by I. T. Lucas
Then again, as far as she knew, it wasn’t an option for her, so she might have just resigned herself to mortality.
In any case, as much as Kian would have liked for his mother to have her new friend around forever, he wasn’t willing to risk Ronja’s life for that.
“Even if that was in the cards, Mother, Ronja needs to find a mate first,” he said gently. “And she doesn’t seem ready to get involved with anyone yet. She’s still grieving for her husband.”
“Yes, well.” Annani dropped a cube of sugar into the coffee Ojidu had refilled and stirred it with a small silver spoon. “Normally, a year of grieving is to be expected, but Ronja is not getting any younger.” She looked at Amanda. “Perhaps you can find her someone? You are so good at matchmaking.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Amanda said without much conviction.
If Annani noticed, she didn’t let it show. “I will talk with Ronja and gauge her interest. Perhaps she has noticed someone but did not think it was appropriate for her to befriend a male so soon after Frank’s passing.”
“I’m so happy for Wendy,” Syssi changed the subject. “Finding her mother must have brought her so much joy.”
“I've thought of something,” Dalhu said.
He usually spoke so rarely that everyone turned to hear what he had to say.
“If Emmett had sex with Margaret during the years she lived in Safe Haven, and I assume that he did, then it’s proof that the Kra-ell don’t have the ability to induce transition in Dormants.” He looked at Kian. “From what I heard, everyone in there was checked for STDs, and the women received contraceptive shots. Therefore, there was no need for anyone to use condoms.”
Kian had already deduced as much.
“What about the bond?” Amanda asked. “Perhaps Margaret didn’t transition because there was no bond between her and Emmett.”
Dalhu shook his head. “That’s my point. We can’t be sure that a bond is needed. Eleanor transitioned without a bond, and so did Eva.”
“I’ve given it some thought.” Amanda crossed her arms over her small belly. “Maybe it’s only needed for those whose genes are highly diluted.”
“Like me?” Syssi challenged.
“I don’t think yours are weak. You are a strong seer, and Andrew is the only infallible lie-detector the clan has.”
Syssi grimaced. “At least Andrew’s gift is useful. My visions are mostly useless. The only time they were actually helpful was when I summoned a vision to find Ronja and Frank.”
“You also saw the Kra-ell in a vision.” Kian took her hand. “Once our baby is born, you can go back to training with Madam what’s-her-name. What she taught you seemed to help with locating David’s parents.”
“Madam Salinka,” Syssi reminded him.
“Yes, her.”
“You want me to go back to training with her?”
“Only if you want to.”
44
Cassandra
“You look so beautiful and classy.” Misted with tears, Geraldine’s eyes were full of pride. “My Cassandra.” She wiped at them, smearing her mascara.
“Oh, Mom.” Cassandra dipped her head and kissed her mother’s cheek. “You always say that, and you always cry when you do.”
Her mother wiped at her cheek even though Cassandra’s lipstick was the kind that didn’t come off. “That’s because it’s true, and seeing the amazing woman I raised fills my heart with pride and joy. But you still didn’t tell me what’s the occasion.” She trailed her eyes over the floor-length black evening dress. “You are not dressed for just a date on the town.”
It was so like her mother to get all emotional and yet notice everything. Despite her memory issues, there was no fooling Geraldine Beaumont.
“It’s a private event, and Onegus made me promise not to tell anyone about it. I even had to lie to Kevin and tell him that I needed a day off because of a doctor’s appointment. I couldn’t tell him that I needed to go shopping for a dress for another event.”
Geraldine was no stranger to secrets, and she didn’t press for details. “Is Onegus picking you up?”
“He’s sending someone. The event is so secret that he couldn’t even tell me where it is.”
Her mother glanced at her small evening purse. “I hope you have your phone with you.”
“I’m sure he’ll ask me to put it in airplane mode.”
Geraldine waved a dismissive hand. “That doesn’t prevent it from being tracked. He’ll probably ask you to turn it off completely.”
Cassandra narrowed her eyes at her mother. “How do you know that?”
“I read it in one of my billionaire romance novels and then checked the internet to see if it was true. It was.”
As the house phone rang, Cassandra kissed her mother’s cheek one more time. “That’s probably Connor. Tell the guard to let him in.”
She opened the door and walked out. The guy was doing Onegus a favor. She couldn’t expect him to get out of the car and escort her out of her house like a prom queen.
Except, Connor was a gentleman, and as soon as he pulled up to her house and killed the engine, he got out and offered her his hand. “Hello, Cassandra. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Same here.” She shook his hand.
Connor matched how she’d imagined a score composer would look, only much more handsome. His shoulder-length dark brown hair curled at the bottom, framing a slim, smiling face with lush lips and merry blue-gray eyes. With her stilettos on, she was a couple of inches taller than him, which meant that without shoes, they were about the same height.
He opened the passenger door for her. “Onegus apologizes for not being able to pick you up himself.”
“Does he?” Cassandra slid into the seat, careful not to snag her long dress.
“He would have if he weren’t so busy.”
“I want to tell Josie that I met you in person, but Onegus made such a big deal out of keeping this wedding a secret that I don’t know what I’m allowed to disclose.”
“You’d better not mention it.” He smiled at her tightly. “I’m sure we will have many more opportunities to meet that you could tell Josie about.”
She’d expected Connor to make light of Onegus’s worries about the risk from some ancient enemies of his clan, but Connor seemed just as concerned.
As they reached the downtown area, Cassandra was surprised when Connor turned into the parking structure of the same building Onegus had brought her to.
“The wedding is in this building?”
“No, we are just using it for parking. A shuttle will take us to the venue.”
Two guards stood at the entrance, and Connor stopped next to them. “This will take just a moment.” He lowered the window. “Good evening, gentlemen.”
The guy ignored Connor and looked only at her. “Who’s your guest, Connor?”
“This is Cassandra, the chief’s friend.”
The guy nodded. “Good evening, ma’am.” He motioned for Connor to move on.
“Onegus is the chief?”
Connor arched a brow. “He didn’t tell you?”
“He told me that he’s overseeing security for this wedding. What is he chief of?”
“You will have to ask him. It’s not my place to say.”
She rolled her eyes. Everything was steeped in so much mystery, and she wondered if it was really necessary.
On the way down the spiraling interior lane of the parking structure, she’d seen two more guards, and that was in addition to the cameras mounted on the walls in intervals of no more than ten feet.
“That’s some serious security.”
Connor cast her an apologetic sidelong glance. “Better safe than sorry, right?” He smiled. “Or the term that is now in vogue, out of an abundance of caution.”
“In general, I’m all for caution, but this seems fit for a presidential visit.”
For some reason, Connor found her answer amusing.
�
�Yeah, it does, doesn’t it?”
The lowest level of the parking garage had its own gate, but it parted as soon as Connor pulled up to it. Did he live in the building?
Onegus had said that he and Connor shared a house, and that he was staying in the building only temporarily. Had he lied about that?
“How did the gate open? Do you have a sticker that allows you access?”
“I don’t, but there is a camera up there.” He pointed. “The people in the security office were notified of my arrival by the guards at the entrance. They read the car’s license plate and opened the gate for me.”
“Oh.”
As he pulled in and the gate started closing, another car arrived, and the gate retracted once more.
Watching it in the rearview mirror, Cassandra didn’t notice Onegus until Connor stopped the car.
He opened the door for her. “Good evening, gorgeous.” He offered her a hand up.
Scanning her from head to toe as she straightened, Onegus let out a whistle. “I’m going to be the envy of every bachelor attending the event. How am I going to manage security tonight while keeping them away from you?”
Smiling, she leaned and kissed his cheek. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll put on my resting bitch face, and no one will dare to approach me.”
“Don’t forget me,” Connor said. “I’ll keep Cassandra safe.”
“Come on.” Onegus took her hand. “Let’s find you a good seat before the transport gets full.”
“What transport?” There were no buses or limousines waiting to shuttle guests from the parking garage to the venue.
“It’s through that door.” Onegus tugged on her hand.
Perhaps there was another garage on the other side or a corridor leading to the garage of the adjacent building.
Behind them, merry voices and the staccato of heels hitting concrete announced more guests arriving. Curiosity getting the better of her, Cassandra looked over her shoulder.
Two couples, but she wasn’t sure who was with whom. The women were both beautiful and beautifully dressed, and they were holding hands. The two men walking behind them were no less good looking, and they were talking about some building project they were involved in.
“Are those relatives of yours?” she asked Onegus as he opened the door.
He glanced at the four. “Everyone attending tonight is in some way extended family. Even those two.” He motioned with his chin at the men.
She wondered what he’d meant by that. Perhaps the men were more distant family. Second and third cousins. Or perhaps they'd just married into the family.
“Your chariot, ma’am.” Onegus waved his hand at the so-called transport.
It was a long golf cart that looked like a golf limousine. She couldn’t see inside, but it was long enough to seat eight people. The canopy enclosing the interior was decorated with ribbons and flowers and glitter, and a large banner hung at the back that said 'Sari and David are getting married.'
She chuckled. “That’s my chariot? Does it turn into a pumpkin at midnight?”
“The celebration will last long into the night.” Onegus offered her a hand up. “It can’t turn back into a pumpkin before five o’clock in the morning.”
He climbed in behind her, and the two of them sat at the back. Connor got in next, and then the four who had arrived behind them.
The driver’s seat was separated from the back by a partition, just like it would be in a limousine, and the decorations covering nearly every inch of the canopy made it impossible to see what was outside the cart.
One of the women turned around with a face-splitting grin and offered her a hand. “Hi, I’m Gwen.”
“Cassandra.” She shook the hand she was offered. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“The pleasure is all mine.” Gwen cast Onegus a knowing smirk. “Good luck.”
“With what?” Cassandra asked.
“Taming Onegus, of course.” She winked.
When he glared at her, Gwen giggled and covered her mouth with her hand.
“Ignore my nosy cousins.” He took Cassandra’s hand and held it in his lap. “It would seem that they’ve already started drinking.”
45
Onegus
During the ride in the golf cart, Cassandra had chatted with Gwen and Elaine about this and that, the two doing an admirable job of keeping her too busy to notice where the cart was going, while avoiding incriminating topics.
When the cart finally stopped at the keep’s underground garage, Gwen wiped invisible sweat from her forehead and mouthed behind Cassandra’s back, you owe Elaine and me for this.
He dipped his head in acknowledgment.
“Where are we?” Cassandra asked.
The entire elevator bank was decorated for the wedding, with flowers and balloons and banners.
He pressed his thumb to the elevator button. “It’s a portal to a fairytale land.”
“It would appear so.” Cassandra’s forehead furrowed. “Did the button just scan your finger?”
“It did.”
As the doors opened, he ushered her inside. Even the interior of the cabin hadn’t escaped the attention of the overenthusiastic decorators. A large poster hung over the mirror with a picture of Sari and David kissing inside a big cutout heart, but just their silhouettes, so no one outside the clan could guess who they were.
Cassandra gave the poster a perfunctory glance before turning to him. “So, if I want to call the elevator, I can’t?”
“Correct.”
“What about them?” She waved her hand at Connor and the rest of their group.
“Every member of the family has their fingerprints taken and inputted into the system. They can all summon the elevator.”
And that even included Kalugal’s men, which Onegus wasn’t entirely comfortable with, but he was aware that his feelings on the subject were irrational.
They didn’t pose a security risk.
If they had, they would have never been admitted into the village. But they were former Doomers, and he could never bring himself to trust them completely and without reservation.
“You are really taking security measures to the extreme.”
Connor chuckled. “You’ve seen nothing yet.”
“Show me.” Cassandra looked up at Onegus. “Unless I’m not allowed to know that either.”
She was irritated, and the energy swirling just under the surface was starting to crackle. Hopefully, it wouldn’t affect the elevator’s mechanism. If her energy operated like Sylvia’s, just without the control, it might damage electronics.
Thankfully, they reached the banquet hall level without incident, and as the elevator doors opened, the noise of music and conversations was a welcome distraction.
Onegus put his hand on the small of Cassandra’s back and led her to the table he’d chosen for them.
Sylvia and Roni were already there, and so were Nick and Ruth. Sharon, Robert, Jackson, and Tessa hadn’t arrived yet.
The seating arrangement covered three objectives. First of all, except for Connor, every male at the table was mated, so no one would flirt with Cassandra. Secondly, most of them were either young immortals or newly transitioned Dormants. They were the least likely group to make Cassandra suspicious because they knew what to be careful about. And thirdly, he’d asked Sylvia to keep an eye out for Cassandra’s strange energy and see if it felt similar to hers.
He’d explained the situation to them and had asked for their cooperation. Nick, who had attended Eva’s wedding while still human, had been drunk through the entire party thanks to Jackson. He promised to goad Cassandra into doing the same, or at least getting tipsy.
Pulling a chair out for her, Onegus made the introductions. “Sylvia, Roni, Nick, and Ruth.” He helped push her chair back in place. “Please meet Cassandra, my girlfriend.”
The round table was too big to reach over and shake hands, so they either dipped their heads or waved as Onegus said their names, and Ca
ssandra smiled and waved back.
The term girlfriend seemed so wrong in the context of what Cassandra was to him, but that was what she expected him to say.
As he sat down next to her, she put a hand on his thigh and leaned closer. “Are they your cousins?”
“Sylvia and Ruth are, while Roni and Nick are their partners.”
Partners was a much better term than boyfriends, and maybe if he used it enough when talking about members of his family, Cassandra would deem it more appropriate than girlfriend as well.
“The reason I asked was that Roni seems familiar. I can’t put my finger on it, but I know that I’ve seen him somewhere.”
The kid had been on the news when he’d been caught hacking into the government confidential records, but Onegus didn’t remember whether Roni’s picture had been made public. If it had, Cassandra might have seen it. After the clan had helped him escape, there had been an APB on him, but he doubted it had been available for civilians to see.
“He might look like someone you know.” Onegus sighed. “I wish I could stay, but I need to continue making rounds until all the guests arrive.” He pushed to his feet. “Can I get you something from the bar?”
“No thanks.” Cassandra reached for the water pitcher. “I’ll stick to water for now.”
“Allow me.” Connor took it and poured her a glass.
“Who drinks water at a wedding?” Nick asked. “And a Scottish wedding at that. Everyone has to get drunk.” He filled Cassandra’s wine glass to the brim. “That’s the tradition.”
She lifted her eyes to Onegus. “Is it?”
“I’m afraid so.” He patted her shoulder. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
46
Eleanor
Alfie leaned over Eleanor’s shoulder to look at the screen. “He’s still reading?”
“What else do you expect him to do?”
She’d been watching Emmett for hours, waiting for the moments when he lifted his eyes to the surveillance camera, his intense gaze seemingly caressing her.
