Dark Overlord’s Clan (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series Book 40)
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Dark Overlord’s Clan
The Children Of The Gods Book 40
I. T. Lucas
Also by I. T. Lucas
THE CHILDREN OF THE GODS ORIGINS
1: Goddess’s Choice
2: Goddess’s Hope
THE CHILDREN OF THE GODS
Dark Stranger
1: Dark Stranger The Dream
2: Dark Stranger Revealed
3: Dark Stranger Immortal
Dark Enemy
4: Dark Enemy Taken
5: Dark Enemy Captive
6: Dark Enemy Redeemed
Kri & Michael’s Story
6.5: My Dark Amazon
Dark Warrior
7: Dark Warrior Mine
8: Dark Warrior’s Promise
9: Dark Warrior’s Destiny
10: Dark Warrior’s Legacy
Dark Guardian
11: Dark Guardian Found
12: Dark Guardian Craved
13: Dark Guardian’s Mate
Dark Angel
14: Dark Angel's Obsession
15: Dark Angel's Seduction
16: Dark Angel's Surrender
Dark Operative
17: Dark Operative: A Shadow of Death
18: Dark Operative: A Glimmer of Hope
19: Dark Operative: The Dawn of Love
Dark Survivor
20: Dark Survivor Awakened
21: Dark Survivor Echoes of Love
22: Dark Survivor Reunited
Dark Widow
23: Dark Widow’s Secret
24: Dark Widow’s Curse
25: Dark Widow’s Blessing
Dark Dream
26: Dark Dream’s Temptation
27: Dark Dream’s Unraveling
28: Dark Dream’s Trap
Dark Prince
29: Dark Prince’s Enigma
30: Dark Prince’s Dilemma
31: Dark Prince’s Agenda
Dark Queen
32: Dark Queen’s Quest
33: Dark Queen’s Knight
34: Dark Queen’s Army
Dark Spy
35: Dark Spy Conscripted
36: Dark Spy’s Mission
37: Dark Spy’s Resolution
Dark Overlord
38: Dark Overlord New Horizon
39: Dark Overlord’s Wife
40: Dark Overlord’s Clan
Dark Choices
41: Dark Choices The Quandary
PERFECT MATCH
Perfect Match 1: Vampire’s Consort
Perfect Match 2: King’s Chosen
Perfect Match 3: Captain’s Conquest
SETS
The Children of the Gods books 1-3: Dark Stranger trilogy—Includes a bonus short story: The Fates take a Vacation
The Children of the Gods: Books 1-6—includes character lists
The Children of the Gods: Books 6.5-10—includes character lists
TRY THE CHILDREN OF THE GODS SERIES ON
AUDIBLE
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Copyright © 2020 by I. T. Lucas
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
Dark Overlord’s Clan is a work of fiction!
Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any similarity to actual persons, organizations and/or events is purely coincidental.
Contents
1. Kalugal
2. Jacki
3. Kian
4. Syssi
5. Simmons
6. Wendy
7. Vlad
8. Kian
9. Kalugal
10. Jacki
11. Kalugal
12. Jacki
13. Kalugal
14. Simmons
15. Kian
16. Jacki
17. Kian
18. Kalugal
19. Jacki
20. Kian
21. Kalugal
22. Kian
23. Kalugal
24. Jacki
25. Syssi
26. Kian
27. Jacki
28. Kalugal
29. Kian
30. Kalugal
31. Jin
32. Kian
33. Kalugal
34. Jin
35. Kian
36. Kalugal
37. Jin
38. Jacki
39. Vlad
40. Wendy
41. Jin
42. Jacki
43. Kalugal
44. Jacki
45. Kalugal
46. Jacki
47. Kalugal
48. Jacki
49. Kian
50. Kalugal
51. Jacki
52. Wendy
53. Vlad
54. Wendy
55. Vlad
56. Wendy
57. Vlad
58. Kalugal
59. Kian
60. Jacki
61. Kalugal
62. Wendy
63. Vlad
64. Jacki
65. Kalugal
66. Jacki
67. Kalugal
68. Jacki
69. Vlad
70. Wendy
71. Vlad
72. Kalugal
73. Jacki
74. Kalugal
75. Jacki
76. Kalugal
77. Kian
78. Kalugal
79. Jacki
80. Kalugal
The Children of the Gods Series
The Perfect Match Series
FOR EXCLUSIVE PEEKS
1
Kalugal
Kalugal opened his eyes and glanced at the brightening sky through the bedroom's open window. The rising sun was painting the dark blue canvas with pink and orange hues, blending them into soft peaches and purples. The sight was magnificent to behold, but its beauty paled in comparison to the one sleeping peacefully next to him.
Jacki.
His mate.
His love.
His life.
With her arm draped over his middle, her leg thrown over his thighs, and her nose buried in the crook of his neck, Jacki had claimed him as hers, and he couldn't be happier about it.
His heart overflowing with gratitude and love, Kalugal caressed her back and leaned to kiss her forehead.
Precious.
He hadn't expected the connection to be so strong. Love had always seemed like a soft emotion to him, but the power of that softness was nearly overwhelming.
The metaphysical sphere that contained who he was had grown, and Jacki had become an integral part of it. Kalugal's self-definition had changed. He was no longer an individual but a part of a greater whole.
Except, he hadn't lost any of himself in the process. He'd gained a new dimension of feeling, of thinking, of being.
Was that how his mother felt about his father?
No wonder Areana stayed with Navuh. She loved him despite who he was and what he did. Perhaps she didn't know the full extent of his evil deeds, but she must be aware of at least some of it. If what Areana felt toward his father was as strong as what Kalugal was feeling towards Jacki, then leaving Navuh was simply impossible.
&nb
sp; Was that the powerful bond between immortal mates that Kian and Amanda had been talking about?
But how could it have already formed? Jacki was still human, and it wasn't supposed to happen so fast.
Or was it just the beginning, and the bond hadn't even reached its full strength yet?
How much stronger could it possibly get?
Already, Kalugal couldn't fathom one hour without Jacki, let alone his life without her.
Leaning, he nuzzled her lush hair and inhaled deeply. Her scent was intoxicating, and it wasn't the perfume he'd bought for her or the shampoo she used, it was just her.
His woman.
With a sigh, Kalugal kissed the top of Jacki's head and contemplated the best way to sneak out of bed without waking her up.
As much as he would have loved to stay and just hold her, duty called. His mother should hear the good news about his upcoming wedding from him and not from Annani, which meant that he had to beat his aunt to it.
The discovery of his real heritage still made Kalugal's head spin.
Not only was he the son of a goddess, but he was also the nephew of the formidable head of the clan. Annani and Areana were only half-sisters, but since they were the last goddesses on the planet, the half was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.
Jacki kept referring to him as a demigod, but despite Kalugal's natural arrogance, he hadn't internalized it yet. In his mind, he'd always been and still was the second most powerful immortal ever born, and he was good with that.
Demigod seemed like too much.
He didn't deserve the title, at least not yet. Perhaps when he took over control of the entire world, he would be more comfortable with it.
Carefully untangling himself from Jacki's arms and legs, Kalugal slid out of bed and took his phone with him to the bathroom.
Regrettably, Tuesday wasn't his turn for Areana's daily call, but he hoped that given the occasion, Annani would allow him to switch days with her. The problem was that he couldn't contact the goddess directly and had to arrange it through Kian.
It was six-fifteen in the morning, and hopefully, his cousin was up already. The guy was grumpy even when fully rested. If Kalugal woke him up, Kian might refuse to arrange the call.
Making as little noise as possible, he finished up in the bathroom and then ducked into the walk-in closet for a robe.
After quietly closing the door between the bedroom and the master sitting room, Kalugal loaded the coffeemaker, sat on the couch, and typed up a text to Kian.
Good morning. My apologies for the early text. I wish to share the happy news about my upcoming wedding with my mother, and I was wondering whether Annani would be willing to switch days with me. Please let me know if that can be arranged.
Long minutes passed as Kalugal waited for Kian to answer, but the time wasn't wasted. The coffee had finished brewing, and when Kian's return text finally arrived, Kalugal was sipping on his second cup.
No problem. Annani sends her congratulations and regrets not officiating over your wedding. When Areana's call comes in, I'll have William patch it through to you.
Kalugal typed back. Thank you. And thank the goddess for me.
A quick glance at the time revealed that it was six-thirty. Areana's daily call came at precisely seven every morning, which meant that he had half an hour to plan how he was going to condense everything he wanted to tell his mother into a ten-minute conversation.
Except, Kalugal's thoughts kept wandering in other directions.
He was practically already mated to Jacki, and by tonight it would be official, but he still hadn't shared his plans and aspirations with her.
Kalugal feared that she would find them objectionable.
It wasn't necessary to have that conversation today, but eventually he wanted to share everything with Jacki, even things that he wasn't sure would ever come to fruition.
Right now, Kalugal's world domination ideas seemed far removed from him, and if he didn't believe wholeheartedly that his rule would improve the lives of billions and secure the future of humans and immortals alike, he would have shrugged it off.
Why shoulder such a monumental undertaking?
Let someone else save the world.
Except, there was no one else.
Annani and Kian's hearts were in the right place, but they were going about it the wrong way. They believed in gentle nudges, supplying ideology and technology and hoping that humans would take it from there.
But that was not going to happen, or rather not happen soon enough. Humanity would destroy itself in one way or another long before it reached enlightenment, and it would take immortals down with it.
He'd thought that he had more time, but things were moving faster than he'd anticipated.
Technology was a double-edged sword.
In the right hands it was a blessing, but the problem was that it didn't discriminate, serving both benevolent and malevolent masters equally well.
When his phone rang, Kalugal shook himself out of his morbid reveries and planted a smile on his face. He wanted his mother to hear how happy he was, and that required his expression to match the sentiment.
"I'm patching you through," William said.
A moment later, Areana came on the line. "Kalugal? Is everything all right?"
"Hello, Mother. I have exciting news that I want to share with you. I'm getting married tonight."
Areana gasped. "Are you doing it to secure the alliance? Who is the bride? Someone important in Annani's clan? One of her daughters, perhaps?"
His mother sounded so hopeful and excited.
He should have expected that. Naturally, Areana thought that the rushed wedding had something to do with the summit. The truth was that if Annani had unmated daughters, that would have been a good move despite them being cousins. In that, Areana and Annani being only half-sisters was beneficial, and marriage between their children wasn't genetically problematic.
On the contrary, a child born to him and Annani's daughter would be extremely powerful. But Kalugal had met Jacki first, and she was the one for him.
Leaning back, he crossed his legs and smiled. "Jacqueline is not part of the clan, and at the moment, she is still human. But not for long."
"She is a Dormant?"
"Indeed. She is also an immune, which means that I can't compel her or thrall her or influence her mind in any way. I can just love and cherish her and hope that's enough."
Areana laughed, the otherworldly sound sending goosebumps up his arms. "I can see the appeal. She is a challenge."
"In more ways than one. She is also smart, direct, beautiful, and the least demanding female I've ever encountered."
Except when it came to commitment, but Kalugal didn't want to share that with his mother, lest she think that Jacki had manipulated him to marry her.
Jacki didn't want his money, and she wasn't interested in a cushy life as a rich man's wife either. She wanted to earn her keep, and she was willing to work hard for it.
The one thing she refused to compromise on was his soul. Jacki demanded his love, devotion, and loyalty.
Others though, and that included his mother, might think that she was after his money, or after the immortality he could give her, and that she'd maneuvered him into marrying her.
The opposite was true.
His soul might be priceless, but it wasn't an asset Jacki could or would ever sell, and in exchange, she'd given him hers.
In Kalugal's opinion, the bargain was skewed in his favor.
He was getting much more than he was giving away.
2
Jacki
As the cobwebs of sleep dissipated, the first thing that Jacki became aware of was the muscular chest her nose was pressed against, and the second was the steady heartbeat within it.
Kalugal.
Her fiancé, the love of her life, her first and last lover.
Or was he her husband now?
They’d already exchanged pledges last night, had co
nsummated those pledges with mind-blowing lovemaking, and tonight they were going to make it official.
Jacki was a virgin no more, and as far as she was concerned, waiting for the right man had been one of the best decisions she’d ever made. The other one had been ditching the government program despite the fabulous salary.
Both had brought her to where she was now. In bed with the best man on the planet.
Not a man, a demigod.
Were they now Mr. and Mrs. Demigod?
With a soft chuckle, Jacki threw her arm around Kalugal and pulled him on top of her.
Naturally, he helped. “Good morning, my love.” He dipped his head and kissed her. “Did you sleep well?”
“Best night of my life.” She ran her hands over his muscled back. “You’ve been keeping secrets from me.”
He cocked a brow. “Like what?”
“Like the fabulous physique that you were hiding under those cashmere sweaters and suit jackets. The entire time I’ve been here, I haven’t seen you working out even once, and yet there isn’t an ounce of fat on you, and every muscle is defined as if it was sculpted by an artist.” Jacki pretended to narrow her eyes at him. “Were you sneaking out to the gym in the middle of the night?”