Dark Dream’s Temptation (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series Book 26)

by I. T. Lucas

  Parker closed one eye as if that was going to help him remember. “Yeah, you’re right. But you know what I mean.” He smirked. “Get ready to lose again.”

  “Not going to happen, kid. I’ve been practicing.”

  “Since Wednesday?”

  “Aha.”

  “We will see about that.” Parker started the game.

  After each of them had decided on an avatar and a weapon of his choice, it was time to battle it out.

  Julian had been joking about practicing, but once he’d gotten the gist of the game, his competitive streak kicked in, and he forgot all about wanting to let Parker win.

  His lead in the game didn’t last long, though. As soon as Ella joined them and sat next to him on the bed, his concentration was blown, and he barely managed to keep going without dying in the game, which would’ve ended that round.

  Her nearness, her scent, it was scrambling his brain, and sitting on the bed wasn’t helping either. He had the insane impulse to drop the controller, push her back on the mattress, and kiss her like she’d never been kissed before.

  It was good that the girl was still human and couldn’t hear his heart racing. To his ears, it sounded like a locomotive was accelerating inside his ribcage.

  Parker, however, didn’t suffer from his sister’s limitations. The moment the game ended, with him the winner, of course, he turned off the console.

  “Hey, aren’t you going to give me a chance to win the next round?”

  “Next time you come over I might let you win.” Parker put his controller on the charging station. “I promised Magnus that I’d go swimming with him after dinner. See you later, guys.”

  The kid couldn't hide the smirk as he grabbed his swimming trunks and left the room, closing the door behind him.

  Ella frowned. “I didn’t hear them making plans to go to the pool.”

  Not knowing what to say, Julian shrugged. “Maybe it was a last minute thing.” He lifted the controller and offered it to her. “Do you want to play?”

  “I’m not big on blood and gore. Out of all the games Parker plays, I only like Minecraft.” She smiled. “I guess boys are more into the shooting and killing games.”

  He lifted a brow. “That’s a sexist remark.”

  “But it’s true. I bet you also like watching war movies. I can’t stand them. They make me so sad.”

  “But you like Marvel movies. Those are pretty violent.”

  “It’s different. I know there is nothing real about them. But I hated Infinity War because it was so dark. Movies about real wars always make me think about the poor soldiers, and how scared they must’ve been, and then I think about the families grieving for those who didn’t make it back.”

  As Ella’s eyes misted with tears, Julian was taken aback. It took him a moment to realize why such a mundane conversation had made her so sad.

  Her father had died in the line of duty.

  Fighting the impulse to pull Ella into his arms and kiss her pain away, Julian pushed to his feet and offered her a hand up. “Would you like to go for a walk with me?”

  “I would love to.” She smiled and took his hand.

  As an electric bolt zapped his hand, and from there traveled to his groin, Julian quickly pulled Ella up so her eyes wouldn’t be level with the erection straining his jeans.

  “Perhaps you should put on something warmer. It’s chilly outside.” A big puffy coat that covered her from head to toe would be great.

  She chuckled. “It’s not that cold, and I’m already wearing a sweater.” She threaded her arm through his and leaned against him, causing the locomotive in his chest to go into hyper speed. “And if I get a little chilly, you can warm me up.”

  Damn.

  40

  Ella

  You can warm me up?

  Had those words actually left her mouth? Where had they come from? Some cheesy movie or romance novel?

  Ella didn’t know who was more shocked by them, she or Julian.

  While the guy almost stumbled over his own feet, her cheeks flamed with embarrassment.

  “Just kidding. I should get a warmer sweater.” She pulled her arm out of his.

  “Don’t.” He caught her elbow. “If you get cold, I’ll wrap my arm around you. If that’s okay with you.”

  Lifting her head, she braved a look at his eyes and took a step back. “Your eyes are glowing.”

  “Don’t mind them. It’s an immortal thing. When you transition, yours will glow on occasion too.”

  Way to throw gasoline on her already flaming cheeks. There was only one way she could transition, and it would probably involve the tall and handsome guy holding on to her elbow.

  She wondered what shone brighter, her cheeks or Julian’s eyes.

  Covering her embarrassment with a chuckle, she pulled her elbow out of his grasp. “That’s a useful trick. I was afraid we’d get lost walking in the dark, but your eyes can illuminate the trail.”

  Out in the living room, she found her mother sitting on the couch with a book.

  “Julian and I are going out for a walk. Are you going to be okay here by yourself?”

  Vivian grinned. “Of course, sweetheart. Have fun.”

  “Thank you for dinner,” Julian said. “Everything was delicious.”

  “I’m glad you liked it. Goodnight, Julian.”

  “Goodnight, Vivian.”

  It was weird to hear him call her mother by her first name, but then the age difference between them wasn’t that great. Julian was only ten years younger than Vivian.

  “I can’t believe that all of this started with you hitting on my mom,” she said as they took the stairs down to the walkway.

  Julian pushed his hands into his pockets. “Vivian is a knockout, and she looks a lot like my childhood idol, Kim Basinger. But if she told you the rest of the story, you know how she responded to my clever come-on lines.”

  “By showing you my picture. I’m so sorry about that. I don’t know what possessed her to do that. Usually, she’s a chill mother who doesn't pull embarrassing stunts like that.”

  In the dark, Julian’s eyes seemed to be glowing even brighter as he looked at her. “I’m grateful beyond words that she did that. If not for that picture and my promise to try and get you an audition, there would’ve been no rescue. The only reason I called your mother was because Brandon found a part for you.”

  She’d heard the story, but with a different spin. Her mother was positive that Julian had fallen in love with that picture, and that was why he’d mobilized his clan to save her.

  Could Vivian have been wrong?

  Maybe Julian had done it just because he was a nice guy?

  If that was the case, then she was wasting her clumsy flirting efforts on him. Perhaps she should seek another immortal for her transition?

  The idea was enough to make her gag.

  Julian was the only one she could envision herself getting intimate with. Not right away, she wasn’t ready for that yet, but maybe she could follow Tessa’s advice and start with something easy. Like a kiss.

  He seemed like the kind of guy who could be patient and would not assume that she was ready to hop into bed with him after one little kiss.

  On the one hand, she wanted to have with Julian what Tessa had with Jackson—a slow build-up of trust and passion that would erase the taste of her bad experience and replace it with something wonderful. On the other hand, though, she wanted to turn immortal as soon as possible, so dragging things out was not going to be helpful in that regard.

  Still, she had to start somewhere, and she was pretty sure she could handle a kiss. The question was how to let Julian know what she wanted.

  Maybe flattery would work?

  If she let him know that she found him attractive, maybe that would be enough?

  Threading her arm through his, she leaned her cheek on his bicep and sighed. “You are so handsome, Julian. I bet you have many girls chasing you.”

  Had that sounded a
s lame as she thought?

  Given the puzzled expression on his face, it had. “Thank you for the compliment, but I’m a little confused. Until today, you’ve shown no interest in me.”

  “I wasn’t ready.”

  He arched a brow. “And now you are?”

  “I’m trying to figure it out. I thought…” She couldn’t look into his eyes and shifted her gaze to a spot on his shirt. “I thought that maybe we could start with a kiss,” she whispered.

  Hooking a finger under her chin, Julian lifted her face, so she was forced to look at him. “There is no rush, Ella. Don’t get me wrong. I would love to kiss you, but I don’t want you to do anything before you’re ready. Take all the time you need.” He chuckled. “And don’t worry about all the other girls who are supposedly chasing me. They can’t catch me because I don’t want anyone but you. I will wait for as long as it takes.”

  Was he the sweetest guy, or what?

  Except, he’d misunderstood her clumsy attempt at complimenting him as her worrying about losing him to someone else if she didn’t hurry. It was a concern, but she hadn’t thought of it at that moment.

  “It’s not that. Well, not only that. You’re a gorgeous, sweet guy, and to top it off you are also a doctor. It doesn't get any better than that, and I’m not sure for how long you can fight off the temptation my competitors are no doubt throwing at you. I would be a fool to ignore that. But that’s not the main thing I’m concerned about.”

  Crap, if she admitted why she was rushing, Julian might feel that she only wanted to use him as a catalyst for her transition. She did, but that wasn’t the only thing she needed him for.

  Ella wanted to have with Julian what Tessa had with Jackson, but she didn’t know how to get from here to there.

  “What are you concerned about?”

  “I need to transition, Julian. I will feel so much safer once I do, and maybe all of you will stop treating me like I’m made from glass. I have a special talent the clan can use, but Kian won’t let me do anything that even smells of danger because I’m human and breakable.”

  She should’ve stopped talking the moment his expression soured, but she’d been on a roll, and her mouth had just kept on flapping.

  No longer mellow, the softness gone from his eyes, Julian looked scary when angry.

  Suddenly, she was very aware of how much bigger than her he was, and how much stronger. Except, she didn’t really fear him. Even when angry, Julian would never do anything to hurt her.

  The worst he could do was walk away from her.

  “Don’t be angry with me,” she whispered.

  41

  Julian

  Fates, he was a fool.

  He should have known better than to fall for Ella’s coy smiles and her compliments. If her sudden interest in him had sounded too good to be true, it was because it was.

  Like a stupid teenager, he’d gotten all excited about the prospect of a kiss from her. She wanted to transition. That was the only reason for her flirting. He was a means to an end.

  “Don’t be angry with me,” she whispered, her eyes pleading for him to understand.

  And just like that Julian’s anger went up in smoke.

  How could he be mad at her?

  Ella wasn’t a sophisticated temptress who was out to get him. She was a young girl with limited experience, who was scared and hurting and sought to get over both by becoming an immortal.

  It was true that she needed him to transition, and right now she might not realize that she needed him for much more than that, but with a lot of patience, guidance, and persistence, he could prove it to her.

  “I’m not angry.” He smoothed a finger over her cheek.

  Her eyelids drooped a little as she leaned into his touch. “A moment ago you looked mad.”

  “I was a little disappointed, that’s all.”

  “Why disappointed?”

  There was no guile in her eyes as she looked up at him. She really didn’t know.

  “I think it’s natural to want to be desired for who I am and not for what I can do for you.”

  “Oh.” A pink hue colored her pale cheeks. “I just let my mouth flap without thinking. The way I said it made you think that I came on to you only because of the transition.”

  He shrugged. “It’s okay. I understand. If I were in your shoes, I might have done the same thing.”

  “You don’t understand anything, Julian.” She shook her head and started walking again.

  He followed, afraid that she’d gotten offended and was leaving him without even saying goodnight.

  Except, Ella found a bench and sat down with an exasperated sigh. “It’s my fault. I didn’t explain myself right.”

  Relieved that she was still talking to him, he sat next to her. “Do you want to give it another try?”

  “I don’t know.” Lifting her feet, she tucked them under her long skirt and hugged her knees. “I’m all over the place. One moment all I want to do is hide in my room and never come out, and the next one I feel like I’m ready to take on the world.”

  Without thinking, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. “How about finding a middle ground between the two? Hiding in your room is obviously not a solution to anything, but instead of taking on the whole world all at once, how about taking one step at a time?”

  She looked up at him and waved her hand. “But that’s exactly what I’ve been doing. The fundraising idea was the first step. It got me out of the house. I met Tessa, and Eva, and Carol, and I even went to talk to Kian about another idea I had.”

  That was a surprise. Ella was showing more spunk than he’d expected from her. Kian was an intimidating guy, and to approach him with an idea took guts.

  “Care to share your idea with me?”

  She shook her head. “It’s not important. Kian would never allow a human girl to do what I proposed.”

  Now he was really curious. “I would like to hear it anyway.”

  “I can’t tell you.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  “Can’t. It involves information I was asked to keep a secret. I can check if it’s okay to tell you, but until I get permission, I can’t.”

  “Understandable.”

  It also explained her sudden rush to secure an immortal male for her transition.

  He rubbed her arm. “Is that why you flirted with me? Because Kian wouldn’t allow you to do that thing you wanted unless you were immortal?”

  As she lowered her head onto her upturned knees, the pink color in her cheeks deepened into a peachy red. “That was part of it.”

  He waited for her to continue, but when she didn’t, he asked, “What’s the other part?”

  A long moment passed until Ella answered with a question of her own, “Do you like me, Julian?”

  “Of course, I do. Isn’t it obvious?”

  Without lifting her head off her knees, she shook it lightly. “My mother is convinced that you have feelings for me that are more than just friendly. But I think she just wants it to be true because you’re such an awesome guy. How can you have feelings for me if you don’t know me?”

  She was right and explaining it without sounding like a romantic fool was going to be tough. But maybe he should just swallow his ego and tell her the truth?

  “It started with the picture. You’re very beautiful, but I don’t think that was why I reacted so strongly.” He put his hand over his heart. “I felt as if the eyes gazing at me from that picture were trying to tell me something. I could almost hear you calling me, asking me to find you, to help you. I know it doesn't make sense.”

  He chuckled. “Even though I believe that aliens and UFOs are real, I’m not prone to flights of fancy. I thought I was going nuts. But when I called your mother to tell her about the audition Brandon arranged for you, and she told me that you were missing, everything suddenly made sense. I was meant to meet your mom. I was meant to help save you. And I was meant to be your mate.�
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  42

  Ella

  Ella shook her head. “I asked if you liked me, and you didn't really answer that. You talked about fate and meaning, but that could all be a coincidence. It’s quite a leap to jump from that to being my mate. I would think that love should come first. But how can there be love if we don’t know each other?”

  Raking his fingers through his hair, Julian released a puff of air. “I realize how it must sound to you. Coming from the human world with human attitudes and expectations about what brings two people together, you probably find me irrationally romantic, or just foolish. But immortals, and by that I mean Annani’s clan, believe in fated true-love mates—two people who are meant to be together and bond for eternity. It’s what every immortal, male or female, yearns for, but only a few get lucky enough to be blessed with a true-love mate. I believe you are mine. Now all I have to do is convince you that I am yours.”

  As if she needed convincing. The guy was perfect.

  Her cheek still resting on her upturned knees, she looked up at him and smiled. “It’s not going to be a hard sell, Julian.”

  “You’re not in love with me.”

  “And neither are you with me. With all that talk about fated true-love mates, I’m still waiting for you to tell me that you like me.”

  “Of course, I do.”

  “Why? Is it this face?”

  He smoothed a finger over her heated skin.

  She’d been blushing so much that her face was warm even when she wasn’t embarrassed.

  “Yes, you have a beautiful face, but that’s not the only reason.”

  She waved a hand. “Do tell. I’m eager to hear what you can possibly know about me after spending about eight hours together, half of which I was asleep for.”

  Lifting his arm off her shoulders, he leaned back and crossed his ankles. “You’re a fighter. Right after your rescue, when I expected you to be wary of all males, you followed me to my hotel room and asked to borrow my clothes. I was flabbergasted. Then when I told you about who and what your rescuers were, you listened calmly and accepted my explanations without going into panic mode or denial. I like that you’re not impulsive and that you are logical and think with your head and not your heart.”