by I. T. Lucas
“What’s going on?” she asked while trying to walk as fast as Kian’s hand on the small of her back was propelling her to. His stride was so long that she was forced to jog to keep up.
“Some unwanted company I’d rather avoid is coming this way,” was his cryptic reply.
Syssi was afraid to ask any more questions.
Kian looked like he was ready to commit murder, and what’s worse, she sensed that with him it wasn’t just an expression. Which didn’t really make sense considering the guy was supposedly the CEO of an international conglomerate. But her gut had an opinion of its own, and it didn’t match the one her mind was comfortable with.
Come to think of it, he reminded her of Andrew. When her brother got like that, she knew to stay clear of him and keep quiet. In his line of work shit happened, a lot, and it didn’t matter if he was on leave. Dealing with it, the last thing he needed was to be distracted by his little sister’s curiosity.
Trotting behind Amanda, she wondered what she had gotten herself into. Who were these people? Was she in real danger? Or was it her imagination?
Except Amanda looked scared, she wasn’t imagining that. And in addition to deducing it from her companions’ urgency, Syssi felt it in her gut, which in this case was in agreement with her brain, confirming that something dangerous was coming their way.
Rushing through the adjoining lab, they exited into a corridor on the other side of the basement. But instead of heading for the elevators farther down the hallway, Amanda opted for the nearby emergency stairs. She threw open the door, and they ran up. While Amanda and Syssi’s heels played a staccato beat on the metal stairs, Kian was somehow managing the climb soundlessly—his considerable weight not hindering his silent treads.
Interesting, what the mind focused on in an emergency.
Once outside, they hurried toward an SUV that had been conveniently waiting for them in front of the building, and the three of them crammed themselves into its back seat.
Had Kian summoned the car? When? She hadn’t noticed him calling anyone. Had she been too preoccupied?
Duh, running scared from some unspecified danger would do that to a person.
The driver turned his head to face them, smiling a weird, fake-looking smile; the kind usually molded on the faces of store mannequins.
“Where to, Master?”
Master?
The situation was becoming creepier by the minute, and Syssi was going into a full fight-or-flight mode, or rather a fright and flight.
What did she really know about Amanda and her brother? Nothing. They might be the dangerous ones, and not whoever they were running from. Or perhaps she should be scared of both.
There were just too many things that didn’t add up about Amanda and Kian. Though if asked, Syssi would not have been able to point to a single thing that would look suspicious to someone else.
They were just too good-looking, unnaturally so. Amanda had a butler who called her mistress, and Kian had a driver who called him master. Kian, who must’ve weighed well over two hundred pounds, could climb stairs soundlessly, and sometimes Amanda’s eyes shone as if they were illuminated from the inside. Separately, each item on her list could be explained away, but taken together they painted a picture that was slightly off.
Or a lot.
“Drive for a few blocks then park. I need to check on the guys.”
Sitting squeezed between Kian and Amanda, Syssi clutched her purse with trembling hands, trying to hide how shaken she was—feeling like Alice in Wonderland right after she had fallen down the rabbit hole.
“Don’t worry, sweetie, we’re going to Kian’s place and we will have a good laugh about this whole silly episode over drinks.” Amanda hugged her stiff shoulders and patted her cheek.
Why the hell was Amanda treating her like a child?
But instead of feeling offended or at least peeved, for some inexplicable reason, Amanda’s words had a calming effect. Syssi’s tension eased, and she felt herself relax, becoming comfortable, even languid.
How is it possible?
Her rational mind refused to accept the unexplained change. Except, Amanda’s hand kept stroking her hair and it felt so wonderful that Syssi’s eyelids began drooping.
She was so tired...
How come? Syssi wondered again and tried to resist, but she couldn’t fight the sudden compulsion to sleep.
16
Kian
Amanda kept her mouth shut until Syssi’s eyes closed and she slumped into the back seat, leaning against Kian’s arm.
“She’s out. So what’s going on? And if this was all a trick to get me to come with you...”
Not deigning to respond, Kian only cast her an incredulous glare, then dipped his head to look at Syssi.
She was leaning against his bicep, her wild mane of hair covering half of her face and most of her upper body. Gently, he brushed it away from her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. Holding her carefully, he shifted so her cheek came to rest on his pectoral and wrapped his arm around her.
Syssi sighed contently but didn’t wake. Tucked under his arm, her soft, small body felt as if it belonged there.
But Kian craved more.
In her sleep, she’d relaxed the death-hold she had on her purse, and her delicate hands were resting gracefully in her lap. Taking one small palm, he placed it on his thigh, savoring the added sensation. For now it would have to do.
Like hell...
Closing his eyes, he dipped his head to her hair and inhaled her fresh, sweet scent, then inched down to sniff at the soft skin in the hollow between her neck and shoulder.
Divine... So inviting…
Not surprisingly, his fangs distended and begun throbbing with venom. Struggling against an overwhelming urge to sink them into the smooth, creamy column of her neck, he forcefully leashed the monster inside and pulled back.
With a wicked smirk, Amanda was eyeing him from Syssi’s other side, no doubt debating between taking advantage of the opportunity to needle him some more and letting him enjoy the moment.
For now she kept quiet, but knowing his sister, she was patting herself on the shoulder. Observing his reaction to Syssi being exactly what she had predicted, she was basking in the success of her brilliant matchmaking.
Still, patience not being one of Amanda’s virtues any more than it was his, a few moments later she asked again, “Seriously now, what’s going on?”
“Anandur called from where I left Brundar and him to guard the hallway leading to your lab. Doomers showed up, and they were about to fight them off, giving us time to get away. That’s all I know for now. It was right outside your door, Miss ‘I’m in no danger,’” Kian bit out, glaring at her, his fury rising as the implications of what had just happened, or rather had almost happened, began sinking in.
“Because of your obstinacy, Anandur and Brundar are fighting for their lives.” Throwing the accusation at her was unfair, but Kian was livid. If he had arrived just a few moments later, she would have been taken.
Imagining what horrific things those monsters would have done to her, he felt as if acid was slowly sliding down his throat and into his gut.
Amanda crossed her arms over her chest and shrugged, pretending she wasn’t shaken. But she wasn’t fooling him, not for a moment. Kian knew her too well. Amanda was just too proud to admit it, but the truth was written all over her face—she was distraught.
Taking a deep breath, he calmed his tone to something a little more human-sounding than a growl. “Was there anything important left in the lab? Something that might be useful to the Doomers?”
She shrugged again. “All the data from my paranormal research is on my laptop, and the lab’s computers have only the standard university stuff. So no, I don’t think they will find anything useful there. What I wonder, though, is how did they know where to find me?” She was trying to sound unaffected and matter-of-fact, but the slight tremble in her voice betrayed how rattled she was.
; “It must have been something they found at Mark’s place. Them showing up at your doorstep a day after his murder can’t be a coincidence. Probably something about your work. Unless they hit your home as well.” Kian glanced down at his phone again, anxious for news from his men.
“Onidu would’ve called if they did.” Amanda had no reason to worry for her Odu; he was practically indestructible. But she pulled out her phone and called anyway.
“Onidu, darling, did we have uninvited guests today?”
“No, Mistress. Should I be expecting anyone?”
“Our enemy showed up in the lab and I wanted to check on you and give you a heads-up.”
“You wish to give me heads, Mistress? What should I do with them?”
Kian chuckled. The Odus were very literal.
“Never mind. Just be watchful.”
“Of course, Mistress.”
Dark Stranger The Dream
Is available on Amazon
Excerpt: Goddess’s Hope
GULAN
Annani and Khiann’s joining ceremony had been beautiful. The love between them had shone so brightly that even the most cynical of guests had been moved, especially during the exchange of vows.
Several had even shed a few tears.
Gulan had shed a lot, but not for the same reason.
Tonight, after she’d helped Annani out of her ceremonial attire, Gulan was leaving.
She might never see her best friend again.
The smile she had plastered on her face was so fake, it would have never fooled Annani if her mind was not as full of Khiann as it was. Or maybe her lady was just too happy to notice.
Gods, it was so difficult to keep from crying openly when Gulan felt as if she were dying inside. With a tremendous effort, she held on until the preparations for the mating night were finished and she bid Annani goodnight. But as soon as the door to the newly-mated couple’s bedchamber closed behind her, the tears burst free, running down her cheeks and wresting pitiful sobs out of her.
Leaving was so hard. But staying was harder.
Thank the gods, Gulan did not encounter anyone as she ran all the way to the servants’ quarters. In the privacy of her own room, she leaned against the closed door and cried even harder.
She was being ungrateful.
The private chamber that Gulan did not have to share with another maid was just one more kindness out of the many her lady had bestowed upon her throughout the years. While the rest of the palace staff slept two and three to a room, Gulan had the entire bedchamber to herself.
And how was she repaying it?
By running away and leaving a cowardly note behind.
The decision to leave had been the hardest Gulan had ever made in her life, but an unavoidable one. The pain of losing Esag, or rather the dream of him, was too much for her to bear. If she stayed, she would have to watch him join with another, and Gulan knew she would not survive that.
It was better to start a new life somewhere far away from Esag.
She would go on an adventure and travel to distant lands. Until the pain subsided, Gulan would fill her life with the exploration of the different human cultures Esag had told her about. If traders went there on a regular basis, so could she. People who produced goods and engaged in trade could not be completely uncivilized. The gods’ teachings must have reached them.
Wiping away her tears with the sleeve of her beautiful new dress, Gulan took a deep breath and sighed. After weeks of planning, it was finally time.
Maybe in a year or two, once she had healed enough, Gulan would come back and tell Annani about all she had seen.
She needed to get moving, though. The caravan she was joining was heading out at sunrise, which was in a couple of hours.
Pushing away from the door, Gulan walked over to her bed, took off the dress Annani had commissioned for her for the ceremony, folded it carefully, and put it on top of the mattress.
Where Gulan was going, she would have no need for it. In fact, since she was going as a young man, not a woman, she would have no need for any feminine garb.
It was quite ironic that after a lifetime of resenting her height and strength, she was taking advantage of them. The caravan organizer was always looking for capable, strong men who could lift heavy cargo and defend the caravan if needed.
Even Esag’s combat training would come in handy.
Standing in front of a mirror with a pair of shears in hand, Gulan took hold of her thick braid and hesitated for only a moment before hacking it off. What was left fanned out around her face, the jagged edges looking as haggard and sad as her soul.
With several quick snips, she evened it out to look like an acceptable hairstyle for a man. Dipping her fingers in a pouch filled with soot, she smeared it over her chin. Hopefully, it would pass as a shadow of a beard.
Her face was still too feminine to belong to a male, but with her size, no one would question her gender. They would assume she was a young man with a girly face.
It happened.
The next step was to bind her breasts and put on the peasant clothes she had bought. Under the tunic, she tied a pouch full of coins. Some of it was what she had managed to save up, but most of it came from selling the necklace Annani had given her. It was enough to keep her fed for a year.
With what she was going to get paid for working in the caravan, Gulan had nothing to worry about—except for Tula, her parents, and Annani.
Leaving behind the people she loved was the hardest part. But they would manage without her—provided Annani would not be too angry at her for running away and would help her family.
Gulan trusted her lady’s kind heart would not turn vindictive.
The truth was that Annani no longer needed her. With Khiann to keep her company and the Odus serving her lady’s every need, a maid was superfluous. But even if Annani decided to send riders after her, she would not know in which direction Gulan was heading.
No one would expect her to choose the distant Nile valley as her final destination.
GODDESS’S HOPE
Is coming out October 2018
Dear reader,
Thank you for reading Goddess’s Choice —The prequel to the Children of the Gods series.
If you enjoyed the story, I would be grateful if you could leave a short review on Amazon. (With a few words, you’ll make me very happy. :-))
Book 20 in the Children of the Gods Series
Dark Survivor Awakened
is coming out July 25, 2108
(Or sooner…)
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Annani’s Story
A prequel to the Children of the Gods Series
Goddess’s Choice
THE CHILDREN OF THE GODS SERIES
Kian & Syssi’s story
1: Dark Stranger The Dream
2: Dark Stranger Revealed
3: Dark Stranger Immortal
Dark Stranger Trilogy + Goddess’s Choice—part 1
Amanda’s story
4: Dark Enemy Taken
5: Dark Enemy Captive
6: Dark Enemy Redeemed
Kri & Michael’s Story
6.5: My Dark Amazon Novella
Andrew’s Story
7: Dark Warrior Mine
8: Dark Warrior’s Promise
9: Dark Warrior’s Destiny
10: Dark Warrior’s Legacy
Bhathian & Eva’s Story
11: Dark Guardian Found
12: Dark Guardian Craved
13: Dark Guardian’s Mate
Brundar &
Calypso's Story
14: Dark Angel's Obsession
15: Dark Angel's Seduction
16: Dark Angel's Surrender
Turner’s Story
17: Dark Operative: A Shadow of Death
18: Dark Operative: A Glimmer of Hope
19: Dark Operative: The Dawn of Love
Anandur’s Story
20: Dark Survivor Awakened
TRY THE SERIES ON AUDIBLE FOR FREE!
Books 1-19 are narrated by the incredible
Charles Lawrence.