Page 5 of Dark Voyage Matters of the Soul

Syssi's parents were there as well, and as Syssi handed Allegra to Annani, Anita shook her head.

"You have her all of the time." She reached for her granddaughter. "I hardly get to see her."

Smiling, his mother kissed Allegra's cheek and then transferred her to Anita. "If you retired and moved into the village, you could see her whenever you pleased."

Syssi's mother chuckled. "Adam says that the day I quit, I'll die, and he's probably right. Knowing that I'm needed, that what I do improves and often saves people's lives, motivates me to keep going."

Annani nodded sagely. "I cannot argue with that. Having a purpose is essential to one's mental health, especially for immortals and gods."

"My grandparents keep busy while being retired," Mia said. "They have their hobbies and their friends, and they enjoy taking it easy."

"Nothing wrong with that." Anita stroked Allegra's hair, curling the soft strands around her finger. "Why didn't they come on the cruise?"

Mia shrugged. "My grandmother can't tolerate being on a ship. On top of being seasick, she gets terrible migraines. Theydecided to spend the ten days in their Pasadena home and enjoy time with old friends that they haven't seen in a while."

As the chitchat continued about things that Kian had no interest in, he scanned the faces of his family members, noting the changes in their expressions following yesterday's events.

With the wedding behind him, Dalhu looked like a new man. The stress he'd been under for the past several weeks was finally gone, and his marriage vows to Amanda had gained him approval from many who had been still suspicious of the former Doomer.

Lokan always looked stressed, which was understandable given the danger he was in due to his association with the clan and the undercover work he was doing for them.

Thankfully, his father had shipped him off to China, so he wasn't under constant scrutiny as he would have been if he'd remained on the island. Still, it had to be nerve-wracking to straddle the fence like that, and Kian wished he could just tell his cousin to cross over permanently, but he was the only spy they had in the Brotherhood, and they couldn't afford to lose that connection.

Kian doubted that Areana knew as much as she thought she did about Navuh’s dealings, but even if she did, he didn’t think she would have told Annani anything about them unless they included a direct threat to her sister's life. Regrettably, his aunt loved her psychotic mate and would never betray him.

"I still can't get over how gorgeous your dress was," Carol said to Amanda. "When Lokan and I finally get married, I want your designer to make my dress."

Amanda pulled out her phone. "I'll get you her contact information right now."

"By the time we get married, the designer will probably be dead," Lokan grumbled under his breath. "Humans don't live that long."

Carol cast him an amused look. "Don't be such a pessimist. The Fates might resolve things for us sooner than we expect."

"What things need to be resolved?" Syssi asked.

"The island, our post in China, and the designer label that started as a cover for Lokan's work with the Chinese authorities but has become my life's passion."

Annani listened to the exchange with a small smile lifting her lips. "I do not see why any of these things should have an impact on your wedding ceremony. You can tie the knot right here on the cruise. We can squeeze you in for a lunchtime wedding."

Carol shook her head, causing her golden curls to flutter around her face. "I told Lokan that we can't get married as long as we are in danger. I want to feel safe when I pledge my life to this rascal." She nudged his arm playfully.

Annani's smile slid off her face. "The only place I feel safe in is my Alaskan home, but to be frank, I do not feel completely safe even there because safety is an illusion. The trick is to be vigilant and not to let fear paralyze you and prevent you from living your life."

Annani

Both of Kian's brows hiked up nearly to his hairline. "You don't feel safe in the village? That's news to me. Besides, since when have you been concerned about safety? Given your track record of shenanigans that have kept me awake at night, I assumed that you were fearless."

Annani smiled. "I am a goddess, so there is not much that can harm me, and the odds are in my favor, but since nearly my entire family got wiped out in a single act of terror, I know never to let down my guard. If I had not been vigilant back then, if I had underestimated Mortdh's irrational disdain for me and, by extension, for all females, I would not have fled in the nick of time, and I would have died along with everyone I knew and loved."

As Toven's sigh from across the table drew her attention, Annani turned to him. "I am sorry for bringing up a painful subject. Even five thousand years are not enough to blunt the pain of our loss."

He nodded. "It comes and goes. Sometimes, I manage to forget and enjoy the life I have with Mia, my children andgrandchildren, and your entire lovely clan. But sometimes I'm crushed under the painful memories." He inhaled deeply. "I also carry the pain of entire civilizations wiped out of existence despite my best efforts to save them. I can't grasp the savagery, not in humans and even less so in Mortdh. As a god, he should have been above the ape-like savage impulses, but I guess that in his case, it wasn't innate but a form of insanity."

Kian chuckled. "No one thinks otherwise. Mortdh's insanity is a well-established fact."

Syssi put a hand on his arm. "We should change the subject. This is not good for the children."

She was right. Allegra and Evie were too young to understand what was being said, but Phoenix was older, and she was smart for her age. Listening intently to the conversation, the girl had worry in her eyes.