Dark Overlord’s Wife (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series Book 39)
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Dark Overlord’s Wife
The Children Of The Gods Book 39
I. T. Lucas
Also by I. T. Lucas
THE CHILDREN OF THE GODS ORIGINS
1: Goddess’s Choice
2: Goddess’s Hope
THE CHILDREN OF THE GODS
Dark Stranger
1: Dark Stranger The Dream
2: Dark Stranger Revealed
3: Dark Stranger Immortal
Dark Enemy
4: Dark Enemy Taken
5: Dark Enemy Captive
6: Dark Enemy Redeemed
Kri & Michael’s Story
6.5: My Dark Amazon
Dark Warrior
7: Dark Warrior Mine
8: Dark Warrior’s Promise
9: Dark Warrior’s Destiny
10: Dark Warrior’s Legacy
Dark Guardian
11: Dark Guardian Found
12: Dark Guardian Craved
13: Dark Guardian’s Mate
Dark Angel
14: Dark Angel's Obsession
15: Dark Angel's Seduction
16: Dark Angel's Surrender
Dark Operative
17: Dark Operative: A Shadow of Death
18: Dark Operative: A Glimmer of Hope
19: Dark Operative: The Dawn of Love
Dark Survivor
20: Dark Survivor Awakened
21: Dark Survivor Echoes of Love
22: Dark Survivor Reunited
Dark Widow
23: Dark Widow’s Secret
24: Dark Widow’s Curse
25: Dark Widow’s Blessing
Dark Dream
26: Dark Dream’s Temptation
27: Dark Dream’s Unraveling
28: Dark Dream’s Trap
Dark Prince
29: Dark Prince’s Enigma
30: Dark Prince’s Dilemma
31: Dark Prince’s Agenda
Dark Queen
32: Dark Queen’s Quest
33: Dark Queen’s Knight
34: Dark Queen’s Army
Dark Spy
35: Dark Spy Conscripted
36: Dark Spy’s Mission
37: Dark Spy’s Resolution
Dark Overlord
38: Dark Overlord New Horizon
39: Dark Overlord’s Wife
40: Dark Overlord’s Clan
PERFECT MATCH
Perfect Match 1: Vampire’s Consort
Perfect Match 2: King’s Chosen
Perfect Match 3: Captain’s Conquest
SETS
The Children of the Gods books 1-3: Dark Stranger trilogy—Includes a bonus short story: The Fates take a Vacation
The Children of the Gods: Books 1-6—includes character lists
The Children of the Gods: Books 6.5-10—includes character lists
TRY THE CHILDREN OF THE GODS SERIES ON
AUDIBLE
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Copyright © 2020 by I. T. Lucas
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Dark Overlord’s Wife This is a work of fiction!
Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any similarity to actual persons, organizations and/or events is purely coincidental.
Contents
1. Jacki
2. Kalugal
3. Simmons
4. Vlad
5. Wendy
6. Jacki
7. Kalugal
8. Jacki
9. Kalugal
10. Jacki
11. Kalugal
12. Jin
13. Wendy
14. Vlad
15. Wendy
16. Vlad
17. Kian
18. Kalugal
19. Kian
20. Kalugal
21. Lokan
22. Rufsur
23. Jacki
24. Jin
25. Kalugal
26. Kian
27. Kalugal
28. Jacki
29. Kalugal
30. Jacki
31. Kalugal
32. Jacki
33. Kalugal
34. Jacki
35. Kalugal
36. Jacki
37. Kalugal
38. Jacki
39. Vlad
40. Wendy
41. Kalugal
42. Jacki
43. Kalugal
44. Jacki
45. Kalugal
46. Lokan
47. Kian
48. Kalugal
49. Jacki
50. Kian
51. Kalugal
52. Jacki
53. Kalugal
54. Simmons
55. Kalugal
56. Vlad
57. Wendy
58. Vlad
59. Wendy
60. Vlad
61. Kalugal
62. Jacki
63. Kian
64. Kalugal
65. Syssi
66. Kian
67. Kalugal
68. Jacki
69. Lokan
70. Jacki
71. Jin
72. Jacki
73. Kalugal
74. Jacki
75. Kalugal
76. Jacki
77. Kalugal
78. Jacki
79. Kalugal
80. Director Simmons
The Children of the Gods Series
The Perfect Match Series
FOR EXCLUSIVE PEEKS
1
Jacki
Previously.
“What’s wrong?” Kalugal frowned. “Why are you crying? Talk to me, Jacki. I need to know what’s happened.”
It was the damn kiss’s fault.
One passionate moment shouldn’t have affected her like that, clouding her judgment and weakening her convictions. She was supposed to be stronger and smarter than that.
“I can’t do it. I can’t be the new toy that you play with until you get bored with it. I wouldn’t survive that.”
She should have left when she’d had the chance. Agreeing to stay in Kalugal’s home had been a colossal mistake, and now she was freaking out because she wasn’t sure she could survive it.
But how could she have said no?
For every day she stayed with him, Kalugal made a twenty-five-grand contribution to Kian’s charity. At that rate, in just thirty days, the sanctuary for rescued trafficking victims would have received three quarters of a million in donations.
Except, lasting a month without succumbing to temptation or falling for Kalugal was impossible.
In fact, it was already too late.
She hadn’t lasted even a week.
Jacki had tried to deny it, refusing to let herself admit how much she wanted him, but the incredible kiss they’d shared just a few moments ago had blasted that thin layer of denial into oblivion.
He was perfect, the kiss had been better than anything she could’ve imagined, and Jacki realized that forgetting Kalugal would be impossible, and that was after spending only five days with him.
An entire month would destroy her.
She needed to run, find a cave t
o crawl into, and lick her wounds for a decade or two.
Instead, she was sitting on Kalugal’s lap and crying her eyes out while he was still waiting for an explanation. He must be thinking that she was having a nervous breakdown, and he wasn’t far wrong.
Except, he wasn’t looking at her as if she was crazy. Frowning, he seemed offended. “What the hell are you talking about? Do you think that this is a game for me?”
Why was he playing dumb? Did he enjoy hurting her? Or maybe he just didn’t understand?
By his own admission, Kalugal had very little contact with humans, and his hookups didn’t count as relationships. He probably knew less about women’s emotions, fears, and insecurities than the average teenage boy, and she had no choice but to spell it out for him.
“What else could it be? You are you, and I am me, and we are not in the same league on any level. There could never be something long-lasting between us, and I don’t do hookups or flings or whatever you want to call them. It’s all or nothing for me.”
He shook his head. “This is not a casual fling for me, Jacki. I have feelings for you, and I think we could have something beautiful together. But it’s not going to happen unless we take the first step.” He started rubbing small circles on her back. “What are you so afraid of?”
“I’ve just spelled it out for you. You are an intelligent guy. It shouldn’t be so hard for you to understand.”
“You think that we are too different to make it work?”
She nodded. “You are the immortal son of a goddess. I’m a human. I could never be more than a plaything for you, and I refuse to be anyone’s toy. Even yours.”
“What can I do to prove to you that I am serious?”
Evidently, she hadn’t been clear enough. “You can’t be. What I want is love, respect, devotion, and loyalty. Nothing less will do. Can you give me that?”
“You have my respect, and as long as we are together, you have my loyalty as well. Love and devotion will take more time, but they need a starting point. They can’t happen if you are not willing to take the first step.”
Smooth.
All that talk about respect and loyalty and the supposed feelings Kalugal had for her had been a prelude to convincing her to have sex with him.
Why was it so important to him, though? Was he one of those guys who couldn’t tolerate losing or accept no for an answer?
Except, that was usually a sign of insecurity, which wasn’t something that Kalugal suffered from. He was full of himself and for a good reason. Not only was he a freaking demigod, but he was also smart, incredibly handsome, and charming. Nevertheless, even if he meant what he said, he’d said it with one motive in mind.
“And what is that? Having sex with you?”
“To be frank, yes. I’m not an expert on relationships, but I believe that intimacy and sexual compatibility are vitally important. Those are the building blocks of love.”
Jacki had heard a similar speech from most of the guys she’d dated and refused to have sex with.
Her answer to that was well-rehearsed. “Well, I’m not an expert on any of that, but for me, love and commitment are vitally important, and without them, there will be no intimacy and no sex.”
That should have been the end of that, but Kalugal persisted. “Have you ever been in love, Jacki?”
She shook her head.
“Have you ever had sex?”
For some reason, that was more difficult to admit than never having been in love. People assumed that there was something wrong with her, and Jacki had learned that it was best to give evasive answers and leave them guessing.
Except, Kalugal had asked a direct question, and the only way she could answer it was with a yes or no.
Jacki shook her head again.
“That explains it.”
Finally, he was getting it. Maybe she should have opened with that. “Have you ever been in love?”
“No, but I've had plenty of sex.”
She chuckled. “I believe that.”
“I don’t know if I can fall in love without experiencing intimacy first.”
The guy was relentless, but it wasn’t going to work. “And I can’t allow myself the intimacy without having the love first.”
He sighed. “Then we have a problem. Any idea how we can solve this?”
Yeah, he could fall in love with her, propose to her, and then she might consider it for about five seconds before saying no. There was no future for them.
Perhaps she should suggest marriage.
In her experience, when every other argument failed, mentioning that scared off even the most persistent guys.
“You could marry me. That would at least fulfill the commitment and devotion requirements, and you wouldn’t even have to lie and tell me that you love me.”
Holding her breath, Jacki waited to hear Kalugal back out gracefully. He would probably do a better job than other guys who’d just told her to have a nice life and left. And those were the polite ones. Those who hadn’t believed her, thinking that she’d used marriage as a way to reject them, had been much worse.
“I will never lie to you, Jacki. I might keep things from you, things I can’t reveal before I have your love and loyalty, but I promise never to deceive you.”
He seemed sincere.
Was he just an incredible actor, or had he meant everything he’d said?
There was only one way to find out. Her previous marriage proposal had been intended as a jibe, but if she could convince Kalugal that she was serious, he might realize how much he was hurting her by playing games with her feelings, and if he had a heart, he would stop.
“It seems that we are not that different after all. You can’t tell me your secrets before you are sure of my love and loyalty, and I can’t be intimate with you before I’m sure of your love and devotion. Perhaps marriage is not such a crazy idea. It might be the best solution for both of us.”
2
Kalugal
Marriage could be a solution. A human ceremony that would mean nothing to Kalugal.
They could get a license and be married three days later. If things didn’t work out, and Jacki didn’t transition, they could get a divorce.
Naturally, he would have her sign a prenup so she wouldn’t walk away with half of his fortune, but he would take care of her. The agreement would provide Jacki with enough money to live comfortably for the rest of her natural life, but it would be a reasonable amount. A couple of million should suffice.
The only downside he could foresee was the emotional impact a divorce would have on Jacki, and probably on him as well.
Despite his best efforts to keep an emotional detachment, he was getting used to her company, and losing it would have a significant impact on him. But that would have happened with or without a marriage ceremony, so why not humor Jacki and give her what she wanted?
Should he go down on one knee and propose?
Given that she was sitting on his lap, it would be difficult to do.
Besides, if he was going to do it properly, he needed a ring. Or maybe not? Damn, he should have paid better attention to human customs.
Perhaps it was better to wait until he had everything ready. Also, he should at least pretend that he’d given it some thought. If he popped the question right now, Jacki might not take him seriously.
“I didn’t think for a moment that marrying you was a crazy idea. In fact, I was excited about your proposal. But I know that you weren’t serious. Besides, you seem to value old-fashioned traditions, and I want to propose to you properly.”
Jacki arched a brow. “Are you serious?”
“Very. But since this is all very sudden, I suggest that both of us sleep on it.”
Jacki narrowed her eyes. “Not in the same bed.”
“Of course not.” He stifled a chuckle. “You must have encountered very persistent suitors to be so cautious. Or is it still about my pretend attack on you?”
He’d thought that Jacki had f
orgiven him, but maybe some residual resentment lingered, and that was why she didn’t trust him.
Jacki might think that he was tricking her once again, which in a way he was. Their marriage would be real, but it would be short-lived if Jacki didn’t transition, a fact that he was still keeping from her.
“It didn’t feel fake when you forced a kiss on me, or when you pushed me down on the couch and got on top of me.”
“I know, and I’m sorry. But I explained why it was necessary.”
She waved a hand. “I get it, and I even understand that you had no other way of proving that Jin’s tethers to you and me were gone, but it wasn’t a pleasant experience.”
He smiled. “It was for a little bit. You were excited when I started kissing you.”
Jacki blushed and looked away. “I’m attracted to you. There, I admitted it. And I was semi-okay with a kiss. But when you pushed me down, I got scared.”