Kalugal still remembered his own response to learning of Jacki’s potential dormancy. His first thought had been that she could give him immortal children. Thoughts of love and a life-long relationship had come later.
His lieutenant was probably going through a similar process, but it seemed like he was getting very close to the conclusion that Edna was his mate.
The unselfish thing to do would be to free Rufsur and let him join the clan. But that was too risky.
If Rufsur shifted his loyalty to Kian, he might reveal Kalugal’s grand plans, and that would be disastrous. With Annani having the power to override Kalugal’s compulsion, his secrets would not be safe even if Rufsur didn’t wish to betray his trust.
And even worse was her ability to compel him, something even his father couldn’t do. With one verbal command, she could prevent him from achieving his life’s ambitions.
There was no doubt in his mind that Annani would do that. His goals might be similar to hers, but his methods of achieving them were very different. While Annani believed in empowering humans and steering them in the right direction by providing guidance and technology, Kalugal wanted to do the work for them.
If she got a whiff of what he intended, his aunt would do everything she could to stop him.
While her method appeared morally superior, his method was faster, more efficient, and might save humanity from annihilating itself along with the immortals living among them. Even if things never got to that critical stage, compared to Annani’s snail-paced efforts, his faster approach would save millions from needless suffering.
Nevertheless, Rufsur’s plight tugged at his heart, and Kalugal would love to find a solution for his friend. Perhaps he could convince Kian to let Edna go? After all, Annani could compel her to keep the clan’s secrets safe, so that shouldn’t be an issue. And as for her legal expertise, the clan must have members who’d studied law, and she could train one of them to take her place.
The question was how to present it to Kian without him overreacting and immediately assuming the worst about Kalugal’s intentions. His cousin had a short fuse, and he wasn’t the most rational person. Perhaps it was a good idea to bring it up while Turner was around. Which reminded him that he still hadn’t gotten to play chess with the guy.
A friendly game could provide the perfect opportunity for a casual discussion about the judge and her relationship with his lieutenant. Except, they were leaving shortly after dinner, so it wasn’t going to happen during this visit.
“I didn’t get the chance to play chess with Turner yet.” He lifted his glass and took a small sip of the superb whiskey. “Could you arrange it for our next visit?”
“Sure. Do you want to do it before or after the wedding?”
“Whatever works for both of you is fine with me.”
60
Rufsur
“I thought that we were invited to dinner,” Rufsur grumbled. “No one said anything about mingling for an hour before the food was served. I’m hungry.”
Dalhu just nodded.
The guy wasn’t much of a talker, which Rufsur usually appreciated, but right now, he would have loved to have Ruvon and Atzil entertain him with their stories about the fine clan ladies they’d met, or anything else for that matter.
He was in a nasty mood, and the bits and pieces of Kian and Kalugal’s conversation he was overhearing were not encouraging. The two were leisurely discussing hypotheticals like city-states and private islands.
It was nothing more than idle talk.
Kalugal had been almost dismissive of his problem, and the solution he’d offered wasn’t going to cost him a thing. After all they’d been through together, his so-called best friend wasn’t willing to bend even a little to help him.
“Are you usually so irate when you’re hungry?” Dalhu asked.
“It’s not the hunger.”
“Then what is it?”
“My boss is a selfish asshole.”
Raising a brow, Dalhu glanced at Kalugal. “Keep your voice down. He might hear you.”
“I don’t care. I’d say it to his face.”
“What brought this about? I thought that the two of you were friends.”
“We are, which makes it worse. I expected him to bend over backward to solve my problem. Instead, what I got was a shitty compromise. He graciously agreed to give me long weekends off so I could spend more time with Edna. But I know what will happen. There will always be something important for me to do that will make it impossible. I wonder what he would have done if our positions were reversed.”
“Is Edna your mate?”
Rufsur nodded. “I think so. We haven’t had enough time together for me to be sure of that, but I’ve never felt about a woman the way I feel about her.” He looked at the sliding doors, but the sun was reflecting off the glass, and he couldn’t see inside. “When I first saw Jacki, I flirted with her. I even competed with Kalugal for her attention. When she didn’t give me the time of day, I was disappointed, even a little angry. I thought that I had feelings for her. But after meeting Edna, I realize how shallow those feelings were.”
“It’s understandable. Jacki is very pretty, and she seems like a nice person too.” Dalhu glanced at Kalugal. “How did your boss react to you flirting with his mate?”
“He didn’t like it.”
“That’s all?” Dalhu snorted. “Then he must like you a lot. You might not realize it yet, but immortal males get extremely possessive. If anyone looks at Amanda with lust in their eyes, I feel like tearing him limb from limb. That’s why I don’t visit her at the university. It’s not safe for her students.”
As the guy talked, his eyes started glowing, and his fangs elongated, both giving credence to his claim.
“What if a good friend of yours looked at your mate with appreciation? Would you have reacted like that too?”
Dalhu nodded. “It’s not voluntary. That’s the way we are wired. Unless your flirtation with Jacki was more friendly than lustful in nature, Kalugal must love you like a brother to react so mildly to it.”
“I doubt it. He just has great self-control.”
“He is three-quarters god, which makes him as close to the source as it gets. His predatory instincts must be incredibly strong.”
“If he loved me like a brother, he would have done more to accommodate me. He could have at least promised to give it more thought instead of just saying no.”
“Maybe he thought it through already? He’s a smart guy. He must have known that you would come to talk to him about Edna.”
“That’s possible.”
As Rufsur's anger slowly dissipated, it left in its place a despondency that felt much worse.
Surprising him, Dalhu put a hand on his shoulder. “If Edna is your one, perhaps you should just quit your job and join the clan.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not? You’ve just accused your boss of being a selfish jerk.”
“I owe him my life.”
Dalhu looked at him with a pitying expression on his face. “The moment I saw Amanda, nothing else mattered. I decided right then and there to leave the Brotherhood, snag her, and run. The option of joining the clan wasn’t available to me, but that didn’t matter either. I was willing to spend my life on the run to be with her.”