by I. T. Lucas
“What if they didn’t get the email?” Syssi asked. “They could have sold the company, and whoever opened the email might have sent it to the trash folder, thinking it was junk mail or a prank.”
“That’s possible. If we are lucky, they didn’t, and we’ll find them where Emmett left them.”
“Who are you planning to send?” Annani asked.
“We have no one who speaks the language fluently and knows the local customs. Turner is providing us with a human team that has worked in China before, and I’m supplementing it with several Guardians. I want Arwel to lead our team. His empathic abilities will be useful, and if Jin agrees to accompany him, her tethering ability could be invaluable to the mission.”
“Did you speak with them?” Syssi asked.
“Not yet. I plan to call Arwel later today or tomorrow.”
Annani eyed him sidelong. “I thought that you would take me to see Emmett later today.”
Of course she did.
“Tomorrow works better for me, and you need to rest after your journey.”
“I do not.” She huffed. “But if you are busy, I will find ways to pass the time productively.”
Was that an implied threat?
He narrowed his eyes at her. “What are you plotting already?”
“I want to talk to Stella. Did she tell Vlad about his father?”
Kian shrugged. “I don’t know. But just in case she didn’t, I suggest that for the time being we keep quiet about it. I don’t want the rumor to spread and for the kid to hear about it from someone other than his mother.”
Vlad had enough on his plate as it was. Kian didn’t know whether he was still planning on visiting Wendy’s father and getting him to confess what he’d done to the mother, and he didn’t want to know.
Personally, Kian supported Vlad’s quest for answers and even his need to avenge the wrongs that had been perpetrated against his mate. But as regent, he couldn’t do that.
It was against clan law to thrall humans for personal gain.
There were only a few instances in which it was allowed, and Vlad’s investigation wasn’t one of them.
5
Vlad
Despite moving out of his mother’s house many months ago, Vlad still felt awkward about knocking on the door of what used to be his home. His mother wouldn’t mind if he just walked in, but she had a mate now, and the fact that Richard used to be Vlad and Wendy’s roommate and probably wouldn’t mind didn’t make it okay either.
Richard was still at the construction site, though, and he wouldn’t be home for another couple of hours.
His mother opened the door. “You don’t need to knock. No matter where you live and how old you are, this will always be your home.”
“I love you too, Mom.” He leaned and kissed her cheek.
She looked tense, and Vlad wondered what was going on. It wasn’t unusual for her to call him and ask him to stop by on his way home. He would bring a tasty treat from the bakery, and they would have tea together. Today though, she’d sounded anxious on the phone, saying that there was something she needed to talk to him about.
The only thing that came to mind was that Stella and Richard were having a baby, but that shouldn’t make her so nervous. Vlad wouldn’t mind having a baby brother or sister. In fact, he would love it.
Except, maybe it was about his plans to pay Wendy’s father a visit?
Richard might have said something, or maybe Wendy had.
“I brought muffins.” He lifted the brown bag. “Blueberry, your favorite.”
She smiled tightly. “I’ll make tea.”
He followed her to the kitchen. “What’s going on, Mom?”
Her shoulders slumped. “I need to tell you something, and I hope that you won’t be too upset.”
He let out a relieved breath. It didn’t seem like anyone had told her about his plans, so it had to be a baby.
“Why would I be upset? Perhaps I will be happy for you?”
Her forehead furrowed. “Happy for me? What do you think this is about?”
Vlad pushed his bangs back. “Apparently not what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
Now that he was about to say it out loud, it seemed silly. His mother and Richard hadn’t been together long enough to have a baby. Then again, neither had Kalugal and Jacki, and they were expecting.
He chuckled nervously. “I thought that you and Richard were having a baby, and I got excited thinking about a little brother or sister.”
Her eyes softened. “Fates willing, one day we will, but that’s not what I need to tell you.” She poured boiling water into the two mugs she’d prepared and handed him one. “It’s about your father.”
Vlad had never given much thought to the human who had contributed his genetic material to create him. He had been just an unknowing sperm donor. Vlad didn’t even know that his mother had kept tabs on the guy.
“What about him? Did he die?”
She shook her head. “Not as far as I know. Your father wasn’t human, so it’s unlikely that he died.”
Vlad’s blood turned cold. Unless his mother had broken the taboo of having relations with another descendent of Annani, her only option for an immortal lover was a Doomer. “Was my father a Doomer?”
“No. He was Kra-ell.”
That was it. His mother had officially lost it. She was confusing reality with the Krall virtual adventure she and Richard had experienced.
“The Krall are not real people, Mom. They were invented by Syssi for the Perfect Match virtual studios. I know that the virtual adventure felt like real life, but it wasn’t.”
Stella leaned over and put her hand on his chest. “Syssi is clairvoyant, Vlad, and the Krall aren’t a figment of her imagination. She saw them in a vision. She got some of the details wrong, and her imagination filled in the gaps, but the real Kra-ell are very similar to her fictional Krall. Did you hear about the cult leader who kidnapped a Guardian?”
Vlad’s blood went from cold to boiling in an instant. “I didn’t hear anything. How did it happen?”
Richard was getting inside information from Kalugal, who was getting it from Kian, and Stella had heard about it from Richard. That didn’t mean that the entire clan knew about it.
“The cult leader is one of them, I mean the Kra-ell, and he’s also a powerful compeller who can compel other immortals. The Guardian was rescued, and Emmett Haderech was captured and is locked in the keep’s dungeon, so that’s over, but his capture opened up a whole new can of worms.”
“Like what? And how does it affect me?”
“I hope it doesn’t. You got the immortality gene from me. The Kra-ell are long-lived but not immortal, and other than your incredible strength, it doesn’t seem like you have inherited anything else from your father. You don’t crave or need blood for nourishment.”
“They are really like the Krall? Are they vampires?”
“In that regard, they are. But according to Emmett, they never drain their victims. Also, their main source of blood is animals, not humans, and they don’t drain the animals either. They only take what can be replenished in a few days.”
“Or so he claims. Did the one who fathered me claim the same?”
“Vrog didn’t tell me much about himself or his people. My first thought was that he was a Doomer, but he didn’t know what I was talking about, so I assumed that he belonged to an unaffiliated group of immortals, maybe the descendants of other survivors.”
She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I should have paid closer attention to what he said. He told me that he wasn’t immortal, only long-lived, but I thought he only meant that immortals were not impervious to catastrophic injuries. He also told me that his people were ruled by a ruthless female who treated the males as her personal slaves, but again, I thought she was just a bitch, and that he was a fool for not leaving. I even offered him the option to join the clan, but he had made a vow never to betray his leader and cou
ldn’t leave.”
“Where did you meet him?”
“In Singapore. Until he bit me, I thought that he was just an attractive human.”
“Did he drink your blood?”
“I don’t know. I blacked out.” She smiled sheepishly. “It was my first venom bite.”
“Yeah, that’s too much information, Mom.”
She lifted her hands, her many bracelets jingling. “You asked.”
“I know. How come you never told me about him?”
His mother’s eyes misted with tears. “Somehow, Vrog knew right away that we'd created a life, and he was terrified of what his leader would do if she ever found out. He wanted me to get an abortion. I was alone, in a foreign country, and Vrog was incredibly strong. I needed to come up with something to persuade him to let me go, and since he took vows so seriously, that’s what I did. I vowed on the life of my unborn child that I would never reveal his secret.”
Vlad wasn’t a big believer in the power of vows, but his mother was superstitious. “You kept your vow for nearly twenty-two years. How come you broke it now?”
She sighed. “Richard figured it out after our Krall adventure, but I wanted to believe that didn’t count as vow breaking. And then Emmett was caught, and Kian thought that he was making the entire story up after participating in a similar experience at one of the Perfect Match studios. I couldn’t keep quiet and let him think that. Emmett had sent an email to his leader telling her about us and how our males could activate their Dormants. That was why he kidnapped Peter. He wanted to use him for that. Without the ability to activate their Dormants, they are facing extinction. They would do anything to get their hands on our males, and Kian needs to safeguard our people, which he wouldn’t have done if he still believed that Emmett had made the story up.”
“Wasn’t Emmett’s need to consume blood evidence enough?”
“They thought it was a fetish. But even if Kian eventually believed that the Kra-ell were real, there was another complication. Since according to Emmett, the Kra-ell females have fangs and venom, they were all talking about the connection to Mey and Jin, and how their peculiar traits could be explained by a Kra-ell father. It was only a question of time before they figured out that you weren’t a typical immortal male either. I didn’t want you to find out about it from someone else.”
His eyes widened. “Jin and Mey were also fathered by a Kra-ell?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Otherwise, why would they have fangs?”
“Damn. They might be my cousins.”
Stella smiled. “Their mother must have been a Dormant, our kind of Dormant, but she wasn’t Annani’s descendant. So yeah, they might be your cousins on your father’s side.”
“Did you get to see Emmett?”
“I did.”
“What do you think of him?”
“He’s arrogant, and he has a penchant for theatrics, but he doesn’t strike me as evil.”
“Can I talk to him?”
She tilted her head. “Why would you want to?”
“To find out more about the blood coursing through my veins.”
“Emmett is imprisoned in the keep. You’ll need to ask Kian.”
6
Kian
Kian pulled out two new earpieces from his pocket and handed them to Annani. “You need to put these in.”
She looked at the devices as if they were a couple of worms. “You said that Emmett is in chains. Why do I need to put these in? If he tries to compel me, Arwel can stop him with the push of a button. I would rather go in without them and test my compulsion on him.”
“He could compel you to order everyone to stand down, and then Arwel wouldn’t be able to do anything. I’m not willing to risk it.”
She rolled her eyes. “Arwel is wearing his earpieces, so he will not be affected by my compulsion any more than he will be by Emmett’s.” She pushed his hand away. “I am going in without them.”
“You promised me that you would wear them.”
She looked down her nose at him. “I changed my mind. I need to test Emmett’s susceptibility to my compulsion.”
Annani was right, but Kian hated to put her in danger even if it was minimal. Not that he had much choice in the matter. Given her stubborn expression, his mother was not going to back down.
“How are you going to test it?”
“I will ask him to tell me everything he knows about his people.”
“We have no way of verifying whether it’s true, and even if it is, he might reveal the information voluntarily.” Kian chuckled. “Given how terrified he is of his leader, he might be too scared to lie to you.”
“That is possible.” Annani turned to Arwel. “You have spent some time with Emmett. Is there anything he holds dear that I can ask him to reveal and it can be verified?”
“The wealth he’s accumulated over the years seems to be more precious to him than anything else. You can ask him to tell you the numbers of his offshore bank accounts. We can verify those.”
“Excellent idea. Thank you, Arwel.” Annani turned to Kian. “Any more questions and instructions before we go in?”
“I think we have it covered.” He looked at Arwel. “Set the remote to stun. The moment he tries anything, zap him.”
“Understood.”
Kian put his earpieces in and activated them.
As Arwel engaged the door mechanism, Kian put his hand on his mother’s slim shoulder. “Wait until I say it’s okay to go in.”
“As you wish.”
If only she could be so agreeable more often.
When the door swung all the way out, Arwel went in first, followed by Kian.
Emmett was seated in the same armchair as before, chained, and Alfie stood across from him with his hand on the gun. But unlike the other times Kian had visited him, Emmett didn’t complain about the shackles or pretend nonchalance.
The guy looked nervous, which wasn’t really surprising. He was about to meet the goddess, and given what he’d told them about his leader, he had good reason to fear his visitor.
Emmett lifted a worried pair of eyes to Kian. “Shouldn’t I be on my knees?”
“The Clan Mother doesn’t demand obeisance. Keep your tone respectful, and you should be fine.”
“Of course.”
Kian stepped back outside. “He’s ready for you, Mother.”
“Thank you, my son.”
It was disturbing to hear his mother through the devices, sounding like a male. William had promised to work on a new design that would adapt to the speaker’s voice, but he hadn’t been successful yet.
Perhaps Annani was right about the low risk of Emmett trying anything.
Discreetly, Kian removed the devices from his ears and put them back in his pocket. For once, his longish hair would be useful for something other than pleasing his wife. It would cover the fact that he wasn’t wearing the compulsion-blocking earpieces.
As Annani glided into the suite, Emmett sucked in a breath and bowed his head. He remained frozen like that, not moving a muscle and not saying a thing.
“You may gaze upon my face, Emmett.” Annani lowered herself regally into the armchair across from him. “It is not forbidden.”
Very slowly, Emmett lifted his head. “It’s an honor to be in your presence, Clan Mother.”
She nodded. “Tell me about your people, Emmett. Everything you know.”
As Kian felt the soft caress of her compulsion, he wondered how Emmett’s and Kalugal’s felt. Luckily, he’d been spared from enduring either, but he was sure they felt nothing like Annani’s.
“There were twenty of them to start with,” Emmett said. “I don’t know where they came from, but I was born in a rural area outside of Beijing.”
It was difficult to tell if Annani’s compulsion was working on Emmett. Kian paid attention as the guy repeated the same things he’d told them already, poised to catch any inconsistencies.
By the time Emmett had left, he said, the communi
ty had grown, but not significantly. Six pureblooded children had been born to the original settlers, two females and four males. Twenty-four hybrids had been born to human mothers and Kra-ell fathers, of which only two were females and the rest males. Children born to hybrid males with human females had been born human, and Emmett didn’t know whether the hybrid females took human lovers.
Annani lifted her hand to interrupt him. “If you are like us, which I suspect you are in many ways, the children born to Kra-ell hybrid fathers and human mothers do not carry your longevity genes. Only the female hybrids can pass it on to their children, who can be activated with venom. You were fortunate that we captured you before you delivered Peter to your leader. He would have been useless for activating your second generation of hybrids, and she might have ended your life for bringing her a false promise.” Annani smiled sadly. “My understanding is that she is not a forgiving female.”
Emmett swallowed. “I was so excited to find a possible solution that I didn’t pause to think it through. Peter told me that only the females transmitted the immortal gene.” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “Can you tell me more about my origins? My father and the other purebloods refused to tell us anything. They considered us second-class members of the community.”
She nodded. “My parents were the same, and I am not a hybrid, and I definitely was not considered a second-class anything either. I was born a pureblooded goddess, the daughter of the leading couple and the chosen heir to my father’s rule. I suspect that their past was shameful, and they wanted a fresh start free of the taint of past deeds. They wanted the next generation to believe the gods were benevolent, only wishing to help humanity evolve into a free, democratic society like their own. It was a noble goal, one which I took upon myself to propagate after the demise of my people.”
Emmett tilted his head. “If the gods were benevolent and taught their children well, how did your enemies, the Doomers I believe they are called, come to be?”
