by I. T. Lucas
Reaching for the comb, Eleanor brushed her hair, but it was so frizzy that she had to braid it to keep it tame. If her face wasn’t as gaunt, she would have chopped that freaking mop off and adopted Ella’s short style, but that would make her look even worse. People would think that she was getting chemo.
Right, as if anyone other than the freaking immortals was going to see her anytime soon. If she shaved her hair off now, by the time she got out of the village, it would be back to its original length.
With a sigh, Eleanor collected her toiletries into her travel pouch and opened the door.
“There you are.” Vivian smiled. “I was starting to worry about you. Magnus is here and he brought the cuff.”
“I’m ready.” Eleanor looked around the patient room. “Where is my suitcase?”
“Magnus took it to the car already.”
“Why? So he could search it? I’m sure it was already searched.”
Vivian assumed an apologetic expression. “We take security very seriously. Your luggage was thoroughly checked before you were even admitted to the clinic, so Magnus didn’t have to check it again. Bridget also put you through a scanner to check for trackers.”
Eleanor’s hand went to the spot on her arm where the tracker had been. “I took out the one Simmons implanted me with.”
“Good for you. And now that you are transitioning, you won’t even have a scar.” Vivian threaded her arm through Eleanor’s. “That’s actually one of the downsides. We can’t have pierced ears, or tattoos. Our bodies regard them as injuries and eliminates them. On the upside, you will no longer suffer from periods.”
That was a huge downside. In the back of her mind, Eleanor had hoped that turning back the biological clock would make having kids possible. Not that she was ready to have any, but having the option had made her feel more optimistic about her future.
Eleanor stopped and turned to face Vivian. “Does that mean that I can never have children?”
“Oh, no. That’s not it at all. Immortal females have to preserve their eggs. That’s why we don’t ovulate unless there is a chance of conception.” She started walking again. “Our fertility rate is extremely low, but one of the clan doctors developed a potion that might help with that.” She leaned closer to Eleanor’s ear. “Magnus and I are participating in his pilot program.”
“You want to have another child?”
Vivian nodded. “Magnus doesn’t have children, and although he loves Ella and Parker as if they were his, he deserves a child that looks like him. Besides, I always wanted to have four children.” She sighed. “Regrettably, Josh was taken away from me before we could make that a reality.”
As pain and resentment flooded Eleanor, it felt as if a dose of acid had been poured down her throat, and she had to force down the bile threatening to erupt from her mouth.
Swallowing hard, she schooled her features and affected a smile. “Good luck.”
45
Edna
Edna read over the two pledges she’d written and wondered whether she could make them precisely the same. The big difference was that Kalugal would pledge not to use his compulsion against anyone in the clan, and Kian would pledge the same in regards to Kalugal and his men, but he would do that in Annani’s name because no one could compel the goddess’s compliance.
The trick was to make the pledges straightforward, avoid using a lot of legal jargon that would make Kalugal suspicious, and still close all possible loopholes.
Kalugal was clever and not nearly as honest as Kian. Where Edna trusted Kian to adhere to the spirit of the pledge and not just the precise phrasing, she didn’t trust Kalugal to do the same.
She read through the pledge she’d prepared for him once more.
I, Kalugal son of Areana, pledge the following:
1-I will never compel or use my compulsion ability on any member of Annani’s clan, current and future, for any reason, even if it is asked of me by anyone apart from Annani.
The one exception would be his initial compulsion of Kian’s adherence to the pledge, but if Kian went first, that problem would be solved.
2- I will never reveal, hint at, or in any way contribute to the discovery by others of the location or whereabouts of any and/or all of Annani’s clan members, even if it becomes known to me or to any member of my community, present and future. I will furthermore specifically prohibit all members of my community by way of compulsion and standing orders the disclosure of that information, hinting at it, or in any way contributing to its discovery by others. I will also require each of them to make the same pledge.
If Kalugal ever needed to provide one of his people with a clan member’s address, it would have to go through Kian or someone else who would be in charge of coordinating between the two groups.
3-I, members of my community, as well as those working on my behalf, will never deliberately jeopardize the clan’s safety, its various business endeavors, or its humanitarian efforts. I will demand the same pledge from all members of my community.
4-I, members of my community, and anyone working on my behalf will never intentionally cause harm to any current or future clan member in any way, or allow others to do that if it is in my or their power to prevent it. All members of my community will make the same pledge.
5-If an outside force threatens the conjoined community, my men and I will join the defense effort and do our best to thwart the attack. I accept Kian’s role as commander in all matters of security and defense of the conjoined community and interests. If Kian and/or Annani assign another clan member to command the defense effort, I will accept that person’s authority in these matters as well.
6-I, all members of my community, and anyone working on my behalf will adhere to this pledge as long as Kian, all members of his community, and anyone working on the clan’s behalf adheres to theirs. If any part of the pledges covered by this agreement is violated by either side, it will nullify all the other pledges covered herein on both sides.
Kalugal would probably object to some of the wording and insist on edits, but it provided a solid draft for the final treaty.
Kian’s pledge was similar.
I, Kian son of Annani, on behalf Annani and the entire clan, pledge the following:
1-Except for compelling Kalugal and his community to comply with the pledges specified above, no compulsion will ever be intentionally used against Kalugal or any members of his community.
2-All members of my clan and anyone working on the clan’s behalf will never be commanded or allowed to ever seek to or willfully cause Kalugal and any member of his community bodily harm.
3-I, all my clan members, and anyone working on our behalf will never reveal the location or whereabouts of Kalugal or any member of his community to anyone outside the clan. I will secure the same pledge from every clan member.
4-I, all my clan members, and anyone working on our behalf will never deliberately do anything to jeopardize Kalugal’s safety or that of any member of his community, or his various business endeavors. I will secure the same pledge from every clan member.
5-I, all my clan members, and anyone working on our behalf will never intentionally cause harm to any current or future member of Kalugal’s community in any way, or allow others to do so if it is in my or their power to prevent it. I will secure the same pledge from every clan member.
6-If an outside force threatens the conjoined community, the clan’s resources, including the Guardians force, will join forces with Kalugal’s men to defend the village and thwart or neutralize the risk.
7-I, all members of my community, and anyone working on our behalf will adhere to this pledge as long as Kalugal, all members of his community, and anyone working on their behalf adheres to their pledges. If any part or parts of the pledges covered by this agreement are violated by either side, all other pledges covered herein will be nullified.
Edna read over the two pledges once more, typed them on her laptop, and emailed them to Turner.
&
nbsp; A few minutes later, he called. “Good work. Do you mind if I tweak them a little?”
“Not at all. So are you fully on board with this?”
“I am. If both sides cooperate in good faith, the clan will benefit greatly from the inclusion of Kalugal and his men in our community. Normally, I wouldn’t rely on Kalugal acting in good faith. But if he agrees to take the pledge and for Annani to enforce his compliance, I believe it can work.”
Edna let out a relieved breath. With Turner in her corner, Kian would most likely agree to go ahead with the plan.
That still left Kalugal, but Turner’s support might make him more inclined to listen as well.
“I also talked with Brandon, and he’s going to prepare an animated presentation. Naturally, he’s going to use clan members to produce it.” She chuckled. “I just hope that it’s not going to come out looking like a video game. That’s what these guys do in their day jobs.”
“Brandon is a pro at producing motivational material. I trust that he will do a good job.”
Turner was a brilliant guy, but sometimes he had a hard time getting humor.
“I’m certain of it. I was debating what would be the best timing for us to approach Kian and Kalugal. Do you think it would be better to do so before the wedding or after?”
“Definitely after. Provided that everything goes well, and no one attacks anyone, both sides will feel safer and less suspicious. I suggest that we approach Kian first, and only if he agrees, present our plan to Kalugal.”
“I thought of doing it at the same time. Put both of them in the same room and make the presentation once.”
“Neither would appreciate it. They will feel trapped. After you get Kian’s approval, you should approach Kalugal separately.”
46
Richard
“Richard!” Wendy opened the patio door and tossed his phone at him. “It’s ringing.”
It stopped before he caught the device.
He’d been hoping that Stella would call, but it was probably one of the auction winners trying to get a freebie from him.
In his past life, Richard would have been flattered by the high demand, but since he was the only available male in the village, it wasn’t as if the clan ladies had anyone else to chase after.
If it was one of them, he was going to politely decline and suggest that they participate in the next auction. He barely had enough energy to fulfill his obligation to the auction winners, and he couldn’t afford any freebies.
Except for Stella.
If she wanted one, he would gladly oblige her.
Without harboring much hope, Richard checked the caller, and as he saw that it was Stella’s number, his heart did a little happy flip, which was just as surprising as getting a call from her.
Richard wasn’t an emotional guy, and the last time he’d felt like that had been in middle school when he’d had a crush on Alicia Brodnick. Hopefully, Stella wasn’t as mean as Alicia, who’d stomped on his young heart and humiliated him so badly that he’d faked sickness so he wouldn’t have to go to school and face her and her gaggle of friends.
Hitting reply, he waited for Stella to answer.
“Richard. Did I wake you up?”
“Of course not. It’s almost noon.”
“Since you work nights, I assumed that you slept in.”
Ouch. To call what he did work was an insult, but it wasn’t untrue. It had been fun for the first week or so, but after that he’d started thinking of it as a job that he had to do.
“I was outside, enjoying the morning in the backyard, and I left the phone in the kitchen. Wendy brought it to me.”
“Are you enjoying staying with the young couple?”
“I like them both, but I would have preferred more grown-up company. Are you free to meet me at the café?”
“That’s why I called. I’m done with the designs I’ve been working on, and I’m free for the rest of the day.”
Richard ran his hand over his stubble. He needed to shave and put on some decent clothes, but it wouldn’t take him long. “I can be at the café in fifteen minutes.”
“I’ll see you there.”
Going through his modest selection of clothes, Richard dismissed everything he’d worn for the auctions, which left only a pair of jeans that were a little baggy on him, several T-shirts, and gym clothes.
He wasn’t going to look his best for the date, but at least he would feel comfortable. His main objective was to create as large of a separation as possible between his private and professional lives.
Richard shook his head. Calling it a professional life was a joke.
Stuffing the phone in one pocket and the clan-issued credit card in the other, he snuck out of the house using his bedroom’s patio door.
Vlad was at the bakery, so that wasn’t a problem, but Wendy was a bit of a busybody, and she would ask him where he was going. Vlad would eventually find out that Richard was seeing his mother, but it was better to keep it under wraps until it became serious, provided it actually did. So far, Stella seemed only mildly interested.
Making it ahead of her to the café, Richard selected a table that was a little farther away and well shaded. Mornings were cool in the village, but it was after twelve, and soon it would get too warm for comfort.
He didn’t have to wait long, and as Stella entered the café’s enclosure, she greeted him with a friendly smile and a wave.
“Good afternoon.” Richard got up and pulled out a chair for her.
She gave him a once-over. “Did you lose weight?”
“I don’t think so. These jeans are baggy.” He waited until Stella was seated before sitting down. “That’s the problem with ordering stuff online. You never know whether it will fit.”
“I can alter them for you if you wish.”
“That’s very sweet of you to offer, but they are just not worth the trouble. I’ll order another pair.” Or several of them.
He needed a wardrobe that was separate from his gigolo gig but still looked good on him.
“It’s no trouble at all. I’m a whiz with the sewing machine.” She winked. “And with how hard you are working, you might need to alter your other clothes as well.”
Instead of arguing the point, he forced a laugh. “In that case, I might take you up on your offer. I can’t afford to replace my entire professional wardrobe.”
“How are the auctions going?” Stella looked down and readjusted her long skirt.
“Amanda agreed to slow down the pace, and it’s only every other day now.”
She nodded. “Good. I was afraid that you would collapse from exhaustion.”
Obviously, his occupation bothered Stella, and he would have gladly dropped it for her as well as for himself, but he couldn’t. For now, it was the only reason Kian hadn’t kicked him out yet.
“I would quit if I could.” He reached for her hand, and surprisingly she didn’t pull away.
Still, she tensed, and her hand in his felt clammy.
What was the big secret that Stella was hiding?
Richard would have loved to find out, but he wasn’t going to mention it and spook her. He liked spending time with Stella, and it was a refreshing change to just talk with a woman who wasn’t in a rush to get him in bed.
Maybe she wasn’t attracted to him?
Regrettably, he didn’t have an immortal male’s enhanced olfactory senses, and he had to rely on his meager telepathic abilities that didn’t work as well with immortal females as they used to with humans.
“Do you like me, Stella?”
She tilted her head. “Can’t you tell?”
“Unfortunately, my sensory telepathic ability doesn’t work well with immortals. What I sense from you is confusing, and I have no idea whether you are attracted to me or not. The only thing I know is that you are bothered by what I do, and I don’t need telepathy to figure that out.”
She smiled shyly. “I like you, Richard.”
“Oh, yeah? What do y
ou like about me?”
“Fishing for compliments?”
“Not at all. I’m a pretty confident guy. I just want to get to know you better and figure out what’s important to you. What are you looking for in a man?”
She smiled. “I like my men tall and dark.”
Given her son’s looks, his father had matched the description.
“I’m tall, but not nearly as tall as Vlad’s father must have been, and I’m not dark either.”
Stella stiffened and pulled her hand out of his. “You look fine, Richard. That was what attracted me to you in the first place. And once you stopped trying to impress me by exaggerating your paranormal abilities, I also liked you as a person. But if we are to remain friends, I would appreciate it if you don’t bring up past lovers, mine or yours.”
Was the big secret she was hiding connected to Vlad’s father?
From what he’d gathered about the way things worked for the clan’s females, the children born to them had all been the result of random hookups with human males. What could possibly be different about Vlad’s sperm donor?
Had Stella hooked up with a Doomer? And if she had, so what? Amanda, the goddess’s own daughter, was mated to a former one.
Whoever the dude was, though, it was none of Richard’s business.
“No problem. It’s a deal.” He offered her his hand again. “Let’s shake on it.”
Reluctantly, she took it and then surprised him by covering it with her other hand. “Tell me a little more about yourself. What did you do before you joined the paranormal program? What are your favorite movies? Do you read? What kind of music do you like to listen to?”
Evidently, Stella had decided to do a little investigative work of her own.
