by Jasmine Walt
The hawkish man clapped his hands together. “Well, now that we’ve all had a nice little run around, maybe we can get you settled back into your accommodations belowground.”
Yeah, like we were gonna make it that easy. “We’re not going anywhere with you.”
He rolled his eyes. “Please, you’re surrounded. You have no choice, and you know it.”
He was right. We couldn’t fight them all off, not while protecting the boys at the same time. But that didn’t mean I wasn’t gonna try. A low growl erupted from behind me.
“Danny, no,” one of the boys whispered.
I looked to Ajitah, but his attention was on his children. “Boys, remember what I told you about not using magic unless there was an exception?”
They nodded.
“Well, this is an exception.”
The boys linked hands.
“What’s going on?” the man said. “What are they doing?”
A low hum filled the air.
“Stop it! Guards, shoot.”
Ajitah grabbed my elbow and pulled me toward him, covering my body with his just as a blast of energy rocked the world, knocking us off our feet and sending us sprawling across the ground. It lasted for less than two seconds, and then Ajitah was pulling me to my feet. The guards and the hawkish man were knocked out on the forest floor.
“Well done, boys. Great aim.” Ajitah’s voice was a nervous tremor, his face paler than usual.
The boys high-fived one another.
Skirting the prone bodies, we quickly made our way through the park toward the Cambrian gate.
We’d made it. We were alive. The boys were safe, and we were going home, but my gut told me the Kubera wouldn’t give up that easily.
23
Pain hit me once I stepped through the doors into the mansion foyer. It seared up my arm and left a hot tingle in its wake. When I turned my arm over to look, three more marks had vanished.
Ajitah was already inside, the boys at his heels. The tingle on the nape of my neck told me Garuda was at my back. Nina had gone back to her pack after making me promise to call her if we needed her again.
Eamon rushed into the foyer, followed closely by Drake.
“Oh, thank the gods you’re all right.”
I contemplated a cocky response but decided against it. We were lucky to have escaped, and I was too exhausted. The banister looked like a great place to slump.
“I need—”
Aria materialized before me. “Food. You need food. Come to the kitchens . . . all of you.”
She vanished, leaving us to make our way there, where the aroma of spices and fragrant rice teased my salivary glands, forcing my stomach to cramp with desperate hunger. The boys chattered nonstop as if nothing untoward had happened. They clambered up onto the stools and piled their plates with rice, spiced vegetables, and naan bread. Good plan. Excellent plan. I parked my butt and joined them.
For the next ten minutes or so, the only sound was that of chewing. Aria moved around the kitchen, a blur on the edge of my vision, topping up plates and refilling glasses. Four naan breads—and three helpings of rice and vegetables later—my stomach sighed with a belch of contentment.
The boys giggled in unison, and Drake raised a brow.
I lifted my chin. “What? In some cultures, that would be considered a compliment to the chef. Thank you, Aria.”
She glanced over her shoulder from a spot at the stove nursing bubbling pots and blushed.
“So are you going to fill us in on what happened?” Garuda asked.
He was sitting right next to me. How hadn’t that registered? Oh, yeah, food had kinda taken precedence. But here he was. His arm brushing mine, his thigh pressed up against mine. The combination of heat, scent, and a crazy vortex of fight, flight, or fling myself at him grew in the pit of my stomach.
Garuda leaned in, his breath warm and minty on my cheek, his voice a vibration at my core. “Rein it in.”
Fuck. He sensed my emotions. Man, I really hated this. Okay, focus on the task at hand. We hadn’t filled him in. What with the triplets’ post-magic-use trance, Ajitah’s anxiety, and my exhaustion, the drive had been a silent one.
“Malina?” Eamon prompted. “What happened?”
“Okay, well . . .”
I recounted our adventure. Ajitah jumped in from time to time when I missed something, but together we filled them in.
I held up my arm. “Three more down.”
Eamon pressed his lips together, his eyes glittering. “Good. So our theory is true. That’s encouraging.”
Drake leaned across to examine my arm. “It’s really working, and it means the boys were in mortal danger but aren’t any longer.”
Ajitah exhaled through his nose. “I don’t know how to thank you all for everything you’ve done. I wouldn’t have my boys back without you.”
“It’s what we do,” Eamon said. “It’s what we were recruiting you to help us do.”
Ajitah dropped his gaze to his empty plate and nodded. “I’ll do it. I’ll work with you, but on one condition.”
Eamon sat forward. “Name it.”
“You continue to help me keep my boys safe.”
Eamon smiled. “Of course, and the best way to do that is for you all to move in here. There’s plenty of room, and no one will be able to get near your boys.”
One of the kids, the one with a cowlick, jumped up and down in his seat. “Really, Dad, we’re gonna stay here?”
Ajitah locked eyes with Eamon. “Yes, Danny. I think we are.”
Garuda pushed back his stool. “Well, it looks as if you’ll no longer need my services on a permanent basis.”
Eamon cleared his throat. “Um, yes. Thank you, Garuda.”
The flutter of apprehension that seemed to be ever-present in his company flared to life again, rising to sit on my chest. He stood, and his eyes, cerulean blue today, locked on my face, lingering on my lips before tearing themselves away. My chest tightened, and I dropped my gaze. Being around him was like doing the most awesome prep for a job I knew was going to kill me. The contradictory emotions were draining. I just wanted off the roller coaster. His regard was a warm pressure on the crown of my head, urging me to lift my chin and meet it. I resisted. I didn’t trust my mind or body around him.
“Call on me if you need extra backup.”
His words were directed at me, and Eamon caught my eye, jerking his head in Garuda’s direction. It probably seemed as if I were simply being rude. I guess I couldn’t expect Eamon to fully understand what it felt like for me to be in Garuda’s presence, and there was no point trying. This was my issue. I’d learn to manage it. Garuda could be an invaluable ally, and I was damned if I’d let my redundant primal instincts ruin a potentially beneficial working relationship. There was more to our dynamic than primal fear, more than prey-predatory instincts . . . there was an attraction, too. But with the other shit muddying the waters, the emotional connection would never go anywhere. How could I be vulnerable with someone who was created to kill me? A pit opened in my belly. I ignored it, took a breath, plastered a smile on my face, and raised my chin to look up at him.
“Thank you for tonight.”
His jaw tightened. “I didn’t do anything. You could have been killed.”
Was he pissed at himself or me? “None of us could have anticipated what would happen, and I’m more resourceful than I look.”
He turned to Eamon. “I’m available if you need me.”
Eamon nodded.
With a final glance in my direction, Garuda turned on his heel and strode from the room, taking his crushing presence with him.
The pressure on my lungs abated. Okay, I could think again. “What are we going to do about the Kubera? It’s obvious they’re taking supernaturals and forcing them to . . . breed. That guy, Johnson, admitted they were releasing the parents back into society after wiping their minds, which means there could be loads of other kids trapped in that facility.”
&nbs
p; “We don’t know how long they’ve been doing this, either, or why. I mean, why do they need these genetically forced hybrids?” Drake pondered.
“Vanessa must have escaped somehow . . .” Ajitah toyed with his mug. “She probably escaped while she was still carrying the triplets.”
That had been my initial thought too. “Someone on the inside helped her.”
“Like that woman who helped us. There could be others like her. Kubera operatives who don’t believe in their cause.”
“Or just abhor their methods,” Drake added.
True. I just hoped they believed her story.
Eamon pulled out his mobile. “I’m going to make some calls. The gods need to know about this. The Kubera have been silent for so long they’ve lulled us into a false sense of security, but this . . . this reeks of a bigger plot, and we need to nip it in the bud.” He pushed back his chair and left the room.
Ajitah turned to me. “He has a direct number for the gods?”
Drake and I exchanged glances. It was time to fill Ajitah in on the true nature of our operations.
“Aria?”
She wandered over to the triplets. “Boys, would you like to see the game room?”
“We have a game room?”
She giggled. “There’s also a heated pool. I’ll show you later.”
I wish I’d known about that before sullying myself in the local leisure center’s manky offering.
The boys focused on Ajitah, who stared out the window in confusion. “What time is it?”
Drake checked his watch. “It’s seven thirty-five.”
“Dad, please, we’re so not tired.”
Ajitah sighed. “Okay, go have fun. But it’s back to regular bedtime tomorrow.”
Being kidnapped and held hostage was a good reason to make an exception.
“Yes!” Danny did a fist pump.
They followed Aria out of the kitchen, and I turned to Drake.
“I didn’t know we had a pool.”
Drake shrugged. “We didn’t. It’s a recent development. Aria is . . . she kinda comes with the house.”
Ajitah looked to the windows again. “What is this place, really?”
I turned my body toward him. “Okay, here goes.”
“So we keep in touch with Brahma Corp as it’s kinda god-central,” Drake said. “Although, now that Narada has been proven to be working on an agenda that goes against the gods’ protect humanity mantra, Eamon’s been a little wary of what he tells them.”
“Makes sense,” Ajitah said. “He doesn’t know who to trust.”
“Except in this case, they’re the only ones with the resources to mount a raid on the Kubera headquarters and shut them down,” Drake replied.
Eamon entered the room. “Indra is on it. I assume you filled Ajitah in on what we do here?”
I nodded.
My father smiled. “Well, now we sit tight and wait to hear back from Indra. There’s no news on Narada’s whereabouts yet either, even though they’ve dispatched a fleet of Ghandarva to find him.”
“Wonder how much they had to pay those selfish bastards to get involved?” Drake said.
Eamon snorted. “I dread to think.”
Ah, the infamous Ghandarva, winged messengers of the gods, and now, independent citizens of the earthly realm. They’d broken away from their eternal role and forged their own path as entrepreneurs of the leisure industry. Shaitan Corp, run by supernaturals, focused on building bars, casinos, and clubs. The Ghandarva used their charisma, beautiful faces, perfect bodies, and glorious wings to inspire people into finding personal perfection. It seemed that all the races had found their own niche. Even the humans had banded together, setting up the guild, focusing on law enforcement, and employing the aid of witches—considered the least deplorable of the supernaturals—to try to maintain some semblance of control over their world.
So now, if the Ghandarva were aiding the gods once more, acting as scouts, it was only because there was something in it for them. What had Indra and Varuna offered them?
Ajitah ran a hand over his face as if to wipe away the day. He looked weary. Johnson’s words came back to me. He’d said Ajitah’s body was pure human. A rarity in our world, but that didn’t explain his inhuman strength.
Maybe Johnson had it wrong. “Are you actually pure human like Johnson said?”
He shrugged. “I suppose I must be.”
“You don’t know for sure?”
A wry smile twisted his lips. “There’s a lot I don’t recall about my past, Malina, and until the boys came into my life, that used to bother me a great deal.”
So he had missing memories too . . . “But it doesn’t bother you anymore?”
“No, it really doesn’t. I have my sons, and all that matters is taking care of them. And if I have to use my inexplicable strength to do it, then so be it. There is nothing I won’t do for my children.” He ducked his head. “Too much information?”
I chuckled. “No, it’s fine. I have lost memories, too, from before I was adopted. It didn’t bother me too much until Eamon found me again. Now I desperately want them back. Maybe we can search for our memories together.”
He opened his mouth to respond, but Eamon cut in. “I’m sure Ajitah would rather look to the future and focus on keeping the world safe for his sons.”
I noticed something odd about his tone, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but his expression was amiable and relaxed. Maybe I’d imagined it?
Eamon took a few steps toward the door. “I have some more calls to make, but why don’t you take Ajitah up to their quarters? He and the children can have the East Wing.”
“We have a wing?”
“It looks like we do now,” Drake said. “Ajitah? Would you like me to train the boys?”
Ajitah’s brow furrowed. “Train them?”
“In how to control their magic. I know they used it to incapacitate the Kubera, so they’ve learned to harness it to some extent, but I can work with them to make them more proficient if you’d like?”
Ajitah’s dark brows came back down. “No. That trick was a one-off. Something we worked on just in case. They’re kids, and that’s what I want them to be for now.”
“I get it. I do. You want them to have a normal life, but surely the last few days should prove to you that isn’t gonna be possible. We’re going to do everything we can to keep them safe, but don’t you want them to be able to protect themselves if they have to? That trick may not work next time.”
Ajitah tucked in his chin, his eyes flickering back and forth as if he was having an internal debate.
Drake held up his hands. “Look, the offer is there if you want to take me up on it. Think about it.” He headed to the patio doors. “I’m gonna go work in the greenhouse for a bit.”
I pushed back my stool. “Come on, big guy, let’s get you settled in.”
We cut across the foyer toward the staircase, and he paused, his gaze fixed on the ground.
“This symbol, what does it mean?”
“I don’t know. Why? Do you recognize it?”
“It’s just an abstract image,” Eamon said from the arch leading to the sitting room. “It doesn’t mean anything.”
Ajitah blinked and tore his gaze from the pattern, but my attention was on Eamon because my bullshit radar was going off.
Eamon was lying.
But why?
Eamon cleared his throat. “Malina, I thought maybe we could . . . watch a movie together later? With everything that’s been going on, we haven’t had the chance to do any normal father-daughter things.”
He sounded hesitant, unsure, and my suspicions melted. “Yeah, I’d like that.”
He nodded and turned back into the sitting room.
With a final glance at Eamon’s retreating figure, I led Ajitah upstairs.
“So can the boys change into, you know, grr.” I made claws with my fingers.
Ajitah chuckled. It was a warm, welcoming sound tha
t teased open the knot Garuda’s presence had left in my belly.
“They can, but they don’t do it often. I get the impression they don’t like it. They prefer their magic. But that doesn’t happen often either, because to activate it, they need to work together. Like most boys their age, they spend around seventy percent of their time bickering.”
“But you taught them to use it?”
He nodded. “It’s been my worst fear, them being taken. I drummed into them not to use their magic around anyone but me, but I also said there may come a time when they would have to, and that time would be an exception.”
“And they did great.”
He grinned, and it turned his stern face into something softer and more appealing. “Yeah, they did, didn’t they?”
We passed under an archway at the far end of the landing that hadn’t been there earlier in the day.
The new wing.
I really needed to talk to Aria about her abilities.
The East Wing was a domain fit for a family. It included a sitting area, television, a huge box of toys, a bookshelf filled with kids’ books, and a DVD rack stocked with classic children’s movies. We checked out the bedrooms, a double room for Ajitah, and a huge suite for the boys with three single beds and more toys.
Ajitah stood, hands on hips, staring at his new home. “This is . . . I don’t know what to say.”
“Neither do I. Except your bed looks way more comfy than mine.”
I perched on the edge of the four-poster and bounced.
He stood in the doorway, arms crossed . . . watching me. And out of nowhere, the memory of his body pressed against me, his lips crushing mine, filled my head.
His throat bobbed and his fingers flexed.
Was he remembering too?
And was it getting warm in here?
Ajitah cleared his throat and backed out of the room. “Is there a garden? An outdoor space they can run? Boys need to run.”
I followed him into the sitting room. “I’m sure Aria will come up with something.”
