brother, that is.”
“Goodbye, Edna. And thank you again.”
Out in the corridor, Brundar exhaled the breath he’d been holding, his shoulders sagging in relief. The worst part was over. Tomorrow, when he brought Calypso with him, Edna was going to focus on the girl and leave him alone.
The next step was to ask Onegus for a half day off. Filling in the paperwork would probably take up the entire afternoon.
When he entered the chief Guardian’s office, Onegus looked him over. “Going to a funeral?”
“I need half a day off tomorrow. I can be here until one o’clock, but someone needs to take over my evening classes, or I can cancel them.”
Onegus knew better than to ask what Brundar needed the time off for, but his eyes were full of curiosity. “I don’t have anyone to fill in for you. You’ll have to cancel.”
Brundar nodded. “I’ll take care of it.” He walked out of Onegus’s office and pulled out his phone to send a message to his trainees.
On second thoughts, though, there was someone who could teach a couple of self-defense classes for him.
She answered on the third ring.