Dark Operative_The Dawn of Love

by I. T. Lucas

  “I haven’t been there yet, but I imagine it does.”

  Robert came out of the kitchen with a tray in his hands and put it on the table, then sat down across from Sharon. “Who were you talking to about Carol?”

  “Carol herself. Why?”

  “Did she say anything about me?”

  Julian wondered if he should excuse himself and leave the two to talk. In his opinion, Robert should have told Sharon about Carol before she found out about it from someone else.

  “She said congratulations and that you’re a great guy and that I’m a lucky girl. She is very nice.”

  “Yes, she is.”

  Sharon narrowed her eyes. “Is there anything you want to tell me, Robert?”

  Julian put his napkin on the table and cleared his throat. “I think I’m going to watch a game in my old room.”

  “Sit!” Sharon pointed to his chair. “Robert?”

  “We were together for a while, Carol and I. It didn’t work out.”

  “Oh.” She shrugged. “Her loss.”

  Julian exhaled a breath. “That’s right.”

  “I’ll tell you about it some other time. It’s a long story.” Robert got busy cutting the chicken.

  “It’s fine, Robert. I don’t need to hear about every one of your previous girlfriends. It’s not like you want to hear about mine, right?”

  “Your girlfriends? I would love to hear all about them.”

  She chucked a piece of bread at him. “You know what I mean. You don’t tell me about yours, and I don’t tell you about mine. It’s healthier this way.”

  Julian didn’t agree, but it was none of his business.

  “There isn’t much to tell.” Robert put a piece of chicken on Sharon’s plate. “Other than Carol and you, there was no one else.”

  A snort escaped Julian’s throat before he had a chance to choke it down. He’d heard about Robert’s track record. The guy had gone through most of the keep’s females.

  Sharon cut a piece of chicken and speared it with her fork. “I find that hard to believe. You’re too good-looking to be left alone. And since most everyone here is related to each other, you must’ve been quite the catch.”

  “It was meaningless.”

  Julian cleared his throat again. “Guys, could you please wait with the confessions until I’m gone? This is really something the two of you should talk about in private.”

  7

  Eva

  “It’s beautiful here.” Eva threaded her arm through Bhathian’s as they walked toward Nathalie and Andrew’s new home. It was getting dark outside, and there were no street lamps, and no lights shining through the windows of the few inhabited houses to illuminate the trails meandering in between them.

  To keep the village hidden from above, pre-programmed rolling shutters descended to cover the panes as soon as the sun came down. It was good that immortals had excellent night vision and could manage even in the darkest of nights when the moon and stars were hidden under cover of clouds.

  “I can imagine us taking daily evening walks,” Bhathian said. “But unlike on our Venice strolls, there won’t be anyone for you to practice thralling on.”

  “I can’t believe I still didn’t master it.”

  “That’s because you don’t get enough practice. Given the prohibition on thralling for advantage, most females are not as good at it as the males.”

  “Makes sense.”

  Thralling was allowed only for the purpose of hiding immortals’ existence from humans, which meant that males were allowed to thrall their human partners after biting them. They had to start as soon as they became sexually active and this ensured lots of practice. Females had nothing to hide except for their superior strength, but that was easy to explain away.

  A venomous bite was another story.

  Other than that, thralling was not allowed unless it was an emergency, so naturally, there were not a lot of opportunities for females to practice it.

  “That’s their house, right?” Bhathian pointed.

  The houses all looked similar despite the architect’s attempt to mix things up. Some had two bedrooms and some three, some had only one story, and some had two. But the style was consistent, and it would take time for the occupants to customize their front lawns and give each home a more individual feel.

  “That’s the one.” Eva pointed. “It’s the only house with two trees up front.”

  “Thanks for pointing it out. Easier to remember.”

  The door was flung open as soon as they stepped onto the short walkway leading up to the front steps.

  Nathalie shifted the baby higher on her hip. “Look who is here, Phoenix. Say hello to Grandma and Grandpa.”

  Phoenix smiled a cute toothless smile and lifted a chubby hand, opening and closing her tiny fist in an invitation for them to come closer, or rather to Bhathian who had lately become her favorite. Obviously, the baby’s night vision was excellent, just another indicator that she’d transitioned successfully.

  The story of how it had been done, however, still seemed suspicious to Eva. She doubted Annani’s presence alone had been responsible for the baby’s transition.

  Eva wasn’t a doctor, but it didn’t make sense to her that what worked for the girls didn’t work for the boys.

  Whatever the real story was, though, the other immortals either didn’t know it or diligently guarded the secret.

  After the hugs and handshakes were done, Nathalie handed Phoenix to Bhathian who’d been waiting with open arms and a goofy grin on his face.

  “Let’s open a bottle of champagne,” Nathalie said. “This calls for a celebration.”

  “Can I have any?” Eva asked.

  “I don’t know. Maybe you can because you’re an immortal. I wasn’t when I was pregnant with Phoenix.”

  Eva waved a hand. “I can skip it. It’s not worth the risk. Do you have sparkling water?”

  “I do.”

  “Take a seat.” Andrew motioned to the couch. “Amanda and Dalhu are coming too. I hope you don’t mind.”

  Eva sat next to Bhathian, who was oblivious to everyone other than the happy baby in his arms. “Of course not. How are they enjoying their new place?”

  “Dalhu’s started painting landscapes.” Andrew handed her a tall glass of sparkling of the non-alcoholic variety.

  “Are they any good?”

  He put a champagne glass on the coffee table next to Bhathian. “I think they are, but then what do I know? He says they are crap.”

  A knock on the door announced the aforementioned guests.

  “That must be them.” Nathalie rushed to open the door.

  “Hello, everyone.” Amanda sauntered into the room with Dalhu walking in behind her holding up a large paper-wrapped canvas.

  “What’s that?” Nathalie asked.

  “A housewarming gift.” Amanda motioned for Dalhu to put the canvas against the wall.

  “But I didn’t get you anything.”

  “There is no need, darling. This was our pleasure, or rather Dalhu’s.”

  The guy flashed one of his rare smiles and tore the paper off the canvas.

  Eva gasped. “Oh my God, how adorable!”

  “Amazing!” Bhathian echoed her sentiment.

  Whoever was familiar with Dalhu's work would have immediately recognized Phoenix’s portrait as his. The guy had a unique ability to showcase a person’s inner soul together with the corporal body housing it.

  Phoenix’s eyes shone with intelligence and curiosity, while her lopsided smile suggested a sense of humor and a mischievous streak.

  Without preamble, Nathalie wrapped her arms around the big guy and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. You’re incomparable.”

  “That’s what I keep telling him,” Amanda said.

  Dalhu’s olive skin got a shade darker. “It was my pleasure. Your daughter is a wonderful subject. I plan to make a few more portraits of her. Perhaps when she is a little older, though.”

  Nathal
ie let go of Dalhu’s neck. “Yeah, I hope Phoenix will have more hair in her next portrait.”

  “According to Syssi, she’ll have your hair, thick and wavy,” Andrew said.

  Nathalie had told Eva that Syssi had dreamt or had a vision about Phoenix long before Andrew and she had met. Syssi also had a foretelling about Eva’s boy, but regrettably, she hadn’t volunteered any details, and Eva didn’t want to ask. Not because she wasn’t curious, but because the subject was painful for Syssi. Kian’s wife had hoped that the boy in her dreams was hers, but Eva’s pregnancy announcement had shattered those dreams.

  “Syssi never told me what our boy would look like, but maybe it’s better that way. It still freaks me out to know we are having a boy without the benefit of ultrasound.”

  “You can have one, you know. Bridget has the equipment,” Nathalie said.

  Eva waved a dismissive hand. “It’s too early.”

  “Not really, Mom. You’re starting to show.”

  She was, a little. “I’ll wait until I’m five months pregnant. That's when I had my first ultrasound with you.”

  “That’s because you always wait with everything until the last possible moment. Like with the wedding. Don’t you think it’s time?”

  Eva cast a sidelong glance at Bhathian. She’d promised him the big wedding he wanted but hadn’t specified when, other than sometime before the baby was born.

  “I’m still waiting for Nick to transition. I want him to be at my wedding.”

  “What if he doesn’t turn?”

  “He will. I was right about Tessa and Sharon, and I’m right about him.”

  Bhathian shifted Phoenix to his other arm. “Someone needs to give that boy some pointers. Ruth is too shy to initiate it, and so is he. At this rate, they will still be circling each other when our baby is born.”

  “Jackson is perfect for that.” Nathalie chuckled. “That boy is so good he is dangerous. Girls everywhere should be grateful to Tessa. By taking him off the market, she prevented a lot of broken hearts.”

  Amanda got up and walked over to the couch. “We need to throw you a bachelorette party.” She sat next to Eva. “We can have it at my house. Your girls are transitioned, so that’s not a problem, they can come over here. But if you want strippers, we’d better do it at your place.”

  “Anandur will gladly strip for you girls,” Andrew said. “He did it at Kian’s bachelor party. It was hilarious. I almost peed my pants.”

  “What’s the fun in that?” Amanda crossed her arms over her chest. “Other than Eva and Nathalie, none of us girls want to see our cousin strip.”

  “Who said I want to see that?” Nathalie snorted.

  Poor Anandur. He was a nice guy and very handsome. There was no reason to put him down like that. Eva felt like coming to his defense. “I wouldn’t mind. He is good-looking, and he is funny.”

  Bhathian growled.

  She patted his knee. “Not nearly as good-looking as you.”

  “But I’m not funny.”

  “You compensate for that in other areas.” She winked.

  “It’s settled then,” Amanda said. “Since it seems that none of you party poopers are interested in strippers, we are going to have it at my house. Next Saturday good?”

  “What’s the rush?” Eva asked. “And what do I need a bachelorette party for anyway?”

  Amanda pointed at her belly. “We need to plan your wedding, silly. It’s not going to get done unless someone starts moving things along. You want to walk down the aisle, or wobble?”

  Ugh, as far as she was concerned, Eva was already married, but she’d promised Bhathian a proper wedding.

  Looking at her mate, she asked, “How big do you want it, Bhathian? Are we talking the local clan, the entire clan, or only close family and friends?” She crossed her fingers hoping he chose the last option.

  “The entire clan is my family, but I don’t need everyone to be there. I think people have had enough weddings lately to satisfy them for a while.”

  Amanda huffed. “That’s what you think. Everyone loves a party.”

  “It’s a security nightmare.”

  “We have lots of Guardians now.” Amanda walked over to Bhathian and made funny faces at Phoenix. “Tell Granddaddy that you want a big party because you can’t wait for everyone to see you and fall in love.”

  Phoenix opened her little mouth, smiled and cooed.

  “That’s right, baby. It’s time to learn how to make a grand entrance. Auntie Amanda is going to teach you how it’s done.”

  8

  Bridget

  “Tell me again why I need to meet with your clan’s judge?” Turner buttoned up his dress shirt. “Is that like a pre-citizenship interview?”

  Bridget handed him one of his ties, the dark blue one with thin gray stripes.

  How the hell was she going to explain it? Kian’s demand for Turner to undergo Edna’s probe was strange, to say the least. He hadn’t asked her to do so when he’d first hired Turner, relying on Andrew’s recommendations and his own gut instinct to entrust Victor with the knowledge of immortals’ existence.

  What had changed?

  What was he trying to find out now?

  Perhaps Kian was reassessing his decision to trust Victor?

  “Frankly, I don’t know. I think Kian’s paranoia is getting worse.” She looped the tie around Victor’s neck and tied the knot.

  “What has seeing the judge got to do with paranoia?”

  Crap, she wanted to avoid that part. It would be much more difficult for Victor to refuse the probe once they were there. If she told him now, he might decide not to go, and then they would have to have the unpleasant discussion about his induction ceremony depending on his cooperation with Kian’s latest craziness.

  “Edna is an excellent judge of character. Kian might be second-guessing his decision to trust you with our secrets and wants Edna’s opinion.”

  Turner shrugged on his suit jacket, adjusted his shirt collar, and smoothed his hand over the tie. “How do I look? Do you think the judge will be impressed?”

  “She’d better.” Bridget kissed his cheek. “You look very handsome.”

  “You forgot to mention suave.”

  “Naturally. You look very suave too.”

  In fact, since stopping the chemo, Turner looked great—healthy. It was an illusion because he wasn’t. Nevertheless, she didn’t have the heart to insist on him resuming the treatment, and she was too much of a coward to put him through a battery of tests to check if his condition had improved or worsened, or whether he was stable.

  That was why doctors should never treat family. But asking Turner to see his regular doctor was futile. He wouldn’t go. Not until he tried to transition and nothing happened, which was the most likely result.

  Roni, who was young and an excellent candidate, couldn’t transition while sick. Turner’s belief that he was special and would transition by some miracle was completely irrational. It baffled her how a man who worshiped logic could allow himself such wishful thinking.

  Before leaving their apartment, Bridget took a last glance at the mirror and fluffed up her hair.

  “You look beautiful,” Victor said as he closed the door behind her and locked it.

  “Thank you.”

  Living outside the keep was an adjustment. Bridget wasn’t used to locking her front door. Victor’s building was secure, but she still had her online orders delivered to the keep. Nothing ever got lost at the guard station downstairs.

  He shrugged. “No need to thank me. It wasn’t a compliment. It was a statement of fact.”

  Arguing with Victor about such nuances was futile. He just didn’t get them. “It must be the dress. Do you like it?”

  “I wasn’t talking about the dress, but now that you mention it, let me take another look.” He waited for the elevator doors to close before turning her around to face the mirror and standing behind her.

  “I like how it hugs your curves.” He smoothe
d his hands down her sides, eliciting a delightful shiver.

  She leaned back against him. “I’m surprised it fits so well. I ordered it online.”

  Buying the dress had nothing to do with the interview, but since Victor had chosen to wear a suit, Bridget couldn’t show up in her everyday clothes and had decided to dress up, including putting on high heels. Not that Edna would be impressed by any of it. Her eyes usually ignored the outer layer and went straight down to the soul.

  What was she going to see in Victor’s?

  He was a good man. After all, he was in the business of saving people’s lives. In her opinion, the fact that he was being paid for his rescue services was irrelevant. There were easier ways to earn a living.

  Training Roni was a point in Victor’s favor too. What he was doing for the kid was much more than martial arts coaching; he was offering his friendship, which was a big deal for both of them.

  “How is your training with Roni going?” Bridget asked as Victor pulled the Tesla out into the street.

  “Good. I enjoy it.”

  Since they’d moved into his apartment, he was slacking on his evasive maneuvers protocol, still driving through the mall’s parking lot on his way to and from the keep but no longer switching cars.

  Bridget wondered what had caused the change. It couldn't have been Junior’s capture. The guy was an amateur compared to Turner’s other enemies.

  But Victor had changed after the incident.

  Her cerebral man was no longer relying solely on pure logic. He was putting more and more faith in fate. It could not have been her influence because Bridget seldom invoked the Fates, and Turner didn’t hang out with other immortals enough to absorb their beliefs.

  It was all him. Her rock was crumbling.

  “Is Roni improving?”

  “He is not an athlete, that’s for sure. But I like spending time with him. I like his snarky sense of humor.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t bail out of it after returning to your more professional martial arts classes.”

  “I made the kid a promise. Besides, as I said before, I enjoy his company, and you know how rare that is for me. Other than you, and now Roni, I don’t like spending too much time with people.”