by I. T. Lucas
Dur must have seen the doubt in her eyes and pressed on. “Can you live with yourself while knowing that you might have sentenced innocent men to eternal misery? Are you willing to take care of us forever?”
She didn’t answer, glaring at him instead. The same questions haunted her nightly, but there was no solution to her predicament. She was stuck taking care of four vile creatures.
Except, she still wasn’t sure about Dur’s culpability. She had struck before he had the chance to bite the woman. Unlike the victims of the other three, Rosalie had seemed to enjoy herself, at least that was what the sounds she’d been making had suggested.
“I bet you don’t own this place. What did you do? Break into an abandoned building? Are you trespassing?”
For some reason, she didn’t want him to think she was doing anything criminal. “I have a key. I’m in charge of taking care of this facility.”
“Then what will happen when whoever owns this place comes to inspect it? Have you thought about that?”
He wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t know already. She couldn’t hold them in those cages forever.
“I don’t think so,” he said.
As Dur crossed his arms over his impressive chest, Wonder couldn’t help but stare at his bulging biceps. With no quick comeback at the ready, she stood there like a fool, locking stares with the guy.
“They tell me your name is Wonder,” he said in a much softer tone. “My name is Dur.”
27
Anandur
Grud was right about her knowing nothing about immortals.
The girl was in way over her head. Rescuing the first woman, Wonder must’ve acted on instinct. When she had rescued the other two, she’d already had a theory about what was going on but not the why.
According to Grud, he’d told her very little about who Doomers were, and none about their global mission. As a simple soldier, he probably didn’t know the big picture himself. The Brotherhood’s leadership didn’t share much with the warriors. They were brainwashed by propaganda to believe whatever their leaders wanted them to believe.
Grud didn’t seem stupid, but like the others, his education was probably limited to basic arithmetic, reading, and writing. Doomers were not encouraged to read and broaden their horizons, the opposite was true. They were discouraged from it.
She huffed. “I’m not going to say nice to meet you.”
Like the teenager she no doubt was, Wonder was getting defensive, which was good. It meant that he had gotten under her skin.
It was time to turn on the charm.
“I’ve never heard of anyone named Wonder. Is that the name your parents gave you?”
“No.”
Smiling, he poked his nose between the bars. “Just no? Come on, it’s not a national secret. What is your real name, the one you were born with?”
With her arms still crossed over her chest, her rebellious expression turned sad. But just for a moment. “None of your business.”
He shrugged and went to sit on the mattress. “You don’t answer my questions, and I don’t answer yours. He turned to Shaveh. “Can you pass me one of Grud’s books? If that’s okay with you, Grud, that is.”
The guy was smart enough to cooperate. “Which one do you want? I have a lot of Jules Verne. He was a French dude who was kind of a prophet who wrote about future technology and stuff.”
Anandur stifled a chuckle. “Any of his books will do just fine.”
Wonder watched the exchange with a raised brow. “You like reading?”
“So it would seem.”
“What do you usually read?”
Anandur contemplated telling her that it was none of her business, but that wouldn’t get him what he wanted.
“I like science fiction. Old Jules is fine, but I would rather read something by Frank Herbert. Dune is a favorite of mine.” He’d seen the movie, and supposedly the storyline followed the book’s faithfully. If needed, he could bullshit his way talking about it.
“I didn’t read it. I’ll see if I can find anything written by him for you.”
“Where do you get your books?”
“People donate them to the shelter.” Wonder reddened as soon as the words left her mouth.
Evidently, she hadn’t planned on letting them know she lived in one. It was a perfect opportunity for him to help her out and score a few points with her.
“It’s nice of you to volunteer at a shelter. I’m sure the people there appreciate your help.”
“Yes.” She eyed him suspiciously.
“What kind of shelter is it?”
He had her cornered. She could obviously lie, but he had a feeling she was the type who would feel bad about responding to his kindness with a falsehood.
“It’s a shelter for refugees. These people arrive with nothing, and they need temporary housing until they can find a job and have money to pay for a place of their own.”
She was a refugee?
From where?
Wonder sounded like every other American girl her age. Except, immortals had an excellent mimicking ability, and absorbed new languages, including the proper accents, with ease. Even the three Doomers, who had spent most of their lives on their island speaking their own language, spoke fluent American English. Naturally, if one paid attention, there were subtle tells, like incorrectly used phrases and idioms. But the men were careful to avoid such pitfalls.
“Do you like volunteering there?”
She shrugged.
Good. It seemed Wonder didn’t like lying and preferred saying nothing at all.
After a long moment of silence, he asked, “Aren’t you going to question me?”
“That’s what I’m here for, but I doubt you’ll answer any of my questions truthfully.”
Anandur rose to his feet and walked over to his cage’s gate. “That depends.”
“On what?”
He glanced at the three Doomers watching and listening intently to every word.
“Privacy. If we could talk in private, I could tell you many interesting things.”
“As if I’m going to fall for that trick. You want me to take you out of your cage so you can attack me. Not going to happen.”
“You can Taser me again. Not that I’m looking forward to that shit. It was hell. And while I’m immobilized, you can put handcuffs on me. Just get the reinforced ones because I can snap the chain on regular handcuffs.” Maybe telling her that he could get out of the standard kind that police used would make her trust him more.
Wonder looked up and down his body, then shook her head. “You can overpower me even with handcuffs on.”
“Not if my arms are behind my back, and you put another set on my ankles. I’m good, but not that good.” It wasn’t true. He and the other Guardians had learned numerous techniques for overpowering an opponent even when chained like that.
But Anandur wasn’t going to try and get free even though he knew the people back home were worried about him. By now, Brundar was probably freaking out and had mobilized the entire Guardian force to search for him.
It wasn’t about him being selfish and wanting to get close to her, although she was just as alluring as he’d remembered. Hell, who was he kidding. Wonder was an immortal female, and she was a badass. If he’d desired her before, he was practically salivating now. Not that he was going to do anything about it. She was still way too young for him.
Maybe in a few years…
And although he was curious to find out everything he could about her, and had about a thousand questions he wanted to ask her, it wasn’t even about that.
The thing was, in order to get free and make the call to his brother, he would need to gain Wonder’s trust first, and if he betrayed it, he would never get it back.
The only way out of this situation was to convince her to let him help her.
Wonder was all alone in the world, and she needed the clan. She also needed help dealing with the Doomers she’d captured.
&
nbsp; Uncrossing her arms, she turned to leave. “I’ll think about it.”
“That’s all I’m asking for. That and some food. I’m starving.”
Wonder’s eyes widened. “Oh, shit, I forgot the rice on the stove. I’ll be right back with your lunch.” She ran out.
28
Brundar
Anandur was missing. Brundar couldn’t wrap his head around that. Throughout his life, his brother had been his rock.
Anandur was invincible.
That something might have happened to him was inconceivable. If not for the cut up clothes Magnus had found in the dumpster, Brundar would have thought Anandur was pulling one of his idiotic pranks. The guy would do just about anything to get a laugh out of people.
His brother was a clown, and most of the time he annoyed the crap out of Brundar. Hell, sometimes it seemed as if he derived perverse pleasure from getting a rise out of him.
Forget seemed. He did.
Though right now, Brundar would have given anything to have the big oaf tease him with his half-baked bad jokes and dumb stories that only he found funny.
Brundar would’ve even laughed, just to throw Anandur off. His brother would have been too stunned for words.
They had played the same game for centuries, both comfortable in their roles. The clown and the undertaker, the romantic and the cyborg.
“I packed your bag,” Callie said as she entered the kitchen, her eyes misted with unshed tears and her chin quivering.
She loved Anandur too.
It wasn’t just gratitude for him saving her life and Brundar’s from her crazy ex. Callie loved Anandur because it was impossible not to.
Everybody loved his brother.
And so did Brundar, even though he hadn’t said the words since he was twelve. Anandur knew. He didn’t need to be told.
“Come here.” He pulled her into his arms. “I’m going to find him.”
“I know you are. You are going to move heaven and earth and not leave a stone unturned until you do.”
“You said it, love.”
“Just promise me one thing.”
“Anything.” He kissed the top of her head.
Callie looked up. “Don’t slip back into that zone of yours. I’m afraid you won’t find your way back.”
“I can promise you anything but that. I need the zone to find Anandur. Without it, I’m a worthless emotional mess.”
“Don’t say that because it’s not true.”
He arched a brow. “Oh, yeah?”
“You’re too tidy and organized to ever be a mess.” She waved a hand. “And as for emotional? Tell it to anyone who knows you, and they’d laugh for hours. The most they’d believe about you is that you’re slightly perturbed.”
She was trying to cheer him up, much in the same way his brother had done throughout their lives.
Brundar frowned as he tried to grasp at the tendril of thought that this realization had prodded.
He was like a black hole, his dark predisposition like a void that sucked the energy out of the people who cared about him. They must’ve felt compelled to manufacture more cheer and positive attitude in the hopes of filling his darkness with some of their light.
How the hell had Anandur done it for so long?
It must’ve been exhausting. Had his brother resented him for it?
Forcing a smile, Brundar hooked a finger under his mate’s chin and lifted her face for a kiss.
Sweet, sweet, Callie. She was his medicine, his salvation. Before she had entered his life and healed the wounds that Anandur had been trying to fix for centuries, Brundar hadn’t been a man, he’d been a weapon.
Unfortunately, to save his brother, he needed to become that cold-hearted tool once again.
Wrapping his arms tighter around Callie, he pressed his cheek to hers and rocked her. “I can never get lost again, love. I’ll always find my way back to you.”
29
Wonder
“How is your head?” Natasha asked.
It took Wonder a long moment to remember the fake headache she’d complained about yesterday. “Much better. Thank you.”
“Did you take the Advil?”
The pills were probably still in the pocket of the pants she’d worn the day before. She should fish them out before doing laundry. “Yes. Thank you.”
“Whenever I have a headache, I don’t even try to fight it and take something for it right away. If I go to sleep with one, I wake up with a full-blown migraine. So why fight it, right?”
“Right.” Wonder smiled and nodded as if she had been listening to Natasha’s prattle.
After leaving the facility and the dilemma Dur presented, she’d gone on to tackle one of her warehouses in the hopes of reaching a decision while immersing herself in physical work. Cleaning always helped clear her mind, especially when there was no one there to disturb her.
“I’ll let you get back to your patrolling,” Natasha said. “Tony is giving me the evil eye for standing around and chatting instead of taking orders. I’ll catch you later.” She patted Wonder’s arm.
It was such a hard decision. On the one hand, Wonder didn’t trust Dur. On the other hand, she had a feeling he could tell her much more than the others. As a spy, he must’ve been higher up in their organization and should know more than the simple soldiers.
Wonder was desperate for more information about who she was. Maybe if she knew more about immortals, something would nudge her memory.
Was it worth the risk, though? What if he killed her?
Immortals could die if their wounds were severe enough. It only made sense that no living creature could survive decapitation or removal of the heart, or being blown to pieces. The rapid healing could repair only so much damage. She was quite sure that growing a new head or a new heart was beyond the scope of her ability to regenerate.
Just another piece of information Dur could confirm for her. Grud and the other two played it dumb, saying they didn’t know.
Right. They weren’t even good liars.
Grud’s eyes always darted sideways when he lied, while Shaveh’s voice rose in pitch. Mordan looked down.
It was sad to think that the people she knew best were murderers who she held as prisoners. These men were the closest thing she had to friends.
Natasha was nice, but she was a married human woman who had two small kids and no time to hang out and just chill. Besides, pretending to be a normal human was draining. At least her prisoners were immortals, and Wonder didn’t have to hide what she was from them.
“Hey, Wonder!” Tony waved her down. “Could you step into my office for a moment?”
Her gut clenched. Why did he want to talk to her? Had she been too preoccupied and not noticed something she should have done? Did he think she was neglecting her duties?
Wonder needed that job. The cleaning gig didn’t pay enough to cover her future rent. Apartments in San Francisco were insanely expensive, and living in a shelter was a temporary solution. Eventually, they would tell her she needed to move out and make room for newcomers.
When she peered into the office, Tony wasn’t alone.
Two men were sitting in front of his desk. One was a gorgeous blond with a long ponytail who looked like a statue of an angel, not only because he was so beautiful, but because he didn’t move a muscle. The other one was also a good-looking man, with a neatly trimmed goatee and shoulder-length dark hair, but he was not as striking as the blond.
The moment Wonder stepped inside, the small hairs on the back of her neck started tingling.
Oh, no! These two were immortals, and they were probably looking for their missing friends.
She plastered a shy smile on her face and turned to Tony. “Could you give me a moment? I was on my way to the ladies’ room.”
With the way her heart was pounding against her ribcage, the immortals would hear it and know that she was scared. Not to mention that fear produced a strong odor they would be able to smell.
&nb
sp; Wonder needed a few moments to collect herself and come up with a plan.
Tony waved a hand. “No problem. Take your time. I’ll call Baron in first. These gentlemen are with the police. They need to question everyone who worked here last night.”
Police my ass.
“Sure, no problem. I’ll be right back.”
In the bathroom, Wonder walked up to the woman standing in front of the mirror. With a quick peek under the dividers, she confirmed that the two of them were alone. “Do you have perfume?” She imbued her words with a light thrall.
“Yes, I do.”
“Can I borrow it?”
The woman reached inside her purse and handed Wonder a small bottle.
“Thank you. You can leave now.”
The woman turned on her heel and walked out.
As soon as the door closed behind her, Wonder turned to the mirror and started to spray herself, first the hair, and then all over her T-shirt. When she was done, she tucked the small bottle in her back pocket and walked over to the paper towel dispenser.
Pulling down a long swathe, she bunched it up and started cleaning. First the counter, then the mirrors, and lastly the five faucets and soap dispensers.
Much calmer and composed, she straightened her shoulders and walked out.
Okay, you can do it.
Baron was still answering the fake detectives’ questions when she knocked on Tony’s door.
“Come in, Wonder.“ He waved her in.
“Let me know when you find your friend,” Baron said as he got up. ”He seemed like such a nice fellow.”
“He is,” the blond said.
“Take a seat, Wonder.” Tony motioned to the chair Baron had vacated.
She sat on the very edge.
“This is Wonder. She is in charge of keeping the ladies from tearing out each other's hair when a fight breaks out, and she also monitors the back exit, the parking lot, and the alley between the club and the next building over. There is a lot of action going on out there, if you know what I mean.”
