Page 76 of Dark Destiny: The Fates' Bargain

Their shared mind had been chaotic back then, a muddy river, and they had reached for the shaman, hungry for anything from the outside, but he'd panicked and fled.

"Is that going to be a problem?" Bowen asked.

"No," Yaaf said. "It will be interesting."

Bowen shook his head. "I'm not sure what you mean by interesting. Just remember that this is a friendly gathering, and the idea is to put your mothers' fears to rest. You need to convince them that you are eight perfectly normal dudes who sometimes meet up telepathically to discuss things."

Yaaf tilted his head. "It's much more than that, and you know it."

"I do," Bowen said. "And I'm not suggesting that you tell your mothers lies. But they don't need to learn the entire truth all at once either. Let them get used to the idea by making it seem less intimidating at first."

That was good advice, and the collective thought of ways to present themselves in that manner and at the same time not to resort to lies. By the time the elevator stopped at the penthouse level, they had a tentative plan.

The doors opened into a vestibule that was designed to impress, and the collective noted the aesthetics and craftsmanship without being moved by it. A round table of pale stone, an extravagant arrangement of flowers, an intricate mosaic floor. It was beautiful. It was also modest compared to the entry hall of Navuh's mansion, where they had been housed after their liberation, before the collapsed basement had forced everyone to move to the hotel. There they'd occupied the second finest suite on the top floor with views of the harbor and the resort.

The penthouse doors stood open, and sound spilled through them: layered voices, a child's laughter, the clink of dishes, and under all of it Yaaf heard Sullha's voice, and his chest tightened.

They entered as they had practiced, loosely, and spread out enough to look like eight separate men instead of a collective. They moved out of step instead of with their normal synchronized movements. Apparently the synchronicity unsettled people.

The goddess crossed the room to greet them.

Her beauty was impossible to look at but also impossible to look away from.

"Welcome." She offered her hand to Yaaf first. "Today is a celebration for everyone who has escaped the island."

It was on the tip of his tongue to remind her that four people were missing from the celebration, but the collective rushed to warn him against it.

It's her party, Bardov said.We can't tell her who to invite.

"We are honored to be here, my lady." Yaaf bowed over her hands.

"I am thrilled to host you." She moved down the line of them, greeting them by their given names, not their numbers, and the collective noted that she had learned all eight names and matched them to the correct faces.

"Let me introduce everyone." Areana turned, and with a graceful sweep of her hand gathered the room's attention. "These are the ladies of the former harem. My sisters in everything but blood."

The harem ladies rose from wherever they had been seated, but they shouldn't have bothered. They were as easy to spot as rare flowers among weeds.

The rumors had been correct, at least in that regard. They might not have shared Navuh's bed, and they were not the daughters of gods, but they were most likely the most beautiful women in the world.

They all had polite, welcoming smiles on their faces, but underneath those masks was fear. To these women, the enhanced soldiers represented the horrors of the rebellion, the reason they had cowered in Navuh's basement while half the resort burned above and around them. It didn't matter that the Eight hadn't been anywhere near the mansion during that time. The ladies didn't know that.

They are afraid of us, Number Five observed.We need to put them at ease. Any suggestions on how?

We need to be boring and polite and make no sudden movements,Yaaf thought, and the collective accepted his suggestion because the others had nothing better to offer.

"This is Tula and her mate, Esag." Areana started with the one who showed no fear at all.

Tula came forward with her hand extended and her pregnant belly leading the way like a prow. She shook Yaaf's hand firmly and then went down the entire line and shook seven more, and by the fourth handshake, the other ladies had stepped forward.

When Tula and her mate finished the handshaking, she planted her hands on her hips and looked up at them with open admiration. "So, you are the ones who snatched your mothers and sisters from the enclosure without anyone any the wiser. It's the best story I've heard lately, and I want all the details."

"There will be a fee," Yaaf said. "We heard about your heroic escape, and we are eager to hear the details of that."

His answer seemed to satisfy her. "That is one hell of a story. Probably better than yours."

"We can put it to a vote," Yaaf suggested.

Tula laughed, and it rippled through the harem ladies, their careful, polite smiles turning into real ones.