by I. T. Lucas
“In there?” he asked as he reached the one open door.
“Yes. Take a seat in the chair with the second pair of handcuffs attached to its back.”
She waited until he was seated, then walked up behind him and attached the second pair to the chain between the ones he had on.
“I like how careful you are.” He surprised her. “But this is actually a mistake. In the time it will take you to blink, I can turn together with the chair and swing it at you. It will knock you out long enough for me to take away your keys and run. If you ever take out any of the other three, I suggest you take them to an empty room with no furniture at all. Better yet, don’t take them out.”
Why was he telling her that?
Now that he had, however, she could imagine him doing exactly what he’d described, and he was right. It had been a stupid move.
Wonder sat in the other chair and propped her elbows on her thighs. “So what are you saying? That you can get free easily but you’re not going to do it, or are you just toying with me by telling me exactly what you’re about to do?”
“I’m giving you my word that I’m going to sit here like a perfect angel and talk to you. And when we are done, I’m going to go back to my cell and not give you any trouble.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you to trust me. You’re in way over your head, and you know it. The men you’ve got locked there are very dangerous and lack morals, or rather the morals most decent people live by. They are taught differently. If they ever get free, the first thing they are going to do is rape you and not even think that they’ve done something wrong.”
Wonder recoiled at his blunt statement. And yet, he was probably right. After all, those young human men in Alexandria who’d attacked her hadn’t been after her money. She had something else they’d wanted, and they’d thought nothing of taking it by force. But it hadn’t ended well for them.
“I can defend myself. I’m stronger than I look.”
He chuckled. “I bet you are. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to lift me up and carry me away on your shoulder. I’m a heavy bastard.”
Wonder frowned. Bastard. She wasn’t sure what it meant. People used it as a cuss word, but she’d never heard anyone refer to himself as one.
He smiled indulgently as if he’d understood the reason for her confusion. “It’s just a figure of speech, although in my case, it’s true. I don’t even know who my father was.”
“Did he die?”
“A long time ago.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“He was a human. I’m a very old immortal.”
“Is your mother still alive?”
“Yes, and she is as lovely as ever.”
“She is probably worried about you.” The thought of a mother worried about her son tugged at her heart, but that wasn’t the reason Wonder had brought it up. Maybe she could get him to talk about others in his community. Did he belong to the same group of immortals as the other three? Were all of them bad, or just some? And if he didn’t, were his people better? Did they believe in freedom from oppression and discrimination and equal opportunity for all?
Wonder didn’t know much about anything, but she’d been told that those principles were the foundation of democracy and a good society. If Dur’s people followed those, they couldn’t be too bad.
“I don’t think anyone told her that I’m missing. I wasn’t gone long enough. But my brother is freaking out for sure. I bet he is combing the city for me.”
Was his brother one of the two fake police detectives? Neither looked anything like Dur. Then again, they’d only asked about him, not the others.
“What about the other three? Is anyone looking for them?”
“Not likely. Their organization doesn’t care about its individual cogs.”
“You said theirs. Are you claiming that you are not part of it?”
For a moment, he just looked at her. “What do you think?” he finally asked.
“I don’t know what to think. That’s why you are here. You said that if you had privacy, you’d tell me things. So here we are. Talk.”
He shook his head. “If I confide in you, I take the risk of you telling the others things I’d rather they didn’t know about me. You need to share with me something that you don’t want them to know either. That way both of us would have a strong motivation to keep our conversation confidential.”
It made sense. “Tell me what you want to know. I might answer some questions, but not others.”
“That’s fair. Let’s start with your name. Is it really Wonder?”
For a few moments, she debated whether to tell him the truth or not. Her memory loss wasn’t something she wanted people to know about, but there was no real harm in telling Dur. It wasn’t a security risk.
“Yeah. It is. I don’t remember the name I was given at birth. I suffered what seems to be an irreversible memory loss. I don’t know who I am, or where I came from. All I know is that I’m not human, and neither are you or the other three murderers in there.”
She knew she’d hit a nerve when his eyes started glowing.
“Don’t ever bundle me together with that scum.” His elongated fangs made the words come out hissed.
He looked terrifying like that.
The scene of the crime had been the only time she had seen any of her four prisoners with their fangs fully extended. The other three had never done it since, so she’d assumed that fangs elongated only during sex. But apparently, in addition to arousal, strong emotions produced that reaction too.
Refusing to let him see that he was scaring her, Wonder schooled her expression as best she could. “So you’re claiming that you’re not with them.”
“I’m not.”
“I overheard you telling Grud that you are an undercover agent in their organization, and that’s why they don’t recognize you.”
“It was a lie.”
“How do I know you’re not lying now?”
Dur sighed. “You threw me in a cage with my mortal enemies. What did you expect me to do?”
“Not the same cage.”
“Yes, and I thank you for that. I’m a strong guy and well-trained, but there are three of them, and they are well-trained as well. I’m not sure who would’ve ended up dead. Me or them.” He chuckled. “But that’s just boasting. It would have probably been me.”
Gee, the guy was blunt. But she kind of liked that about him. “Tell me more about you and your people. I assume that when you say enemies, you don’t mean you personally, since those three don’t even know who you are.”
“First tell me why you chose Wonder as your name. Or was it chosen for you?”
She sighed. As if her name was as important as what she’d asked him. But if that got Dur talking, she saw no harm in telling him. “Both. A kid pointed at me and said Wonder Woman. I didn’t know what it meant, but Wonder sounded nice to me. Then when it happened again on the same day, I thought of it as a sign. Only later I discovered I’d named myself after a cartoon character.”
Dur gave her an appreciative once-over. “I can see the resemblance. You look a lot like the actress who played Wonder Woman. But you’re much more beautiful. And unlike the human, you’re strong for real.”
Wonder felt a blush creep up her face. She wasn’t used to compliments.
“What about you? Is Dur your real name?”
He chuckled. “It’s Anandur. But if I told them that they might have figured out who I was.”
“Why? Are you famous?”
“Anandur is a very old Scottish name,” he explained. “The three in there probably have never heard of it, but it doesn't sound like one of theirs. I hope you’ll remember to call me Dur in front of them.”
She waved a hand. “Don’t worry. I’ll never do anything to compromise your safety.”
“Why? Because you like me?” he teased. “Or is it just because you’re afraid I’ll spill the beans about your memory loss?
”
She liked him, but that wasn’t the answer she was going to give him. The guy was cocky enough as it was. “Neither. I’m just not sure you’re guilty of what I’ve accused you of, and I feel responsible for you.”
“I can live with that.”
36
Anandur
Anandur shifted in the chair, the unnatural pose putting a strain on his arm muscles.
But it was well worth it. He was making good progress. Wonder’s hand no longer hovered over her Taser gun, and her shoulders were losing their rigidity.
Ha, Brundar should have seen him in action to finally appreciate the power of charm.
His humorless brother believed in only two ways of solving conflicts—with a sword or with a knife. And if absolutely necessary—a gun.
Brundar preferred his kills up close and personal.
“Your turn.” Wonder trained her intense green eyes on him, scrambling his thoughts. “Tell me about your people and how are they different from the other ones. Are there many communities of immortals scattered around the world?”
Mesmerized by her eyes, he hadn’t heard the first part. To cover it up, he chuckled. “That’s more than one question. I’m a simple guy. Can you repeat them one at a time?”
“Simple. Right. But whatever.” She waved her hand. “Question number one: how many communities of immortals are there?”
“There are only two known factions. Well, known to immortals that is. Humans don’t know we exist, and we do everything to keep it that way. I belong to the clan, and the other three belong to the Devout Order of Mortdh Brotherhood, or Doomers for short. Other than that, we suspect that there are some lone immortals out there who are on their own and don’t know that there are more people like them. Same as you.”
Her beautiful eyes narrowed at him. “I might belong to the clan or to the Brotherhood and not remember any of it because something happened to me. Are the communities so small that everyone knows each other?”
“The clan is small. I know each of the members. I might not remember everyone’s name, but I know their faces. So you are not one of ours for sure. And as to the Brotherhood, if you were theirs, you would’ve never gotten away. You wouldn’t have been an immortal at all. They don’t activate their females.”
She frowned. “Why not? Not that I know what you’re talking about in the first place. Aren’t we born immortal?”
“No, we are not. Those who carry the gene are called Dormants, and they have to be activated. That’s one of the many uses of the fangs and venom.”
Her eyes widened. “You bite a person to activate her or his dormant genes?”
“Yes.”
Her hand flew to her forehead. “Oh, wow. That puts everything in a different light. What if the other three were in the process of activating the females and not planning to kill them?”
Anandur shook his head. It was too much information for Wonder to process all at once, and she was making a mishmash of what he’d told her.
“No, sweetheart. They weren’t. Doomers don’t activate their females on purpose. It might happen by accident with a Dormant that doesn’t know she has the gene, but not deliberately.”
“Why not?” Wonder asked again.
“Fertility rates. A Dormant female can produce as many children as a human female. When she turns immortal, her fertility rate drops to almost nothing.”
“Why?”
Her why questions were like those of a young child, which in a way she was because of the memory loss. Luckily for her, Anandur was a patient guy.
“Considering our lifespans, it only makes sense that nature will want to curb our ability to proliferate. After all, we are at the very top of the food chain. If there were many of us, we would’ve driven all other species to extinction.”
“So the Doomers want many children? Is that it?”
“Yes. They want warriors for their army. The males can’t transfer the immortal genes, so their only use is as fighters. The females are used to make more warriors. They are breeding them like cattle.”
“That’s horrible.”
“I agree. They are not good people. Or rather their leaders are not. If given a chance, some Doomers might have turned out alright. I know two who did.”
She looked so sad that if Anandur weren’t in chains, he would’ve taken her into his arms and rocked her like a baby. Not that there was a chance in hell she would’ve let him. The girl was putting on a tough as nails act.
“There is so much I don’t know. Like what you’ve told me about fertility. I haven’t given it much thought before, but I would like to have children one day. From what you are telling me, that might never happen for me.”
“If the Fates will it, it might.”
“The Fates?”
“It’s also a figure of speech. I’m not a big believer, but I’m not a heretic either.” He winked. “I’m hedging my bets.”
“What does that mean, hedging your bets?”
He wondered whether her memory loss had been so complete that she’d had to relearn how to speak. “It means that I’m not taking chances in case the Fates are real. Did your memory loss include the use of language? Did you have to learn to talk?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. Nine months ago I woke up from a coma in Egypt, but I didn’t know Arabic. I learned some on my own. Then I was forced to run away, and I snuck on board a ship. I learned basic English from a kind old lady who hid me in her cabin all the way to the States. Mrs. Rashid is a retired English teacher, and she said she’d never met anyone who’d learned a language so fast.”
“That’s a trait all immortals share. We learn languages fast. But why were you running? And from what? Or rather who?”
Wonder dropped her head. “I was attacked.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “I might have killed someone. It was in self-defense, but it would have been my word against his buddies. I couldn’t take the chance.”
Anandur felt his fangs elongate. “How many attackers were there?”
“Four.”
“And you dispatched all of them? By yourself?”
She nodded.
“That’s impressive for a civilian with no training.”
“I knew the right moves instinctively. But I didn’t realize how strong I was. After the first went down and didn’t get up, I used less force with the others. I didn’t kill them.”
“Good. It means that I can finish the job for you. It would bring me great satisfaction.”
His vehemence had her lift her head and look at him. “Why are you experiencing such strong emotions?” She pointed at his fangs. “Does that happen every time you get angry?”
No, it didn’t happen often at all. Most of the time Anandur was a chill guy. But the idea of anyone wanting to harm Wonder infuriated him. On some level, he was starting to think of her as his. So yeah, she was too young, but she must’ve been at least eighteen to get the bouncer job at the club, and even more likely twenty-one, which meant that she had reached her majority in every way.
Yeah, how was that for convincing himself it was okay to lust after her?
Her eyes on him, Wonder was still waiting for him to give her an answer. It was good that he had another reason for wanting to eliminate the bastards who’d attacked her. “Because they don’t deserve to live. You got away, but I bet many human females were not as lucky.”
37
Wonder
She shouldn’t enjoy Anandur’s rage on her behalf so much, but she did. Wonder could’ve kissed him in gratitude.
Not on the mouth, that was too intimate, but on the cheek.
As a thank you.
Yeah, who was she fooling?
She’d been attracted to Anandur from the first moment she’d seen him, and the more time she was spending with him that feeling was only getting stronger.
Maybe she should return him to his cage already.
Not only because she was afraid of her own reaction to him, but because he looked in pain. It mus
t’ve been very uncomfortable for him to sit with his arms pulled behind his back for so long.
The fact that she was tempted to unlock his handcuffs and rub his sore muscles was a sure sign that it was time to end this.
Except, she didn’t want to.
Anandur was telling her so many new things, and she had a feeling he hadn’t even scratched the surface. They could keep talking all night and not cover it all.
“I should take you back. You look uncomfortable.”
He pinned her with a pair of glowing eyes. “Did my show of fangs scare you?”
She shook her head. “The other time when you got mad at me for bundling you with the Doomers, I’ll admit I was a little scared, but not this time. I actually thought it was nice. I don’t know if I ever had someone to defend or avenge me before my coma, but for sure not since I’ve woken up. It’s not that I need it. I’m not one of those dainty females who needs a strong protector. But it’s just nice to know that someone cares.”
“I care.”
“Why?” She was starting to sound like a soundtrack stuck on a loop, but she really wanted to know why Anandur was being so nice to her.
Did he desire her?
Did she want him to?
Or was he putting on a show to make her like him and lower her guard?
Already, she was less alert than at the start of their talk. On the other hand, she believed Anandur when he said he could’ve overpowered her even with all the precautions she’d taken.
“I don’t want you to be alone. You were probably activated by some random immortal, and for some reason reacted badly to it, falling into a coma. That’s my best guess. You are resourceful, I’ll give you that, but it doesn’t mean that you don’t need the support of a community.”
Her thoughts exactly.
“And how do you suggest I join that community? And what about my prisoners? I can’t release them so they can go on killing, and I can’t dispose of them either.”
“Why not?”
