by I. T. Lucas
She might be a broken doll who was held together by strings, but for some reason, the Fates deemed her worthy.
She knew next to nothing about statistics, but there was no way that their meeting hadn’t been guided by a higher power.
The Fates had arranged for her to meet Bowen.
Thinking back to the woman who’d told her about Safe Haven, Margaret had a feeling that she hadn’t been who she’d claimed to be. Perhaps the Fates that the clan believed in took over mortal bodies on occasion or compelled them to be their mouthpieces.
She wondered how Ana had first learned about Safe Haven, and if she’d also encountered someone who’d told her about it. Except, these days the Fates didn’t need to use people to deliver their messages. They had the internet at their disposal, and instead of sending a human, or speaking through one, they could manipulate technology, sending the right Facebook ads or YouTube videos to those they wished to influence.
Wow, that was a profound realization.
What if those meddling Fates had helped create those channels of communication precisely for that purpose?
And that led her to another more disturbing thought.
Anyone with the right resources could do that through social media. As a novice, she might have paid more attention to the way it worked than those who had been using it since its inception, noticing that the ads she saw were definitely custom-tailored to her interests, and so were the videos YouTube suggested for her. She could see how easy it could be to take it a step further and use it to promote agendas that had nothing to do with commerce.
Margaret shook her head. That wasn’t what she should be thinking about right now. What she needed to decide was whether she wanted to get intimate with Bowen tonight, or wait until the cast came off so they could make love no holds barred.
On the one hand, he excited her like no man ever had, and she wanted him. But on the other hand, she wanted to enter their relationship whole, and give it all she had. If she transitioned successfully, they would have eternity ahead of them and there was no need to rush things. They’d known each other less than two weeks, and although for some it might have been considered long enough, for her, it really wasn’t even if she wasn’t injured.
She’d let Roger take her virginity two weeks after meeting him, and that hadn’t ended well for her. Bowen wasn’t Roger, but it wasn’t about him.
It was about her.
Margaret was no longer that naive eighteen-year-old girl who’d thought that her body was the only thing she had to offer. She might not be much of a catch, but she was wise and experienced enough to know that the love and companionship she brought to the table were no less valuable than sex, probably more.
Hey, how was that for a new-found self confidence?
She was making progress.
Perhaps she should write it down and later design a workshop around it.
Theoretically, that all made sense, but as the bathroom door opened, and Bowen stepped out with only a towel wrapped around his hips, logic flew out the window, and desire took over.
He was such a magnificent male.
She wanted to run her hands all over those defined muscles, feel that warm, smooth skin under her fingers, and kiss every inch of him.
He smirked. “Like what you see?”
“Like is too mild of a word,” she breathed. “You are a god.”
“Just an immortal.” He sauntered over to the dresser and started opening drawers. “Where did you put my briefs?”
For a moment, she contemplated not telling him. If he couldn’t find them, he would have to come to bed naked.
He looked at her over his shoulder. “Did you hide them on purpose?”
She shook her head. “I didn’t. But maybe I should have.”
Turning around, he dropped the towel. “Should I keep looking? Or should I get in bed?”
“Bed.” She licked her lips. “Definitely get in bed.”
26
Cassandra
It was after midnight, but Cassandra couldn’t fall asleep. Her late lunch with Onegus had left her unnerved for several reasons. First, it had been the talk about her mother’s murky past and Onegus’s offer to investigate it, and then it had been the kiss goodbye that had left her hot and bothered.
Perhaps she should take the edge off with her neglected battery-operated boyfriend. Would it count as being disloyal to Onegus?
She snorted. Bob didn’t count, and neither did her fingers, especially since she would be fantasizing about Onegus while pleasuring herself.
When her phone buzzed on the nightstand, a smile spread over her face. No one other than Onegus would be texting her in the middle of the night.
Lifting the device, she read the message. Are you awake?
She answered. Yes.
Her phone rang a moment later. “What are you doing awake after midnight?”
“Waiting for you to call.” She pushed up on the pillows, dragging the blanket up to cover her bare shoulders. “How did it go with your mother?”
“We had a cup of coffee together, chatted for a little bit, and said good night. She was tired.”
“Did you tell her about me?”
“Yes.”
“What did you tell her?”
“That I met a sexy lady who is gorgeous, talented, smart, and has impeccable taste.”
“What did your mother say to that?”
“That you must have great taste because you chose me.”
Cassandra rolled her eyes. “Now I know why you are so full of yourself. It’s your mother’s fault.”
“Isn’t it every mother’s job to think her child is the best there is?”
“I guess. Where are you now? Are you still at work?”
“I’m in bed, but I can’t fall asleep.”
“Why?”
“I can’t stop thinking about you and how your lips tasted when I kissed you goodbye earlier today.”
“How did they taste?”
“Like more. Are you naked?”
Cassandra laughed. “You sound like a pervert.”
“Are you?”
“No.”
“Can you get naked?”
“Quite easily. All I have on is an old T-shirt.”
“No panties?”
“Nope.”
He hissed. “Take it off.”
“I’m not activating the camera.”
“I’m not asking you to. My imagination can fill in the details.”
“Oh, yeah?” She tugged the T-shirt up over her breasts, exposing them. “What did I just do?”
“Did you bare your beautiful breasts?”
“Good guess.”
“Play with them.”
She rimmed her left nipple with her finger. “I can only do one at a time because I’m holding the phone.”
“Activate the speaker.”
“Nah-ah. My mother might hear you.”
“Right.” He sounded disappointed.
“Are you naked?” She flipped the tables on him.
“I always sleep in the nude.”
Imagining all those rippling muscles, she licked her lips. “Are you playing with yourself?”
“I wouldn’t call it playing.”
“What would you call it, then?”
“Strangling the snake, slapping the salami, waxing the eel, having a tug of war with a Cyclops.”
She laughed. “I haven’t heard any of those except for the salami one.”
“I have plenty more. Choke the chicken, polish the knob, the five-knuckle shuffle.”
“That’s funny, but not very sexy.”
“I agree. I’d much rather hear about what your fingers are doing.”
“Nothing yet.” She trailed her hand down her belly. “I’m inching my way down south.”
He groaned. “Are you wet?”
“I don’t know. I need to check.”
She’d been aching since that kiss, so yeah, she was wet. Slipping a finger down her m
oist folds, she bit on her lower lip as she circled her throbbing clit.
Her hips arched of their own accord.
“Well, are you?”
“Very,” she said on a hiss.
“Are you fingering yourself, Cassy?”
“Ah-hum.” Sliding her fingers deep, she stifled a moan.
Imagining that it was Onegus’s hand and his fingers that were plunging inside her, she repeated the move, but her own slender fingers couldn’t compare to his, couldn’t deliver the same kind of pleasure.
Trailing her hand back up, she cupped her breast and squeezed, then lightly pinched her nipple.
“Talk to me, Onegus. Tell me all the naughty things that you want to do to me.”
“It will be my pleasure.”
As his masculine voice whispered in her ear, Cassandra smoothed her hand down her belly until the tips of her fingers reached her moist center.
Spreading her legs wide, she closed her eyes and listened to his voice, imagining that he was there, doing all those naughty things he was describing in detail, and when she careened over the edge, it had been Onegus’s hand that had brought the release.
On the other side of the line, she heard him groan, and as she imagined his strong hand pumping his manhood, his essence erupting and landing on his taut stomach, another release tore through her.
27
Kian
“It’s too early in the morning for a meeting.” William walked into Kian’s office with two tall cups of coffee in his hands.
“The Sanctuary people are arriving today, and some of the Scots arrive later tonight. I need to get everything out of the way as early as I can.”
“My brain isn’t fully awake before ten.” He handed Kian one of the cups.
“That’s because you work until two o’clock at night.” Kian took a sip before putting the cup down. “How is the Kra-ell language coming along?”
“Slowly but surely.” William sat down and put his briefcase on the conference table. “I put two of my assistants on it, but we are dependent on Emmett providing us with word lists, and he’s taking his sweet time.”
“Obviously.” Kian sat at the head of the table. “He doesn’t want us to decipher it too quickly. Maybe I need to pay him another visit and issue some threats.”
“What’s the rush? I’ve already deciphered the email he sent to his former mistress.”
“Amanda came up with an interesting idea. We could send Mey with Arwel and Jin to China, so she can listen to the walls of the Kra-ell’s old compound. The problem is that she needs to understand what she hears, and for that, she needs to learn the Kra-ell language.”
William arched a brow. “Did she agree to go on the mission?”
“I haven’t asked her yet. She and Yamanu are joining us for the meeting today, together with Jin and Arwel. Given that Jin has already agreed to go and lend her particular talent to the mission if needed, I assume that Mey won’t say no. It would be like going on a family vacation.”
“Can I go?” William lifted the cup to his lips.
“Why would you want to?”
“I’ve never been to China. I’m curious.”
Kian shook his head. “I can’t risk you. You are irreplaceable.”
“So are Yamanu and Arwel and Jin and Mey.”
“Of course. Each individual is precious. But I meant strategically. You are the only one capable of deciphering the gods' tablet and understanding the technical instructions, and you are far from done with that. Without you, all that knowledge will become useless to us.”
“Speaking of the gods’ tablet.” William pushed his glasses up his nose. “I discovered a few common words between their language and the Kra-ell’s.”
“I’m not surprised,” Kian said. “They either come from the same place or have a common ancestor. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be similar enough to humans and to us to be sexually compatible and produce hybrid children.”
William nodded. “I have a feeling that the Kra-ell language is much older than the gods’.”
As a knock sounded on the door, Kian rose to his feet and opened the way. “Good morning.”
“Yeah, about that,” Jin grumbled. “Any reason you summoned us at the ungodly hour of six-thirty in the morning?”
Arwel cast her a warning glance, but she waved him off.
Kian chuckled. “You have to forgive me. My schedule is a bit crazy during the celebrations.”
Mey, always the polite lady, smiled apologetically for her sister and dipped her head in greeting. Next to her, Yamanu grinned happily as if an early morning Friday meeting was his favorite thing to do.
“Please, sit down.” Kian motioned to the conference table.
“You are probably wondering why I called you here today.” Kian returned to his seat.
“I can guess,” Mey said. “You want me to listen to the echoes of conversations left by the Kra-ell in their old compound.”
“Correct.” Kian clicked on the remote, activating the large screen hanging on the east wall of his office. “This video was shot with a drone by one of Turner’s contacts in China. As you can see, the compound is no longer occupied by the Kra-ell and is used as a boarding school for international youth. It’s bilingual, classes are taught in English and Chinese, and its goal is to foster integration between Chinese and Western cultures.”
“When was the school established?” Arwel asked.
“1991.” Kian clicked the video off. “Unfortunately, digging out information about who occupied it before and what happened to them is impossible. Roni can’t hack into the Chinese government records because he’s unfamiliar with the encryption protocol they are using. I believe that in time he will crack it, but for now, boots on the ground is our best bet for finding out more information.”
Mey pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Yamanu and I can pretend to be prospective American parents who want their children to learn about their Chinese heritage. The problem is that I can’t listen to the walls when there are other people in the room. We’ll have to infiltrate the place at night.”
“That’s not the only problem.” Kian drummed his fingers on the table. “Even if you hear echoes of Kra-ell conversations, you won’t understand what’s being said. You don’t speak their language or even Chinese.”
Mey's face fell. “Then there is no point in me going.” She glanced at Jin. “I was actually looking forward to sharing an adventure with you and Arwel.”
“How good are you at learning new languages?” Kian asked.
Mey winced. “Good, but not good enough to learn two extremely difficult ones in a few weeks.”
“You don’t have to get fluent. All we need to find out is where the Kra-ell moved to. If you spend a couple of hours with Emmett every day until it’s time to go, you can learn most of the words associated with moving, trips, addresses, etc. And the same is true for Chinese. Actually, he can teach you both.”
“You mean Jin and me?”
“I meant Kra-ell and Chinese, but having Jin with you is a good idea. She needs the lessons just as much as you do.”
Jin groaned. “I wish there was a chip William could implant in my head that would translate what I hear. I’ve spent months studying Mandarin, and all I have to show for it are a few badly pronounced sentences.”
Rubbing a hand over his jaw, Yamanu smiled. “What if we get Kalugal to compel you to learn faster? Do you think it might work?”
Jin shook her head. “Forget about it. I’m not letting him do that to me. It’s enough that I have to suffer through learning this accursed language voluntarily. I can’t even think about being forced to do it.”
“And I’m not looking forward to spending time with Emmett,” Mey said. “Those people got rid of Jin and me as if we were garbage.”
“It wasn’t Emmett’s doing.” Kian leaned his elbows on the table. “He was treated as a lesser being by his own father. Besides, he’s an interesting fellow, and you might enjoy his company.
Aren’t you curious to find out more about your parents? He might know who they were.”
“I don’t give a shit about our father or fathers, but our mother is a Dormant.” Jin looked at her sister. “If we find out where they moved to, we might be able to rescue her.”
Mey nodded. “Not only her, but also the other humans they keep enslaved.” She let out a sigh. “I’m in. I’ll do what I can to help.”
“You will both have to wear earpieces,” Arwel said. “And I will be there to keep an eye on Emmett and make sure that he behaves.”
“What about Stella?” Jin asked. “She's traveled extensively in that area. She must know Chinese.”
“She probably does, but she could only function as a translator. I don’t know how helpful that would be. I need to think it through.”
28
Margaret
After Bowen and Leon left for work, Anastasia stood with her back to the front door, her hands on her hips, and scanned the living room.
“Can you move and sit at the counter?” she asked Margaret.
“Why?”
“I want to push the couch closer to the wall.” She looked at the fireplace. “Or maybe to the side. I don’t like where it is.”
“It’s centered on the fireplace.” Margaret used the crutches to push to her good foot. “Isn’t that where it’s supposed to be?” She collected her phone and her notes and hobbled to the kitchen counter.
“It’s boring. This place looks like a hotel room. I want to make it feel homier.”
“Perhaps you should wait for the men to get back and do the furniture moving for you.”
“Nah.” Ana waved a dismissive hand. “I’m strong now, and I’m getting stronger every day. I don’t need help.”
“Knock yourself out.” Margaret touched the phone screen to wake it up.
Perhaps it was pointless to keep preparing the workshop she’d started working on in the cabin, but she had nothing better to do. Besides, if she were to get a job at the rescue center, or sanctuary, as they called it, she could modify the workshop to fit a mostly young female audience. Chocolate-making was sure to be a hit with the girls, but it would have to get approved by the therapist who was running the show.
