65
Edna
Butterflies took flight in Edna’s belly, the good kind, and for a moment, she heard nothing other than I love you reverberating through her chest and her mind over and over again.
Even though Rufsur had said it already in every possible way other than verbal, hearing the words had impacted her like a ton of bricks. In a good way.
“Edna?” He looked into her eyes. “Did you hear what I said?”
She nodded like a fool. “You said that you love me.”
“I mean, what I said after that.”
“Does it matter?”
He smiled. “Yes, regrettably, it does. My leaving Kalugal might have disastrous consequences for the world, not just us. But if you leave the clan, it’s going to be painful only for you. Except, you’ll be with me, and I promise to do everything in my power to make it worth the sacrifice and for the ouch to go away.”
She shook her head. “I admit that it’s tempting. But before I give it serious consideration, I want to make sure that we’ve exhausted every other option first.”
He kissed her hand again. “Do you love me?”
Edna nodded, but didn’t look at him. Why was it so hard to say that she loved him back?
“That’s it? That’s the suckiest declaration of love I’ve ever heard, or rather didn’t. Suddenly the lawyer is lost for words?” He hooked a finger under her chin and lifted her head. “You can do better than that.”
She loved him, but for some reason saying the words was difficult. The last time she’d said them was over three hundred years ago, and the results had been tragic. Logically, she knew there was no connection between her loving Robbie and his death, but she’d always carried around an irrational feeling of guilt that she’d been somehow responsible for it.
To love him, she’d defied the Clan Mother and had tempted the Fates’ retribution. Was she doing the same thing now?
Once more, she loved a man whom she shouldn’t love, and to keep him, she might have to betray her clan again, which would in turn anger the Fates. If anything happened to Rufsur, she would never forgive herself.
“I can’t betray my clan to be with you.”
His smile wilted. “I understand.”
“No, you don’t. The last time I acted irresponsibly because I loved a man, he paid for it with his life.”
“Oh, Edna.” He cupped her cheek. “You know that your love didn’t kill Robbie. It was his destiny, and it had nothing to do with you.”
She shook her head. “I angered the Fates.”
Rufsur frowned. “Perhaps not the Fates but the goddess. Could it be that she had something to do with his death?”
The idea was so preposterous that it made Edna gasp. “Never. Annani would never do such a thing. She could have banished me, threatened retaliation, but she did none of those things. Love is the highest value to her, and she would never do anything to stand in its way.”
“I’m sorry if I offended you. But things like that happen. Leaders go to great lengths to protect their people, and you were endangering them by exposing who you were to a human.”
“I never told Robbie the truth about me.”
“You would have eventually. Your love story with Robbie couldn’t have a happy ending.” He put his arms around her. “But our story can.” He kissed her softly. “Say the words, Edna. Tell me that you love me.”
“I’m scared.”
“Say it anyway.”
She shook her head. “I’m not a brave soul like you. I’m afraid to jinx us. And now that you brought up the possibility of foul play, it's got me thinking. Kalugal is not Annani. He might consider you leaving him to be with me a betrayal. Is he vindictive?” Edna swallowed. “Is he capable of killing you?”
“No.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Positive. Many of the men who escaped the Brotherhood with him have left over the years. He didn’t try to stop any of them, and they left with his blessing.”
“But they were not privy to his secrets as you are.”
“True, but they could have betrayed him to Navuh. There was a risk involved in letting them go, and yet he didn’t stop them.”
“Did he compel their loyalty?”
Rufsur nodded. “But compulsion requires periodic reinforcement, and he doesn’t keep in touch with them.”
“Do you? He might have killed them without you or the others knowing.”
“He didn’t. I keep in touch with some, Phinas keeps in touch with a few of the others, and so on. Except for one who disappeared without a trace, we can probably find all of them.” Rufsur tapped his temple. “Which gives me a great idea. Once they learn that there is a village full of single immortal ladies they could mate, I bet many would return. That’s another selling point in favor of a federation.”
She chuckled. “Depends for whom. I don’t know if Kian will see that as an advantage. More of Kalugal’s men means more danger.”
“It all depends on the packaging. We need to come up with a compelling offer. Would having more warriors to fight the traffickers appeal to him?”
“Probably.”
“Then it would be part of the package. What else would be tempting to him?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe more contributions? It has been difficult for the clan to carry most of the financial burden of the rescue missions.”
“Then I need to convince Kalugal to help out financially. Anything else?”
“More female Dormants? But how can Kalugal help with that?”
“Give up any of the Dormant females found through Roberts.”
“He and Kian agreed to split them.”
“I’ll convince him to give up our share until the numbers are even.”
Edna let out a breath. “Your optimism is contagious. The question is if it’s healthy.”
“Of course, it is. Now tell me that you love me.”
He was impossible to resist.
“I love you.” She cupped his cheek. “I think that I fell for you the moment I saw you smiling at me with those adorable dimples of yours. You were like a ray of sunshine, illuminating my gloomy existence and warming me from the inside. But you were too bright, and I tried to shield my eyes from you. Except, you were also so damn persistent, and you didn’t let me hide.” Leaning, she kissed his lips. “Thank you for not giving up on me.”
“Never.”
66
Eleanor
“Thank you.” Eleanor handed the old guy $4,200 in cash. “It was a pleasure doing business with you.”
“Same here. It’s a good car.” He tapped the hood fondly. “You can’t go wrong with a Suburban, even one that is ten years old and has over a hundred thousand miles on it. You can still drive it problem-free for many years to come.”
“I know. That’s why I got it. But I don’t expect to drive it much. It’s a five-minute drive from my apartment to the hospital, and I’ll probably take the bus to save on parking fees. But having a big car like that will make transporting furniture easy. I won’t have to rent a truck.”