29. Kian

29

KIAN

K ian scowled at his cappuccino, absently stirring the oat milk and watching the swirls form. A new problem had been brought to his attention, and even though it seemed like a poorly conceived prank, it still disturbed him because things like that had never happened in the village before.

Across the breakfast table, Syssi watched him with a knowing look in her eye, her breakfast untouched. Allegra sat between them, happily munching on a piece of toast with cream cheese.

"What's that frown about?" Syssi asked. "You've been staring at your coffee as if it has done something to offend you."

"It's not the coffee." Kian sighed, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Things have been happening around the village that leave a bad taste in my mouth. People are complaining about items missing from their yards and packages that were marked as delivered disappearing from the mail room. Stuff like that has never happened before, and naturally, everyone thinks it's either the humans or the Kra-ell, and they are not shy about giving both the stink eye. It's difficult enough to run an integrated community without someone perpetrating stupid pranks and petty thefts."

"It sounds like something bored teenagers would do, but we only have three in the clan, and they are all wonderful kids who would never do anything like that. From the new arrivals, there is just one human teenage girl who is so timid that the thought of stealing things would have never even occurred to her, which leaves the Kra-ell. There is a larger group of teenage and young adult Kra-ell, purebloods, and hybrids, and those who need to survive on blood are getting antsy because they don't get to hunt often enough. Jade only took two small groups so far, and it was mostly pureblooded females and some of the younger children. She needs to step up the outings."

Kian was surprised that Syssi knew so much about the Kra-ell. Working nearly full-time at the university and taking care of a young child didn't leave her with a lot of spare time.

"How do you know all that?"

She shrugged. "When Amanda and I return from the university, we usually stop at the café and hear all the gossip from Wonder and Aliya. Those two know everything that's going on in the village, and now that they've added Marina, she will soon become a good source of information as well."

"Amazing." Kian shook his head. "Maybe you can ask them if they've heard anything about the missing items?"

"They don't know who is doing it, but the hypothesis about the teenagers is floating around." She sighed. "I hope it's the teenagers and not adults who want to stir things up."

"Yeah. That's what I'm worried about. So far, the missing items are not very valuable, and it's more of an annoyance than a significant loss, but I'm afraid that whoever is doing it is just testing the waters."

She chuckled. "If I'm right and the Kra-ell are responsible for the thefts, they are definitely not testing the waters. Pushing their boundaries is more apt."

Given the Kra-ell's aversion to deep water, Syssi was right, but Kian wasn't concerned with semantics. "It's not just the missing items. The nighttime shutters have been malfunctioning in some of the houses, letting light spill into the darkness, and that's a security risk. If someone were to fly over the village at night, they'd see the lights and know that something was up here that shouldn't be."

William's ingenious devices kept the village hidden from electronic detection. During the daytime, the clever reflective roof tiles made the entire top of the mountain look like there were only trees. But something as simple as light in the window at night could destroy the illusion.

"Which houses had their shutters malfunction?" Syssi asked.

"They are all in phase two. Either the crews that built those homes did a shoddy job and cut corners, or the shutters we ordered were of crappy quality."

The second part was less likely because he had personally reviewed all the large purchases, and he would never have approved anything that wasn't considered top-notch.

She frowned. "I didn't know about the shutters, and that sounds like deliberate sabotage."

"I agree. But why would anyone do that? The safety of everyone residing in the village depends on us staying hidden and keeping the village a secret from the rest of the world, especially the Doomers. William's devices ensure that we're invisible to electronic detection. If that's sabotage, then whoever is doing it has a death wish." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. "Besides, they are all under compulsion to not harm anyone living here."

Syssi shook her head. "There are always loopholes. They could convince themselves they are doing it for the greater good or some other nonsense that allows them to circumvent the compulsion. You need to put surveillance cameras in the mailroom and around the houses in phase two."

Kian nodded. "As much as I hate spying on my people, it has to be done."

Syssi shrugged. "We already have cameras in strategic places, like the bridge to phase two and at the perimeter of Kalugal's enclave. We also have cameras all over the mountain. A few more will not make a difference."

"It's a slippery slope, Syssi. Where does it end?"

"We don't put cameras in people's bedrooms and bathrooms." She chuckled. "It's funny that I find myself on the side of adding security features while you push back on that."

"I am not pushing back. I agree a hundred percent. I'm just playing devil's advocate." He sighed. "What if we suspect something nefarious is happening in private spaces?"

"Like what?"

He arched a brow. "Do I need to spell it out for you? We have humans living in the village. It's very easy to take advantage of them."

"Right." She scrunched her nose. "Maybe that's something we should leave to Edna. Did she ever approve a search or something along those lines?"

Kian snorted. "Clan law predates all the fluffy laws of today. If I suspect someone is taking advantage of a human or a minor, I don't need a search warrant to break down the door."

Syssi's eyes became hooded. "Why does that make you so sexy to me?"

He cast a glance at Allegra. "Is there a chance you can put her in front of the television to watch the Wiggles?"

Syssi laughed. "I could, but I told Amanda I would meet her at the playground."

He leaned closer to her. "Call her and postpone your playdate. It's Saturday. Tell her that you overslept."