by I. T. Lucas
The meaning of Vivian’s introduction was not lost on Eleanor. Vivian was stating her claim and familial affiliation to her, and by doing so extending her family protection to Eleanor.
It was incredibly kind of her.
“Hi.” Eleanor sat down next to Vivian. “We are proof that life is stranger than fiction. Who could have ever imagined that we would meet again as immortals?”
Jin smiled, flashing a pair of tiny fangs. “Not me. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again, and frankly, I wasn’t too upset about it. You were not on my list of favorite people.”
That was Jin to a tee. Blunt and unapologetic.
“I hope that we can put the past behind us. I don’t expect us to become buddies. I’ll settle for no poison in my coffee.”
That got a chuckle out of Richard. “It wouldn’t kill you now, so what’s the point?”
Eleanor tilted her head. “You have no reason to hate me. Was hooking up with Jin so bad?”
Both Jin and Richard shifted uncomfortably.
“We didn’t hook up,” Jin said. “We dated.”
Eleanor nodded. “I didn’t compel you to have sex with Richard, only to give him a chance. But just so you know, if you weren’t attracted to him in the first place, my compulsion wouldn’t have worked. I can’t compel anyone to love or even like someone.”
Wendy perked up. “Really?”
Eleanor nodded. “Since you weren’t interested in anyone, I couldn’t nudge you in anyone’s direction.”
“I thought that Director Simmons asked you to leave me out of the breeding program.”
“He did not. Since you and Jacki were not interested in any of the guys, I couldn’t do anything about it.”
“Jacki is immune,” Richard said. “She just pretended not to be and cooperated on some of the things that you told her to do.”
“Smart girl. Now the escape finally makes sense. Jacki wasn’t under compulsion to mistrust strangers, and she must have encouraged you to join her.”
Jin smiled. “The story is much more complicated than that. But before I start, let’s get coffees and pastries because it’s going to take a while.”
56
Rufsur
“Okay, men.” Rufsur clapped his hands. “Final lineup.”
“We look like a bunch of penguins.” Atzil tugged on his jacket.
“Stop complaining.” Shamash clapped him on the back. “I can’t wait to meet all those hot immortal females.” He adjusted the lapels of his tuxedo jacket. “And I’m going to do that looking suave.”
This time around, Kalugal had gone all out in his preparations for the wedding, commissioning a custom-tailored tuxedo for each man, getting them fancy shoes, and inviting a couple of stylists to the house to do everyone’s hair.
“You look amazing.” Jacki put a hand on Rufsur’s shoulder. “You are rocking the James Bond look.”
He arched a brow Sean Connery’s style, struck a pose as if he was holding a martini glass, and quoted one of his favorite lines; “There’s a saying in England: Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.”
Jacki laughed. “That’s such a great imitation. I didn’t know that you could do that. Who else can you do?”
“This one is from Casino Royale.” Rufsur cleared his throat. “Why is it that people who can’t take advice always insist on giving it?”
“Good one of Daniel Craig. But I like the Sean Connery better. His voice is so sexy.”
Rufsur chuckled. “Don’t let Kalugal hear that. He would get jealous.”
Jacki rolled her eyes. “Connery is eighty-nine years old.”
Rufsur leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “Kalugal is older.”
“Right. I keep forgetting that.” She waved a hand at the assembled men. “Some of them are much older than that, and yet they look like a bunch of guys getting ready for the senior prom.”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never been to one. Have you?”
Jacki nodded. “It was fun. My foster mom sewed a dress for me, and at the time, I thought that I would never wear anything as beautiful as that again.” She sighed. “I could have never imagined that one day I would get married in a designer wedding dress that was custom-made for me. It’s like a fairytale. I’m a Cinderella who’s marrying Prince Charming in a beautiful Snow White princess dress.”
“You are not a princess.” Kalugal came up behind Jacki and put his arm around her. “You are my queen.” He kissed the top of her head. “What do you think of your honor guard?” He motioned at the assembled men.
“They all look magnificent.”
“I agree.” He stepped forward.
The men hushed down and stood to attention as if they were on a roll call.
Walking between the rows they had formed, Kalugal inspected each man before returning to the front. “You all look impressive, and I want you to look just as good at the wedding. Pack your tuxedos in the garment bags they came in, and don’t stuff them in the suitcase. First impressions count, and you need to make the best ones you possibly can. That includes being polite, attentive, gentlemanly, and not drinking in excess. The clansmen like their whiskey and potent beer, and they will try to goad you into competing with them. Don’t. You are there to impress the ladies, not the men. Any questions?”
Shamash raised his hand. “If a lady invites me to spend the night, am I allowed to accept? Or do we have to wait to be auctioned?”
“That’s a good question. I assume it’s alright to accept an invitation, but don’t try to get one by being pushy. Don’t forget that you have to overcome the prejudice clansmen have against former members of the Brotherhood. That means going above and beyond what other males in your situation would have been required to do. The wedding is a good opportunity to check out the clan females, but your objective is not hookups. You are looking for your future mates. Any more questions?”
Greggory cleared his throat. “Do we need to use protection?”
“Not unless the lady asks for it, but they most likely won’t. The clan encourages its females to conceive.”
Shamash raised his hand again. “But if they think that we are bad, maybe they don’t want us to father their children?”
Kalugal shook his head. “Both sides would like to see this experiment succeed. That’s why the goddess insisted on holding the wedding in the village. They don’t think that you are bad, but the females might be wary of you because of the prejudice against members of the Brotherhood, which we all know is justified. My advice is to show them that you are the opposite of what they think about Doomers. For those of you who haven’t heard the term yet, that’s the clan’s nickname for Brothers.”
Smoothing his hand over his freshly shaved jaw, Rufsur wondered whether he should contradict his boss. If the men acted rigidly like the penguin suits they were wearing, they would not make the right impression on the ladies.
“May I say a few words?” Jacki put her hand on Kalugal’s arm. “I think your men could use a woman’s perspective.”
Thank you, Jacki. Rufsur let out a relieved breath. The same thing had probably occurred to her.
“Of course, my Jacqueline. Go ahead.”
Jacki took a step forward and smiled. “Be polite, but be yourself, and be genuine. Nothing will happen if you mess up a little on protocol. From what I’ve observed, the clan males are not perfect gentlemen at all times either. What they have, though, is true and genuine respect for their mothers, sisters, nieces, and mates. Good manners like pulling chairs out for ladies and opening doors for us are nice, but what really counts is true respect and appreciation that come from the heart, and that cannot be faked.”
Given their perplexed expressions, the men looked more confused than ever.
“Let me make it simple for you.” Rufsur stepped forward. “All those ladies are the descendants of the goddess Annani, and you’ve heard from your friends who’ve met her what’s she’s like.” He waited for the nods and murmurs to subside before continuing. “So jus
t think of her female descendants as demigoddesses and treat them accordingly.”
Shamash chuckled. “Should we worship at their feet?”
Stifling a laugh, Rufsur nodded. “That’s a good start. But perhaps it should be done in private. If you get invited to spend the night, a little worshipfulness could go a long way.”
57
Kian
“I’m excited to see Sari again.” Syssi handed Kian a cappuccino. “Are you sure we can’t fit everyone in the limo? I would really like to greet them when they land.”
“Annani, Alena, Sari, and six Odus make nine. The limo can seat eleven, but that will force them to sit three in a row, and Annani wouldn’t like it.”
Annani’s jet was too small for nine people. There were only four passenger seats in the cabin and two in the cockpit, which made him wonder whether the remaining three Odus had crossed the Atlantic in the cargo bay or sat on the floor.
“Maybe we can take the bus instead?” Syssi asked.
Kian arched a brow. “Can you picture Annani riding the bus? Besides, Okidu has already left.”
Frowning, Syssi glanced at her watch. “It’s only six in the morning, and the jet is scheduled to land at seven-thirty. Why did he leave so early?”
Kian shrugged. “Traffic is unpredictable, and we don’t want to keep Annani waiting. It’s better for Okidu to wait for her than the other way around.”
“True.” Syssi sat next to him on the couch and took a sip from her cappuccino. “Having all the Odus here will make setting up things for the wedding a breeze. After Annani delivers her welcome speech, they can start preparing the village square for the party.”
“I don’t want all of them away from my mother and sisters. I’ll have Guardians watching their house twenty-four-seven, but I want at least two Odus to stay with them as well.”
Leaning back, Syssi crossed her legs. “I understand the need for security, but what if Alena or Sari want to have a night of passion with an immortal male? Will they need to get permission from the Guardians to bring the men home with them? That would cramp their style.”
Kian grimaced. That hadn’t occurred to him, but Syssi was right. Kalugal‘s men were the first immortal males his sisters could sample, and they might do just that. Even worse, his mother might partake as well.
He really didn’t want to consider that possibility.
“I will have a talk with them. It’s not safe for my sisters to invite men into the house or go with them to the fenced-off section.”
“That’s so unfair to them. Why can other clan females enjoy immortal partners and not your sisters?”
“Because life is unfair and as Annani’s daughters they are in more danger.”
“Like what?”
“If Kalugal or any of his men want to deal us a blow, my sisters would be the first target.”
“There must be a solution that would ensure their safety while allowing them to partake in the fun. Who knows, maybe Sari will find one of Kalugal’s men refined enough for her liking? Phinas seems like a fine man. He’s serious, dedicated, and capable.”
Kian chuckled. “I don’t think Kalugal would be happy with both his lieutenants mating prominent clan members. If Rufsur decides to join Edna in the village, that will leave Kalugal with only Phinas as second-in-command.”
Syssi shrugged. “It was just a thought.” She dipped her head to take a sip from the cappuccino, which resulted in her hair falling like two dense curtains on both sides of her face, hiding it from him.
He could sense that she was a little antsy but also excited. Both feelings were understandable, given the upcoming events. His mother and his sisters were arriving shortly, and Kalugal’s party was arriving in the afternoon together with Lokan and Carol. He and Syssi had both taken a day off work to host their guests, and the entire village was humming with anticipation.
Still, Kian had a feeling Syssi knew something that he did not.
Not that it was surprising. The village gossip machine usually skipped over him, and he often found out about things long after everyone else already knew about them.
He could ask Syssi to spill, but perhaps she’d been told something in confidence, and it wouldn’t be fair of him to pressure her to reveal it. As a rule, there should be no secrets between mates, but the exception was keeping other people’s secrets when asked to do so.
Besides, it might have something to do with the birthday party she and Amanda were planning for him. Hopefully, they weren’t going to combine it with Kalugal and Jacki’s wedding, but it was possible that they were thinking of doing it on Sunday, though he hoped that wasn’t the case. His actual birthday was more than two months away, and there was no reason to combine the two unrelated celebrations.
Perhaps he should drop a hint regarding his preference?
The problem was that he sucked at hinting. His style was to come out and just say it, but he didn’t want to upset Syssi.
Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, he dipped his head and kissed her temple. “If everything goes smoothly and the wedding is a big success, we can throw another big party like that for my bi-millennial birthday party.”
Syssi lifted her face to him with a bright smile. “That’s a wonderful idea. I didn’t think that you would want to invite Kalugal and his men to your birthday party, but now that I know you are okay with it, I will definitely include them in the list of invitees.”
That was a relief. It meant that nothing was planned for the Sunday following the wedding.
“It depends on how this weekend goes. If I end up enjoying it, then why not?”
“Indeed.”
“Who else is on your list of invitees?”
Syssi shook her head. “I’m not ready to disclose those details yet. But knowing how much you hate surprises, I’ll let you know once Amanda and I finalize our plan.”
He arched a brow. “Don’t I get a say in it?”
“Do you want to?”
He thought about it for about two seconds. “No, not really. I trust you completely.”
58
Edna
Edna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, lifted her skirt on one side, and climbed the three steps to board the bus.
William and Bridget were already there, and as she’d expected, her new look hadn’t gone unnoticed. She’d been dressing more stylishly lately, but outside of weddings, no one had seen her in a skirt or a dress, or with makeup, or with her hair loose and fanning out over her shoulders.
Bridget’s lips twitched with a suppressed smile. “You look very nice,” she said as Edna sat down next to her.
“Thank you.”
In time, people would get used to her new look, and so would she. Right now, Edna still felt like an imposter, but Rufsur was right about the importance of appearance and its influence on how she perceived herself. Before, her life was all about work, and her style reflected her attitude. Her new look was helping her to adopt a new one.
Not that it was anything overly daring. Her outfit was feminine but conservative, her makeup minimal, and her hairdo was elegant. After all, she was still a judge and a councilwoman and her attire needed to be appropriate.
“Hello, everyone.” Ingrid boarded the bus. “Sorry for keeping you waiting.” She sat across the aisle from Bridget and Edna. “You have no idea how much work it was to prepare the vacant houses for Kalugal’s men. First of all, they were dusty and stuffy and needed to be cleaned. Then I had to get bedding, towels, and toiletries for each guest, and also stock the refrigerators and pantries.”
“Did you do it all yourself?” Edna asked.
“Of course not. Onegus assigned four Guardians to help me. But it was still a lot of work to prepare thirteen houses.”
The Guardians had probably done more than help Ingrid. Edna was sure that they’d installed surveillance equipment as well.
“Is there a reason you are joining us?” Bridget asked. “You could’ve waited for their arrival in the village. It wi
ll take a long time to process all of Kalugal’s men through the scanners.” She pointed at the back of the bus, where the equipment had been installed.
Ingrid smirked. “I could have, but why waste a golden opportunity like that? You two are already taken, so I’ll be the only unattached female to welcome them, and I’ll get to choose the best one.”
“Good luck,” Edna said.
“Thank you.” Ingrid lifted both hands to show them her crossed fingers. “I hope that it’s third time lucky. Maybe it didn’t work out with Robert or with Richard because I was destined to meet my one and only today.”
Edna wanted to comment that it hadn’t worked out because Ingrid hadn’t been picky enough. She’d been too eager and jumped on every available male, and she was probably going to make the same mistake again. But that would have been insensitive.
“Don’t rush into it.” Bridget voiced Edna’s thoughts. “There are forty-six available males, and it’s impossible to choose the right one without getting to know them first.”
Ingrid pouted. “That will take forever, and in the meantime, all the best ones will get snatched up. I need to act fast. Any advice for how to spot the one?”
Edna and Bridget exchanged glances, and then Bridget smiled.
“I was attracted to Turner from the get-go. One look into those smart eyes of his, and I knew that I wanted to get to know him better. But that’s not a good indicator. I was also attracted to Andrew when I first met him, and he turned out not to be the one for me.”
“What about you, Edna?” Ingrid asked. “How did you know that Rufsur was the one?”
“I didn’t know. But when I saw him, my heart skipped a beat for the first time in forever, and I couldn’t stop thinking about him. That should’ve clued me in, but I was fighting the attraction.”
“Why? Rufsur is so hot.” Ingrid fanned herself. “You are lucky that you snatched him first. I would have gone for him like a hungry tigress on the prowl.” Ingrid made a growling noise in her throat and scratched the air with both hands.
