by I. T. Lucas
It was possible that Navuh was keeping tabs on him, but Lokan doubted it. Knowing where his sons were at any given point in time was not important to Navuh, and he wouldn’t be wasting his time on that. But he was likely to do so when Lokan didn’t show up to report.
“Oh, really? So, I can go on a super dangerous mission in enemy territory, basically on my own, but I can’t accompany Lokan and a bunch of Guardians to a place that is under our control and will most likely not get attacked? Come on, Kian, it doesn’t make sense. Besides, if you give me a gun, I can outshoot most of the Guardians and you know it.”
Damn, he was so proud of his mate. His little angel was a badass, and she was fighting for him.
Kian sighed again. “You make a valid argument.”
“So can I come?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
As Carol disconnected the call, Arwel clapped, and Lokan joined him. And as she tossed the device to the Guardian, Lokan reached for her and pulled her into his arms.
“You’re awesome.” Ignoring Arwel’s chuckles, he kissed her long and hard.
59
Kian
Kian’s Lexus led a procession of five vehicles up the narrow mountain road, with William’s van sandwiched between two cars full of Guardians, and Turner’s car bringing up the rear.
They were spread out, those following behind checking for tail the entire time, including from above, but it seemed like no one was following the phone.
Just to mix things up, Kian had taken it from Turner at the foot of the mountain, so if it was transmitting, the signal was now coming from a different car. The phone was turned off, but according to Willian that didn’t mean that it couldn’t be tracked.
When they reached the dirt road leading up to the cabin, two of the cars stayed behind to guard the perimeter, and the rest continued up the hill, with William’s heavy van groaning with the effort. The guy had loaded his moving lab with equipment to rival a spy plane.
As Kian, Andrew, and the brothers entered the cabin, Arwel’s car arrived, and Anandur went back out to help him carry the unconscious Lokan.
“He doesn't weigh much.” Anandur walked in with the guy draped over his shoulder. “I thought he would be heavier, but apparently he’s just full of air.” He chuckled at his own pun.
Carol slapped his back. “He is not. He’s just not as beefed up as you are. Lokan has an athletic build.”
Arwel shook his head. “Be wary of the mother hen. This one comes with claws.”
Two more Guardians entered behind them. Walking in last, Turner closed the door.
As Anandur laid Lokan on the couch, Carol hurried to put a pillow under his head. “Do you have bottled water in here? He is going to be thirsty when he wakes up.”
Brundar walked over to the fridge, pulled out a six-pack of bottles, and brought it to the coffee table.
Earlier, Kian had had the foresight to send Okidu to clean up and resupply the place.
“Thank you.” Carol sat next to Lokan and tore one out of the pack.
Lokan groaned, turned on his side, draped an arm over Carol’s thighs, and sighed contentedly.
Although Kian had harbored doubts before about the two being mates, that small gesture was the last push he needed to convince him that they were. Lokan was still out, but he instinctively sought comfort from Carol.
An old immortal like him, who had spent a millennium alone, would not have reacted like that to just any female.
Carol stroked Lokan’s hair and leaned to kiss his forehead. “Are you awake?”
Instead of answering, he tightened his arm around her and buried his nose in her shirt.
“You need to wake up, Lokan. Kian is waiting for you.”
It took another five minutes and half a bottle of water until Lokan finally sat up and pressed the heels of his palms to his temples. “My head hurts like a son of a bitch.”
Carol patted his arm. “I’ll make you coffee, and you’ll feel better.”
Next to Kian, Arwel murmured, “Imagine having to listen to this all day long.”
“Would you rather they argued?” Kian asked.
“They do that too.”
“Every couple does that from time to time.”
Arwel shrugged. “I guess.”
When Carol came back with coffee for everyone, Kian pulled Lokan’s phone out of his pocket and put it on the table out of Lokan’s reach. “Before you take the device, I want to warn you. The cuffs on your wrists and ankles contain explosives in addition to the neurotoxin. You say one word that you are not supposed to, and I’ll press the remote. Did you ever have to regrow a limb, Lokan?”
Given his grimace, he had. “Hurts like hell and takes months.” He glanced at Carol who sat on the couch next to him. “You have nothing to worry about. Carol is my number one priority, and I’ll do anything to ensure her safety.”
“Truth,” Andrew said.
Well, that was good to know.
Kian nodded. “So this is how it’s going to go. Your first call is going to be to a florist. You are going to order flowers and have them delivered to your penthouse. While you do that, my guy is going to track the call.” He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and put it on the table. “I wrote down the number for a Washington florist for you.”
Lokan reached for both the phone and the paper. “Is the phone charged?”
“Yes.”
He still didn’t open it. “I want to make a bargain.”
Kian arched a brow. “Now?”
“Before I unlock the phone, I want to make sure that you are not going to force me to hand it over unlocked or give you the passcode. I vow to help Carol in any way I can on the island and compel whoever I need to compel, but I’m not ready to give you more.”
“And if I don’t promise that, will you refuse to help?”
Lokan nodded. “Without me calling the guy in charge of staffing the harem, Carol cannot go, and frankly, I don’t want her to. With me by her side, or at least in the background, the risks she is taking would have been halved. But you refuse to let me go.”
Andrew didn’t react, but Kian was sure Lokan was bluffing. “It would mean giving up on finding whether your mother is still alive and if she happens to be Areana, not to mention getting her out of there.”
Lokan nodded. “To ensure my mate’s safety, I’m willing to keep living with that question unanswered.”
“Truth,” Andrew confirmed.
“Are you also willing to live with the knowledge that your mother might be suffering at the hands of your father?”
“I’m quite sure she is not suffering. My father is not a sadist.” He cast a quick glance at Carol. “She might not be happy, but I’m sure she lives in the lap of luxury. The one thing I do know about the harem is that the goods delivered there are the best money can buy.”
Listening to the exchange, Carol’s expression changed from touched to annoyed. “What about me? It’s my choice to risk my life to save Areana, and I want to do that. Heck, I’m willing to die at least twice for that.”
Kian cringed. “Going into stasis is not dying, Carol.”
She shrugged. “It will feel the same to me.”
He couldn’t argue with that. “I see that I have no choice but to grant your request, Lokan.” He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his thighs. “But think about it. Giving that information over may be your best chance to prove your loyalty to the clan.”
Looking him straight in the eyes, Lokan nodded. “I’ll take it under consideration. In the meantime, however, I need your word that you will not force me to do so.”
Kian nodded. “You have my word.”
Lokan let out a relieved breath. “Thank you. In appreciation, I’ll give you something that you’ll find very valuable. It’s a piece of information that I was saving as a bargaining chip, but I want you to have it.”
He opened the phone and typed in a long code while shielding the screen with his for
earm. Stupid he was not.
“I recorded Gorchenco trying to sell me the submarine. That together with the physical proof you got should be enough to end his career on this earth if he refuses to cooperate with us.”
Turner, who until this moment hadn’t taken part in the conversation, let out an impressed whistle. “It will certainly fortify our bargaining position.”
60
Carol
Carol listened with half an ear as Lokan made the call to the florist.
Thinking about what he’d said and what he was willing to sacrifice to keep her safe, she couldn't help but feel guilty for wanting to go anyway.
It was ironic how a day or two ago she’d questioned his feelings for her, and now she was doubting her feelings for him. He was willing to sacrifice his dreams for her, but she wasn’t willing to do the same for him.
Except, that wasn’t entirely true. Perhaps it had been true to start with, but now she was also doing it for the two of them. This was the only way to earn Lokan’s freedom, and the only way they could have a normal life together.
Perhaps they could live in this cabin?
Ingrid’s professional touch was evident in the decor, but it still felt homey, and Carol loved having nothing but nature all around. She was a city girl, but she was ready for a change.
Was Lokan, though?
What would a wheeler and dealer like him do in a secluded cabin in the woods? After making love for a couple of weeks, he would start to get bored, and after a month, he would go crazy.
The problem was that the same fate awaited him in the keep’s underground.
Kian’s phone ringing snapped Carol’s attention away from her daydreaming.
“Yes, William.”
“You can go ahead with the next call.”
“Thanks.” Kian looked relieved. “Have you video chatted with people on the island before?” he asked Lokan.
“Just once. My servant didn’t understand what I wanted her to pack for me, so I had her go into my closet and told her exactly what to take.”
Kian frowned. “Can you think of an excuse to use with one of the pilots?”
Frowning, Lokan rubbed his hand over the back of his head. “I guess I could ask him to get something from my house and mail it to me when he lands in one of the neighboring islands. The problem with that is that he would do it without any compulsion, so that’s not a good way to prove it.”
“Good point.” Kian looked at Carol. “Any suggestions?”
She shrugged. “Get him to mail you something that is not supposed to leave the island.”
Lokan’s eyes widened. “I know exactly the thing. My father’s portrait. I have one hanging in my quarters, and it’s certainly not supposed to leave the island. I can have him wrap it up and sneak it out.”
“Go ahead.” Kian waved a hand.
“What time is it?”
“Seven in the evening.”
“Good. It means seven in the morning on the island.”
Lokan turned sideways so only his face was visible on the screen and made the call.
“Arjun. I need you to do something for me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I need you to go to my quarters, get the small portrait of my father that is hanging behind my desk, wrap it up, and take it with you on your next flight, then mail it from the airport to my Washington address.”
“Very well, sir. I shall go do it right now.”
“I’ll call you in half an hour to verify that you have it in your possession.”
“Very well, sir.”
“And, Arjun…”
“Yes, sir?”
“Don’t forget to bring wrapping paper with you. It’s important that no one sees you take the portrait out. It’s not allowed, but seeing my father’s face gives me so much inspiration that I decided I need it here with me.”
“I understand, sir.”
Lokan disconnected the call. “Now we have to wait for half an hour.”
“Do you think it was the compulsion, or would he have obeyed regardless?”
“I wasn’t sure he knew Navuh’s portraits were not allowed to leave the island. That’s why I told him that, but in case he gets caught, I also gave a plausible excuse for my actions.”
Kian nodded. “While we wait, you can send me the recording with Gorchenco’s sales pitch.”
“Not to your phone,” Turner said. “Have William come in and record it on a safe piece of equipment. He needs to check that there is nothing piggybacking on it.”
“I’ll do that.”
As Kian called William and explained what he needed, Turner handed Lokan a sheet of paper and a pen.
“Write for me Gorchenco’s private number. I’m going to call him tonight and introduce myself.”
“As who?” Lokan asked.
“As an operative of a secret branch in the secret service.”
“That’s good,” Lokan said as he wrote down the number. “If I thought that you guys were from the government, he might too.”
Turner shrugged. “What else is he going to think? Does he have any clue that his favorite vacation spot is run by immortals?”
“He certainly does not.”
“How do you ensure that the brothel service providers don’t talk about their fanged customers?” Turner asked.
“There are hidden cameras and microphones in every room, and the penalty for talking is execution. They keep quiet.”
Carol shuddered. She hadn’t known that.
“What if they get drunk or high?” she asked.
“The consumption of alcohol and recreational drugs is highly regulated and monitored. They can’t partake in excess. Besides, it’s not a problem with most of the customers because we can thrall the memory away. Some are immune, though, and that’s why there is such a harsh penalty for revealing our secret.”
When William entered with a bulky device under his arm, Lokan greeted him with a cold smile. “So you are the guy who devised these devilish cuffs.” He lifted a hand.
William shrugged. “You should thank me. Without them, you would have spent your time chained to the wall instead of romancing Carol.”
61
Lokan
When Lokan woke up again, he was curled around Carol in their bed in his underground bedroom.
It took him a few moments to remember how he’d gotten there. Apparently, narcotics messed with his memory, and he wondered whether they had the same effect on other immortals too or was he unusually sensitive to them.
The headache was another side effect of the drug Arwel had used to knock him out.
He remembered William the tech guy coming in with a device and recording Gorchenco’s sales pitch. Later, Lokan had called Arjun, verifying that the pilot had Navuh’s portrait in his possession. Then after some talk about the mission Kian had wrapped things up and Arwel had given Lokan the narcotics shot.
“How are you feeling?” Carol shifted in his arms. “You’ve been asleep for a long time.”
“I think I’m allergic to whatever Arwel shot me with. It affects my memory and gives me headaches.”
“You can’t be. Your body is a fine-tuned machine that takes care of allergens. It’s just a new experience for you, so you are a bit sensitive to it.”
He pulled her closer against his body. “I hope that was the last time.”
“Sorry to disappoint you, but when Kian lets you go, he will do the same thing so you can’t find this place.”
“For that I’m willing to suffer through it again.” He stroked her back. “It seems like everything is ready, and it doesn’t make me happy.”
“Not everything. I don’t know if Turner contacted Gorchenco tonight, and if the extortion worked. And when that’s done, I still need to test Bridget’s toxin.”
As cold fingers of dread wrapped around Lokan’s heart, he tightened his arms around Carol. “It's not too late to abort the entire thing. Don’t let the momentum carry you. You can still back out a
nd no one is going to judge you for it.”
“I can’t. If for no other reason than for the chance of setting you free and giving us a shot at a normal life.” She chuckled. “Or as normal as two lone immortals can have it. We will be isolated from our people. Especially you. I can still count on mine to help out if needed.”
Fear was an emotion Lokan hadn’t felt since he was a boy. With no one to care for, and no one caring for him, it was easy to be fearless. But now that he’d gotten a taste of what it meant to have a life partner, someone who would always have his back, always care for him, fight for him, perhaps even love him, Lokan was terrified of losing her.
He buried his nose in Carol’s hair. “I don’t want to think about the future. Right now all I want to do is make love to you.”
She chuckled. “I thought you had a headache.”
“It’s not that bad. And holding you in my arms is the best cure.”
She lifted up and propped herself on her elbow. “Where does it hurt?”
He pointed at his temples.
“I’ll kiss the hurt away.” She touched her soft lips to one temple and then the other.
It was a sweet gesture, something a mother would do for a child. He’d seen some of the Dormants in the enclosure do that, kissing the hurts of their children away. But he had been no one's child. The one tasked with taking care of him had four children of her own, and he’d been a burden. Or maybe that was just how he’d felt. She’d never been harsh with him, had never raised her voice or her hand at him, but she hadn’t loved him either.
Did Carol love him?
She cared for him, that much he was sure of, but love? That was a big word and an even bigger step. They hadn’t known each other long enough, and half of that time he’d spent suspecting her.
