Page 8 of Dark Gambit: The Play

"Then welcome aboard." Kian rose to his feet and offered her his hand. "Thank you."

She beamed up at him. "Thank you for welcoming me to the team. I'm so happy to finally be able to utilize my gift for something useful."

Nodding, he let go of her hand and offered it to Toven. "Thank you. You're doing a great service to the clan."

"That remains to be seen." Toven shook his hand. "If I fail to remove the compulsion, you'll have to ask Annani to give it a try."

Had he said that to inquire whether Kian had asked Annani already? Or was it his way of politely expressing his displeasure about being asked to do something that Annani was capable of, but Kian wasn't willing to risk her?

"I doubt that will be needed. Turner thinks that you are a stronger compeller than my mother. I don't know if that's true, but in any case, I view you as a warrior while I can't see my mother in that role."

That should be enough to stroke the god's ego.

"I'm not a warrior. I'm an explorer, or was one a long time ago, and now I'm a creator of stories that lift people's spirits. I don't know whether I'm a stronger compeller than Annani, but it is true that I have more experience. If I fail, though, you might have to employ your mother's help, and you should be prepared to do that. Annani can do everything I can. We are both powerful gods, and in some ways she's more powerful than I am. Do you really think that the only way to keep Annani safe is by hiding her inside your village?"

Kian shrugged. "I do the best I can, and so far, I’ve managed to keep her out of trouble. I hope to keep it that way. Annani is extremely powerful, but she thinks with her heart, she is impulsive, and she's not as diligent with her safety as I would like her to be."

Toven smiled indulgently. "She's humoring you. You have no idea what she does when she's not here."

Kian winced. "Tell me something that I don't know."

5

TOVEN

As the door closed behind Kian, Mia let out a breath. "Are you sure that you want me to come with you?"

"I might need you." Toven sat back down and leaned toward her. "Besides, you were complaining about being bored. It's an opportunity for a little adventure. Something exciting."

She smiled. "When did I complain about being bored?"

The truth was that Mia hadn't complained about anything, but she'd seemed restless lately, and Toven assumed that the cause was boredom.

"So, you're not?" He took her hands in his.

"How can I be bored when I'm living with a god? If I seem restless, it's because I want Margo and Frankie to move into the village already, and those damn parts are still missing, so William's team can't finish building the Perfect Match machines, and until they get that done, Margo and Frankie can't be the testers for new adventures."

"You are the one who insisted on waiting until they are ready so your friends will have jobs. For all I care, they can move into the village tomorrow, and if you are worried about them being bored with nothing to do, the café can always use more hands."

"I know, but I don't want them to start as waitresses. Their current jobs might not be a huge step up from that, but I want them to begin their lives in the village on the right foot. Besides, my grandmother has a long list of eligible bachelors she plans on inviting to her house to meet the girls on the weekends when we are back in Arcadia. They might find their one and only even before they get here."

Provided that they were indeed Dormants.

Neither girl had a paranormal talent, and the only indicators that they might be Dormants was the affinity he and the immortals who'd met them reported feeling and Lisa's hunch, which was just as unproven and subjective as Margo and Frankie's likability.

Mia pulled her hands out of his. "We'd better start packing if we want to be out of here in time to catch the plane." She put her chair in reverse. "We can keep talking while we pack, and you can tell me the real reason for wanting me to come with you. I know that it can't be my enhancing powers because I've never attempted to enhance your compulsion ability before."

He followed her to the bedroom. "There was no need, so we couldn't test it. This is a golden opportunity to do so. But I'm also thinking about Sofia. The girl is probably terrified, and being surrounded by a bunch of imposing males is going to make her even more so. Your presence will ease her mind and make her more receptive to my compulsion."

She cast him a sly smile. "You're good, and I appreciate you trying to make me feel needed, but I doubt Sofia will have a problem being surrounded by a bunch of hunky Guardians. No one needs me there."

Toven put a hand over his chest. "First of all, I always need you with me. And secondly, I meant every word. I want to test your enhancing ability on my compulsion, and I'm sure that Sofia will appreciate you being there. If she comes from a Kra-ell compound, she's used to females being in charge. She'll assume that you are running the show and will be relieved that our leader is such a sweet-natured female."

"Right." She cast him a doubtful look. "From what I overheard, Sofia is fully human, and she might have been picked at random from the university and compelled to do their bidding. She might not know a thing about the Kra-ell."

The possibility that the girl didn't know who'd sent her hadn't occurred to him, but it was possible.

"In either case, she will love having another female there."