Page 55 of Dark Destiny: The Fates' Bargain

Anita glared at him. "Who wants your kidney? It's probably barely functioning already. I can't wait to get you proper medical tests."

"I bet." He cut off a big chunk of chicken and stuffed it in his mouth.

"In case anyone is wondering," Bowen said. "William is the clan's tech genius. He runs a large lab in the village with dozens of engineers and technicians. Everything clever that you'll see around here came out of it, including those phones in your pockets. If it beeps, glows, or flies, William and his crew probably built it."

Mattie waited patiently for Bowen to be done.

"Bon appétit," she said when she was sure he had nothing else to add. "Dig in, everyone."

The collective ate in a loose synchrony they had long ago learned to adopt so it wouldn't unsettle people, and the Guardians talked over and around them, and it felt nice. It was normal, or as normal as a meal shared by immortals, humans, and enhanced soldiers got.

When they were mostly done, Bowen set his fork down.

"I come bearing good news," he said. "Your mothers and sisters are coming for a visit tomorrow morning. It will take place in the small council chamber, which is located two levels above us and is being prepared as we speak."

The collective went still, all eight bodies stopped moving at once.

Tomorrow morning.

Yaaf felt the reaction move through all of them simultaneously, not one reaction but eight different ones within their hive mind. From Number Two came something tight and dreading and hoping all at once. From Number Four, a flare of joy and Asira's voice sounding in his memory. From Number Five, the sense-memory of his mother's palm against his cheek, the one reunion that had cracked through the conditioning on the firsttry. Anticipation, anxiety, and the awkwardness of the boat magnified by the knowledge that they would now attempt once more to be sons.

Number Eight wasn't getting any visitors, and he experienced both sadness and relief. Since his mother had become a member of the Sacred Mothers, she could not be trusted, so she had remained on the island.

Sullha was coming tomorrow.

The ache Yaaf had been carrying since he'd left her at Safe Harbor did not ease at the news. It sharpened instead, the way hunger sharpens at the smell of food.

"Where is that council chamber?" Mattie stood up so quickly her stool scraped. "I need to see it. Because if it's some grim conference room with a long table, that won't do. This is a family visit, not a negotiation. We should at least serve brunch and arrange the seating in groupings."

"As I said, it's two levels up," Bowen said.

"Can you take me there?" Mattie asked.

He arched a brow. "Right now?"

"Please. If I'm going to fix it, I need to see what I have to work with." Mattie headed toward the doors.

Anita rose to join her. "I'll help," she said.

"I have been given my orders." Bowen stood and followed the women to the door.

The kitchen emptied by degrees, Guardians drifting out, Petrov declaring himself in need of horizontal recovery, and Dimitri reminding everyone about the movie.

"An hour from now," Dimitri said. "We need to wait for Anita and Mattie to return."

"Don't wake me up," Petrov said. "I'll dream of your movie."

The collective began to move toward the elevators.

Yaaf stayed behind, and he didn't need to tell the collective his plans because they already knew, had known since the phone landed in his hand.

21

SULLHA

"Yes, Zohara, in the morning," Sullha said into the phone for the third time. "The driver that brought us to the village will drive us to the other location. His name is Okidu."

"Are we going in the bus again? The one with the windows that turn milky?"