Page 34 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Mind

The progression of their relationship had been long. It had started off formal, then became more friendly, and at some point, Sofri had started looking through the fabric of the universe for rare new talents at Ani's behest.

Finding them before the king's secret service did so was crucial. With the help of the resistance, they were given passage to one of the safer colonies, avoiding detection. Had the king's agents found them first, they would have been forced to work for him or sent to one of the more volatile colonies that had low survival rates.

That was how Sofri had discovered the twins' existence. It had taken some manipulation to get the two of them to the capital and give them jobs that allowed them access to Sofri and, through the Oracle, to Ani.

The Supreme had much more leeway than the queen, and her activities were less scrutinized, but that did not mean that she could be anything less than super careful. Every move was shrouded in layers upon layers of relays, so nothing could be traced back to her.

As the quartet shifted to a livelier melody, Ani allowed herself to get distracted and enjoy the music and the spectacular array of sweets that were served for dessert.

When tea and coffee were served along with the sweets, she sipped on her tea and pretended to look at the musicians as a new plan started forming in her head.

Kalugal

When Jacki put the amulet around her neck, Kalugal grimaced, but he knew that arguing with her about it was futile right now.

His mate was a stubborn woman.

Still, he couldn't just say nothing. "You said that this amulet was evil. I know that you need to touch it, but you don't have to wear it."

"I didn't say that it was evil. It's just an object."

"Semantics. You said that what was done to imbue it with power was evil, and that makes it evil."

Jacki let out a breath. "Maybe it is, and maybe it isn't, but it doesn't matter. I need its help to navigate toward the captives."

He couldn't argue with that. "As soon as we find the girls, take it off. I don't want this thing to contaminate you."

Jacki let out an exasperated sigh. "The amulet is neither good nor bad, and that's despite it having been imbued with power by human sacrifices. It's like a container of blood. The way the blood is collected doesn't affect the container. That being said, I still intend to toss it into the ocean as soon as we are done with this mission, not because it is evil, but because I don't want it to fall into the hands of someone who would exploit it for any other reason than saving lives."

Kalugal hoped she wasn't thinking of him as that someone, yet at the same time, he also didn't want to get rid of the amulet. He just didn't want her to wear it. "Think of it from another angle. If we can keep using the amulet to save lives, we honor those who died to give it power."

When she arched a brow, he put a hand over his heart. "You wound me, mate. I would never use the amulet for gain. But if you don't trust me, we can give it to my goodie-two-shoes cousin. You trust Kian to use it only for good, right?"

Jacki deflated. "I trust you. I know that you will never go back on your promise to me."

"Good. I wasn't sure for a moment there." He gave her a bright smile. "So, we are keeping it?"

"I don't know. Let's see how this mission turns out. I'll decide when we get to the ship."

Kalugal was smart enough not to point out that the decision wasn't exclusively up to her. Technically, the amulet belonged to him because he had paid for the map and had organized the treasure hunt. He was also willing to share it with the clan and let Syssi use it whenever she needed a boost to her prophetic powers. It wasn't fair for Jacki to decide the fate of the amulet for everyone involved.

Still, he was a married man, and he knew what was good for him. He was also a patient guy who knew that sometimes it was better to keep his mouth shut until it was the right time to start an argument.

Right now wasn't the right time.

Clutching the damn amulet and holding it to her chest, Jacki pointed at a thicket of trees about five hundred meters ahead. "That's where the girls are being held. Do you want to stop here and continue on foot?"

"They can't hear or see us, so there is no need for us to trudge on foot. We could drive right over the scum, and they wouldn't even know what hit them until they were under the wheels of the trucks. The only problem with that plan is that it's not satisfying enough. I want to get up close and personal with their throats." He flashed her a smile with his fully elongated fangs.

Jacki grinned at him. "You say the nicest things, my mate."

He leaned over and kissed her. "I love you, my bloodthirsty wife."

"When should I stop, boss?" Luis asked without turning back to look at him.

Kalugal had thralled him to ignore the fangs and glowing eyes that many of the immortal males were already sporting, and he had compelled him to follow his instructions to the letter.

"Drive up to that truck over there."