by I. T. Lucas
He didn’t seem excited to see her. In fact, he looked somewhat embarrassed.
She waved her hand at Kian and Syssi and the rest of the welcome wagon. “I’m not the only one.”
“I can see that.”
“Welcome to your new home.” Ingrid handed Greggory a card. “That’s your house number.” Next, she handed him a couple of tags. “Put those on your luggage, and it will be delivered to your house.”
“Thank you.”
Smiling knowingly, Ingrid leaned closer to Eleanor’s ear. “You can leave right away if you want. Lunch will be served at the village square, but I would skip it if I were you.” She added a wink and ambled away toward a group of Kalugal’s men.
Eleanor swallowed. “Do you want to eat?”
His eyes blazed. “I do, but nothing that they have to offer at the village square.” He lifted the tags and shook his head. “I can carry my own luggage.”
“I’ll help you.”
He looked at her down his nose. “I can handle one suitcase and a duffle bag.”
“You travel light.” She followed him to the stack of luggage Okidu had pulled out of the belly of the bus. “Did everything you own fit into one suitcase?”
“I left a lot behind. Most of the men did. Jacki made a valid point that we should only bring our best clothing and things that have sentimental value. All the rest should go to charity.” He smiled. “I have a few changes of clothes, and the rest of my suitcase and duffel bag is stuffed with weapons. Those are the only things that I attach sentimental value to.”
“That’s kind of morbid.”
Greggory shrugged. “I’m a soldier, and those are the tools of my trade.” He found his suitcase and set it aside before digging out his duffle bag from under the pile.
“I’m heading to the house,” he told one of the men. “Are you going to the village square first?”
The guy looked Eleanor up and down before turning back to Greggory. “You have an hour. Use it wisely.”
Greggory shook his head. “Eleanor, this is my housemate, Boleck. Boleck, this is Eleanor, my girlfriend.”
“I know who she is.” Boleck offered her his hand. “I guess we will be seeing a lot of each other.”
The guy didn’t like her, and she didn’t need her new and enhanced immortal senses to figure that out. He was quite obvious about it.
Evidently, Kalugal’s men regarded her the same way people in the village did. She was the traitorous bitch who everyone expected to show her true colors as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
“Nice to meet you, Boleck.” She pulled her hand out of his.
As they headed out, Greggory let out a breath. “I’m sorry about that. Boleck is a good man, but he’s not the trusting sort.”
“That’s okay. Most people here are the same. They are just waiting for me to prove to them that their opinion of me isn’t wrong. That’s why going on the mission is so important to me. Perhaps they will view me differently once I’ve proved myself.”
“I get it.” Greggory followed her into the elevator. “I just don’t like it.” As soon as the door closed, he dropped the suitcase on the floor and reached for her. “I want to kiss you so badly.”
“Oh, God, yes.” She flew into his arms.
They went for each other like a couple of starved tigers, and that included growling like ones too. Holding on to his neck, she wrapped her legs around his hips and ground her center against his hard shaft. They were still kissing when the elevator reached the top level, and the door opened.
Greggory pulled her off him. “Save it for the house, my tigress.”
“I get it.” She smirked at him. “I just don’t like having to wait.”
“How far is the house?” He started walking at a fast clip.
“At this rate, we can be there in ten to fifteen minutes. Give me the duffle bag, and we will make it in ten.”
He shook his head. “Not happening.”
“I didn’t know you were such a macho dude.” She didn’t know much about him at all, but that was hopefully going to change.
“Are you going to move in with me?”
Eleanor grimaced. “Not with Boleck as a housemate. Let’s not rush things. I can spend every night with you, but I’m not going to move my things into your room. Perhaps later, we can put in a request for our own place.” She smiled up at him. “I’m thankful to Kian for designing these houses with excellent soundproofing. After we close the door, we will have complete privacy in your room.”
His grin was infectious. “I hope that means what I think it does.”
She nodded. “I plan on making a lot of noise.”
55
Richard
“I’m going to get us drinks.” Richard pulled out a chair for Stella. “What are you in the mood for?”
“Something sweet. Can you mix me a cranberry vodka?”
“Coming right up.”
The dreaded day had arrived, and the village square was teeming with eligible immortal bachelors, but she wasn’t paying attention to any of them.
According to Rufsur, that was a sure sign that Richard and Stella had bonded.
After her big reveal, she’d been a little tense, but he could sense that she was also relieved. Not only that, she’d invited him to move in with her, and he had done that the same day before she could change her mind.
When Richard had packed his things and said goodbye to Vlad and Wendy, the girl had pretended to be sad, but he was sure that she’d only done it to make him feel good. She was probably happy to finally see him go.
Wendy and Vlad were a couple, and he had been the third wheel.
Standing in line for the bar, Richard turned to glance at Stella to see if she was checking out any of the immortal males, but she was only looking at him.
He blew her a kiss, and she smiled and blew one back.
Sweet. It felt good to be loved and love back. He’d never had that before.
“Hello, Richard.” Rufsur put a hand on his shoulder. “I heard that you and Stella moved in together. Congratulations.”
“Thank you.” Richard shook his head. “It’s unbelievable how quickly rumors spread around here. It happened yesterday afternoon.”
“Wendy told Edna. That’s how I know. You should talk to Kalugal about inducing you. He seems in a good mood tonight.”
“I haven’t seen him in a bad mood yet.”
Rufsur chuckled. “You didn’t know him before he met Jacki. She makes him happy.”
They both turned to look at where the couple was sitting with Syssi and Kian.
Richard smiled. “That’s the power of love.”
“It’s the power of loving a good woman. Loving the wrong person can make you miserable.”
“True that.”
As they reached the bar table, Richard mixed the cocktail for Stella and poured himself a shot of whiskey. “I’ll get Stella her drink, and then go talk to your boss.” He glanced in Kalugal’s direction again. “I would prefer to do that privately, though. I don’t want to ask him to induce me in front of Kian. He might get offended that I’m not asking him to try again.”
“Good point. I’ll make up an excuse to bring Kalugal to your table.”
“That would be great. Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Feeling apprehensive about the prospect of this last induction attempt failing like the others, Richard took the drinks and walked back to where he’d left Stella.
He made it just in time to chase off one of Kalugal’s men with a hard glare. Apparently, the guy hadn’t heard the rumor about them moving in together, and since Richard wasn’t immortal yet, his scent wasn’t all over her to ward against immortal males.
She chuckled. “If looks could kill.”
He handed her the cocktail. “I need to pin a sign to your back that says you belong to me.”
“No need. He wouldn’t have gotten far. I would have given him the uninterested look.” She affected a
stern and haughty expression that would have deterred Casanova.
“That’s the look you gave me after you decided that you weren’t interested in me.”
“I was interested. But you bragged about your touch telepathy, and I was scared of getting close to you.”
“I’m glad that’s behind us.” He leaned and planted his lips on hers. “I love you.” He grinned. “And I also love saying that to you over and over again. Who would have thought?”
“I love you too.” She lifted her eyes. “Kalugal and Rufsur are heading this way. Are they coming to talk to you?”
He nodded. “I’m going to ask Kalugal to induce me. Now that our bond is firmly in place, I hope it will work.”
“I’m crossing my fingers.” She lifted both hands to show him that she was.
“Good evening.” Kalugal pulled out a chair and sat down. “Rufsur tells me that you need a favor from me.”
“I do. Could you possibly consider inducing my transition? You are my last hope.”
“Gladly.” Kalugal leaned back and crossed his legs at the ankles. “How about tonight?”
Suddenly dry-mouthed, Richard emptied the whiskey shot. “So soon?” he croaked.
“Why wait? Do you want another grand ceremony?”
“Hell, no. At this point, it would be embarrassing. I’m just thinking that maybe I need to ask Kian’s permission.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know what the rules are.”
“All you need are two witnesses,” Rufsur said. “And maybe the doctor, just to be on the safe side. If you want, I can ask Edna if the clan has any additional rules.”
“We don’t,” Stella said. “Someone needs to say the ceremonial words, and the induction needs to be witnessed by two people. That’s all.”
“We can do it in my new temporary residence.” Kalugal uncrossed his legs and pushed to his feet. “Come over at eleven tonight, and bring the doctor with you.”
“Thank you.”
Kalugal smiled. “You are most welcome.”
When he and Rufsur left, Richard let out a breath and leaned back. “That was easier than I thought it would be. Kalugal seemed happy to induce me.”
“Of course, he is. Your boss is a big show-off, and accomplishing something that Kian failed at would give him great satisfaction.”
“I thought they liked each other.”
“They do. But they both have competitive, type-A personalities.”
“I hope that Kian won’t be offended. If I don’t turn, he might kick me out.”
“He won’t.” Stella cupped his cheek. “The only thing you have to worry about is transitioning.”
56
Kalugal
“It’s time we headed home.” Kalugal gave Jacki a hand up.
“I like that you are calling it home already.”
“I meant our temporary home.” He wrapped his arm around her waist. “But the evening is not over yet. Richard is coming over later, and I’m going to induce him.”
She smiled up at him. “That’s so nice of you. I hope it works this time.”
“I’m sure it will. After all, I have a hundred percent success record.”
“You did it only once.” Her smile wilted. “I’m so sad for David and his family. It’s awful what happened to them.”
Kian and Syssi had told them the news, but Kalugal didn’t understand why everyone was so upset about it. The poor human hadn’t been David’s father, and humans died all of the time. It was sad for David’s mother and sister, but he didn’t know them, and neither did Jacki.
Still, he had to pretend to be sad, or Jacki would get upset with him, so he nodded sagely.
Thankfully, he didn’t have to pretend much longer because Jacki suddenly grinned. “Look at Phoenix. Isn’t she adorable?”
Syssi’s brother was carrying his daughter on his shoulders, and she was happily banging on his head with her little fists as if it was a drum.
“Precious.”
The child was beautiful, but she had a mean streak. Or so he thought until she leveled her dark eyes at him and smiled the cutest dimply smile.
“She likes you.”
“Phoenix is a big flirt.” Andrew walked up to them. “She has to conquer every male’s affection.”
The little girl pointed at him with both hands. “Daddy, can I ride on his shoulders?”
Kalugal shook his head. “I’m afraid that my head is not a suitable drum.”
“I’ll tell you what, sweetie. You can ride on Daddy’s shoulders while we walk with Kalugal and Jacki. Our house is on the way to theirs.”
“Okay,” she relented. “Where is Mommy?”
“She’s coming too.”
“Can I see Kalugal and Jacki’s new home?”
“Not tonight. It’s way past your bedtime.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Maybe.”
“No maybe. Say yes!”
Andrew cast Kalugal an apologetic glance as he rubbed her little back. “We’ll talk about it later, sweetie.”
“No, say yes, now!” She rubbed her eyes with her fists.
“You’re tired, sunshine. Let’s go find Mommy.”
“Okay.” She rested her head on Andrew’s and put her hands on his cheeks. “Your face is prickly, Daddy.”
As Andrew walked away, Kalugal shook his head. “I didn’t know kids could be so difficult.”
“You call that difficult? She was just tired. Kids get cranky when their routine is disturbed. They need to be in bed at the same time every night.”
“I’m so lucky to have you.” Tightening his arm around her, he brought her closer against his side. “Or perhaps I should rephrase that. Our child and I are lucky to have you. As you can see, I’m quite clueless, and I also don’t have the patience for cranky kids.”
“Don’t worry about it. When it’s your child, you will find the patience because you are going to love her or him.”
“I hope it’s a girl. If it’s a boy, I’d be constantly checking to see if he is the reincarnation of David’s brother. I don’t want that.”
“Why? You said that you would have liked to meet Jonah.”
He shrugged. “A child should have a clean slate. I don’t want him to carry baggage from a previous life.”
“If you believe in reincarnation, then every child has it. They just don’t remember it.”
“Do you believe that?”
Jacki nodded. “Two of my foster parents had babies of their own while I was living with them. It was very obvious to me that they were born with distinct personalities, and that they weren’t a brand new clear page.”
“Their genetics could be responsible for that.”
“Perhaps. But I would like to believe that it’s more than that.”
As they cleared the village square, Kalugal was glad that Andrew hadn’t returned with Phoenix and Nathalie. He much preferred a peaceful walk home. “Edna and Rufsur are coming as well. They will be the witnesses, and Richard is bringing one of the doctors.”
Jacki frowned. “I hope that we have something in the house to serve our guests. I didn’t check before we left for the welcome party.”
“The fridge and pantry are fully stocked. Richard and Ingrid took care of that with the help of the cyborg butlers.”
“That’s a relief.” She leaned on his arm. “Now that we no longer have a cook preparing communal meals, I’ll finally get to cook for us. I’m excited. But on the other hand, I’m going to miss the guys. I liked chatting with them over the dinner table.”
“We will have that again when our house is ready. Atzil is going to cook for everyone just like he did before.”
“I just thought of something. There is no grocery store in the village. How are we going to restock the fridge?”
“You will make a list of what you need, and I’ll send one of the men to get it for you.”
Jacki shook her head. “I want to go grocery shopping like a normal person. I need a car.
”
As if he was going to let her drive to the city by herself. “Our cars won’t arrive for another month, but when they do, I’ll go shopping with you.”
“Really?” She arched a brow. “When was the last time you went shopping for food?”
“Outside of a restaurant? Never.”
She laughed. “That should be fun. I’ll be more than happy to show you how it’s done.”
57
Stella
Richard was nervous, Stella was tense, and Julian was the only one talking on the way to Kalugal’s house. He was also the one who knocked on the door.
Rufsur opened the way. “Hello, everyone. Please, come in.”
Kalugal rose to his feet and walked over to greet them. “I know it’s not the tradition, but I suggest that we start the evening with drinks to get everyone in a relaxed mood.”
“Don’t get too relaxed,” Rufsur said. “You still need to get aggressive for this to work.”
“I’ve seen Richard in action.” Kalugal cast Richard an amused glance. “You’ll have no trouble provoking me.”
“Thank you. I think.”
“Thank you for doing this for us.” Stella offered her hand to Kalugal.
He shook it. “My pleasure.”
“Come sit with us.” Jacki beckoned Stella to join Edna and her on the couch.
“Hi.” She sat down between the two. “I hope this time it works.”
“Fates willing.” The judge lifted a bowl of pretzels. “Would you like some?”
Her stomach was tied in knots, but she needed something to do with her hands. “Sure.” She took a handful.
When drinks were passed around, and the conversation turned to the building project, Stella tuned it out and retreated into her own head.
She had more important things on her mind, like whether the bond between her and Richard was strong enough for him to transition, and if it at all mattered. No one knew for sure whether it did, and it was more speculation than fact.
But if the bond had been the missing ingredient, they should be fine now. With no more secrets between them, there was nothing to stop it from solidifying, except perhaps not enough time.
