Dark Dream’s Unraveling
Page 1
Dark Dream’s Unraveling
The Children of the Gods Book 27
I. T. Lucas
Copyright © 2019 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:
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.
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
PERFECT MATCH
Perfect Match 1: Vampire’s Consort
Read the enclosed excerpt
Perfect Match 2: King’s Chosen
TRY THE CHILDREN OF THE GODS SERIES ON
AUDIBLE
2 FREE audiobooks with your new Audible subscription!
Contents
1. Ella
2. Julian
3. Ella
4. Julian
5. Ella
6. Julian
7. Kian
8. Ella
9. Julian
10. Ella
11. Julian
12. Ella
13. Kian
14. Ella
15. Kian
16. Julian
17. Ella
18. Magnus
19. Ella
20. Kian
21. Dalhu
22. Julian
23. Ella
24. Magnus
25. Ella
26. Julian
27. Ella
28. Julian
29. Ella
30. Julian
31. Ella
32. Kian
33. Syssi
34. Kian
35. Ella
36. Carol
37. Magnus
38. Ella
39. Kian
40. Ella
41. Julian
42. Ella
43. Julian
44. Ella
45. Ella
46. Ella
47. Julian
48. Ella
49. Julian
50. Ella
51. Julian
52. Ella
53. Julian
54. Ella
55. Julian
56. Ella
Series reading order
FOR EXCLUSIVE PEEKS
Perfect Match 1: Vampire’s Consort
1
Ella
Ella woke up to complete darkness. Disoriented, she tried to move, but the strong male arms banded around her were holding her imprisoned.
No, no, no! It can’t be. She was no longer the captive of the Russian.
Had her rescue been only a dream?
“Let me go!” She pushed on the hard chest she was plastered against. “Let me go, damn it!”
Her efforts were futile, but she couldn’t just give up.
Ella shoved harder.
Unexpectedly, the arms fell away, releasing her, the force of the push sending her tumbling down the other side of the bed and all the way down to the carpet.
She landed on her butt with a thud. “Oof!” That hurt.
“Ella! Oh, dear Fates, I’m so sorry.” He was on the floor beside her before finishing the sentence. “Did you have a bad dream?”
Getting all banged up had at least one positive outcome—Ella’s brain fog was gone.
Those arms that had held her so tight hadn’t belonged to Gorchenco, they were Julian’s, as were the glowing blue eyes regarding her with so much concern. Last night, she’d fallen asleep cradled in the comfort of his embrace, and he must have held her all night long.
And how had she repaid his kindness? By waking him up with a blood-curdling scream.
Twice.
Poor guy.
“I’m so sorry. It was completely dark, and I couldn’t see anything. I thought I was still with the Russian and that the rescue was just a dream.”
“Oh, sweetheart.”
He hugged her gently, giving her every opportunity to pull away, but when she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, he tightened his hold, lifted her off the floor, and sat on the bed with her cradled in his arms.
“You should’ve left a light on. There are too many scary ghosts in my closet for me to be okay with total darkness.”
He hugged her closer. “Next time, I’ll remember that.” Reaching out with his long arm, he turned the bedside lamp on.
Now she could see the room, but since the shutters were closed, it was impossible to tell whether it was still night outside or if day had begun.
“What time is it? I’m supposed to be at the clinic at ten, and I still need to go home to get dressed.”
Sleeping over at Julian’s had been a last-minute decision, so naturally she didn’t have a change of clothes at hand, and going to the clinic in the little black dress and high heels that she’d worn to Dalhu’s exhibition was a no go.
“Why?” He chuckled. “Can’t you go in my shirt? I can also lend you my briefs and socks again.”
She’d done it once, right after her rescue, but that was because she hadn’t wanted to take anything the Russian had gotten for her to her new home. Concern about appearances had been the last thing on her mind.
Things had changed since then. She’d embraced life in the village and the clan of immortals who’d become her new extended family. People here knew her, and parading around in the T-shirt she’d borrowed from Julian to sleep in was not an option. Even though it was long enough to serve as a mini-dress, she wasn’t leaving his house like that.
“Very cute, Julian. Talk about a walk of shame to shame all others.”
“But you have nothing to be ashamed of.”
That would have been true even if they’d had sex, but doubly so since they hadn’t done a thing. The headache that had assailed Ella every time she
’d tried to talk about Logan had exhausted her, and after taking three Motrins and changing into Julian’s well-worn T-shirt, she’d fallen asleep in his arms.
Which had been very nice.
Sleeping in the same bed with a man she actually cared about and wasn’t afraid of was a new and pleasant experience. Julian made her feel safe, or at least he did when she was fully awake and knew it was him and not a dream walker, aka Logan, or a dream specter, aka Gorchenco.
“Do you have a new toothbrush I can borrow? My mouth probably smells like a garbage can.”
Julian shook his head. “No, it doesn't. But yes. I have a toothbrush.”
“Why are you shaking your head like that?”
“Because I’ve never met a girl who would mention a stinky garbage can in the same sentence as her mouth. Most try to appear delicate and refined.”
Great.
Way to go, Ella.
Talking to Julian wasn’t the same as talking to her younger brother. Now that she was an adult, she should try to act more ladylike.
He hooked a finger under her chin and looked into her eyes. “Did I say something to offend you?”
Crap.
She also kept forgetting his super senses. Not that she could’ve done anything about it. Her body broadcast her emotions by emitting scents that only immortals could smell, probably dogs as well. She had no control over that, which meant that there was no hiding her feelings from Julian or any of the other immortals.
Her only consolation was that the others probably couldn’t sniff her from afar, and she had no intention of sitting on any other immortal’s lap.
Ella shrugged. “It’s not important.”
Holding on to her chin, he smiled. “Come on. Sharing socks and underwear means that we are close enough to tell each other everything.”
That was a weird leap of logic. One had nothing to do with the other. But whatever. He probably thought it was something worse than what it actually was.
“I’m not refined and delicate enough for you?”
Julian’s eyes widened, and then he laughed. “I love that you are such a tomboy. Beautiful girls are usually full of themselves and act entitled. You’re nothing like that.”
The tension left Ella's shoulders. It was a relief to know that she didn’t have to put on a special act for Julian to like her. He accepted her the way she was.
His nice compliment deserved one in return, though. “Neither are you.” She cupped his cheek. “You are every girl’s dream guy, and yet you are not a jerk. I wonder why?”
He frowned. “Why would that make me a jerk? It’s not a bad thing to be wanted.”
She was proof that his statement was not true. “It can be bad, but I digress. It’s just that most successful, good-looking guys are exactly like the girls you were talking about. Too full of themselves and self-entitled. When guys get a lot of female attention, they think that they don’t need to be nice.”
Julian looked away. “I’m not successful. In fact, I feel like quite a failure.”
This time it was Ella’s turn to stare at him with wide eyes. “Are you nuts? What are you talking about?”
Raking his fingers through his hair, Julian sighed. “I spent seven years studying to become a doctor, and now I’m not sure that this is what I want to do. I can’t work with humans because I can’t handle the barrage of their intense emotions, and with Merlin here, the village immortals don’t need my medical services.”
Ella could understand that. Grief was a frequent visitor in hospitals, and feeling it day in and day out must have been draining for someone like Julian who absorbed it all as if it was his own.
Not a fun way to spend his days.
“You could become a plastic surgeon and have a private practice. Not much angst there.”
“Are you kidding me? What about all those who are unhappy with their results, which I’m sure would be the case with my patients. I don’t have any artistic talent, which I think is a necessary tool for a plastic surgeon. I would be doing people a disservice.”
That was true. What else was there? “How about optometry?”
“That’s a possibility. It’s a bit boring, though.”
“Psychiatry? That’s not boring for sure, and it could be potentially beneficial to the clan. I bet that some people with special abilities think that they are crazy. It could be another way to identify Dormants.”
He arched a brow. “Did you ever feel like that?”
“That I’m crazy? No.” Ella pushed out of his arms. “I was born with my ability, and I thought that everyone could talk with their moms in their heads. Later, when I was older and realized that my mother and I were unique, I already had years of proof that our telepathic connection was real.”
“It must have been difficult nonetheless. Being different, I mean. And hiding what you can do.”
“Yeah, it was. The hardest part was hiding the truth from Parker. But he was too young to be entrusted with our secret. Besides, my mom thought that he would feel left out because he couldn’t do what we could.”
“I wonder what his special ability will be.”
Ella shrugged. “He might have none, and then he’s going to be very disappointed. I understand that not all Dormants exhibit special abilities, and that transitioning into immortality only enhances what is already there.”
“Every Dormant is unique.” Julian stood up and took her hand. “I have a feeling Parker is going to surprise us all. You and Vivian have such a powerful telepathic connection that it doesn’t make sense for him to have no paranormal talent at all.”
“Our telepathic connection may be strong, but it’s quite useless because we can only communicate with each other. I hope Parker gets something better.” She smiled up at him. “We can talk about all this later. I really need to get going.”
“Let me give you a new toothbrush and a clean towel.”
2
Julian
As Ella emerged from the bathroom wearing the tight black dress and high heels she had worn last night, Julian rubbed his hand over his mouth and commanded his elongating fangs to behave.
Having a basically platonic relationship with her was pure torture, but it was a pain he was willing to endure for as long as it took. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be too long.
“Ready to go?” he asked in the most nonchalant tone he could muster.
She wasn’t fooled though. A light blush coloring her cheeks, she smoothed her hand over the side of the dress. “Yeah.”
“Come on.” He took her hand.
As they entered the living room, Ray looked Ella up and down. “Good morning.” He didn’t even try to hide his leering. “You look stunning in that dress. That look is so much better on you than the jeans with holes and Frankenstein boots from the other day.”
The guy needed a serious attitude adjustment. Leering at a woman was rude and leering at a man’s girlfriend was an invitation to trouble, but leering at an immortal male’s mate was suicidal.
Taking a moment to indulge in imagining the various methods of showing Ray the error of his ways, Julian decided that a punch to the guy’s smug face would be the most satisfying.
“Good morning, Ray.” Ella smiled at his obnoxious roommate, but her smile was much less friendly than it had been the first time she’d met him. Evidently, she didn’t like his attitude either.
She waved at him on her way out. “And goodbye.”
As Julian followed Ella out, Ray nodded at him and lifted both hands with his thumbs up. “Congratulations, man.”
Julian pinned him with a hard glare. “If you value your precious thumbs, which I know you do, I suggest that you keep them either in your pockets or on the piano keys. And I don’t want to hear any comments about Ella from you either.”
The smile evaporated off Ray’s face. “Peace, roomie. I meant no disrespect.”
His anger over Ray’s behavior was disproportionate, Julian was aware of that, and if Ray’s rudeness had been directed
at him, he would have ignored it or made a joke out of it. But his roommate's behavior had been offensive to Ella, which was unforgivable.
Casting the guy another glare, Julian closed the door and schooled his expression for Ella’s sake. “I’m sorry about that.” He wrapped his arm around her waist. “I don’t know what has gotten into him. Usually, he’s a decent fellow.”
Ella shrugged. “I told you. The walk of shame.” She threaded her arm through his and pushed her hand inside his back pocket. “But I don’t care. Let them think whatever they want.”
It was such an intimate thing to do. Her hand on his ass made his jeans feel way too tight, and not because she was pulling on them from behind. Nevertheless, he wanted it exactly where it was.
“It’s not what you think it is. He wasn’t trying to shame you,” he said. “Immortals’ attitude toward sexuality is different. The inappropriate smiles and leering was Ray’s way of congratulating us. Not that it makes it right, and he was being rude, but in no way was it meant to shame you.”
She shrugged. “I don’t care about what Ray thinks. What I do care about, though, is the circus we are about to encounter in my house.”
“Circus?”
“Yeah. My mom is going to be ecstatic, thinking that we’ve finally sealed the deal. And I don’t even want to think what Parker is going to say. Hopefully, Magnus has left for work already, so at least I’ll be spared his response. Although I can’t even begin to guess what it would’ve been. I don’t know him that well.”