by I. T. Lucas
Raking his fingers through his hair, Kian sighed. “Joking aside, perhaps it is better to wipe him and let him loose. Turning him immortal is risky. If he doesn’t bond with anyone, we can’t wipe his memories.”
“True, but we might have another option now. How friendly is Kalugal?”
“Pretty friendly, and he also owes me. But even if he compelled Richard to keep quiet about us, we can’t let loose an unaffiliated immortal. Without supervision, Fates only know what havoc he could cause.”
“I wasn’t talking about letting Richard loose. Kalugal could compel him to be loyal to the clan the same way Navuh compels his Doomers.”
“That’s doable, but Richard needs to consent to it. You’ll have to explain the situation to him and let him choose. If he wants to try for immortality, he needs to realize that he will never be free to go, and he’ll be stuck with us. If he wants freedom, we can wipe his memories now and let him go. Then again, if he doesn’t transition in two weeks, we will have to wipe him and set him free whether he wants it or not.”
38
Vlad
Wendy stood by the window and watched Bowen walk out the gate. As soon as he’d taken Kian’s phone call, he’d started walking to distance himself from Richard.
“Are you sure that you can’t hear what he’s saying?”
Vlad shook his head. “I don’t want to eavesdrop. Bowen will tell us what was decided when he comes back.”
Wendy walked over to the bed and sat next to him. “I’m glad that Kian agreed to give us an extension. It would have been a bummer to lose my memories of what happened up until now.” She looked up at him and smiled. “But I could have fallen in love with you all over again.”
“I would have manipulated only the memories about my fangs, my immortality, and the clan. I would have left everything that happened before that intact.” He wrapped his arm around her middle and drew her closer to him. “What if you didn’t fall in love with me again? You could have fallen for someone else.”
“Not likely. You are the only one for me. That’s why I was so mad when I thought you didn’t feel the same.” She sighed and looked down. “I had this stupid fantasy that the guy I fell in love with would never disappoint me or betray me. But no one is infallible, right? We are both going to make mistakes, and annoy each other, and get into fights. But hopefully, our love for each other will be strong enough to hold us together despite the occasional earthquake.”
His hand running slow circles on her back, Vlad kissed the top of Wendy’s head. “I will never betray you, that’s a vow. And I promise to do my best to never disappoint you either. Although I probably will.” He lifted his head and looked out the window. “Bowen is back.”
“That was quick.” Wendy pushed to her feet and offered Vlad a hand up. “Let’s go.”
They entered the living room at the same time that Bowen opened the door and ushered Richard and Leon in.
“Sit down, Richard.” He motioned to the couch.
The guy tensed. “What’s going on?”
Bowen cast him a reassuring smile. “I’m going to rock your world, buddy, so hang on tight and enjoy the ride.”
“Do I need a drink for that?”
“Not a bad idea.” Bowen walked into the kitchen, pulled out a six-pack of beers, and returned to the living room. “Self-serve, people.”
When everyone had a beer in their hands, Bowen popped the cap on his and sat on the armchair facing Richard. “We are not who we told you we are. We are not a group of paranormally talented people. We are a clan of immortals, the descendants of gods, but it gets better. You are a possible carrier of godly genes, and we might be able to activate you.”
Richard chuckled. “Nice try, Bowen. I’m not that gullible.”
“I thought you’d say that.” Bowen put his beer down. “Get up and swing a fist at me.”
“Why?”
“Just do it. Give it all you’ve got.”
“Okay.” Richard pushed to his feet, hoisted his sweatpants up, and walked up to Bowen. “Where do you want me to hit you?”
Bowen pointed to his face. “Right here. And don’t worry, you’re not going to hurt me.”
“Okay, here it comes.”
Richard swung a fast one, but Bowen caught his fist mid-swing.
“So you have fast reflexes. That doesn’t prove anything.”
“Do it again.”
Shaking his head, Richard took a step forward and threw an uppercut at Bowen’s jaw.
The Guardian spun out of the way, caught Richard’s arm, twisted it behind his back, and then let it go. It all happened so fast that Richard just stood there gaping.
“Damn, you are fast. But that still doesn’t prove anything.”
Bowen smiled, revealing a pair of elongated fangs. “But that does.” He pointed.
Richard frowned. “How did you manage to do that so fast? Did you have them in the entire time?”
“They are not fake. You are welcome to give them a yank.”
“You should have gone with the cut demonstration,” Leon said.
Bowen grimaced. “Why? It hurts. This is better.”
Richard was still staring at Bowen’s mouth. “What is a cut demonstration?”
“If I make a cut on my forearm, it will heal in seconds, and there will be no mark left. Our rapid healing is what makes us immortal, that and the not aging, and the immunity to all human diseases.”
“Except for mental,” Leon commented.
“You guys are serious, aren’t you?” Richard glanced at Wendy. “Did you know?”
She nodded. “Vlad told me on Thursday. They are not supposed to tell anyone except for the Dormants they fall in love with. A Dormant is what they call a human carrier of their genes. But since you didn’t bond with Ingrid and then Stella bailed on you, they couldn’t tell you. But we are kind of at a crossroads now, and it’s decision time.”
Richard shook his head. “I need to sit down.”
“Take your time.” Bowen clapped him on the back. “This is not easy news to process.”
Except, the Guardian didn’t wait long before sitting back in the armchair and continuing. “You probably want to hear the entire story from the beginning, but I’m going to save that for last.” Bowen sat in his armchair and lifted his beer. “Right now, I want to focus on what it all means to you.”
Richard waved his arm in an arc. “Do tell, my immortal, fanged master.”
39
Wendy
Wendy chuckled. “At least he still has his sense of humor.”
Richard gulped down his beer and then put the empty can on the table. “Before you start, I just want to know what the damn fangs are for, and if you are bloodsuckers, because I’m not sure I want to sign up for that. I’ve seen you eat, but do you need blood too?”
“The fangs are not for sucking blood,” Leon said. “They are for injecting venom. That’s why Bowen asked you to attack him. When we get aggressive, our venom glands kick into production, and our fangs elongate. It also happens when we get sexually aroused, but the two stimulants produce very different types of venom. The one stimulated by aggression is used to incapacitate opponents in a fight, and the one produced as a response to sexual arousal is used to give the ladies mind-blowing orgasms, so they are motivated to stick around.”
That brought a huge grin to Richard’s face. “You should have led with that. Please, continue.”
“The venom is also what’s used to induce the transformation,” Bowen said. “For males, it means fighting an immortal and spurring his aggression, so he produces venom and bites them. For females, well, it’s done during sex.” He cast Wendy an apologetic glance. “I assume that Vlad explained the process?”
“He did.”
“Good.” The Guardian let out a breath. “That saves me the bees and birds talk, or whatever humans call it these days.”
“The birds and the bees,” Wendy corrected him.
Richard reached for the last beer on the table. �
��So all I have to do is fight one of you?”
Bowen nodded. “You’re going to lose, but that doesn’t matter. You only need to do enough to spur aggression.” He chuckled. “We had one guy who was such a weakling physically that he used slam poetry to do that instead of his fists. The stuff was so vile that it worked.”
“What’s the catch?” Richard asked. “You are offering immortality and a nifty venom that gets the ladies wild for me. What do I need to do in return?”
Bowen smiled evilly. “What are you willing to give?”
“I’d sell my soul to the devil for that, but I don’t think he’d want it. It’s not worth much.”
Poor Richard. He used to be so confident. What happened to him?
“You can keep your soul. So, here’s the deal. Dormants are rare and are nearly impossible to find. The vast majority of our clan members are related to each other and therefore cannot mate. We need the infusion of new blood. Basically, if you transition, you will become a highly-sought-after bachelor, and hopefully, you will get snapped up by one of our females.”
Richard smirked. “So let me get this straight. You’re going to make me immortal and then use me as a breeding stallion? Where do I sign?”
Bowen shook his head. “We hope that one of our single ladies will fall in love with you, and then the two of you create an unbreakable bond. That’s the best way of ensuring your loyalty to the clan. If, for some reason, that doesn’t happen, we will compel your loyalty the same way that Marisol compelled you to avoid strangers and to do the other things she and the director wanted you to do. But unlike her, we are not going to do that without your consent. Naturally, we won’t start the process of inducing you if you don’t consent to any part of this.”
Richard scratched his beard. “I need you to list all the things I need to consent to. This is all very confusing.”
“Of course. First, you need to consent to getting induced, which will mean you fighting one of us. Since I like you, it’s probably going to be me. Usually, we induce our boys after they start puberty, and it serves as a rite-of-passage ceremony. You are an adult, so I’m not sure whether you’ll get one of those.”
“I don’t care about that. But thanks for offering to induce me. It means a lot to me, and yes, I consent to the induction.”
Bowen nodded. “The second part is agreeing to a memory wipe if the induction doesn’t work and you don’t transition within two weeks. If that happens, we will wipe your memories of our existence and set you free. We will provide you with a plausible scenario for where you’ve been and why you had to leave, and also some money to help you get back on your feet.”
“Can’t I stay on as a human?”
Bowen shook his head. “We don’t do that. If you stay, you’ll never be allowed to leave. We can’t allow our existence to be leaked to the human world.”
“You can wipe my memory anytime you want.”
“No, we can’t. Two weeks’ worth of memories is safe to wipe. More than that can cause you brain damage. Repeated thralls can do that too.”
“So I stay on and never leave.” He smirked. “I’ll be the human gigolo for the clan's single ladies.”
“It has never been done before,” Leon said. “Kian will not agree to have a human as a permanent resident in the village. You have to consent to a memory wipe, or the deal is off the table, and we wipe your memories right here right now.”
“Okay!” Richard lifted his hands in the air. “No need to get so pissy. I consent to a memory wipe.”
“Good.” Bowen nodded. “The third thing you need to consent to is getting compelled to loyalty after your transition, at least until you bond with one of our females. When you turn immortal, you will no longer be susceptible to thralling or compulsion. But we have a guy who can compel immortals, and he can ensure that you keep our existence secret and never betray us.”
“Is that Jacki’s husband?” Wendy asked. “Is he an immortal too?”
“That’s the one. He and Kian reached a cooperation agreement, and he is willing to help us on occasion.” Bowen looked at Richard. “Do you consent to the compulsion?”
“It sounds reasonable. It’s like swearing an alliance but with teeth to enforce it.”
“Right. Say the words, Richard.”
“I consent to getting compelled, but only to be loyal to the clan and to keep your existence secret. Nothing else. If I become the clan’s gigolo, it would be because I want to and not because I’m compelled to provide my stud services.”
40
Vlad
“Then it’s settled,” Bowen said. “We can start packing.”
“Where are we going?” Richard asked. “Is it back to the underground?”
“To our secret village,” Leon said. “It’s even prettier than here because everything has been planted and is taken care of.”
“Who does the gardening?”
That was another thing that Vlad liked about Richard. He was pragmatic.
“We take turns with the mundane chores,” Leon said. “We don’t have any paid labor in the village. No humans, remember?”
“Right. I forgot to ask the most important question. Why do you think that I have the special genes?”
“Because of your paranormal ability. That’s usually a good indicator, but regrettably, it’s not conclusive. The only real test is whether you transition or not.”
He nodded. “Got it. Where am I going to stay? Do you have a guest house in your village, or a motel for visitors? How does it work?”
The guy was practical to a fault.
“You can room with Leon and me,” Bowen suggested. “You can sleep on the couch until you transition. After that, you will be assigned a room in one of the houses. Or we can ask to be moved to a three-bedroom house, and you’ll become our permanent roomie.” He looked at Leon. “If that’s okay with you.”
Leon shrugged. “Sure.”
“Awesome.” Richard grinned. “Thank you.”
“What about us?” Wendy asked. “Where are we going to stay?”
“Until they find us a place, I guess my room in my mom’s house will have to do.”
Wendy grimaced. “Is she going to be okay with that?”
“I’m sure she will. But I need to call her and let her know that we are coming.”
Wendy glanced out the living room window. “Perhaps we can take the motorhome. We can park it somewhere in the village and use it as our temporary house.”
“We can’t. I mean we need to take it, but we can’t park it in the village. All the cars are parked in an underground garage. The only vehicles topside are golf carts.”
“Bummer. It’s going to be so awkward with your mom there.”
“Let’s start packing. We can talk while we do that.”
“Okay.”
As they entered Wendy’s bedroom, Vlad closed the door and pulled her into his arms. “Don’t worry about my mom. Remember how well the rooms in the underground were soundproofed? The houses in the village are just as good. My mom won’t hear us even with her immortal hearing.”
Wendy let out a breath. “Good. That’s one less thing to worry about. I also have to see Bridget and get a contraceptive shot.”
“I don’t know if she has anything other than condoms. I need to call her and ask.”
“How come she doesn’t have anything other than that?”
“Getting pregnant is considered a miracle and a gift for the clan females. None of them use contraceptives.”
“Is it that rare?”
He nodded. “Right now, there is only one baby, one toddler, and one teenager in the entire village. And Kian’s wife is the only one expecting a child.”
“That’s sad.”
“Yeah. We have another doctor who is working on fertility treatment, but so far, it's only worked for Kian and Syssi.”
Wendy lifted on her toes and kissed him on the lips. “Then we shouldn’t worry about pregnancy.” She smiled. “I know that you wanted t
o take it slow, but we have no time. Tonight is the night.”
Vlad almost choked on his own saliva. “Wow.”
“Yeah, I know, right?” She kissed him again. “It’s going to be okay. People do it all of the time all over the world. It shouldn’t be difficult.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about.”
She frowned. “What is it?”
“You are still a human, and I’m a very strong immortal. What if I get carried away and hurt you?”
Wendy smirked. “Then I will tie you to the bed and have my way with you.”
That wasn’t how Vlad wanted their first time together to go, but he didn’t want to hurt Wendy either.
“Okay.”
She slapped his arm. “I was joking. It’s going to be fine, Vlad. You are not going to hurt me. Well, except for the biting, but that’s unavoidable.”
He swallowed. “The biting is the least scary part. In fact, if I hurt you accidentally, the venom will heal any bruises.”
“You see? There is nothing to worry about. Now, go call your mom and tell her that we are coming.” She chuckled. “Well, we will later tonight.”
Her boldness surprised him and aroused him at the same time. “Who are you, and what have you done with my girlfriend?”
Pulling out of his arms, Wendy shrugged. “I finally know what I want. And that’s you. Call your mom already.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Instead of walking out into the living room, Vlad used the bathroom to cut through to his bedroom, sat on the bed, and dialed his mother.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Vlad, sweetheart, when are you coming home?”
“This evening, and I’m bringing Wendy with me. I hope it’s okay.”
There was a long moment of silence. “Did Kian approve it?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t have done it without asking him first.”
“So I guess that she is your one.”
“She is.”
“Are you absolutely sure about that?”
