Chapter 1: Mey
“Mey, sweetheart, do you need a few moments to rest?” Derek let his camera hand drop. “You look as lively as a dead fish wearing lipstick.”
“Thanks a lot, Derek,” Mey huffed and strode toward the cooler, casting a forced smile at the old lady sitting on a bench across from them.
The woman had already been there when they’d arrived, and she hadn’t moved since, watching the entire thing as if it was a live show.
That was the problem with a photo shoot in Central Park. The fresh air was good, the spectators not so much.
He lifted his hands. “Not funny? I thought it was. Where is that beautiful smile of yours?”
As always, her photographer’s fumbling attempt at humor was more amusing than his joke, but today it failed to lift her mood.
Mey pulled out a bottle and twisted the cap off. “I’m worried about Jin.”
“What happened?” Derek took another bottle for himself. “The new job not panning out?”
“I don’t know.” Mey took a few sips, careful not to smear her lipstick. “I haven’t heard from her in two days. She sent me a text that she’d arrived and was getting settled in her new place, and that was it. I called, I texted, and I even sent her an email. Nothing. No response.”
Derek waved a hand. “Give the kid some breathing room. She’s probably busy as hell, working hard, making new friends, buying potted plants for her new apartment.” He cast her a stern look. “And you, young lady, need to be a professional and look lively for the camera. We have a photo shoot to wrap up.”
“Let me fix your lipstick.” Julie walked over with her makeup case. “Pucker up.” She reached with the lip brush, fixed whatever needed fixing, then checked Mey’s eyes. “You’re good to go.”
Derek looked up at the sky. “We have no more than one hour of good light left. We will have to come back tomorrow.”
Mey let out a breath. “In that case, how about we call it a day?”
Julie chuckled. “Cruella de Vil is not going to like it.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Mey sighed. “Let’s do it.”
The modeling agency owner was a tough and demanding lady, and she had earned the nickname fair and square. Dalia Cromwell was all smiles and charm as long as everything ran smoothly. Except that was rarely the case in a modeling agency, which meant that most days Dalia was as mellow as a category five hurricane.
Still, Mey had a soft spot in her heart for the dragon lady. When Mey had returned to the States three years ago, Dalia had hired her on the spot.
“Think happy thoughts,” Derek said.
Julie handed her the tote bag that was the real star of the photo *shoot. “Think of taking this beauty home with you.” She winked. “It’s worth three thousand dollars, and they are letting us keep it.”
“You can have it. I like the smaller one.”
Julie’s eyes widened. “Are you sure?”
“I’m big enough without adding a huge tote to my frame.”
“You’re tall, not big. There is a difference.” Julie waved a dismissive hand and went back to her foldable chair. “You’re gorgeous.”
“Thanks.”
Mey’s nearly six-feet-tall willowy frame was great for modeling, and it had played a big role in her winning the beauty pageant that had started her career. But she’d never felt comfortable in her own skin.
Most Asian women were much shorter than her, and Mey didn’t like the stares and murmurs that her size provoked. Her mother had always reassured her that it was her beautiful face people were staring at, not her height. Then again, her adoptive mother was an average-sized, average-looking Caucasian lady, who’d never had to deal with stares.
Except, that wasn’t entirely true.
A Caucasian couple with two Asian daughters had drawn plenty of attention over the years. Especially after her Jewish parents decided to move to Israel and raise their daughters there.
Mey loved the country, and she loved the people. For the most part, they were warm, real, and welcoming, but unlike Americans, they didn’t know the meaning of minding their own business.
People would stop her parents on the street and ask them how they’d gotten their two beautiful girls. School hadn’t been easy either. Kids and teachers alike had wanted to know everything there was to know. Starting with where Mey and Jin had been adopted from, what had happened to their biological parents, and whether they were ever going back to China to look for them.
The answer had always been a resolute no.
First of all, because it was an impossible task to get the Chinese authorities to cooperate, and secondly, because Barbara and David Levin were Mey and Jin’s parents in every way that mattered. Mey was about twenty months old and Jin a newborn when the Levins had adopted them, and no two girls could have asked for better, more loving parents.
“That’s it.” Derek snapped away. “That’s the smile I’m talking about. Give me more, baby.”
There was a lot more in Mey’s reservoir of good memories. In fact, her life had been great up until about a month ago, but she didn’t want to think about that.
To keep on smiling, she had to stay in the past.
Her glory days, so to speak.
After winning the Ms. Teen Israel beauty queen pageant at seventeen, her modeling career had taken off like a rocket. Juggling school and photo shoots hadn’t been easy, but Mey had felt on top of the world. Then at eighteen, she’d been drafted into the army like most of her age group and had gone through the same basic training as everyone else.
Even that had been fun.
Mey had many fond memories from those intense six weeks, and she was still in contact with the friends she’d made there. Fifty girls sleeping in one army barrack and playing at being soldiers had been a memorable experience. Maybe one day she would write a story about it. Or a script.
It could make a hit comedy show.
After that, though, her friends had been assigned posts in various military branches, while Mey had been offered a very different kind of job, and her real glory days had begun.
Globetrotting from one on-location photo shoot to another, Mey had become the face of an international fashion label. But even though the label was real, and Mey’s pictures had been featured in fashion magazines all around the world, her official job had been only a cover for something much more interesting than posing for the camera.
Chapter 2: Kian
“I’m glad that Annani is staying longer than usual this time.” Syssi threaded her arm through Kian’s. “I love these Friday night family dinners. I wish they could continue.”
Kian smiled. “Me too. We should keep having them after she leaves.”
“I agree.”
As they strolled down the meandering path toward his mother’s house, enjoying the late evening breeze, Kian felt the week’s tension draining away.
Even though he often worked from home during the weekends, those family dinners had become the delineating mark that signaled the end of his work week. The effect was more psychological than anything else, but it helped him relax.
Then again, the additional tension he’d been feeling for the past month was gone. The mission to infiltrate the Doomers’ island was over, and Carol was safe, or as safe as she could be with Lokan.
She should have come home instead of waiting for her mate’s return from his mandatory visit to the island. Especially since Lokan’s Washington penthouse was still under surveillance. Those detectives that Turner’s guy had discovered were still there, watching the place, and probably eavesdropping too.
Except, Carol had declined Kian’s invitation, claiming that she was still tired and needed the rest. Which was no doubt true. She’d been through a lot.
By now, Lokan should be back, and Kian couldn’t wait for his update. Or rather Carol’s. Lokan’s phone was still suspect. And even though William had flown over and checked the place for bugs, Carol’s instructions were to exercise caution until Lokan got rid of the watchers, which he’d promised to take care of as soon as he was back from the island.
Kian hoped that Areana’s son had kept his mouth shut about where he’d been and with whom. If he had done that, the visit should have passed without incident. After centuries of successfully lying to his father, Lokan was not likely to reveal anything unintentionally, especially now that he had a mate to return to.
Except, Kian didn’t trust Lokan, and frankly, he didn’t trust Areana either. Not that he was going to share his misgivings with his mother.
Annani was overjoyed at being able to talk with her sister after five thousand years, and she preferred to turn a blind eye to the fact that her sister loved Navuh, and that he was her first priority. Not Annani, and not Annani’s clan.
“What happened? Syssi asked. “Suddenly there is a dark cloud hovering over your head.”
“It’s nothing.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Just more of the same.”
She smiled up at him. “Are you still worried about Lokan’s hidden agenda?”
“Of course. And I don’t trust Areana either, but don’t mention it to my mother.”
“I won’t. It will only upset her and not change her opinion about her sister.”
“Precisely.” He sighed. “I’m just afraid that she will tell Areana too much. But then I tend to be over-cautious, especially when the safety of my people is concerned.”
“Will Annani be able to communicate with Areana from the sanctuary?”
“William will patch the calls through. They agreed on a specific time every day, so that shouldn't be a problem.”
“Good. I thought that maybe that was the reason for her still being here. I’m glad that it’s not. I want to believe that she’s enjoying herself being with her family.”
Kian shrugged. “There are no new babies in the sanctuary, so Annani is in no hurry, but that won’t last long. As much as my mother enjoys her temporary lodging in the village, she’ll eventually want the comfort and luxury of her Alaskan paradise.”
Syssi halted and turned toward him. “What if we build her a mansion here?”
Kian chuckled. “Even if we had the money to splurge, which at the moment we don’t, that won’t keep her here.” Wrapping his arm around Syssi’s waist, he kept on walking. “Annani needs her freedom, and she also likes to go on excursions to various places around the world. She knows that I worry when she does that, so she hasn’t gone anywhere while she was here. I’m sure she’s already restless and itching to return home.”
“How come we are still in a money squeeze? I thought that Ella’s fundraiser was going well.”
“It is, and maybe in a year or two, it will raise enough money to cover the ongoing living expenses of the rescued girls, but not yet. On top of that, we still have more than seventy Guardians on payroll, and we have financed several super expensive rescue operations.” He lifted her hand to his lips. “Don’t worry, love. I’m working on a solution. I just need to find ways for the clan to make money faster.”
Syssi cupped his cheek. “My poor baby. No matter what you do, it’s never enough.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Kian mimicked Turner’s southern accent.
“Here you are, darlings.” Amanda opened the door and waited for them to climb the three stairs to Annani’s front porch. “We are ready to sit down to dinner.” She pulled Syssi into a gentle hug and then kissed Kian’s cheek.
Andrew and Nathalie were already sitting at the table with their little girl, and Eva was holding Ethan while Bhathian was making funny faces for the baby’s delight.
Kian wondered if he was going to be as silly when his child was born. Maybe in private, but not in public. After all, he was the leader of this community.
Once all the kisses and hugs had been exchanged, Annani clapped her hands. “Everyone to the table, please.”
Watching Annani’s Odus serve dinner, Kian thought about Okidu, and how different his butler seemed lately. Something must have gone wrong with his circuitry during his reboot, but no one dared take a look at it. William said that whatever the ocean fall had done to Okidu, it was probably going to repair itself in time.
Except, what if the damage had been caused by something else?
Maybe the back and forth changing of masters he’d had to obey had messed with his programming. Before the incident, Okidu used to hover over Syssi and Kian until told that his services were not required at the moment. Now he was slinking away to his room unless ordered otherwise.
“Kian, dear, you are not paying attention.”
“My apologies, Mother. Did you ask me something?”
“I said that we need to look for Kalugal. I know that Areana asked Lokan to do that, but he is just one man, and he already has enough on his plate. We need to help him.”
Kian arched a brow. “Why?”
Annani leveled a hard stare at him. “Because my sister asked me to. She does not know whether her son is all right or not, and she worries about him. If our positions were reversed, I would have counted on my sister’s aid.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “I would have been very disappointed if she did not do everything in her power to help me.”
Kian stifled a scoff. Annani was projecting her assertive nature onto Areana, but her sister was nothing like her. She was a follower, not a leader.
Except, Annani probably felt that she owed Areana because of the sacrifice she’d made for her five thousand years ago. The irony was that by taking Annani’s place, Areana had found her truelove mate and had him by her side for all those years. Annani, on the other hand, had lost the love of her life and had been alone.
“What’s wrong?” Amanda asked, her alarmed tone catching everyone’s attention.
Following her worried gaze, Kian turned to look at Syssi just as her eyes rolled back in her head and she started sliding down her chair.
“Call Bridget!” he yelled as he caught his wife before she slid all the way to the floor. Carrying her to the couch, he added, “Call Merlin too!”
“I’m on it,” Andrew said.
Adding to the commotion of people getting up and chairs being pushed back, Phoenix started wailing, and then Ethan joined her.
“Take the children out of here,” Annani commanded. “They are frightened.”
In Kian’s arms, Syssi groaned and opened her eyes. “I had a vision.”
Except for the little ones, everyone got silent at once, and a moment later, the crying subsided as well.
Kian didn’t give a damn about the fucking vision. “How are you feeling?”
She smiled up at him. “I’m fine. It wasn’t any worse than my previous visions.”
That was why he hated it when she had them. “You weren’t pregnant when you had the others.”
Syssi’s smile vanished, replaced by a frown. “Do you think the visions can harm Allegra?”
“I’m not a doctor, love. But in my opinion, the visions themselves are not harmful. It’s your body’s reaction to them that worries me.”
“Bridget is on her way,” Andrew said. “I couldn’t get ahold of Merlin.”
Chapter 3: Lokan
“Lokan!” Carol threw her arms around his neck, jumped up, and wrapped her legs around his torso. “I missed you so much.” She covered his face with little kisses.
Dropping his suitcase on the floor, Lokan kicked the door closed and carried her to the couch. “I’ve never had such a joyous welcome home before.” He took his time kissing his mate, pouring his love into every leisurely swipe of his tongue and every gentle nip.
After spending a week together, some of it in Arturo Sandoval’s estate in Bolivia and some of it in Washington, leaving her again had been agony.
“I missed you too. Unless I absolutely have to, I’m not going anywhere without you again.”
“How did it go?”
Lokan arched a brow. “Perhaps we should shower first?”
Since their return to Washington, all of his and Carol’s conversations involving the clan or the island had been done in the bathroom with the water running.
“It’s okay. William was here and gave the place a thorough scanning with his gadgets. He found no bugs, which was surprising. Just to be safe, though, he left behind a device that interferes with any signals coming out of here. The downside is that we have to go out on the terrace to use our cellphones, and we can’t use Wi-Fi.”
Lokan let out a breath. “That’s a small price to pay for privacy.”
“We won’t have it for long, though. Didn’t your father insist that you take new men with you to replace the others? Because that might be a problem. What if they recognize me?”
“That’s why I told him that I don’t want any. Besides, I prefer not having men around while you are here.”
Carol frowned. “Didn’t your father find it odd? And what about your safety? Isn’t he worried about that?”
Smiling, Lokan kissed her forehead. “I made a big show of being angry and disappointed with my men and their lack of loyalty. I fumed that after years of service, they had taken the first opportunity to defect and steal my private jet. I told my father that I’m going to hire a couple of humans to take care of my place and that I don’t need a permanent security detail. When I go to places I deem unsafe, I’m going to hire human bodyguards.”
“Are you?”
“We need a housekeeper. And when I travel, which I have no intention of doing anytime soon, I’ll hire a human security firm.”
Carol scrunched her nose. “We don’t need a housekeeper. I can take care of the apartment.”
As if he would ever let his mate do household chores. Carol was going to live like a princess. “I want to pamper you, my angel. I don’t want you washing floors or dusting or doing any of those things.”
She grimaced as if he was being unreasonable. “Can I at least cook? I’ve been going out of my mind with boredom while you were gone.”
“Didn’t you go shopping like I asked you to?”
One of the first things Lokan had done when he’d returned was to check his safe. Surprisingly, none of the cash had been taken, only his spare phone. He’d given Carol ten thousand before leaving for the island, with instructions to buy herself a new wardrobe and whatever she needed to make the place feel like home.
“I did. But even shopping gets boring after a while. I need something to do while you’re schmoozing with politicians.”
That was a problem. As a former café manager, Carol was used to being surrounded by people all day, but she knew no one in Washington.
“How about studying something? You’re an amazing cook, so maybe culinary school?”
She waved a dismissive hand. “I’ll think about it later. Right now I’m still in recuperating mode.” She smiled coyly. “While you were gone, I’ve been reading a hot romance novel every night, which made me even hornier than usual. How about you take me to bed to celebrate your safe return?”
“With pleasure. But there is something I need to do first.”
Carol didn’t like his answer. “What’s so important that it cannot wait?”
“The call I need to make to Losham. I promised Kian to take care of the detectives watching this place as soon as I returned from the island.”
“He didn’t mean it literally.”
“I’d rather not take chances with Kian. He wasn’t happy about letting me go. I could feel his mistrust as well as see it in his eyes. Kian caved under pressure. He didn’t do it voluntarily.”
“You’re wrong. Turner convinced him that it was the right thing to do, and Kian accepted it. That’s not pressure. That’s a well-informed decision.”
“Semantics.” He kissed the top of her nose. “I’ll make it short.”
Just then, his belly rumbled, and Carol’s eyes widened. She put her hand over his stomach. “My bad. I prepared a nice dinner for us and then forgot all about it when you came through the door. It’s your fault for being so devilishly handsome.”
Lokan laughed. “I accept responsibility. How about you heat it up while I make the call?”
“It’s a deal.” She pushed out of his arms. “Don’t forget that you need to go out on the terrace.”
Taking his phone, Lokan got up and walked over to the sliding doors. The drapes were drawn, shielding his living room from the detectives’ view. He left them like that, getting behind them and pushing the sliding door open.
He had no proof that Losham was behind the surveillance, but he was the most likely culprit.
Lokan sat on one of the recliners and punched his brother’s number. Or was Losham his stepbrother? Adopted brother was a better definition.
“Hello, Lokan. I was worried about you. Why haven’t you returned my call?”
“I was in South America, and the place was bugged. I didn’t want to risk having a conversation with you.”
“I see. How was your trip?”
“Eventful, but that’s not what I want to talk with you about. I want you to fire the idiots you’ve hired to spy on me.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Come on, Losham. Don’t insult my intelligence. Our father would have hired pros, not clowns, and no one else has reason to spy on me.”
“Maybe the Secret Service is interested in your activity.”
“And that’s why they only watch my apartment instead of following me around? I never bring any of my contacts to my place. Just fire the idiots, and I won’t mention this fiasco to our father.”
“I’ll see what I can do about your problem.”
It wasn’t an admission of guilt, but it was good enough. “How about that lunch you called me about. Do you still want us to meet?”
“Unfortunately, I’m back in San Francisco, so that’s no longer an option. But if you want to visit me in California, I’ll gladly meet with you.”
“I just came back, and I have a lot of work to do, but once my schedule clears I’ll give you a call.”
“I’m moving in a couple of weeks, so plan on meeting me in Los Angeles.”
That was unexpected. “I thought you enjoyed San Francisco.”
“I do. But after the initial seven girls that we shipped to the island, security on campuses in the area has been ramped up. Los Angeles is a much bigger pond with more fish.”
“Good luck with that.”
“Thank you. We are going to be more careful this time and spread out over a large area. One girl per campus, no more.”
“Good strategy. I’ll give you a call as soon as I can make time for a visit.”
“Goodbye, Lokan.” Losham disconnected.
As Lokan got back inside, he wasn’t sure if that was good news for the clan or bad. Losham was moving his operation to their backyard, so that would make things easier for them. But on the other hand, he was sure they didn't want a bunch of Doomers hanging around their city either.
Damn, now he was also using their derogatory nickname for the Brothers.
“I made your favorite dish,” Carol said from the kitchen.
He walked over to her and pulled her into his arms. “Thank you. I have news for Kian, which I’m not sure he’s going to like. Losham is moving his operation to Los Angeles. You should let him know.”
“When is he moving?”
“A couple of weeks.”
“Then it can wait until after we have dinner.”
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