by I. T. Lucas
Out of respect for the Goddess, Dalhu suppressed the anger bubbling to the surface. How many years of his life had he spent being just as stupid as the others? Believing in a ridiculous cause that had nothing but hate and envy at its roots? A cause that preached destruction and death as an ultimate goal?
“For a long time, I’ve been just as blind and dumb as they are, but eventually, I figured it out. Navuh’s agenda is the same as any other power-hungry despot’s—world domination. And the only way he knows how to achieve it is to ensure that humanity is plagued by wars, ignorance, and superstition, therefore easy to manipulate. Are there others like me? I must assume I’m not the only sharp tool in the shed, but it is not like we could seek each other out and form a club. Unless it’s the severed heads club,” he chuckled.
Annani didn’t smile at his clever pun. If anything, she looked saddened. “It is hard to overcome the relentless brainwashing, nay impossible. I am glad that you were able to break free of it, Dalhu, but I doubt there are more than a handful of males like you, if at all.” She sighed. “I wish there were another way. After all, my clan and these immortal males are all that is left of our people.”
Dalhu had no clever answer to that. It surprised him, though, that she still thought of members of the Brotherhood as her people.
Yes, they’d originated from the same seed, but they’d branched in opposite directions. Besides their unique genetics, they had nothing in common—polar opposites, black and white, good and evil.
It was as simple as that.
Not that he was going to correct the Goddess, but she was blindsided by her own goodness, mistakenly believing that there must be some good deep down in the hearts of her enemies.
There was none.
Breaking free of the brainwashing didn’t mean Dalhu had miraculously become good. He was still as dark and as evil as he had been before.
His love for Amanda was the only good he had in him.
CHAPTER 13: AMANDA
“So, how did it go?” Amanda pounced on Annani as soon as Anandur brought her mother back. The little chat had taken much longer than she had expected.
Her mother had been gone for over an hour.
With a sad little smile, Annani cupped Amanda’s cheek. “Let us go out to the terrace.” She let her arm drop and glided out through the open sliding doors.
Amanda’s gut twisted. What was that melancholy look all about?
“I’ll be back later to take you down to your frog,” Anandur threw over his shoulder as he headed out. “Half an hour tops.”
“It’s okay. Take your time,” she called after him. Right now, hearing all about her mother’s conversation with Dalhu took precedence over seeing him.
Joining Annani on the terrace, Amanda drew out a chair and sat across from her mother at the round bistro table. “Well?”
“He is handsome, that is for sure. Tall and strong.” Annani paused to wave Onidu over. “Could you please serve us some Perrier, Onidu?”
Amanda waited till the butler left. “And?” She crossed her arms and began tapping her fingers on her biceps.
“I know you want to hear that I approve of Dalhu. But based on only one conversation, I cannot. Not wholeheartedly.”
Amanda’s spirit sunk. “No, of course not,” she mumbled.
“He seems really taken with you, and I believe him when he says he would do anything and everything to ensure your safety. But…”
Oh boy, here it comes. Amanda held her breath.
“He is obsessed with you. For him, the sun and the moon revolve around you. You may think it is a good thing, but it is not. This kind of passion forms an unhealthy attachment, one that has the potential of turning deadly. That being said, though, I have to consider that Dalhu’s abnormal fixation on you might be temporary. He is desperate and sees you as his only lifeline. It is also reasonable that his worry for your safety is keeping him on edge.” Annani accepted the glass of soda from Onidu and took a little sip.
“I don’t understand. What are you trying to say?”
“I am saying that you should be careful. Go ahead and visit with him, indulge a little…” Annani winked. “But guard your heart, and do not tell him any more than he already knows.”
Amanda snorted. “Yeah, right, as if I’m going to do anything in front of the surveillance cameras and provide the guys in security with homemade porn.”
Her eyes sparkling, Annani smiled a mischievous little smile and leaned forward to whisper, “Anandur is taking care of it for you. There would be no camera feed from the bedroom, just the living room.” With a smug expression on her beautiful face, her mother leaned back in her chair.
“How did you get him to agree to that?”
With a barely noticeable grimace, Annani shifted in her chair. “He agreed on the condition that he is going to be there with you, guarding.”
Amanda’s brows shot up. “Really?”
“You can close your mouth, Amanda. He is not going to be in the bedroom with you. He is going to wait in the living room.” Annani made it sound like it was a nonissue.
“But he is going to hear everything! How am I supposed to even get in the mood with him eavesdropping? And you know Anandur, he will have a field day with this. The man is the worst kind of gossip.”
Amanda was not shy about her sexual endeavors, but she balked at having an audience.
Annani looked hurt. Probably because Amanda wasn’t as ecstatic over this arrangement as she had expected. “He promised he would keep your forays into the bedroom secret. And you should know that one does not make promises to me in vain. Besides, it is in Anandur’s best interest that Kian never finds out about it. This was the best I could do. It was not easy to persuade Anandur to join in on our little conspiracy. You know how I hate bending my own grandchildren’s will to my own. I much rather they cooperate out of love and respect. Luckily for you, it appears that our Anandur is a romantic at heart.”
Oh, hell. This was just peachy.
Why couldn’t it have been someone else?
She would’ve been more comfortable with stoic Brundar on guard duty, or any of the other Guardians for that matter. Anandur was the least respectful of the bunch, and the fact that he had promised not to reveal her secret didn’t mean he wouldn’t use it to torment her mercilessly.
On the other hand, she was pretty sure none of the others would’ve agreed to cooperate, fearing Kian.
Admittedly, Annani had chosen their co-conspirator wisely. Anandur was the only one brazen enough to risk Kian’s wrath.
She’d take it. After all, beggars couldn’t be choosers.
“Thank you.” Amanda took her mother’s small hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
“You are welcome.”
“So, what else did you talk about? You’ve been gone for an awfully long time.”
Annani lifted her hand to her chest. “Oh dear, you would not believe the things he has told me.”
“What? Is it about the danger he was talking about?”
“Among other things, but that wasn’t the worst of it. Though, if you were ever to fall into their hands it definitely would have been the worst.” Annani shivered. After a moment, she leaned and lifted the carafe, pouring herself more sparkling water.
Her mother wasn’t a woman easily shaken, but she seemed distraught over what she had learned. After several long sips, Annani placed the glass back on the table and squared her shoulders, regaining her regal composure. “First, about the immediate danger to you. I do not know if Dalhu told you, but he was the leader of a small unit of Doomers. The men he left behind are aware of who you are and where you work. Not that you are my daughter, of course, but that you are an immortal. For now, he is adamant that his men will not do anything without being ordered, and that this knowledge is contained. But with reinforcements arriving shortly, your identity will become known throughout their organization. All the way to the top. You will be forced to remain in hiding indefinitely. No more teaching,
and no more research. Not unless you conduct it in a private facility and erase your test subjects’ memories as soon as you are done with them.”
That would be a disaster. Amanda loved teaching and loved her lab. She even liked hanging out with the other professors. Not because any of them was hot, but because she enjoyed having an intelligent conversation with well educated, smart people. “What does he suggest we do?”
“Eliminate them. He gave us the address of where his six remaining men are staying. We have already taken care of five out of the eleven he started with. He believes we killed them.”
“Didn’t we?”
“No, I forbade it. They are entombed in our crypt.”
“Why? And how did you get Kian to agree to spare them?”
“I had to order him to do it. I knew he could never be persuaded, he would have never agreed. And as to why? I cannot bear the thought of destroying what is left of our kind. Even Doomers. Maybe one day, if the merciful fates smile kindly upon us, their leader will somehow be eliminated and their organization will disperse. I cling to the hope that the effects will eventually fade without the relentless brainwashing.”
“And then you will wake the sleepers?”
“Yes.”
Amanda snorted. “An immortal version of the end-of-days prophecy.”
Annani tilted her head and lifted her palms. “What can I say? I am an optimist, and I’d rather avoid the irreversible when there is a viable alternative.”
“So, are we going to kill Dalhu’s men… sorry…entomb them? I guess they are as good as dead while entombed, so why not. Less guilt is always good. Right? “
“I have another idea I want to run by Kian first.”
“What is it?”
“You will have to wait. I need to think it through before I talk it over with Kian.”
“Fair enough.”
Sinking back in her chair, Amanda tilted her face up toward the morning sun. She welcomed the warmth.
Dalhu’s cold disregard for the lives of his men shouldn’t have surprised her. After all, he had told her as much himself. Still, it was a chilling reminder that the accommodating, romantic male she’d been with, was a recent creation—a thin veneer of bright paint over scars that ran deep and long.
Scars that no amount of care and time could heal.
CHAPTER 14: AMANDA
With all the hard questions buzzing around in Amanda’s head, and no clear answers, by the time Anandur returned to escort her down to the dungeon, her stomach was churning and she felt nauseated.
A quandary wasn’t something Amanda experienced often. Most issues, she didn’t care enough to give a damn about, and when addressing those that actually mattered to her, she found it easy to reach a decisive conclusion based on relevant information or even pure gut instinct.
Not this time, though.
During the ride down to the basement, she avoided Anandur’s eyes, not ready to deal with the condescending smirk she was sure to find there. Instead, she checked herself in the elevator’s mirror. Adjusting the collar of her silk blouse, Amanda regarded the conservative outfit she had chosen—one of her modest teacher getups. She looked good, of course, but not hot…well, relatively speaking… not hot by her own standards, but still…
In a way, her choice of outfit reflected her contemplative rather than lustful mood.
“Why so somber?” Anandur punched the dungeon’s floor number. “I thought you’d be happier about finally seeing your frog. And by the way, you owe me, big time. If Kian ever finds out, he is going to go ballistic on my ass.” For a change, Anandur wasn’t joking. The big guy looked worried.
“I appreciate it. But if it comes to that, you can always drop it at Annani’s feet. She will back you up.”
His lips lifted in a sardonic smile. “That might help to keep my head attached to my neck, but that’s about it. I would not be surprised to find myself the next occupant of that crappy cell.”
“Yeah, you are probably right,” she said as they stepped out into the corridor. “I’m curious, though, how did you manage to remove the camera feed from the bedroom?”
“I couldn’t, not without pulling more people into this mess. You never know who might snitch.”
“Oh, I see.” Well, that was it for the sex then—even if she managed to get in the mood somehow…
“But…” he leaned to whisper in her ear, “there are no cameras in the bathroom. And I played with the one in the bedroom, repositioning it to observe only the bed. If you hug the wall as you enter and duck straight into the bathroom, the camera will not see you. I checked.” He lifted his head. “Smart, ha?”
“The bathroom…” Amanda arched her brows.
“It’s large, and I had Onidu schlep down a huge stack of towels.” He winked. “You’re welcome.”
Okay, she could work with that—if needed.
“Thank you.” She stretched on her toes and kissed his cheek, then grabbed his crinkly hair and pulled him down to whisper in his ear. “I truly appreciate what you’ve done for me, but if you ever tell anyone about any of this, Kian will be the least of your worries.” She let him go.
“Don’t worry, princess, your secrets are safe with me. Just remember, you owe me, big time.”
“That I do. Whatever and whenever, I’m at your service.” Not that she had a clue as to what he might need from her, but whatever it was, she owed him.
As they reached the door of the guest suite, Amanda grew nervous. Watching Anandur punch the code into the lock pad, she wiped her sweaty palms on her light grey trousers, then panicked, remembering they were silk and quickly checked for wet fingertips. Thank heavens, there were none. Tugging on the long sleeves of her white blouse, she held her breath as Anandur opened the door and went in first, keeping her behind him.
“I’ve got an early Christmas present for you, frog.” He took a step to the side.
Dalhu’s eyes widened as she came into view, and she heard his heartbeat speed up. He scrambled to his feet.
Anandur was on him immediately. “Take it easy.” He pushed on Dalhu’s shoulder until he sat back. “No sudden movements, buddy.”
“Okay,” Dalhu rasped. Eating her up with hungry eyes, he looked like a starved man who was just denied a juicy morsel of food.
“Hi,” she said, running her hand through her hair. Why was it so awkward?
Anandur snorted and rolled his eyes. “Suddenly you two act like a couple of shy kids on a playdate when yesterday… well, you know.” He wisely changed what he’d been planning to say next when Amanda pinned him with a hard stare. “Whatever. You go sit with your frog while I’ll be over here, watching a movie, listening to it on my earbuds, full volume…” He pulled out a pair from his jean pocket and plugged it into his phone.
Making a show of twisting one of the dining chairs around to face the bar, he sat down with his back to them, plugged his ears, and lifted his booted feet to the bar’s counter.
Anandur was turning to be a real sweetheart. Who knew?
“Hi,” Dalhu breathed as she sat down on the couch next to him.
“Are you okay?” He took her hand and enfolded it in his.
“I am. Are you?”
“Now that you’re here… yes.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah, me too.”
As they both stared at their entwined hands, there was no need to elaborate what they were sorry for.
All that could’ve been…
The what if…
When he reached a finger to wipe a tear from her cheek, she realized the mist in her eyes had coalesced.
“You look beautiful. This suits you.” He brushed his fingers over her arm and then her thigh as if appreciating the luxurious fabrics.
Amanda chuckled. “You’re just using it as an excuse to put your hands on me.”
His eyes glinted with a fresh spark. “Guilty as charged, princess.”
“About that…”
“Yeah, I know. No one
could accuse me of aiming low, ha?” He sighed.
“So you’re not mad at me for not telling you?”
“No, why would I be? I can’t blame you for not trusting me with this.”
There was a stretch of uncomfortable silence as they sat close enough to touch yet so far apart—separated by the deep chasm of their pasts, their clans’ millennia-long conflict, their disparate social standing, their heritage. The weight of their deeds.
Except, none of that mattered when all she wanted was to get closer, to have him pull her into his arms and feel the strong muscles of his chest against her breasts and his large hands on her back.
“Do you still want me?” she whispered, gazing into his dark eyes.
“More than anything,” he said softly. Dalhu’s eyes briefly darted to Anandur before he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her to his mouth, his other arm shooting around her back to mold her to his chest.
He kissed her as if he’d go crazy if he didn’t, as if he had already gone too long without, groaning as she opened for him and drew his tongue into her mouth.
“There are no cameras in the bathroom,” she whispered against his lips, desperate for the feel of his big, warm hands on her naked skin.
“Should we risk it? Won’t it anger the Goddess? Your mother?” Dalhu allowed a little space between them so he could look into her eyes. “It’s bad enough that I caused a rift between you and your brother. I don’t want you to alienate the rest of your family on my behalf.”
Such a noble sentiment from such a ruthless man. She wished her mother could’ve heard him. Dalhu didn’t sound like a male bent on possessing her at all cost with no regard for the consequences.
