Dark Overlord’s Wife (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series Book 39)

by I. T. Lucas

  “Yes, ma’am.” Kalugal pulled his hand out of Jacki’s and held out the small box.

  Pushing to his feet, he knelt on one knee and took her hand again. “Jacqueline, will you be my wife?” He paused for a moment.

  Should he continue with the traditional vows?

  Why not. Kalugal was quite sure that he was already in love with Jacki, and if he wasn’t there yet, he would be in a very short time. He could promise to love and cherish her, and it wouldn’t be a lie.

  Except, he hesitated for too long and Jacki thought that he was done.

  “Yes, I will marry you.”

  “I promise that you will never regret this decision.”

  As he said those words, Kalugal wanted to take them back. How could he promise such a thing?

  It was up to Jacki, not him. She might think that his world domination ambitions were ridiculous or find something else that she didn’t agree with. They’d known each other for one week, and they still had a lot to learn about each other.

  He should have phrased it differently.

  “What I meant was that I promise to do everything I can to ensure you don’t regret marrying me. But I can’t promise that you will find my efforts satisfactory. That’s up to you.”

  Leaning down, Jacki cupped his cheek and kissed him softly. “If I ever regret it, we can have another ceremony, invite the same people who witnessed us pledging ourselves to each other, and revoke our vows. It’s not like we will need an official divorce.”

  She was just teasing him for his previous comment, but it nevertheless affected him, causing his gut to twist.

  “Not going to happen.” He opened the box.

  Holding her breath, Jacki gaped at the ring. “It’s beautiful.”

  “Not nearly as beautiful as the woman it belongs to.” He pulled the ring out and slid it onto Jacki’s finger.

  “It’s perfect.” She lifted her hand and turned it this way and that so the light from the chandelier above reflected from the diamond. “Thank you.”

  “I’m the one who should be thanking you for agreeing to marry me.” Kalugal pushed to his feet, lifted Jacki off the chair, and carried her to the couch. “Let’s seal the deal with a proper kiss.”

  Winding her arms around his neck, Jacki hesitantly fitted her lips to his.

  Sweet, but not what he was after.

  Taking over the kiss, he cupped her neck to hold her in place and invaded her mouth.

  Jacki moaned, her hands sliding down his back and then up again, growing rougher as she clung to him.

  Unable to resist, Kalugal moved his mouth down her neck, and finding the perfect spot for his future bite, he nipped it lightly.

  The moaning grew louder, and Jacki’s hands on his back slid lower to cup his bottom.

  His mate was feisty and not as reserved as he’d thought she was.

  Was he a lucky son of a gun or what?

  Letting go of her neck, he floated his hand to her breast, stroking the taut nipple over the fabric of her dress.

  When she didn’t resist, he slid his other hand up her inner thigh, his fingers hovering over the heat of her panty-covered feminine center.

  He’d expected Jacki to tense and move his hand away, but instead, her legs parted a little, giving him better access.

  If he touched her and found her as wet as he knew she was, he was bound to carry her to bed and finish what they had started.

  Jacki wouldn’t object, but she would probably regret it later.

  Wishing to gift her virginity to her husband, she’d abstained to this day, and he would hate to cheat her out of that fantasy just because they were both impatient.

  His mate wanted a proper wedding ceremony, a white wedding dress, and a wedding night to remember for eternity.

  And hadn’t he just promised her to do everything he could so she would never regret her decision?

  It was going to be torturous, but he could wait a few more days.

  Easier said than done, though.

  The scent of Jacki’s arousal was messing with Kalugal’s head, melting away the civilized layers and revealing the primitive beast lurking underneath the cultured façade. All he wanted was to throw her down on the couch, tear the dress off her, and impale her with his shaft and his fangs at the same time.

  But he was more than his primitive impulses, and he cared about Jacki too much to rob her of her fantasies. With a monumental effort, he pulled his hand away and rearranged her dress.

  “Why did you stop?” she murmured into his neck.

  “You wanted us to be married first, and I promised to do everything I could to make you happy. We can survive a few more days.”

  Jacki chuckled, the throaty sound sending another bolt of lightning straight into his groin. “Are you sure about that?”

  36

  Jacki

  Jacki stood in front of her section of the closet, trying to decide what was the most appropriate outfit for her appearance before the summit members.

  She was being silly.

  It wasn’t as if she was going to testify in front of the Senate, and everyone there knew her.

  Maybe that was the problem.

  Kian, Lokan, and the Guardians accompanying them had known the Jacki before Kalugal. The Jacki standing in the sprawling master closet of her future husband’s mansion was a different woman.

  The week she had spent with him had changed her in ways she hadn’t realized until this morning.

  Last evening all of her insecurities had been flushed out, but later, when she lay in bed reflecting on the week that she’d spent with Kalugal, she realized that she’d never felt better about herself, and that she had him to thank for that.

  Slowly but surely, he’d been building up her self-perception, shoring up all the places she hadn’t been confident about. By telling her that she was smart and asking her advice, and by spending every free moment he had with her, Kalugal had made her feel precious, beautiful, wanted, needed.

  With him, she didn’t feel like the foster kid that nobody wanted, but a diamond in the rough who Kalugal had been gently polishing, and the final touch was revealing the truth about her being a possible candidate for transitioning into immortality.

  Jacki, the foster kid, might be a descendant of gods.

  Why hadn’t Jin said anything?

  So what if Kalugal had asked her not to. Jin was supposed to be her bestie, and Jacki was still a little peeved at her, which was why she hadn’t emailed her with the news yet.

  Besides, she needed more time to process it herself. Getting her head wrapped around the possibility of immortal life would take a while.

  Heck, getting used to her new wardrobe was difficult enough.

  She settled on a pair of wide-legged white slacks and a multi-colored silk blouse. After tucking it in, she tightened the belt that came with the slacks and stepped into a pair of low-heeled white pumps.

  Perhaps it was vain, but Jacki wanted her friends to see her the same way Kalugal did. Elegant, sophisticated, and worthy of a prince.

  Before meeting Kalugal, she would have thought the outfit too fancy, or too conservative, and totally wrong for a girl like her that worked as a waitress and shared a bedroom with a friend because she couldn’t even afford a single room in a shared apartment.

  But now, looking at herself in the mirror, she just thought that it was classy and perfect for the occasion.

  It reminded her once again of Kalugal’s perfume bottle analogy. Before, Jacki would have considered the container too fancy for the common fragrance she’d believed herself to be.

  Walking out of the closet, she stopped by the vanity she finally felt comfortable calling hers. A little eyeliner, a brush of mascara, and a dab of lipstick took care of her makeup, and several pins took care of her hair.

  She really needed to have a professional stylist do something about it before the wedding, but it would do for now.

  Kalugal knocked on the door. “May I come in? Are you dressed?
”

  “Just a moment.”

  Jacki smiled. In a few days, he would no longer knock, and it was perfectly fine with her.

  Last night, she’d been more than ready and willing to continue their necking session, but Kalugal had pulled away first. It had been a little disappointing, but she was grateful for his restraint.

  It showed that he cared.

  It must have taken tremendous self-control for him to stop when she’d been doing everything to encourage him to keep going, and he had only done it because he wanted her to have her dream wedding night.

  Not that she was still all that adamant about waiting. After all, her insistence on commitment had nothing to do with religious beliefs, and she didn’t need anyone’s permission and a wedding ceremony to have sex.

  Kalugal was a man of his word, and she didn’t think even for a moment that he was going to back out after getting what he wanted.

  Taking one last look in the mirror, she walked over to the door and opened it. “Good morning.”

  Kalugal took a step back. “Wow. Suddenly I’m not sure that I want to take you to the summit.”

  “Why?” Was she dressed all wrong for the occasion? “Is it too much?”

  “It’s perfect. I just don’t want the other men to be looking at you.”

  Jacki let out a breath. “You scared me. I thought that I had made some horrible fashion mistake.”

  He took her hand and pulled her against his chest. “You are so beautiful. Every man in that room is going to envy me.”

  “Don’t be silly. Everyone there is married or in a steady relationship.”

  “So what? They still have eyes and they are men. They are going to look.”

  Jacki pretended to pout. “You’ll have to deal with it because there is no way I’m putting on a burka.”

  He laughed. “I would never want to hide your beauty from the world. I was just teasing. Ready for breakfast?”

  She glanced down at her outfit. “I’ll need to be careful. These white slacks are gorgeous, but not very practical.”

  “I have a solution.” He let go of her and walked into the closet.

  A moment later he came out with his silk robe draped over his arm. “Put this over your outfit.”

  “I don’t want to stain that either.”

  Kalugal shook his head. “Do you have to argue about every little thing? The robe is black, and your slacks are white. You can either take the pants off, which I would prefer, or you can put the robe on.”

  “I’ll take the robe.” If she took the pants off, chances were that they would never make it to the summit on time.

  37

  Kalugal

  “Oh, damn.” Jacki put her coffee cup down. “I totally forgot that I need my wig and glasses. I hope that you didn’t throw them away.”

  Kalugal grimaced. “I was tempted, but Rufsur stashed them away together with the ugly clothes you had on.” He looked at her golden hair and the way the morning light reflected from it, loathing that she had to cover it up with that ugly wig. “I was looking forward to showing you off.”

  “Really?” She arched a brow. “I thought that you wanted to cover me up so the other men couldn’t see me.”

  “Yeah, but then you pointed out wisely that they were all spoken for.” Kalugal scratched his head. “I don’t know much about immortal couples, but it seems like they are more loyal to each other than humans are. If my father, the ultimate misogynist, has remained loyal to my mother for thousands of years, there must be a chemical component to it. His morals are questionable at best.”

  “You should ask Lokan. He seems fully devoted to his girlfriend, who I assume is an immortal.”

  He nodded. “And she is also a clanswoman. That’s another story I can’t wait to hear.”

  Jacki’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “You should invite them both over. That would be so nice. When was the last time you talked to your brother? I mean outside of the summit.”

  “Frankly, I don’t remember if we ever exchanged more than a greeting. I was only a junior commander when I escaped, and he was already in the top echelon of the Brotherhood’s leadership. He barely acknowledged my existence.”

  “That’s sad. You definitely need to invite him.”

  “Lokan won’t come because he’s afraid of me, and if he’s brave enough to do it, he surely won’t bring his mate along.”

  Crossing her legs, Jacki adjusted his robe over her white pants. “Maybe it’s for the best. Carol is a sexy little thing. Imagine Marylyn Monroe, but shorter, sultrier, with a face of a cherub, and a take-no-prisoners attitude. Men must find her irresistible.”

  Jacki’s jealousy made Kalugal unreasonably happy, but she had nothing to worry about. Leaning toward her, he took her hand and kissed the tip of her pointer. “For me, no other woman but you exists. You are all I want.” He kissed another finger. “All I need.” He kissed the third. “All I’ll ever want.” He kissed her pinky. “And all I’ll ever need.”

  “Don’t say that.” Jacki pulled her hand out of his. “If I don’t transition, you will need a woman who can give you immortal children. And when I get old, I won’t be attractive to you anymore.”

  He took hold of her hand again. “What-ifs are the worst mood spoilers. Kian, of all people, thinks that we are fated for each other. That wouldn’t have been the case if you weren’t a Dormant, right?”

  “I don’t get it. Kian seems like a logical guy. Why does he believe in fate?”

  Kalugal shrugged. “Since the circumstances that brought us together were so bizarre and unlikely, Kian thinks that the Fates had something to do with it. I don’t know much about the clan’s lore, and usually I wouldn’t give much credence to such talk, but coming from Kian I take it more seriously.”

  Jacki patted his knee. “When I meet my friends later today, I’m going to grill them for details. Now that I know they are immortals, they can finally let go and talk to me. It’s a shame that Jin and Mey are not going to be there, though.”

  “Do you think they would come to the ceremony?”

  “I hope so. Jin will come for sure, but I don’t know about Mey.” She pushed to her feet. “I need to find that damn wig and glasses.”

  “I’ll have Rufsur bring them.” He glanced at his watch. “We should get to the car.”

  Jacki took off his robe and draped it over the couch arm. “I hate having to ruin the look.” She waved a hand over herself.

  “Me too. You can take the wig and glasses off once we are in the conference room.”

  “True. I need to put a mirror in my purse. I’ll be right back.” She hurried into her bedroom.

  After exchanging texts with Rufsur about Jacki’s wig and the glasses, Kalugal called Kian.

  “Good morning, Kalugal.” His cousin sounded more gruff than usual.

  “Is it safe to bring Jacki to the hotel?”

  “Other than the staff, there are barely any humans left here. They might close the place before we are done with the summit.”

  “We can move it to my house. I can have my men vacate their bedrooms and move into the bunker. I’d be more than happy to host your group and Lokan’s.”

  Kian sighed. “Unfortunately, I don’t trust you enough to bring civilians into your house.”

  That was progress. “Would you have come if you had no civilians with you?”

  “I would’ve considered it.”

  “Perhaps you should send the civilians home. Then you, Lokan, and Turner and your Guardians can come over here.”

  “Let’s see how it goes. I have an alternative meeting place, but today we are still doing it in the hotel’s conference room.”

  “Can you do me a favor?”

  “What is it?”

  “Can you tell everyone in your party to be mindful of Jacki’s mortality? I need them to wash their hands frequently and keep their distance from humans.”

  “Of course.” Kian’s voice softened. “In fact, we already do that. Starting
today, we stopped using the elevators and we are taking the stairs instead. Viruses cannot survive in our bodies for more than an hour or two, but they can hitch a ride on our clothes and hands, so we are taking care with those.”

  “I appreciate it. Jacki is young and healthy, but there is still a small risk, and I’m not willing to take it. Dealing with an invisible enemy that I can do nothing about makes me very uncomfortable.”

  “Same here. I wish there was more we could do for humanity at a time like that.”

  “Right now, we can do nothing, but we can invest in research and find a solution for future outbreaks. Would you like to enter a partnership with me?”

  “I would love to discuss the possibility.”

  “Excellent. I’ll see you later.”

  After ending the call, Kalugal crossed his legs and leaned back. He would have preferred for Jacki to stay in the house, and they could have included her in the summit meeting using the internet. But when he’d promised to take her to see her friends, he hadn’t thought it through, and he couldn’t disappoint her now. He would just have to be careful and remind her not to touch anything.

  The truth was that he couldn’t imagine his life without her.

  Sharing breakfast with Jacki in his master suite felt good. They should do it every morning from now on. In fact, he would love having her all to himself at every meal. But she was about to become the lady of the house, and in that capacity, she needed to interact with his men.

  Perhaps they could share dinners with the men only every other day?

  He also needed to get her out of the kitchen, but that was going to be one hell of a battle. Jacki wouldn’t give that up unless he came up with something very convincing.

  If he just told her that it was unbecoming of his wife to toil in the kitchen, she would call him a snob. Maybe Atzil could say something? Like he didn’t like her encroaching on his turf?

  Nah, that wouldn’t work. The guy was quite fond of Jacki and she would know it was a lie.

  Perhaps he could bribe her with more donations to Kian’s charity?

  “I’m ready.” Jacki walked in with a small white purse clutched in her hand.