by I. T. Lucas
“I am.”
She let out a breath. “Then congratulations, and of course you can bring Wendy home.”
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“Anything.”
“She is worried that you won’t be happy about us being together. Can you try to be extra nice to her? She doesn’t have a mom or a dad. She has no one but me, and perhaps you if you are willing.”
“Oh, sweetheart. Of course I’m willing. She is your mate, and I’m going to treat her like a daughter. I will do everything I can to make her feel at home. I just hope she transitions. I don’t want her to break your heart again.”
“It’s not something she can control, Mom.”
“I know. I just don’t want to see you hurt again. By the way, what about Richard?”
“We are bringing him with us as well, and Bowen is going to induce him.”
“Where is he going to stay? We don’t have room for him.”
“He’s going to stay with Bowen and Leon. They invited him.”
“Oh, good.” His mother sounded relieved. “I’d better open the windows in your room and change the bedding. I assume Wendy will be sleeping with you?”
Vlad didn’t expect them to do much sleeping tonight, but Wendy was definitely going to share his bed.
“Yes.”
“I’d better freshen up your bathroom as well. Call me when you get near the village. I want to wait for you in the parking garage and welcome your mate.”
“I will. Thank you for doing all of this for Wendy and me, I really appreciate it.”
“I’m your mother, Vlad. That’s my job. But I’m also so excited. Our little family is growing. Isn’t that wonderful?”
“It is.”
41
Kian
Kian was whistling a tune as he opened the door to his house. He couldn’t remember where he’d heard it, or the lyrics, only the catchy chorus about a guy being hot and then cold, etc.
“You sound happy.” Syssi wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.
“I am back home with you. Of course I’m happy.” He cast a sidelong glance at the dining room where Okidu was busy setting up the table for lunch. “Where is my mother?”
“Annani and your sisters are in the backyard, drinking margaritas.” Syssi pouted. “I had the virgin version.”
“Let’s join them. I have good news.”
“I knew it wasn’t me.” She pushed out of his arms.
He pulled her back and kissed her again. “Coming home to you always makes me happy, especially when it’s for lunch, which is a rare treat in the middle of the week.”
She smiled. “I’m excited for Jacki. I still remember how awestruck I was when I met Annani for the first time. I still am, but that first time was such a trip.”
Out in the backyard, he found his mother reclining on a lounger, a pair of large sunglasses protecting her sensitive eyes, and an even larger margarita glass in her hand.
She turned to him and smiled. “You came home earlier than I expected.”
“I have good news.” He bent down and kissed Annani’s cheek. “I spoke with Vlad earlier, and it seems like we are going to have another young couple in the village. I approved his request to induce Wendy, and they are coming here later today.”
“Where are they going to stay?” Syssi asked.
“I guess at Stella’s.” Kian sat down and pulled Syssi onto his lap.
She shook her head. “A young couple in their situation shouldn’t be staying with the boy’s mom. It’ll be very awkward for Wendy, and it might even impede her transition. You should give them a house.”
“I can’t have one ready in time.”
“Yes, you can,” Annani said. “You can give them the one you were preparing for me. Since I am leaving soon, there is no point in me moving into that house just for a day or two. You can give it to the young couple.”
“It’s a three-bedroom house. It’s too big for just the two of them.”
“You can move them later,” Syssi said. “Do we have time to put up some decorations?”
“If you can get someone else to do that. You and Amanda are going to be busy for the next couple of hours.”
“No problem. I’ll ask Callie to organize it. We will have to do without a banner this time, but we can put up balloons and prepare a nice meal for them.” Syssi pulled out her phone and started a texting flurry.
“What about Richard?” Amanda asked. “Is he going to stay at the cabin alone with the Guardians?”
“Richard is coming here with them. I approved Bowen’s request to induce him. If he transitions and doesn’t find a lady to bond with, I’ll ask Kalugal to compel his loyalty to the clan. It made no sense to leave him alone either in the cabin or the keep and waste the time of two Guardians babysitting him. William can replace his cuff with a new one that has a tracker in it, and no one will need to watch him.”
“You can put him in the house with Wendy and Vlad,” Alena suggested. “It’s not as awkward sharing a place with a roommate as it is with a mother.” She cast Annani an apologetic glance. “And I mean no offense by that.”
“None taken. I understand perfectly.”
Amanda tapped her finger over her lower lip. “Remember my idea about the auctions? What if we put Richard up? With his consent, naturally. That will speed up the process of him finding someone to love. We could auction him every night until he finds someone he clicks with.”
Syssi shifted on Kian’s lap to look at Amanda. “I don’t think you need to go to all that trouble. All he needs to do is sit in the café and the ladies will come up to him.”
“Yeah, but where’s the fun in that? We can test run the auction idea on Richard, and collect money for charity. Everybody wins.”
Syssi shook her head. “It’s degrading.”
“As I said, we will only do that with Richard’s consent, and I’m pretty sure he will jump at the opportunity. What guy doesn’t want a bunch of women fighting over him?” She glanced at Kian. “Except for you, my saintly brother.”
“Your mate would have never agreed to that either. Can you imagine Dalhu submitting to something like that? You had a hard time convincing him to auction his art.”
Amanda smirked. “He was willing when I told him that half of the proceeds would go to charity. If he wasn’t mated to me, I think Dalhu wouldn’t have minded being auctioned if the money went to a good cause.”
“I doubt it.” Kian leaned back and drew Syssi against his chest. “Assuming that Richard agrees, when do we start auctioning him, before or after his transition?”
“Definitely after,” Amanda said. “The bidding will go through the roof for an immortal.”
Annani put her empty margarita glass down and sat up. “If he cannot find his love here, maybe we can send him to Scotland. Sari is peeved that the Fates are ignoring her people.”
“I can’t ask Kalugal to fly over there to compel him once a month. He already has to do that with Roberts.”
“Can’t he do it over the phone?” Amanda asked. “It worked for Lokan, so it should work for him as well. Kalugal also compelled our people by talking into their earpieces, so we know that it works on immortals.”
“I’m not sure that’s enough to keep immortals compelled for an extensive period of time. Otherwise, Navuh would have done that instead of demanding that every Doomer on a mission abroad shows up on the island at least once a month. In Roberts’ case, his continued compulsion is too crucial to take chances with.”
“Speaking of the devil.” Syssi turned to look at him. “What is he up to?”
“As you know, Kalugal sent two men with Roberts, and they report that he hasn’t gone back to work yet. He’s recuperating at home and helping Simmons’s widow with the funeral arrangements.”
“No suspicious behavior?” Amanda asked.
“They are keeping a close eye on him, and so far, they've had nothing to report.”
“Good.” Sh
e picked up her glass and took a sip. “Back to Richard. Since time is of the essence, Richard’s ceremony needs to take place tomorrow.”
“I agree. Bowen has already volunteered to be his initiator, and we don’t need to do anything fancy. I’ll just ask a couple of Guardians to attend.”
Annani crossed her legs and rearranged the folds of her gown. “On the contrary. You should invite as many people as you can. We should use the opportunity to show Kalugal how wonderful our community is, and how welcoming we are to newcomers. Furthermore, I can use the event to test my compulsion ability on a large crowd.”
42
Jacki
“Ready, my love?” Kalugal offered Jacki his arm.
She took a deep breath and smiled. “I’m excited and terrified at the same time. How do I look?”
“Beautiful and sophisticated.”
Jacki had put on the wide-legged white trousers and the yellow blouse with pink embroidery that she’d worn to the summit. It was elegant but not too showy for a lunch meeting, and it made her feel confident.
“You always know the right thing to say.” She leaned on Kalugal’s arm.
He frowned. “Are you okay? I can ask Theo to get the golf cart.”
“I’m fine. I don’t need help walking. I need your emotional support.” She kissed his cheek. “You are my pillar of strength.”
Kalugal grinned. “You certainly know how to make a man feel accomplished.” He rubbed a spot over his chest. “I never expected to feel so good about being needed.”
Behind them, Rufsur cleared his throat. “We’d better get moving or we will be late.”
When Kian had extended the invitation to Rufsur and Hivak as well, Rufsur had reacted with his usual nonchalance, but poor Hivak looked like he was about to faint.
“We have plenty of time.” Kalugal glanced at his lieutenant over his shoulder. “I intend it to be an easy stroll. And if Jacki needs to sit down and rest for a few minutes, that’s okay too.”
Outside, four guardians were waiting to escort them to Kian’s house. Theo and Jay, who were their daytime guards, and two new ones, whom Jacki hadn’t met before.
“These are Alfie and Mason,” Jay introduced the two.
She cast them a smile. “Nice to meet you.”
As they stepped down onto the path, Theo and Jay led the procession, while the two new guards closed it.
Jacki wondered how long this nonsense was going to last. It was silly. Was Kian going to assign a guard to every one of Kalugal’s men who came to court clan ladies?
That would not be conducive to romance.
The distance from their place to Kian’s house was about the same as to the café, but since Jacki didn’t need to rest on every bench on the way, they made it there in half the time it had taken them to get to the café the day before.
The best part was that Jin and Arwel were waiting for them outside.
“Hello, bestie.” Jin pulled her into her arms. “Ready to have your mind blown?”
“I hope so. If I faint, cover up for me.”
Jin laughed. “You won’t.” She put her hands on Jacki’s shoulders. “You are not really meeting a deity, you know that, right? Think of Annani as a friendly angel, and you’ll be fine. She has the glow, the beauty, and the voice to match, but she is also not big on protocol. Just remember not to cuss. She doesn’t like it. Not even the occasional F-word.”
“Got it.”
Behind them, Hivak let out a breath. “Thank you for the tips.”
“You’re welcome.” Jin walked up to the door and knocked. “Didn’t Kalugal prepare you?”
“He told me to bow, address the goddess as Clan Mother, and not to speak unless I’m spoken to.”
The door opened, and Yamanu stepped out with a bright smile on his face. “That’s good advice. Follow it.”
Jacki hadn’t known that Mey and Yamanu would be there as well. On the one hand, more people meant less spotlight on her, but on the other hand, this was probably the only time she would have the opportunity to speak with the goddess, and Jacki would have liked it to be at least semi-private.
With Jin threading her arm through hers on one side and Kalugal on the other, Jacki walked into Kian’s living room supported on both sides, which was fortunate.
As soon as her eyes landed on the small glowing figure, Jacki’s knees gave out, and if not for the strong arms holding her up, she would have crumpled to the floor.
“Greetings, Clan Mother.” Kalugal bowed. “Let me introduce my mate, Jacqueline Redford, and my men. This is Rufsur, my second-in-command, and this is Hivak.”
Jacki curtsied the way she’d practiced in front of the mirror, except much less gracefully. “It’s an honor to meet you, Clan Mother.”
Rufsur and Hivak bowed and murmured the same.
The goddess nodded. “Welcome, Jacki, Rufsur, and Hivak.” She patted the spot next to her on the couch. “Jacki and Jin, come sit with me. Kalugal, you and your men can join my son and the others in the backyard.” She glanced at Arwel and Yamanu and smiled. “You too. For the next half an hour, this living room is ladies only.”
“Yes, Clan Mother.” Kalugal dipped his head and pulled his arm out of Jacki’s. “I’ll see you in thirty minutes.” He kissed her cheek, and he and his men followed Arwel and Yamanu out the sliding doors to the backyard.
Jacki’s legs refused to move, but Jin was already pulling her toward Annani.
“This is my daughter, Alena.” The goddess motioned to the beautiful blonde woman sitting next to her.
“Nice to meet you.” Jacki forced a smile.
“Same here.” Alena shifted to the side to make room for Jin.
“Hi, Jacki.” Syssi waved to catch her attention. “How are you feeling?”
She hadn’t even noticed Kian’s wife and Amanda sitting in the two armchairs facing the couch. The doctor was there as well, sitting on an ottoman.
“I’m getting stronger. Thank you for asking.”
“That’s good.” Amanda pushed to her feet. “So, how is sex as an immortal?”
Jacki wanted the couch to swallow her up. What kind of question was that to ask her in front of the goddess?
Annani laughed, the sound sending goosebumps up Jacki’s arms. “You are embarrassing our guest, Amanda.” With a wink, she took Jacki’s hand. “Feel free to say whatever is on your mind. Think of me as just one of the girls.”
Amanda huffed. “The ringleader is more like it. All of us combined could never get into as much mischief as my mother.”
“That is true,” Alena said. “Besides, everything that has to do with love makes Annani happy. Consider talk about your love life a tribute to her.”
Looking at the goddess was like staring into the sun, not because her glow was so bright, but because she was just too much. Too beautiful, too redheaded, too friendly, too everything.
As Jacki turned her eyes to Alena, she hoped Annani wouldn’t be offended that she wasn’t looking directly at her. “I haven’t tried it yet. I’m still recuperating from my transition, and Kalugal treats me as if I’m made from fragile glass.”
Annani patted her knee. “Take your time, child. Give yourself time to get stronger.” She smiled. “Your stamina as an immortal will be incredible compared to what you had before, and you can put it to good use with your immortal partner.”
Jacki felt a blush creep up her cheeks. “I’d rather wait for us to go home to test it.”
“About that,” Amanda said. “I heard that Rufsur paid Edna a visit. Do you know what’s going on between those two?”
She had a good idea, but it wasn’t her place to comment on it. “You will have to ask Rufsur or Edna.”
Annani laughed. “You are a diplomat, dear, but given the color of your cheeks, you do not have to say anything more. I am overjoyed to see Edna showing interest in a male, and Rufsur is a fine one. I can see why he managed to awaken our sleeping beauty, while others have failed.”
43
> Kian
As Kalugal and his men stepped out onto the back patio, Kian stifled a chuckle.
Hivak looked like he’d seen a ghost. The guy collapsed on an outdoor chair, reached for Turner’s bottle of Snake’s Venom, and gulped it down. He hadn’t even noticed that it had been drunk from already, and if he had, he didn’t care.
Rufsur shook his head. “The goddess is out of this world.” He snorted. “Literally. But that’s no reason to lose your shit, Hivak. She might be incredibly powerful and smart and beautiful and whatever else, but she is just a person like you and me.”
Hivak wiped his mouth. “She’s nothing like us. Did you see that glow? Her skin emits light.”
Even though Kian agreed with Rufsur’s assessment of Annani, he wasn’t sure whether he should back him up or Hivak. The more Kalugal’s men feared and revered the goddess, the better.
Perhaps it was best to say nothing and let them believe what they would.
“Is Jacki okay alone with my mother?” he asked instead.
“Poor Jacki looked like she was about to faint, but the goddess demanded that all the men leave, so I had no choice. But Jin is with her, so I hope she’s okay.” Kalugal pulled a beer bottle from the ice bucket. “She’s getting stronger. Yesterday, on the way to the café, Jacki had to stop and rest on nearly every bench, but today we only stopped once. I think we can go home if that’s okay with you and Annani.”
Kian took a puff from his cigarillo. “Tomorrow night, we are having an induction ceremony for Jacki’s friend Richard. I’m sure she would want to attend. We hold it close to midnight, so it would be best if you stayed until Thursday.”
Kalugal nodded. “I’m sure she would like to be there for him.” He took a sip from his beer. “I still remember my own ceremony, and it’s not a fond memory.”
“We do things differently here. It’s all about the community and the bonds of friendship. The immortal who volunteers to induce the male Dormant accepts a lifelong responsibility for him, and he vows to be his friend and mentor. The Dormant has to accept the initiator and pledge to him his lifelong loyalty and friendship. They become brothers in spirit.”
