Dark Queen’s Knight Page 3

  “Sweet,” Nick said. “I wish I had some of that juice. But all I have is a knack for electronics.”

  “What are you going to do if you find her?” Julian asked.

  “I’m not sure. I can’t contact her because she thinks that we are all dead. But if there is a way to find out whether she is a Dormant, and it turns out that she is, she could join the clan. She might be someone’s truelove mate. But I know that’s a long shot and probably a lot of wishful thinking on my part.” Ella cast Roni an apologetic look. “That’s why I waited so long to ask you. I know that you are busy, and finding my aunt is the last item on your long priority list.”

  Roni shook his head. “Dormants are never last priority. Turner and I are still trying to find my grandmother, but it’s more complicated with her because she is an immortal, and she knows that she needs to hide. Your aunt has no reason to do that, so she should be easy to locate. The hard part is going to be figuring out if she’s a Dormant or not.”

  “Unless she exhibits strong paranormal ability,” Julian said. “Especially if she can compel. That shouldn’t be too difficult to test.”

  5

  Mey

  “I feel bad about you having to miss Alena’s first photo shoot,” Mey said as Yamanu closed the suite’s door behind them.

  Saying goodbye to her new friends had been surprisingly difficult. Mey hadn’t realized how much she’d gotten attached to them. The worst part was not knowing if she was ever going to see any of them again. Yamanu’s boss had allowed her two weeks. If she didn’t transition during the allotted time, her memory of ever encountering immortals was going to be erased.

  It would be as if she’d never met them.

  Wrapping his arm around her shoulders, Yamanu pulled Mey against his side. “I don’t care about the photo shoot. All I care about is Alena’s safety, and I’m sure that four experienced Guardians can take care of that. She doesn’t really need me. You, on the other hand, definitely do.”

  She couldn’t argue with that. There were people watching her, her phone was bugged, and she was scared of men in black ambushing her at any moment. Yamanu was the only reason she wasn’t panicking yet.

  “Are you sure it’s a good idea for us to walk to my apartment?”

  Holding the elevator door open for her, Yamanu nodded. “The entry is being watched from across the street,” he whispered.

  “That’s why I think we should take a car from the garage.”

  “I want them to see us strolling casually as if nothing has happened. Since they are listening to your phone, they know that you’ve spotted the guy who has been following you and called me because you were scared. I want them to get the impression that you’ve forgotten about him. It’s important to maintain the illusion that you’re just staying with your new boyfriend and having a good time. We don’t want the watcher to suspect that you are spooked and about to flee.”

  It made sense and yet, as they stepped out of the hotel’s front door, Mey couldn’t help but glance at the other side of the street. “Where is he?” she whispered in Yamanu’s ear.

  “Hiding behind the white van. But don’t look.”

  “Okay.”

  “When we get to your apartment, we need to put on an act. I’ll say something about renting our own suite and spending the next week making love and lounging by the pool, and you are going to say that you can’t wait to go with me to Paris and continue much of the same.”

  “Got it.”

  Mey smirked. She could have fun play acting for the surveillance cameras the watchers had filled her apartment with, and Yamanu would have no choice but to cooperate. It probably wasn’t the time to fool around, but sounding stressed and worried was certainly not going to convince anyone that she was planning to spend the next week enjoying her new boyfriend. And since it was a necessary part of his plan, then why not? Life was too short to squander an opportunity for a little fun.

  Then again, if she turned immortal, her opportunities would be limitless.

  What a concept.

  Mey wondered how others dealt with that. For procrastinators, it was probably hell. With no urgency to get things done and endless time to complete tasks, they were probably stuck in place doing nothing. For the overachievers, though, it was heaven. There was no limit to what they could do and learn.

  Or maybe there was?

  According to Yamanu, immortals were no smarter on average than humans. So maybe there was a limit to what the brain could store?

  “Is there anyone in your clan who dedicates himself or herself to the acquisition of knowledge?”

  “The only one who comes to mind is Sylvia. We call her the eternal student. But I don't think she does it to accumulate knowledge. She just hasn’t found the one thing she enjoys doing.”

  “How many subjects has she studied?”

  “I think she is on her third masters. Why?”

  “I was wondering if anyone has tried to learn everything there is to learn. After all, when time is limitless, it’s possible. The question is whether our brains can contain all that knowledge.”

  “That’s an interesting question. I don’t think anyone has tried and then discovered that his or her brain couldn’t take the load.”

  As Mey's awareness prickled with a warning, she leaned her head on Yamanu’s shoulder. “Is he following us?” she whispered.

  “He’s keeping about a hundred-foot distance. If we keep our voices down, he can’t hear us.”

  “What if we are walking into an ambush? I don’t feel right about this.”

  Thankfully, Yamanu didn’t dismiss her intuition. “Do you want to turn around?”

  “I need my damn laptop. If not for that, I could’ve just bought whatever I needed instead of going back to my apartment.”

  “We can turn back, and I can go get it by myself. You can stay with Ragnar.”

  The rest of the team had gone with Alena to her first photo shoot, so the hotel manager was the only immortal who could offer her protection.

  Mey shook her head. “I’m probably being paranoid. Besides, I trust that you can handle a couple of hired thugs if needed.”

  “That depends.”

  That was a surprise. She’d expected Yamanu to puff out his chest and assure her that yes, he could handle any danger.

  “On what?”

  “On whether they are armed or not, and whether their trigger fingers are itchy and they open fire before I see it coming. Or if one of them is immune to thralling, which is rare. Save for that, I can freeze any human in his tracks.”

  “What if there are several of them?”

  “I can freeze an entire block if I want to. Except for immunes, that is.”

  That was an impressive ability. No wonder that the immortals had survived for thousands of years undetected by humans.

  “Will I be able to thrall people like that when I transition?”

  He shook his head. “My ability is unique even among immortals. Most can thrall just one person at a time, and some can’t do even that. Transitioned Dormants have to practice for a long time before they can thrall, and most don’t bother.”

  She tightened her arm around his waist. “So, you are quite a catch. I snagged myself a very powerful immortal.”

  “I don’t know about being a catch, but I admit to being powerful. My ability has saved the clan from marauders on more than one occasion. And even now my services are always in demand for one thing or another.”

  “Do you ever use it for anything other than defense?”

  “Rarely. And since it doesn't work on other immortals, it’s not effective in the fight against our enemies. But they can’t use it on us either, so it evens out.” He smirked. “And we are better trained. But we are also outnumbered, so our best strategy is to hide.”

  “Is it? In today’s world it’s not easy to stay hidden unless you do it in the jungles of South America or some other wild places.”

  “I know. For now, we have a technological advanta
ge over our enemies, but that won’t last long. They are doing everything they can to catch up. We need to reach a solution before they do that, or they are going to wipe us out of existence.”

  “What are your options?”

  He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “It’s another long story. Bottom line, we want to cause a change from inside the Doomers’ organization. If they overthrow their leader and forsake his plan for world domination, we might come to an agreement and coexist peacefully.”

  Mey snorted. “Good luck with that. Peace can only be achieved from a position of power. As long as your enemies are the aggressors while your clan is taking the defensive position, and they think that they can win a war against you, they won’t negotiate. They will only agree to do that if they fear that you can turn the tables on them and win.”

  6

  Yamanu

  Mey’s view was a bit fatalistic, but she had a good point. Thinking back on his seven hundred years of life and what he had witnessed, Yamanu couldn't think of a single instance of an aggressor coming to the negotiation table for anything other than accepting surrender.

  Things were a little different in democracies, but not by much. A leader was held accountable to the voting public, which meant that acts of aggression had to get the people’s approval. Except, it was way too easy to manipulate the voters, as evidenced by Nazi Germany. Hitler had risen to power in a seemingly democratic process. In places where people had little to no rights and no access to truthful information, things were way worse.

  The Doomers had been conditioned to hate everything the Western world stood for, mainly because it was a good way to control them and have them fight in wars that they otherwise would not have been motivated to win. Navuh’s hatred for the clan in general and Annani in particular was probably secondary to that.

  Were Annani and Kian deluding themselves that if Kalugal replaced his father, he would agree to peaceful coexistence with the clan?

  Why would he?

  If he seized power over the Doomer organization, Kalugal would become extremely powerful and would have no motive to negotiate for peace. The clan was not a threat, mainly because they didn’t seek the Doomers’ annihilation even though they had the means to do that.

  If they wanted, they could nuke the island and be done with their enemies once and for all. Except, unlike the Brotherhood, the clan believed in the sanctity of life, and the thousands of innocent lives that would be lost in an annihilation attack was not acceptable collateral damage. Annani would never allow that.

  “We are here.” Mey pulled on his arm.

  Damn, if not for Mey, he would have just kept on walking. He was supposed to guard her, and not philosophize about things he had no control over.

  As she opened the front door, he let his senses flare wide, searching for the signature of the watcher he’d noticed earlier. The guy was still across the street and seemed to be alone.

  So far, so good.

  Yamanu followed Mey into the lobby, and then pulled her in for a kiss. “Let me enter the apartment first,” he whispered in her ear while pretending to nuzzle it.

  “Okay,” she whispered back. “But I’m staying glued to your back. What if someone comes at us from behind?”

  “Good call. I don’t sense any danger, though. So, you can relax.”

  He was right and wrong at the same time, and so was Mey.

  When they reached her door, Yamanu knew right away that there were people inside, and as he opened it, they got ambushed just as Mey had expected.

  “Here you are!” A gorgeous, barely dressed blonde rushed at them. “And you brought your hunk with you.” She gave him a thorough once-over. “You weren’t exaggerating.” She offered him her hand. “I’m Tatiana, Mey’s flatmate.”

  “I’m Yamanu. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He hoped Mey hadn’t told her roommates that he was from Slovenia. Tatiana’s accent sounded Russian, but he could be mistaken. If she addressed him in Slovenian, he would have to improvise somehow because he hadn’t bothered to learn it.

  “I forgot that you were coming back today,” Mey said. “I’ve been staying with Yamanu because it was so damn lonely here without you.”

  Putting a hand on her bony hip, Tatiana struck a pose. “I bet that was the only reason.” She winked and turned to yell over her shoulder. “Girls, come and say hello to Mey’s new guy!

  As a stampede of bare feet followed and two more beautiful women rushed out of their bedrooms, Mey groaned. One had on only a long T-shirt and hopefully some panties, and the other one wore a pair of boxer shorts that were practically see-through.

  Apparently, models were not modest. Which made sense. During fashion shows, they had to change quickly and in front of everyone who happened to be backstage.

  “Hi, I’m Josephine,” the first to arrive introduced herself. “Do you have brothers?”

  He shook her hand. “I’m afraid not. I’m an only child.”

  “That’s a shame." The other one offered him her hand. "I’m Valerie.”

  With the introductions and the once-overs done, the ladies turned their attention back to Mey.

  “You could have left a note, you know,” Valerie said. “We figured you were staying with your guy, but you didn’t answer your phone.”

  That was because it had stayed in the safe, but Mey took the opportunity to act out what they had planned. Leaning against his side, she smiled coyly. “I’m sorry, but I’ve been so busy that I forgot to check my phone.” She ran her hand over his chest. “There is so much to explore.”

  Mey’s suggestive tone and caress had affected not only Yamanu, but her three friends as well, and suddenly the room felt oppressively hot and uncomfortable.

  Four beautiful women turning their lust on him was enough to break the will of the most devout celibate monk. It wasn’t that he was interested in anyone other than Mey, but he was still a male, and no amount of potions and meditation was going to change that.

  “I’ll wait on the balcony while you pack.” He strode toward the sliding doors.

  “Are you going on vacation?” Tatiana asked Mey.

  “Yamanu and I are staying at his hotel. They have an awesome pool.”

  “Can we come to visit?” Josephine asked.

  Damn. He had to rescue Mey from answering.

  Pivoting on his heel, Yamanu went back and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “We would love to have you, but maybe a little later. Mey and I are still in the getting to know each other stage.” He ran his hand down Mey’s arm.

  Tatiana sighed. “I see how it is. We should start looking for a new roommate.”

  Perceptive woman.

  “No way!” Mey protested. “I’m coming back. This is just a short vacation.”

  Tatiana waved a dismissive hand. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that.” She walked away.

  “What’s her problem?” Mey murmured.

  “Nothing,” Valerie said. “She’s just jealous.”

  That wasn’t it. Even Yamanu’s limited empathy had picked up on Tatiana’s sadness. It wasn’t about jealousy, she just didn’t want Mey to leave.

  Perhaps the Russian had a sixth sense that Mey was not coming back anytime soon.

  He hoped that Tatiana was right. If Mey transitioned, she was going to stay in the village. But at the same time, he regretted taking her away from friends who seemed to care about her.

  Mey was going to miss them.

  7

  Lokan

  “I’m so excited about seeing Ella and Vivian.” Carol wound her arms around Lokan’s neck and pulled him down for a kiss. “But I wish you would come with me. Couldn’t the meeting with Kian wait until tomorrow?”

  Even if it could, Lokan would have found another excuse to wriggle out of having to spend time with those two. If Carol had been meeting Kian’s mate or sister, he might have regretted missing the opportunity to get to know them better. But both worked full time and couldn’t meet Carol until later in the evening. Lunch wit
h his former captives, on the other hand, was not his idea of fun. Compared to that, dealing with Kian and his suspicious attitude was going to be a pleasant experience.

  “Tomorrow, I’m meeting Losham, and Kian wanted to see me before that. Besides, I’m sure your friends want your undivided attention. Go and have fun.”

  “Oh, I will.” She kissed him again. “Call me when your meeting is over. Maybe you can join us later?”

  “I doubt it.”

  In fact, he was sure Kian was going to hold him for as long as Carol was out and return him to the hotel only when she was back as well, so there was no chance he could follow Ella and Vivian to the village.

  What a suspicious guy. By now, Kian should have realized that Lokan’s commitment to Carol was absolute, and that he had no nefarious plans for the clan. Still, he could understand his cousin’s caution.

  Secrecy and the ability to hide in plain sight was what had kept the clan alive and well for thousands of years, and to change a proven tactic would be a mistake.

  When Kian called shortly after Carol had left, it confirmed Lokan’s suspicion that the two events had been coordinated.

  “Come down,” Kian said. “The limo is up front.”

  “I’m on my way.”

  That was another precaution on Kian’s part. Lokan didn’t know where they were going, only that Kian had made reservations in a fine restaurant, promising that it would be an unforgettable treat.

  When he exited the revolving door, the black limousine was indeed parked in front of the entry, and he recognized Kian’s butler who had put on a chauffeur’s hat and was holding the back door open for him.

  “Good afternoon, master.” He bowed when Lokan approached.

  “Thank you.” Lokan ducked inside, taking a seat opposite from Kian. “Hello, cousin.” He grinned and offered his hand.

  Expecting the grimace that usually came after that address, Lokan was disappointed not to get a rise out of Kian this time. Apparently, it had gotten old.