Dark Choices - I. T. Lucas Page 0,44

but did she love him? Could she even feel love anymore?

In any case, it was too soon, and they needed to slow down. Hopefully, because their lovemaking was so sporadic, she wouldn’t get addicted to him even though his venom was the only one entering her system, and she had no intention of mixing things up just to avoid that. It would be better to abstain entirely.

Liar, the small voice in the back of her head whispered. You want him in your life. You are already dreading the moment he leaves.

Shut up! Edna commanded the silly voice. I’m not a teenager in love. Not this time. Out loud, she said, “I’ll put bread slices in the toaster.”

She turned the burner back on, cracked six eggs in, and then added two more. Rufsur was a big guy who needed a lot of fuel, especially if they were going back to bed.

Perhaps she should ask him not to bite her again. He’d already done so last night and again this morning, so it shouldn’t be a problem for him. His venom glands were most likely depleted.

As his phone buzzed with an incoming message, Rufsur groaned. “Whatever it is, I’m not leaving before I have something to eat.” He didn’t even pick the thing up.

“Check who it’s from. What if it’s an emergency?”

He flipped the phone over and unlocked it. “It’s from Kalugal. Kian is inviting us for a tour of the new plots he’s grading.” He looked up. “Do you know what that’s all about?”

Edna shook her head. “In typical Kian fashion, he decided to prepare lots for fifty more houses without informing the council or asking our opinions. Apparently, he believes that many of your men will want to cross over to the clan once they find mates. They will need homes to live in.”

Rufsur frowned. “Even if that turns out to be the case, which I hope it won’t, hardly any of the houses in the part of the village that we are staying in are occupied. Other than us, I think only two are. Even if all of us moved into the village, there are already enough homes for everyone.”

“My thoughts exactly. Kian’s excuse was that he couldn’t secure the Chinese crew that built our village just to put up the fence, and he needed to give them more work. He says that he doesn’t plan to build on those plots anytime soon.”

“Why does he use a Chinese crew?”

Edna scooped the scrambled eggs into two plates and put them on the counter. “It is easier to keep them contained. Once they start a job, they don’t leave until they are done. They stay on the property until they are ready to go back to China. They also don’t like to interact with anyone, and that makes thralling away their memories of the village easy. Kian only has to do it once before they leave.”

“Does he ask their permission? I was led to believe that the clan is big on consent.”

“According to clan law, he doesn’t have to. Thralling humans to keep our existence secret is allowed.”

“That leaves a lot to interpretation.”

Edna smiled. “You would make a good attorney.” She got up to get the toast. “When is the tour?”

“Kian is picking up Kalugal and Jacki at ten, so we have a whole hour, and I know how I want to spend it.” He winked.

“First, finish your breakfast.” She took a bite of her toast, and then put it down. “I’ll come with you. It will be interesting to hear Kian explain what he imagines those additional fifty houses will be needed for.”

30

Vlad

“Look what I got.” Wendy walked into the bedroom with a small box in her hand. “I was afraid that it wouldn’t arrive on time, but apparently it came with the other things that I ordered, but someone took it by mistake.” She unpacked a tube of lipstick and looked at it lovingly as if it was a hard-won prize. “I found it in the deliveries room, but today’s shipment hasn’t arrived yet, so someone must have taken it and returned it later.”

“That’s nice.” Vlad turned back to look at the red T-shirt Wendy had left for him on the bed.

It was so annoying that she had refused to order things for herself until she’d gotten her first paycheck, and then when she had gotten it, she’d gone ahead and ordered things for him as well.

Between his share of clan profits and what he made in the bakery,