Dark Awakening: Echoes of Destiny (The Children Of The Gods #88)

5. Rob

5

ROB

R ob sat at the kitchen table with his laptop open and the cursor blinking steadily on a half-finished line of code. The late morning sun streamed through the window, warming his face, but his heart was still cold, still bleeding silently as pain turned into anger and then to indifference.

As promised, Toven had returned his devices after the council meeting, along with a new clan phone. They'd all been fitted with new security measures, but Toven had claimed not to know what those measures were.

Despite owning the most technologically advanced company in the world, the guy was not particularly tech-savvy. Toven was one more proof that the real geniuses were not the creators of revolutionary new products but those who saw the potential to monetize their inventions.

Rob had a much better idea about what had been done to his devices. To start with, they would show his location to be somewhere else, and all his communications would be monitored. Any proprietary work he did would no longer be private, but he didn't mind. Given the technological marvels he had witnessed just entering this hidden oasis, he had no doubt that the clan had no need of what he was doing for his company.

It was truly a wondrous new world he was discovering, and he could just imagine how difficult it must have been for Margo to keep this a secret from him. Not that she had a choice. His sister was under the same compulsion he was to keep the immortals and their existence among humans a secret.

He couldn't blame her for that, but she could have told him her suspicions about Lynda.

Would he have believed her, though?

Perhaps not right away.

He would have most likely accused her of disliking Lynda and wanting to put a wedge between them, but perhaps he would have paid more attention to the way his fiancée had acted.

Whatever.

It was water under the bridge now, and he should let it go.

He should focus on the mind-boggling concept of his own potential for immortality. It was as if someone had suddenly rewritten the rules of his existence. Everything he'd planned, every goal he'd set for his life, suddenly seemed small and insignificant in the face of eternity.

Rob ran a hand through his hair. He needed a new plan, but where to even begin when contemplating immortal life?

Lifting his head, he glanced at Mia.

His sister's best friend sat on a lounger, facing the sliding doors of the living room and the greenery outside, totally absorbed in sketching on her tablet. She was working on illustrations for a new book, not because she needed to work for money, but because she loved creating. Her face was composed, her posture relaxed, and she looked like she didn't have a care in the world.

Rob wanted to be like Mia, to find something he loved to do, something he was passionate about, and to be absorbed in creative work.

Toven was a writer, too, but he was less serious about his creative side than Mia. He had a business to run, and he was a council member.

Still, if anyone could give Rob advice about eternal life, it would be his gracious host, the god who had lived for over seven thousand years.

Mind-boggling didn't even begin to describe it, and even more so that Mia was Toven's mate and that the love between them was so palpable it electrified the air around them.

Rob's heart squeezed with envy.

He wanted that kind of love.

Neither Mia nor Toven would ever even look at another, let alone betray each other's trust.

Unbidden, Rob's mind drifted to Lusha.

She was seeing someone, and he would never court her, doing to another what had been done to him, but he could enjoy her company as a friend. Talking to her had been refreshing and easy. He didn't need to hide anything from her, and besides, Lusha was the only person he had befriended in the village so far.

That needed to change. He had to start socializing, get to know some immortal males, and choose his inducer. It would have been easy if Toven offered to do that, but he hadn't, and Rob didn't want to ask.

With a sigh, he closed his laptop, got to his feet, and walked into the living room.

Mia looked up from her tablet and smiled. "Everything okay, Rob?"

"I'm restless," he admitted. "How am I supposed to choose an inducer?"

Mia pursed her lips. "Toven can talk to Kian, and they can find you someone, but it would be better if you find your inducer yourself." She put her tablet on the side table adjacent to her lounger. "They make a big deal out of the induction ceremony, and you will need to pledge to stay best friends with your inducer for life, so it should be someone you like and trust."

For some reason, learning that the induction involved a ceremony and, therefore, witnesses eased Rob's mind. "I would like that, of course. But how am I supposed to get to know males in the village?"

"The gym might be a good place to meet people," Mia said. "But if you are not into fitness, you can try Atzil's bar. It's only open three nights a week, though. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday."

Rob was an introvert, and striking up a conversation with a stranger was not high up on his list of favorite things to do, especially when the stranger was not a woman, but if he had to choose a location to do that, he would choose a gym rather than a bar.

"Where is the gym located?"

"In the underground structure, but today might not be a good day unless you go right now."

"Why?"

"A whole village assembly is scheduled for this evening, and attendance is mandatory."

He frowned. "What's going on?"

Mia shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, but the calm she'd enjoyed while sketching was replaced with tension. "There's been some trouble in the village. Minor thefts, sabotage of garbage incinerators, automatic shutters, and other nonessential equipment. The assembly was called to inform everyone that each resident of the village will be interrogated."

"That sounds a bit extreme for small infringements. It's not like anyone's house was robbed or someone was murdered."

"Fates forbid." Mia put a hand over her chest. "The problem is that things like that never happened in the village until the Kra-ell arrived, and everyone suspects them, but Kian doesn't want them to feel singled out, so he's interrogating everyone."

"The Kra-ell?" Rob asked. "What are they? A different immortal clan?"

"No, they are a different species of beings originating from the same planet as the gods." Mia launched into an explanation about the Kra-ell, who they were, how they had gotten to Earth, and how they had ended up living with the immortals in their village.

Rob listened, fascinated and even more overwhelmed by this new facet of the hidden world he'd stumbled into. "What do they look like? Can I tell them apart from humans and immortals?"

"The purebloods look quite different than humans and immortals, but some of the hybrids are almost indistinguishable unless you know what to look for. If you want to see Kra-ell, you might stop by the playground. The Kra-ell tend to have more children than the immortals, so there is a good chance to spot some mothers with young children there. There is also Aliya at the café. She's a hybrid, but she leans more toward her Kra-ell side. She looks more like the purebloods."

Rob remembered seeing two beautiful brunettes behind the counter, but he hadn't interacted with either of them. He had only talked with Marina, the blue-haired human who worked there.

"I didn't notice anything different about the ladies working in the café, but I'll pay more attention this time."

"Do you need me to show you the way?" Mia offered.

Rob smiled. "I can manage on my own, and if I get lost, I'm sure someone will point me in the right direction."