by I. T. Lucas
“Has the police report been filed already?” Kian asked.
“Not yet,” Turner said. “It will most likely appear tomorrow.”
“Anything we should worry about?” Kalugal leaned against the game table and crossed his legs at the ankles.
Turner looked at him as if the question was a personal affront. “I don’t leave any loose ends. You can consider the case closed.”
“I do.” Kalugal lifted his glass. “That’s what we are drinking to.”
Kian pulled out a chair and sat down. “Roberts is healing rapidly, and we can send him home tomorrow. We need to finalize the details of his compulsion.”
“I’ve made a partial list.” Kalugal pulled out his phone. “I’ll text it to you. Feel free to add items or remove them.”
“Should we compel him to release the kids?” Lokan asked.
Kian raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m not sure. I know it’s a lot to ask of you, but we need to check if their families were coerced into signing them up for the program. If the parents and the kids did it voluntarily, and drugs will no longer be used, it’s not our place to decide for them. Also, we need to remove the compulsion from the other trainees, so they can decide whether they want to stay in the program or leave.”
“There are only two underage kids, right?” Lokan asked.
Kian nodded. “Andy, that’s the fourteen-year-old who looks like he is twelve, and Spencer, who is seventeen and reads auras.”
“I remember them. Find out their home addresses, and I’ll give their parents a visit. For the others, I will need to make another trip to West Virginia while they are on an outing and take care of everyone at one time.”
“I appreciate that,” Kian said. “I know that you are a busy man.”
“Make Roberts give them more vacations at home,” Anandur suggested. “And more outings too.”
“Right.” Kian nodded. “We can use those outings and vacations to introduce some of them to our people. Except, some are too old to attempt transition even if they are Dormants.”
“You should take Carol with you when you go to remove the compulsion.” Kalugal smirked. “She can compile profiles for the eligible trainees and add them to the dating application she and Amanda are planning to launch.”
“That’s not a bad idea.” Kian walked over to the bar and refilled his glass. “It will take some of the guesswork out of the process. Our people could choose who they want to meet.”
“We need to add trigger words to the ones they are feeding Echelon,” Turner said. “We should add words like immortal and fast healing. Maybe we will stumble on unaffiliated immortals.”
“Add fangs to the list,” Rufsur said. “And glowing eyes.”
Phinas snorted. “That would be a mistake. Do you have any idea how many romance novels, movies, and television shows feature vampires? There will be tens of thousands of triggers, and we won’t be able to check them all. Quality trumps quantity.”
Rufsur lifted a brow. “How do you know all that? I get the television shows, but what about the rest?”
Looking uncomfortable, Phinas waved a dismissive hand. “Don’t you remember the Twilight craze? Even Saturday Night Live did a skit on that. Team Edward vs. Team Jacob, and all that crap.”
Rufsur shook his head. “I think we have here a closet Twilight fan.”
Phinas shrugged. “I’m secure enough in my masculinity to admit that I enjoyed the books and the movies. Although, I have to admit that I didn’t like the actress they chose to play Bella. She was too skinny.”
“I liked Kristen Stewart in that role,” Lokan said. “She wasn’t beautiful, but that was the whole point. Bella Swan was supposed to be a plain Jane.”
Rufsur made a gagging sound. “Someone bring me a puke bucket.”
Hiding a smile, Kalugal took another sip from the Hibiki. To see his brother and his lieutenants horsing around was surprisingly heartwarming and a much-needed relief after the serious stuff they had been dealing with since last night.
44
Jacki
As Jacki soaked in a bathtub full of bubbles, she wondered what strange attributes she would gain with her transition, if any. Syssi’s visions had intensified after hers, but since most were very disturbing, she tried to avoid them.
Completely understandable.
It must be so upsetting to foresee horrible events and feel helpless to prevent them. Besides, Syssi was pregnant. An expecting mother should try to stay calm and positive as much as she could. Maintaining a good attitude throughout pregnancy was just as important for the baby as eating right and getting plenty of sleep.
Luckily, Jacki’s visions were much milder in nature, and she wasn’t worried about their effect on her mental state. They were usually about small things, and until the one about Wonder’s caravan, the worst one had been about Allison’s car accident.
Usually, they were also about future events, not past.
Witnessing what had happened to Wonder’s caravan had been awful, but it wasn’t as bad as watching something like that happening in the future and being powerless to do anything about it. So yeah, it had been painful to see, and Jacki had been seriously shaken, but at least she hadn’t felt guilty for not trying to stop it or helpless to prevent it.
The events had already happened, and there was no changing them.
So if her transition triggered more such visions, she could deal with that. Having a window into the past could actually be cool.
Perhaps her past visions could even help Kalugal find more artifacts?
That would make him happy.
Smiling, Jacki scooped some of the bubbles and blew at them. It would be fun to travel with Kalugal to distant places. She wasn’t too excited about digging in the dirt, but she probably wouldn’t have to.
On hot days, she could wait for him in an air-conditioned hotel room.
Wearing absolutely nothing.
As her imagination filled in the rest of the details, her hands glided up to her breasts, and she cupped them, then tweaked her nipples. But the sensation wasn’t exciting even with her eyes closed, imagining that those were Kalugal’s hands and Kalugal’s fingers.
It just wasn’t the same.
With a sigh, Jacki dropped her hands and watched the water ripple, lapping at her breasts, teasing them with gentle kisses without providing relief.
As the bathroom door opened, Jacki’s first instinct was to duck under the water and hide, but she shook it off. The only one who would enter without knocking was Kalugal, and she actually wanted him to see her naked.
Heck, she wanted him to do much more than look.
Last night, her ears had hurt, and she’d been exhausted from all the excitement. She had fallen asleep long before Kalugal came to bed.
He’d held her, kissed her cheek, and let her sleep.
Tonight, she felt fine, and sleeping was the furthest thing from her mind.
“That looks tempting.” Kalugal started on the buttons of his shirt. “May I join you?”
Her eyes riveted to the muscular chest he was slowly exposing, Jacki licked her lips. “You don’t have to ask.”
“I’ll always ask permission.” He opened another button and smirked. “Especially when I want to tie you up, or spank you, playfully, of course.”
Jacki’s nipples pebbled, and her core contracted. “Why would you want to do that?”
“Because it turns you on and adds to your excitement.” He shrugged the shirt off, revealing his chiseled chest. He was nearly hairless, with only a light smattering of hair painting a downward trail.
Her eyes riveted to his defined abs, Jacki wondered how the hell he could have known that?
Kalugal couldn’t read her mind, he couldn’t thrall the information out of her, and since she’d gotten to his house, Jacki hadn’t read a single kinky romance. At first, because he obviously didn’t have any romance books in his library, and then when he’d given her a tablet and a phone, she hadn’t dare
d to use the devices to purchase kinky romance eBooks.
If he had access to her search history, which she was pretty sure he did, he could have seen what she was reading, and that would have been mortifying. Even though she wanted to share everything with her husband, admitting her secret fantasies was just too embarrassing.
But what if he’d been just guessing to gauge her response? Her scent would tell him everything he wanted to know.
Fortunately, Jacki was in a bathtub full of bubbles, and the flowery smell might mask the scent of her arousal. This time, she could deny it and possibly get away with it. But that would be lying, and the next time Kalugal brought it up, her secret would be out.
Instead, she could phrase her response in a way that would neither confirm nor deny it.
“Are you basing your assumption on statistical probability? Have any of your sex partners been into kinky stuff?”
Kicking his shoes off, Kalugal unbuckled his belt. “To some extent, the majority of women enjoy gentle dominance.” He pulled down the zipper. “But some don’t enjoy it at all, and some don’t like it gentle. Every woman is unique.” He dropped his pants together with his silk boxer shorts.
Her eyes glued to her husband’s impressive erection, Jacki swallowed. “Define gentle dominance.”
“Scooch.” He put a hand on her shoulder and slid into the bathtub behind her.
Cradling her between his legs, his hard shaft pressed against her bottom, Kalugal pulled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her.
As he cupped her breasts, Jacki closed her eyes and let her head fall back on his shoulder.
His hands gliding over the soapy, wet skin, massaging gently, and his thumbs moving back and forth across her hard nipples, he kissed her shoulder at the spot where it met her neck. “Gentle means that I will only do what brings you pleasure. Except, sometimes, a little spice enhances the experience.” He nipped the spot he’d just kissed, lightly pinching her nipples at the same time. “Like this.”
Jacki moaned.
“More?” he asked.
As his fingers rolled and tugged, alternating between soft and gentle and a little rough, the fire inside her flamed hot, and the only coherent thought she had left was a resounding yes.
45
Kalugal
Kalugal’s instincts never failed.
Perhaps it was because he was attracted to women who enjoyed a little kinky play. Or maybe there was something unique in the plethora of subtle scents that women emitted that he was good at interpreting. Or perhaps he was just reading subconscious clues.
Then again, as long as women were provided with an environment that was safe both physically and mentally, most were willing to try new things and explore their fantasies.
Except, trust was contingent on full and unconditional acceptance, which was rare. People were judgmental by nature, and although everyone craved complete approval from others, they rarely gave it even to those closest and most dear to them.
No wonder so many spent their lives in self-denial. No one wanted their fantasies ridiculed or marginalized.
To the casual observer, Jacki seemed outspoken and assertive, but a closer look revealed her eagerness to please.
His first clue had been her reaction to the fake attack he’d subjected her to.
Jacki’s initial response to the kiss he’d forced on her had been arousal. But that was when she thought that he’d just gotten carried away a little and that a kiss was all he would demand. When he’d escalated things and pushed her down on the couch, her arousal had vanished, and fear had taken its place.
Even though he’d had no other way to verify that Jin’s tether was gone, Kalugal still felt remorse over what he had done to Jacki. It was a miracle that she’d forgiven him so quickly.
The truth was that when he entered the bathroom, he had no intention of introducing Jacki to the spicier side of lovemaking. She wasn’t ready, and he needed more time to build up trust and to prove to her that she had his total and unconditional acceptance.
But perhaps he could give her a little taste and whet her appetite.
Smoothing his hand down Jacki’s belly, Kalugal cupped her center. “This is too soon for you to try anything adventurous. Let’s start with a simple surrender.” Kissing her neck, he slid one finger inside her. “Can you do that?”
“I don’t know what it means,” she murmured.
“It means that all you need to do is relax and enjoy. I’m going to take care of you.”
Jacki turned her head and kissed the underside of his jaw. “That’s easy. But isn’t it unfair to you?”
“I’ll let you in on a secret.” He nibbled on her ear. “For me, and I suspect for most men, giving our ladies supernova orgasms is extremely satisfying.” He trailed kisses down her neck. “Nothing makes me feel more like a man than sending a woman soaring on an orgasmic cloud, and not by injecting her with my venom. It’s a cool trick to have, but to me, it feels like cheating because it doesn’t require any effort or skill on my part. Where’s the challenge in that?”
The mention of the bite had Jacki instinctively turn her head a little and elongate her neck. “Your opinion of men is too flattering. I don’t have personal experience, but I’ve heard my girlfriends complain about how selfish their boyfriends were in bed.”
“So they were lousy lovers and your girlfriends should’ve dropped them.” He circled her clit with his thumb. “A man’s job is to please his woman.”
Jacki moaned. “And what’s the woman’s job?”
“To let go, enjoy, and shower her lover with praise.”
“You are amazing.” She giggled.
“Yes, I know. And that’s a good start.” He pushed two fingers inside her.
“Oh, this feels so good. I love your hands on me, and your fingers in me. And I love your mouth and your tongue and your manhood.” She giggled again. “Especially that.”
Kalugal chuckled. “I didn’t mean continuous praise. Just when you feel like it.”
“I feel like it now.”
Gripping her hips, he lifted her and turned her around to face him. “I love you, my Jacqueline.” He pushed up into her.
“Yes,” Jacki gasped and lowered herself the rest of the way. “So good.”
As he pumped into her, and the water sloshed out of the tub, Kalugal had a passing thought that it could leak down to the library below, and some of the books in there were irreplaceable treasures. But even that wasn’t enough to make him stop.
Pumping into Jacki with abandon, listening to her moans of pleasure, and watching the ecstatic expression on her face, he felt consumed by her, by the moment, by the joining of their bodies and souls.
The lovemaking was beautiful, it was meaningful, and it overshadowed every other experience he’d had with any other female.
Holding Jacki up with one hand, he reached between their bodies with the other and pressed his thumb to her swollen clit.
As her inner muscles clamped around his shaft, he pumped up even harder, squeezing her ass with one hand and rubbing the thumb of the other over her engorged clit.
Jacki cried out, and her sheath gripped his shaft almost painfully, spurring his own release.
Letting go of her bottom, Kalugal gripped the back of her neck and opened his mouth wide to deliver the venom bite. But even though he was driven by instinct and barely conscious of what he was doing, at the last moment, he remembered to lick the spot he intended to bite.
As his fangs pierced her skin and his seed jetted into her, Jacki screamed, but it wasn’t in pain. She’d climaxed again even before the venom entered her system.
Holding her tightly to him, he shared his essence with his mate, and it felt as if he was sharing his soul with her as well.
They were one.
46
Jacki
It was dark when Jacki woke up, but Kalugal’s eyes cast a soft glow on the white duvet cover, and the reflection illuminated the rest of his handsome
face.
His arm was draped over her torso, her leg was over his, and they were both naked under the duvet.
“We are no longer in the bathtub.” Remembering the water sloshing over the lip, Jacki cringed. “Did we flood the library?”
“We didn’t. I should give my thanks to the builder of this home for a job well done. Nothing leaked, but there is a pile of wet towels in the bathroom the size of a grand piano.”
“I’m sorry that you had to do it alone. I would have helped if I could.” Jacki frowned. “Not that I’m complaining, but will I keep passing out for hours after sex?”
“I don’t know.” Kalugal caressed her back. “I’ve never been with a woman enough times to check whether the effect of the venom loses its potency. You will have to ask your friends. Or, if you want, I can ask Kian or one of the other clan males who is mated to a former Dormant.”
“No, that’s okay. I’ll ask Syssi tomorrow when I go to visit Jin again.”
When his face fell, she cupped his cheek. “It wasn’t so bad today, right? You survived the separation.”
“It’s five in the morning, so it was yesterday. But it was difficult. My shoulders and back were tense the entire time, and it felt as if something wasn’t right. It was quite disturbing. How about you? Were you tense?”
Jacki smiled apologetically. “Frankly, I wasn’t, not about that. Jin was freaking out about growing venom glands and potentially getting even taller. We all tried to make light of it, but I get why she’s so upset. I wouldn’t want that either. I just hope that my visions will become stronger and more meaningful. Anyway, after that, Callie told me and Jin about passing out while driving during her transition. She got into a car accident and was taken to a hospital. Bridget and Brundar had to spring her out of there and get her to the clan’s clinic.” Jacki shook her head. “She could have died before turning immortal. Brundar hadn’t told her anything because she didn’t have any paranormal talents. He thought that he’d fallen in love with a human.”
