Dark Choices - I. T. Lucas Page 0,36

aspirations, with perfectly logical reasons and convince themselves that they were right.

Kalugal was an excellent example of that.

He wanted to rule the world, so he convinced himself that he could do a better job of keeping everyone fed and happy than all of humanity’s leadership combined.

Maybe he was right, but Rufsur wasn’t sure about that. As smart and as powerful as Kalugal was, he was just one man. That was good enough to lead their small group, but not to lead billions of humans. Even Navuh, the ultimate despot, had advisors and didn’t do everything himself.

But that was another problem altogether.

Right now, Rufsur needed to address the one in front of him, and the best way to convince a smart woman that her gut was mistaken was to show her proof to the contrary.

“You probed me. You know that we don’t harbor any malevolent intentions toward your clan.”

“I know that you don’t, but that doesn’t mean that your boss has no such plans.”

“Kalugal shares everything with me.”

Edna sighed. “The other problem is that my sensors are not as infallible as I thought. Jacki’s friend Wendy, a nineteen-year-old girl who was a human at the time, managed to fool me. She hid her nefarious intentions under a mountain of pain and suffering, knowing that I would get stuck on that and not dig any deeper.”

“That’s clever. But I’m an open book. You said so yourself.” He lifted her hand and kissed it. “I’m a simple man, Edna, and I’m honest.” Or as honest as he could be without revealing secrets that weren’t his own.

Pulling away from him, Edna turned to face him and crossed her arms over her chest. “I was wondering about something. What do Kalugal’s men actually do? I mean besides training and securing his mansion.”

“That’s a big part of their job.”

“But not all of it.”

“Well, he has to keep them busy doing other stuff.”

“What is that other stuff?”

“Gathering information.”

He really didn’t want to get into it because Edna might figure out what Kalugal needed that information for.

“On what?”

Damn.

“Everything worth knowing. He can’t do it all himself, and he likes to have his finger on the pulse of the world. They search for information about new technologies, political and social changes around the world, interesting scientific discoveries, astronomical discoveries, artifacts, and whatever else that catches their attention.”

Her pinched expression relaxed. “Fascinating. Do they prepare briefs for him?”

“It depends. They give him the high points, and he chooses what he wants to get more information about. When it’s something he is interested in, he digs in himself.”

“The more you tell me about Kalugal, the more fascinated by him I become. He must have a treasure trove of information.”

“He does.”

Rufsur frowned. Kalugal would have made a much better mate for Edna than he would, but fortunately he was no longer on the market.

“Just don’t get too excited. He’s taken.”

“Oh, Rufsur.” Edna reached for his hand and clasped it. “I find him intellectually intriguing, but I would never be attracted to a guy like Kalugal. He’s not my type.”

He arched a brow. “Oh, yeah? So, who’s your type?”

“You are.”

He shook his head. “That doesn’t compute, judge. You are a well-educated woman, an intellectual who’s interested in many of the same things Kalugal is. Why would you be attracted to a simple guy like me?”

“You are not as simple as you pretend to be.”

“I assure you. With me, what you see is what you get.”

Edna looked down at their joined hands. “Robbie was a lot like you. He was upbeat, straightforward, cocky as hell, loyal to a fault, and fun to be with. If I ever fall in love again, it would be with someone like him.”

Rufsur smirked. “You mean like me.”

She lifted her eyes. “I can’t fall in love with you.”

Leaning, he wrapped his arm around her waist and lifted her to his lap. “But you are already in lust with me, and for now, that will do.”

25

Kian

“That was pleasant.” Amanda stretched her arms over her head. “I like Kalugal.”

Even though it had indeed been a pleasant evening, with Kalugal entertaining them with stories about the various artifacts he’d collected over the years, Kian was glad that it was over, and he could finally relax.

“Yes, it was,” Syssi said. “He is so charming, and he’s so knowledgeable about so many things.” She handed Amanda a fresh cup of cappuccino.

“Thank you.” Amanda took a small sip and sighed. “This is good, Syssi. You are the best barista in town.” She put the cup