Dark Stranger The Dream: New & Lengthened 2017 Edition (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series)

by I. T. Lucas

  That would be infinitely better. “You’re my hero,” she blurted before thinking how it would sound. “I mean, thank you. I appreciate it.” She rolled her eyes. “More than you can imagine.”

  With a big grin splitting his face, Kian flipped the book open to the page with the folded corner. “My pleasure.”

  Chapter 43: Kian

  Two chapters into the story Brundar had excused himself, preferring to wait outside. Five chapters into it, Kian had to cross his legs to hide a massive hard-on.

  “As Bernard’s fingers skimmed Vivian’s breasts, a bolt of desire hit her core, the heat spreading over her trembling body—”

  He had no idea how explicit the story would be. Reading about hot sex between a vampire and a human was half the trouble, though. What was killing him, minute by excruciating minute, was the scent of Syssi’s arousal. If not for the ironclad control he’d honed over centuries, he would’ve pounced on her and taken her on the bed she was sitting on—audience and all.

  Given the satisfied expressions on their wrinkled faces, the three crones weren’t oblivious to what was going on. He’d caught them stealing glances at Syssi and him, smirking and nodding to each other as if this was all some grand scheme they had orchestrated between them and were overjoyed to see it come to fruition.

  Thankfully, the last few chapters were dedicated to a big wedding and to tying up miscellaneous loose ends in the plot, giving him a much needed reprieve from all the sexual tension.

  Closing the book, he released a puff of breath and forced a tight smile. “Aren’t romances supposed to end with and-they-lived-happily-ever-after? I must’ve missed it.” He flipped through several of the final pages, pretending to look for the phrase.

  Clara started clapping and the other two joined her. “Bravo, Kian, you’ve done a marvelous job,” she said. “Thank you.”

  Kian bowed his head. “My pleasure.” More like torture.

  Leonora patted Syssi’s back. “This one is a keeper. You’ve done well, girl.”

  Syssi blushed. “Kian and I are just friends. He is my boss’s brother.”

  “Of course, dear,” Hattie said in a mocking tone.

  Kian pushed up to his feet and handed Leonora the book. “Ladies, thank you for allowing me the privilege of reading to you, but Syssi and I must be on our way.”

  As Syssi hugged Leonora goodbye, Hattie shuffled up to him and put a hand on his chest. “Take care of this girl, Kian. She is precious to us.”

  “I will.” He clasped her gnarled, small hand, sensing traces of power in her. Unable to resist, he delved into her mind to see what it was, but somehow she was blocking him. The woman was either highly intelligent or suspicious by nature. Most likely both.

  Some humans were resistant to thralls, but his was particularly powerful. Kian seldom encountered a human who could block him so quickly and effectively.

  It’d taken several more minutes until Syssi and her friends were done hugging and saying their goodbyes, and he had promised to each of them separately that he was going to take good care of Syssi.

  Once they were out on the hallway, Kian took Syssi’s hand. “These three are something else.” He chuckled.

  She dipped her head. “I know. And today they’ve really outdone themselves. I would’ve never agreed to you coming in with me if I had known how they were going to behave. I’m sorry if they embarrassed you.”

  Kian brought her hand up for a kiss. “They didn’t. I want to take care of you.” He was a masochist, for even holding her hand, let alone kissing it. Every touch was electrifying, and yet he couldn’t help himself, needing at least this little contact with her.

  She cast him a quizzical look. “What do you mean?”

  Damned if he knew. His heart was telling him to take Syssi home with him and never let her go, to do all he could to keep her safe and make her happy. But it was like wishing for the moon. He couldn’t keep her because she was a human, and he couldn’t make her happy even if he found a way to keep her. What he could do, however, was keep her safe.

  “I’m going to make sure that no harm comes to you. And I want to help you find a great internship with an architectural firm that handles the kind of projects you like.”

  “Thank you, that’s very sweet of you.” She snorted. “I’m sorry, not sweet, very manly.” She deepened her voice, imitating him.

  Adorable. Especially when she was like that, playful, not fearful.

  Outside, leaning against the Lexus’s side, Brundar was watching the front door. “You want me to drive?” he asked as they came out.

  Kian tossed him the keys. Sitting in the backseat together with Syssi wasn’t a smart idea, but then he had already proven that he was stupid when it came to her. He forced himself to leave some space between them.

  For a couple of minutes, they rode in silence.

  “Kian.” She turned to him. “Could you please take me to Andrew? My brother? I really should be staying with him.”

  He shook his head. “They will look for you at his place. It’s not a stretch to assume that you will run to hide at the home of the only relative you have nearby.”

  “Not in this case. Andrew works for the government and his address is registered under a different name.”

  She had no idea how easily the Doomers could get this information. “These people have resources you wouldn’t believe.”

  Her brows lifted. “A group of crazy fanatics?”

  “There is more to it than that. It’s an international organization and they have massive financial backing.”

  “How about a hotel, then?”

  Brundar nodded as if agreeing that it was a good idea.

  Maybe it was. Bringing Syssi to the keep hadn’t been the smartest thing to do. He hadn’t been thinking straight this morning, the worry and anger clouding his judgment.

  It wasn’t just the issue of him keeping his hands off her when she was so near. Even if he had Syssi move into Amanda’s place, thralling away the memory of an extended stay could be potentially harmful to her. The more memories there were, the more intrusive and widespread the thrall had to be. Especially in the case of a highly intelligent woman like Syssi.

  “Fine. Brundar, take us to the Four Seasons.”

  Her eyes widened in surprise, then in alarm. “Not the Four Seasons. I was thinking along the lines of a Sheraton or a Holiday Inn. I can’t afford the Four Seasons.”

  Kian harrumphed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m paying for it. We need a two-bedroom suite because I want Brundar to stay with you. I’m not leaving you unprotected. Besides, how did you think to pay for it? With your credit card? You would’ve led them right to you.”

  That shut her up, literally. Syssi opened her mouth to say something and then closed it, crossing her arms over her chest and frowning.

  Unbelievable, he’d actually won an argument with a woman. His mother and sisters, except perhaps for Sari who was the most reasonable, never conceded this quickly.

  He clasped Syssi’s hand. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “Not arguing about it.”

  She chuckled. “That’s because I’m still thinking about another solution. I don’t like that you’re paying for my hotel. I’ve caused you enough trouble as it is.”

  “No, you didn’t. You are a victim in all of this, and none of it is your fault. If anyone is to blame, it’s Amanda. And if it makes you feel better, I can charge the room to her credit card.”

  “Do you want me to get fired?” Syssi looked horrified by his idea. “And how can it be her fault?”

  “If she didn’t forget her notebook in the lab, no one would have known about you. But I was joking about charging her. It’s not a big deal for me. Can we leave it at that?”

  She nodded. “For now.”

  Good enough.

  “What about my things? I left them at your place.”

  Kian pulled out his phone. “I’ll have my butler deliver your luggage. Anything else yo
u need?”

  “No, as long as I have my laptop I can keep myself busy.”

  “Good. By the time we are done eating lunch your things will be there.”

  Kian texted Shai, asking him to make reservations for the two-bedroom presidential suite and for lunch at Culina, the Four Seasons’ restaurant.

  Chapter 44: Syssi

  Syssi held the menu in front of her face, hiding as she read through the list for the third time. It wasn’t that she was overly picky about what she wanted to eat, she just needed a little time to compose herself.

  Surviving the visit to the three evil witches masquerading as nice old ladies was proof that she was much tougher than she thought she was. Between listening to Kian reading sex scenes, with his deep bedroom voice and watching his beautiful lips, while imagining those lips doing things to her that had nothing to do with reading, Syssi had been so close to climaxing that one touch would’ve sent her flying.

  At some point she’d been tempted to follow Brundar’s example and excuse herself, but not to wait outside.

  A one minute visit to the bathroom would’ve been all she needed to bring herself release and come back in a much calmer state. The thing was, Syssi had a feeling the witches would have known what she was doing and she would’ve died from embarrassment.

  Even thinking about sad things hadn’t done the trick this time. In desperation, she’d closed her eyes, pretending she was testing her precognition with the damn random images projector. After a while, the square, triangle, circle, etc., had done it, and she’d been able to breathe normally. Sort of.

  Until she’d gotten in the car with Kian, Syssi had been able to hang onto her composure, but sitting so close to him it had become a desperate struggle. She had to fight her hormonal body all the way from the retirement home to the restaurant. Hopefully, Kian would leave her at the room he’d rented for her, and she could get a cold shower and a change of underwear.

  Leaning sideways to peek from behind the menu, she glanced at Kian, and saw him frown. Poor guy, he was probably hungry and she was taking her sweet time. “What do you recommend?”

  “Tell me what kinds of foods you like.”

  “I can’t decide. Everything sounds delicious in Italian.” Not that she knew the language, but throughout her life she’d spent enough time in Italian restaurants to learn the names of dishes and ingredients. “Between the pera vegana and the pomodoro e basilico, which one is better?”

  “If you’re not too hungry, the pera vegana. It’s a salad, so it’s not overly filling.”

  “Perfect.”

  As soon as she closed her menu, the waiter rushed over to take their orders. Kian ordered the pasta dish that was her second option, and Brundar ordered the hamburger Italiano with a side of patate prezzemolate.

  Syssi wondered what the guy’s story was. It was obvious that Kian didn’t treat Brundar as an employee, even though he barked commands at him left and right. Besides, there was a vague family resemblance between them. Brundar’s face was more delicate, beautiful in an almost feminine way, but not really. He was all man behind his angelic features and long pale hair.

  A dangerous man.

  “How long have you been working with Kian, Brundar?” she asked to start a conversation.

  He cast a sidelong glance at his boss. “Ages.”

  Syssi laughed. Brundar looked to be about her age. He couldn’t have worked with Kian for more than a few years unless he’d started as a kid.

  “Brundar and Anandur are my cousins. We’ve been inseparable since a very young age,” Kian solved the puzzle for her.

  “That explains it.”

  When the food arrived, the guys didn’t seem in the mood for conversation, and she let them be, watching them eat. Both had impeccable table manners. A rarity for men their age.

  After lunch, Kian escorted her up to the fanciest hotel suite she’d ever seen.

  “Kian, this must cost a fortune.” She wanted to grab her duffle bag, which had been delivered sometime during their lunch, and walk out.

  He waved his hand. “If you don’t want to share a room with Brundar, we need two bedrooms.”

  She opened her mouth to say that she didn’t mind, but Kian put a finger on her lips. “Let’s put it this way. I don’t want you to share a room with Brundar.”

  There was no arguing with him. She would stay the one night and check out tomorrow. A suite this big in a hotel this fancy must’ve cost thousands of dollars. Just thinking about it gave her heart palpitations and not the good kind. If someone wanted to throw around that much money, they should give it to charity instead.

  He caressed her cheek. “Just try to enjoy yourself. I wish I could stay, but I need to have some work done today. I’ll try to stop by tomorrow morning.”

  “You work on weekends?”

  His chuckle was sad. “I work each and every day. On the weekends I work a little less.”

  “That’s not healthy.”

  “I know.” He leaned down and brushed her lips lightly with a barely there kiss. When he lifted his head, his eyes were closed as if he wanted to savor it, memorize it.

  “Goodbye, Syssi.” He turned around and marched out of the room.

  Brundar sat down on the couch and grabbed the remote, flipping channels until he found a wrestling competition.

  Syssi picked her bag up and swung it over her shoulder. “I’m going to take that one.” She pointed at one of the doors.

  Brundar nodded.

  Walking into the bedroom, she continued straight into the adjacent bathroom and dropped her luggage on the floor. After a quick appraisal of the amenities, Syssi decided to forgo the bathtub, even though it was nice and deep, and go into the shower. She needed to cool down first with a splash of cold water.

  People did things like that in books and movies, but it had been a remarkably stupid idea. The freezing water had done nothing for her. After all, the mess was in her head and not on her skin. She turned the knob all the way to the other side and waited, shivering, for the hot water to arrive.

  Better.

  Okay, time to do some thinking.

  She was attracted to Kian, big time, and he seemed to be attracted to her, but not as strongly. Which made sense. He was amazing. Not only handsome and smart but also generous and gracious. On a scale of one to ten, he was a twenty.

  In comparison, she was an eight. Okay, maybe an eight and a half. She was pretty but not spectacular like Kian. And she was short. At five feet and five inches, she was almost a foot shorter than him. As to smarts, she wanted to believe that they were on an equal footing. She’d always excelled at school. There was the issue of an age difference, but it wasn’t huge. Six years at the least and ten at the most.

  The biggest divide was the disparity in achievement. She was just starting out, while Kian was managing a multimillion corporation.

  Sadly, he was out of her league.

  Unless he suddenly showed not only interest but clear intent, she was going to try to play it cool around him.

  But what if he actually made the move? Would she go for it, knowing that it could only be a short fling? Syssi shook her head. If she let him in, Kian would break her heart. Not on purpose, of course, he seemed like a decent guy, but because he would regard it as a casual fling and she couldn’t. She just wasn’t built that way.

  Letting him past her defenses was risky.

  Having Kian in her dreams, where she could submit to him sexually and yet remain in full control of the situation, was one thing; having him in real life was another. She couldn’t allow herself such vulnerability. Besides, no real flesh and blood man could compare to a fantasy, and disappointment was almost guaranteed.

  Coward, stop being so cautious. Living means taking chances.

  Syssi wished she could borrow some of Amanda’s chutzpah. If there was one thing she was envious of, it was her boss’s confidence. The woman’s beauty was almost a handicap, too much to handle, and money didn’t impress Syssi. She lik
ed having it because it provided her with a safety net, but she never wished for the kind of fortune Amanda and Kian had.

  Syssi liked being average and attracting as little attention as possible to herself.

  God, she was so boring.

  Chapter 45: Kian

  Leaving the hotel had tested the limits of Kian’s willpower. Somehow, Syssi had become an addiction, an all-consuming and unhealthy one. It was like an affliction that had taken root in no time. He hadn’t even had sex with the girl for heaven’s sake.

  Maybe that was the problem.

  He should get her in bed and get this out of his system.

  Fuck, he felt like the worst kind of jerk even considering doing something so dishonorable. It was one thing to seduce women who were looking for a commitment-free hookup and didn’t expect anything more from him, and a different thing altogether to seduce a girl that held herself to a different standard and was quite obviously developing feelings for him. Not to mention the dishonesty of it all.

  If he made love to her, because with Syssi it wouldn’t be just a fuck like with the others, he would be doing Amanda’s bidding. He would be sinking his fangs into her and pumping her with his venom, attempting her activation without her consent or even knowledge of the possibility. And it didn’t matter that he was convinced nothing would happen. It would still be unethical and immoral.

  Allowing this thing between them to drag on was only going to prolong their misery. He would save both of them unnecessary heartache by ripping the Band-Aid off. Getting out and staying out was the right thing to do.

  Breaking an addiction was tough, but it had to be done. The only way to sever her mystifying hold on him was to go cold turkey.

  Four hours and twenty-two minutes later, Shai closed the file they’d been working on. “I think we should call it a day.”

  Kian had to agree. He couldn’t concentrate because his head was miles away, mulling over a decision that should have been a done deal.