by I. T. Lucas
Kalugal turned to look at Kian over his shoulder. “Do you mind if we move into the vacant existing houses until our section of the village is ready?”
“You are welcome to move in whenever you want.”
“I will bring most of my men with me.”
“That’s fine. You can bring all of them.”
“I have to leave several behind to keep packing my artifacts.”
Kian put his hand on his shoulder. “No worries, cousin. Whatever you need is yours.”
“Thank you.”
“This calls for a celebration.” Kian clapped him on the back. “I’m going to get us cigars and whiskey.”
Jacki laughed. “Isn’t it too early?”
“It’s never too early for that,” Anandur grinned.
Kalugal couldn’t care less. Lifting Jacki off the ground, he strode over to the nearest chair and sat down with her in his arms. “I would love to later, but now I want to be with my wife.” He kissed her gently.
“Are you happy?” Jacki whispered.
“I’m equally happy and worried.”
“I wish you were only happy.”
“I can’t help it. You are more important than anything to me, and that includes our future children.”
“Don’t say that.” She put a finger over his lips. “When our child is born, you will change your mind, and he or she will become the most important person in the world to you. That’s the way it should be.”
“Not going to happen. You will always come first.”
“How romantic.” Anandur pretended to wipe off tears.
Amanda slapped his back. “Shut up, you big oaf.”
“Someone needs to tell Annani,” Syssi said. “She will be overjoyed.”
Kalugal’s eyes widened. “I need to tell my mother. What day is it today?”
“Tuesday,” Syssi said. “But whoever’s turn it is to talk to Areana next would gladly swap time slots with you. She should hear it from you and Jacki.”
Jacki’s expression turned somber. “Maybe you shouldn’t tell her just yet.”
“Why not?”
“It’s a human tradition to wait until the end of the first trimester to tell people about the pregnancy. I was so excited that I couldn’t help it and blurted it out. Perhaps I shouldn’t have.”
Amanda waved a dismissive hand. “Humans do that because many pregnancies are lost before the end of the first trimester, but that’s not the case with immortals. All the genetic sorting is done before pregnancy occurs. I don’t know of any immortal female who’s lost a pregnancy or even delivered a baby prematurely.”
Jacki let out a breath. “That’s good to know. Less things to stress about.”
Kalugal didn’t say a thing, but it occurred to him that since Jacki wasn’t fully transitioned yet, it might not be true for her.
Bridget must have thought the same thing, and that was why she wanted to keep a close eye on Jacki throughout the pregnancy, starting right away.
Pushing out of his arms, Jacki stood up. “Who wants to come with me to find Annani? I want to tell her in person.”
“I do.” Syssi rose to her feet. “In the meantime, the guys can enjoy their cigars and whiskey.”
Kalugal doubted that he could enjoy anything until Jacki delivered their child.
He would be too consumed by worry.
52
Syssi
“I’m so happy for you.” Syssi put her arm around Jacki’s waist. “And for Amanda and me as well. We will raise our children together.”
“We need a preschool,” Callie said.
Jacki lifted a brow. “For three babies?”
“That’s only the start. Doesn’t it strike you as strange that suddenly there are all these pregnancies when there were none for over twenty years?”
“You forgot about Phoenix and Ethan,” Amanda pointed out.
“I didn’t. I included them in the new wave of babies. I think that the Fates are smiling upon the clan not just with more Dormants, but also more children. I expect many more of both.” Callie smiled. “Kian must have had a gut feeling that this was about to happen. That’s why he kept building and developing new plots for what seemed like no apparent reason.”
“I wonder what their long-term plan is,” Amanda said. “The Fates weave an intricate tapestry.”
As they reached the castle’s store where Annani, Alena, and Wonder were looking through piles of tapestries, Syssi wondered whether there was something symbolic about what they were doing and what Amanda had said.
“I’m glad that you decided to join us,” Alena greeted them. “It’s so difficult to choose. They are all so beautiful.”
“We are not here for the tapestries.” Amanda threaded her arm through Alena’s. “Jacki has great news that I’m sure you’ll be delighted to hear.”
Annani put down the tapestry she’d been looking at. “Did David wake up?”
“Not yet. But he is off the ventilator, and his vitals are back to normal.” Amanda threaded her other arm through her mother’s. “As always, your blessing did its magic. But that’s not all.” She looked at Jacki. “Your turn.”
“I’m pregnant.” She blushed. “I just found out.”
Annani’s smile was bright enough to light up a stadium. “Thank the merciful Fates. I am so happy for you and Kalugal and for our entire clan. Every child is a blessing.”
Again, Syssi wondered about the symbolic connection. What if the two blessings were part of the tapestry the Fates were weaving?
Of course, they were. Everything was.
Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling that those two blessings were connected by a thick thread. They weren’t just random motifs in the Fates’ complicated tapestry.
“We should celebrate,” Annani offered.
“The guys are already doing that with cigars and whiskey on the terrace,” Amanda said. “We need a healthier alternative. How about we adjourn to the library and have the Odus bring us ice cream from the kitchen?”
One of the castle’s cooks made ice cream from scratch, and it was the best Syssi had ever tasted. Just thinking about it made her salivate.
“I love the way you think.” Alena pulled away from Amanda. “But first, we need to finish here. After making such a huge mess, we can’t leave without buying some tapestries.”
“No problem,” Syssi said. “We’ll wait for you in the library. When you are done, we will get the ice cream delivered.”
When they were out in the corridor, Callie fell into step with her. “Back to the preschool idea. We might only have a few kids coming right now, but we need to plan for more, and since you just started developing plans for the eastern slope, you should include a building for the preschool with the option to expand. We might want to provide the village children with elementary education as well. It’s risky to send small kids to a human school.”
“If we do that, we will need another playground as well.” The gears in Syssi’s head were gaining momentum. “Perhaps it’s a better idea to move some of the offices to the eastern slope and house the preschool in the office building.”
Callie scrunched her nose. “It could work, but it’s not the best solution. Even if we remodel that building, it will still look like offices and not classrooms. Children should have a colorful, happy place to thrive in.”
Syssi shook her head. “Even if we get more children, we don’t need two playgrounds. It’s depressing to look at when there are no children to play in it.”
“The solution is easy,” Jacki said. “Once the new place is ready, you can convert the existing playground into something else. It can become another outdoor sitting area.”
The gears in Syssi’s head spun faster. “Or a new restaurant. I want to put up one in the new development, but maybe this is better.”
Callie groaned. “Now I don’t know what I want to do more, open a restaurant or a preschool. Both are equally appealing.”
“Tough choice,” Jacki agreed. �
�I can work in the preschool.”
Syssi snorted. “As if Kalugal is going to allow you to have a job, especially while raising your child.”
“First of all, I’m not asking him. And secondly, I can do both. Working in a nursery is the best job for a mother.”
“Not necessarily.” Syssi rubbed her belly. “I want to give Allegra my undivided attention and enjoy raising her to the fullest.”
Amanda raised a brow. “Are you planning to quit your job?”
“Aren’t you?”
“No way. Dalhu is going to be the stay-home dad. I’m going back to work as soon as I can.”
“Kian is not going to be a stay-home dad, and I don’t want Okidu to raise my child. I plan on staying home for at least two years.” She scratched her head. “I will need to find something to do from home, though. As much as I’m looking forward to motherhood, I can’t imagine doing just that.”
Amanda was still shaking her head. “What am I going to do without you? How am I going to run the lab?”
“The same way you did before hiring me.”
“It’s not going to be as fun. I need you there. How about we hire a nanny to take care of our babies in the lab while we work?”
Syssi chuckled. “That’s a ridiculous idea, and you know it.”
“Not at all. We can section a portion of the lab off and turn it into a nursery.”
“Forget it, Amanda. How do you expect to conduct experiments with babies crying in the background?”
“Why would they? If they are fed and held, there will be no crying…” Amanda stopped her tirade mid-sentence. As a tear slid down her cheek, she angrily wiped it off. “Ignore me. I’m talking nonsense. We will figure something out.”
53
David
David was getting better. He was dreaming in vivid colors, and his dreams were the normal kind, not memories of past lives. And when he was awake, he could hear Sari talking to him, as well as Steven and another doctor who he assumed was the short redhead he’d seen when he’d floated above his body.
He’d been so damn close to passing to the other side.
If not for Jonah’s intervention, he would have done it. Even now, he still felt a sense of loss whenever he thought of it. The pull had been so strong, the promise of eternal love and peace so powerful that it competed with his love for Sari.
Did that mean that he didn’t love her enough?
But he’d chosen to stay. Wasn’t that proof that he loved her more than anything?
“Hello, David.” Jonah materialized in front of him. “Are you ready to wake up?”
“I don’t know. I think that I’m getting better, but since I can’t feel any part of my body, I’m not sure about it.”
“You are getting better.” Jonah sat next to him. “Try to focus and find that thread again.”
As David concentrated and turned inward, he saw the shimmering thread he was supposed to grab on to, but he didn’t go for it.
“If I wake up in the real world, will I get to see you again?”
Jonah shook his head. “This is goodbye, my brother.”
“I’m not ready to let go of you.”
“I know.” Jonah regarded him with sad eyes. “It’s difficult for me as well, but there are rules that we all have to follow.”
“Who makes the rules?”
“I can’t tell you that. But I can promise you that we will meet again. Who knows? Maybe I will reincarnate into your new family. Several of the ladies are expecting.”
“You said that you prefer the shorter life cycles of humans.”
“There are advantages and disadvantages to both. It’s not up to me to decide, but it might be nice to be born immortal and take a break from the never-ending cycle. Frankly, I’m tired of it.”
“Do you feel as if you’ve worked out your issues?”
Jonah chuckled. “You knew me in my last incarnation. Would you say that I had?”
“No, not really. I love you, but you were an asshole.”
“Precisely. That should have clued you in from the start that you couldn’t have been Gudbrand. You were always the good son, the one who studied hard and didn’t get into trouble. I was the rebel, the selfish brat who did whatever he wanted no matter who got hurt in the process.”
“You weren’t that bad. You had redeeming qualities as well.”
“Name one.”
“You were smart, charming, interesting, the life of the party. I was the boring twin.”
“Is that what you consider good qualities?”
“Sure. You made people feel good, they looked up to you.”
“I drove you nuts. I thought that you couldn’t stand me.”
“Nonsense. I always loved you, and I was jealous of you.”
Jonah arched a brow. “You were jealous of me? You were the handsome blond that all the girls were drooling over. Regrettably, I took after our father, in looks as well as in character.”
“Yeah, but all the girls thought that you were so sexy. Who lost his virginity first?”
Jonah laughed. “What can I say? Women have no taste, and they have a thing for assholes. You are a psychologist. Can you explain that?”
“Life was never boring with you. You were exciting, confident, strong, that was what drew people to you, not just women. I hope that you reincarnate into the clan as an immortal, so we can spend eternity driving each other nuts.”
Jonah looked surprised. “You really mean it.”
“Of course.” If he could cry, he would have shed a tear or two. Instead, he opened his arms. “Before you go, I need to hold you even if I can’t feel you.”
“You can.” Jonah leaned into him. “It’s an illusion, but so is the fabric of reality.”
For a long moment, they clung to each other like they had never done in life, and it felt so good that David was loath to let go.
“You have to.” Jonah’s form lost its solidity. “Let me help you find your way out. Are you ready?”
He wasn’t, but he nodded anyway.
“Remember, we will meet again.”
“How soon?”
“I can’t say.”
“You can’t because you are not allowed, or because you don’t know?”
“I don’t know.”
“I’ll pray for your return. I want you back in my life.”
54
Sari
Something was about to happen. Sari was sure of that.
The lightbulb over David’s bed flickered for no apparent reason, and even though it could have been a malfunction, Sari believed that it was an omen.
Except, David was lying still on his hospital bed, the machines were humming steadily, and other than the flickering light, everything was the same as it was an hour ago.
She was being silly, that was all.
Or maybe not.
If she believed that Annani’s blessing had helped David pull through, then why not believe that he was sending her signals in the form of flickering lights?
“David? Can you hear me?” She gently squeezed his limp hand.
There was no response, not even a twitch.
Sari sighed. “I’m losing my freaking mind. My stomach is churning excitedly as if you are going to wake up at any moment, but I have nothing to base it on.”
Did she imagine it, or did one of his eyelids just flutter momentarily?
“Are you trying to open your eyes?” She looked closely to make sure that she wasn’t imagining it.
And there it was again, the same slight flutter. “I need to call Bridget in here.”
One of the fingers of the hand she was holding twitched. She felt it.
“You moved your finger, David. If you can, do it again.”
The finger twitched once more.
Sari gasped. “Sweet, merciful Fates.” She turned toward the open door. “Bridget! Come in here. David is waking up!”
The doctor rushed in, her eyes going to the monitors first. “What did you see?”
“His left eyelid fluttered, and his right pointer finger twitched.” Sari lifted their conjoined hands.
“It might have been involuntary movements.”
As Bridget came closer, both of David’s eyelids fluttered, he groaned, and then his eyelids lifted all the way, only to slam shut again.
“It’s too bright in here.” Bridget rushed to the light switch and dimmed the illumination. “You can open your eyes now, David.”
Slowly, as if it required a monumental effort, his eyelids lifted a millimeter at a time.
“Welcome back, my love.” Sari croaked through a choked-up throat.
His hand lifted a little and then dropped back. “Why?” he murmured.
“Why am I crying? Because I’m so relieved.”
Steven rushed into the room. “I saw it on the application. Welcome back, David. You have no idea how happy I am to see you on this side. Losing my first transitioning Dormant would have killed my reputation.”
Bridget rolled her eyes. “It’s too crowded in here, Steven. Please wait outside.”
When the young doctor left, she smiled apologetically. “I need to have a talk with him about his bedside manner.” She turned to the sink, filled a cup with water, stuck a straw in it, and handed it to Sari. “You can give David a little to drink.”
When he took a small sip, she smiled at him. “We haven’t been introduced. I’m Doctor Bridget.”
“Nice to meet you.”
He retook the straw and finished the entire cup. “Can I have more?”
His voice was so weak that it made Sari want to cry. Instead, she forced a smile and handed the empty cup to Bridget.
The doctor refilled it and then handed it back to Sari. “Go slow this time. You don’t want to throw up on the bed.”
“Am I immortal now?”
“We will know soon enough. There is no rush.” Bridget looked at Sari. “I will leave the two of you alone for a few minutes, and then I’ll get Steven to come in and unhook all the wires.”