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

by I. T. Lucas

  “This is Ben, my roommate.”

  “Hi.” The guy waved his hand without turning his eyes away from the television.

  “Ben, pause that stupid game for a moment and come say a proper hello to Ella.”

  “That’s okay. Let him watch. Parker and Magnus are also glued to the screen. I don’t know what it is with guys and football. I think it’s boring.”

  “Sacrilege,” Ben gasped dramatically and offered his hand. “I love the hair.”

  “Thank you.” She fluffed it with one hand while shaking his with the other.

  “You’re welcome. Well, nice meeting you and all that, but I’m going back to my game.”

  “Sure. And nice to meet you too.”

  Threading her arm through Ella’s, Carol led her outside to the back yard. “What happened to the spikes?”

  “Too much hassle.” She sat on the double chaise lounge next to Carol. “I’ll spike it when I go out.”

  “It looks good like this too. It’s soft.” Carol smoothed her hand over Ella’s short hair. “You look cute.”

  “My brother calls me Tinker Bell.”

  Carol shrugged. “That’s cute too. He could have come up with something much nastier.”

  “That’s true.”

  Leaning sideways, Carol lifted a ginger ale soda can from the side table and handed it to Ella. “I was in the mood for a beer, but given your tender age, I decided against it.”

  “Isn’t it too early for that? It’s only eleven in the morning.”

  Carol smirked. “I don’t care for conventions. I do pretty much as I please.”

  Yeah, she did, and that was why Carol was Ella’s new role model. Eva was a bit too extreme to emulate. Or a lot.

  “I wanted to ask you for a favor. Can you get your ex-boyfriend to talk to me? Or is it against the rules because he’s Sharon’s now? Do I have to ask her?”

  Carol narrowed her eyes at her. “Why do you want to talk to Robert?”

  “I want to ask him questions about the island. Kian challenged me to come up with a better plan, but I can’t do that without having more information about it.”

  “You went to Kian with your crazy idea?” Carol shook her head. “You have guts, girl, I’ll give you that. But he was just teasing. Kian doesn’t expect you to come up with a plan.”

  “I know that. But I want to prove to him that I can.”

  That had been her original plan, but now she needed information for a different purpose.

  “I see.” Carol leaned back on the lounger and crossed her arms over her chest. “I can probably answer any questions you might have. I’ve already talked with both Dalhu and Robert extensively, picking their brains about the security measures, possible access points, and anything else I could think of.”

  Crap. What should she ask?

  Perhaps she should just go for it and have Carol think what she would.

  “How can you tell if a guy is an immortal if he’s not showing fangs or glowing eyes?”

  Logan had both in some of her dreams, but she could’ve given them to him. Dream Logan hadn’t looked exactly like the real one, with his appearance changing according to how she was feeling about him that night.

  Carol tapped her nose. “I can smell the difference between a human and an immortal.”

  Great, not so useful in dreams. Besides, until she transitioned, Ella wouldn’t be able to smell the difference anyway.

  “Do Doomers smell different than clan males?”

  “No.”

  “So how do you know if an immortal guy is a Doomer?”

  “Easy. I know all of my relatives. I might not remember everyone’s name, but I know their faces. If I meet an immortal guy that I don’t know, then he must be a Doomer.”

  “What if he is neither?”

  Carol shook her head. “There are no other immortals. It’s either them or us. But what does any of this have to do with the island? Everyone there is either a Doomer or a human.”

  There was another possibility Ella hadn’t considered before. What if Logan was a clansman? Maybe he belonged to the Scottish branch?

  She shouldn’t assume that they were all decent people just because their ideology and leadership were good.

  In the same way that there could be decent Doomers, there could be rotten clansmen.

  “It’s all new to me.” Ella waved a dismissive hand. “I was just curious. But now I feel like I should learn the face of every male clansman, so if I ever meet a Doomer, I would know what he is. Do you have something like a yearbook or a directory?”

  “No, but with all the newcomers, that’s a good idea. We should have one and post it on the clan’s virtual board. Although if you’re worried about randomly encountering a Doomer, don’t. The chances of that are very slim.”

  “I’m not worried.” Hopefully, Carol couldn’t smell the lie. “I just wanted to know if there was a way to differentiate between the good guys and the bad.”

  Carol chuckled. “Their attitudes. Doomers still think women are good only for breeding. They also think that humans are too dumb to govern themselves and should be enslaved.”

  Hmm, that was a clue. Maybe she could get Logan engaged in an ideological debate and see where he stood on those. Not that it would be proof positive. Entire human societies still believed that women were inferior. On the other hand, very few thought that slavery was a good idea, except for the traffickers, of course, but that was mostly about women as well.

  Regrettably, it seemed like she had to arrange for another dream meeting with Logan and find out what his position on male slavery was.

  It wasn’t much, but it was better than nothing.

  “Anything else you wish to know about Doomers?”

  “Yeah. I want to know as much as possible about the island and what’s going on there. How are the visitors screened, and how is it possible to hide its location so well, and who’s in charge…”

  Over the next hour or so, Carol provided her with so much information that Ella was afraid she’d forget half of it if she didn’t write it all down.

  “I think that’s enough for today. Next time I’ll bring a notepad.”

  “You could’ve recorded me on your phone.”

  “Shit, I should’ve thought of that. I’ll go home and write down what you’ve told me. But next time I’m going to record it. If that’s okay with you.”

  “Sure. Just make sure to keep your phone away from your little brother. Some of the things I’ve told you are not for his young ears.”

  Just thinking about it Ella felt herself blush. Carol was very open about her sexual promiscuity, and very blunt in her descriptions too.

  It was cool that she’d confided in Ella so openly, not treating her like the young, inexperienced human she was. If Ella ever needed advice on sex, she now knew who to turn to.

  “Maybe I should write it down and lock the notepad somewhere he can’t get into. He’s a nosy little guy, and way too good with technology. He probably knows my lock code.”

  “Not so little anymore.” Carol winked. “I give him a year or two before he starts chasing immortal females around the village. Not that they’ll be running away all that fast. An immortal male who is not a cousin is a rare find.”

  “Ugh, gross. I can’t think of my little brother as some gigolo.”

  Carol stifled a snort, turning it into a cough. “Of course not. Now tell me, are you coming to Dalhu’s art exhibition this evening?”

  “Yes. My mother is a fan of his work.”

  “What are you going to wear?”

  “I don’t know yet. I’ll borrow something from my mom. I don’t have any fancy stuff. Why are you asking?”

  “I ordered this really sexy dress online, and it’s a bit snug on my butt. We are about the same height, and I thought you’d look great in it.” She pushed to her feet. “Let’s go to my room. I want you to try it on.”

  “I thought we were done with the makeover.” Ella followed her inside.
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  Carol patted her arm. “This is a different kind of makeover.” She winked. “I’m going to make you look so sexy, Julian is going to salivate.”

  “Oh. I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

  “Trust me. It is.”

  52

  Amanda

  Amanda followed Dalhu as he walked from one room to another, regarding his work critically, the muscles of his shoulders getting tighter instead of looser.

  There was a reason she hadn’t allowed him anywhere near the office building while her team of helpers had worked on transforming the place into an art gallery.

  Dalhu had agreed to do the exhibition grudgingly and only because she’d convinced him that selling his art and donating half of the proceeds to the clan’s humanitarian effort would erase the last doubts some of the clan members still harbored about him.

  Showing him the completed project ensured that he couldn’t change his mind at the last moment and cancel the entire thing.

  “What’s the matter? You don’t look happy.”

  Stopping in front of a landscape, he rubbed his jaw. “It’s not good enough, Amanda. I should have waited until I’d gotten it right.”

  She wrapped her arm around his middle. “You are a perfectionist. If I wait until you deem your work worthy of display, no one will get to see it, and it would be a shame. People love your landscapes, there is so much feeling in them.”

  He turned to look at her with an arched brow. “What are you talking about? Those are depictions of nature. They have no feelings.”

  Leaning her head against his shoulder, Amanda sighed. “It’s the feeling they evoke, which is probably how they make you feel, and it shows in your work.”

  Her guy was so incredibly talented and yet so unaware of his own process, perhaps because he’d never taken classes and had never been taught how to reach down into his soul and transfer what he found to his art.

  He did that on pure instinct.

  “I think you are either imagining things or trying to boost my confidence.” He turned her toward him and kissed her lips. “You’re amazing, do you know that?”

  “Of course, I do.”

  Dalhu chuckled. “Thank you for organizing this. I’ve never been to an art gallery, but I’m sure you topped them all. Everything looks beautiful.”

  “You’re welcome, my love.” She kissed him back. “I had a lot of help, which just shows how many people love your work.”

  “Not necessarily. You’re one hell of a bossy lady, and people are afraid to say no to you.”

  She slapped his bicep. “Not true.”

  “Oh, yeah? I bet most of the Guardians you’ve roped into moving furniture out of the offices have never even seen my work.”

  “Yes, they did because they helped hang it on the walls. You should have heard them oohing and aahing.”

  A soft growl started deep in his throat. “I’m sure it wasn’t over the landscapes. Did you let them hang the nudes I did of you?”

  “I did no such thing. You asked me not to.” Which was a shame. Amanda wasn’t bashful about her body, and those were some of Dalhu’s best works. “They are still at home, hidden under the bed.”

  She shook her head. “You should at least let me hang them in the bedroom. No one goes in there but us and Onidu, but he doesn't count.”

  “You’ve invited people in there before.”

  “Only ladies.”

  “Not true. Kian was there, and so was Anandur.”

  Amanda waved a dismissive hand. “First of all, they are my relatives. And secondly, it was a one-time thing because Wonder fainted after seeing Annani’s portrait and we had to take her somewhere private. Speaking of that portrait, you haven’t seen what I’ve done with it yet. Come on.”

  She took Dalhu’s hand and pulled him behind her to the next room. “What do you think?”

  As befitting the work and its subject, Annani’s portrait was the only painting in the room. Amanda had had several chairs brought in for people to sit down and ponder its many layers of meaning. A casual look just wouldn’t do. It was a piece of art worth spending time admiring.

  53

  Ella

  After styling her short hair as best she could, Ella pulled on the little black dress Carol had loaned her.

  It was short and tight, but the round neckline wasn’t too deep, and it didn’t show much cleavage, which made it passable for the occasion.

  Ella liked it.

  It was sexy, young, and nothing like the wardrobe the Russian had commissioned for her.

  No bad memories there.

  The problem was that she didn’t have shoes to match. The black monster boots could go with it if she wanted to look edgy, but that would mean spiking her hair and applying tons of makeup, which she wasn’t in the mood for.

  After all, Dalhu’s art exhibition was in the village, so she didn’t need to disguise her appearance.

  Well, that was what she told herself. The truth was that she wanted to look nice for Julian, and he didn’t like the Goth getup.

  Talking with Carol had been educational on many levels.

  Apparently, sex with an immortal male was an entirely different experience. Carol had compared it to eating at a Michelin four-star restaurant, qualifying that statement by emphasizing that currently the most stars a restaurant could get were three. In contrast, she’d said, sex with a human was like eating a stale, gas-station sandwich.

  Yuk.

  Carol’s detailed descriptions of the differences had started a low burn. And when Ella had gotten home and allowed herself to imagine Julian doing some of those things to her, that burn intensified tenfold.

  Could he be so dominant in the bedroom?

  According to Carol, all immortal males were dominant. It was how they were designed. It was the rare exception to find one without a dominant streak, which had been the case with Robert, and one of the main reasons things hadn’t worked out between him and Carol.

  Ella was starting to suspect that Carol actually wanted to go to the Doomers’ island because of all the great sex she’d be expected to have with immortal males.

  Strange female.

  But whatever, to each her own.

  Ella couldn’t fathom having a lover she didn’t have feelings for, let alone several a night.

  Yuk, and yuk again.

  There was just one guy she could envision being with, and that was Julian.

  Liar.

  She could almost hear Logan whisper the word in her ear. Maybe in addition to being a dream-walker he was also a warlock?

  Had he put a spell on her the one time they’d actually met in person, and was he now tempting her in her dreams?

  Last night, when he’d told her that he intended to find her and keep her for himself, Ella had experienced two conflicting emotions.

  One had been fear, the other arousal.

  It was very disconcerting.

  Her attraction to Logan didn’t make any sense. So yeah, he was handsome and mysterious, and Ella had no doubt that he was dominant as hell in bed, but he was also scary, and most likely human, which meant that he couldn’t be all that great.

  Ella shook her head. As if that was even a consideration. Maybe for Carol, but not for her.

  Sex wasn’t nearly as important to her as having a good, loving relationship, and in that respect, Logan wasn’t in the same league as Julian.

  Heck, he wasn’t even in the same galaxy.

  She should remember that every time thoughts of Logan drifted through her head. Even magic couldn’t help him become a decent man.

  Releasing a relieved breath, Ella applied a little eyeliner, some lip-gloss, and then brushed her hair one last time before leaving her bedroom.

  “Mom, do you have a pair of black pumps I can borrow?”

  “I do. But they have very tall heels. I don’t know if you’ll be able to walk in them.”

  Ella grimaced. “I had practice.”

  “I’ll go get them.”
Vivian looked her up and down. “You look lovely. Where did you get the dress?”

  “Carol loaned it to me.”

  “It looks great on you. With the heels, you’re going to look like a fashion model.”

  “Yeah, a very short and padded one.”

  Ella wasn’t fat, but the models she’d seen in magazines looked like they hadn’t eaten anything other than lettuce in months.

  Her mother waved a dismissive hand and headed to her room. A moment later she returned with a pair of gorgeous pumps.

  “Here you go, sweetie. Try them on.”

  They weren’t the same make as the ones Pavel had gotten her, but they looked just as pricey.

  “Oh, wow, Mom. Fancy, fancy. You’ve never worn shoes like that before.”

  Her mother nodded. “They are not practical, and they cost way too much for collecting dust in my closet, but Magnus insisted I had to have them. You know how he is with clothes.”

  “He sure is stylish.” Ella braced a hand on the kitchen counter as she slipped her feet into the shoes. “Suddenly I feel so tall.”

  As the front door opened, Scarlet bounded in first, with Parker and Magnus walking in behind her. Luckily, she skidded to a stop as Ella lifted her hand instead of jumping on her.

  Parker whistled. “Nice dress.” He looked down at her feet. “And shoes. You look like a runway model.”

  Vivian waved a hand. “Told you. But do you ever listen to your mother?”

  “Do the walk,” Parker said. “The one with a hand on your hip and swaying from side to side like models do.”

  “I don’t want to.” She would feel silly strutting like that in the middle of her kitchen, especially with Magnus watching.

  “Why not? In the old house, you used to do it all the time.” Parker moved a chair to make a clear path for her. “Just do it!”

  Bossy dweeb.

  Ella still didn’t want to do it, but surprisingly, she found herself putting her hand on her hip and doing the runway walk like she used to.

  Parker whistled.

  Vivian clapped her hands.

  Magnus smiled.

  Ella felt strange.

  She hadn’t wanted to do that, and yet here she was, putting on a show for her family because Parker had told her to do it.