refuse an invitation from the goddess.
“Who else is invited?” he asked.
“Probably the usual suspects. Kian and Syssi, Amanda and Dalhu, and Alena, of course. Kalugal and Jacki as well. Annani makes a conscious effort to include him in family affairs. Growing up the way he did, the guy needs it.”
“He seems well-adjusted to me.”
Kalugal was full of himself, but since he was a demigod, his feelings of self-worth were justified. Other than that, he was charming, easygoing, and very smart. David had no problem with the eternal pledge he’d made to him in exchange for the induction. Besides, the way he saw it, he was the one who would gain the most from their alliance. The pledge David had taken only required him to offer his loyalty and friendship to Kalugal, while Kalugal’s pledge required him to be David’s mentor.
He could learn a lot from the guy.
Sari nodded. “Surprisingly, he is. I don’t know how he managed that given that his mother was not around, and his father was a power-hungry despot whom he feared.”
That was indeed surprising. Even child demigods needed love to thrive and flourish. They might be a highly evolved species, but they had too much in common with humans to be significantly different in that regard.
“Kalugal must have had someone who loved and nurtured him as a child. Otherwise he wouldn’t have turned out the way he has.”
“I guess that he had nannies who cared for him.” Sari stopped in front of Annani’s suite and knocked on the door.
Her older sister opened the door. “Hello.” She smiled at David. “How are you feeling this morning?”
“I feel great, thank you.” He followed Sari inside.
“That’s my venom at work.” Kalugal grinned. “I hope that you enjoyed the trip.” He beckoned David and Sari over. “Come sit with me and tell me all about it.”
The goddess was sitting at the head of the table, but her other children and their mates weren’t there yet.
David dipped his head. “Good morning, Clan Mother.”
“Good morning.” She cast him a warm smile. “I am glad that you are feeling well, David.”
“Thank you.” He pulled out a chair for Sari and then one for himself next to Kalugal. “So, what are your duties as my mentor? What are you going to teach me, wise master?”
Kalugal smirked. “The wonders of immortality, my friend. But not just yet. After your transition.”
David couldn’t imagine what else Kalugal could tell him about immortality that Sari hadn’t already. He was more interested in the guy’s investments in promising new technologies.
Next to him, Sari groaned. “The waiting is so stressful.” She looked at Jacki. “How long did it take for your transition to start after Kalugal’s first bite?”
Jacki’s cheeks pinked. “The first bite was on Monday, and I started transitioning on Thursday. But maybe it didn’t happen because of the first one, and the second bite triggered it.”
Kalugal wrapped his arm around her. “I assure you that it started after the first one. It just took three days for the transition process to start manifesting symptoms.”
When a knock sounded at the door, one of the goddess’s butlers rushed to open the way.
“Good morning, Master Kian and Mistress Syssi.” He bowed. “Good morning, Mistress Amanda and Master Dalhu.”
“I apologize for arriving a little late, Mother.” Kian walked over to the goddess and kissed her cheek. “I had an interesting call from Turner.”
“I have no excuse.” Amanda walked over and kissed her mother as well. “Not a good one anyway.” She winked at her mate before taking a seat next to the goddess.
The lack of response from Annani indicated that she had no problem with her children sharing that kind of information with her. For someone so ancient, she was surprisingly progressive. David would have never dared talk like that in front of his father or his mother.
“What was the call from Turner about?” Kalugal asked.
“A new case that he’s working on. As you know, he runs a hostage retrieval operation. People come to him when all other options have been exhausted. This time, however, it’s not about a hostage but about a woman who joined a cult voluntarily and doesn’t want to be rescued. He asked me to lend him a couple of Guardians.”
“What does he need the Guardians for?” Amanda asked.
“He can’t get her out against her will, and his own thralling ability is so-so. He needs a Guardian to thrall her so she leaves voluntarily. Or at least it seems so.”
“He could use Kri,” Amanda suggested. “As a woman,