by I. T. Lucas
"Of course I do, silly. I just put some work in as well.”
CHAPTER 46: KIAN
Kian stared at the small box sitting on his desk, fighting the urge to grab it and use it as an excuse to go see Syssi.
Almost an hour had passed since she left for Amanda's, and during all that time he kept churning over their conversation in his mind, ignoring the paperwork stacked on his desk.
All along, he had been afraid that once she realized what was in store for her, she would react exactly the way she had. Grow cold and distant and push him away.
But then again, he couldn't really blame her, could he.
It was exactly as she had said. He was a jerk. He had lied to her, hadn't asked her if she wanted to be changed, and in the end, he would be forced to send her away.
And that wasn't even the worst of it. The truth was, he hadn't been thinking about changing her when he had sunk his fangs into her lovely neck. During those intense moments, he had thought of nothing but the sex.
It had been all about his need and his craving…
He wondered what Syssi would’ve thought of him if she had known that the supposedly noble intentions he'd been fronting were nothing but a cover for him being a beast. Or that the little speech about letting her choose whoever she wanted had been total crap.
In fact, even though he'd lied through his teeth about giving her a choice, the mere act of verbalizing the lie had him almost pop a vein. He had a feeling he would not hesitate to annihilate any male who would dare try to take her away from him.
Family not excluded.
Snatching the box with Syssi's new phone, Kian pushed out of his swivel chair, shoving it so hard that the thing hit the bookcase behind him and rolled sideways as it bounced off.
In several determined strides, he crossed the short distance between the apartments, but then as he stood in front of Amanda's door, he hesitated.
Given the laughter percolating from the other side, it sounded as if Syssi and Amanda were having a good time, and he wondered if he hadn't blown things out of proportion.
Well, there was only one way to find out, and he sure as hell wasn't going to do it by standing outside and eavesdropping like a coward.
He rapped on the door and walked in without waiting for an invitation. "I brought you your new phone as soon as it was delivered," he said, smiling at the domestic scene of Syssi and his sister sharing a couch in their oversized T-shirts. "You can call anyone you want and give them your new phone number. The phone uses our own satellite, and the line is untraceable and secure."
With a quick look at Amanda, he searched his sister's expression for a clue as to Syssi's mood. But her impassive face gave nothing away.
"Thank you, I was feeling lost without a phone." Syssi took the white box and tore at the wrapping, eager to get to her new toy.
Using her momentary distraction, Kian looked at Amanda again, this time gesticulating his question.
"Jury still out," she mouthed, shrugging her shoulders, then made a shooing motion urging him to leave.
"I'd better go. See you later, ladies." He excused himself but remained glued to his spot, waiting for Syssi to look up; hoping she'd smile at him or, at least glance his way. But to his chagrin, her head remained bowed over the phone's instructions as if he wasn't even there.
Swallowing a bitter sense of disappointment, he said, "Goodbye then," and beat feet to the door.
"Goodbye," Syssi called after him.
He whipped around, hoping to catch her looking his way. But she didn't—killing his small spark of hope.
Standing outside Amanda's apartment, Kian ran his hands through his hair and sighed. It would be a waste of time to go back to the office. He was too agitated to be able to concentrate on anything.
Instead, he took the elevator down to the basement.
At the gym, Kian found Brundar and Michael training, with Kri watching them from the sidelines. It seemed Michael's training session had been going on for a while. The kid was tired and frustrated. Not that Kian could blame him, Brundar had Michael practicing the same three moves over and over again.
Detect, block, deflect… detect, block, deflect.
"Again!" Brundar ordered and launched another mock knife attack. With a rubber stick in each hand, he kept slashing relentlessly at Michael, cutting through his ineffective defense and hitting him time and again.
Bundled as he was in protective suiting, Michael no doubt felt the blows, but besides his ego, he wasn't really getting hurt. Nonetheless, he was sweaty and exhausted and looked ready to call it quits.
Except, Kri was watching him from her spot next to the punching bag. Jabbing perfunctorily at it, she seemed more interested in Michael's training session than her own. And given the quick glances he was sneaking her way, it was obvious that as long as she kept watching him, the kid would keep pushing until he dropped.
Kian smirked, turning away quickly before Kri caught him observing her, then went back to watching Michael.
The kid was inexperienced and somewhat clumsy, but Kian had to admit that there was raw potential there. What he lacked in endurance and discipline, he made up in brute strength and youthful enthusiasm.
Brundar was driving him hard, but then again, no one got good by watching how it's done from the couch. At his current level of skill, Michael wouldn't stand a chance against a trained opponent, and the sooner he got the basics, the sooner he'd be able to defend himself.
"Okay, kid, take a break. You did well.” Brundar clapped Michael's shoulder.
"Thanks. But when are we going to move to something else?"
"When those moves become second nature, when no matter when, or from what angle, I come at you—you'll execute them perfectly. Then… we can move on, and not before." Brundar walked over to the fridge and took out a water bottle.
Kri abandoned her post next to the boxing bag and sauntered to stand next to Michael. "You better listen to him. Brundar is our weapons master and there is no one in the world that's better. Consider yourself lucky he is training you." She patted his cheek, but the pat sounded more like a slap.
"Yeah, I feel very lucky…" Michael groaned, wiping the sweat from his face with a towel. "Any luckier, and I'll be dead… He is killing me!"
"Wuss." Kri snorted. "He is teaching you how to stay alive. And just between you and me…" She leaned to whisper in his ear conspiratorially, "I'm surprised he volunteered to train you. He is not exactly the friendly, giving type if you catch my drift. And he only trains experienced fighters. Taking on a newbie… Damn! He must really believe in you." She punched Michael's shoulder. "Go get yourself some water. It's important to stay hydrated during training." She smiled and sauntered away, swaying her hips.
Kian rubbed his hand over his chin. There was definitely something going on between Kri and Michael.
Good, it was about time for her to shed the immature fascination she had with him and move toward something more appropriate. For Kri's sake, as much as for the good of the clan, Kian hoped Michael would turn.
Which raised the issue of choosing an initiator for the boy. The honor of accepting the role carried with it some serious responsibility. The male Michael would challenge to a fight would not only be the one to induce his transformation but also assume the role of a lifelong honorary big brother.
The coming of age ceremony usually involved two boys: a thirteen-year-old Dormant and a transitioned boy—if possible no more than a year or two older. The friendship encouraged by the ritual benefited both boys, as it created between them a brotherly bond similar to the one between real brothers.
Siblings were a rarity in their community, and even if one was lucky enough to have a brother, chances were that they were separated by hundreds of years in age. Having an adopted one, certainly beat growing up alone.
Kian walked over to the center of the gym and stood on top of the rubber mats delineating the wrestling area. "Listen up. I want you all in the small conference room in half an
hour. Go shower and change. We'll be choosing Michael's initiator."
"What? Now? I'm completely beat!"
"At least you got a good warm-up." Kian clapped Michael's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. You've got about an hour to recuperate, and then you only need to provide some kind of a challenge. No one is expecting you to remain standing for more than a couple of minutes. You'll be fine."
"In that case, I'd better hurry and shower… Phew!" Michael grimaced as he began stripping off his protective suiting and smelled the nasty coming out of it. "I would rather not show up for my own ceremony smelling like dirty socks."
Later, once everyone made it to the conference room, Kian stood at the head of the table and motioned for Okidu to serve the ceremonial wine.
"I'll have to change the traditional wording a little to allow for Michael's age, so don't try to correct me when I cut out the whole thing about a boy becoming a man.” Kian nodded at Michael.
Looking nervous and excited, the kid stood at the other end of the table, presenting himself to the assembled group as required by custom.
Kian cleared his throat. "We are gathered here to present this fine young man to his elders. Michael is ready to attempt his transformation. Vouching for him are Guardian Yamanu and Guardian Arwel. Who volunteers to take on the burden of initiating Michael into his immortality?"
"I do." Yamanu stood up.
Kian nodded his approval.
"Michael, do you accept Guardian Yamanu as your initiator? As your mentor and protector, to honor him with your friendship, your respect, and your loyalty from now on?"
Michael had sneaked a quick glance at Kri before he answered. "I do.”
The ritual demanded that Kian, as the leader of this group, verify that everyone agreed it was a good pairing—regardless of it being unnecessary in this case. "Does anyone have any objections to Michael becoming Yamanu's protégé?" When no one did, Kian raised his wine glass. "As everyone here agrees it's a good match, let's seal it with a toast. To Michael and Yamanu."
Once the Guardians were done with the cheers, Yamanu pulled Michael into a crushing bear hug. "Always wanted me a little brother." He rubbed his knuckles against Michael's skull.
"Ouch! And I always wanted a big brother, but now I'm not so sure." Michael laughed and twisted free from Yamanu, only to get caught by Kri.
Now, that hug he didn't seem to mind at all. And as he lifted her off the ground and twirled her around, the mighty Kri squeaked a very girly squeak.
As he held her plastered against him, it might have been the squeak or the Guardian's brouhaha, or maybe both that had given Michael the courage to plant a sloppy kiss smack on her lips.
Kri, on the other hand, didn't need any encouragement, and not being shy by any stretch of the imagination, kissed him back for all he was worth without the slightest regard for her cheering comrades.
Kian felt his face stretch into a wide grin.
Like a proud father, he was glad to see his people excited and happy. It had been a long time since anything new and exciting had happened in their stronghold.
It was about bloody time.
CHAPTER 47: SYSSI
"I'm in a mood for a run, and as you guys will not let me out…" Syssi cast a look askance at Amanda "…do you have a treadmill I could use?"
"Do we have a treadmill? We have the mother of all gyms down in the basement. Go get changed. We'll go together and I'll give you a tour."
"Good… By the way, when are we going to do some work? Not that I mind lazing around all day, but I do need to earn my keep."
"First, I'm going to introduce you to William, our computer guy, so you'll know who to turn to in case you run into programming problems. In fact, we can stop by his lab on our way to the gym."
"I hope he wouldn't mind dealing with someone as technologically challenged as I am."
"Don't worry about it, William is a sweetheart, you're going to like him, you'll see."
And she did. Later, when they reached his cluttered domain, Syssi was surprised to find William looking nothing like the rest of his hunky cousins. He was chubby and bespectacled, and boy did he love to talk…
"Will—" was all Amanda managed to say before he interrupted.
"Hi, you must be Syssi, I'm William." Leaving Amanda with her mouth half opened, he took Syssi's hand and shook it vigorously. "Don't ask me how I know. I know everything that's going on around here, and not because anyone bothers to tell me anything." He cast Amanda an accusing glance. "Sorry, I tend to blabber. Which might explain why no one comes to visit me…"
The poor guy was out of breath, either from excitement over the unexpected visit, or talking at the speed of a firing machine gun. With an awkward glance at Syssi, he took off his glasses and wiped them on his billowy Hawaiian shirt.
"And now you know why we nicknamed him Uzi, after the machine gun." Amanda chuckled. "William, darling, you know we all love you." She patted his shoulder. "I brought Syssi over so she'll know you're the go-to guy with everything concerning tech stuff."
Syssi offered him a bright smile. "It's really nice to meet you, William. My programming skills are nonexistent. I would be grateful for any help you'd be willing to offer."
"Whenever you need me, I'm at your service. And if you want, I would be more than happy to teach you all you need to know. Amanda's research might be complicated as far as the tests she runs, but it requires only basic programming skills."
"That would be wonderful. Are you sure you can spare the time?"
"Of course I have the time. And when you come," he whispered conspiringly, "I'll show you the underbelly of this monster. Even for a non-techie, the technology I've implemented in this building is fascinating. I showed some of it to Ingrid the other day when she came for help with her interior design software. She was very impressed. Did you meet Ingrid? Everything that looks nice was designed by her, and—" William stopped mid-sentence as Amanda raised her palm.
"I'm sure Syssi would love to hear all about it later, but we need to go."
"Yeah, sure, see you later, Syssi." William's shoulders sagged.
"Wow, he certainly talks fast," Syssi said once they were out of his earshot. "I like him, though. Is he working all by himself down here? The way he is hungry for someone to talk to, I guess he must be lonely."
"Yeah, I guess he must be. Though on Tuesdays and Thursdays, he teaches programming to a group of our kids."
Walking the rest of the way in silence, Syssi observed that the belly of the beast, as William had called the underground levels, had more of a utilitarian look to it than the public areas above. Wide, well-illuminated corridors, with plain office style carpeting and unadorned white walls, lacked even the motivational posters or reproductions of famous art one would find in most office buildings.
Evidently, Ingrid the interior designer hadn't gotten to wield her magic here. Syssi wondered if it was intentional, or if the designer just didn't get to it yet because she was busy elsewhere; the building looked to be relatively new.
"I would like to meet Ingrid," she told Amanda as they stopped in front of the bank of elevators. "I love the way she furnished your place and Kian's and I'm curious to see some of her other work."
With a ping, the elevator doors opened, the opulent interior a sharp contrast to the drab corridor they were leaving.
"Ingrid has her hands full at the moment. She is helping settle the evacuees from the Bay Area and needs to prepare apartments for clan members trickling in from all over Southern California. It'll be a while until she has any free time."
Exiting the elevator at the gym's level, Syssi noted it was just as plain as the one they'd left.
"Did you say, evacuees?"
"Yeah. Tragically, a few days ago, the Doomers murdered one of our top programmers in that area. Kian ordered everybody out of there. Having a small force of Guardians, we can only protect our people in here. They are not happy about it. It's hard to just get up and go, and Ingrid's job is to make them as
comfortable here as we can."
"I'm so sorry for your loss… I don't know what to say." Syssi dropped her eyes. Amanda looked so pained it was clear she knew the victim and mourned his loss.
"There is nothing to say. Marc was one more casualty in this endless war of good versus evil. He wasn't the first and wouldn't be the last. That's just the way it is." Amanda's strides got faster and longer, betraying her anger and determination.
It was a sad reality. No matter how strongly you wished for a peaceful existence, if your enemies were the kind that would not rest until they killed each and every one of you, you had to go on fighting, and make damn sure you were smart enough and strong enough to prevail.
Syssi sighed and followed Amanda into the gym.
The woman had been right; this was the mother of all gyms, with rows of top-notch equipment of every imaginable kind lining the walls of the cavernous room.
At its center, standing on top an arena of blue matting, Michael and a stunning dark man were embracing in a brotherly hug. Surrounding its parameter stood a group of who she now knew were the Guardians.
Syssi recognized most of them; the brothers—Anandur and Brundar, Kri, Onegus, and Bhathian. The only new faces belonged to the tall guy on the mat with Michael, and a pleasant looking blond standing next to Kian.
For some reason, there was a palpable air of excitement in the gym. And even though it looked like nothing more than two guys in simple gym clothes about to engage in a training exercise, she had a strong feeling that a monumental event was about to take place.
"What's going on?" she whispered in Amanda's ear.
"Michael is about to fight Yamanu, who, I assume, was chosen to be the one to initiate him. By accepting this role, Yamanu promises to be Michael's guide and protector, becoming his surrogate big brother. Embracing before they begin the fight symbolizes their new bond of friendship."
Nice way to give a caring twist to a brutal coming-of-age ritual, Syssi reflected. "The sentiment is beautiful, but that guy is huge. He's going to pulverize the poor kid." The man looked formidable. Yamanu had several inches on Michael, and although slim, he was all sinewy muscle.
