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

by I. T. Lucas

  “Did you kill Simmons?” Eleanor asked. “I assume that the car accident was staged.”

  “He was the one holding the portable noise cannon and he got shot. Roberts was standing right next to him, but he only got injured. Kian thralled him to remember things the way we wanted him to, and Jacki’s husband compelled him to do our bidding.” Syssi cast Eleanor an apologetic look. “One of the things that we compelled him to do was to fire you. We couldn’t allow you to keep compelling people into having sex with each other so they would produce super babies for the program.”

  A guilty look flitted over Eleanor’s face. “They wouldn’t have had sex with each other if there was no attraction to begin with. I just gave them the push. It was no worse than matchmaking.”

  Syssi shook her head. “You know that it was wrong, and helping the director with the breeding program was really bad.”

  “I know.” Eleanor leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ve never claimed to be a good person, and I’m sorry that you are stuck with me. I’ll try to stay out of your hair as much as possible.”

  Syssi leaned forward. “That’s not what we want. You have an opportunity for a fresh start, Eleanor, and we are all willing to give you a second chance. Don’t waste it by hiding in Vivian’s backyard. Get to know people, show them that you’ve embraced your new life and turned over a new leaf.”

  Letting out a breath, Eleanor nodded. “I’ll try. At my age, it’s not easy to change.”

  “I know where you can start,” Amanda said. “Come to the wedding. Everyone is going to be there, including Kalugal’s men.”

  Eleanor frowned. “Who is this Kalugal you keep talking about? Does he work for Kajeck Zolotovsky?”

  Syssi laughed. “Kalugal is Kajeck Zolotovsky. That’s the fake name he uses.”

  Eleanor seemed impressed. “So Jacki snagged the boss. Good for her. But I don’t think she will want me at her wedding.”

  “Nonsense.” Amanda waved a hand in dismissal. “Don’t you want to see Greggory? He’s coming with the rest of Kalugal’s men.”

  Eleanor’s entire face brightened, but a moment later she smoothed her hand over her frizzy hair and shook her head. “I don’t have anything nice to wear, and my hair looks like an old floor mop. Too many color jobs.”

  Amanda put her hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about a thing. When I’m done with you, you will look like a glamorous runway model.”

  “What are you going to do to me?” Eleanor looked scared, as if Amanda had just offered to perform plastic surgery on her without the benefit of anesthesia.

  “Hair, makeup, dress, shoes. Is Greggory tall?”

  Eleanor nodded. “Six two or three.”

  “Good, then you can wear heels. I have just the dress for you. It’s a last-year Versace, but I doubt Greggory will notice. Men are clueless about fashion.”

  Syssi snorted. “No one other than you would know or care which year a Versace dress was made, or even that it is a Versace.”

  53

  Kian

  “Hello, Mother.” Kian leaned back in his chair and swiveled it around so it was facing his office windows. “How are you enjoying your stay with Sari?”

  It was after midnight in Scotland, and he wondered what had prompted Annani to call him so late.

  “I am having a fabulous time. How are things progressing with Kalugal?”

  “In what way?”

  “Are you getting closer? Do you trust each other more?”

  “Nothing has changed since his last visit. I’m preparing the village for his arrival.”

  She laughed. “I assume that by preparing you mean securing.”

  As always, the sound of his mother’s laughter raised goosebumps on Kian’s arms.

  “Naturally. William and his team are almost done manufacturing the cuffs, we had the bus equipped with scanners, and the entire village is peppered with loudspeakers in case we need you to compel his men.”

  “I spoke with Amanda earlier, and she told me about Ella’s aunt’s transition. She said that one of Kalugal’s men fancies her.”

  “He induced her unknowingly, and now he feels responsible for her, but I don’t know if he actually likes her, and frankly, I don’t care. Having Eleanor here is a thorn in my side. But I had no choice. I couldn’t just let her roam free as an immortal. Her compulsion ability is secondary to that.”

  “You did the right thing.”

  “I hope so. If she develops an ability to compel immortals, we are screwed.”

  “Tsk, tsk, Kian. Language.”

  Glad that she couldn’t see him, Kian rolled his eyes. “Forgive me, Mother.”

  “You are forgiven.” She sighed. “We need to start working on compulsion resistance training. I’ve given it some thought, and I think Turner would be helpful with that since he is an immune. Jacqueline too, if she is willing.”

  “I would rather not involve her in that. I don’t want Kalugal to know that we are working on developing resistance. I also had another idea in regards to our visitors. Instead of us waiting for them to do something that will require you to compel them to stop, how about you compel them preemptively?”

  “How can I do that if I do not know what they are planning? If they are planning anything at all. You know that I believe in Kalugal having good intentions.”

  “Then you won’t mind reinforcing it. I was thinking about a welcome speech. You can say something about one group not moving against the other and everyone treating each other with friendliness and respect. The compulsion will also affect our side, but that’s fine. We are not planning a trap for Kalugal and his men. He might even appreciate you treating everyone the same way and ensuring everyone’s safety, not just your people.”

  “I like your idea. I will ask Alena to help me prepare a speech. Compulsion needs to be very precise or it can bring about unintended consequences.”

  “Naturally. I’m sure you and Alena can come up with the right things to say, but if you need help, I can ask Edna to prepare a draft. As an attorney, she is trained to use precise language.”

  “I think that Alena and I can manage just fine. What I am worried about is the effectiveness of my compulsion on reluctant subjects. The other time I asked everyone to look for my earring, which was a trivial thing and no one had a problem with complying. But if I ask for something that goes against their core beliefs, I am not sure they will respond as well.”

  “If Kalugal can do it, I am sure you can as well. Our Guardians and Jin knew about his ability, they were ready for it, and they tried to fight it with everything they had, but failed. You are a stronger compeller than he is, and I have no doubt that you can compel people against their will.”

  Annani sighed. “I do not enjoy doing that. In fact, it goes against my core beliefs. But to protect my people, I will do whatever is needed, including compelling Kalugal’s men even if they try to resist.”

  “I’m glad we see eye to eye on that. I don’t like to force anyone either, but I would rather compel compliance than achieve it by physical force. It can save unnecessary bloodshed.”

  “Indeed. But it is a slippery slope, Kian, and we need to be very careful not to get carried away with the use of compulsion. I will compose a speech that focuses on goodwill and cooperation and non-violence.” She chuckled. “I am very good at convincing people without the use of mental tricks.”

  “You are a pure-blooded goddess, mother. Just looking at you puts your audience in a worshipful mood. You warp their heads just by being you.”

  Annani laughed. “You give me too much credit, Kian. When do you want me to deliver my speech?”

  “Upon Kalugal and his men’s arrival at the village. We will host a welcoming party in the village square, and it will start with your speech. I will say a few words as well, and maybe Kalugal will want to do so too. Sari might also want to say something. It would be a good way to introduce her as the representative of the Scottish arm of the clan.”

&n
bsp; “I will ask her if she wants to prepare a short speech.”

  “Thank you.”

  54

  Rufsur

  “I feel so bad about sneaking this behind Kalugal’s back.” Jacki handed Rufsur her laptop. “What if he comes back here?”

  “Don’t worry about it. He will be hours deciphering those tablet fragments. Some people solve crossword puzzles to relax, but for Kalugal it is translating ancient writings.”

  “I didn’t know that the digs were going on without him. I thought that he personally supervised them.”

  “He would love to, but he also has a business to run. They email him photos of everything they find, but usually it’s nothing overly exciting. A tablet, though, that’s something Kalugal salivates over.”

  “I’m happy he has a hobby that he loves.” Jacki chuckled. “But if he comes up here and sees us sitting together all chummy like this, he’ll think that we are having an affair.”

  Rufsur snorted. “You are still thinking in human terms. Then again, none of us knew about the mated bond either. When Kian told Kalugal, I thought it was part of the clan’s mythology, but now that Edna and I have bonded, I know that it’s real. I’m proof of that.”

  Jacki arched a brow. “What about Kalugal? Isn’t he proof as well?”

  Rufsur shrugged. “Kalugal was never a big-time womanizer. He’s too absorbed with the million and one plans and schemes and business deals that continuously run through his head. I had to drag him out of here to go clubbing. But I used to be a ladies man, and for me not to spare a good-looking woman a second glance is unusual.” He rubbed his chest. “Ever since Edna and I bonded, I’ve changed on a fundamental level. I feel absolutely no physical attraction to any other woman, which frankly is liberating. I didn’t realize how much of my mental bandwidth was dedicated to thoughts about sex and the chase to get it.”

  Jacki smiled. “But you are still thinking about Edna twenty-four-seven, so you are not really liberated.”

  “I will be once this is done and we are together.” He opened the laptop and pressed play.

  It was a simple video of Jacki sitting on the master suite’s couch and talking about the importance of having a community to raise their children in. Then she moved to having female friends that she could hang out with, and how much that would enrich her life.

  “Good job.” He handed her the laptop back.

  “You really think so? I could just tell him all these things.”

  “It’s all in the delivery and the timing. This will be the last thing after everything else we throw at him, and if nothing else works, I hope this will tip the scales in our favor.”

  Jacki leaned back. “You should have been a politician.”

  “I am. How do you think Kalugal manages to keep his men so loyal to him? He’s aloof and self-absorbed, and he wouldn’t even notice if the men were dissatisfied. I’m his eyes, ears and mouth, and I make sure that everyone is happy.”

  “He’s lucky to have you.”

  Rufsur grinned. “Damn right he is.”

  As his phone rang, he smiled and accepted the call. “Hi, Edna. I’m sitting in the library with Jacki and she’s just shown me the recording she made for Kalugal. Do you want me to forward it to you?”

  “Hi, Jacki. And yes, please email it to me. I’m putting everything together. Brandon just emailed me the rough draft of the animated movie his team created, and I also recruited Dalhu to our efforts.”

  “To do what?”

  “He’s going to sketch a rendering of Kalugal and Jacki’s future fancy abode. It would be a mansion surrounded by smaller houses for his men. Dalhu also liked your idea of a moat and drawbridge separating the new plots from the rest of the village.”

  “I was joking.”

  “I know, but Dalhu said why not. We can shave the mountainside to be steeper, deepen the ravine, and put a drawbridge over it.”

  “Unless you fill it with water and piranhas, it will still be accessible to persistent immortals on foot. And even if the immortals fear the piranhas getting into their privates as they swim through, they can access the place with the help of drones or jet packs.”

  “I know. But perhaps Kalugal will like the symbolic separation. It’s just a drawing to show what’s possible, so we can go wild with it. Unless you think he will not get the joke?”

  Jacki snorted. “He’ll get it, and he will love it. What I’m afraid of is that he will actually have the drawbridge built.”

  “You heard the lady,” Rufsur said.

  “If he’s going to love that, he’s going to love Dalhu’s other idea even more.”

  “What is it?” Jacki asked.

  “We were talking about where to put Kalugal’s artifact collection, and whether it should be housed in the new part of the village, or in the main section. Dalhu said that we should build a museum for the artifacts that will be accessible to everyone in the village, but unless we take out the central lawn, there is no place for it. Then he had the brilliant idea of enlarging the entry pavilion and building displays on its perimeter. That way, people passing through on their way into or out of the village could stop in front of a display and read the explanations or the translations.”

  “Wow,” Jacki said. “That’s the best selling point we’ve had so far. Kalugal is going to flip over that.” She looked at Rufsur. “What do you think?”

  “I love the idea. The only problem I can see with it is exposing the artifacts to sunlight. Kalugal built the bunker to house them, partially because most were smuggled out of their countries of origin illegally, but mostly to preserve them. A glass pavilion might not be the best environment for ancient artifacts.”

  Jacki sighed. “That’s a shame. I can envision it in my mind and it will look so beautiful.”

  “Yeah.” Rufsur rubbed a hand over his chin. “Even I, with my limited visual imagination, can see it. But maybe a solution can be found, like keeping the artifact section shielded from sunlight during the day and opening it during the night.”

  “I think that Dalhu should draw it as part of the pavilion,” Edna said. “Just like with the moat, the purpose is to whet Kalugal’s appetite. He can later tweak the idea to his heart’s content.”

  55

  Eleanor

  Eleanor pinned her hair up, looked at the mirror, and grimaced even though she looked better than she’d looked in years. The transition had smoothed out her skin, but it couldn’t erase her past deeds the way it had erased her fine lines.

  There was no avoiding it. Sooner or later, she would have to meet the former recruits, and postponing it only created stress she could do without.

  Besides, she couldn’t back down now. Jin, Wendy, and Richard were waiting for her in the café, and Vivian was waiting in the living room to escort her there.

  What was she going to say to them? That she was sorry?

  She didn’t regret compelling them to join the program, and she didn’t regret matching Richard up with Jin. They’d made a nice couple, and the attraction had been there already or it wouldn’t have worked. As for Wendy, she had done nothing to the girl except compel her not to trust people outside the program. Wendy had joined voluntarily, and since she hadn’t been attracted to any of the guys, Eleanor hadn’t compelled her to hook up with anyone.

  In fact, Eleanor was surprised that the girl had transitioned. To do that, Wendy had to have had sex with an immortal male.

  How had that happened?

  The girl had issues, and her mistrust of men in particular and people in general went even deeper than Eleanor’s. She must have met a special guy.

  As Greggory’s handsome face appeared in front of her mind’s eye, Eleanor smiled. If Wendy had snagged a guy like that, she should be thanking her instead of harboring resentment toward her, and the same was true for Jin, who was mated to one of Magnus’s friends.

  Deciding that no apologies were in order, Eleanor squared her shoulders and headed to the living room.

  “Rea
dy?” Vivian pushed to her feet.

  “As ready as I’m ever going to be.”

  Vivian opened the front door. “You haven’t seen the village during the day yet. You’re in for a treat.”

  It was pretty, green, and tranquil, and the best part was that they encountered no one on their way. It was like stepping back in time. The walkways meandered through heavy vegetation, and since they were designed for pedestrians, there were no cars to make noise and pollute the air. Except, she remembered arriving at Vivian’s house in a golf cart, so there was that. But weren’t golf carts electric?

  Probably.

  Except, as soon as they entered the village square, all that wonderful peacefulness was gone. Everyone was casting curious glances at her, Vivian smiled and waved, people smiled and waved back, and Eleanor tried not to scowl.

  For a loner like her, village life would be hell. Even though she often felt lonely, she didn’t want to interact with people every time she left the house.

  “Over here!” Jin stood up and waved them over.

  She didn’t look mad, and that was a good sign. Maybe the meetup wouldn’t go as badly as Eleanor had feared it would.

  “Hello, everyone.” Vivian pulled out a chair. “Since you all know Eleanor, aka Marisol, no introductions are needed.” She smiled. “Except, there might be something that you don’t know. I’ve known Eleanor much longer than any of you. She is my sister-in-law and Ella and Parker’s aunt.”