Page 59 of Dark Destiny: A New Thread in the Tapestry

"I like the way you think." Kian pulled out his phone and called his cousin.

Kalugal picked up on the second ring.

"How can I help you on this lovely Monday morning?"

"Turner and I came up with a plan to resolve the situation with your parents."

Kalugal listened as Kian laid out the idea. "Two structures," Kalugal said. "Separate or connected?"

"I haven't thought it through yet," Kian admitted. "What do you think?"

"I think connected by a passage but independent. My mother wouldn't like sharing a house with her mate's guards. She wouldn't have minded servants, but that's not the same."

"No, it's not."

There was a sigh. "To be honest, I don't want him anywhere near me. Not near my house, not near my wife, not near my son."

"I understand, and I feel the same way. I'll consult with Gavin about the location. Do you want to join the meeting?"

"Naturally. I'll talk to Lokan, not because he gets a vote, but because he needs to be informed."

"That's fair. And speaking of a vote, the council will need to vote on this. It's not something I can decide on my own. I'll make the calls first to see if we have enough votes to pass it. If we do, I'll schedule the call with the Eight and share the good news."

Kalugal snorted. "I'm not sure they'll view it as good news. Guarding a former despot isn't exactly a fulfilling job. I'm sure they have higher aspirations than that."

"Probably," Kian agreed. "But for now, that's the best I can offer them."

22

YAAF

"He'll be calling in a few minutes." Bowen set the laptop on the conference table. "Relax and look confident. Yaaf, you'll do the talking."

"I'm always the one doing the talking."

It occurred to him that even the Guardians were calling him Yaaf now, not Number One. In fact, the eight of them were using their given names more and more, which was helping their individualization.

To an extent.

The collective was a good thing, and they didn't want to sacrifice it on the altar of individuality. They were all doing a balancing act.

The Eight arranged themselves around the conference table in Kian's old office, and a few moments later the screen lit up.

Yaaf had never seen Kian in person, had only heard his voice, and the two didn't match. He looked much younger than he sounded, but then he was immortal, so he could be ancient and look no older than thirty.

His hair was long, covering his ears, so there was no way to tell whether he was wearing the filtering earpieces, but they had no doubt that he was. The male was far too cautious to forgo the security measure.

"Good afternoon," Kian said. "How would you like me to address you? Dave? Number One? Or Yaaf?"

"What do you call us when you talk about us?" Yaaf asked.

"The Eight."

Yaaf nodded. "That's fine. We realized that calling the collective Dave might not be the best idea. It makes us appear strange."

Kian chuckled. "Well, you are unique, which translates as strange for most people. There's no way around that."

"True," Yaaf said. "Thank you for agreeing to talk to us."