by I. T. Lucas
“Awesome.” Jin sat down. “I mean, it’s not good for you that you don’t have enough projects coming in, but it’s good for Mey and me. How would you like to join our team?”
“As what?”
When Jin had called and asked to meet at the café, Stella had a pretty good idea what it was all about.
Jin and Mey’s dream was a clothing line for tall women, but neither had design experience. And since the bridesmaids' dresses that Stella had designed for Jacki’s wedding had been such a big success, they assumed that she could do just as well with everyday clothing and wanted to offer her a job in their company.
Stella wasn’t interested, but it was a good opportunity to ask Jin about her relationship with Richard in the government program that they had both escaped.
He was a touch telepath, but he claimed not to be a very good one, and as proof, he’d brought up Jin’s secret escape plans. Supposedly, he hadn’t known about them despite the two being a couple at the time.
Before letting Richard get closer, Stella had to make sure that what he’d told her was true.
Her secret could never be revealed, and she had to verify that Richard’s touch telepathy was indeed too weak to uncover it.
So far, she’d only let him hold her hand briefly, using his liaisons with other clan females as an excuse for her reluctance to get intimate. But now that he was no longer being auctioned, that excuse was gone.
Besides, she wanted their relationship to progress to the next step no less than he did. She found Richard most desirable, and the only reason he wasn’t aware of it was his inferior human sense of smell.
“The head designer, of course.” Jin leaned forward and whispered, “I don’t have the heart to tell Mey that she’s not professional enough, but if you are the head designer and everything goes through you, you can either fix what she does wrong or discard it altogether.”
“I’m flattered by the offer, but my style is too bohemian for today’s tastes.” Stella waved a hand over her peasant blouse and long skirt. “I can’t design everyday, utilitarian clothing. It would kill my soul. But no one dresses like this anymore.”
That was why Stella loved designing costumes for theater productions. She could let her imagination fly free, and since each project was different, she never got bored.
“I like the way you dress,” Jin said without much conviction in her voice.
Stella chuckled. “It won’t sell.”
“The bridesmaids' dresses you made were beautiful, comfortable, and flattering to any body shape. If you can design things like that, they will sell like crazy. Many people work from home, and office attire is getting more and more casual. Between earning a living, taking care of the kids and the house, women’s lives are extremely busy. They are sick of wearing uncomfortable clothes while doing everything. They want soft, breathable fabrics, and cuts that are forgiving. But they still want to look pretty and professional. Until I saw those dresses, I thought that those were mutually exclusive. You have a special gift.”
“I thought that you wanted to launch a line for tall women. Did you change your mind?”
Jin nodded. “This is much more exciting. Your designs look good on tall and short women, skinny and plump, and everyone in between.”
“Not on teenagers. They like form-fitting things.”
“True, but that’s not my target market. I want to design a line for working mothers.”
Stella leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “I admit that this is an intriguing challenge, but I need to think about it. I’ll play around with a few designs and see what I can come up with. The bridesmaids' dresses might have been a one-time success. They are certainly not my usual style.” She lifted her leg, flipping her loose skirt up to show Jin the lace trim. “As you can see, my designs are usually more embellished.”
Jin waved a dismissive hand. “You are a talented, creative lady. I’m sure that you will come up with wonderful ideas. Now, let’s talk money. I can’t pay you much to start with, but I’m willing to work with you on a percentage of the profits.” She smirked. “I believe in incentivized work, and since you are an independent businesswoman, I’m sure that will appeal to you more than a set salary.”
“Are you offering me shares in your future company?”
Jin nodded. “I don’t want to put the cart in front of the horse, though. We need to come up with several samples, put them up for sale, and see how many orders we get. A trial run of sorts.”
“Where are you going to have the clothes made?”
“I contacted several shops in the city who are willing to take on small orders. I’d rather spend more and test than go full speed ahead only to lose my investors’ money.”
“And if the test is successful? Are you going to move production to China?”
“If I can manufacture locally and still make even a modest profit, I’d rather not take the production overseas.”
“You can probably charge slightly more for a line that is made in the USA.”
Jin shook her head. “I also want it to be affordable. Working mothers don’t have a lot of money to spend on clothes. It’s going to be a balancing act.”
“You’ll figure it out.”
“I hope so.” Jin smiled. “I’m so bad. I didn’t even offer you anything to drink. Can I get you a cappuccino?”
“It’s too hot for that. Lemonade would be nice, though.”
Jin pushed to her feet. “Coming right up. Anything else? Maybe a sandwich?”
“No, thank you.”
While Jin ordered their lemonades, Stella thought about a way to bring up the subject of Richard.
Should she just go ahead and ask?
Maybe she could coax Jin to talk about her experience in the government program and then continue with questions about her relationship with Richard?
Or perhaps she could start with Eleanor and take it from there?
After all, the woman had compelled Richard and Jin to get involved, which they wouldn’t have done otherwise. Eleanor was also the hottest topic of village gossip, so that would be an easy opening.
“One cold lemonade.” Jin put a tall glass in front of her. “And a banana-nut muffin. Wendy says it’s a killer combination.”
“I’ll give it a try.” Stella took a long gulp from the cold drink. “How do you feel about Eleanor?”
Puzzled, Jin tilted her head. “That’s random. Does she have a design talent that I’m not aware of?”
That hadn’t gone well.
Stella crossed her legs and rearranged her skirt. “Actually, I don’t want to talk about her. I thought to use her as a gateway to ask you about Richard.”
Leaning back, Jin smiled. “I heard that the two of you are spending time together. Is it serious?”
“For now, we are just friends. I don’t want to rush into it before I know more about him.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Is it true that he had no clue about your escape plans?”
Jin nodded. “He felt that I was antsy, but I told him that learning Mandarin was stressing me out, and he believed me.”
Stella chuckled. “It’s a difficult language. As an immortal, I learn languages fast, but that one took significantly more effort.”
Jin arched a brow. "Why did you bother with Mandarin?"
"Before I had Vlad, I traveled a lot. But that's not what I want to talk about. Were you particularly resistant to Richard's type of telepathy?”
“Perhaps a little, but his talent is not very strong.” Jin winked. “I think it works best in bed, or so he claims.”
“You don’t agree?”
“I wouldn’t know. We didn’t have sex.”
“How come? I know that Eleanor compelled you to be together, but didn’t you have feelings for him?”
“I liked him, but I didn’t love him. And even the liking was enhanced by Eleanor’s compulsion.” Jin waved a hand. “Not that I needed to be in love with a guy to have sex
with him. Before entering the program, I had plenty of casual hookups with men that I was only mildly interested in. But something about our relationship felt off, and it was enough to make me hold off on the sex.”
“You weren’t attracted to him at all? Richard is a handsome man.”
“He is handsome, and he’s tall, which was a prerequisite for me. According to Eleanor, attraction and love can’t be compelled out of thin air. It needs to already be there for her to make it flare. I remember thinking that Richard was a good-looking guy, and he even made a couple of casual passes at me, but we didn’t really connect. He was more interested in Jacki. After Eleanor did her thing, he shifted his interest to me, and following her instructions, I decided to give him a chance. Maybe if we’d had more time together, something would have come out of it, but luckily for us, we were saved from making a big mistake.”
“What do you feel for him now?”
“He’s a good friend.”
“Anything else that I should be aware of?”
Jin shrugged. “There is a saying that every pot has a lid. Richard wasn’t mine, but he might be yours. I have nothing bad to say about him, and I wish you both the best of luck.”
“Thank you.”
11
Eleanor
Eleanor stretched her aching muscles, reveling in the feeling of vitality and strength.
“You are doing exceptionally well.” Kri clapped her on the back. “For a newbie, that is.”
Eleanor chuckled. “Newbie? I’m your best student, and some of them have been training with you for months.”
Kri’s self-defense class was a lifesaver, an excellent way to release the excess energy coursing through Eleanor’s veins. For some reason, running or lifting weights had never been enough, and the only solo activity that had ever helped was skiing, but even that wasn’t enough to calm the storm.
She needed to compete, to be challenged, to win. And now that her body was getting younger instead of older, she felt like she could conquer the world.
“True, but it’s a beginner class.” Kri tossed her a water bottle. “Pretty soon, you will need to move on to the intermediate.”
“Can I skip right to the advanced?”
A Guardian named Bhathian was teaching the intermediate, and Eleanor wasn’t a fan of beefcakes. The deadly blond angel teaching the advanced class appealed to her much more.
Kri chuckled. “You are not ready for the advanced.”
“I can be.” Reaching for the towel, Eleanor wiped the sweat off the back of her neck. “There is nothing I like more than a challenge. Every morning, I spend three hours working on my endurance and strength, which I haven’t been able to do in years. And every evening I’m here. Can I bribe you to give me one-on-one training?”
“What are you offering?”
Eleanor shrugged. “Whatever. Do you need your house cleaned? Your laundry done? Your lawn mowed? I’m not picky.”
“That’s admirable, but it would be a waste of your talents. Do you want to be my assistant? You can lead the warm-up and cool-down, and in time you can even teach a beginner class.”
Eleanor grimaced. “I don’t know if the others are going to like a baby immortal ordering them around.”
“They will get used to it.” Kri opened the door. “Are you heading home?”
Eleanor lifted the duffle bag Magnus had lent her and slung the strap over her shoulder. “It’s not like I have anything better to do.”
“You can hang out in the café and meet some guys. You are an unattached immortal. That’s a rarity here. The males are going to swoop down on you like flies on honey.”
Eleanor doubted that. She knew what people thought of her. She was the wicked witch who’d compelled people to join the government paranormal division and then made them hook up with each other.
Besides, she wasn’t interested.
“Greggory and I have something going on.” She fell into step with Kri.
“He is not here.”
“Tell me about it. I finally meet a guy that I feel I can have a relationship with, and I can’t be with him.” She chuckled. “Although with my record, it’s probably for the best. When he gets to know me better, he is not going to want to stick around anyway.” She cast Kri a sad smile. “I’m not likable, and I’m not easy to be with.”
Out of all the immortal females who Eleanor had met so far, Kri was the only one she felt some affinity toward. Kri was a little like her. As a Guardian, she was a warrior, a fighter, and she must be ruthless and uncompromising to be good at what she did.
“Says who?”
Eleanor shrugged. “Experience. I don’t have a feminine disposition. I’m not soft-hearted, I’m not accommodating, and I don’t compromise. I’m competitive and ruthless.”
“Those are not necessarily bad traits. It depends on what you do with them.” Kri chuckled. “I wouldn’t want you as my kids’ kindergarten teacher, but I wouldn’t mind you as a fellow Guardian, especially given your compulsion ability. Does it come easily to you, or do you need to concentrate to use it?”
Eleanor thought back to the more difficult cases she’d encountered. Had they required more concentration? A calmer state of mind?
Not really. Just more force.
“It depends on the person I’m compelling. If they are easy, I don’t need to do anything special.” She pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t really know how it works. Part of it is the tone of voice I use, and when I first noticed the effect it had on people, I thought that was enough. Later, I realized that there was a mental component to it as well. I need to mentally will them to obey my wishes, and that requires some level of concentration. It’s not difficult to summon, though. It comes naturally to me.”
“Can you do it under pressure?”
“I’ve done it before.”
“Then you will make a great Guardian. You are a natural fighter, you are not soft-hearted, and you can use your compulsion ability when needed. Usually, we use thralling, but that doesn’t always work when people are stressed out of their minds and don’t know who to trust.”
“Are you talking about the trafficking victims you rescue?”
Kri nodded. “Kian will never allow a female to go against Doomers, so that’s the only action I expect to see as a Guardian.”
“Well, that’s more than I’ll ever get to do. Kian will never allow me on the force regardless of my gender. I’m deemed untrustworthy.”
Kri cast her a sidelong glance. “You earned it.”
“I know. It is what it is. The best I can hope for is a job down here in the training center. I can be a fitness instructor, and after I graduate your course, I can teach self-defense.”
Kri put a hand on her shoulder. “Guardian training is long and grueling, and it fits your competitive personality and athletic ability.”
“Perhaps you are right, but that’s irrelevant if I can never join the force.”
Kri chuckled. “It takes so long to complete the Guardian training that by the time you are ready for the field, Kian might view you in a different light. You have many years to prove that you’ve turned a new page and win Kian’s trust.”
12
Syssi
“Are you sure that it’s not too hot for you out here?” Kian pushed his sunglasses up his nose.
Syssi shook her head. “I’m fine.”
The sun was glaring down on the exposed eastern slope, but a slight breeze cooled things down to a tolerable level. Across the ravine, work on Kalugal’s part of the village was in full swing, with bulldozers riding back and forth over the dry ground.
“Aren’t you worried about the construction site being visible from the sky? Someone might wonder what’s going on there.”
Kian nodded. “William’s devices ensure that nothing shows up on recording equipment, and the place is not in the line of sight of the regular helicopter routes, but the sooner we plant trees to create a canopy, the better. We can’t do that as
long as the grading is not finished, though.”
“What about this area?” Syssi waved a hand at his new proposed building site. “Is it also hidden?”
“It’s the same as the western slope. Our only worry is the occasional private helicopter, but that’s so rare that I’m not concerned about it. The mountains surrounding the area hide it from road travelers, and the occasional hikers are dealt with by thralling. You are right about the biggest problem being the airspace above. It’s not a high-traffic area, but it would be better if there was no traffic at all.”
“I wish William could invent something that mimicked a natural electrical disturbance to keep the helicopters away.”
“The idea crossed my mind, but a disturbance starting out of the blue would arouse suspicion. They would send scientists to investigate, and we don’t need that.”
“I know. It was just wishful thinking. I’m worried about us expanding the village without making the settlement legal, so we don’t have to worry about it getting discovered by humans. Perhaps we can compel city officials to approve it post-fact? Or even better, Roni could hack into the city’s records and make it look like it was approved years ago.”
“Too risky. Our main concern is discovery by Navuh. Humans are a secondary consideration.” Kian wrapped his arm around her waist. “But we can talk about this later. Right now, I want your opinion about building a new section on the eastern slope. We can have a larger, more luxurious home where you can entertain the entire extended family.”
“I like our house, and now that the dining room is larger, it can fit more people. I don’t want to live in a mansion.”
Smiling, Kian rubbed his hand over her rounded belly. “I want to give Allegra a brother and a sister, and we don’t have enough bedrooms.”
“You’re being uncharacteristically optimistic.” With a sigh, Syssi rested her head on Kian’s arm. “We got lucky this time, but the chances of us having another child before Allegra reaches adulthood and leaves the nest are slim.”