Page 16 of Dark Shaman: Love Found
"Of course, my lord. You know best how to prepare for such a threat. I wouldn't presume to give you any suggestions, but perhaps you should question loyalties."
Navuh was quiet for a long moment, and Eluheed could practically see the gears turning in his mind. The lord would now suspect everyone and trust no one. It wasn't ideal, but it was better than him being blindsided when his enhanced soldiers eventually turned.
"What do you know of loyalty, shaman?" The question came unexpectedly.
Eluheed weighed his response. "I know it cannot be forced, my lord. True loyalty comes from respect, from shared purpose, from the belief that serving brings more benefit than betraying."
"A pragmatic view."
"An honest one, my lord. Those who serve from fear alone will abandon that service the moment they no longer feel afraid. Those who serve from greed will sell themselves to the highest bidder. But those who serve because they believe in the cause, in the leader—they are the ones who remain steadfast."
"And which are you, Elias?" Navuh turned to face him. "What keeps you loyal? Fear? Greed? Belief?"
The question was a trap, but Eluheed had navigated such waters before. "Necessity, my lord. I am loyal because the alternative serves no purpose. What would I gain from betrayal? Where would I go? My life here, limited though it may be, provides purpose and structure. That is enough."
"Enough." Navuh seemed to taste the word. "How refreshingly modest. Most men always want more."
"Wanting more is a good way to end up with nothing, my lord."
"Indeed." Navuh returned to his screen. "You've given me much to consider, shaman. You may go."
"Thank you, my lord." Eluheed rose and bowed. "I'm always at your service."
6
CAROL
The downtown Los Angeles high-rise looked like any other corporate building from the outside, but Carol knew all of its secrets. The underground labyrinth levels still housed a large training center, the clinic, the dungeon, a pool, a theater, the catacombs, classrooms, and numerous storage areas that contained only the Fates knew what.
Above, the penthouse level belonged to Kian and Amanda, but the two luxury apartments were mostly used to accommodate clan guests. The two floors below were reserved for Guardians on rotation, and some of them now housed the displaced paranormals.
"I feel sorry for them," Lokan said as they parked their car in the clan's dedicated parking level. "These paranormals have been living in limbo for months, first in Safe Haven and then in the keep."
"I hope we can offer them a path to something better." Carol used her clan card to open the door marked as maintenanceand stepped inside with Lokan right behind her. "Gosh, it has been so long since I've been here. I've missed the place."
Chuckling, he wrapped his arm around her. "It's where we met and fell in love. Do you want to visit the dungeon and reminisce?"
She shook her head. "I wish we could, but from what I've heard, the dungeon is full of scum these days." She shivered. "I'd rather stay away from pedos and enhanced Doomers."
Lokan's eyes flashed red momentarily, excitement producing this strange effect that was more typical of Kra-ell than immortals. "I want to see the enhanced Doomers and talk with Julian about what he's learned about them so far. Perhaps I could sneak away while you are talking to the paranormals."
"Don't even think about it." She clasped his hand. "We are doing this together, remember?"
"Of course." He brought their conjoined hands to his lips and kissed the back of hers. "You are the boss, my love. Whatever you say goes."
Carol grinned. "Oh, I'm going to hold you to that promise tonight."
The predatory gleam in his eyes flashed again. "Looking forward to it, darling."
When they reached Kian's old office, Eleanor rose to her feet to greet them.
"Welcome back." She offered Carol her hand. "I'm glad youtwo have made it in one piece. I heard that you had several close calls."
The female was precisely as Carol remembered her—tall, thin, with small dark eyes that seemed to catalog everything in an instant, and a no-nonsense attitude that radiated from every line of her body.
The first time they met, Eleanor had been working for the government, and they had abducted her to get information on where and when they could get Jin, who had been coerced into joining the secret paranormal program.
Eleanor hadn't been cooperative, and since she was immune to thralling and compulsion, they'd had to extract information from her the old-fashioned way—torture. They'd deprived her of emptying her bladder until she'd given them what they'd wanted.
