Dark Stranger Revealed (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series Book 2)

by I. T. Lucas

  The way Brundar lifted off the sofa when she came in, bowing a little… Come to think, both Bhathian and Onegus bowed slightly when shaking her hand. Maybe the bunch spent some time in Japan, absorbing the local penchant for bowing.

  Still, that didn’t explain the names. If she had her phone, she could have Googled it while waiting for the girls to come back. But Kian hadn’t provided the replacement he had promised yet. She would have taken care of it herself if given a chance to get out. But as Kian and Amanda were determined to keep her prisoner, she was forced to rely on her jailer.

  “Hey, you.” Amanda plopped down next to her, looking spent and relaxed until she noticed Kian’s men at the bar. “What are they doing here?” she hissed.

  “They said Kian sent them to watch over us. Who are they? Do they work for Kian, or are they friends of yours?”

  “More like family.”

  “More cousins? You must be kidding.”

  “What? I told you it’s a family business. We are big on employing our own.” Amanda waved the waitress over and ordered more drinks. Then went back to glaring angrily at her cousins. “But it pisses me off that they are here. Like they have nothing better to do than follow me around.”

  CHAPTER 37: KIAN

  After pacing around his living room like a caged animal for what seemed like hours, Kian pulled out his phone.

  Update! he texted Onegus.

  It took the guy forever to answer. They are fine, nothing interesting going on, besides Alex pestering Amanda’s friend.

  Fuck, that was it. He was going to that club whether Amanda liked it or not. And if Syssi accused him again of unwarranted jealousy, so be it.

  Kian could barely tolerate the thought of all the other males in the club sniffing around Syssi, and Alex was a sleaze-ball bastard to top them all.

  There was a limit to what Kian was willing to suffer in the name of gentlemanly conduct.

  Even though Alex managed to run his club skirting around clan law by not breaking any clan specific rules, he was breaking plenty of the human ones.

  The prostitutes, Kian had to grudgingly accept as their services were needed for some of his men. But he abhorred the drugs. Alex claimed he didn’t deal; just turned a blind eye to the stuff changing hands in his club. Still, Kian had his doubts.

  The guy was living a lifestyle that even a successful club like the Underground couldn’t support. To make that kind of money, Alex must’ve been doing something illegal.

  Hell, he had just bought a new super-yacht; a luxury Bluewater beauty that must’ve cost over twenty-five million.

  For some inexplicable reason, Amanda liked the guy and considered him a friend. A bad judgment on her part. But she was a big girl and he couldn’t tell her who to be friends with.

  Syssi, on the other hand, he would keep as far away from that scumbag as possible.

  Without bothering to change, Kian slid into a pair of loafers, grabbed a jacket, and heading for the garage called for Okidu to drive him in case he decided to stay and indulge in more than a couple of drinks. Not that drinking would have been enough to impair his driving, but the last thing he needed was to be pulled over and fail the breathalyzer test.

  CHAPTER 38: SYSSI

  Syssi couldn’t help but notice that Kri’s expression upon returning from her back room activities was very different from Amanda’s. She looked irritated. Walking behind her, her partner looked kind of lost and confused. And as Kri took a seat at their table, the guy went downstairs without even waving goodbye.

  Come to think of it, Amanda’s partner hadn’t joined them either. Strange. The club scene must’ve changed a lot in the six years Syssi hadn’t been part of it; and not for the better.

  “I feel like dancing some more. Anyone care to join me?” Kri said and finished her drink on a oner.

  “I will!” Amanda chirped, shooting up from her chair.

  The woman sure bounced back quickly.

  “I’m good. You go ahead.” Syssi shooed the two away.

  They kept staring at her as if she was nuts.

  “You didn’t dance even once. What’s the point of coming here if all you do is sit up here? You have to come with us… at least one song.” Amanda reached for Syssi’s arm.

  Syssi leaned away. “No, really, I’m fine here. Watching you guys is enough entertainment for me,” she said, failing to hide the slight note of sarcasm in her tone. Though with all the noise, she doubted the girls could’ve heard it.

  Exchanging looks with Amanda, Kri shrugged and headed for the stairs. A moment later, Amanda shook her head at Syssi and followed Kri down.

  Sorry to be the disappointing prude…

  Syssi was angry with Amanda, for the head shaking, for dragging her here and then behaving the way she did.

  It wasn’t that Syssi condemned their promiscuity; they were big girls and could do as they pleased. She just wished they wouldn’t do it while she waited awkwardly alone.

  Sighing, she glanced at the bar. Maybe she could join the guys. But they were gone. Turning to look at the dance floor, she spotted them not far from Amanda and Kri, watching the girls dance.

  Observing them, it struck her that there was a military flair to their demeanor. It manifested in the way they held their bodies and the alertness with which they were scanning the crowd. Come to think of it, Anandur and Brundar, and even Kri were the same.

  Bodyguards. It was so obvious she wondered how she could’ve missed it before.

  What kind of business was Kian in that it produced so much competition and animosity and required that level of protection?

  Mafia!… It had to be.

  Suddenly, she saw it all clearly; recent events creating a pattern and all the puzzle pieces fitting together to form one scary picture.

  All that money.

  The big family business…

  It hadn’t been a group of zealots that Amanda and Kian had been running from that evening at the lab. They’d been ambushed by a hostile competitor. And the goons after them had belonged to another mafia. Unable to strike at their targets, they had returned at night and ransacked the lab to send a message.

  Probably turf wars…

  Was Amanda dealing drugs? On campus? Here at the club?

  The guards Kian had sent had mentioned she didn’t like them showing up on her turf. Was that what she and Kri had been doing behind the curtain? Selling drugs to those guys? That would explain why their partners hadn’t hung around, scurrying away quickly once the deed was done.

  Oh. My. God. I had sex with a mafia boss! Syssi inhaled sharply as panic threatened to cut off her air supply.

  Pushing her chair back, she grabbed her purse and was about to flee when Alex stuck his sleazy face in front of her, blocking her escape.

  “Where are you running off to, sweetheart?” He reached for her arm.

  Twisting away, she clutched her purse with both hands. “Ladies room? Can you point me towards one?”

  “There is one behind that curtain. I’ll take you there.” His eyes gleaming dangerously, he grabbed her bicep, digging his fingers into her flesh.

  “Let go of her! Before I rip off your goddamned arm!” came the hissed command from Kian.

  Relief and panic warred for dominance in Syssi’s frantic mind. The Lion King was rescuing her from the clutches of the hyena. Unfortunately, he just looked like Mufasa but was really a Scar…

  “Come dance with me.” Kian clasped her hand as soon as Alex dropped it, ignoring the jerk’s resentful glare as the guy sauntered off.

  Afraid to say anything, Syssi let him pull her down the stairs and onto the dance floor. But at the same time, her mind was going a thousand miles per hour, calculating her options. If she could somehow get away, she could run to Andrew for protection. But then what? They knew where she lived, and she’d lose her job. Which was a big problem, as finding a decent one in this economy was next to impossible.

  Oh, well, there was always the option of joining her parents
in Africa, but she really didn’t want to do that. And anyway, as well guarded as Kian had her, her chances of escape were nil.

  She had to face facts. As long as Kian wanted her around, she was trapped. Like in the movies, the wife or mistress of the mafia boss was a captive—never allowed to leave… alive!

  Oh! My! God! What a mess.

  And yet, as he held her close she didn’t resist—powerless against her need to cling to him. Burying her nose in the fabric of his shirt, she inhaled his unique scent, getting high on it like some junkie.

  The pathetic truth was that, on some irrational level, she felt safe in his arms despite who she believed he was and needed him so badly that it hurt.

  She was driving herself crazy; the feelings of trepidation and disappointment clashing with the intense longing, conflicting and augmenting each other and wreaking havoc on her mind.

  CHAPTER 39: KIAN

  Holding Syssi close as they swayed to the music, Kian had no trouble reading her emotions; even without his enhanced senses. Though for the life of him, he couldn’t fathom what caused her such distress. Or how the hell could she be so afraid of him and at the same time cling to him like he was her lifeline.

  You’d think that he’d know a thing or two about women after almost two thousand years, but evidently, he still had a lot to learn.

  “Don’t be upset, sweet girl, I meant what I said before. My jerky behavior had nothing to do with my opinion of you. I think you’re a rare treasure, my sweet Syssi…” he whispered in her ear while rubbing gentle circles on her back.

  Syssi didn’t respond and remained tense and rigid in his arms. Then, as he waited for what seemed like forever for her to say something, anything, it dawned on him that with her limited mortal hearing she hadn’t gotten a word of what he had said over the excruciatingly loud music.

  Taking her hand, he pulled her behind him up the short flight of stairs and led her out the back door, where Okidu was waiting with the limo.

  Syssi didn’t resist. Though he was painfully aware that she followed him with the enthusiasm of a prisoner led to her own execution.

  “I need to let Amanda know I’ve left with you,” Syssi whispered as Okidu pulled the limo out from the alley behind the club.

  It hurt watching her sit glued to the limo’s opposite side, as far away from him as she possibly could in the confined space. She was gazing out the window clearly to avoid looking at him.

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m texting her right now.” Kian was truly baffled by Syssi’s emotional storm and the mixed signals he was getting from her.

  Earlier, when he had made an ass of himself, she had been upset and disappointed. Now she was way worse.

  If he didn’t know better, he would’ve thought Syssi had just lost a loved one. Micah had projected a similar scent when he’d brought her the devastating news of her son’s death.

  Grief.

  What a fucking mess.

  Something else must’ve been going on. It didn’t make sense for her to be that distraught over his petty jealous-tantrum.

  But what did he know.

  If she was anything like Amanda, she might’ve twisted the whole thing in her head, blowing it into monstrous proportions.

  “I’m really sorry for hurting your feelings. If it’s any excuse, I’m terribly inexperienced in dealing with this kind of emotions. It’s all new to me.” He reached to take her hand but then reconsidered—afraid she’d pull away.

  “It’s okay. You don’t have to explain. I understand. I’m sorry, I overreacted,” Syssi said in a flat voice, looking out the window and pretending nonchalance.

  Except, she kept playing with her purse, tugging the magnetic clasp open and letting it snap back into place—over and over again.

  “You still look upset. Please tell me what I can do to make it better. I’m going out of my mind here.” Kian wasn’t exaggerating; he really was becoming desperate, hating the helpless feeling of not knowing what to say or do next.

  Was it just him? Or were all males completely clueless about women and how to deal with their peculiar emotional states? It seemed a man had to tread carefully through the minefield of a female’s psyche to avoid unwittingly stepping on a landmine. Kian would’ve paid good money for someone to draw him a map and help him navigate safely through these dangerous grounds.

  “It’s nothing.”

  Nothing? It was the worst kind of answer. He could’ve dealt with accusations, with anger, even with tears. But nothing, gave him nothing to work with.

  All he wanted was to pull her onto his lap and kiss her senseless; until she forgot all about whatever it was that was causing her to be so upset and so remote.

  He didn’t.

  Sadly, he didn’t think he’d be welcomed.

  After what had felt like an endless silence, Syssi turned away from the window and looked straight into his eyes. “I need to ask you a question, and I need you to answer me honestly.” She sounded dead serious.

  “Anything, I’ll answer any question you might have.” And he meant it. Even if she guessed what he was, he would admit it.

  “Are you a mafioso? Is that what your family’s business is all about—dealing drugs?”

  “What!? That’s what you wanted to ask? Why would you think something so absurd?” Out of all the questions he had anticipated, this one completely threw him off.

  “Not absurd at all; one; you guys seem to have shitloads of money.” She lifted a second finger. “Two; everyone I meet is family. Three; the men and Kri are very obviously bodyguards. Four; the attacks on Amanda and then her lab stink of retaliation or a warning strike by another mafia. Most likely, one that is competing with you for drug territory. Five; Amanda asks me to keep your location secret. Did I miss anything?”

  Unable to hold back, Kian burst laughing. “Oh, baby, I’m sorry. You’re right. I totally get it how you could reach the wrong conclusion putting it all together like that. That’s not why I’m laughing.” Holding his hand over his heart, he took a moment to calm himself. “I’m just so tremendously relieved that this is what got you upset. I was racking my brain, trying to figure out what landmine I had stepped on.”

  He made a move to pull her to him, but Syssi stopped him with a hand to his chest. “You still didn’t answer my question. Are you, or are you not, a mafioso.”

  “I swear on everything that’s dear to me, neither I nor any other member of my family is in the mafia or has any connections to any kind of organized crime. As far as I know. Okay?”

  Scrunching her forehead she looked at him with narrowed eyes, scrutinizing his face for any signs of deception, then frowned. “Not yet, you need to tell me more than that.”

  Sighing, he acquiesced. “Our family owns a large international conglomerate of enterprises that I assure you is all perfectly legal and has nothing to do with organized crime. Actually, our main objective is to benefit humanity by encouraging scientific innovation in a variety of fields, cultural shifts toward more freedom and equal opportunity around the world, women’s rights, eradication of prejudice and oppression, etc…”

  “So why the bodyguards? The secrecy? And what about the attack? It all seems so clandestine,” Syssi interrupted.

  “I’m getting there. We have enemies, those who hate what we do and what we stand for. They’re ruthless, hateful people who will stop at nothing until they annihilate my family and destroy all the amazing progress our work has accomplished.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s an old and complicated story. I don’t want to go through all the long and sordid history of it. All I can say is that it’s an ancient feud that started eons ago with a scorned suitor that didn’t take the rejection well, to say the least. He swore himself and his descendants to an eternal vendetta. His progeny is very powerful and influential, and they pose an existential threat to us. Bottom line, we have to hide; operating under shadow corporations, always in a defensive mode. That’s the reason behind the bodyguards, and why o
nly family can be trusted in our inner circle.”

  Syssi seemed dumbfounded.

  Did she believe his tale?

  He had done his best, being very careful with how he phrased it, attempting to give her all the main points without divulging too much or twisting the truth. But was it enough? Were her instincts telling her he had been genuine despite being forced to omit the things he couldn’t tell her? Searching her eyes, he was seeking reassurance that she was willing to accept what he had told her.

  She looked at him for a long moment, her brows drawn together as if deliberating whether she should believe him or not. Then taking a deep breath she seemed to come to a conclusion. “I believe you. Though you’re not telling me everything, but that’s okay. I’m still a stranger to you, and you don’t know if you can trust me, despite how close and intimate we got. It all just happened too fast. I understand that your family’s safety must come first. I respect that.”

  Was this woman something else or what? One in a million… Scratch that. One in a billion!

  Relieved that she’d believed him and grateful she hadn’t pushed him to reveal more than he was comfortable with, Kian pulled her into his arms for a soulful kiss. She didn’t resist, but although her body had lost its stiffness, she was still far from truly participating.

  Holding her close, luxuriating in the sensation of her soft body pressed against his, he felt buoyant. With the relief of finally touching her, knowing he had her back, the heaviness that had been weighing him down, lifted.

  It didn’t take long for the kiss to morph from something sweet and gentle into something hungry and wild. With his hand cradling the back of Syssi’s head, he wedged the one on her back under her bottom and lifted her onto his lap.

  As if a dam had burst inside her, Syssi’s passive acquiesce turned into wild abandon. With her hands finding their way under his T-shirt, she caressed his pecs frantically then clawed into his skin as if she couldn’t get enough of him. Moaning into his mouth with what sounded like desperate longing, she undulated her hips, rubbing her soft behind against his shaft.