“I had tea made for you.” Kalugal walked into the bedroom with a tray. “The regular kind.” He put it on the nightstand.

  Talk about ego-boosting. One of the two most powerful immortals on the planet was serving her tea in bed.

  Sweet.

  She smiled. “Thank you. Where is Jacki?”

  “She fell asleep on the couch in the sitting room.”

  Lifting the chair that Jacki had moved aside, he brought it closer to the bed and sat down. “How are you feeling?” He poured the tea into a porcelain cup.

  “A thousand times better. I can’t believe how fast that shot worked.” She took a sip from the tea. “Earl Grey?”

  “Yes. I told Shamash to use the plainest tea we had.”

  Kalugal was such a snob, but for once she was going to keep her big mouth shut and not voice her opinion. “It’s the one I like most.”

  “I’m glad that I was able to oblige your preference.” He eyed her with that signature smirk lifting one corner of his perfect lips. “You must be disappointed.”

  “About what?”

  “You thought that you were transitioning.”

  She nodded. “I’m glad it didn’t happen now. I still need to show you that the tether is off. As much as I appreciate your hospitality, I want to be out of here by morning.”

  The smirk became more pronounced. “Given the way you were staring at my lips, I thought that you might want to stay a little longer.”

  Damn. The man was not only a snob but also full of himself. Still, she was going to tread lightly, and treat him as politely as a former Israeli soldier could. Some flattery wouldn’t hurt either.

  “You have the most beautiful lips I’ve ever seen on a man, and it’s hard not to stare, but my heart belongs to another. Besides, your eyes can’t compete with Arwel’s.”

  He chuckled. “Indeed. He has the most uniquely colored eyes. But I’m sure that’s not the only reason you gave him your heart.”

  “It was the first thing I noticed, but I fell in love with the whole package. There isn’t a single thing I would change about Arwel.” She scrunched her nose. “Except for his wardrobe, but that’s a work in progress.”

  “A wardrobe is easy to fix.” He sighed. “I want to wish the two of you the best of luck, but I have to be honest with you. If you can’t prove to me that the tether is off, I won’t be able to release you.”

  “I’ll prove it.” She scooted aside, clearing space on the bed, and patted the mattress. “Come sit next to me, and let’s do it.”

  Gracefully unfolding his limbs from the chair, he shifted over to the bed and offered her his hand.

  She took it and held it between her two. “I’m going to reattach the tether now. Close your eyes and turn your sight inward. You should experience a slight mental heaviness.”

  He nodded and did as she asked. “I’m ready.”

  Concentrating, she imagined inserting a hook into Kalugal’s mind, and then attaching a thick strand of her consciousness to it instead of the wispy one she usually employed. Hopefully, he was going to feel it.

  “It’s attached. Can you feel it?”

  Kalugal opened his eyes. “I think so, but it could be a placebo effect.”

  “Close your eyes again and focus on that feeling of heaviness. When I remove the tether, you should feel the difference.”

  “Okay.”

  “Did you feel it?”

  He nodded. “I think so. Do it again.”

  She ended up tethering and releasing him five more times before he was convinced.

  Partially.

  “I felt the difference, but you might have been doing something differently to make me feel it. I can never be sure that the tether is really off.”

  “You can even remove it yourself once you know what to look for. One of the people I tethered was able to do it.”

  “I can attempt to do so, but that is not going to be conclusive either. I might imagine myself doing that, but I have no way of verifying that the tether is gone. I’ll still need to take your word for it.”

  “Ask me. Compel me to tell you the truth.”

  “Is the tether off?”

  “Yes, it is.”

  “Did you ever fail to remove the tether from someone you attached it to?”

  “No.”

  “Have you ever encountered someone who you couldn’t tether?”

  “No. I could even do it to Jacki, who is immune to every other mind trick.”

  “How do you explain that?”

  Jin sighed and looked down. “It’s only speculation, but my sister and I think that we are the descendants of a different god. Someone who was not like the others. No one in the clan has ever heard of abilities like ours.”

  “What is your sister’s talent?”

  “She can retrieve echoes imbued in the walls. Not of everyday stuff, only conversations and events that were emotionally charged.”

  “Fascinating. I could use both your talents.”

  Jin smiled. “If you play nice with Kian, he might let you borrow us on occasion. But just so you know, I don’t plan on a career in espionage. My sister and I are going to launch a fashion line.”

  His eyes widened. “That would be a terrible waste of two incredible talents. You could make millions by offering your special services.”

  “Or we could get conscripted into government service. That was what happened to me. If not for the clan, I would still be stuck in there. They saved me.”

  “Tell me all about it. And start at the beginning, please.”

  By the time she was done, it was light outside, Kalugal had ordered four more pots of tea to be delivered, and he must have asked her a thousand questions.

  God only knew what he was going to do with all that information, but it wasn’t as if she’d had a choice.

  “One last question.”

  Jin rolled her eyes. “Go for it.”

  “Do you really love Arwel?”

  “With all my heart and everything that I am. I can’t imagine my life without him. We are fated mates.” She smiled. “I didn’t fully believe that until you captured him, but now I do.”

  He tilted his head. “You seem like an intelligent woman. I’m surprised that you believe in such romantic nonsense.”

  “It’s real. Arwel says that the Fates reward those who have sacrificed greatly for others by giving them their one and only, a mate to form an unbreakable bond with. I haven’t sacrificed much, but Arwel has, enough for both of us. Every day out in the field is torturous for him.”

  “How so?”

  “That’s more than one question, but it’s not like I can refuse to answer. Arwel is a powerful empath, and he is constantly bombarded by human emotions. He would have been much happier in a job that didn’t require interaction with humans, but despite the anguish it brings him, he chooses to be a Guardian and uses his special talent to protect the clan.”

  72

  Kalugal

  Kalugal smiled. “That’s admirable, and he deserves his reward.” He rose to his feet. “I’ll let you catch a little sleep.”

  “Are you going to let me go?”

  Even though he wasn’t sure about it yet, he nodded. “That’s what I promised.” He walked out into the sitting room.

  Jacki was still asleep, covered in the throw blanket he’d wrapped around her. Hopefully, she hadn’t been infected. The bacteria had wreaked havoc on Jin, and he would hate to see Jacki suffer like that.

  Except, this time he knew what to do. He would bring a doctor and have him give her a penicillin shot. The thing worked like a miracle.

  Sitting on an armchair across from Jacki, he was fascinated by the many shades of blond interwoven in her long wavy hair. He could have sat there for hours and just looked at her sleeping, but he had some thinking to do, and she was too distracting.

  As Kalugal got up and walked out of the room, it occurred to him that it would be better if Jacki left as soon as possible. She was an unhealthy obsession that he had no business having, and she was too much of a distraction. A pleasant one, but still.

  Except, he worried about the girl.

  What was Kian going to do with her?

  Perhaps he should continue his questioning to get a better insight into his cousin’s motives and modes of operation. Jin didn’t know much, and he doubted he could get anything more out of her. The doctor, on the other hand, would know much more.

  Kalugal hadn’t promised Kian not to interrogate him, but the fact that Kian hadn’t insisted on it meant that the doctor didn’t know any strategic secrets. Which was fine. He could still answer many of the questions that had been bugging Kalugal for decades.

  When he opened the library doors, Kalugal found Julian flipping through one of his tomes on Sumerian mythology. “I see that you’ve chosen some light reading to pass the time.”

  Julian weighed the thick book on his palm. “Not as heavy as what’s inside. Fascinating stuff.”

  Kalugal walked over to the library’s bar and poured himself a small glass of whiskey. “Would you care to join me?” He lifted the bottle of twenty-five-year-old Macallan.

  “Sure. I’m not a great whiskey connoisseur, but even I know that’s a good one.”

  “What do you usually drink?” Kalugal handed him the glass.

  “Beer.”

  Kalugal sat in the other armchair and crossed his legs. “Beer doesn’t do it for me.”

  “Did you ever try Snake Venom?”

  “Is it any good?”

  “It’s potent, and it’s the only beer that can give an immortal a buzz.”

  “I drink for the taste, not to get drunk. Tell me, Julian, are immortal females blessed with the same advantages as the males?”

  The doctor shook his head. “Are you using compulsion on me?”

  “I’m not going to ask that you reveal clan secrets. Since I’ve never encountered an immortal female other than my mother, who I now know is a goddess, I’m curious about them and how different they are from the males. My father didn’t share that information with his sons, real or adopted.”

  Julian struggled for a long moment, but Kalugal knew he wouldn’t be able to resist for long and waited patiently.

  “They are stronger than human females and have the same enhanced hearing and eyesight as the males. But they are not as strong, and they don’t have functional fangs. Their sense of smell is not as developed either.”

  “What about thralling and shrouding abilities?”

  “They have them, but since females don’t need to use them, very few are good thrallers or shrouders.”

  “Is it because they are not soldiers?”

  Julian chuckled. “It’s because they don’t bite their sex partners and don’t need to erase the memory of it later.”

  “I see. Is there any way to distinguish them from human females?”

  “Not unless they exhibit their strength.”

  The doctor was trying to resist by giving partial answers, but it was not going to work.

  “Please list all the ways in which immortal females are different from human females and how to identify them.”

  That should close any loopholes Julian might cling to in an effort to resist giving Kalugal a complete answer.

  “The scent of their arousal is different than that of human females. The caveat is that you need to know what to sniff for, and the female needs to be aroused at that moment for you to catch it. They also have the same rapid healing ability as the males. But it’s not like you can go around scratching a woman’s skin and watching how fast it heals.”

  “What about Dormants? How do you find them?”

  “Usually, they find us.”

  Kalugal arched a brow. “Please explain.”

  “We’ve tried all kinds of methods to identify Dormants, but so far, the only indicator we’ve found was paranormal ability. It’s not a sure sign because some humans with no godly genes have supernatural talents as well, and some Dormants have none. Most were seemingly random encounters or the work of the Fates, as some of us believe.”

  “Do you?”

  Julian nodded. “You may say that I was compelled to. Meeting my mate must have been arranged by the Fates. There is no logical explanation for the bizarre set of circumstances that led to our coming together.”

  “How did you know she was your mate?”

  Julian smiled. “One look at her picture was enough. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her looking at me, urging me to find her.”

  “Interesting. So, it can’t be explained by pheromones or some other physical reaction.”

  “Precisely. When I saw her picture, I didn’t know that she was a Dormant. All I knew was that the beautiful girl in the photo was much too young for me. The Fates had a different opinion.”

  “One more question. Can immunity to mind manipulation be considered a paranormal talent?”

  Julian nodded.

  “Is Jacki a Dormant?”

  “She might be. There is no way to know until she is induced. She either transitions or doesn’t.”

  “Has it been attempted with her?”

  “No. She is new, and she doesn’t know anything about transition or about being a possible candidate for one. We don’t tell the suspected Dormants anything until they find a clan member to bond with, or in human terms to fall in love with. The bond guarantees their loyalty, and without it we can’t risk the exposure.”

  That was excellent news. Jacki was a potential Dormant, and that explained why Kian accepted her into the clan and why he wasn’t going to harm her when she came back to him.

  Except, she might not.

  Kalugal smirked.

  Perhaps the Fates the clan believed in had arranged all of this to deliver Jacki to him. If she was indeed a Dormant, he could induce her transition and turn her immortal.

  Suddenly his horizon appeared so much brighter.

  Jacki could give him immortal children.

  There was no guarantee that she possessed godly genes, but on the remote chance that she did, he couldn’t let her go until he had seduced her and attempted to induce her transition.

  73

  Jin

  After Kalugal left, Jin didn’t go to sleep. She didn’t even try.

  Was he going to let her go?

  He’d said he would, but he hadn’t looked convinced. She could imagine him pacing the hallways of his sprawling mansion and plotting how to keep her without it causing a war with the clan.

  Damn.

  Now that she was feeling so much better, all kinds of crazy ideas were swirling in her head. The door to the suite was probably unlocked, and the Guardians were just outside the gate. Could she make a run for it?

  Kalugal’s men were not going to shoot her, so if she was fast enough and could scale that fence, she could get free.

  How tall was that fence anyway?

  Jin had watched it so many times from the balcony of the rented house, she should have known that, but for some reason, the details were hazy. Was it built from blocks or from bricks?

  The master suite Kalugal had put her in faced the back yard, so she couldn’t just look out the window and check.

  If the fence was six feet tall, she could climb it with ease, she could even manage eight if there were small crevices that she could stick her fingertips into.

  Except, she wouldn’t make it to the wall before one of Kalugal’s men tackled her to the ground.

  Maybe Jacki could create a diversion?

  Nah, those were all stupid thoughts. Kalugal would have no choice but to trade her back. The small suspicion still lingering in his mind was not enough for him to abandon Rufsur.

  The sun was all the way up in the sky when Kalugal walked in with her clothes neatly folded in his arms. “You are awake.”

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “How are you feeling?”

  “As good as new.”

  “Excellent. That means that you can walk out of here on your own two feet, and Julian doesn’t need to carry you out.” He put the clothes on the chair next to the bed. “Get dressed. I’m letting you go.”

  Jin flung the blanket off and jumped up. “You don’t have to ask me twice." She padded toward the bathroom. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

  “No rush. I called Kian and told him to bring Rufsur back. We agreed to make the exchange at ten-thirty, which is two hours from now.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  “After you get dressed, come down and join Julian and me for breakfast.”

  “What about Jacki?”

  “She stays. But you need to remove the tether from her as well.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t want a spy in my house.”

  “Ouch.”

  “If you don’t untether her, I will have to keep her locked up. If you do, she can be an honored guest instead of a prisoner.”

  Jin shook her head. “What’s the difference? Jacki can tell us what she saw later, when you release her. I don’t feel safe leaving her here with you without knowing what’s going on with her.”

  “Do you want to go home, Jin? Because I can trade Jacki for Rufsur and keep you. You are a much better prize than your friend.”

  Damn him for leaving the choice up to her.

  Maybe if he hadn’t told her already that he was letting her go, she could have done the right thing and chosen to stay so Jacki could go. But with the taste of freedom already in her mouth, Jin couldn’t bring herself to do that.

  “It’s only for a few hours, right?”

  “Maybe a little longer. I don’t know when Kian can arrange for me to speak with my mother.”

  That didn’t sound too bad. Even if Jacki had to stay another night. After all, Kalugal would want more than one phone call with his mother, and if he did anything to Jacki, Kian would cut him off.

  “Shouldn’t Jacki join us for breakfast?”

  “If you want to wake her up, you are welcome to do so. She is still passed out on the couch in the sitting room.”

 

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