by I. T. Lucas
“But not to my compulsion. I’ll make sure that she can never mention you, the clan, or immortals in general to any human.”
“Thank you. That’s a good idea.”
“Are you going to put the other trainees in the same underground facility you put us in?” Jacki asked.
Kian nodded.
“Do you have enough room in there?”
“I’ll have to convert more cells into bedrooms.”
Kalugal eyed him with fascination. “You have a dungeon?”
“I do, but it’s much nicer than the cell you originally stuck Jacki and Arwel in.”
“I have only one cell, not a dungeon, and it’s deliberately dreary because I use it for disciplinary measures when needed. Locking up an insubordinate warrior in a nice apartment would be a reward, not a punishment.”
“Your men are very well behaved,” Jacki said.
“That’s because passing by those bars every day reminds them of the consequences of defying my orders.”
Glancing at Rufsur and then Kalugal’s other two men, Kian noted that their expressions didn’t show resentment, and Rufsur even smiled and nodded in agreement.
The way Kalugal’s men regarded their leader was another point in his favor.
In truth, the only point against him was his incredible power over other immortals, but then he’d just offered to use it for the clan’s benefit.
“Maybe you can use Kalugal’s compulsion services with the new trainees?” Jacki suggested. “He is right about the better chances they’ll have of bonding with someone if they have a larger selection.”
Kalugal nodded. “I’ll gladly assist in any way I can.”
“That could be very helpful. I kept Wendy and Richard in a separate location because there is a limit to how many memories can be erased without causing brain damage. Wendy might not bond with Vlad, and we might have to introduce her to someone else, and Richard’s situation is even worse because he doesn’t have anyone at the moment. It could take weeks or even months before they bond with someone, and after that, they will still have to attempt transition.”
Kalugal tilted his head. “How did you do that with the other Dormants?”
“The circumstances were different in each case, but most of those Dormants weren’t hiding from anyone, so it wasn’t urgent to bring them in. They bonded with my people first, and it was only then that I allowed them into our community. After that, it was a matter of them either transitioning or not, which normally takes up to two weeks. Luckily, they have all transitioned successfully, so there was no need to erase anyone’s memories.”
64
Kalugal
“Perhaps Kalugal and his men should move into the village,” Lokan suggested. “Compulsion is different than thralling. Thralling is very effective at erasing recent memories, and they usually don’t come back. If they do, they are so hazy that people think that they dreamt them. Compulsion affects behavior, and it needs to be reinforced from time to time. You will need Kalugal to do that at least once a month.”
Both Kian and Kalugal shook their heads.
“I like my independence,” Kalugal said. “I’m willing to visit once a month to reinforce the compulsion, or you can have them brought to me.” It was a good opportunity to promote his own agenda, and since he’d been very generous with Kian, Kalugal expected his cousin to reciprocate. “And when you do, you can have several females escort them, so they can meet my men.”
Kian frowned. “If the compulsion is not permanent, I can’t bring the trainees into the village. Those who do not transition would have to be released. And if they have accumulated too many memories for thralling to be safe, and compulsion needs periodic reinforcement, we will have a big problem. I’ll have to keep them in a different location and tell them the same story I told Jacki and her friends.”
“I wish you had a place for them that wasn’t underground,” Jacki said.
“I have an idea.” Anandur raised his finger. “What if we bring them to our village but segregate them? We can build a fence around part of the new phase and use the virus as an excuse for the quarantine. We can then have people visit them who are supposedly recovered, and therefore can’t contract the virus again.”
Kian shook his head. “We have to wait with the extraction until the virus is gone. There will be no mall excursions for the trainees for the foreseeable future.”
Kalugal let out an exasperated breath. “I would have said to hell with that, and let’s just go for the blackout plus Sylvia plan, but that’s not feasible at this time either. There is so little air traffic going on that it would be impossible to cover up our escape tracks.”
“That’s not such an insurmountable obstacle,” Turner said. “I can probably come up with an evacuation plan even under these unusual circumstances. I just need enough time to plan and organize it.”
Kian looked skeptical. “I’d rather wait and not act under less than optimal conditions. But just in case we have no other choice, go ahead and formulate a plan.” He looked at Kalugal. “My mother is a big proponent of listening to gut feelings, and you seem convinced that we should act sooner rather than later.”
“I am, and it really is a gut feeling more than anything logical. That’s why I didn’t press the issue too forcefully.”
Raking his fingers through his hair, Kian let out a breath. “Let’s assume for a moment that we act now, bring the trainees to the village, and quarantine them. What are we going to do about the kids? We can’t keep them until they are old enough to find a mate, and we can’t quarantine them until then either.”
“They will be safer among immortals,” Jacki said. “If you send them back to their families now, they might get infected. Also, Marisol or another recruiter will just get them back.”
Kalugal nodded. “I think that after a two-week quarantine, it will be safe to thrall them to forget who rescued them and deliver them to their families. Hopefully, by then the program will have shut down, and there will be no risk of them getting picked up again.”
Jacki glared at him. “Because the director and Roberts will be dead?”
“Dead or discredited. Whatever works.”
“Discredited. I don’t want us to murder anyone.”
“We shall see,” Kian said. “Turner, since you are not overly busy right now, can I count on you to come up with the two alternative plans?”
“I will have the outline ready in a week. We can go over it then and make adjustments as needed. After that, I’ll need another week to work out the details and the exact timeline.”
Kian turned to Kalugal. “Is that okay with you? Or would you like to work on it together with Turner?”
“I’m fine with leaving it in Turner’s capable hands.” He took Jacki’s hand. “Right now, I have more important things on my mind. Have you decided whether you and your people will be joining us for our happy occasion?”
Kian glanced at Turner, who nodded his approval.
“We will come.”
“Thank you.” Jacki clapped her hands. “It means a lot to me. Can I invite Jin and Arwel as well?”
“Certainly. And since we are going to need Yamanu to shroud the event and the drones overhead, you can invite Mey also.”
“Awesome.” Jacki grinned.
“I suggest that we pause the summit for tomorrow and Wednesday,” Kian said. “Kalugal needs time to make everything ready for the wedding, and you can come here and have the ladies fuss over you. Tradition says that the happy couple shouldn’t see each other before the wedding.”
“No way.” Kalugal squeezed Jacki’s hand. “I’m not letting you out of my sight. I’ve made enough concessions already.”
Jacki leaned and kissed his cheek. “I’m not letting you out of my sight either.”
Kian affected a dramatic sigh. “Then I guess you have to come up to our suite now and try on your wedding dress.”
Jacki’s breath hitched. “Is it here?”
“My sister b
rought it.” He lifted his phone. “I’ve been getting non-stop texts demanding that I let you go so you could come up and try it on, but you were instrumental to our discussion, so I kept ignoring them.” He smiled sheepishly. “I’m sure that I’m going to pay for that.”
65
Syssi
“Hello, darlings.” Amanda strode into the suite holding a garment bag.
Right behind her was Dalhu, who carried a big suitcase.
Smiling, Syssi rushed to pull her sister-in-law into a tight embrace. “I’m so glad you are here.” She then hugged Dalhu too, but he didn’t seem happy about it.
The guy still had trouble with physical shows of affection.
Amanda lifted a brow. “Me or the dress?”
“Both.” Syssi took the garment bag. “Did you get it altered?”
“Vivian did it. The woman is a genius. She added a two-inch strip of lace to the bottom, and it looks like the dress was designed that way. Beautiful job.”
“I want to see.”
“Me too.” Wonder pushed to her feet and glanced at Callie and Carol. “Are you coming?”
“I’ve seen Syssi in the dress,” Carol said.
Callie got up. “I didn’t.”
Syssi chuckled. “I’m not going to put it on. I just want to see Vivian’s craftsmanship.”
“Where should I put the suitcase?” Dalhu asked. “It’s more stuff for the wedding.”
“Follow me.” Syssi headed to her and Kian’s bedroom. “I assume you have the bridesmaids’ dresses in there?”
“Among other things. I got a bunch of long-sleeved shirts for you to wear under the saris. It’s still damn cold outside.”
Syssi opened the door. “What do you mean us? Aren’t you going to join us?”
Dalhu put the suitcase next to the door and made a hasty retreat.
“I’m coming to the party.” Amanda sat down on the bed. “But I’m not going to be a bridesmaid.”
“Why not?”
“I want to use the opportunity to check out Kalugal’s men and see who I can match to whom.” She winked. “I’m planning to snap discreet photos of the men so I can show them to the ladies.”
Syssi chuckled. “Does Kian know about your plan?”
“Not yet.”
Unzipping the garment bag, Syssi pulled the dress out and laid it on the bed next to Amanda.
“It’s beautiful,” Wonder said. “Jacki is going to look amazing in it.”
Callie nodded. “And the lace at the bottom looks perfect. Kudos to Vivian.”
Amanda got up and opened the suitcase. “You might as well try the saris on. I also brought sandals in different sizes and some jewelry to go with them.” She handed a green one to Wonder. “This will look great with your coloring.”
“I like the blue.” Callie pointed.
“Then it’s yours.” Amanda handed it to her. “Which one do you like, Syssi?”
“Do you think the purple will look good on me?”
“Why not? Try it on.” Amanda took out the rest of the saris and spread them over the bed. “By the way, has Kian made a decision yet? We might have gone to all this trouble for nothing.”
Syssi leaned closer to her sister-in-law. “He was supposed to test Kalugal today, but given that they are still talking, nothing happened, and it’s a go.”
“What kind of test?”
“He and the others were supposed to take their earpieces out and see if Kalugal would make a move. Just in case, Brundar was somehow supposed to keep his in and only pretend to remove them. If Kalugal made a move, he would have turned him into a shish kebab with his throwing knives. Except, Kalugal brought Jacki along, so I’m sure he was on his best behavior.”
“How is he with her?” Amanda asked. “Does he love her? Or is he marrying her only because she is a possible Dormant?”
“He loves her.” Syssi moved one of the saris aside and sat next to Amanda. “He has that adoring look in his eyes every time he glances her way.”
Wonder nodded. “He is respectful and attentive. I didn’t expect it from an ex-Doomer. Their opinions of women are disgusting.”
“Lokan is also respectful and attentive.” Carol walked into the room. “Robert and Dalhu are as well. It depends on the person.”
Wonder shook her head. “I know, which is also surprising. Attitudes are learned, not inborn. How could it be that some of them are decent males and others are terrible?”
Amanda tapped her finger over her lips. “I wondered the same thing when I was just getting to know Dalhu. I figured that it depends on the women who raised them. Dalhu’s mother loved him and cared for him and his sister despite the way her children were conceived. I guess Robert’s mother loved him too. Lokan and Kalugal were raised by nannies, but Navuh probably chose the best ones for his sons.”
Carol nodded. “Lokan remembers the Dormant who raised him fondly, but I don’t think he felt loved by her.”
“Did she take good care of him?”
“Obviously. He also had the best tutors, and Navuh kept checking on his progress. Compared to the other Doomers, Lokan was raised like a pampered prince.”
“Figures.” Syssi chuckled. “I like both Lokan and Kalugal, but they are a little too full of themselves.”
Carol shrugged. “They are Doomer royalty. Lokan and Kalugal are the sons of a goddess and the most powerful immortal ever born.” She fluffed her curls. “Does being mated to Lokan make me a princess?”
66
Kian
“How many more?” Jacki sounded short of breath. “I lost count.”
Climbing seven floors wasn’t easy for a human, even a young and healthy one like Jacki. Especially since Kalugal wasn’t letting her touch the railing.
The guy was taking paranoid to a whole new level, but it was kind of touching to see how much he cared for her.
“One more,” Kian said.
“Hallelujah.”
Kalugal and Jacki were behind him on the stairwell, with the others closing the procession. Just like yesterday, Kalugal had sent his men home and Kian had dismissed the three other Guardians that were supposed to belong to Lokan.
Perhaps it was time to end the charade. Kalugal was well aware that the men weren’t really Lokan’s guards.
“Is your sister staying in your suite?” Kalugal asked.
Kian paused his climb and turned to look over his shoulder. “She and Dalhu are staying in their own. Why?”
“Just making small talk.” Kalugal had his arm wrapped around Jacki, helping her climb.
“I’m so excited,” Jacki said. “I can’t wait to see the dress.” She looked at Kalugal. “But you are not allowed to come with me when I’m trying it on. You can’t see me in the dress until the ceremony.”
“That’s fine. I’m willing to let you go as far as the next room. But no further than that.”
Kian turned around and kept climbing.
Jacki and Kalugal were getting along like an old couple, which reinforced his belief that their mating had been fated. He remembered it being the same way with Syssi. The first time he’d looked into her eyes, he’d felt as if he was coming home. At the time, he’d thought himself a fool, but he knew better now.
The other mated couples who’d come after him and Syssi had reported similar feelings.
When he opened the door to the suite, Kian found only Bridget and Dalhu there. “Where is everybody?”
“In your bedroom,” Bridget said. “Don’t go in there. I think they are trying the bridesmaids’ saris on.”
“Can I go in?” Jacki asked.
The door opened, and Syssi came out of the bedroom. “Finally. We thought you were never going to bring Jacki over.” She walked up to Kian, gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and then ushered Jacki and Kalugal into the suite’s living room. “Let me introduce you to Dalhu.”
“Hello.” Amanda walked out of the bedroom and gave Kalugal a once-over before doing the same to Jacki. “You look amazing.” S
he pulled Jacki into a quick hug and then did the same to the surprised Kalugal. “I’m glad to see that you are taking good care of our Jacki.”
“Of course. But she is my Jacki now.”
Kalugal looked at Dalhu, who was doing his best to melt into the wallpaper and failing. At six foot eight, the guy couldn’t make himself disappear no matter how hard he tried. “And you must be the Brother turned artist.” He offered Dalhu his hand.
Reluctantly, Dalhu pushed away from the wall and walked up to Kalugal. “The name is Dalhu. It’s an honor to meet you, sir.” He shook Kalugal’s hand.
“The honor is all mine, and please call me Kalugal.”
Dalhu nodded.
“I would love to see your artwork. Is there a chance that you brought some samples with you?”
“He is too modest for that.” Amanda threaded her arm through Kalugal’s and led him to a couch. “But, I’m not.” She pulled out her phone and handed it to him. “You can scroll through them.”
Both Jacki and Kalugal oohed and aahed and paid Dalhu one compliment after another, and by the time Kalugal handed the phone back to Amanda, the ice was broken, and Dalhu had relaxed.
“If you’d like, I could paint Jacki and you a portrait,” Dalhu said. “It would be Amanda's and my wedding present to you. But I won’t be able to finish it by tomorrow.”
“That would be lovely.” Kalugal wrapped his arm around Jacki. “But don’t we need to pose for it?”
“I can snap several photos of you two in different poses. You’ll choose which one you like the best, and I’ll paint it.”
