by I. T. Lucas
“Why? Doesn’t he want to come?”
“He told Yamanu that he has a big project to finish, but Yamanu thinks that Vlad is stalling because he is scared of meeting Wendy.”
“Her in particular, or any girl?”
“Any girl.”
Jin nodded. “The poor kid has probably never dated before.”
“Most likely.”
“Maybe they can play William’s game together. Wendy gave it another try yesterday, and she’s been obsessed with it ever since. She says it’s one of the best computer games she’s ever played.”
“That’s a good idea. Maybe Yamanu and I can join them at the beginning, just until they warm to each other, and then leave them to play alone. I can prepare snacks, maybe even dinner.”
“Sounds like a plan. Instead of a date, it would be a friendly get-together. That should be less scary for the dude.”
Mey chuckled. “I feel like Yamanu and I are the den mother and father.”
“Admit it. You are enjoying this.” Jin opened the box and pulled out the shiny new laptop. “This is so nice.”
“Yamanu also got me a present. But it hasn’t arrived yet.”
“Oh, yeah? What is it?”
“A tablet and a stylus to draw on. I’m going to start working on the designs. I haven’t done it in so long that I’m out of practice.”
Jin hugged the laptop to her chest. “I’ve been thinking. Since my friends have no job prospects at the moment, maybe we can employ them in our business?”
“We don’t have a business yet, and by the time we do, they will probably be doing something else already. Richard is going bonkers from having nothing to do.”
“What about him and Ingrid?”
Mey shrugged. “I know just as much or as little as you do. She comes every day, and they hover around each other, but I don’t know whether she’s stayed the night yet or not.”
“I’m sure she has. Ingrid doesn’t strike me as the shy type, and I know that Richard is more than ready. The poor guy didn’t get any for over a month.”
“Right, well.” Mey shifted. “That’s not the end of the world.”
“For us it isn’t, but guys are different. I read somewhere that men think about sex constantly.”
Mey regarded her with a frown. “Don’t you crave Arwel all the time?”
“I do. But that doesn’t mean that I’d go crazy if I didn’t get him into bed every day.”
“Interesting. I was the same way before I met Yamanu, but since then, I crave him quite obsessively. Apparently, it’s part of the bond between immortal mates. I wonder why you don’t feel the same way.”
What was Mey suggesting?
If her sister was wondering whether Arwel was Jin’s fated mate, then she wasn’t the only one. Jin wasn’t sure about it either. In her gut, she felt that he was, but they had just met, and it was too early to make such big decisions.
They liked each other a lot, the sex was phenomenal, and for now, it was enough. Love, commitment, and all that jazz would come later.
Still, it bugged her that Mey doubted their relationship. “Maybe the enhanced libido will come after I transition. Besides, I can talk a big talk, but I might be totally wrong. So far, Arwel and I have been making love at every opportunity, so I didn’t have a chance to test my boasting about being able to do without.”
Letting out a breath, Mey seemed relieved. “I hope it works out between you two. Arwel is an awesome guy.”
“I agree.” Tucking the laptop under her arm, Jin pushed to her feet. “I should check on Jacki and see if she needs anything.”
“Does she have a suitcase? I can lend her mine,” Mey offered.
“Thanks. But Arwel is getting her a bag.” Jin leaned and kissed Mey’s cheek. “Thank you again for this amazing present. You are the best sister ever.”
Mey waved a hand. “Think of it as Yamanu’s first investment in our business. That’s how he convinced me not to pay him back for the laptop and the tablet.”
Smart guy. He might have used it as a persuasion tactic, but Jin was going to take it seriously.
“Ask him for the receipts and write the expense down. That will make it official.”
Mey nodded. “Good idea.”
20
Arwel
Jacki’s door was open when Arwel walked in with the duffle bag. He’d gotten it from one of the Guardians on rotation in the keep, but it hadn’t been given without strings attached. The guy had jokingly conditioned lending it on an introduction to Jacki upon her return, and Arwel had gladly given it.
The sooner Jin’s friends found mates, the sooner he could take her to the village and the new home he’d applied for.
He hadn’t told Jin about it, first of all because he wanted to surprise her, and secondly, because he didn’t want to freak her out by going too fast.
After all, they’d known each other for all of five days, and getting them a house was premature. Jin might think that he was taking her for granted and assuming things he shouldn’t.
“Is this big enough?” He handed Jacki the bag.
She put it on the bed next to the small pile of clothes and other stuff. “I don’t have much, so that’s enough with room to spare.”
A minute later, Jin walked in. “Is that all you are taking?” She looked at what Jacki had prepared. “Where is all of Amanda’s fabulous stuff?”
“I’m saving it.”
“What for?”
Jacki shrugged. “To sell it. I don’t know how long I’m going to be stuck in here, or what my prospects are once I can leave. What I’ll get for that designer stuff might help me start a new life.”
Jin looked at Arwel with sad eyes.
He knew what she wanted, but he couldn’t allow it. Until Jacki found an immortal male to bond with, she couldn’t know that all of her troubles were most likely over.
“When are we leaving?” Jin asked.
“Kian sent his driver with the limousine. Okidu should be here in about half an hour.” Arwel looked at Jacki and rubbed a hand over his jaw. “Once you are done packing and everything is ready, I will need to put you to sleep.”
She nodded. “I figured that you would do that.”
“Unfortunately, it’s necessary,” Jin said. “If Kalugal can force you to talk, he can get the location of this hideout from you. But if you don’t know where it is, you can’t tell him.”
Jacki lifted her head and pinned Jin with a hard look. “It’s even truer in your case. I’m immune. You are not.”
“I’m going to sleep too.”
Arwel arched a brow. That wasn’t part of the plan. Jin already knew where the keep was.
“I don’t understand why blindfolding us is not enough.” Jacki started arranging her things in the duffle bag.
“Because we don’t want Kalugal to know what city it is in, and since we are flying over to the Bay Area, you might figure it out by the time it takes us to get there.”
Jacki looked at him. “Are you that scared of him?”
“He is a dangerous man.”
“And yet you are okay with sending your girlfriend after him?”
Arwel pushed his hair back from his forehead. “I’m not okay with her getting anywhere near him, but that’s just because I’m overprotective. Kalugal is dangerous to our organization in the sense that he might expose us. But as far as we know, he is not a violent man. He is not going to hurt Jin for just touching him.”
“What if he can sense her motives? Maybe in addition to his other powers, he is also an empath?”
Areana hadn’t said anything about that, but then the last time she saw her son, he was a little boy. In adulthood, Kalugal might have developed additional powers.
“We will have Guardians securing the perimeter. Worst case scenario, we will muscle Jin and you out.”
Jacki snorted. “I was under the impression that Kalugal can compel people. He can tell them to stay away, and they will, including you. Since I’m the
only one he can’t do it to, I should have a weapon on me. Non-lethal, of course. I don’t want to kill him or miss him and kill an innocent bystander. Maybe a taser? Or even mace?”
“That’s actually not a bad idea. I’ll have to run it by Kian.”
That got a smile out of her. “I’m glad that you would trust me with a weapon. I’m sick of being treated like the enemy.”
“I’m sorry that you feel that way, but we need to protect ourselves. You should have a pretty good idea about how many people are interested in paranormals and to what lengths they are willing to go to get us.”
“I get it. Doesn’t mean that I like it.” She sat on the bed. “Give me the sleeping pill.”
“Are you all done packing?”
She nodded.
“Anything other than the duffle bag that you want to take with you?”
“No, everything is in there, including my purse.” She snorted. “That has lipstick and eyeliner in it. I don’t have any money or even an identification card.”
“Actually, you do.” He pulled out an envelope from his back pocket and handed it to her.
Curiosity shining in her eyes, Jacki opened it and pulled out a driver’s license. “Charlotte McNamara? Who came up with that name?”
“The guy who made these documents chose it from a list. I think that Charlotte is a nice name.”
“I’m Debra Wang,” Jin said. “That’s not any better.”
“It’s okay.” Jacki looked at the card. “When did you take that picture?”
“Do you remember when Mey was taking photos of your teammates? She took some of you as well. But if you look closely, it’s not actually you. The artist created a composite from a stock photo and one of those that Mey snapped.”
“Amazing.” She reached into the envelope and pulled out a wad of cash and a credit card with the same name. “You guys are thorough. I’ll give you that.” She riffled through the money. “And generous. Thank you.”
There were only three hundred bucks in there, but Jacki regarded the money as if it was a fortune.
Unzipping the duffle bag, she pulled out the purse, put everything he’d given her inside, and then zipped the bag closed. “Now, you can put me to sleep.”
Reaching into his shirt pocket, Arwel pulled out a packet with two pills in it. “Julian said these will knock you out for at least six hours.”
Jin handed Jacki a bottle of water. “You’re gonna have a nice long nap on the plane.”
21
Jin
After saying goodbye to her sister and friends, Jin and Arwel returned to Jacki’s room together with Yamanu.
“Come on, sleeping beauty.” Yamanu snaked his arms under Jacki and lifted her gently.
Jin appreciated him handling her friend with such care, but she wasn’t sure Mey would have approved. “I’m glad Mey stayed in your room. She would have been jealous.”
“Nah, my mate knows that I’m hers one hundred percent.”
Mey might know it logically, but seeing a beautiful woman in her boyfriend’s arms would provoke an instinctive response, especially since he was cradling her like a sleeping princess.
Arwel took Jacki’s duffle and added it to the two he was already carrying.
“Give me that.” Jin reached for the bag. “You don’t have to be such a macho man.”
He shook his head. “That’s nothing for me. Just make sure that Yamanu doesn’t bang Jacki’s head into something.”
Yamanu cast him a haughty look. “She is perfectly safe in my care. I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.”
Arwel called the elevator down, and the three of them walked in. “You should at least blindfold me,” Jin said. “I feel bad about telling Jacki that I would be asleep too and not doing it.”
“What’s the point? You already know where the keep is.”
“All I know is that it’s in Los Angeles. I was half asleep when we got here, and it was dark. I have no idea where in the city we are.”
Arwel shook his head. “I trust you. Closing your eyes will have the same effect.”
Yamanu’s shoulders heaved with suppressed laughter.
“What’s so funny?” Arwel asked.
“Your lady asks for a blindfold, and you say no? Shame on you.”
Arwel’s brows shot up.
Jin shook her head. “You have a dirty mind, Yamanu, but I like the way you think.”
The elevator doors opened, and Yamanu walked out first, with Jin and Arwel following several steps behind him.
Arwel leaned close to her ear. “If you want to play kinky games, I’m all for it, just not in company.”
It hadn’t been Jin’s intention, but now that Yamanu had brought it up, the thought excited her. Mindful of the immortals’ excellent hearing, Jin brought her mouth close to Arwel’s ear and covered it with her hand for good measure. “Jacki is asleep, and she is not going to wake up for a long time. And since we are riding in a limousine, we can raise the partition so the driver can’t see what we are doing.”
The more Jin talked about it, the more turned on she got. There was something very exciting about the idea of sitting blindfolded in the limo while Arwel did all kinds of naughty things to her.
Where had that come from?
Jin had never played games like that, or even fantasized about them.
“I wish,” Arwel whispered back. “But three additional Guardians are waiting for us in the limousine, and if you keep broadcasting pheromones like that, it’s going to be a very awkward ride.”
Talk about a cold shower.
“I thought they were going to meet us at the airstrip.”
“That was the plan. They were supposed to share a ride with Magnus and Vivian, but the guys couldn’t wait to see Jacki.” He snorted. “All the bachelors wanted to be chosen for the mission. The chief had them draw straws to determine the three lucky ones.”
Yamanu stopped in front of a door that was marked as storage and looked over his shoulder at Arwel. “Can you get it?”
Arwel punched in the code, and after they walked in, he closed the door behind them and opened the one on the other side.
A long tunnel stretched in front of them.
“Where is the limo waiting for us?” Jin asked.
“The tunnel leads to the lowest parking level at the building across the street. It’s a safety precaution.”
“I assume that it also belongs to the clan?”
“Kian built most of the high rises on this street.” Arwel glanced at Yamanu. “Are you sure you don’t want to use the golf cart? I can jog over and bring it.”
“I don’t want to wait. It’s just a short walk.”
The tunnel was wide enough for a car to pass through it, and it had dim lights spaced out every twenty feet or so, but it still made Jin uneasy. The echoes of their footsteps and their conversation, together with the long shadows they were casting on the concrete floor, reminded her of scenes from a horror film.
When they finally got to the end of the tunnel, there was another storage room with doors on both sides, and when Arwel opened the last one, Jin let out a relieved sigh.
“Thank God that’s over. I really don’t like tunnels.”
The limousine was parked right next to the door, and the moment they exited, both the driver and the passenger’s door opened at the same time.
A big guy jumped out from the passenger side. “Hello, I’m Duncan.” He offered his hand to Jin, shook it briefly, and then turned to Yamanu. “Let me relieve you of your beautiful cargo.”
As he took Jacki into his arms and brought her close against his chest, Jin cringed. If her friend was awake, she would not like that.
Very carefully, Duncan folded himself into the limo with Jacki.
Kian’s butler bowed to Arwel. “May I take the luggage, sir?”
Arwel handed him the bags and followed Jin into the limousine.
Inside, two more Guardians were looking at Jacki like a pair of hungry wolves, their
eyes blazing inner light. Duncan, who was holding her and grinning as if he had just won the lottery, didn’t look like he was about to part with his prize anytime soon.
“Hello.” Jin leaned forward. “I’m Jin. Mey’s sister.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Gregor.” The one on the right offered his hand.
The one on the left leaned forward and shook her hand as well. “Ewan. A pleasure to make your acquaintance, ma’am.”
“Same here. Duncan, do you mind putting Jacki down on the seat? I don’t think she would appreciate being held by a stranger.”
The shocked expression on the guy’s face was comical. He hugged Jacki even closer to his chest, then sighed and motioned for his two friends to move over. “Jin is right.”
Carefully, as if he was handling a Jacki-sized china doll, he put her down and then sat on the floor next to her.
Jin stifled a chuckle. “There is plenty of room. You don’t need to sit on the floor.”
He shook his head. “It’s not safe for her. Jacki is still human, and she could get hurt if we get into an accident. If anything happens, I’ll catch her.”
Arwel shook his head. “You three better start practicing pretending to be humans. Jacki thinks we are an organization of people with paranormal talents, and it’s important that she keep thinking that until she finds a mate.”
Duncan smirked. “She doesn’t have to look far. I’m right here.”
“Hey,” Ewan protested. “I’m here too. She's asleep, so it’s not like she has chosen you.”
“We each get a shot,” Gregor said.
“May the best man win,” Duncan agreed, but given his grin, he’d already assumed the win.
Oh, boy. Jacki was in for a big surprise when she woke up.
“Goldilocks and the three big bears,” Jin murmured.
22
Arwel
“That’s the house?” Jin gawked as Arwel pulled the rented van into the driveway. “It’s a freaking mansion.” She glanced at her sleeping friend. “Jacki is going to flip out when she sees it.”
