Fortunately, it was getting chilly at night in the castle, so no one questioned Annani’s need for a warm coat. As a pure-blooded goddess, she was less sensitive to the cold than even other immortals, and usually, she only wore sleeveless floor-length gowns that were made from silk or some other light material. Her warm cloaks were reserved for her early-morning walks, particularly cold days, or her blessings, which required a syringe that she needed to hide somewhere. Except, it was small, and she could have put it in the pocket hidden by the folds of her gown. Perhaps she felt the need to be extra cautious this time, or maybe she was simply cold.
There was no reason to read too much into that, and there were better ways for him to spend the ten minutes he was stuck guarding the door.
Syssi probably expected him to join in the communal prayer for David.
Feeling awkward, he lifted his eyes toward the ceiling and offered a prayer. Dear merciful Fates, please help David transition successfully. Sari deserves a happy ending, and I will be very upset with you if that doesn’t happen.
Threatening the Fates was not the best strategy for helping David, but it was better than offering falsehoods and pretending to be humble when he was not. This was how Kian’s mind worked, and he was just being honest.
One minute gone and nine to go.
Perhaps he could use the time to check his emails and text messages. Pulling out his phone, Kian glanced at the two clocks display. It was eight in the evening in Scotland, and noon time in Los Angeles. There would be a fair amount of both.
Most of the emails weren’t urgent, and he forwarded them to Shai, only adding a sentence or two of instructions. One required his personal attention, but he could answer it later. There were two text messages, one from Onegus and one from Turner asking him to call them back. He’d already spoken with William and with Onegus about Eleanor’s phone, but the two messages had arrived after that.
Hopefully, they had nothing to do with him allowing the tap on her phone to be removed. Logically, he knew that the limited number of people she could call from her phone were all safe, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that allowing her more freedom was a mistake.
Since her arrival at the village, Eleanor hadn’t given him a reason to suspect her, and she seemed to be making an effort to assimilate. And yet, whenever he thought of her, he imagined a rattlesnake hiding under a rock and looking all docile while readying to strike.
None of the messages had mentioned that it was urgent, so he could wait to call Turner and Onegus later.
It would be disrespectful to talk on the phone while his mother gave David her ‘blessing’ and Sari and her people prayed for his survival.
42
Annani
For a long moment, Annani stood by David’s bed and just looked at him. Why did he remind her of Gudbrand? If not for his dreams of her, she would have dismissed her initial reaction to him.
Physically, there was very little the two had in common.
David was handsome, but he was not nearly as big or as rugged as Gudbrand had been. In comparison, he seemed almost soft. They were both blond, had a straight nose and lush lips, but that was all.
David had a kind face, and his eyes, when open, had been full of sorrow. He was a healer, not a warrior.
Well, that was not entirely true. Under the outer layers of compassion and civility, traces of the warrior remained. David could not have thrived in the competitive world of top academia by being meek. There was a fierceness in him and a determination that with the right provocation could transform him into a fighter. If his loved ones needed his protection, she had no doubt he would fight for them to his dying breath.
Stroking his short hair, Annani sighed. “If I have wronged you in this life or another, I am deeply sorry. My intentions are always benevolent, but life is complicated, and things can never be reduced to a simple right or wrong.”
Reaching inside her pocket, she pulled out the syringe, removed the stopper, and plunged it into the crook of her arm. When it was one-third full, she pulled it out. Finding a vein, she carefully inserted the tiny needle into David’s arm. It was important not to leave a bruise that would clue in Steven and Bridget as to the true nature of her blessing.
The entire procedure took only a few seconds, and she remained silent throughout. David might not feel anything that was done to him, but he might be able to hear her.
After all, Turner had heard everything that had been happening around him, and Annani was glad that she had been careful not to say anything about the transfusion while helping him as well as the other Dormants she'd given her blessing to.
Like with the others, David had not even twitched when the tiny needle pricked his skin, and nothing had registered on the monitoring equipment.
So far, none had remembered the transfusion, which was as it should be.
After returning the empty syringe to her pocket, she leaned over David and kissed his cheek. “I know that you cannot feel it, but it is part of my blessing.” She chuckled.
The words had been said in the old language, so even if David could hear her, he would not understand what she had told him.
Annani continued her sing-song monologue in Sumerian. “You will start feeling better soon, fair David, and when you wake up, you will make my daughter a very happy woman. I hope that the two of you can get over what happened between Gudbrand and me in the past, but I know it will be difficult. If not for your dreams of me, I would not have said anything to Sari, but I could not leave her guessing. The suspicions would have been worse than the truth.”
Annani walked over to the only chair left in the room and pulled it closer to the bed before sitting down.
Sighing, she took David’s limp hand in hers. “I wish you and Sari a long and happy life together, and as many children as you want to have.” She chuckled softly. “If it were up to me, I would have wanted a new grandchild every year, but I know that the Fates are not as generous with my descendants. I love children, and if I could, I would have more, but it seems that I am done for now.”
The soothsayer from her youth had promised her seven children, so perhaps she would someday have two more, hopefully with Khiann’s reincarnation.
Except, that hope had dimmed lately.
Nothing had changed in Annani’s circumstances, and no new knowledge had been discovered to undermine her hope. On the contrary, the proof of it was lying in front of her. She had known David in a previous life, so reincarnation was real.
But if she was meant to meet Khiann again, surely it would have happened already.
What if he had reincarnated on the home world?
Souls were not confined by locality, maybe not even by spacetime itself. And if Khiann reincarnated as a god on the gods’ home world, she would never meet him during her current lifetime.
Gods’ life cycles could last hundreds of thousands of years, and the next time she and Khiann crossed paths could be on a different world, light years away from where she was now.
With a sigh, Annani pulled her head back to the present. “I wish you to find fulfillment and satisfaction in your new life with Sari. The transition will be difficult both physically and mentally, but you are a strong man despite your mellow character. You will find a way to adjust and to stand by Sari’s side. She needs a good man, and I have a feeling that during this lifetime, you have become the best version of yourself. You will make her happy.”