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

by I. T. Lucas

  “God, I missed you.” She groaned when he came up for air, grabbing at his shoulders and going for his neck, licking and sucking on his skin.

  “You have no idea.” He looked at her neck hungrily while snaking his hand under the hem of her short, loose-fitting dress. With his palm on the inside of her thigh, he kept caressing it, slowly going up to where it met its twin, taking his time.

  He didn’t want to overwhelm her—wasn’t sure she was up to taking their passion further yet. But it seemed he had nothing to worry about.

  Syssi welcomed his touch, and spreading her legs a little, let him in. He hissed as he pushed her panties aside and inserted a finger between her wet folds, finding her already drenched.

  As another strangled moan escaped her throat, she glanced nervously at the half open partition, recalling they were not alone.

  “Okidu,” she whispered, gesturing with her head towards the driver.

  Not willing to let go of his prize, Kian leaned with her still impaled on his finger, and with his other hand punched the button that raised the partition.

  “Better?” he whispered.

  “Yes,” she slurred and closed her eyes.

  In the limo’s dim interior, her beautiful face was bathed in the lambent light cast by his glowing eyes. He kept pleasuring her, his finger going in and out of her, slowly, deliberately, carefully kindling her fire so it would burn steadily; getting gradually hotter before bursting into one big flame.

  Feeling his glands swelling with venom, Kian dipped his head to suckle on her nipple through the thin fabrics of her dress and bra. Pulling on it carefully with his lips, he swirled his tongue around the turgid peak, creating a big wet spot on the silk.

  Oh, how he loved the little tortured sounds she made when he turned her mindless with pleasure; they were sweet music to his ears. But even more, he loved the sounds she made when she climaxed. Adding another finger to his in-and-out motion, he pressed his thumb to her clitoris, and rubbing it gently brought his masterpiece to its grand finale.

  Syssi erupted, falling apart on his lap and making the loud keening moan he loved. Man, he would never tire of hearing that. Prolonging her pleasure, he kept his hand pumping and rubbing while his lips and tongue took care of her other nipple, producing another big wet spot.

  It took momentous effort not to sink his fangs into the nipple he was working on. Dropping his forehead to her chest, he breathed in and out slowly, trying to regain control—commanding his throbbing erection and his fangs to let off.

  Syssi lay so limply in his arms, he would have thought he had killed her with bliss if not for her chest gently rising and falling with her shallow breaths.

  Kian lifted his head, and as he looked at Syssi’s blissful face—the long lashes fanning out of her closed lids, her flushed cheeks, her red and swollen lips—a tide of tenderness that he was afraid felt too much like love washed over him. Cradling her head, he brought her cheek to rest on his chest. Holding her nestled against him, he suspected he would never be able to let her go.

  Too soon, though, Okidu parked in the underground garage and Kian had to reluctantly release his treasure. With a sigh, he helped her to sit back up and straighten her dress.

  Looking down at the two wet spots, her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. “I can’t get out of the car like this,” she whispered, smiling her shy little smile.

  Shrugging out of his jacket, he handed it to her. “Here, you can wear this over your dress.”

  After wiggling her arms inside the sleeves, she held the two halves clutched in her hand, waiting for Kian to exit and help her down.

  “As you have my jacket, you’ll have to walk in front of me to provide cover.” He smirked, glancing down at himself.

  Syssi giggled, positioning herself with her back to his front.

  It was sly of him. He wasn’t worried about Okidu noticing his bulge, and the chances of anyone else arriving right then were slim. But it was fun holding her in front of him as they made their way to the elevator.

  Waving them off, Okidu began wiping dirt off the limo’s windshield.

  Good man. Kian smiled at the butler’s unexpected subterfuge. Evidently, Okidu had learned a few things during his long existence. Though Kian had a strong suspicion that this newfound knowledge was gained mainly from watching shitloads of television.

  With a wicked smirk, he followed Syssi inside the elevator, and the moment the doors closed, pressed her against the mirrored wall, his body enveloping hers from behind. She was wearing high heels, and her sweet little butt was perfectly aligned with his groin, providing delicious friction for his aching shaft.

  Rubbing himself against her, he was suddenly alarmed as he glanced at his reflection in the mirror.

  His eyes were glowing brightly even in the well-illuminated elevator, and with his lips pressed tightly over his elongated fangs, he wondered how was it possible for Syssi not to be terrified of him.

  He didn’t look human even to himself.

  At that thought, something snapped inside him. Forgetting he’d been in the doghouse just moments ago, he was seized by an overwhelmingly savage impulse to make Syssi fear him.

  Holding her eyes in the mirror, he grabbed her long hair and tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck as he bared his fangs. With a snakelike hiss, he struck, sinking them deep into her smooth, creamy neck.

  Pumping her full of his venom, he was all animal, the tremendous relief of it triggering his other long overdue release.

  Spent, he sagged boneless against her back, and bracing his hands on the mirrored wall, closed his eyes. Now that it was all over, he was mortified by his behavior; afraid to look at Syssi in the mirror and see the horror and disgust on her face.

  CHAPTER 40: SYSSI

  Oh, my God! What is he?

  Syssi had a moment of pure terror as Kian flashed a pair of monstrous fangs and sank them into her neck. The sharp burning pain of the twin penetrations had lasted no more than a few seconds before a euphoric pleasure swept through her, wiping away everything but its own mind-blowing effect.

  Yes! Don’t stop!

  Her knees buckling, Kian’s bruising grip on her hips was the only thing holding her up.

  Dimly aware of Kian’s fangs still embedded in her neck and his lips forming a tight seal on her skin, the pain failed to register.

  She couldn’t think. Just feel pleasure.

  So good…

  That too didn’t last long, as a wave of powerful lust washed over her content haze, contracting and focusing all of it into her sex.

  Her already wet nipples tightened into two stone-hard aching points, and her channel spasmed, creaming, begging to be filled.

  Please…

  She was about to do exactly that—beg Kian to impale her from behind—when the mere image of him doing so triggered an orgasm so powerful, her whole body shook with its aftershocks.

  She blacked out.

  The intense pleasure coming on the heels of such a terrifying experience must’ve been more than her body could take.

  A moment later, as Kian’s fangs retracted and his grip on her loosened, Syssi came to.

  What had just happened?

  Though still drugged and euphoric, she managed to crack her lids open and look at Kian’s terrifying reflection. His intense blue eyes were glowing. The light wasn’t coming from some outside source; the illumination came from inside. And those fangs, those monstrous long fangs of his, were tinted red from her blood. “What are you? What have you done to me?” she whispered.

  Kian licked his fangs clean, his expressions changing as they slowly shrank to an almost normal size. With guilt written all over his handsome face, he let go of her and took a step back.

  Without him to hold her up, Syssi’s knees buckled and she crumpled down to the elevator’s floor.

  CHAPTER 41: KIAN

  I’m despicable. Kian cursed as he picked Syssi up and carried her inside. I should get whipped for what I’ve just done. What
was I thinking?

  He wasn’t… Succumbing to an instinct like a fucking animal…

  Getting a thrill out of terrifying her? Coming in his pants? Where was all that self-control he prided himself on?

  Shot to shit; that’s where.

  With Syssi, he was starting to think he had none.

  Laying her gently on his bed, he was about to rectify the situation and thrall the memory away when her lids fluttered open.

  Syssi looked at him and smiled seductively, her expression languid and satisfied from the euphoric effect of the venom. “You didn’t answer me,” she said with a purr, sounding as if she was talking about something carnal.

  “I’m still Kian, the ass who momentarily lost his mind but is going to fix it right now.” Kian focused on her eyes, attempting the thrall again.

  Shifting her eyes away, she leveled them at the wet spot on his pants and giggled, breaking his concentration.

  “Did I do this to you?” Shifting back to his face, she sighed contently. “Holy shit, that was amazing. I never knew I could actually black out from an orgasm.” She giggled again. “But what kind of a vampire are you? Aren’t you supposed to suck my blood out or something? Not pump me with some aphrodisiac… Oh, God, I still feel so loopy… But soooo gooood…”

  She must be still high on the venom, that’s why she is not panicking. Yet…

  It was so tempting to just tell her the truth. What was the point of repeatedly thralling her anyway? He could always do it at the end of it; if and when she turned out not to be compatible. The best time to tell her was now when she was too hazy to freak out.

  “I’m not a vampire.” He sighed. “Vampires don’t exist. At least as far as I know, although the stories about them most likely originated with my kind.”

  “Your kind?” Syssi’s eyes seemed to get a bit clearer and more focused as she studied him closely.

  “We are immortals—a more accurate definition would be near-immortals. We age extremely slow, we don’t get sick, and we heal very quickly if injured. But we can still be killed, it’s just harder to do.” Kian observed her reaction, waiting for either disbelief or alarm, but there was none.

  Instead, she frowned. “What about the fangs, the biting, what’s the story with that? Not that I’m complaining, mind you…” She fluttered her long-lashed eyelids.

  Kian smiled and sat down on the bed beside her, then hesitated for a moment before taking her hand—afraid she’ll pull away.

  Amazingly, she tightened the grip reassuringly as if sensing his apprehension.

  “The males of my kind produce venom when aroused sexually or provoked to aggression by other males. During sex, it’s a powerful aphrodisiac for the female, as you have experienced yourself, and a euphoric. In a violent struggle, it serves to incapacitate an opponent, the drugging effect weakening his ability and resolve to fight, paralyzing him. In large dosage, the venom can be lethal, stopping the heart.”

  Syssi took a moment to mull over what he had told her, then sounding more curious than worried, she asked, “How do you make sure you don’t accidentally overdose your partner… You know, get carried away in the throes of passion and all that…”

  “It cannot happen unintentionally. I’m not sure if it’s biology controlling the amount and the potency of the venom produced, or if it’s driven by intent. I’ve never heard of any male harming a female this way. But I’m not qualified to say if it’s physically impossible or not. Although it makes sense that different emotions trigger the production of different hormones, which in turn determine the appropriate quantity and composition of the venom required for the particular situation. In any case, you’re safe with me. Despite what just happened in the elevator, and I’m so sorry for losing it and frightening you, I’d never harm you… you must know that.” He caressed her cheek, flabbergasted by how calmly she was accepting all of this.

  Turning her face into the caress, she kissed the inside of his palm, the sweetness of the gesture sending a wave of tenderness through him.

  “I know,” she said. And yet she didn’t sound as if she truly believed that.

  “At first, when I saw your fangs, I was terrified. And when you bit me, it hurt like hell, but only for a few seconds, and then the pain got washed away by what I assume was the aphrodisiac in the venom. What I felt after that… is just indescribable… A girl could get addicted to that.” She smiled sheepishly.

  You have no idea… It was eerie the way her random shots hit home.

  “Was it the first time you bit me?” She frowned, her tone suggesting she suspected it wasn’t.

  “It was the second time; last night was the first,” he admitted, feeling like a scumbag. Second bite, third thrall. But he wouldn’t mention it if she didn’t ask.

  “How come I don’t remember it? And how come there are no marks on my neck? I can’t feel anything different there.” She touched the smooth skin where he’d bitten her, running her fingertips over the area and searching for the puncture holes that should have been there.

  “You won’t find anything. My saliva carries healing properties. The wounds close in a matter of seconds.” He hoped she’d be satisfied at that and let go of the other part of her question.

  “And the memory?”

  No such luck.

  Kian sighed. “I thralled you to forget it. I’m sorry. I know it’s unconscionable, but I had no choice. We can’t allow the knowledge of our existence to leak to the world. And to answer your next question, refraining from biting is like trying to hold back ejaculation. Eventually, the need becomes impossible to suppress.”

  Syssi frowned. “What a strange biology… I wonder what the evolutionary benefits were for it to evolve this way.” Lifting her arm with marked effort, she caressed his cheek as if to let him know it was okay, and she wasn’t mad. But she couldn’t hold it up for long and let it plop back down. “I feel so woozy… Am I still drugged?”

  “It takes time for the effect of the venom to dissipate, not to mention that it’s past two in the morning and you had a long and eventful day. Go to sleep, sweet girl. I’ll answer the rest of your questions tomorrow.” He brushed back her tangled hair and kissed her forehead.

  Syssi struggled to keep her eyes open. “I have so many questions swirling in my head…” But exhaustion and wooziness from the venom were winning. “Promise you will not make me forget…” she whispered.

  “I promise.” Kian squeezed her hand.

  Satisfied, she sighed and let her lids drop.

  Kian held on to her hand as he watched her sleep, absentmindedly caressing her palm with his thumb.

  Strange biology indeed, he grimaced. And he hadn’t gotten to the punchline yet—that there was a chance she was a Dormant carrier of the same biology, or that she was right about the venom being addictive, and she might get hooked and come to crave it like any other junkie their drug of choice…

  He had always suspected that their kind was not the product of evolution but the work of genetic manipulation. Some brilliantly deranged ancestor of theirs must have sought to bind their precious females to their mates, counterbalancing the females’ stronghold on the race’s unique genetics.

  Or maybe he had thought to create an antidote to infidelity. Except, if that had been his goal, he had failed miserably. His people had found a way to circumvent it by methodically doing exactly the thing he had been trying to prevent.

  Served the loon right, to witness what a joke his tampering with nature had turned out to be.

  CHAPTER 42: KRI

  Kri was doing her best to ignore the sounds coming from the backseat of the SUV. Sitting up front with Onidu, she gazed out the window and tried to keep her focus on the deserted streets they were passing by on their way home from the club.

  Amanda had decided that one more round was in order and took her dessert to go; snaring another schlump to take home with her and starting on the fun in the car.

  Hell, Kian wouldn’t be happy with his sister bringing the
guy up to her place and ignoring the SOP that no one but clan members was allowed on the top floors.

  Never mind that he’d broken the rules himself with Syssi. But then again, the girl was a potential Dormant, and it looked like Kian had claimed her for himself. So in her case an exemption made sense.

  But the same could not have been said about the random dude Amanda had picked up. However, trying to persuade Amanda to take her guy to one of the timeshare apartments on the lower level would probably be a waste of energy.

  Kri sighed and began braiding her hair.

  It was her duty to at least give it a try, and once they got to the building, she would. But at the same time, she knew from experience it would be impossible to reason with the stubborn woman.

  Let Kian deal with his obstinate sister.

  And good luck with that.

  Smirking, Kri snapped the elastic on the bottom of her completed braid.

  Man, she could just imagine the tantrum he’d throw finding out. But whatever, it wasn’t her problem. She had no authority over the princess. Being a Guardian didn’t mean she could just slap handcuffs on Annani’s daughter and drag her to a holding cell in the basement.

  All she could do was to flap her gums at the female. Uselessly.

  In contrast, Kri never broke the rules and never brought her partners home. Not that there had been anyone at that club she had felt like screwing tonight. At home or anywhere else…

  She grimaced, thinking about what had happened, or rather had not happened in the back room.

  It wasn’t that the guy hadn’t been good-looking enough or sexed up enough, it was just that she’d kept comparing him to Michael and he’d kept coming short.

  Weird, she’d never used to compare the ones she’d picked with Kian.

  Maybe being so high up on the pedestal she had erected for him, he’d been in a completely different category, making the comparison irrelevant.