Page 7

FENELLA

F enella stared up at Kalugal's house, her expectations shattered.

The structure was modest, almost humble by village standards, with a red door that provided the only splash of color against the neutral exterior and was the sole indicator that what lay on the other side was not as humble as the exterior suggested.

She recognized the door from a luxury homes magazine she'd browsed through at the clinic. It was an Italian designer piece that cost a fortune.

"That's an interesting front door," Din muttered. "It looks heavy."

"That's because it is. This whole thing swings on a pivot."

He looked at her with a frown. "How do you know that?"

"I've seen it in a magazine. The price quoted was twenty-five thousand dollars."

His eyes widened. "Just for the door?"

She nodded. "Just for the door before installation."

Shaking his head, Din rang the doorbell, and moments later, the door swung open just as Fenella had explained, pivoting to reveal Kalugal himself, dressed casually in a dark blue short-sleeved shirt and jeans that fit him so well Fenella was sure they had been custom-ordered.

"Welcome to my home." He stepped aside to let them enter. "I do appreciate punctuality, and it seems like you are the only ones who actually showed up on time."

"Are we the first to arrive?" Fenella asked.

"Indeed." Kalugal closed the door behind them by giving it a slight push. It locked with a pneumatic hiss. "Which is fortunate since I can give you a tour while we wait for the others."

The entry foyer was tastefully decorated but unremarkable other than the departure from the Mediterranean style Fenella had grown accustomed to throughout the village. Here, the slant was a little more contemporary.

"This way." He beckoned them forward. "We can use the lift or the stairs. Which do you prefer?"

"The stairs," Fenella said.

"Okay then." He led them toward a pair of glass doors that seemed to be leading into a sitting room.

When he opened them, though, they revealed a wide staircase that descended into a vast open living area bathed in natural light from above.

The ceiling—or rather, what should have been the ceiling—was a series of geometric skylights that allowed sunlight to spill into the space below.

The room stretched far beyond what the footprint of the aboveground structure could possibly contain.

"It's built underground," she breathed.

"Most of it." Kalugal's lips curved with satisfaction at her stunned reaction. "Come, I'll show you the rest."

They followed him down the stairs into the main living area, an expansive space with multiple seating arrangements, a state-of-the-art entertainment system, and floor-to-ceiling bookshelves along one wall.

The furnishings were luxurious without being showy—comfortable leather sofas, plush area rugs, and occasional tables that looked handcrafted even though they were all in contemporary style.

"This is incredible," Din said. "How much square footage are we talking about?"

"Just under twelve thousand," Kalugal replied.

Fenella's jaw dropped. "Twelve thousand? Where is it all hiding?"

Kalugal waved his hand. "Mostly underground. No structure in the village can be more than one story aboveground, and footprints are restricted to maintain the village's low profile from aerial observation. But I employed a creative solution around the restrictions."

He led them through an archway into a formal dining room, large enough to seat twenty people comfortably, explaining that it could accommodate double that by extending the table.

They continued to a large gym that rivaled the one in the clan's underground complex, and a library. Several corridors led to what Fenella assumed were bedrooms.

"I would show you the kitchen, but Atzil hates anyone intruding on his domain when he's cooking, so you'll have to wait for after brunch, and maybe he'll show you around since you two are working together."

Last night, Atzil had muttered something about having to wake up early and prepare brunch, but he hadn't seemed upset about having to work on the weekend. On the contrary, he'd been excited about hosting the Clan Mother and the rest of the family.

"The skylights are essential," Kalugal continued his tour.

"Without natural light, living underground would be depressing.

But they're designed to be completely concealed when needed.

" He tapped a control panel on the wall, and a section of one of the skylights darkened, a seamless panel sliding into place above it.

"At night, the underground part of the house disappears from aerial view, and in case of a breach, I can seal it off completely, turning it into a bunker. "

"Brilliant," Din said.

"Thank you." Kalugal tapped the panel again, and the skylight reopened, flooding the room with light once more.

"In my opinion, that's a much smarter approach to security than Kian's.

My cousin focuses on maintaining the village's aesthetic uniformity, with everyone living in similar-sized homes, which is a noble idea in theory, but impractical in reality.

As leaders of our communities, Kian and I need larger spaces for entertaining guests, and we also have larger households, or at least I do. "

As he led them back to the dining room, Fenella swept her gaze over the artwork hanging on the walls and the statues perched on pedestals.

Compared to all this splendor, the Clan Mother's home looked provincial.

How rich was Kalugal?

Was he richer than Kian?

It appeared there was a competition going on between the cousins, but it seemed like the kind that was inevitable between two alphas and not anything worrisome or malicious. It was good-natured.

"Hello." Jacki entered the room. "I see that Kalugal gave you the tour already."

Her blond hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail, and her outfit of white wide-legged pants and a pink silk blouse was casual and elegant.

Kalugal wrapped an arm around her waist. "I didn't show them the kitchen. Do you want to risk it?"

She assumed a horrified expression. "And risk my life? No, thank you. No one goes into that kitchen until Atzil is done."

Fenella laughed. "You make him sound like a tyrant. He's such a nice guy. The best boss I ever had."

Jacki rolled her eyes. "Atzil suffers from a split personality. I don't recommend you get acquainted with the one that's in control while he's in the kitchen. Can I offer you anything to drink? Coffee, tea, mimosas?"

"Coffee would be wonderful," Fenella said. "But if the kitchen is off limits…"

"We have a coffee station." Jacki leaned closer to Fenella. "Kalugal had to make ours fancier than Syssi's."

"I heard that," Kalugal said. "I just wanted us to enjoy great coffee."

Rolling her eyes, Jacki threaded her arm through Fenella's and led her to the living room to show her the sprawling bar, which could easily rival the Hobbit's and included a commercial La Marzocco espresso machine, which the Hobbit didn't have.

"That's bigger than the one they have in the village café," Din commented.

The grin on Kalugal's face was so big it was almost comical. "Of course it is."

"Should we wait for the others?" Fenella asked as Jacki started making cappuccinos for the four of them.

"They can join us when they get here." Kalugal looked at his watch, which seemed like a luxury item and probably cost as much as a car. "I think I made a mistake and told everyone to get here at eleven-thirty instead of eleven."

"You did," Jacki said.

"Oh." He cast them a sheepish smile. "My apologies for the mistake. I hope you don't mind."

Fenella had a feeling that he had done that on purpose, although she couldn't understand why he needed to use subterfuge. He could have just told them that he was inviting them earlier so they would have time to chat.

"No, of course not," Din said. "We can talk about your digs until they get here."

Fenella didn't mind general talk about archeology, but if they started throwing academic terms around that she wasn't familiar with, she would get bored pretty quickly.

"Are you also an archaeologist?" she asked Jacki as they sat with their coffees on the comfortable sectional.

"I'm not. My interest is mostly by association.

" She smiled at her husband. "I've always wanted to go see a dig, but Kalugal didn't want to take me to Egypt while Darius was still little.

We finally went after you were rescued, but we cut our trip short to return for the birthday celebration and for other reasons.

" She cast Kalugal a quick glance. "We might go back after Kalugal takes care of some urgent business matters. "

"What's your background, then?" Fenella asked before taking a sip from the heavenly-smelling cappuccino.

Jacki put her cup down. "My background has little to do with what I'm doing these days, which is managing our charitable organization." She smiled. "Lately, I've been busy restructuring our charity to maximize government funding streams."

Fenella raised an eyebrow. "That sounds complicated."

"It is," Jacki said. "But fascinating once you understand the system.

Our foundation, which primarily focuses on rehabilitation services for trafficking survivors, was funded primarily by the clan and Kalugal's contributions.

The funds collected through charity galas and the like were not substantial.

Now we get millions in government grants and subsidies. "

"I had no idea the government provided that much support," Fenella said.

"Most people don't." Jacki's eyes lit up. "There are dozens of federal and state programs with overlapping mandates, each with its own funding streams. The trick is knowing how to position your services to qualify for multiple sources without violating any regulations."

"It sounds like a system that could be easily abused," Fenella said.

"Oh, it absolutely is," Jacki agreed. "The amount of fraud is staggering.

Organizations claiming to provide services they never deliver, inflating client numbers, misappropriating funds for administrative 'overhead' that somehow includes the CEO's vacation home, mega-yacht, private jet, and so on.

But in our case, one hundred percent of the money goes directly to benefit survivors. I don't even take a salary."

"Did you study nonprofit management?" Fenella asked.

Jacki laughed, the sound both rueful and proud.

"I didn't attend university at all. I grew up in the foster care system, bouncing between homes until I aged out at eighteen.

Street smarts were my education." She took a sip of her coffee.

"Ella—Julian's wife—is the one with the formal education in nonprofit administration.

She handles the paperwork and compliance.

But all the monetary shenanigans?" She tapped her temple. "Those were my ideas."

Kalugal's arm slid around his wife's shoulders, his expression adoring. "Jacki's the real genius in the family."

"Stop it," Jacki protested. "I'm like a bulldog with a bone when I'm on a mission, but I don't come close to your intellect." She turned to Fenella. "Kalugal speaks seventeen languages fluently and can calculate orbital mechanics in his head."

Fenella chuckled. "I don't even know what that means."

Should she feel inadequate?

Well, of course. Compared to these two geniuses, she was an average nobody.

Her greatest accomplishment was mixing killer drinks.

"I can show you some of the artifacts while we wait for the others." Kalugal rose to his feet once they were done with their coffees. "I keep most of my finds in the vaults, but I have a few things on display around the house."

As they followed their hosts, Din leaned close to Fenella's ear. "Those two have a mutual admiration club," he whispered, his breath warm against her skin.

Fenella stifled a laugh and leaned to whisper back, "It's kind of adorable." She paused, then added with a mischievous smile. "I think you're a genius, too. No one can grill a perfect steak like you do."

Din's eyes widened in mock surprise before they both dissolved into quiet laughter, drawing curious glances from their hosts.

Once they surveyed the few pieces scattered along the hallways, they returned to the dining room.

"Who else is coming?" Fenella helped herself to a glass of cucumber water from a carafe on the sideboard.

"The Clan Mother, of course," Jacki said. "Kian and Syssi, Amanda and Dalhu, Alena and Orion, Max and Kyra, Jasmine and Ell-rom, Morelle and Brandon. I hope they bring the kids."

Fenella smiled. "Yeah, me too. I would love to get to know Allegra. She seems like a character."

"She definitely is." Jacki poured herself a glass. "Darius adores her."

"Where is he?" Fenella asked.

"With Shamash. He'll bring him later." She leaned against the sideboard. "Shamash used to be Kalugal's butler of sorts, more like a personal assistant, but he turned out to be so good with Darius that he's our nanny now."

Fenella couldn't imagine a former Doomer as a babysitter, but if Jacki was comfortable leaving her baby boy with the guy, he had to be a good person.