Page 78 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Mind

Annani

As the doorbell rang, Oridu opened the door and bowed. "Good evening, Master Kian. The Clan Mother is expecting you."

"Thank you." Kian walked in. "Good evening, Mother." He leaned and kissed her cheek. "How are you? Did my daughter tire you?"

"Not at all, my son." She patted the spot next to her on the couch. "I had a wonderful time with Allegra today, and I was sorry to see her go, but Syssi insisted that she needed a nap so she could attend Amanda's wedding tonight."

Kian smiled. "You must have exhausted her because she fell asleep on the way to our cabin. Syssi is napping with her, which is adorable."

Annani frowned. "You should have stayed with them and napped as well. You look tired and troubled."

He let out a breath. "I am much less troubled now than I was earlier when the women arrived."

"I can imagine." Annani sighed. "I wish I could assist in some way."

He shook his head. "The less they interact with us, the better. Kalugal has already thralled them to ease some of the emotional pain, and I don't want to have to thrall them more than necessary."

"I understand. What can we do for them before delivering them to the sanctuary?"

"Syssi and I came up with a solid plan to help, and I came to give you an update."

"Thank you. I appreciate you coming to deliver it in person. You've had a busy day, and it is not over yet."

"Ain't that the truth." He raked his fingers through his hair. "Kri, Bridget, and several human volunteers helped the women settle in their cabins. Bridget has administered medical care to those who needed it, and we even found a local pharmacy that carries the morning-after pill."

Her son did not need to explain why the pill was needed, and Annani applauded Bridget's foresight.

"Physically, they're stable," Kian continued. "But emotionally, it's a long road to recovery, which brings me to the plan Syssi and I hatched. Vanessa is going to help them via video calls, and once she deems it safe for them to talk to humans, she will organize a group of human therapists who will start working with them one-on-one via the same method. Syssi wanted us to head straight back to Long Beach so we can deliver the women to the sanctuary as soon as possible, but it wasn't practical for several reasons, so we are going to continue with our itinerary as planned and arrive at Long Beach when the trip is over."

Annani was relieved. The couples about to get married on this trip had waited long enough for their special day. It was not fair to them to postpone it again. If the women's situation was critical, it would have naturally superseded that, but if they were physically stable and were getting emotional support on the way, there was no reason to shortchange everyone's enjoyment of the trip.

It was not every day that nearly the entire clan spent time together and celebrated joyous occasions.

"I am glad you found a way to continue the trip while helping these poor women." She patted his arm. "You and Syssi are a good team."

That got a genuine smile out of Kian. "We are. By the way, do you know if any of our younger members have studied or are studying psychology? Vanessa has too much on her plate, and we need more than one therapist for the clan."

"Sheila is about to graduate college this year, but she still has a long road ahead of her until she becomes a doctor, and you need people now."

He chuckled. "I need to beseech the Fates to send us Dormants who are already licensed therapists."

"Indeed." Annani motioned toward the coffee table. "Oridu made tea. Can I offer you some?"

"Sure. I've had too much coffee today, and tea sounds lovely right now."

As Oridu rushed over to pour each of them a cup, Annani leaned closer to her son. "In all of today's turmoil, you must have forgotten about Dalhu's bachelor party."

"I didn't forget. There wasn't time."

"A shorter party is better than none. Please make an effort for him. The poor male is so anxious about facing the entire clan, and he would benefit from a relaxing hour with friends, whiskey, and a good cigar. Your sister will be grateful."

"I'll see what I can do." As Kian's phone buzzed with an incoming message, he pulled it out of his pocket. "May I?"

"Of course." Annani nodded. "It might be an emergency."

As Kian read the message, his forehead furrowed. "Aru requests an audience with both of us. He says he has something urgent that he needs to discuss with you."

"Then invite him over. I just hope it will not take too long and prevent you from spending time with Dalhu."