Dark Spy Conscripted

by I. T. Lucas

  “I could do with a little less femininity.”

  “I guess we are going to the pool later?” Jin asked to change the subject.

  She didn’t like the self-deprecating attitude that Wendy had going on.

  “Naturally,” Jacki opened the bathroom door. “We promised the girls a fashion show first, though.”

  “Right.” Jin grabbed the hem of her T-shirt and pulled it over her head. “Let’s see if it fits. Amanda said that I’m bustier than her, and so are you.”

  “It will fit. As long as it covers the nipples, it’s not indecent, and I really want to check out the pool.”

  “So do I.” Jin put the bikini top on and tied it in the back. “It fits.”

  In fact, it made her look sexy as sin, so naturally, it made her think of Arwel. Hopefully, he would join them, so she could admire that spectacular body that he was hiding under his schlumpy clothes.

  59

  Kian

  “There is a lot of anger in you.” Edna let go of Richard’s hands. “And it’s all right there underneath the surface. It’s still fresh.”

  Kian straightened in his chair. Was Richard the mole after all?

  Not that he had reason to believe that any of them were anything other than what they claimed to be, but Kian wasn’t the trusting sort. In his eyes, they were guilty until proven innocent. It wasn’t fair to them, but when it came to the safety of his people, Kian didn’t give a fuck about fairness. His number one job was ensuring his clan’s survival.

  Except, finding mates for his people was part of that as well, and the newcomers were all potential Dormants.

  Still, Dormants or not, he wasn’t going to cut them any slack.

  Richard nodded. “I broke up with my fiancée because of damn Marisol and her compulsion. I’d been so sure that it was my decision and that I’d made the right one. Then your guy removed the compulsion, and I realized that I’d been coerced into leaving my life behind to join the program. Are you surprised that I’m mad? Wouldn’t you be?”

  “Furious,” Edna said. “But you didn’t love your fiancée.”

  Richard, who’d proven to be quite the talkative fellow, fell silent. For a long moment, he just stared at Edna and then shook his head. “What makes you say that? Did you look into my subconscious or something? Because I was sure that I loved Clara until Marisol convinced me that I didn’t.”

  “I didn’t see your subconscious. I just didn’t detect any feelings of deep love. Not in the present nor the past. You’ve never been in love, Richard.”

  Slumping in the chair, Richard looked lost. “That’s not true. I’ve had many girlfriends, and I had feelings for them.” He sounded unsure as if trying to convince himself more than them.

  Edna shook her head. “Perhaps you thought you loved them, but it was probably just lust and like. You’ve never gone deeper than that.”

  Deflated, Richard let out a breath. “What are you trying to say? That I’m incapable of love?”

  “I didn’t say that. You just haven’t met the right woman yet. When you do, you’ll know the difference.”

  Tapping his fingers on the conference table, Kian was waiting for the talk about irrelevant stuff to end so he could ask the pertinent questions.

  When there was a momentary lull in their discussion about love, he interjected, “What about motives?”

  Edna turned around to face him. “Richard is curious. He wants to find out who we are, who do we work for, and who finances us. But I don’t get a sense that he wants the information for someone else. He wants to know for himself. He’s also thinking about how to best take advantage of the situation and become a member of our group. He wonders if there are any private-sector jobs for people like him that don’t involve solving cases for the police or spying for the government. He thinks that there could be much more money in the private sector.”

  Surprised, Kian leaned back. “You learned all of that by looking into his soul?”

  Edna had never been so detailed with her observations, and he’d always thought that she could only get impressions of motives and underlying currents. This sounded as if she had read Richard’s mind.

  Perhaps the guy was that obvious and unguarded?

  Edna smiled apologetically at Richard. “Some of the things I’m going to say may seem offensive to you, but I think it’s better that I say them in front of you rather than behind your back.”

  “Go ahead.” He shrugged. “If I’m getting a free shrink session, I should at least hear what you have to say.”

  “Thank you.” She turned to Kian. “Richard is not very deep, that’s why it’s so much easier to read him than the two women. Men in general are less complicated creatures, but I have encountered enough hard nuts not to allow myself to prejudge. Richard is also vain and very competitive. Success means a lot more to him than relationships, and he is willing to work hard to achieve it.”

  Kian cast a glance at Richard. “I don’t see anything wrong with that.”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Richard said. “Why did you think that I’d find the assessment unflattering? Because you said that I’m not deep? I know I’m no philosopher. I’m a get-it-done kind of guy and damn proud of it.”

  When Kian nodded in agreement, Edna cast both of them indulgent smiles.

  “I love seeing male bonding in action. But you are right, nothing so far was truly objectionable. My worry is that you are too self-serving, and because relationships are not important to you, you might be incapable of loyalty.”

  Kian was glad that Jin had left before Richard’s interrogation had started. Even though her feelings for him hadn’t been real, it would have been embarrassing to hear that her ex-boyfriend was a self-serving bastard who didn’t have it in him to develop deep feelings.

  If Richard were younger, Kian would have attributed his attitude to immaturity, but at thirty-four, the guy had a fully developed personality, and it was doubtful that he could change.

  What Edna had said was troubling. Even if Richard were a Dormant, without the ability to form a bond with an immortal mate, the guy couldn’t be trusted to join the clan.

  Richard nodded, not trying to deny it. “There is something to it. I am self-serving, but I’m also smart, and I will never betray a group that I’m part of. Especially if my freedom depends on it. If you allow me to join you, and if there is a way for me to earn a decent living in any capacity that you may deem me useful in, you will have my loyalty. Not because of nobleness, which I seem to lack, but because it’s beneficial to me.”

  60

  Jin

  Out of the huge pile of clothes that Amanda had brought, Jin had come away with the modest loot of four T-shirts, one short skirt, two pairs of gorgeous jeans that had been thankfully too small for Jacki, and the red bikini, which was the best find. She looked terrific in it, if she said so herself.

  Arwel was going to salivate and hopefully make a move.

  Usually, Jin didn’t have a problem with flirting, and she was quite forward when the occasion demanded, but for some reason, she was holding back with Arwel.

  The guy was probably centuries old and had old-fashioned ideas about courtship. If she came on to him, he might not like it and lose interest.

  Besides, it would be nice to be treated like a lady for a change, to get wooed and courted, wined and dined, and to not have to act all macho because the guys of her generation were wusses who waited for the girls to do all the work.

  Jin glanced at Jacki, who’d put the bikini back on and was admiring herself in the mirror. “Do you think I can just wrap a towel around my middle and go to the pool like this?”

  “I don’t see why not.”

  Jacki scrunched her nose. “Mey and Yamanu might have a problem with us taking their towels. Is there a laundry machine we can use somewhere in this place? Because if I take a towel to the pool, that will leave me with only one for showering.”

  “I’m sure we can have things laundered. It’s not like we are s
taying here for a day or two. I’m just going to put a T-shirt on so I don’t parade around with my boobs on display.”

  Wendy was already ahead of them, pulling her sweatshirt on. “It’s cold in here. I wonder where we are. Did they take us up north somewhere? Or is it cold because we are underground?”

  Both girls looked at Jin, waiting for her to supply the answer.

  Pretending not to get it, she wrapped the towel around her hips. “You are right. It is damn cold in here. We should turn the thermostat up.”

  Casting her a narrow-eyed glance, Jacki opened the bedroom door.

  “Richard is back.”

  “Just in time to join us.” Jin followed her out. “How did it go?”

  “Edna declared me a self-serving prick, vain, and highly competitive.”

  “Ouch. Are you okay?” It was right on the money, but Richard had plenty of redeeming qualities as well. “I’m sure she had some good things to say about you too.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t think of what she said as bad. I’m a go-getter and proud of it. Not everyone can be the sensitive poet type.”

  Arwel clapped him on the back. “I agree.”

  Jin wondered if Arwel was one. As an empath, he was super sensitive to other people’s feelings, but after centuries of that, he might have become desensitized.

  “We are all going to the pool,” Jacki said. “Do you want to come?”

  “I need to check if Ingrid bought swimming trunks for me.”

  Yamanu got up from the couch. “If she didn’t, I can lend you a pair of exercise shorts.”

  Richard looked up at the tall guy. “I don’t think yours will fit me.”

  “How about you, Arwel?” Jin asked. “Are you coming with us to the pool?”

  For the first time since they’d met, he looked her up and down. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”

  There was a sultry quality in his voice that she hadn’t heard before.

  Yamanu chuckled softly and ducked into the bedroom, proving that she hadn’t imagined it, and Mey was grinning like she’d won the lottery.

  Her sister was less than two years older than her, but sometimes she behaved like her mother. It was annoying and sweet at the same time.

  Jin cleared her throat. “Go get changed. I’m already wearing the beautiful bikini that Amanda donated to the cause.”

  “Me too,” Jacki said and looked at Amanda. “Can I be your maid?”

  “Why would you want to?”

  Jacki rolled her eyes. “Because the maid always gets the hand-me-downs. I can be fabulously dressed and also make money by selling some of them. These hardly worn designer labels will sell like crazy on eBay.”

  “You don’t need to be my maid. I’ve already told you that they are yours and Jin’s.”

  “Yay!” Jacki pumped her fist. “I can live like a queen.”

  Amusement dancing in his incredible eyes, Arwel put his hand on Jin’s shoulder. “I’m going to my room to get changed. I’ll meet you at the pool.”

  “Okay.”

  “Have fun.” Amanda lifted her purse and looked at Callie and Wonder. “Do you want to ride home with me? Or are you going back with Kian and your guys?”

  “We are going back with Kian,” Wonder said.

  Callie sighed. “I wish I had my swimsuit with me.” She pushed to her feet. “Next time.”

  “Can you come tomorrow?” Wendy glanced up at Amanda. “We can have fun together.” She looked genuinely sad to see them go.

  “Come here, kiddo.” Amanda pulled the girl into a quick hug. “I’ll come, and I’ll try to get Dalhu to join me and give you, Jin, and Jacki a drawing lesson. I don’t think Richard will want to participate.”

  “Why not?” Richard asked. “Maybe I like drawing?”

  Amanda lifted one perfectly shaped black brow. “Do you?”

  “Not really, but what else is there to do here? I might as well learn a new skill.”

  61

  Arwel

  As Arwel changed into his swim shorts, he was reminded of the time he’d watched over Lokan. After Carol had left for her mission on the Doomers’ island, he and Lokan had spent long hours at the pool each night. Lokan had been trying to exhaust himself by exercising and swimming so he could fall asleep in the morning and meet Carol in dreamland. With the time difference between the island and Los Angeles being twelve hours, his day had been Carol’s night. Arwel, who wasn’t a great fan of swimming, had spent most of that time sitting on a towel or lying down and reading.

  Remarkably, he remembered his time with Lokan and Carol fondly.

  Lokan was a pleasant enough fellow, and observing his and Carol’s bond forming and solidifying had been fascinating. It had provided Arwel with a rare opportunity to be so close to fated mates that he could share in their experience.

  There had been a Peeping Tom aspect to it, but since Arwel had been put in charge of guarding Lokan, there hadn’t been much he could have done about it.

  Had he learned anything from it, though?

  The most astounding aspect was the speed at which it had happened. The problem was that Lokan and Carol’s lightning-fast bonding had created certain expectations for how it would be when Arwel found his own truelove mate. He’d expected the attraction to be just as overpowering and the bond snapping into place just as fast.

  Except, it appeared that he’d been wrong, and things moved at different speeds for different people.

  Then again, he’d only met Jin yesterday morning. It just seemed as if he’d known her for much longer.

  Patience.

  Usually, he was a laid-back kind of guy, and waiting patiently for things to unfold had never been a problem for him. As an immortal, time was of little consequence. So why the hell was he stressing over how slow things were moving with Jin?

  Pulling a fresh T-shirt out of the duffle bag, he combed his hair with his fingers. There hadn’t been time to ask Amanda for a haircut and style advice, but he should really get on with it before the keep got swamped with eager Guardians who were all much better groomed than he was.

  As Arwel slid the phone into a pocket in his swimming trunks, he was tempted to pull it out again and text Amanda, but the truth was that he was embarrassed to make the request. Perhaps Magnus could help him out?

  He was a suave dresser, but his style was too formal and polished for Arwel. Magnus was also always perfectly groomed, but Arwel doubted that the Guardian cut his own hair or even did the trimming on that stylish goatee of his. The best Magnus could do was refer Arwel to his barber.

  It had to be Amanda.

  With a groan, he pulled out the phone and typed a text. I’m sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I know that you helped Anandur when he was courting Wonder, and he actually looked great for a couple of weeks until he let his hair get unruly again. I’m in desperate need of a haircut, but I can’t leave the keep at the moment. I could also use some style advice on how to dress casually but more elegantly without looking as if I’m trying too hard.

  Fates, he sounded like a teenage boy asking his big sister for dating advice.

  Not expecting a response anytime soon, Arwel put the phone back in his pocket and headed for the pool.

  Except, the thing rang a moment later.

  Damn, he’d hoped Amanda would save him the embarrassment and text her response instead of calling him.

  “Darling, of course I’ll help you. It’s a shame you didn’t ask me yesterday. If you had, you would have been a new man today. I’m going to come around tomorrow straight from the university and give you a whole new look.”

  “Thank you. I don’t want anything too drastic.”

  She chuckled. “You’ve let yourself go, Arwel. Even a simple haircut will be a drastic change.”

  “I will leave it up to you. Can we do it discreetly, though?”

  “I have a splendid idea. I’ll get Eva to come with me, and we will give the girls makeovers. While we are at it,
I’ll offer you, Richard, and Yamanu a makeover as well. That way, no one will know that you asked for it, and I can go all out on you. I can turn you into a supermodel.”

  The woman was a genius. “You are the best, Amanda. I mean it.”

  “I love you too, Arwel. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  62

  Jin

  “The water is cold,” Jacki complained.

  “Isn’t the pool heated?” Jin sat down next to Jacki and dipped a toe in. It was cold.

  “If it is, it’s not enough.”

  Sitting on the edge and dangling her feet in the water, Jacki seemed more interested in watching Yamanu and Mey splash around than getting in herself.

  The two looked perfectly happy to fool around and didn’t seem bothered by the water’s temperature. Apparently, being impervious to cold was one more of the many advantages that immortals enjoyed.

  Richard and Wendy were in the pool too, though, and they were still human. Perhaps she and Jacki were just being wussy.

  It still made Jin’s head spin every time she thought about Mey being immortal. Sometimes, she would forget that her sister was no longer human, but all that was needed to remind her was Mey smiling and flashing her new fangs.

  Those were hard to ignore.

  “Come on.” Richard splashed her and Jacki. “Get in. It’s only cold for the first second or two.” He turned around to point at Wendy, who was on her sixth lap. “She doesn’t mind the water being a little cold.”

  Wendy lifted a hand and waved. “He is right. Get in.”

  Jin glanced at the double doors. Arwel should be walking in at any moment, and she wanted him to see her in the bikini before she got her hair wet.

  On second thought, she might look sexier when wet. But for him to see her in her hot bikini, she would have to get out of the water, and since it was cold, she would have to cover herself up with a towel, and that would defeat the purpose of wearing it.