“What happened that you didn’t go to the gym this morning?” Syssi asked as she got dressed for work.

“I had a report I needed to go over, and it couldn’t wait.”

Smiling, she stretched up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Oh, good. So it’s not my fault for keeping you in bed?”

Ever since the early days of their marriage, Syssi had made him promise to never leave the bed in the morning before she woke up. It was a promise he’d gladly given. Waking up together usually meant a morning romp, which was the highlight of his day until the next one at night. Contrary to what people might have thought of him, he was a simple man with simple needs.

“I would always choose to stay in bed with you over going to the gym.”

She rolled her eyes. “Duh.”

He kissed her long and hard before letting her out of his arms.

“I’m late.” Syssi glanced at her watch. “I’d better hurry out.” She pecked him on the cheek. “I love you.”

He watched as she put on her shoes and grabbed her handbag on the way out, then followed her to the front door.

“One last kiss,” he demanded before she headed out.

“That’s why I didn’t bother putting on lipstick.”

“Good thinking. Have a great day and don’t let my sister work you too hard.”

As he closed the door behind her, Kian’s smile slipped off. Raking his fingers through his disheveled hair, he sighed.

He hadn’t told Syssi the truth.

The reason he hadn’t gone to the gym was that he’d been busy planning Operation Turner. The guilt over keeping secrets from Syssi and doing things behind her back was eating at him, making him more uptight and trigger-happy than normal, which was saying a lot.

He wasn’t exactly a peace and love dude to start with.

It wasn’t about trust, because he trusted Syssi implicitly. She knew everything there was to know about him and the clan, save for the secret of Annani’s blood and what it could do.

The problem was that Annani’s secret was so huge, and the potential consequences of it getting out so catastrophic, that revealing it to Syssi would have placed a tremendous burden on her. Hell, he felt like he was dragging a ten-ton boulder behind him.

Kian was a trained and seasoned warrior. No one would ever get that secret out of him no matter what was done to him. And Alena, his eldest sister and Annani’s coconspirator, lived in the sanctuary and hardly ever left it. The secret was safe with them both, and still, he would have rather not known about it.

Annani sauntered into the living room in one of her silk floor-length dresses that looked more like a nightgown than a dress. “I waited until Syssi left to come out. I was afraid my excitement would show on my face.”

Annani thrived on games and secrets and conspiracies. Luckily, he hadn’t inherited that adventure-seeking trait from her. Maybe that was the reason she’d transferred most of the responsibilities associated with heading the clan to him and Sari—so she could enjoy her life and have fun while they worked on making her vision for the world a reality.

Could he one day do the same and fob the job off on someone else?

Not likely. He wouldn’t do that to his own children if he were one day blessed with them.

Perhaps inheriting Annani’s fun-loving traits would have been a good thing, something to counteract the stress and grind of his everyday reality.

Nah, it was impossible to be both and do a good job. Someone had to take responsibility. Until a better candidate was born to the clan, Kian was it.

As Annani sat down at the dining table, Okidu rushed to serve her breakfast.

Kian pulled out a chair and sat across from her. “How do you want to do it?”

“The same way I did it for Syssi and for Andrew. We will go down to the clinic to visit Turner, and I will give him my blessing while you guard the door.”

“What if one time is not enough and he needs another blessing?”

There was no need to talk in code in front of Okidu, but both Kian and Annani had gotten used to referring to her blood as the blessing.

“I can leave you some to store in a refrigerator, but I am not sure the blood will not degrade right away. I never tried storing it and using it later.”

Kian glanced at his butler. “This is confidential information never to be repeated in front of anyone other than the Clan Mother and myself.”

Okidu bowed. “Of course, master. Should I erase it from my memory completely?”

Not a bad suggestion. “Please erase from your memory any and all references to the Clan Mother’s blood, including anything you heard or saw in the past, and anything you hear or see now or will hear and see in the future.”

“Yes, master.”

Annani lifted her coffee cup, signaling to Okidu that she wanted a refill. “You will need to keep it refrigerated somewhere safe where no one will have access to it.”

That was a problem. Between Syssi and his bodyguards, Kian had no real privacy and no hidden refrigerator where he could stash Annani’s blood.

He glanced at Okidu again. No one ever went into the butler’s room, but he didn’t have a refrigerator in there.

A problem easily solved.

“Okidu.”

“Yes, master.”

“I want you to go out and purchase a small refrigerator for your room. If anyone asks why you need it, you are to say that you want to keep cold beverages on hand.”

“Yes, master. When should I go on this errand?”

“As soon as the stores open.”

“As you wish, master.”

Annani put her cup down. “Maybe Turner will pull through on his own. I say we wait until right before dinner. If his condition does not change, I will give him the transfusion then, and leave another ampule for you to hide in Okidu’s room.”

“Are you sure you need to leave right after dinner? You can stay for another day.”

She shook her head. “I’ve already stayed longer than I originally planned to. We used the family dinner as an excuse for extending my visit. What excuse would I give for staying another night?”

“You’re Annani. You don’t need to explain anything.”

“That is true. But I really want to go home already.”

Kian raked his fingers through his hair. “I just hope your blood holds up.”

Annani waved a hand. “If necessary, I will fly in again and give Turner another blessing.”

“You would do that for him?”

“I will do it for you, my son. From what you have told me, I understand that you need the man. Fates know you can use the help.”