by I. T. Lucas
“Oh, this?” Bridget followed Syssi’s appraising eyes. “This is just my examination room. I have all the best equipment available in the lab proper, a level down from here. Besides this room, I also have an operating room and several recovery rooms. I’m a whole hospital and research facility of one.” Her chin went up. “I have everything a girl like me could ever dream of.” She blew a kiss at Kian. “All thanks to our very generous regent.”
“Flattery will get you everywhere.” Kian blew her a kiss back. “You’ll let us know as soon as you have the initial results?”
“You’ll be the first to know,” Bridget promised.
As they made their way back to the elevator, Michael was a step behind them. “Do you guys really need to keep me locked up? Can’t I at least enjoy the freedom of the basement? Syssi gets to, so why can’t I?”
Michael seemed to be happy and excited about the opportunity he had been given, and Syssi doubted he would bolt. But apparently, Kian wasn’t ready to take the risk.
He glanced back at Michael, appraising him.
“Okay, kid. I’ll take you to William and have him encode the elevator with your thumbprint. However, I’ll have you wear a locator cuff. And just to make things clear, the thing is impossible to remove by anyone but William. Not without cutting off your hand. Still want one?”
“Hell, yeah! Sure I want it! It’s not like I have any desire to leave or anything. “ Michael shook Kian’s hand vigorously. “Thank you. I hate being locked up.”
“You’re welcome.”
“How about me? Don’t I get a thumbprint pass to the elevator?” Syssi hadn’t thought to ask before, but now with Michael getting it, she saw no reason why she shouldn’t have access to the elevators as well.
“You don’t have one yet? I thought Amanda took care of it. How did you get around?”
“There was always someone escorting me. I never used the elevator by myself. Frankly, at one point I even considered taking the endless stairs down. I’m getting claustrophobic being cooped up in here.”
“Both of you are coming with me to William right now to take care of this.” Kian led them toward another turn in the endless labyrinth of the underground.
“If I’m to navigate it on my own, I’d need a map of this place. Otherwise, I’d get so lost, it will take you days to find me.” Syssi wasn’t joking. Besides the place being huge, there were no distinguishing signs between one corridor and another. They all looked the same; same industrial carpet, same concrete walls, and the same metal doors leading to various rooms. With her nonexistent sense of direction, she would be lost in no time.
A wicked gleam in his eyes, Kian bent to whisper in her ear. “I’ll slap a locator cuff on you as well, my sweet.”
“Aren’t you the big bad wolf.” She stretched up on her tiptoes, pretending to go for his lips. But instead of the kiss he’d been expecting, she nipped his nose.
“Oh, I’ll get you for that…” Kian growled.
“As I see it, I owed you a bite… or two… you had it coming…”
“You’re lucky we have company…” Kian pinched her butt.
Michael chuckled.
“Shut up, kid. You haven’t seen a thing…” He twisted back, pinning Michael with a hard stare.
“I see nothing, hear nothing… I’m not even here…” Michael saluted solemnly, his face pinched in an effort to suppress another chuckle.
“You and I are going to get along just fine, kid…” Kian winked at Michael, then wrapped his arm around Syssi’s waist, pulling her closer against his side.
CHAPTER 3: SYSSI
Back at the penthouse, Syssi examined the wide metal cuff on her wrist. It didn’t look too bad. The highly polished metal gleamed like a fine piece of jewelry, and the cuff’s unbreakable locking mechanism was so cleverly concealed that no one would ever suspect the thing housed a sophisticated tracking device.
Except, regrettably, the pretty cuff would trigger an alarm as soon as she tried to leave the compound.
And here she thought she would be free to roam the streets whenever she pleased.
With that thought, Syssi slanted a suspicious glance at Kian, who was sitting beside her on the couch, busy going through his emails on an iPad. “How come you have these cuffs in the first place?”
Lifting his head, he deposited the device on the coffee table and leaned toward her. “For house arrests. If a clan member broke one of our laws, he or she might be sentenced to house arrest. Or in the case of restriction—allowed to leave only for school or work. The cuff ensures compliance with sentencing.”
“Interesting, it didn’t occur to me that you need to govern yourselves separately from the mortal population. Although it makes sense. With your special abilities, someone needs to keep things in check, right? So is it like a monarchy or a democracy? And who makes the laws? Who enforces them? And who is the judge?”
Pausing to take a breath, she smiled apologetically at Kian’s amused expression. “I’m sorry for blasting you with so many questions, but this is so fascinating. Oh, and how are your laws different from ours?”
“Our laws are not that different. The two clan specific issues are; keeping our existence secret and the use of thralls and illusions. The teenagers are the most difficult to control. Imagine being able to thrall the bartender to sell you a drink, your teacher to raise your grades, or the pretty girl in your math class to get intimate with you. Even good kids might be tempted. And as in any society, we have our share of bad apples. The adults are less problematic. Not because they are all well-behaved angels, but because they are better aware of the consequences.” Kian shrugged.
“We maintain a small police force, the Guardians, all of whom you’ve already met. Arrests are made and the perpetrators are brought before a judge or a panel of judges: depending on the severity of their crime. For the most severe cases, the whole clan has to vote. Sentencing varies from monetary fines to house arrests, to incarceration here in the underground, etc.”
Syssi was impressed. “Wow! You guys are like a country within a country. With your own laws, police force, judges, jails… So, do you get a lot of unlawful behavior?”
“Not a lot, but enough, mostly minor infractions. If you’re really interested, I can arrange for you to meet Edna. She is our legal expert, attorney, judge… Everything you want to know regarding clan law, she’ll be more than happy to tell you all about it in excruciating detail. She loves the law, and she loves talking about it even more. But what I want you to do now is come with me to the kitchen and eat something. You look pale.”
“I’m a little hungry… come to think of it, I didn’t have lunch yet.” Syssi followed Kian to the kitchen and took a seat at the counter, not sure if she should offer to make something or let him play host.
“Let’s see…” Kian poked his head into the refrigerator. “No worries, Okidu left us lunch.” He pulled out a container of pasta and a large bowl of salad. After warming the pasta in the microwave for a few minutes, he brought both over to the counter.
“By the way, where is Okidu? I’m surprised he is not here to fuss around us like we’re a couple of helpless children who need to be fed.”
“Probably went grocery shopping.” Kian stuffed a large swirl of pasta into his mouth.
“You’re so lucky to have him. He is an outstanding cook, everything he makes is delicious.” Syssi ate slowly, taking small bites to savor the taste.
“Yeah, he is great… Though speaking of delicious food… I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me to a restaurant tomorrow night. If you think Okidu’s is good, the food there will blow your tastebuds. I thought dinner and some dancing would be nice. What do you say?”
“That sounds wonderful.” He is actually taking me out on a date! A spark of hope shimmered in her heart. “I’d love to go out with you.” A romantic outing… “But just to a restaurant, not to a club. I don’t like the scene. Last night, I was very uncomfortable. I’m not in the mood to rep
eat that experience anytime soon.”
“No, not a club, I don’t like them either.” Kian twisted toward her and swiveled her stool, bracketing her knees between his thighs so they were facing each other. “The restaurant I’m talking about has live music and dancing. It’s not loud, and the clientele is very exclusive. Just to get in you need to be a member, or be invited by one. It’s a bit snobby, but the upside of that is an atmosphere that is posh and romantic, not vulgar like the club’s. I guarantee you’re going to love it.”
“What is it called?”
“By Invitation Only.”
“Seriously? That’s the name? It’s like naming your dog, Dog.” She snorted. It wasn’t really that funny, but she was giddy. I’m such a fool, it’s only a date. “I’ve never heard of it.”
“Of course not. Those who are willing to spend that kind of money on a membership do so as much for the privacy as for the exclusivity. It would defy the whole purpose of the place if the paparazzi got a whiff of it and descended on it like a pack of hounds, hunting for the celebrities.”
“You’ve got a point… So, should I assume you’re a member? Or did you pull some strings to get us invited?”
“I’m part owner of the place. After graduating from the culinary institute, a nephew of mine came asking if I would be willing to loan him the money he needed to open his own place. I liked the concept, not to mention the taste of what he had prepared for me to try. So, I made it an investment instead of a loan. He runs it, and I collect a share of the profits. Win-win for both of us.”
“Is everyone in your family a member?”
“Definitely not, just the ones we invite and who are willing to pay for membership…”
“What about those you don’t invite? They must feel left out.”
“What they don’t know won’t hurt them. Anyway, the place was not intended to be a family hangout. The concept was to provide a top notch place for the rich and famous—the movers and shakers of society—to mingle and have fun away from the public eye.”
“And you want to take plain me to hang out with this kind of people? I’ll stick out like a sore thumb. What will I wear? I don’t know how to dress for a place like this.” She cringed, some of her initial excitement ebbing. “Can’t we go somewhere less intimidating?” As much as she was intrigued, she couldn’t help thinking of how awkward she’d feel amongst such a crowd.
“Nonsense, Amanda will take you shopping and get you everything you need. You know it’s her favorite pastime… Well, maybe second favorite… Anyway, just leave it to her and you’ll be fine; she is a pro when it comes to fashion. And besides, you need to get out of here and get some fresh air, even if it’s the somewhat polluted type that hangs over Rodeo Drive. I’m certain you’ll have fun on an outing with her.”
Syssi was sure she would, but the idea of spending a small fortune just so she could fit in with the patrons of a snooty place for one night, didn’t sit well with her pragmatic nature. And shopping at a place like Rodeo Drive? Not going to happen.
Maybe I could borrow something from Amanda—that makes much more sense.
“Okay, I’ll go… Just for once, I’m curious to see how the elite parties. But I’m not sure about buying new expensive stuff that I’ll probably never wear again.”
“Don’t worry about the money—it’s my treat.”
“I have the money. I just hate spending it frivolously.”
“Please, do it for me. I feel so bad for turning your life upside down. Getting you something you would never buy for yourself will bring me much pleasure. Be a good girl and say yes.”
“I’ll think about it. First, I’m going to see if I can borrow something from Amanda.” It was hard to say no to him, but she didn’t want to accept presents from Kian just so he could ease his conscience. This had been exactly what her parents had done every time they had neglected her or her siblings. They had bought expensive presents; after a long absence, or for not showing up for teacher conferences, or school plays, or sports games, or graduations… It had been nothing but a bribe.
“There is nothing to think about. If I’m dragging you to this expensive place, I think I should be the one to provide you with whatever you need to feel comfortable going there. Case closed.” Kian really wasn’t used to anyone saying no to him, and with the way his brows were tightening, Syssi realized he was getting impatient with her.
“My big bad wolf… You can huff, and you can puff, but this little piggy will not bow down.” She leaned to nip at his nose again.
“Will see about that…” On a surge, he gripped her at the waist and pulled her up, then tossed her over his shoulder. With his arm locked over her thighs, he strode down the hallway toward his bedroom, playfully smacking her upturned behind.
“Put me down, you brute!” Laughing, Syssi pounded her fists on his back.
“Oh, I will… as soon as we reach the bed. Then I’ll put you down… over my knee to finish what I’ve started.” He delivered a stronger smack that actually managed to sting a little.
“Oh, no you will not. Put me down this instant!” Giggling hysterically and fighting to catch her breath, she was barely able to get the words out. But secretly, she was incredibly turned on and wondered how far Kian would take this game… Or more to the point… how far she wanted him to take it…
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DARK STRANGER IMMORTAL
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Copyright
Copyright © 2016 by I. T. Lucas
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used factiously. Any similarity to actual persons, organizations and/or events is purely coincidental.
