by I. T. Lucas
“It’s exactly what it sounds like, but this is a topic for a different conversation.”
“Agreed. Please continue.”
“I woke up to the sound of a girl pleading for her life. The situation sounded critical. If I called the cops, by the time they arrived the girl would’ve been dead or mutilated. The only thing I had that was of any use was a canister of pepper spray. I grabbed a heavy candleholder, the pepper spray, my handy burglar kit, and ran to where the pleading was coming from. Long story short, I got the pervert away from the girl—a sixteen-year-old who looked even younger. All I wanted was to knock him out for long enough to allow her to escape and get a good head start. I knew I was strong, but not that strong. The adrenaline rush must’ve added to my strength, and when I hit him with the candleholder, I fractured his skull. More like smashed it. I verified that he was dead and took the girl.”
“What did you do with her?”
“I took her in. She had nowhere to go, and the pervert’s family and business partners would’ve assumed she’d been the one who killed him. She needed a new identity and a safe place to stay. He’d kept her as a slave, making her obey and cooperate using drugs as rewards and beatings as punishments. It took her weeks to detox. But she’s a fighter. A survivor.”
A light flipped on in Bhathian’s head. “Tessa.”
“Yes.”
Rage, hot and bubbling, painted Bhathian’s vision red. Tessa, that tiny, fragile girl. “You did a good thing, Eva. If the scum weren’t dead already, I would’ve gone after him and made sure that he was, but not before beating him to a pulp.”
She smiled. “You say the sweetest things.”
Bhathian got up and started pacing, trying to shake off the haze of fury. “This makes me so angry I can’t breathe.”
Eva’s eyes followed him as he paced. “We really are a lot alike, you and me,” she said. “That’s exactly how I felt.”
A moment later Bhathian forced himself to sit back down. “Okay, I’m ready for the rest.”
Chapter 48: Eva
It was such a tremendous relief to talk to someone about it. Someone who understood. Bhathian’s positive response, if one could call rage positive, made her feel less of a monster.
She took a deep breath. “The thing was, I didn’t feel bad for taking that life, not at all, on the contrary, it was like everything that had happened to me and had made me what I was suddenly clicked into place. The super-senses, the strength, the youthful appearance that was mine to keep—it all had a purpose. And as you said before, cheating spouses and crooked business types didn’t seem important enough. But taking out the kind of filth that preyed on the young and the innocent and the helpless was. This was my purpose, that’s why God had given me my special gifts. It even made the sacrifices I had to make more tolerable. I had to leave my daughter behind and let her think I was dead, but I was going to help others keep their children safe from predators.”
Bhathian was listening raptly, and judging by his expression it seemed he agreed with everything she’d said. Nevertheless, Eva’s throat felt dry and scratchy. Letting her secrets out felt like spitting out shrapnel. She drank more wine, swallowing the liquid with difficulty.
“I’m just one person, so there isn’t much I can do. I can’t go after the big fish because they are always surrounded by bodyguards. So I choose the scum in the middle, and each one takes months of research because I don’t want to go after the wrong person and I don’t want my crew involved. I do it all myself.”
“When was that first one?”
“Five years ago.”
Bhathian nodded. “One a year, then.”
“More or less. It’s not like I have a schedule. Whenever information falls into my lap, I investigate it. I have several snitches who sniff out things like that for me. I let them think I was hired by parents to look for their missing kids.”
“It’s a great cover. Maybe you should take on real jobs like that.”
“I thought about it, but no. I don’t want my crew involved and I’m afraid things will get too tangled up. I prefer to keep the two completely separate.”
“Are you sure that everyone you took out needed to die?”
“Yes.”
“So why the guilt? Why do you call yourself a bad person? You’re an avenging angel.”
“Taking a life is bad. It’s even worse not to feel any remorse.”
“It seems to me that you do.”
“I don’t. I just feel tainted by evil. You can’t deal with that ugly sludge without it infecting your soul. I feel like mine is dark and getting darker, especially after the last one.”
Bhathian frowned. “That what you were upset about earlier?”
She nodded, not really wanting to talk about it. Out of the five that one had been the worst.
“What happened? Did something go wrong?”
Maybe talking about it would make her feel better. Though the only thing that could do that for sure was erasing the memory. Which reminded her. “Can you thrall me to forget it?”
“I wish I could, but thralls don’t work on other immortals. The only one who can do it is Annani.”
Eva felt a smidgen of hope. “Do you think she would agree to do it for me?”
“Is it that bad?”
“Worse.”
“Just tell me before I start imagining shit.”
“Okay.”
Bhathian let out a breath. “Thank you.”
“I had the target take me to his hotel room and told him I had Ecstasy pills. The story I fed him was that watching porn while high would make the sex amazing. It always works. I have them log in into their laptop or even a smartphone so I’ll have access to it, and I give them a strong sleeping pill instead of what they think is Ecstasy. It’s the last verification I make before taking them out. So the guy drops five minutes into the porn flick, and I go into his laptop to double check that I have the right one. I find what I need as far as the sex-slave trade, but then I find something even worse: Child pornography in which he stars.”
Bhathian growled, his fangs elongating so fast they punched over his lower lip and were already dripping venom. He looked terrifying, but it warmed her heart to see him like that. That’s how good people responded to the horror that she’d witnessed.
“I wanted to wake him up and beat him to death, but I couldn’t. The whole thing was hinged on it looking like he died from natural causes because people had seen me with him. There were hidden cameras all over the club I picked him up from. I injected him with a drug that interacted with the sleeping pill, granting him a merciful death he didn’t deserve.”
She waited for Bhathian to say something, but he seemed too worked up to do anything other than growl.
“I wish I could forget what I saw on that laptop, but that wasn’t the end of it. I was so upset that I knocked over his wallet and a picture fell out. I didn’t see it when I checked for his identification. It must’ve been hidden in the money compartment that I hadn’t touched. The pervert had a family, a wife and three kids. I don’t know how he managed to keep them so well hidden that they didn’t come up in all my background checks. I know he deserved to die a thousand deaths, but I can’t stop thinking about those kids. Who will provide for them now that I killed their father?”
Eva broke down, sobbing, as all the stress and the horror burst out through the opening she’d provided for it. In a split second, Bhathian was at her side, pulling her into his arms and rocking her like a baby.
“Shh, it’s okay. I got you.” He lifted her and carried her to the living room, where he sat down and rocked her until she had no more tears to shed.
“I’m sorry.” She buried her face in his hard chest.
“What for?”
“Crying like a little girl. I’m stronger than that.”
“You are strong. Incredibly so. But you no longer need to be strong all of the time. When it becomes too much, you can lean on me and let me be strong for you. We all need
someone to catch us when we fall.”
Chapter 49: Bhathian
Eva had spent the night curled up in Bhathian’s arms. After she’d fallen asleep in the living room, he’d carried her up to her bedroom and got them in bed while still holding her.
For so many years she’d carried such a heavy burden on her slender shoulders. All alone, with no one to lend a hand or an ear. In comparison, his life had been easy, and he’d had no right to his bad moods and nasty attitude. He had a whole clan at his back, people who cared about him despite his scowls and his frowns. But instead of gratitude for what he had, he’d allowed himself to be angry. A classic case of someone who always saw the glass half-empty instead of half-full.
His loneliness had been all in his head.
He kissed Eva’s forehead. Courageous woman. Eva would’ve made one hell of a Guardian, but he doubted she was the type who could take orders. Being her own boss and making her own decisions suited her much better. She could’ve used a partner though. Someone to shoulder some of the responsibilities, to share her doubts and worries with. Unfortunately, Bhathian couldn’t leave the Guardian force. There weren’t enough of them as it was, and none of the trainees other than Michael had what it took.
It seemed he was stuck in his job forever.
“What are you thinking about?” Eva murmured.
“I thought you were sleeping.”
“I was. All the heavy thinking next to me must’ve woken me up.”
It was good to hear her teasing. “I was thinking that you need a partner. And I would’ve loved to offer myself, but I can’t resign from the Guardian force. There are so few of us and no new blood is coming in. My trainees suck.”
She snuggled closer and kissed his pec. “You could’ve been a great partner. With your help, I could’ve done so much more.”
Eva never failed to surprise him. Whenever he anticipated her response to be negative it was positive, and the other way around. He’d been certain she’d dismiss the idea completely. Except, she might’ve not been so accepting if he’d been available for the position. One way to find out.
“Maybe I can still help. Not full time, but when you need me.”
There was a hopeful smile on her face when she looked up at him. “That would be great. Having no backup was always the thing that stressed me out the most. That’s one of the first things they drill into the heads of new agents. Never go solo. But I had no choice. My guys are civilians, they couldn’t help even if I could confide in them about this.”
Victory.
Bhathian had just won the second battle for Eva’s heart. The first one had been her inviting him into her bed, and now she was inviting him into her secret world.
All that was left was for her to invite him into her heart.
More than ever before, he now believed it would happen sooner than later.
Eva’s cellphone rang somewhere in the room, but she let it go to voice mail. A moment later his phone rang, but he was loath to leave the bed to go get it. Having Eva in his arms felt too good. Whoever that was would leave a message.
But the moment his phone stopped ringing, hers started again.
They exchanged worried looks, and a moment later both were out of bed.
Eva leaped over to the dresser where her phone was docked for charging and snapped it. “What’s going on?”
“Nathalie’s water broke.” Bhathian heard Andrew on the other side. “We are down at Bridget’s clinic. I thought you guys would want to be here.”
“On our way.” Eva closed the phone and turned to Bhathian. “Oh, my, God. It’s happening. We are about to become grandparents!”
“We need to hurry.” Bhathian forced a smile. It should’ve been one of the happiest moments in his life, but so much could still go wrong.
Eva wrapped her arms around his neck and stretched to plant a quick kiss on his lips. “Erase that frown, Bhathian. Everything is going to be alright. I promise.
He closed his eyes and prayed. Please, dear Fates, make it so.
The end
Eva & Bhathian’s story continues
Dear reader,
Thank you for reading the Children of the Gods series.
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Click here to Find out what happens next!
Book 12 in The Children of the Gods Series
DARK GUARDIAN CRAVED
July, 2017
THE CHILDREN ON THE GODS
Series reading order
Kian & Syssi’s story
1: Dark Stranger The Dream
2: Dark Stranger Revealed
3: Dark Stranger Immortal
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
next:
12: Dark Guardian Craved
OTHER BOOKS IN THE SERIES
1
Dark Stranger The Dream
Book 1 In Syssi & Kian’s Story
Syssi's paranormal foresight lands her a job at Dr. Amanda Dokani's neuroscience lab, but it fails to predict the thrilling yet terrifying turn her life will take. Syssi has no clue that her boss is an immortal who'll drag her into a secret, millennia-old battle over humanity's future. Nor does she realize that the professor's imposing brother is the mysterious stranger who's been starring in her dreams.
Since the dawn of human civilization, two warring factions of near-immortals - the descendants of the gods of old - have been secretly shaping its destiny. Leading the clandestine battle from his luxurious L.A. high-rise, Kian is surrounded by his clan, yet alone. Descending from a single goddess, clan members are forbidden to each other. And as the only other immortals are their hated enemies, Kian and his kin have been long resigned to a lonely existence of fleeting trysts with human partners. That is, until his sister makes a game-changing discovery - a mortal seeress who she believes is a dormant carrier of their genes. Ever the realist, Kian is skeptical and refuses Amanda's plea to attempt Syssi's activation. But when his enemies learn of the Dormant's existence, he's forced to rush her to the safety of his keep. Inexorably drawn to Syssi, Kian wrestles with his conscience as he is tempted to explore her budding interest in the darker shades of sensuality.
2
Dark Stranger Revealed
Book 2 In Syssi & Kian’s Story
While sheltered in the clan's stronghold, Syssi is unaware that Kian and Amanda are not human, and neither are the supposedly religious fanatics that are after her. She feels a powerful connection to Kian, and as he introduces her to a world of pleasure she never dared imagine, his dominant sexuality is a revelation. Considering that she's completely out of her element, Syssi feels comfortable and safe letting go with him. That is, until she begins to suspect that all is not as it seems. Piecing the puzzle together, she draws a scary, yet wrong conclusion...
3
Dark Stranger Immortal
Book 3 In Syssi & Kian’s Story
When Kian confesses his true nature, Syssi is not as much shocked by the revelation as she is wounded by what she perceives as his callous plans for her.
If she doesn't turn, he'd be forced to erase her memories and let her go. His family's safety demands secrecy – no one in the mortal world is allowed to know that immortals exist.
Resigned to the cruel reality that even if she stays on to never again leave the keep, she'll get old while Kian wouldn't, Syssi is determined to enjoy what little time she has with him, one day at a time.
Could Kian let go of the mortal
woman he loves? Would Syssi turn? And if she does, would she survive the dangerous transition?
4
Dark Enemy Taken
Book 1 In Dalhu & Amanda’s Story
Dalhu can't believe his luck when he stumbles upon the beautiful immortal professor. Presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity to grab an immortal female for himself, he kidnaps her and runs. If he ever gets caught, either by her people or his, his life is forfeit. But for a chance of a loving mate and a family of his own, Dalhu is prepared to do everything in his power to win Amanda's heart, and that includes leaving the Doom brotherhood and his old life behind.
Amanda soon discovers that there is more to the handsome Doomer than his dark past and a hulking, sexy body. But succumbing to her enemy's seduction, or worse, developing feelings for a ruthless killer is out of the question. No man is worth life on the run, not even the one and only immortal male she could claim as her own…
Her clan and her research must come first…
5
Dark Enemy Captive
Book 2 in Amanda & Dalhu’s Story
When the rescue team returns with Amanda and the chained Dalhu to the keep, Amanda is not as thrilled to be back as she thought she'd be. Between Kian's contempt for her and Dalhu's imprisonment, Amanda's budding relationship with Dalhu seems doomed. Things start to look up when Annani offers her help, and together with Syssi they resolve to find a way for Amanda to be with Dalhu. But will she still want him when she realizes that he is responsible for her nephew's murder? Could she? Will she take the easy way out and choose Andrew instead?
6
Dark Enemy Redeemed
Book 3 in Amanda & Dalhu’s Story
Amanda suspects that something fishy is going on onboard the Anna. But when her investigation of the peculiar all-female Russian crew fails to uncover anything other than more speculation, she decides it's time to stop playing detective and face her real problem—a man she shouldn't want but can't live without.