Dark Secrets Unveiled (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Book 45)

by I. T. Lucas

  “You are right. That puts a different spin on things.”

  “So, do I have your permission to use Eleanor?”

  “If you secure Guardian backup with explicit instructions of not letting her escape, then yes. I’m rather curious to see the results of this experiment.”

  46

  Kalugal

  “This terrace is lovely.” Kalugal pulled a chair out for Annani and another one for Jacki. “How come we are only discovering it now?”

  Syssi sat next to Jacki. “It only seems as if a lot of time has passed since we arrived at the castle. But it’s only been six days, and a lot has happened.”

  Jacki sighed. “It has been fun, especially the horseback riding and the picnics by the lake, but I’m just getting over my jet lag, and we have only four days left.” She turned to Kalugal. “We should plan another honeymoon, one that doesn’t involve a drastic change in time zones.”

  “Your wish is my command, my love.” He looked at Syssi. “Perhaps I’ll take your husband up on his offer to vacation in the clan’s hotel in Hawaii. That’s only a three-hour time zone difference.”

  Excitement dancing in her eyes, Syssi straightened in her chair. “We should all go.”

  “Right.” Anandur chuckled. “As if Kian can take another vacation.”

  “He can work from the hotel.” She turned to Amanda. “Does Hilo University have a neuroscience department?”

  “It doesn’t, but we can do some testing on the general student population. Who knows? We might get lucky and find someone with strong paranormal talent. I should have resigned myself to the fact that I’m not going to find more Dormants that way, but I can’t. I’m still hopeful.”

  “Speaking of Dormants.” Syssi turned back to Kalugal. “What’s going on with the government program? Did your men find any interesting prospects?”

  “So far, none. We checked all the names on every list that Edwards provided us with, and there wasn’t even one who was worth further investigating.”

  “Are you sure? Maybe your men were too quick to dismiss them?”

  Kalugal shook his head. “Edwards hasn’t recruited any of them either, so he must have arrived at the same conclusion.”

  As the doors to the terrace opened, Kalugal turned expecting Kian, but instead of his cousin coming out with a bag full of cigars, two of Annani’s three butlers came out holding trays loaded with drinks and desserts.

  Amanda leaned sideways to allow the Odus access to the table. “I hope you remembered to tell them to make Syssi’s and mine nonalcoholic.”

  “Of course.” Annani waved a hand in the direction of the other butler. “Oshidu has your drinks.”

  “And I have ours.” Kian stepped out onto the terrace holding a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a cigar box in the other. “But to smoke, we will need to sit away from the ladies.”

  “I’m not pregnant,” Callie said. “And I like the smell of cigar smoke.”

  Jacki shifted in her chair. “I’m not pregnant either, and usually cigar smoke doesn’t bother me, but for some reason, even thinking about it makes me nauseous.”

  Amanda narrowed her eyes at her. “Are you sure that you’re not pregnant? You are also unusually tired, and as an immortal, you shouldn’t be so strongly affected by jet lag. You should have gotten over it the first day like the rest of us.”

  Kalugal’s heart skipped a beat. It would be a miracle, but it was too much to hope for. He was a rational man, and the probability of Jacki conceiving while she was still transitioning was so miniscule as to be nonexistent.

  Well, he was rational most of the time.

  Bringing David along had been a serious departure from logic, and yet his hunch had proven right. Hopefully, it wouldn’t cost David his life.

  “I wish.” Jacki sighed. “But what are the chances of that? I’m not even fully transitioned yet. There is no way my body is ready for pregnancy.”

  “Just in case, you should get checked,” Syssi said. “Luckily, Bridget is here. You can go to her.”

  “Yeah.” Jacki’s lips twisted in a sad smile. “I wouldn’t call it lucky. Bridget is here because David is in trouble.”

  “He should be getting better soon,” Annani said. “He just needs to find his way back to us.”

  “Bridget joked that Mark’s ghost helped Turner find his way back.” Syssi put her glass down and reached for a cookie. “Perhaps she was serious, and he really did.” She glanced at Kalugal. “Can Lokan dream walk into David’s mind and help him come back to us?”

  “Lokan’s talent doesn’t work that way,” Kian answered for him. “He needs to know the person to be able to do that. In that regard, his talent is similar to Jin’s. He creates a connection that he can later follow, but only in dreamscape. But if memory serves me right, he can’t dream share with males.”

  “Hmm.” Amanda tapped a finger over her lower lip. “I think that he can, but he’s not comfortable doing that. He might be blocking the ability subconsciously. It’s also possible that he wasn’t a hundred percent honest with us.” She smiled at Kian. “At the time, it would have raised red flags, which he was smart to avoid.”

  “That’s possible.” Kian opened the box and pulled out a cigar. “I need to ask him about it. Things have changed a lot since then, and I no longer view him as a threat. He should feel free to confess.”

  “If Lokan can form a connection with a male, I wonder if he could do that while David is unconscious.” Amanda turned to Kalugal. “That should be an interesting experiment. Is there a way we can bring him here?”

  “It’s too risky.”

  “Why? Lokan came to the village for your wedding.”

  “And he took a big risk doing that. I spoke with him before coming here, and he sounded worried. He even considered sending Carol by herself to the village.”

  Kian frowned. “Why didn’t he say anything to me?”

  “Because it’s just an uneasy feeling, and Lokan has no concrete proof that he’s being followed. He thinks that he’s being paranoid.”

  “I don’t like it.” Kian pulled out his phone. “I’ll ask Turner to send a human team to snoop around and check it out.”

  “Why humans?” Annani asked. “Why not Guardians?”

  “Humans snooping around Lokan will be less suspicious if noticed. He has a lot of dealings with prominent figures in Washington, so it would be assumed that one of them decided to investigate him, and maybe that’s precisely what’s going on. But if Navuh or Losham put Lokan under surveillance, Guardians doing the snooping would be a dead giveaway that he’s involved with us.”

  “I think he should jump ship already,” Syssi said. “We have Areana to sound the alarm in case Navuh plans something against the clan. Lokan doesn’t have to keep risking his neck.”

  Kian shook his head. “Navuh doesn’t tell Areana everything.”

  “He doesn’t tell Lokan everything either.” Syssi crossed her arms over her chest. “Especially if he suspects him of working with us.”

  “I doubt that he does.” Kian opened the box and pulled a cigar cutter out. “If he did, Lokan would be dead already.”

  Annani gasped. “Please, do not say things like that.”

  “It’s the truth, Mother. Do you think a monster like Navuh would spare a traitor just because it’s his own son?”

  “Then he definitely needs to jump ship as Syssi phrased it.”

  “It’s his decision, Mother, not mine.”

  “You can help him make the right choice.” Annani cast a hard stare at Kalugal. “And so can you. He is your brother.”

  47

  Eleanor

  Eleanor checked her hair in the mirror and adjusted her nightgown’s neckline, so it showed the tops of her breasts but didn’t reveal too much. The idea was to make herself look sexy but not obvious.

  The nightgown was a present from Vivian, and she wondered whether her sister-in-law had bought it for herself and then decided to gift it to her. The thing was wa
y too short on Eleanor, bordering on indecent, but it was perfect for what she had in mind.

  Was it too much, though?

  Maybe she should just put on her old sleep shirt?

  Damn. Why couldn’t she be as confident in her sex appeal as she was in her other skills?

  Life would be much simpler if she were a man.

  Males could get away with things that women could not, and it wasn’t fair. They weren’t expected to be nice all of the time, or accommodating, or to dedicate hours to looking good.

  That wasn’t true, though. There was a reason that men who were not training for combat still spent so much time in the gym working their muscles.

  “For every pot, there is a lid,” she told her reflection in the mirror. “Greggory likes you just the way you are, so stop being such a pussy.”

  Eleanor chuckled. On the one hand, she was complaining about being the opposite of timid, and on the other hand, she was acting like the definition of it.

  She was assertive, a go-getter, and she shouldn’t act any differently with Greggory. Besides, she had a good excuse to call him. There was the virtual reality adventure she’d shared with Kri, and even more exciting was Turner’s unexpected offer. Worst case scenario, they would just talk about that. But hopefully, once she told Greggory that her calls were no longer being monitored, things would happen naturally without her having to put on a seductive act because she sucked at that.

  Getting comfortable in bed, she propped the phone on her upturned knees and placed the video call.

  A moment later, Greggory’s handsome face appeared on the small screen. “Hello, gorgeous.”

  Now, that was an encouraging greeting.

  “Hello, yourself. Are you in your room?”

  “If you are asking whether I’m alone, the answer is yes.” She saw him turn around. “Let me just get comfortable.”

  His face disappeared from the screen as he got into bed, but a moment later, he was back, smiling at her. “That’s better. So how was your virtual experience with Kri?”

  “Out of this world, but I wish I could do that with you. William’s team modified the program to take all the sexy parts out, and Kri was an awesome partner, but it would have been even more fun with you.”

  “Patience, my lovely. Soon we will share more than a virtual experience.”

  “Amen to that. Also, my calls are no longer being monitored, so we can talk freely.”

  The wolfish grin on Greggory’s face was like kindling on the embers of her desire. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that.” His eyes trailed lower to where her nightgown’s neckline slipped to reveal the tops of her breasts. “I want to reach through the phone and touch you.”

  “Same here.” She ran her finger over the screen. “Am I imagining it, or did your muscles get bigger since the last time we talked?”

  “You’re not imagining it. I’m taking out my frustrations on deadlifting.”

  Her heart fluttered with hope. Was he talking about sexual frustration? Did it mean that he hadn’t slaked his needs with anyone else?

  “What are you frustrated about?”

  He looked at her with hooded eyes. “Isn’t it obvious? I miss you. I want to be with you, inside of you, and I can’t. I’m going nuts.”

  He hadn’t really answered her question, and she had to know. “I’m sure that you haven’t remained celibate.”

  Casting her a hard glare, he hissed from between fangs that had suddenly doubled in size, “Have you?”

  “I haven’t been with anyone but you in years, Greggory. And I don’t plan on it either.”

  He smiled, but his fangs didn’t retract. “And why is that?”

  If he was expecting her to say that she was in love with him, he would be disappointed because she wasn’t. She liked him, and she wanted to see where their relationship could go, but they hadn’t been together long enough to know whether their feelings for each other ran deeper than physical attraction.

  Eleanor shrugged. “I’m just not interested in anyone else at the moment. Are you?”

  “Not in the slightest. I like you, Eleanor. Maybe it’s even more than that.”

  Her stupid heart fluttered again. “More?”

  “Yeah, more. I was told that when immortals remain loyal to each other even when they can’t be together, it means that they are fated mates.”

  “Who told you that?”

  “We now have access to the clan’s social network. Someone named Ella posted a list of indicators for a truelove mate, and fidelity was the first and most important one.”

  “Ella is my niece. I need to ask her about it. What are the other signs?”

  “Missing each other, wanting to spend every moment together, and of course, love.”

  “We are not in love, Greggory. We barely know each other.”

  “True, but that’s only because we haven’t had enough time together.”

  Eleanor closed her eyes. “Frankly, I’m afraid that once you get to know me better, you are going to like me less, not more.”

  “Why would you think that?”

  As if she was going to list for him all the things that were less than desirable about her. “It’s just silly insecurity. I don’t have a good track record with men.”

  He grinned, putting his fully elongated fangs on display. “But I’m not a man. I’m an immortal, and we are a different breed. Besides, none of the other men you’ve dated before worked out because you were meant to be with me.”

  The sight of those sharp fangs brought back memories of what he’d made her feel with his bite, and her nipples pebbled in response.

  “That’s such a nice thing to say.” She shifted, adjusting the nightgown’s neckline in an attempt to cover the evidence. “Especially when said while flashing a pair of enormous fangs.”

  A glow started deep in Greggory’s eyes. “Do they scare you?”

  She shook her head. “After experiencing what they can do, they are a trigger for arousal, not fear.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” His eyes trailed down, and his tongue darted to lick over his fangs. “Take off the nightgown, Eleanor, and let me see those perfect breasts of yours.”

  48

  Richard

  Laptop tucked under his arm, Richard headed to the café for breakfast. The grading was done on Kalugal’s lots, and today the crew was starting to dig the foundations.

  It was a good enough reason to celebrate. Finally, he would have something to do other than stare at dirt. Kalugal wanted him to prepare a list of appliances for the smaller houses, but he had not specified any particular style. His instructions had been to find good quality devices that would last for many years and that incorporated the latest technology.

  Were induction ovens the latest thing? Or was there something even more innovative than that?

  Spotting William reading a newspaper at one of the café’s tables, Richard decided to ask the expert. If anyone knew, it would be the clan’s genius tech guy.

  “Good morning. May I join you?”

  “Gladly.” The guy put the paper down and motioned toward the chair next to him. “Newspapers nowadays are just ridiculous. It hurts to read the crap that they call news. What happened to real reporters?”

  “It’s this damn generation.” Richard sat down and put his laptop on the table. “They don’t understand the difference between reporting the actual news and writing opinions about it. Why do they think that I want to read their spin on things?” He shook his head. “I sound like an old man, don’t I?”

  “You may sound like one, but I actually am. And you know what? Each generation is unhappy with the one following it. Although, this time I have to agree with the old-timers. Something must have gone wrong with the education system in this country.”

  “I blame social media.” Richard sighed. “You have no idea how happy I am to live here in the village. It’s like we are on a different planet, and none of the outside nonsense touches us. The only things I mi
ss are the freedom to travel and good restaurants. I can’t take Stella anywhere fun.”

  By now, everyone knew that they were a couple, but most importantly, Stella had officially accepted him as her boyfriend, and they were even talking about him moving in with her.

  It was a bit too soon for that, so Richard wasn’t pushing it, but he was spending every evening with her and staying most of the night, but not all.

  He was waiting for her to ask him to stay.

  “I know where you can take Stella that is fun.” William pushed his glasses up his nose. “Even super fun. The virtual machines are up and running, and we already conducted a first successful test with Kri and Eleanor. They went on a ski adventure together.”

  Richard arched a brow. “I was under the impression that the virtual fun time was sexual.”

  “We can modify it to do whatever we want. It can teach people how to fly a plane, or how to dive, or any other solo or joined activity. The possibilities are virtually endless.” William chuckled at his own joke. “I need to run a test with a human, and you are the only one in the village.”

  “Then I guess that I have no choice but to volunteer.”

  “I would greatly appreciate it if you do, and I promise that you are going to have more fun than you can imagine.” William smiled sheepishly. “I was involved with the Perfect Match Studios from the very beginning, but I didn’t feel comfortable trying their style of virtual adventure. Now that we have our own machines and adventures that are not romantic in nature, I gave it a try, and I had the time of my life.”

  “That’s reassuring. I would have felt iffy about going for it knowing that the inventor didn’t try it himself.”

  “I’m not the one who invented it. I only helped the founders and their teams to get over several hurdles that they didn’t know how to solve.”

  “Nevertheless, I’m glad that you tried the program yourself. If I’m going to suggest it to Stella, I want to be sure that it’s safe.”