25. Kian

25

KIAN

K ian watched with quiet satisfaction as his sisters engaged Ell-rom in conversation. Amanda peppered him with questions about his experiences since waking and whether physical therapy had helped with his memories. Alena just listened, occasionally interjecting with her own inquiries, but Dalhu and Orion didn't say much and were content to let their mates talk and get to know their new uncle.

He was glad that his sisters seemed to like Ell-rom, mostly for his mother's sake. It was important to her that her family accepted her brother.

The penthouse was alive with the buzz of family. His mother's Odus moved unobtrusively among them, refilling glasses and clearing plates. The rich aroma of the gourmet meal lingered in the air, mingling with the scent of fresh flowers adorning the center of the table that he had no doubt the Odus brought along with all the ingredients for the meal they'd prepared.

He still remembered the days when this dining room was rarely used, mostly because he'd hated entertaining and also because his mother and Alena were in Alaska, and Amanda lived in her own condo near the university. None of them had mates, and the only time there had been gatherings of any kind in his penthouse apartment was when he had been hosting a council meeting.

A lot had changed during the last five years, and it had all started with Syssi. He reached for her hand under the table and gave it a little squeeze.

She turned to him. "Is everything okay?"

He nodded. "I went down memory lane when this dining room was never used, and I'm so grateful for all the blessings the Fates bestowed on us, but mostly I'm grateful for you." He lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. "You made my life worth living."

As his sisters and mother all oohed and ahhed, Orion and Dalhu nodded in agreement while Toven and Mia exchanged knowing smiles, and Ell-rom and Jasmine had twin looks of surprise on their faces.

They didn't know him as well as the rest of those present did, and they had never seen him go all mushy over his love for his wife. He usually refrained from making such grand gestures in front of anyone other than his close family.

Across the table, Amanda grinned like a Cheshire cat. "And to think that I had to work so hard to convince you to meet Syssi. I knew you were meant for each other as soon as I finished running my tests on her."

"What kind of tests?" Ell-rom asked.

Amanda gave him a quick overview of her research on paranormal abilities and then waxed poetic about Syssi's incredible results.

"Regrettably, I didn't find any more strong talents among my test subjects." Amanda sighed. "But the Fates have kept sending us Dormants with powers I have never imagined. We have one lady who can tether her consciousness to that of another and spy on them; her sister can hear echoes of conversations embedded in walls, and Mia is an enhancer. She can make any other paranormal talent stronger."

As he glanced at Mia, a look of apprehension flitted over Ell-rom's face, but he schooled his expression so fast that Kian wasn't sure he had seen it.

Why would Ell-rom fear Mia's talent?

Was he hiding a talent of his own that he was afraid she might inadvertently enhance?

"How do you do that?" Ell-rom asked her. "Do you need to concentrate? Touch the person? How does the enhancing work?"

Mia shrugged. "I just need to be close to them. The closer, the better." She chuckled. "In Karelia, Toven carried me on his back in a special harness, so that was really close."

"I was carried in a harness as well," Jasmine said. "I twisted my ankle when we were searching for the pod, and Negal carried me on his back, but it didn't benefit him in any way. It was a pure act of charity on his part. I don't have any enhancing powers. I can hold a scrying stick, though, and point it in the right direction." She demonstrated with a pretend stick, getting several laughs.

As a conversation about tarot and other Wicca paraphernalia continued for a few moments, Kian observed Ell-rom. The guy tried to look amused or interested, but Kian had the impression that he was scared.

Perhaps it was time to have a one-on-one talk with his new uncle and see what he was so afraid of.

"By the way," Amanda said. "Has there been any response to the announcement on the bulletin board? Did anyone come forward?"

Kian shook his head. "The last time I checked, there was nothing. But I can check again if you'd like."

"Please do," their mother said.

Kian pulled out his phone, navigated to the village's digital bulletin board, and as he scrolled through the recent posts, he frowned. "There are no confessions, but there are a lot of negative comments. Many are pointing fingers at the Kra-ell."

As a palpable tension settled over the table, Syssi placed a comforting hand on his arm. "You can't make everyone happy all of the time. There will always be voices of dissent."

"The integration isn't going as smoothly as we'd hoped," Toven said.

Kian leaned back in his chair, taking Syssi's hand with him. "I'm not great at all this social stuff. I thought that providing everyone a nice place to live and supplying them with all they needed would do the trick, but apparently, that's not enough. If anyone has ideas for how to make it work better, I'm all ears." He cast a sidelong glance at Amanda, who was supposed to have been organizing social activities that incorporated the Kra-ell.

"I must apologize," she said. "I haven't had time to arrange the get-togethers between clan members and Kra-ell as we discussed, and I have also encountered a couple of obstacles that I'm not sure what to do about."

"Such as?" Kian prompted.

"Well, for one, the age disparity. The Kra-ell have many young adults and older teenagers, while our clan has very few in that age range. Those we do have are all mated and... well, not as interested in the kinds of activities young people typically enjoy."

Kian nodded. "And the other one?"

"The food barrier. Humans and immortals often bond over shared meals, like barbecues, wine and cheese nights, etc., but half of the Kra-ell can't participate in any of that because they only drink blood." She snorted. "If they were to mingle while holding goblets filled with blood, it would further alienate the immortals instead of bringing them closer."

Ell-rom made a gagging sound and reached for a glass of water while Jasmine looked at him with worry in her eyes.

Kian tapped his fingers on the table. "Even the purebloods can process alcohol. What about arranging get-togethers at Atzil's pub? It's neutral ground, and everyone can partake in drinks."

Amanda's eyes lit up. "That's a great idea. I can work with that."

"I have a different perspective to offer," Toven interjected. "Perhaps it would have been better to segregate the groups from the start. Let the Kra-ell govern themselves independently. They've lived under Igor's thumb for so long, chafing for freedom. Now, they have the clan imposing restrictions on them. It's not surprising there's friction."

Kian shook his head. "We considered that. I offered Jade and her people the option of returning to Karelia and living in their former compound. They declined."

Toven put his wine glass down. "Maybe it's time for Jade to call another assembly and have them vote again. Some might have changed their minds after experiencing life in the village."

From the corner of his eye, Kian saw Ell-rom shaking his head. He no longer looked like he was about to gag, so Kian felt it was okay to engage him in the conversation.

"What's your opinion, Ell-rom?" he asked.

Ell-rom looked surprised at being addressed, but he composed himself quickly. "I'm not sure I can offer an opinion. I don't know either person well enough yet. But thinking about it logically, a tiny number of immortals and an even tinier number of Kra-ell stand a better chance of surviving together than apart. Jasmine tells me that there are eight billion humans on the planet, and if they ever discovered the aliens living among them, it would be very dangerous. It seems to me that it's in everyone's best interest to find a way to coexist peacefully. United, you're stronger. Divided, you're more vulnerable."

Despite his amnesia, the prince showed a keen mind for strategy, and Kian admired his confidence to voice his opinion. "Ell-rom's right. Safety is the overriding factor here. We need to remind everyone of that."

He leaned forward, a decision crystallizing in his mind. "I think it's time to call a grand assembly and address every resident of the village. I need to remind them why we're living in hiding."

"It's a good start," Toven said. "Combined with other initiatives, like the pub gatherings and more joint training sessions between the Guardians and the Kra-ell warriors, people might start seeing each other as individuals, not as 'us' and 'them.'"