Chapter 1: Kian
“Good morning, Edna.” Kian opened the door to his office. “You are early.”
She smiled. “I was so surprised that you invited me to this emergency meeting, that I couldn’t contain my curiosity. Lately my updates come from my mate, who hears news about what’s going on from Kalugal.”
Her criticism was earned.
Kian notoriously failed to seek the council’s advice, or to update them about anything other than the most critical issues. But that was because most of the council members were in the loop anyway.
Bridget was in charge of the rescue operations, so they talked almost daily, and her mate was Kian’s right-hand man, even though he wasn’t on the council. Since joining the clan Turner had been privy to all the strategic decisions Kian made.
As the chief Guardian, Onegus was naturally in the loop, William was usually consulted regarding the technical aspects, and Amanda heard everything from Syssi. That left Edna, who was apparently getting her information from Rufsur, and Brandon, who wasn’t interested in anything outside of his field of expertise.
“That’s why I invited you today.” Kian walked over to the conference table and pulled out a chair for her. “But you are here not just as the council’s representative. I value your opinion, and what’s on the agenda for this Saturday morning has monumental implications for the clan.”
Smiling, Edna sat down. “I assume that you are referring to the illustrious cult leader, Emmett Haderech, who might be a different kind of immortal or just insane.”
“I see that you are well-informed.” Kian pulled out a chair next to her.
“You should realize that unless you implicitly ask Kalugal not to disclose the information you share with him, he tells Rufsur everything.”
Kian hadn’t considered that, but what Edna had helped him realize was the extent of Kalugal’s involvement in the clan’s affairs.
Except, it was one-sided.
Kalugal didn’t share anything about his business dealings with Kian.
Then again, the accord they’d signed indicated that they were to cooperate on security issues, and finding out that there was a whole different breed of immortals out there fell under that category.
Bridget and Turner arrived next, followed by Peter and Eleanor who were there to supply details and answer questions. Onegus and William came in a moment later, and Kalugal and Andrew were the last to arrive.
When everyone was seated, Kian motioned for Shai to start the recording. “Most of you already know why I called this meeting. Emmett Haderech was apprehended yesterday and delivered to a cell in the keep.” Kian looked at the faces around the conference table.
Andrew was the only one who had no idea what was going on.
“I’ll summarize for Andrew’s sake. Until yesterday, Emmett Haderech was the leader of Safe Haven, a cult-like organization. When Turner was hired to retrieve a young woman from the cult, he requested my help. Onegus and I chose Leon, Peter, and Eleanor for the task. Kri was supposed to join them, but it didn’t work out. When Eleanor voiced her suspicion that cult leaders might be using compulsion to secure their followers, I decided to use the opportunity and have the team investigate her hypothesis. Eleanor and Peter ended up discovering something more troubling than that. Safe Haven’s leader, Emmett Haderech, turned out to be not only a powerful compeller, but also an immortal, who claims to have a different ancestry than ours.”
Andrew cocked a brow. “Ours, as in Annani’s clan? Or ours, as all known immortals?”
“I’ll let Peter explain.” Kian turned to the Guardian. “That will bring everyone up to speed.”
Peter rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “Maybe Eleanor should start, and I’ll take it from there.”
“Very well.” Kian motioned for her to begin.
“I suspected Emmett of being an immortal early on. The clues were all there, but since he didn’t trigger Peter or Leon’s immortal alert, I shelved that suspicion.”
“What made you suspect him?” Andrew asked.
“He had a reputation of bedding several women a night, and given that he was supposed to be in his fifties, that was odd. Then when we tried to get one of the women to talk about her experience with him, she couldn’t remember any of the details. And the last clue was the state in which the women left his place. They were so exhausted that they needed a day off to recuperate.”
Andrew frowned. “That shouldn’t have happened. If they were bitten by him, they should have been perfectly fine the next day.”
“Yeah, that was what threw us off. We suspected drugs.” Eleanor shifted in her chair. “I wanted to find out whether he used compulsion or drugs or both on the women, so I asked for an audience with him, which was basically like asking for a hookup. I got invited. He was careful, testing me to make sure that I was susceptible to compulsion. I did a good job of faking it, and once he was sure that I could be compelled, he gave me spiked wine. I pretended to be high, and he took me down to his basement. Naturally, I intended to stop him before things got heavy, but I didn’t expect him to be so strong and to go straight for my neck. He was more interested in snacking on my blood than having sex with me.”
Andrew’s eyes grew wide. “What the hell? Is he a vampire?”
“He thinks that he is a different kind of immortal,” Peter said. “His story was very convincing, but some of the things he said didn’t add up, which is why I suspect that he might be insane and that he'd made it all up.”
“What did he tell you?” Andrew asked.
“He said that his people were relative newcomers, which was the best indication that he was making it up. According to him, the original settlers are called pure-bloods, and they are long-lived but not immortal. Emmett is supposedly a first-generation born to a human mother and a pure-blooded father. They have fangs and venom, and he implied that their females have them too. They are a matriarchal society because of gender disparity. For every four males, only one female is born. They operate as a tribe and don’t have family units. The females choose who they want to breed with, and it sounded like they owned the males in their communal harem. When I told him that Greggory came from a different group of immortals, Emmett asked whether he belonged to Eleanor or to his former mistress.”
Eleanor chuckled. “When he told me that he was raised to respect women, that was a gross understatement.”
“I’m still stuck on the blood-sucking,” Andrew said. “Is it a sexual thing? Or a nutritional need?”
“He’s definitely a carnivore.” Peter leaned back in his chair and folded his arms over his chest. “When we stopped in a fast-food place, he ordered naked medium-rare burgers and ate only the meat. He said that was the only thing he could consume without getting an upset stomach.”
“He said that my blood was potent.” Eleanor winced. “It was like an energy drink for him, and he also said that I smelled delicious. I think it’s both sexual and nutritional.” She shrugged. “Or he’s nuts, and the blood-sucking is a fetish.”
“Any progress with Emmett’s laptop?” Kian asked.
He had given it to William last night, but he doubted the guy had had time to do much with it yet.
“It was easy to break into, but I need more time to try to decipher the language. It’s not my specialty. I’m also checking on the company that he sent the email to, but I sincerely doubt that it belongs to his people. Kuwei is a multi-billion telecommunications company, and it has been in the news lately, so he might have picked up the name and used it in his fantasy. I will be stunned if he gets a reply email from them.”
“I almost forgot.” Peter pulled a folded piece of paper out of his pocket. “This might help.” He handed it to William. “Eleanor and I searched Emmett’s filing cabinet, and we noticed something that looked like a ranking system. Eleanor copied it.”
“Thanks.” William put it in his shirt pocket.
“You didn’t get to the punchline yet.” Kalugal smiled at Peter. “Their supposed Dormant situation.”
Peter nodded. “According to Emmett, they either can’t or don’t know how to activate their second generation, the children born to the half-breeds and their human partners. That’s what he needed me for. He planned to take me back to his people, so I could attempt to activate their Dormants. I was his ticket back into his leader’s good graces. The email he sent was to her, telling her about me.” He looked at Kian. “I understand that she hasn’t emailed him back yet.”
“She didn’t,” William said. “The only email he got was from his office manager in Safe Haven.”
“Did he say where his people supposedly came from?” Edna asked.
Peter shook his head. “Emmett either didn’t know or didn’t want to tell me. He said that the pure-bloods keep to themselves and treat their half-human children as second-class tribe members. They don’t share information with them. That’s pretty much all that he told me.”
“We will find out more when we interrogate him.” Kian turned to William. “Now that you have another piece of information, I want you to give deciphering the email another go. I don’t mean it as in figuring out what it says, only that it’s an actual language and not gibberish. Before we interrogate Emmett, it would be helpful to know if we are dealing with a different kind of immortal or a madman.”
“When are you going to see him?” William asked.
“I wanted to do it later today, but I’d rather wait for you to give the language another go. I’ll do it tomorrow.” Kian turned to Andrew. “I want you there. I need to know when he’s lying.”
Andrew nodded. “Of course.”
“Do you need Peter and me to come?” Eleanor asked.
“Not tomorrow, but I might need you later.” He looked at Turner. “Anything that you want to add?”
“Did you check with Arwel how his prisoner is doing?”
“Naturally, Emmett tried to use compulsion on Arwel and the other Guardians who are keeping an eye on him. He was very disappointed to discover that we know how to defend ourselves against it.”
Chapter 2: Bowen
Bowen had spent the night sitting on a chair next to Margaret. The doctor and the nurses who’d come to check on her had tried to persuade him to leave, telling him that she was in good hands and that there was no reason for him to be there, but he’d refused, pushing a barely-there thrall at them and convincing them to let him stay.
His concern for her was illogical, he was well aware of that, but he just couldn’t bring himself to leave her.
Margaret needed him.
During the night, every time she’d opened her eyes, they’d immediately darted in his direction, and when she’d reassured herself that he was still there, a soft smile had lifted her lips, and she’d fallen asleep again.
According to the doctor, the surgery on her knee had gone well, and she could go home today. Well, not to her home, but to the cabin.
Anastasia had put her foot down and forced the issue.
He was to bring Margaret to the cabin so she could take care of her.
That should have eased his mind.
She was no longer going to Safe Haven, where he’d feared there would be no one to look after her, and between Anastasia and Leon, Margaret would be well taken care of.
He could drop her off at the cabin and leave her there with a clear conscience.
There were several problems with that, though. Leon and Anastasia were working on deepening their bond and Anastasia’s transition, and the last thing they needed was to play nursemaid to Margaret.
What would they do once Anastasia started transitioning? Leaving Margaret alone in the cabin was a no-go. Someone would have to come to be with her or take her back to Safe Haven, which would result in precisely what Bowen wanted to avoid.
Margaret would be left to fend for herself.
The only solution was for him to join her in the cabin and take care of her, freeing Leon and Anastasia to work on their budding relationship.
Bowen could just imagine the pushback, and the crap he was going to get from his fellow Guardians for taking on another needy case. Last night, Elliot and Ritchie had already given him a taste of that when they had come to collect the ambulance, teasing him mercilessly about staying the night to watch over Margaret.
And what about Ronja?
She and Lisa needed him too.
Perhaps he could ask Peter to stop by their house every day and spend time with Ronja? She was an outgoing woman, and she was making plenty of new friends in the village, but he still felt guilty about abandoning her to take on another damsel in distress.
Except, it wasn’t the same with Margaret.
There was something about her that called to him as a male, and not just as a friend and protector. She was so damn fragile, and he was irresistibly drawn to her.
When a knock sounded on the door, and the doctor walked in, Margaret opened her eyes. “Is it morning?”
“It is.” The doctor smiled. “Let’s check that leg.” She looked at Bowen. “Would you mind waiting outside?”
“Sure.”
He cast Margaret a reassuring smile as he pushed to his feet. “I’m going to the cafeteria to get breakfast. Do you want anything?”
The doctor shook her head. “Breakfast will be delivered shortly.”
He nodded, but he was going to get Margaret something from the cafeteria nonetheless. The woman needed to put some meat on her bones, and now that he’d assigned himself to her care, he was going to feed her and make sure that she gained some weight.
Out in the hallway, Bowen leaned against the wall and pulled his phone out to call Onegus.
The call went to voicemail, which made it easier. He could just leave a message.
“Good morning, chief. I need to take a week off to take care of Anastasia’s friend. Anastasia insisted that I bring Margaret to the cabin so she could look after her, but we both know that’s not a good idea. She and Leon have more important things to do than play nurses. Let me know if that’s a problem.”
It shouldn’t be. He had accumulated plenty of vacation days, and it was about time that he used some of them. Unless Onegus was planning a major mission, the Guardian force could do without him for a week.
Bowen’s phone rang when he was standing in line in the cafeteria.
It was the chief.
“Did you get my message?”
“That’s why I’m calling. Right now, it’s not a problem, but Kian is considering beefing up security.”
“Because of Emmett?”
“Yeah. I just walked out of a meeting with him.”
“I can’t talk right now. Can I call you later?”
“It’s not urgent, and personally I don’t think we need to be concerned, but I just want you to know that there is a small chance you’ll need to cut your vacation short.”
“It’s not exactly a vacation.”
Onegus snorted. “If you are not working, you are on vacation. I don’t care what you do with your free time.”
“Right. Thanks for approving the time off. I’ll talk to you later.”
“No problem.” Onegus ended the call.
The first step was done, but there were more things Bowen needed to arrange. He could rent a car and drive Margaret all the way to the cabin, but that would take twelve hours, and she was in no shape to sit in a car for so long. He could book them a flight, but it would be best if Kian sent Charlie with the jet to pick them up.
Could he ask for that, though?
Margaret wasn’t the clan’s responsibility, and Kian had no reason to use clan resources for her, but he might do that as a personal favor to Bowen.
After putting his tray on one of the tables, he pulled out his phone and called the big boss.
“Bowen.” Kian’s gruff voice sounded concerned. “What’s going on?”
He wasn’t sure how much Kian knew. “I’m in a hospital in Eugene with Anastasia’s friend.”
“I know. The one who broke her leg and needed an operation. Is she okay?”
“The surgery went well, and she’s getting discharged later today. I don’t know if anyone told you, but Anastasia demanded to go back to Safe Haven to take care of her friend. Leon managed to convince her that it would be better if I bring Margaret to the cabin so she could take care of her there.”
“How is that going to work? They need to concentrate on bonding, not taking care of her friend.”
“My thoughts exactly. Leon couldn’t let Anastasia leave, and that was the only compromise he could think of. I thought of a solution, though. I can stay with Margaret at the cabin and take care of her, so they won’t have to.”
“That’s good. It still not as good as them having the place to themselves, but it’s better than forcing Anastasia to stay, or letting her go when she could start transitioning at any moment.”
“I’m glad that you see it that way because I need a favor.”
“What is it?”
“Can Charlie pick up Margaret and me from the Eugene airport? I can book us a commercial flight to L.A. but given that Margaret is fresh out of surgery, I thought that she would be more comfortable in the jet. Also, the clan’s airstrip is closer to the cabin than LAX, so less driving is required.”
“What time do you need Charlie to be there?”
“Around four o’clock.”
“He will be there. I guess that you will also need a car.”
“Yeah, but I can ask my friends to deliver it to the airstrip. I don’t need to bother you with that.”
“Anything else that you need help with?”
“I do, but I can handle it myself. I feel bad enough about asking you for the jet.”
“Don’t. You are being a good friend to Leon, and transitioning Dormants take priority over almost everything. I’m more than happy to make the jet available to you.”
Helping Leon or even Anastasia’s impending transition were not Bowen’s main motives, but he kept that to himself.
“Thank you.”
“Take care.”
Bowen let out a breath. That had been easier than he’d expected.
Next, he was going to call Theo and arrange for his car to be delivered along with several changes of clothing and other personal items. And that reminded him that Margaret would need new clothes to leave the hospital in. Her old ones were dirty, and even if they weren’t, she couldn’t wear pants over the cast.
He needed to do some shopping.
Chapter 3: Anastasia
“Why are you changing the bedding?” Leon bent down to pick up the pillowcases Ana had thrown on the floor. “They are clean. Okidu changed them before we got here.”
She tossed the duvet cover to him. “This bed needs to be free of germs for Margaret. I’m going to sanitize the bedding.”
“Are you sure it won’t shrink?” He turned one of the pillowcases inside out and checked the label. “It says here to launder them in warm water, not hot.”
“It’s fine.” She pulled the sheet off the bed. “Did you forget what my last job was? I was a maid, and I’m an expert on bedding.”
“It wasn’t a job because you weren’t paid.” He caught the sheet that she tossed to him. “It was an exercise in humility.”
For a rich girl that had studied to become a lawyer, cleaning guest rooms in the Safe Haven retreat might have seemed like a step down, but Ana hadn’t minded. The physical work had been therapeutic. After a lifetime of studying her ass off to impress a father who viewed her as a failure anyway, it had been very satisfying to do a job that did not leave room for interpretation. When she was done, the place was spotless, and no one could accuse her of doing a less than perfect job.
Folding the duvet, she put it on top of the dresser. “I never thought of it like that, but you are right. I have much more appreciation now for people who clean for a living. It’s hard work, but it is oddly satisfying.” She tried to take the bundle from him.
“I’ll carry it.”
Call her old-fashioned, but she liked Leon’s macho side.
Ana followed him out of the room. “After we put this in the washing machine, we need to take stock of what food is left in the pantry and the fridge.” Her lips twisted in a grimace. “You might have to go grocery shopping, but I hate the idea of you riding that motorcycle. And even if I had no problem with that, there isn’t much you can store in its two small container thingies. We need a car.”
“I can ask Okidu to make a delivery.” He started for the stairs.
“We need a car, Leon. What if Margaret has to go to a doctor? How is she going to get there?” Ana took the bundle from him and stuffed it into the machine.
“Good point. I’ll call one of my buddies and arrange for my car to be delivered here.”
She cast him a smile over her shoulder. “I’m glad that we see eye to eye. Now, go check how many containers are left in the freezer.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He trotted back down.
For someone as bossy as Leon was in the bedroom, he was very easy-going outside of it, which was kind of perfect.
What was the catch? Because there had to be one.
Leon was beyond hot, smart, considerate, and last night he’d told her that he had fallen in love with her. She couldn’t have dreamt up anyone better, not even in her wildest dreams.
Ana wasn’t crazy about what he did for a living because it was dangerous, but saving victims of trafficking was a noble cause. Her man was a modern-day knight, fighting evil and protecting the weak, and she should be proud of him, which she was, but she was also scared.
In fact, she was terrified.
In her experience, good things didn’t last, and being happy was the privilege of the lucky few who hadn’t been slapped around by fate.
Yet.
They could live with the illusion that life was good, and that nothing terrible could happen to them, until it did. Almost no one got to reach old age without suffering the loss of a loved one, or experiencing one sort of calamity or another.
Life was about suffering, with a few happy moments thrown in for contrast, just so people would know how miserable they were the rest of the time.
Leon was responsible for the happiest moments Ana had experienced to date, but the question was how long her sojourn in fairytale land would last.
With a sigh, she set the program to sanitize and headed back down.
“You were right. We are running low.” Leon put another meal container on top of the short pile he’d already stacked on the counter. “That’s all there is. We have enough for today and tomorrow. Can your friend cook?”
Ana chuckled. “I have no idea. But even if she can, Margaret will be in no condition to do that. I guess we will have to take a YouTube crash course in cooking.”
“I can grill steaks.”
She was about to tease him about that when his phone rang.
He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. “It’s Bowen.”
Ana tensed. Was something wrong with Margaret? Did she need to stay another day in the hospital?
“What’s up, Bowen?”
When Leon frowned, her gut clenched.
“Are you sure about that?” Leon asked.
“What’s going on?” Ana whispered.
He put his finger over the mic. “Bowen decided that he’s not going to just drop Margaret off and leave. He’s going to stay and take care of her.”
“Why?”
“That’s what I’m trying to find out.” He removed his finger from the microphone. “I see. Yeah, you are right. How are you going to get here?”
He listened for several moments. “While you are at it, can you ask Theo to do a grocery run as well? We are running low on everything.” Another moment passed as he listened to Bowen’s reply. “Anastasia and I will make a list, and I’ll text it to Theo. When do you think you’ll get here?” Another moment passed, and then Leon smiled. “Don’t worry. There is still enough left over from what Okidu prepared for us. We won’t let her starve.”
When he ended the call, Ana arched a brow. “What’s Bowen’s deal?”
Leon shrugged. “The guy has a soft spot for females in need of rescuing.”
“He’s already done his part by getting her to the hospital and staying with her through the night. Doesn’t he trust us to take care of Margaret? And what about the widow you told me that he was seeing?”
Leon waved a hand in dismissal. “I thought that something was going on between them, but Bowen was offended by the mere suggestion. Who knows? Maybe he fancies Margaret? You said that she’s pretty.”
“She is, but Bowen is much younger than her, and he is a major hunk.”
Leon’s brows dipped low. “A hunk, eh? You noticed.”
Was he jealous?
That was adorable.
Sauntering up to him, Ana wrapped her arms around his neck. “Bowen is handsome, but he has nothing on you. You are the man of my dreams.”
“Am I now?” His lips lifting in a satisfied smirk, Leon put his hands on her waist and drew her against his body.
“You are better than a dream.” She stretched up on her toes and kissed him. “You are my dream man and kinky fantasy put together, and I never thought that the combination was possible.”
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