by I. T. Lucas
He hadn’t encountered a problem like that in a while. In fact, the only times he’d been rejected were when the ladies were already in committed relationships, and even then, their refusal was usually accompanied by wistful looks.
It wasn’t vanity, it was just the way things were.
Being a single, handsome young doctor put him at the very top of the food chain as far as desirability went.
But maybe he’d overestimated his appeal.
Julian was kind, which he’d been told showed on his face, he was cordial, which was so ingrained in him that he couldn’t be any other way, and he wasn’t pushy, which just wasn’t in his nature. In short, Julian was as far from a bad boy as a guy could get.
He’d never even cheated on a test.
Was Ella one of those girls who preferred jerks?
Why some women liked to be treated poorly was an inexplicable phenomenon, but during his extended stay among humans, Julian had seen it happen time and again. It wasn’t just an urban legend.
“I’m sorry,” Arwel said.
“What for?”
“That Ella didn’t fall in love with you at first sight. I know that it was what you’d been hoping for.”
Damn. Was everyone going to give him pitying looks from now on?
Julian shrugged. “That rarely happens in real life, and when it does, it’s usually an infatuation or just lust. I much prefer for us to get to know each other first, and then fall in love with the person inside and not the superficial shell.”
Except, he’d fallen for even less than that. Ella’s damn picture had been enough to turn him into a man obsessed.
Arwel patted his shoulder. “You are right. I wish you luck.” The guy didn’t even try to mask the sad look in his eyes.
“Give her time.” Yamanu turned his head back. “Ella has been to hell and back. You can’t expect your pretty face to magically melt all that crap away. Right now, she’s probably wary of men.”
It would’ve been easier if she were. But Ella hadn’t been wary of him, or Turner, or even Yamanu with his impressive height and creepy eyes. Arwel, with his ever-suffering expression, was not the type anyone felt wary of, so he didn’t count.
Ella had been at ease with all of them, even friendly, and it hadn’t been only a show of confidence. Her scent had been free of fear.
Being placed in the friend zone by an attractive young woman was a first for Julian, but that was precisely where Ella had put him. She’d followed him to his hotel room, borrowed his clothes, including his underwear, and had even joked about the stink that she had thought he’d left in the bathroom.
She was treating him like a brother, or a close cousin.
If he weren’t an immortal with extra sharp senses, Julian might have entertained the hope that Ella was putting on an act while secretly thinking he was hot. Regrettably, though, he hadn’t sniffed even a whiff of arousal from her.
But then, that was too much to expect from a girl just rescued from what had been basically sexual slavery.
Fates only knew what Gorchenco had done to her.
Perhaps she’d told her mother some of it, but it wasn’t as if Julian could’ve asked Vivian for details. Besides, Ella probably hadn’t told her mother the worst parts.
From the little he’d managed to glean of her personality, Ella believed herself to be strong and didn’t like to burden anyone with her troubles.
Both were admirable qualities, but Julian had a feeling that they would be detrimental to her recovery. No one could force Ella to get psychological help if she refused it. But without it, her mental wounds would either fester or heal all wrong.
He couldn’t let that happen.
Worst case scenario, he would thrall the nasty memories away, provided she agreed, of course. Julian wasn’t a psychologist, but if he were in her shoes, he would never tolerate his choices being taken away from him again, no matter how good the intentions.
“I hope no one is planning a welcome home party for Ella,” Arwel said. “She’s not going to like it.”
Turner lifted his eyes to the rearview mirror. “I know Bridget is going to be there to give her a checkup.”
That was news to Julian. “Why? I already did that, and she’s fine. There wasn’t even a scratch on her.”
Turner shook his head. “Ella might want to talk to a female doctor.”
“Oh.” He should’ve realized that.
“Kian and Syssi are going to be there too, and I’m guessing Amanda as well. But don’t worry. Your mother is going to take charge of the situation and kick them out after the obligatory introductions, and welcome words are done. Bridget takes shit from no one, and that includes Kian.”
Turner was right. Bridget was an assertive lady, and not just in her capacity as a doctor. His mother would take care of Ella.
“Do you think I should be there?”
“No,” Arwel and Turner said simultaneously.
“You’ll just look desperate,” Turner said.
Arwel waved a dismissive hand. “It’s not about that. Ella needs space to breathe and time to recuperate. You need to be patient, Julian. When she’s ready, she’ll come to you.”
2
Ella
Squashed in the back seat of the limousine between her mother and her brother, Ella ran her hand over the fabric of her jeans. They were stretchy, comfortable, and probably had cost no more than thirty bucks. They felt wonderful.
Even though there were panties in the paper bag her mother had brought, Ella was still wearing Julian’s boxer briefs. They were roomy. That’s why. And the panties her mother bought were too skimpy.
The first chance she got, Ella was going to buy a pack of boy shorts that were just as comfy as Julian’s.
“Tell me more about the village, Mom,” she said, mainly to stop her mother’s sniffling. “Where is it?”
They’d had their cry, but enough was enough.
“Somewhere in the Los Angeles area. We are not supposed to know exactly where it is. The limo’s windows will turn opaque when we get near it, and the car will switch to autonomous driving.”
“It’s so cool,” Parker said. “Not even Magnus knows where the village is. So, if the bad guys catch anyone, they can’t torture the information out of us.”
Ella grimaced. “The things you consider cool are weird. Is it really that dangerous to be an immortal?”
“To us, it is,” Magnus said. “We need to hide from humans and from our enemies alike. Though for different reasons.”
On the plane, Julian had given her an abbreviated history lesson, so she knew about the Devout Order of Mortdh, or Doomers as they were called for short. She also remembered the love story that had started the conflict between the two groups of immortals, but many of the other details were fuzzy, probably because she hadn’t let him finish the story and had fallen asleep.
“It’s like a real village,” her mother said. “In the center of it, there is a nice park with ponds and walkways, and the buildings around it house the offices and the clinic and the like. The residences are not too close together, and there is lots of greenery between them. It’s like living in a park. And it's so quiet, nothing but birds chirping and crickets.”
“There are no kids,” Parker said, looking grim. ”Just two babies. All the rest are grownups.”
That was weird. “Where are all the kids? In boarding schools?”
Magnus shook his head. “I wish. The price of immortality is a very low fertility rate.”
“I see.” Ella’s gut clenched.
She needed to get that pregnancy test as soon as possible.
Mom, is there any way we can stop at a pharmacy on the way? It was a good thing she didn’t need to wait to be alone with her mother to ask.
Why? What do you need? I have tampons if it’s that time of the month.
I wish. I need to get a pregnancy test.
Her mother turned to her with a pair of worried eyes. Are you late?
One
week.
Shit.
Yeah, you could say so. I hope it’s only stress. It happened before. Remember the SATs? I was supposed to get my period then but didn’t because I was so stressed out before the tests.
Her mother let out a breath. I hope you’re right. But in any case. I’m sure Bridget has some in the clinic.
Who is Bridget?
Julian’s mother. She’s a doctor too.
“Mom, are you and Ella talking to each other in your heads? Because if you are, it’s rude.”
“I’m sorry.” Ella wrapped her arm around Parker’s shoulders. “It was girl talk.” She leaned to whisper in his ear, “I’m sure you didn’t want to hear us talking about tampons.”
Making a face, Parker shuddered. “No, gross. But next time wait until we get home instead of that weird staring into each other's eyes that you do. It looks creepy. I don’t know how come I didn’t notice it before.”
Because they’d been more circumspect about it and hadn’t done it often. Parker had been too young to be told about their telepathic connection. He would’ve blabbered about it to his friends and endangered their family.
But a lot had changed during the time Ella had been gone. Her little brother had been turned immortal, and her mother had found love with her immortal bodyguard.
Freaking unbelievable.
Now with Magnus in the house, they would have to limit their telepathic communication even more. Keeping it a secret was no longer an issue, but Parker was right, and it was rude to do it in front of other people.
Peeking from under her lashes, Ella glanced at the Guardian. No wonder her mother had fallen for him. Magnus was a handsome man, but it was more than that. He had that aura about him of someone a woman could depend on.
Then again, Ella was a lousy judge of character, so maybe she was wrong.
The Russian had been dependable too, but it came with a price no sane woman would be willing to pay. Besides, he’d bought her and coerced her into having sex with him. That was not dependable, it was despicable. She should hate him, despise him, and not feel sorry for him. He deserved the suffering he was most likely feeling right now.
Ella closed her eyes.
If only there was a way to forget the last month, erase it from her memory as if it had never happened.
She remembered Julian mentioning something about the immortals’ thralling ability. It was like hypnosis that they could use on humans, but some were immune to it. Russians in particular, which was one of the reasons her rescue had been so complicated. The Guardians, as the clan’s fighters were called, couldn’t just assume that they could thrall Gorchenco and his people. They had to use more mundane methods to get her out.
Was that also the reason Parker had volunteered to transition first, or was she confusing the stories?
Ella tightened her arm around her brother’s slim shoulders. “So, you’re an immortal now, eh?”
“Not yet. But I’m going to be. Doctor Bridget says that my body can heal faster and better already, but it’s not at full power yet. I need to grow my fangs and venom glands first, and she says it can take six months or more.”
“Was it difficult?”
“The fight?”
Ella frowned. Julian had said that Parker had been brave to volunteer to go first so she and her mother wouldn't have to rush into it. But when she’d asked him what was involved in a Dormant’s activation, Julian had started telling her the entire history from the beginning of civilization, and then she’d fallen asleep.
“What do you mean by a fight?” she asked. “Julian didn’t explain how it works.”
Squaring his shoulders, Parker lifted his chin. “I had to fight an immortal male. But they didn’t have anyone my age, so I had to fight Jackson who is nineteen and really strong. But I head-butted him, and he almost fell on his ass, but because he’s immortal and has great reflexes, he didn’t, and he came after me. I was a little scared, but it was okay. The bite didn’t hurt so bad. And after that, when the venom hit, I was so loopy that I saw stars.” He chuckled. “I didn’t just see them, I flew by them. It was like a hallucinogenic trip.”
Ella waved a dismissive hand. “Like you would know how that feels.” But then the rest of what he’d said registered. “Hold on one sec. Why did that Jackson guy bite you? Is that some warped part of a coming of age ceremony?”
“It is, but the bite is what induces the transition. The venom is what activates the dormant genes.”
Now Julian’s comment about Parker’s bravery made sense. It must have been really scary.
“But why did you have to fight him first? Couldn’t he just bite you and be done with it? Or is that the ceremonial part?”
“In order for the fangs to elongate and the venom glands to produce venom, immortal males need to turn aggressive,” Magnus said. “That’s what the fight is for.”
“It’s why I head-butted Jackson. He didn’t see it coming.” Parker sounded smug. “And that is also why Magnus couldn’t induce me. He likes me too much.”
3
Kian
“Do you think Gorchenco will buy it?” Kian said after Turner was done with his update.
“I wouldn’t if it were me, and given his security measures, it seems that we think alike. So no, I don’t think he is going to buy it. But proving it isn’t true is another thing altogether. He won’t find anything no matter how much he digs.”
Kian wished he could share Turner’s confidence. But then he had no reason to doubt him either. In matters of this kind, he should rely on the guy’s expertise and not on his gut.
Except, his gut refused to calm down.
“I don’t want Ella leaving the village until we can ascertain it’s safe. It will take a long time before Gorchenco concedes defeat and stops looking for her.”
“Couldn’t agree more.” Turner reached into his pocket and pulled out a diamond ring that made the one Kian had gotten Syssi look small and modest.
“This is a donation from Ella. Or rather Gorchenco.” He put it on Kian’s desk.
“What do you want me to do with it?”
Turner shrugged. “Ella suggested that we use it to cover the cost of her rescue and finance others.”
Kian lifted the ring and turned on his desk lamp. “I’m no great expert, but this looks flawless to me. It’s worth a fortune, but who are we going to sell it to? It’s probably one of a kind and easily traceable.”
“I can think of a few potential buyers. My friend Arturo might be interested. Not necessarily to keep it for himself or give to his wife, but to sell it to some rich sheik or one of the new Asian billionaires. Those are the kinds of people we don’t have access to, but he does.”
“Would he keep the source confidential?”
“Of course. He wouldn’t have been in business for so long if he didn’t. The rules of conduct are even stricter for the black-market traders than they are for the legit ones.”
Kian chuckled. “I bet. Legitimate business people don’t kill each other for bending the rules.”
“Sometimes they do.”
Handing the ring back to Turner, Kian leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “How are you going to get it to him? It’s not like you can mail it or entrust someone to deliver it.”
Turner put it back in his pocket. “First I need to check if he’s interested. Then I’ll figure out the logistics.”
“Just make sure to tell him not to offer it to any Russians. Imagine Gorchenco buying back his own ring.”
“I don’t see how that’s a problem. Anyone could’ve taken the ring off Ella and sold it on the black market. If he wants to buy it back for sentimental reasons, so be it.”
Kian shook his head. “I’ll feel better knowing it’s not getting back to him.”
“As you wish. But I’m sure you can put the proceeds to good use, and it might be difficult to move.”
“No doubt about it. But let’s see how it goes first. If it doesn’t sell, I�
�ll reconsider.”
Since they’d started the new operation, Kian had found himself making business decisions based on costs more than anything else.
Which meant that promising technologies didn’t get funding when they required too much capital to get going, and that wasn’t good. But as hard as he tried, and as many hours as he worked, Kian couldn’t increase profits fast enough to cover the ever-increasing costs of their humanitarian initiative.
“Julian and I had an interesting conversation,” Turner said. “Apparently, Vanessa is running out of space in the sanctuary. The idea of a halfway house came up.”
Kian shook his head. “Unless we can find a donor to finance it, I’m afraid it will have to wait. We will need to buy a place and hire people to run it. I’m doing my best to keep all the balls up in the air, but I’m not a magician.”
“The proceeds from the sale of this ring will cover several buildings. And as for hiring people, you may get away with only two paid staffers, and the rest could be done by volunteers.”
“And where do you suggest that I get those?”
Turner waved his hand in an arc. “You have an entire clan of people who are getting paid every month just for breathing. You can demand that in exchange for getting their share of the clan’s profits, they volunteer a few days a month at the halfway house.”
The idea had merit, but it wasn’t going to be an easy sell. Perhaps Bridget could pull off the same kind of miracle convincing the civilians to volunteer as she’d done convincing the Guardians to come back from retirement.
“If I do that, I risk alienating my clan members. There is a limit to what people are willing to do for a cause, no matter how worthy.”
Turner nodded. “It’s just an idea. What you do with it is your decision.”
“Right. Let’s run it by Bridget and see what she thinks. Of the three of us, she is probably the only one with a good grasp on what our people are willing or not willing to give up. I never expected her to be so successful with luring back the retired Guardians. She pulled a fucking miracle.”
