by I. T. Lucas
“No, that is not why he was so aghast. Though before I gave him a chance to explain, I too accused him of misogyny.”
“Then what?” Syssi lifted a brow.
“He asked who was the moron that came up with the brilliant idea of employing females in the Guardian force, considering the kind of enemy we’re facing.” Amanda shot Kian an accusing look.
He shifted uncomfortably.
“He said that even before he met me and switched loyalties, if it were up to him, he would have never, ever allowed an immortal female to fall into the clutches of his brethren. He even went as far as saying that he would have killed whoever needed killing to free her. And this is a direct quote.” With a small satisfied smirk, Amanda held Kian’s gaze until he looked away.
Andrew chuckled. Score one for Amanda.
But wait, the Doomer looking good was the opposite of what was good for Andrew… Nevertheless, the guy had just gained esteem in Andrew’s eyes.
Kian wasn’t ready to concede, though. “And you believed him? That’s the other thing we all know about Doomers—they are obdurate liars—they say whatever they think you want to hear because they have absolutely no regard for you, no respect. For them it is like lying to a dog or a cow—it doesn’t count!”
The guy had a point. Some of Andrew’s missions had taken him into that part of the world, and he had personal experience with this kind of culture. Being a good liar and successfully pulling one over your enemy was something to be proud of, a badge of honor. And the inferior fool who believed the lie deserved what he got. Be it being cheated out of something, or death.
Well, score one for Kian.
But the match wasn’t over yet, and Amanda wasn’t ready to fold. Getting up and marching to stand in front of her brother, she pointed a finger at Kian. “Yes, I did. You might think me a fool, but I am far from it. And you, who did not exchange even one word with Dalhu, still think you know him better than I do. He is not like the others.”
“That is enough, children,” Annani cut in. “Amanda is correct. Before you pass judgment, Kian, you might want to go and talk with Dalhu because we just cannot afford to dismiss everything he says as a lie. The information he disclosed is too valuable. And although I have no idea what we could do for these poor women, we are still their only hope. Maybe, if we all put our heads together, we could come up with a rescue plan.”
Kian crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at his mother and sister in stubborn silence.
“I could go with you,” Andrew offered reluctantly. “Provide my human lie detector services.”
The last thing he wanted was to help Dalhu, his number one rival for Amanda’s affection. But Andrew had a feeling the guy had been forthright, and if so, the information he was providing was invaluable. And the only way Kian would act on it was if he was assured of its veracity.
Hence, Andrew felt morally obligated.
Damn.
Amanda turned to him. “Lie detector? What do you mean?”
Syssi snorted. “Yeah, he is really good at that. You have no idea how hard it was to grow up with him. On the rare occasion that I’ve tried to hide something, he always knew. I just assumed that I was a terrible liar.”
“You are.” Andrew chuckled. “But even the best cannot deceive me face to face. I don’t know how, but I’m never wrong. Except, over the phone. I’m not so good without visual clues.”
Rubbing her chin with her thumb and forefinger, Amanda made a hmm sound. “Interesting, most immortals have some special ability—some even more than one. This was actually my hypothesis for identifying potential Dormants, and you’ve just reinforced it. Syssi has strong precognition ability, Michael is a good telepath, and you, Andrew, are the lie detector.”
Annani clapped her hands. “Problem solved, then. With Andrew’s special talent to aid you, you will have your proof of Dalhu’s loyalty.” She looked pointedly at Kian.
That frown he had going on rode the guy’s brow even harder, turning his face into a cruel mask. “As you all gang up on me, caviling my hostility toward that Doomer, you forget something. That male, the one you are all rooting for with such enthusiasm, is Mark’s murderer. It might’ve not been his fangs that delivered the deadly dose of venom, but they might’ve just as well. He was in charge—the one who ordered it.”
Kian looked each of them in the eyes before pinning Amanda with a hard glare. “Face it, sister mine; that Doomer you seem so taken with, the one you allowed access to your body, murdered your beloved nephew.”
In the silence that followed, Amanda’s eyes widened with consternation and her tall body began to tremble. She slapped a palm over her mouth as if she was about to retch.
On a surge, Annani got up and reached for her daughter, pulling her into her arms. Too short to reach over Amanda’s shoulder, she leaned sideways to glare at Kian with eyes that could freeze lava. “Explain the realities of war to my son, Andrew,” she bit out.
It was an exceedingly awkward situation. On one hand, Andrew’s rival had been dealt a potentially fatal blow. Score one for Andrew. On the other, Kian was being a total jerk, and Amanda looked devastated.
The facts of war, as Annani had so succinctly put it, were that shit like this happened. Warring factions made peace, and former enemies became allies—often to join forces against a common adversary. But be that as it may, in this case, it was too close and personal.
“No one needs to explain the facts of war to me,” Kian grated as he heaved himself off the sofa. “Come, Syssi, let’s go home.” He offered her his hand.
With an apologetic glance at Amanda, Syssi let him walk her out.
“I am sorry you got caught up in this drama, Andrew.” Annani sighed. “I just want you to know that I am grateful for all your help. It was fun…” She smiled a little before leading Amanda out of the room.
Letting himself out, Andrew walked up to the single elevator door and punched the button to call it up. The few things he had left over at Kian’s could be picked up some other time. This evening, it was time to go home and do some serious thinking.
Or soul searching as it were.
Question was, would he do the right thing and try to talk some sense into Kian? Or would he do the selfish thing and let Kian cool down on his own?
And while Kian was taking his time to come to terms with the situation, Andrew’s rival would be temporarily out of the race, giving Andrew the opportunity to make his move for Amanda.
It might be his only chance.
CHAPTER 20: AMANDA
The storm of conflicting emotions that kept Amanda tossing and turning all through the night eventually had given her one hell of a headache.
Or maybe it was all that crying before she’d finally fallen asleep. After Kian had forced her to face the fact that her paramour was responsible for her nephew’s murder, she’d cried for hours.
To be frank, the thought had flitted through her mind before, but she’d shoved it aside, doing the cowardly thing and refusing to let it sink in. And until Kian had shoved it in her face, she’d gotten away with it.
Same way she usually got away with ignoring almost everything she considered potentially disturbing.
After her son’s tragic death… was it almost two centuries ago? It still hurt so bad… it had been the only way she’d managed to keep herself afloat and not sink into depression. Except, with time, she became so adroit at this strategy that anything disconcerting or unpleasant no longer registered at all.
It was like she was wearing a coat of Teflon—nothing stuck.
And nothing got absorbed either.
Which, come to think, might have been the reason behind the hollowness she felt inside.
Nothing about her was real. She was a made-up persona. Most of the time she thought nothing of it; on the contrary, she thought of herself as larger than life. But the truth was that she was kind of cartoonish.
Pretty on the outside, empty on the inside.
Trouble was, she ha
d no idea who she really was.
After pretending for so long, she had forgotten. And what’s worse, Amanda feared she wouldn’t like the real her if she ever found her.
The persona she had created was great, and she liked being that woman. Carefree, dramatic, lustful, smart, not to mention beautiful… pretty cool, if she may say so herself. Unfortunately, the pretense didn’t run deep enough—more than skin deep but not all the way down to her shriveled soul.
With a sigh, she gave up on sleep and got up.
Dawn was on the horizon, the wispy rosy-pink like a whisper of hope against the backdrop of gloomy darkness. Donning a warm robe, Amanda opened the sliding door to the terrace and stepped out into the chilly air. As the cold seeped through the fleece, giving her goosebumps, she tightened the robe against her body.
A faint ocean scent was riding on the breeze, cutting through the morning fog and evoking a strange longing for the sea—a voyage that would take her far away from this place and the hard choices that were weighing her down.
Choices.
Not really, more like lack of.
Now that Mark’s murder was firmly pinned on Dalhu, Amanda couldn’t stomach the idea of being anywhere near the guy.
Trouble was, she couldn’t imagine going back to her old life either. Or living without what Dalhu had given her…
The intimacy, the sense of connection, the mind-blowing pleasure…
The unrelenting devotion.
What were the chances of her ever finding something like this again? A man who made her feel like a princess for real? Forever…
Andrew?
Yeah, there was some attraction there. But she was well familiar with this kind of superficial connection. Amanda had nearly two centuries of experience with it.
It didn’t reach all the way down to the essence of her.
Heck, it wasn’t even skin deep.
And though Andrew might believe differently at the moment, it wasn’t the real thing for him either.
Trouble was, until he found it, Andrew would not know that this wasn’t it, and would keep trying to win her.
If only she had never crossed paths with Dalhu, she wouldn’t have known better and could’ve been happy with Andrew.
Everything would have been so much simpler then…
Until… one of them happened to find the real thing, and then their lives would’ve turned into a nightmare…
Yeah.
Syssi had been absolutely right when she’d said that relationships were complicated, people were complicated, and not everything could be resolved with great sex.
Amanda leaned over the railing and breathed in, searching for the faint ocean scent that was quickly dispersing along with the morning fog.
She needed to get away.
But five o’clock in the morning was too early to make calls.
To pass the time she took a long bath and then spent a couple of mindless hours shopping for shoes on the internet.
At eight, she phoned Alex.
Still too early for a guy that worked nights, but whatever, he owed her.
As the phone kept ringing and ringing, she almost hung up, but then Alex finally answered. “What’s going on?” he rasped.
“Morning. Sorry to wake you up, but I need a favor.”
“Amanda? Thank the merciful fates you’re okay. Everyone was looking for you. I didn’t know you’d been found. What happened?”
Damn, she didn’t know how much he knew. “Yeah, they found me. Though I wish they didn’t.” It wasn’t a lie, wasn’t the truth either, but good enough. “That’s why I’m calling. Can I borrow your yacht for a few days? I need some time alone, and with my intrusive family that’s not going to happen unless they can’t reach me. Like in the middle of the ocean.”
His answer came after a short pause. “Sure, though I’d appreciate you telling them where you’re going this time.”
“I will. Promise. So is it okay with you? Or do you have plans for it yourself?”
“No, not for the next couple of weeks. How long do you need it for?”
“Only a few days, less than a week for sure. On Monday, I’m going back to work. So I’ll be back Sunday evening at the latest. Does it work for you?”
“Yeah…” he hesitated.
“Don’t worry, you know I’ll cover all the expenses.” Alex was such a miser. On the other hand, fuel for a boat this size was expensive, and she shouldn’t expect him to pay for it. Loaning her the boat with its crew was enough.
“Good, but that’s not the problem.”
“Then what?”
“You know my crew is all female, right?”
“No, I didn’t know that, you naughty boy.”
“And although I have no problem with you there, I would appreciate it if you didn’t bring any guys with you. My girls are not for sharing.”
“No worries. It’s actually perfect for what I have in mind. I’m taking a break from men.”
Alex snorted. “Why? What happened?”
“Long story, but yeah… no guys.”
“When should I tell my captain to expect you? And where would you be heading? She needs to stock up on supplies.”
“I don’t really care where, just out to sea. Maybe down the coast toward Baja. Would a couple of hours be enough time for her to prepare?”
“I’ll call Geneva right away—not the city, my captain—and if she needs more time, I’ll call you.”
“Wonderful, thank you. The name of your yacht is Anna, right?”
“The one and only, my pride and joy.”
With that settled, Amanda scribbled a quick note for Annani and left it on the kitchen counter.
Hopefully, her mother would understand why she needed to get away and forgive Amanda for not spending more time with her during her rare visit.
Amanda promised to make it up to Annani as soon as she regained some sanity.
Half an hour later, she was out the door with a large satchel over her shoulder and a carry-on rolling behind her.
Thank heavens the penthouse’s elevator could be made to go straight down to the lobby without stopping at any of the other floors. The last thing she needed was for one of her relatives to come along for the ride and start asking questions.
Waving the security guys goodbye, she hurried into the taxi waiting for her in front of the building.
“Good morning, Miss. Marina del Rey? Right?” The cabbie verified the destination she had given his dispatch as he loaded her luggage into the trunk.
“Yes, thank you.” She waited until he opened the door for her.
Once the taxi pulled out, Amanda relaxed into the seat.
Mission accomplished, she was free.
Fates, it felt good.
To be free to do whatever she wanted. With no one to censor her, no one to criticize her or her choices, and no one to answer to.
No angry brother. No enemy lover.
Free as a bird.
What a shame Captain Geneva couldn’t head out to sea right away.
Well, the important thing was that she managed to flee the coop without getting caught, and she didn’t mind spending the hour or so eating breakfast in the café overlooking the water while the captain and her crew prepared the Anna for the trip down to Baja. Or maybe to Catalina, she could decide later. As long as the boat was out of the marina, with her onboard, the destination didn’t really matter.
CHAPTER 21: SYSSI
“Don’t go.” Syssi caught Kian’s arm as he tried to sneak out of bed.
“I’m just going down to the gym.” He bent to kiss her cheek, expecting her to let go. Instead, she grabbed on and pulled him back.
Wow, cool. She hadn’t expected him to budge.
Hey, this was new. She was growing stronger. There was no way she could’ve done this before her transition. Still, she was pretty sure that if her new and improved physique hadn’t taken Kian by surprise, it wouldn’t have been so easy. Next time, he would be ready for her in
creased strength.
“You’re not going anywhere. I hate waking up in an empty bed,” she pouted and snuggled up to him, her hands going to his warm, bare chest.
Last night, Kian had made good on his word and then some, and the only reason she wasn’t sore all over this morning was the venom’s magical healing properties.
Or maybe it was her new, better, and stronger body.
Hey, she might be faster too. She should join Kian in the gym and test her speed on a treadmill.
“I thought I exhausted you last night.”
“What gave you that idea?” Her hand trailed lower.
“The T-shirt and panties said it all.”
“Yeah? What did they say?”
“Get away from me, you brute. I need to sleep, you insatiable sex machine…” he said in a high-pitched voice.
Syssi laughed. “True. True. And how surprisingly perceptive of you.”
He rolled on top of her, bracing his weight on his forearms. “When you returned from the bathroom wearing these things, crawled into bed and started snoring right away, it would’ve been impossible even for an insensitive jerk like me not to get a clue.”
“I don’t snore.” Syssi felt her cheeks warm. Bummer, she thought Kian’s sexcapades had cured her of her embarrassing tendency to blush, but apparently not.
“Yes, you do. And your little kitten snores are as cute as the rest of you.”
“A cute kitten? That’s what you think of me?” She took hold of his erection and began stroking. How about that for cute…
Kian smirked before dipping his head and taking her mouth in a hungry kiss. That was all it took for her nipples to pebble and her cotton panties to get moist.
“How about my little sex kitten?” He nuzzled her neck.
She pushed up her hips to rub her hot and achy core against his shaft. “That’s better…” she breathed as he scraped his fangs up and down her neck.
Damn, Kian knew all of her triggers by now, every erogenous point. He could probably get her from zero to orgasm in under a minute.
