Dark Choices The Accord (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series Book 43)

by I. T. Lucas

  “I’m not a saint, Edna. I have an ulterior motive.”

  Damn. He shouldn’t have admitted that. But after she’d said all those nice things about them being honest and open with each other, he just couldn’t keep pretending that he was such a great guy.

  “Oh, yeah? Like what?”

  “I want to reenact those adventures with you and make them even better, so every time you think about a waterfall or a lakeshore, you’ll think of me, and not of Robbie.”

  If Edna hung up on him, he wouldn’t blame her. She’d thought he was so kind for wanting to hear about her adventures with the great love of her life, when in reality, he was a selfish jerk who wanted to paint his own face over those memories.

  Instead, Edna laughed. “So you want to hear about my adventures and then recreate them?”

  “I’m ashamed to admit it, but yes.”

  “How precisely do you want to follow the original script?”

  “As precisely as possible.”

  “I see. So I guess that you also want your men to guard us while we are making love?”

  He hadn’t thought about that part of her story. “No way. That’s where I draw the line. Only you and me, babe. We will make our own memories.”

  “I like that idea better.”

  “Yeah, me too.”

  2

  Edna

  “Thank you for coming.” Edna motioned for Turner to take a seat.

  Hopefully, the two guest chairs were still safe after the tumble they’d suffered when she and Rufsur had made love on the desk. Fortunately, Turner wasn’t a big man, so they should hold his weight just fine.

  “My pleasure.” He put his briefcase down on the floor and sat down. “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it earlier.”

  Taking a seat on the other guest chair, she waved a dismissive hand. “It is I who should apologize. I’m sure that you are eager to get home after a long day at work.”

  Turner ran his hostage retrieval service from an office in the city, and the daily commute prolonged his workdays. Evidently, to keep his independence from the clan, he was willing to sacrifice an hour and a half of his time to driving.

  “I am. But I’m also curious to hear what you need my advice on. It is the first time that you and I have gotten together outside of council meetings or Kian’s office.”

  Given his expression, he was not only curious but also suspicious.

  Edna had no doubt that when push came to shove, Turner would always side with Kian, but he was a logical man, and he loved solving challenging situations. If she appealed to his intellect, he might help her build her case for the sheer pleasure of unraveling a puzzle.

  “You are the smartest, most level-headed person I know, Turner. And I need to pick your brain.”

  Leaning back in the chair, he crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not susceptible to flattery, but I will help if I can.”

  He might think that he wasn’t susceptible, but the smug expression on his face said otherwise.

  “Very well. You must be aware of my relationship with Rufsur, Kalugal’s second-in-command.”

  He nodded.

  “We can’t be together unless Kalugal and his people join the clan. I’m not talking about them becoming clan members. My idea is to form a sort of federation, where each group rules itself independently but collaborates on security.”

  “I was under the impression that you were opposed to Kalugal and his men even visiting the village for the wedding.”

  “I was, but I changed my mind, and it wasn’t only because of my relationship with Rufsur. Our case might be more extreme because of the positions we hold, but other couples will face similar problems. Who is going to live where? Who is going to stay, and who is going to leave? Even if the same number of our females cross over to his side as his males cross to ours, we are still at a disadvantage because it will create a gender imbalance. No offense to the males of our clan, but the females are more important to our future. Losing any of them to Kalugal will weaken us in the long run.”

  “I’m aware of that, and so is Kian. He’s negotiated with Kalugal that any dormant females found through the Echelon system will go to us first. Only when our numbers are even, and the gender imbalance is restored, would any go to Kalugal’s men. By then, most of them will likely be mated to clan females, so in reality, the clan will get all the potential Dormants. That wouldn’t be an immediate solution, but in time, the numbers will even up.”

  “Perhaps. But we don’t know yet how well that will work. The government spying system might produce only one or two Dormants a year for us, or none at all. There are also other considerations. I, for one, don’t want to leave the clan even if I could, and Rufsur can’t leave Kalugal. I can’t because I know too much, and Kalugal could compel the information out of me, and the same is true for Rufsur. Annani could compel him to reveal Kalugal’s secrets.”

  “I see how that’s a problem, but you are just one couple.”

  “Even those who don’t have any crucial inside information that would prevent them from crossing over would most likely not want to leave their home and their friends. Wouldn’t it be better if there were no sides, and all of us formed one community?”

  Turner smiled. “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and yearling together, and the little child will lead them. The question is who is who in your utopian vision.”

  “In our case, we have two bucks and a child-like goddess to rule them both.” She leaned forward. “Kalugal and the clan have no conflict, but we do have a mutual enemy. The way I see it, there are many more advantages to joining forces than disadvantages. The only real obstacle is fear. Kian doesn’t want Kalugal to join the village because he doesn’t fully trust him and is afraid of his compulsion ability. Kalugal doesn’t want to move his base here because he wants his independence and doesn’t want Kian in his business. Naturally, he is also afraid of Annani’s ability to compel him.”

  Turner pinned her with his pale blue stare. “I understand Kian’s reservations, but the fact that Kalugal suspects Kian of wanting to interfere in his business bothers me. People see the world through the perspective of their own characters. Kian would never steal someone else’s business. If Kalugal is afraid of Kian spying on him, it means that corporate espionage is something that he practices.”

  “I don’t think so. But if he moves into the village, he will need to use our communications system, and it’s not unreasonable for him to suspect that Kian might monitor it, even if it’s only for security purposes. William said that he can design two separate encrypted networks that use the same satellite system, but Kalugal won’t trust anything designed by William.”

  “I see.” Turner nodded. “There is a very simple solution for that. Kalugal can have an office in the city as I do, and he can conduct his business from there in complete privacy. When he heads home in the evening, he will leave his devices in the office. Now that he’s a married man, he should separate his work and home life anyway. His marriage would only benefit from it. When my workday ends, it’s really over, and unless there is a life and death emergency, from the moment I get home, my time belongs to Bridget.”

  It was such a simple solution that Edna couldn’t believe neither she nor Rufsur had thought of it.

  “That’s brilliant, Turner. I’m so glad that I decided to consult you.”

  “I’m glad that I could help.”

  “Does it mean that you will support the idea of Kalugal and his men moving into the village?”

  “The men are not the problem. Kalugal is. If he decides to make a move against us, it would be very easy for him to do so.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “I can’t be his personal babysitter twenty-four-seven, so don’t even think to suggest it. I feel for you, but I’m not willing to sacrifice my life for yours.”

  “I would never ask that of you or anyone else. But there must be some other way to ensure that he doesn’t use his com
pulsion ability against us. We can have a Guardian with earplugs assigned to him at all times.”

  Turner shook his head. “That’s not going to work. If Kalugal has his men with him, they could overpower a Guardian or even several of them. Besides, what kind of coexistence would it be if Kalugal needs to be surrounded by a cadre of Guardians at all times?”

  “He wasn’t during the last two visits.“

  “He didn’t have all his men with him either.”

  “True.” Edna leaned back. “I wish there was some kind of a binding oath he could take, one that would prevent him from betraying the clan or making a move against us.”

  “Maybe there is.”

  As Turner’s gaze became unfocused, Edna suspected that he was looking inward and following a thread of thought. Not wanting to disturb him, she remained utterly still until he was ready to speak.

  A moment later, he looked at her and smiled. “There is no voluntary oath that is binding, but if he takes it in front of Annani, she can compel his compliance.”

  Once again, Edna was astounded by the simplicity of the idea and by her failure to come up with it herself. Except, Annani wouldn’t do that without getting Kalugal’s consent first, and she doubted he would agree to submit to the compulsion voluntarily.

  “I don’t know if Kalugal will be okay with that. If he submits to Annani’s compulsion, she can get him to do more than vow alliance to the clan. She can get him to reveal his secrets, and that appears to be his greatest fear.”

  Turner shrugged. “Since she can compel him anytime she wants, with or without his consent, I don’t see why he would have a problem with that. Besides, a certain level of trust is needed if the goal is peaceful coexistence.”

  That was true, but since their goal was to convince Kalugal to do something he didn’t want to do, they needed to make sure to have answers to all of his objections, both the logical and the emotional.

  “Jacki had an interesting idea. Since she is an immune, she can act as a buffer and make sure that Annani doesn’t compel Kalugal to do anything that he didn’t agree to.”

  Turner tilted his head. “Annani will not do that, but Kalugal will not trust her, and he knows that Jacki can’t do anything to stop Annani from doing whatever she wants.”

  “It’s true that she can’t stop Annani, but if the thing is done over the phone or a video call, she can terminate the transmission the moment things don’t go precisely according to the agreed-upon script.”

  “That could work. Basically, that’s what I did for Kian at the start of the negotiations, before William came up with the earpieces. I was on the line in case Kalugal tried something.”

  “Do you think that Kian will agree to the same thing? He can promise not to butt into Kalugal’s business, and Kalugal can compel his compliance to that promise. You can be there to stop him if he tries to sneak in some other compulsion.”

  “You’ve known Kian for much longer than I have. What do you think?”

  Edna pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t know. Kian often reacts with his heart and not his brain. I will need to give him a very persuasive reason.”

  “I’m sure that you will come up with something.”

  “Perhaps. Can I count on your help?”

  “I need to think about it. I’ll make a list of pros and cons and we can meet again and discuss them.”

  “Thank you.” She let out a breath. “If you are on board, Kian will be much less reluctant. He trusts your opinion on everything that has to do with security.”

  “That’s why I need time to think it through. Any recommendation I give Kian is a big responsibility. Inviting Kalugal and his men into our community would have a big impact on the trajectory of the clan’s future. I need to be sure that this move would bring us growth and prosperity, and not the opposite.”

  3

  Eleanor

  Eleanor stared at her phone as if it was a poisonous snake. Her plan had been to call Greggory the same night she’d delivered the food to the mansion, but it hadn’t worked out.

  In all the excitement of the days following her termination, she’d forgotten that her period was already overdue and had been caught by surprise when the cramping had started.

  It was just one more anecdote in her long history of bad luck. The only upside was that her periods were getting shorter and less painful lately, but that was because she was getting old.

  Birth control pills would have regulated her periods, but there was no point in feeding her body chemicals for no good reason. Eleanor had given up on ever finding Mr. Right or even Mr. Passable a long time ago. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been with a guy.

  Was it two years? Three? She didn’t even miss it.

  But when Greggory had smiled at her and asked for her phone number, she’d felt a slight stirring for the first time in ages. Perhaps she’d reacted to him because he was so damn good-looking? Guys like him never paid attention to her.

  Which begged the question, why had he?

  Perhaps he was into skinny older women?

  Yeah. Like she would get so lucky.

  If anything, she was a magnet for bad luck, and the only good thing to ever happen to her had been discovering her power of compulsion. Then again, perhaps it was also the root of her troubles. Fate had given her an incredible gift, making it possible for her to amass a fortune if she so wished, but in return, it had screwed up everything else about her damn life.

  She was a bitter, middle-aged woman, with no family and no friends.

  If she died right there and then, no one would miss her. No one would even know that she was gone, and it wasn’t because she was hiding from Roberts.

  Her only family had been her brother’s widow and his two children, but they had died in a car crash recently, and even before that, she hadn’t been close to them.

  For years, Eleanor had hated Vivian for causing Josh’s death. If the hussy hadn’t gotten pregnant, he wouldn’t have joined the Air Force so he could support his family, and he wouldn’t have died in a helicopter crash.

  Josh had been a smart kid with a bright future. If not for Vivian, he would have gone to college like he’d always wanted to, and he still would have been alive.

  What a waste of such an incredibly promising life.

  Still, even though she could never forgive Vivian, Eleanor regretted not getting to know her niece and nephew.

  Now she never would.

  As a tear slid down her cheek, she angrily wiped it away with her hand. There was no point in crying over things she couldn’t change. She needed to ovary up and make the call.

  With shaking hands, Eleanor punched in the number that Greggory had written on the napkin. Holding her breath she waited for him to answer.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, Greggory. It’s Gina. Remember me?”

  When he hesitated, her heart sank. He’d forgotten all about her.

  “The delivery girl.” There was a smile in his voice.

  “That’s me.”

  “I was expecting you to call later that day. What happened?”

  “I came down with something, but I’m all better now. I can come over if you want.” She held her breath again.

  “I’m sorry, but we are not allowed to bring guests into the house. I can come over to your place, though. Or we could go somewhere for coffee or something to eat.”

  Eleanor did some quick thinking.

  She couldn’t interrogate Greggory in a public place, but it wasn’t safe for a woman alone to invite a man she didn’t know to her house. Except, she wasn’t a normal woman, and provided that he wasn’t immune to her compulsion, she could freeze him in place if he tried anything that she didn’t want him to try.

  Eleanor actually hoped he would want to take her to bed, but only after he’d gotten her permission. If the guy was a rapist or a murderer, he was in for a big surprise. She could freeze him with one word, call the police, and unfreeze him when they got there. Her c
ompulsion ability could be easily explained away as hypnosis.

  Still, the prudent thing was to meet him in a coffee shop first, make sure that he wasn’t immune, and only then invite him over to her place.

  Then again, she could do that over the phone instead of complicating the date.

  The question was how to do that without tipping her hand.

  When she’d delivered the restaurant order to the mansion, she’d asked how many people were living there, but the answers she’d gotten were evasive. Perhaps she could ask Greggory again, and this time phrase her question more precisely, so he would be forced to answer truthfully, and if he didn’t, she would know that he was immune.

  The problem was that she didn’t want to give a direct command in case his phone was bugged.

  “Are you there, Gina?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry. I was thinking about your proposal. I would love to invite you for dinner at my place, but I’m a cautious woman, and you are a stranger to me.”

  He chuckled. “You know where I live.”

  “Yeah, I do. And it seems that you share the place with a bunch of men, which is kind of odd. Unless your host has a really rich daddy, that house is too fancy for a fraternity.”

  That was one of the things that didn’t add up for her. If they were indeed a group of paranormally talented people, it didn’t make sense for all of them to be male. Where were the women?

  “Our host is a very rich guy, and we all work for him. Does that ease your mind?”

  Perhaps some rich dude was collecting paranormals?

  That was possible. Since every organization needed someone to finance it, following the money was always the best way to find its real agenda.

  “What does he do?”

  “He’s an investor.”

  “And what do you do for him?”

  “I’m one of his bodyguards.”

  Perhaps the owner of the house was afraid of a paranormal attack?

  “Why does he need so many? Is he into illegal activity?”