Dark Queen’s Knight

by I. T. Lucas

  “I would appreciate that.”

  He’d wanted to ask before, but his pride stood in the way. Kian wanted to accomplish the mission without Turner’s help, but it was turning out that he couldn’t.

  He let out an exasperated breath. “I might have to cancel the raid altogether. Lokan also said that there was talk of implanting the Doomers with trackers attached to their spinal cords. He doesn’t know if it was done, and if Losham had his men implanted, but it’s a possibility that I can’t ignore. I can’t bring them to the keep if they are traceable. William and Bridget are on their way and I’m going to ask their opinions on that.”

  “Let me know how it goes.”

  “I will.”

  Flicking the butt of his cigarillo into the trashcan, Kian headed back to his office.

  It was true that he’d rushed the mission, but that was because he didn’t want to give the Doomers a chance to snatch any girls. It was also true that he hadn’t thought it through as thoroughly as Turner would have no doubt done.

  After relying on the guy for so long, Kian was out of practice, and apparently so was Onegus. Or maybe it was just that everything kept changing, and he didn’t have time to adjust.

  It hadn’t occurred to him that the Brotherhood hadn’t given up on putting trackers on their men. Where there was a strong enough need and enough effort was put into fulfilling it, a solution was bound to eventually present itself.

  As Bridget and William entered his office, he motioned for them to take seats next to the conference table.

  “What's this all about?” Bridget asked.

  When Kian was done explaining, William pushed his glasses up his nose. “If the trackers are on, I can detect the transmissions they emit. But it is possible to leave them dormant and activate them only when the men go missing. I wouldn’t know until that happened.”

  “How about X-ray?” Kian asked.

  Bridget lifted a brow. “You want me to check every Doomer for hidden bugs? That would take forever.”

  “We can find a solution for that. The question is whether you can detect a small tracker deep inside the body.”

  She nodded. “I can.”

  “We can bring them to a warehouse somewhere, and you can check them for bugs before we transport them to the keep.”

  “I have a better solution,” William said. “We can store them in the warehouse until we find a permanent place to stash them in. And in the meantime, I can rig up a device like the one the Doomers use to scan visitors to the island.”

  “That’s right. I forgot about Carol’s description. But if we actually find trackers on them, that doesn’t solve our problem. We can’t start operating on each one to remove them.”

  For several long moments, the three of them sat in silence, each trying to come up with a solution.

  “What if we ship them out somewhere far away?” Bridget suggested. “It will have to look like a government installation. I don’t think the Brotherhood would risk taking on the United States armed forces to release its warriors.”

  William shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. All we have to do is install a strong transmission scrambler. In fact, I’ll get right on it, so we will have it ready for tonight. You’ll need to find a warehouse, though.”

  Kian waved a hand in dismissal. “That’s not a problem. When can you have a scanner ready?”

  “It will take time. I have to order parts, and some of them will be coming from overseas.”

  “I will have to put Guardians on rotation to babysit the Doomers. I don’t want any surprises, and as we’ve seen with Wonder, spontaneous awakenings from stasis can happen.”

  “That’s a waste of manpower,” William said. “I can install surveillance cameras in the warehouse and connect the feed to our control center. If by some freak accident they get wet and wake up, they will still be locked up. I’ll also disable the fire sprinklers just in case.”

  Bridget lifted a finger. “I think I can solve the scanner problem. I can put them through medical equipment. An ultrasound machine and an MRI should do it. We are not limited to what can be used on travelers.”

  Kian leaned back in his chair. “Good thinking. Now there is only one problem remaining, but I doubt either of you can help me with that.”

  “Try us,” Bridget said.

  “Turner suggested having another ring of Guardians further out, in case some of the Doomers manage to run away, but we don’t have Guardians enough as it is.”

  “You can use civilians,” Bridget said. “They can go in pairs.”

  Kian shook his head. “Not a good idea. They will be defenseless against even a single Doomer. Most of them can’t aim well enough to hit a running target, and their hand-to-hand skills are laughable.”

  Bridget lifted her hands. “Then I guess the Guardians will have to make sure that no Doomers get away.”

  29

  Mey

  When Mey woke up, Yamanu was gone. She glanced at the nightstand to check if he’d left her a note, then lifted her new phone and checked for messages, but there were none. Not from Yamanu and not from her sister.

  The only reason she knew that her new phone was indeed receiving all of her communications was her inbox, which was filled with the same store promotions she normally received.

  Could he have gone to work? He was supposed to have the day off to rest before the mission. Could something have come up and the boss called him in?

  Trying to stay positive and not imagine the worst, Mey got up and went into the bathroom.

  Things had been strained between her and Yamanu after last night’s argument, and she had spent the night sleeping on the edge of the bed with her back turned to him. If she hadn’t been scared of going too far, she would have spent the night in Arwel’s room.

  Her position wasn’t fun, that was for sure. She didn’t want to be the reason Yamanu broke a vow he’d kept for hundreds of years, and she also didn’t want to be the one to deprive the clan of its most powerful protector.

  Never mind that it was probably all in Yamanu’s head, and that the vow had nothing to do with his powers. He believed in it, and that was enough. Even if nothing in him changed once he broke it, he would think that it had, and his powers would diminish.

  If only she could quash the feelings she had for him, she would have left, gone to Kian, and asked for another immortal’s help with her transition. After that, she could join the clan’s single ladies, and either find a guy she liked or not.

  She was far from being an old maid, and as an immortal, there was even less pressure to find a guy to settle down with. She could wait thousands of years if she wanted to.

  What a depressing thought.

  Except, Mey doubted she would ever find anyone else who would capture her heart like Yamanu had. At twenty-six, it was the first time her feelings had run so deep for a man, and that was even before she actually articulated them.

  Did she love him?

  After the two other times she’d thought she loved a guy, Mey had decided that she wasn’t going to think in terms of love until she was absolutely sure about it, and it was too early for that with Yamanu. Despite the strong connection she felt to him, or maybe because of it, Mey preferred to protect her heart and remain cautious.

  Especially since there was a chance that they were not going to stay together.

  Hoping that Yamanu’s morning meeting wasn’t going to last long, Mey got busy preparing breakfast. Nothing fancy, just eggs, hash browns, and toast, but lots of it. Her man was a big guy, and he needed large quantities to sustain him.

  When the front door opened, her heart skipped a beat.

  His long hair dripping wet, Yamanu looked like he had just stepped out of the shower. Where had he been?

  “Good morning.” He walked over to her and kissed her cheek. “What smells so good?”

  “Hash browns, scrambled eggs, and toast.”

  He cocked a brow. “I thought those were on the list of forbidden foods f
or a model.”

  “I made them for you.”

  A happy grin spread over his handsome face. “But you are going to join me, right?”

  She shrugged. “Why not? As it stands, it is not a sure thing that I’m going back to modeling. I might as well indulge in some fattening foods. Worst case scenario, if I need to get back to that, I can always go on a crash diet.”

  His grin melted away, replaced by a sad look. “I want you to stay.”

  “I want that too. But it’s up to the Fates, right?” She took his hand and led him to a barstool. “Sit and tell me where you’ve been.”

  “To the gym. I usually train for two hours a day, but I neglected to do so in New York. The hotel gym wasn’t equipped for immortal Guardians. The heaviest weight I could put together was two hundred pounds.”

  She loaded a plate for him with a mountain of eggs and potatoes and put it on the counter. “And that’s too light? How much do you lift?”

  A smirk lifted one corner of his mouth, and he puffed out his chest. “I warm up with seven hundred pounds.”

  Mey whistled. “Impressive. Are all immortal males so strong?”

  “They are stronger than the average human male, but unless they train, they don’t come anywhere near that. Frankly, not all of the Guardians do either.”

  The toaster beeped, and Mey took out the four slices and put them on a smaller plate. “So, my guy is not only one of the most powerful mentally, but also physically. The Fates were kind to me.” She winked at him.

  “Don’t make fun of the Fates.” He waggled a finger at her. “They can be vindictive. If you want to stay in their good graces, you should compliment them sincerely and thank them for their gifts. Otherwise, they might decide to take them away.”

  Yamanu delivered his little speech with a straight face and a tone that was dead serious.

  He really believed that the Fates were real, which should not have surprised her. A guy who believed that his power was dependent on him keeping his vow of celibacy would believe in other superstitions just as strongly.

  “I’ll do my best.”

  He frowned. “Does believing in fate go against your religion?”

  “Not fate in general, that’s fine, but I’m sure a rabbi would frown at me praying to the Fates. Except, I’m not very religious. It’s more about keeping my parents’ tradition than anything else. So, I don’t mind saying a few nice things about your Fates if it makes you feel better.”

  Yamanu nodded, but she wasn’t sure if it was in approval or to indicate that he understood.

  “Where is your plate?”

  “Oh, right. I got distracted.” Mey turned around and loaded much smaller portions of eggs and hash browns on her plate. “Do you have any plans for today? I mean before the raid thing?”

  “No. What would you like to do?”

  “I would like to see the village. I didn’t get the chance to leave the house yet.”

  He put his fork down. “I’m sorry. I should have taken you out and shown you around.”

  “You were busy, and there is no rush. How large is the village anyway?”

  “We can cover the topside in about an hour, a little longer if we take it slow. But there is also the underground complex, which I’m sure you’ll find interesting.”

  “Can we stop by the café?”

  “Sure thing.”

  30

  Yamanu

  “I feel like a cowboy.” Anandur patted his twin holsters.

  Brundar adjusted his helmet over the tight cotton cap he had put on to hide his long hair.

  Yamanu did the same. “How do I look?”

  Anandur grinned. “Like the badass that you are.” He patted the bulletproof vest. “Look at all these pockets and the goodies inside of them.”

  “Do you think we get to keep them?” Yamanu asked. “They could be useful for future missions. We are unrecognizable in this gear. It even has a face mask and glasses.” Which was great to cover his weird eyes. “And the body armor is not as cumbersome as ours.”

  “It’s also not as effective,” Brundar said.

  Kian walked over and clapped Yamanu’s back. “We keep everything. It was easier to purchase these than rent them.”

  Their outfits also included rifles, but they were not going to use those. Instead, they were armed with dual special issue taser guns.

  Learning from Wonder’s experience, they knew it was easier and faster to disable an immortal using a taser. Shooting a Doomer with a regular gun would not necessarily disable him, and wrestling him down to the ground first in order to bite him was a problem when each Guardian had to take care of two Doomers.

  Onegus clapped his hands. “Okay, people, listen up! Is everyone decent? Wonder is here to demonstrate the proper use of a taser gun on an immortal.”

  Several of the guys snickered.

  Scanning the gathered men, Onegus confirmed that everyone was dressed before nodding to Wonder, who’d been waiting just outside the door.

  “As the only person who has ever used a taser on a live one, or two…” Onegus glanced at Anandur and Brundar, “she has unique experience.”

  Wonder looked uncomfortable, and so did her mate and his brother. No one was going to forget that they had both been taken down by one untrained female.

  “All I did was put it on the highest setting, like so.” She demonstrated. “My taser had a long reach, so I didn’t have to get close, which is the major disadvantage of a taser gun. I trust that you guys practiced and know how far it can reach?” She looked around before continuing. “Okay, that’s good. Another disadvantage is that you only get one shot, and then you need to replace the cartridge. The biggest advantage of a taser is that you don’t need to aim at vulnerable organs to disable your opponent. As long as you hit him, the electrical shock will do the rest.”

  “These have three shots,” Onegus said. “You must have been given an old model.”

  Someone laughed, saying she had managed splendidly with just one shot. Then there were some more murmurs, but no one asked the most critical question.

  Yamanu lifted his hand. “How long does the twitching last?”

  She smiled shyly. “Since I didn’t wait for it to be over, I don’t know. I clobbered each of my victims over the head as soon as they were down. But perhaps Anandur knows the answer to that. My taser hit Brundar at the same time his knife hit me, so I was out for that, but Anandur saw what happened.”

  All eyes turned to Wonder’s mate.

  “Sorry, guys. But I was busy holding Wonder in my arms and deciding on the kind of death my brother deserved for killing her. I wasn’t paying attention to him or how long he was twitching.”

  Brundar grimaced. “That’s the thanks I get for saving your sorry ass.”

  Anandur grinned. “I think we are even.”

  “That we are.”

  Yamanu had heard the story of Anandur walking into Callie’s ex’s house in his armored suit and snapping the bastard’s neck. Unfortunately, he’d arrived a few minutes too late to save his brother’s knees. Callie’s ex had shot at both of them, causing enough damage to disable Brundar for weeks.

  “Any more questions?” Wonder asked.

  “Yeah,” Niall said. “Why aren’t you joining us?”

  Wonder shook her head but didn’t lose her cool. “And who is going to make you your sandwich tomorrow when you come to the café for lunch?”

  “True, true. I take it back.”

  Anandur cast Niall a murderous glance. “Next time you have suggestions for my mate, you’d better run them by me first.”

  Niall snorted. “Have you heard of women’s lib? She doesn’t need your permission for anything.”

  Most of the guys were smart enough to keep their mouths shut, but some were just as stupid as Niall and made a few comments, some in support of Anandur, and some in support of Niall’s right to free speech.

  Anandur got in Niall’s face. “Wonder might not need my permission to do anythi
ng, but you do. Am I clear?”

  As jeers and cheers sounded in equal measure, Yamanu got ready to break up the fight that seemed to be brewing, but Kian beat him to it.

  “Save it for the enemy, boys. You are both embarrassing Wonder.”

  Anandur was the first to back away. With a dismissive shrug, he walked over to his mate and wrapped his arm around her middle. “Sorry, love. The adrenaline must have gotten to my head.”

  Niall dipped his head. “My apologies, Wonder. I was just messing with Anandur, and I meant no disrespect or offense.”

  She smiled at him. “That’s okay, none taken.”

  31

  Anandur

  Just to spite him, Onegus had put Anandur in charge of the unit Niall was in.

  “Peace,” the guy said as they settled in the armored vehicle. “I was just having fun.”

  “Wonder doesn’t appreciate people pestering her about entering the force.”

  Niall grimaced. “I didn’t know that. I thought I was paying her a compliment.”

  Next to him, Camden chuckled. “You never know with the ladies. It’s better to keep your yap shut.”

  “Oh yeah? So how am I supposed to charm them into having some fun time with me?”

  “You just do this.” Camden demonstrated a suggestive look combined with a tilt of his head.

  “You want to tell me that that works for you?”

  Camden puffed out his chest. “When you are as good-looking as me, nothing more is needed.”

  Anandur tuned them out. His bachelor days were long gone, and he didn’t miss them one bit. Wonder was all he needed and would ever need. Well, except for maybe a couple of kids, but there was time for that.

  A few months ago, he wouldn’t have even entertained the thought, but now that Merlin had performed a miracle with Syssi and Kian, there was hope. One success didn’t mean that there would be more, but it was better than nothing.