Dark Overlord’s Clan (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series Book 40)

by I. T. Lucas

  Thank God for Kian’s suspicious and super-cautious nature.

  When a shiver shook her body, Jin wasn’t sure whether it was the fever’s fault or imagining what could have happened if not for Kian’s paranoia. If he had forgone the drones, they would all be in West Virginia by now, locked up, and forced to do God only knew what.

  “Good morning.” Arwel closed his phone and walked over to the bed. “Did you sleep well?”

  “I did, but I’m not feeling good.”

  Frowning, he sat on the bed. “Are your ears still ringing?”

  “They are almost back to normal. But my throat hurts, and I feel feverish. I’m afraid that the infection might have returned. The streptococcus bacteria is a stubborn sucker.”

  He put a hand on her forehead. “You feel warm. I should call Bridget.”

  Jin pulled the blanket up. “It’s not an emergency. She is probably busy with Roberts, and I can wait until she comes back.” She yawned. “I’ll just go back to sleep.”

  “You should eat something. It’s nearly noon.”

  “I didn’t realize that it was so late. Why didn’t you wake me up?”

  “You needed the rest.” He pushed to his feet. “I’ll order breakfast for you. What would you like?”

  “Tea and orange juice.”

  “You need to eat something.”

  She wasn’t hungry, but Arwel would just keep insisting. “Fine. I’ll have an omelet. Did you eat?”

  “I waited for you to wake up.”

  “Why? How long have you’ve been awake?”

  “Hours.”

  “Silly man.” She slapped his arm. “You must be starving.”

  “I am.” He picked up the bedside phone and dialed room service.

  Arwel must have ordered every item on the breakfast menu. The person on the other end probably thought that he was ordering for twelve people.

  She waited until he was done. “You shouldn’t have waited for me.”

  “I didn’t feel like eating alone.”

  That wasn’t good. When Mey and Jin were still living with their parents, they had a neighbor who would only eat in company. But because both his parents worked long hours and the kid wouldn’t eat until they got home, he looked emaciated. Sometimes their mother would feel sorry for him and invite him over for dinner.

  Hopefully, Arwel was not going to turn it into a bad habit. It was nice to eat together, but it wasn’t always possible. After her transition, Arwel would go back to work, and Jin intended to dedicate a lot of time and effort to her and Mey’s future business endeavor.

  Jin pouted. “Now, I feel guilty because you went hungry. Please don’t do stuff like that. What will happen when you go back to work? You won’t eat anything until you get home at night?”

  Arwel lay down next to Jin and pulled her into his arms. “It’s not something you should get upset about. I could’ve ordered, but I preferred to wait. That’s on me.” He kissed her forehead. “I’ll go down to the hotel’s gift shop and get you fever reducers if they have them. Maybe they will hold you over until Bridget returns.”

  “I hope she has an antibiotic shot with her.” Jin cuddled up closer and buried her nose in his shirt. “I love your smell.”

  “I didn’t put any cologne on.”

  “I love your natural scent. To me, it smells like home and sex.”

  Pulling back a little, Arwel arched a brow. “Is that an invitation?”

  Regrettably it wasn’t, which was another proof that she was sick. Typically, they started each morning with sweet, unhurried lovemaking.

  “I’m sorry. Can I get a rain check? I feel really crappy.”

  “Of course.” He kissed her forehead again, then looked into her eyes. “What if this is the start of your transition?”

  For a moment, Jin’s heart fluttered with excitement, but then she remembered that a sore throat was not one of the symptoms, and her heart sank.

  “I wish. But I don’t think this is it. Bridget said fever and body aches, which I have, but she didn’t say anything about a sore throat, and right now, that’s what bothers me the most.” She put a hand over the front of her neck. “I hope the tea gets here soon.”

  32

  Kian

  After Bridget had checked on Roberts again, and Kian verified that the location tracking on the operatives' phones had been dealt with, their group left the bunker and headed to the house for lunch.

  “I’m surprised that your cook managed to prepare anything with my sister and Carol pestering him.” Kian waited for Kalugal to close the two-foot-thick door to the tunnel.

  “He had no choice. If lunch wasn’t ready on time, there would have been a riot.” Kalugal motioned for them to follow him up the stairs.

  “What’s going on with Lokan? Is he still busy with the men?” Turner asked.

  “He’s outside, sending the vans off. He’s going to join us for lunch in a few minutes.” Kalugal opened the door at the top of the stairs. “I’m glad that part is done. I didn’t like having a bunch of humans in my house.”

  Kian nodded. “I understand how you feel. I wouldn’t have wanted them in my village either.”

  When they got to the dining room, the rest of their group was already sitting at the table.

  “We came up with a wonderful idea,” Amanda said.

  Kian cringed. “Do I want to hear it?”

  “It’s a really good one. We are going to create an immortal dating application. Each single immortal will have a profile, Kalugal’s men and our single ladies, and they will be able to check each other out and correspond before meeting in person. That will save us a lot of guesswork.”

  “That’s brilliant, Amanda,” Kalugal said.

  “Thank you.” Carol fluffed up her hair. “It was my idea. We already spoke with William, and he said that his geek squad can create the application. Amanda and I will compile a questionnaire for each single immortal to fill in, and naturally, there will be pictures.”

  “What’s a geek squad?” Kalugal asked.

  “William’s trainees.” Amanda smiled. “They prefer to be called the genius squad, but the geek squad kind of stuck. He has five young guys that he’s teaching twice a week, and they help him out with time-consuming tasks that are not too difficult. They are all computer engineers, but William is providing them with continuing education that they couldn’t get in any university.”

  Bridget’s phone rang at the same time that Lokan walked into the dining room.

  He kissed Carol’s cheek and pulled a chair next to her.

  “It’s Arwel.” Bridget frowned. “What’s going on? Have Jin’s symptoms worsened?”

  Bridget was sitting on the other side of the table, so Kian couldn’t hear Arwel clearly, and he had to wait for the call to end to get an update.

  “Jin might be right. Strep has a tendency to come back,” Bridget told Arwel. “I’ll check on her when I get to the hotel. If her symptoms worsen, call me.” She ended the call. “Jin has a sore throat and a fever.”

  “Could it be the transition?” Jacki asked.

  “It might. Normally, a sore throat is not one of the symptoms, but since Mey’s transition was unusual, I wouldn’t be surprised if Jin’s is as well.”

  “Unusual in what way?” Kalugal asked.

  Bridget shook her head. “That’s personal information that I’m not free to disclose.”

  Disappointed, he glanced at Jacki.

  She shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I don’t know anything.”

  It seemed like a good time to change the subject, and Kian turned to Lokan. “Are all of Simmons’s men on their way home?”

  He nodded. “All done. I thralled them first and then added compulsion in case they happen to remember anything.”

  “Thank you,” Kalugal said. “I’m glad that part of the cleanup is over. Let me fill you in on what we decided to do with Roberts.” He looked at Jacki. “Feel free to interject at any point if you think that we got something wrong.�
��

  Jacki nodded.

  “Roberts will become our puppet. I will have complete control over him, and the entire paranormal program will essentially become ours. The first thing to go will be the breeding program. He will tell Marisol to release the trainees and then fire her.”

  “No more drugs, either,” Jacki said.

  “Of course. I will also instruct him to destroy all the information about you, Jin, and your two friends. Hiding will no longer be necessary. In addition, I will get him to supply us with leads on new paranormal talents, so we will have access to potential new Dormants.” He looked at Kian. “For my trouble, I ask that my men get priority access to the potential female Dormants.”

  Kian had been expecting that. “Only for the first ten. After that, we renegotiate, and I want full access to the information gathered.”

  Kalugal nodded. “Agreed.”

  “You will need to reinforce the compulsion periodically,” Lokan said. “Following our father’s example, I would say once a month should do it. The good news is that you don’t have to actually meet Roberts face to face to do that. You can do it over the phone.”

  “That’s true,” Kalugal said. “But on the other hand, his phone, the cellular as well as the landline, might be under surveillance. I will have to compel him to call me from a secure line.”

  “I think that’s too risky,” Jacki said. “What if he doesn’t call?” She looked at Kalugal. “You must have access to him whenever you please. Things might come up that will need immediate intervention, and you don’t want to have to wait for the scheduled call.”

  Kalugal looked at Kian. “What do you think? Should I give him a satellite phone and instruct him to have it on him at all times?”

  “That’s not a good idea,” Turner said. "If the device is discovered, Roberts will be questioned, and his access to information will be blocked.”

  “I have a suggestion,” Jacki said. “In case you need to contact Roberts urgently, you can call his home number and pretend to be a telemarketer for whatever. A hearing device. But that will be a trigger for him to get out of the house and go to a nearby supermarket. In there, one of your men will hand him a secure phone, and you will continue from there. Maybe you even want to station a couple of men in West Virginia to keep tabs on Roberts.”

  33

  Kalugal

  Kalugal was so proud of his clever wife. “I love the way you think. That’s the best solution. Roberts and the access we will have through him to the Echelon system is invaluable. That’s certainly worth stationing two men near his house.”

  Jacki smiled. “I’m glad I could help.”

  Atzil rolled in a cart. “Are you ready for lunch? Or do you want me to keep it warm until you’re done talking?”

  Kalugal waved a hand at the table. “Please serve lunch. We can eat and talk at the same time.” He chuckled. “Just not with our mouths full.”

  Jacki pushed to her feet. “Let me help you.”

  His wife still had a lot to learn about being the lady of the house. Her job was to sit at the table and converse with their guests, not to serve them.

  Kalugal took Jacki’s hand. “Let Shamash help Atzil.” He tugged her back down. “We have important things to go over.”

  Shamash rushed out of the kitchen with a pitcher of lemonade. “I’m on it.”

  When everything was served, Amanda looked at Atzil. “Why don’t you join us?”

  “Thank you, but I can’t. I have forty-something men I still need to feed. This is just the first round.”

  “Maybe you can join us after lunch for coffee?”

  “If I can.” He glanced at Kalugal for approval.

  “I’m sure you can spare a few minutes to have coffee with us. Let your helpers take care of the rest.”

  Atzil nodded. “Yes, boss.”

  “What about Marisol?” Jacki asked as Kalugal passed her the casserole. “She knows a lot about the program, and you can’t thrall her to forget or compel her to cooperate. I don’t know if it’s safe to leave her with all that information, especially since she will be bitter as hell over being fired. She's made a fortune working for the program.”

  Kian smirked. “I thought that you didn’t want to off anyone.”

  Her eyes widened. “That’s not what I had in mind. She is a potential Dormant too. Maybe one of your men would be interested in her.”

  Kian grimaced. “That one is a rotten apple. I don’t want her in my community, and you shouldn’t invite her into yours.”

  “Maybe not invite her here, but you can send someone to flirt with her,” Jacki suggested. “Perhaps one of the two men you send to keep tabs on Roberts. If Marisol has a new love interest, maybe she won’t be as bitter. Besides, we could use her in some capacity. She is a compeller, and we know that she will offer the use of her talent to whoever pays her enough.”

  Kalugal glanced at Kian. “What do you think?”

  “Can you spare another man to keep an eye on Marisol? Because Jacki is right about her knowing too much. She might make a stink just to get back at Roberts for firing her.”

  "Marisol might be too old to transition,” Bridget said.

  Turner put his fork down and wiped his mouth with a napkin. “She is younger than I was when I transitioned.”

  “Yeah, and can I remind you that you almost didn’t make it?” Bridget shivered. “Those were the longest two weeks of my life.”

  He wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I’m sorry that I gave you such a scare. But you should have known that a stubborn ox like me will never give up.” He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Especially since I had you waiting for me on the other side.”

  Letting out a contented sigh, Bridget leaned her head on her mate’s shoulder. “I’m glad that’s behind us.”

  “You two need to have a wedding ceremony,” Amanda said.

  Bridget chuckled. “What about you?”

  “I’m not planning on having a baby.”

  Kalugal looked up. “Can immortals plan that? I was under the impression that we don’t have any control over it, and that pregnancy is a rare blessing.”

  “That is true,” Kian said. “But our other doctor, Merlin, came up with a way to enhance chances of conception. He makes an elixir that supposedly helps immortals conceive. Although, in my opinion, it’s just a placebo.”

  “It helped you and Syssi,” Bridget said. “Your miracle has given all of us hope.”

  Jacki sucked in a breath. “So Kalugal and I might not have to wait centuries to have a baby?”

  “I can arrange for you to meet Merlin,” Kian said. “He claims that his potions are custom made for each couple and that different people have different needs. But Merlin is a character, and I wouldn’t be surprised if those vile potions of his are nothing but snake oil.”

  “Are there any side effects?” Jacki asked.

  “Except for the gag reflex, none that Syssi or I have experienced. But his potions really taste awful, and they smell and look disgusting too. I think Merlin is testing us to find out how desperate we are for a baby.”

  Turner nodded in agreement. “One of the worst things I ever had to put in my mouth.”

  “I don’t mind that,” Jacki said. “As long as there are no side effects, I’m willing to suffer the taste if there is even a remote chance of the potion helping us conceive.”

  Kian waved a hand. “You’ve just proven my theory.”

  Pushing his plate away, Kalugal took Jacki’s hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. “To be frank, I’ve never felt more hopeful for the future of my people than I do now. This is indeed a new beginning for us.” He smiled at Jacki. “Who knows? Perhaps in a few years, we will have our own clan.”

  “Don’t get your hopes up,” Kian said. “It will take much longer than a few years, but you should definitely plan on finding a larger place for your people.”

  He put his glass down. “Three years ago, when Syssi came into my life, it changed the way I saw
the clan’s future, and I decided to build the village. I wanted a safe place for us where we could live as a community.”

  “I would love to have a place like that. How long did it take you to build it?”

  Kian chuckled. “Given the scope of the project, not long at all. Because the location was secret and shrouded, I didn’t have to bother with building permits and all the other bureaucratic requirements that would have added years to the process. I hired crews from China who were experts in fast building, and I had the place ready in a matter of months instead of years.”

  “And then you decided to expand the project,” Amanda said. “The first phase was fenced off, so we could move into the village while the crews worked on phase two. At the time, I thought that Kian had gotten carried away, but apparently, Syssi’s clairvoyance rubbed off on him, and he saw many more clan members getting mates and having children.”

  “Did they?” Kalugal asked.

  “Not as many as I hoped for. I’m not complaining, though. The Fates have been generous with us during the last three years, giving several clan members lifelong companions, but most of my people are still alone. At this time, Syssi and I are the only ones expecting a child.”

  As everyone’s mood plummeted following Kian’s dose of reality, a long moment of silence stretched over the dining table.

  Except, Kalugal was still more hopeful for the future than he’d ever been, and the distant hum of dissatisfaction that had plagued him most of his life was gone.

  They all needed to get some perspective.

  “Three years are a blink of an eye for an immortal, and we shouldn’t feel discouraged because things are not happening as fast as we would like them to. I’m a great believer in taking the long view, and I’m patient. As long as I know there is hope, I’m willing to wait.”

  Jacki sighed. “For an immortal, that’s the right attitude. But as a human, it’s difficult for me to think in terms of centuries rather than years. I hope that once I transition, I will be able to adjust to your way of thinking.”

  Kalugal hoped so too. His world domination plans were definitely long term, and he might have to put them on ice while securing his men’s future.