Dark Overlord’s Clan (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series Book 40)

by I. T. Lucas

  “Fine by me. I’m not in a rush to give up fresh air and sunlight.” Wendy bit into her hamburger.

  What if she snuck into Vlad’s bedroom through the bathroom? His room didn’t share a wall with the living room, just the kitchen, so maybe whoever was on guard duty wouldn’t hear them.

  But that meant that she had to initiate, and it was a bold move Wendy wasn’t ready for. It was much more natural to invite Vlad over to her room. She could suggest that they watch something together or play a video game, and then they might start kissing, and then necking, and things would progress naturally. If she went into his room, her intentions would be too obvious. Unless Vlad invited her, but he hadn’t done so yet, which probably meant that he wasn’t ready.

  53

  Vlad

  “Do you want to play Fortnite?” Wendy wiped her hands on the dishtowel.

  Vlad wanted to play, but not a computer game, and as an empath, Wendy knew that.

  “Sure. I just need to wipe the table clean.”

  They’d been going on walks and holding hands, and oftentimes they found a quiet spot and kissed for a really long time. Luckily for him, Wendy liked to keep her eyes closed when they kissed, and she also liked it when he took charge.

  So far, he had managed to hide his elongating fangs from her, and he was even learning to control them better. But if things got steamier, he doubted they would obey his command and not elongate.

  “I’ll set it up.” Wendy smiled. “Are you okay with Fortnite, or do you want to play something else?”

  “Whatever you choose is fine.”

  “Okay.”

  Vlad let out a sigh.

  He needed to solve the fangs problem, and then one of them had to grow a set and make the first move, or they would never get past this awkward stage.

  Since he was the one who’d been born with them, it made sense that it should be him. Except, Wendy had trust issues, so it would be better if she initiated.

  He could imagine several scenarios. Maybe while they were kissing, she would take his hand and put it on her breast?

  Or maybe she would tell him to touch her? That could be even sexier.

  Or perhaps she would just drop a hint, like saying that she needed him.

  Hell. Just thinking about it made him so hard that he could barely walk. Which, as usual, triggered the other responses that he wanted to hide from Wendy.

  It was a chilling reminder that who did what first was the less significant part of his problem.

  “What are you thinking about?” Leon nudged him with a smile.

  “It’s not hard to guess.” Vlad looked at Richard, but he and Bowen were absorbed in a boxing match on the tube, shouting encouragements at the fighter they were rooting for and cussing at his opponent. Neither was paying attention to the conversation taking place in the kitchen.

  “No, it’s not,” Leon said quietly. “Just make a move. She wants you. You want her. So what’s the problem?”

  “These.” Vlad opened his mouth and pointed.

  “Yeah, you have trigger-happy fangs. That’s a problem. When you get older, you’ll be able to control them better.”

  “What do I do in the meantime?”

  “Thrall the girl. It’s allowed for the purpose of hiding who we are. We all do that.”

  “It’s not the same with Wendy. She is not a one-night hookup, and I can’t keep thralling her after every time my fangs make an appearance.”

  Leon nodded. “You need to call Kian and ask for permission to tell Wendy.” The Guardian rubbed his chin. “I think it’s safe to thrall a human every other day, or maybe every third day. You need to check with Bridget. But since Wendy can’t run off, you can go an entire week or even a little longer before doing that.”

  “What if she is the one? What if we have sex, and I bite her, and she transitions?”

  “She won’t transition if you use condoms. Until you are sure that she is the one, you shouldn’t induce her.”

  “Yeah, I know that part. Do you or Bowen have condoms?”

  Leon shook his head. “I don’t, but maybe Bowen does.” He turned to his friend. “Hey, Bowen, can you come over here for a second?”

  “What do you want?” the Guardian asked without turning his head from the television.

  “I need to ask you something.”

  With an annoyed expression on his face, Bowen strode into the kitchen. “Make it quick.”

  “Do you have condoms?” Leon whispered.

  “Why would I have them? And what do you need them for?”

  “I don’t. Vlad does.”

  A huge grin split the Guardian’s face. “Congratulations, kid. It’s about time.”

  Vlad’s ears caught on fire. “Nothing happened yet. I have trigger-happy fangs, and I can’t keep hiding them from Wendy. They start elongating as soon as we kiss. I’ve gotten better at controlling them, but if we do more than kissing…”

  “So, do you have condoms or not?” Leon asked.

  “I don’t. Why would I have them? Every woman I take to bed is on some kind of birth control.”

  “What if you accidentally induce a Dormant?” Vlad asked.

  Bowen shrugged. “What are the chances of that? One in a hundred million? I have a better chance of dying in a plane crash than hooking up with a random Dormant. Only one plane goes down per five million flights.”

  “That’s fascinating information.” Vlad pushed his bangs back. “But what am I supposed to do?”

  Bowen clapped him on the back. “I’ll get you some. What size do you need?”

  Vlad didn’t even know that they came in different sizes. “I have no clue.” He glanced at the bulge in his pants.

  Bowen followed his gaze. “A large should do it. But I’ll get you an extra-large just in case. You are a tall guy.”

  Should he feel flattered?

  “Thank you.” He smiled sheepishly. “I don’t know if I have the guts to go into a store and buy them myself.”

  Leon chuckled. “It’s just one of those things an immortal has to do to protect his partner from transitioning prematurely. Just think that when you go into a pharmacy to get them and hold your head high. You are a good man, and you are doing what’s right.”

  “Good advice. Thank you.”

  “The nearest place I can get condoms for you is forty-five minutes away.” Bowen pulled his car keys out of his pocket. “I’ll see you in an hour and a half. Don’t do anything you shouldn’t until I come back.”

  Vlad’s ears started to melt from the heat. “It’s not urgent. You can go tomorrow, or the day after. Nothing is going on yet.”

  “I’ve got you, kid.” Bowen clapped him on the back again. “I consider it my duty and my honor to usher you into the rest of your immortal life.”

  “Thanks. I owe you.”

  “My pleasure.”

  When Bowen walked out the door, Richard looked towards him. “Where are you going?”

  “A grocery run.”

  “Get me some beef jerky, will ya?”

  “No problem.” Bowen closed the door behind him.

  Leon cast a quick glance at Richard, making sure that the guy was still watching the match. “Call Kian and ask permission.”

  “I can’t call Kian directly. Can you do that for me? What if he’s busy?”

  “I’ll text him and ask him to call you. But just in case he does that right away, you need to tell your girlfriend that you’ll join her for computer games later and find a private spot to talk.”

  “Can I use the motorhome?”

  “Of course.” Leon’s eyes flashed with an inner light. “That’s also a great spot to get some action going. I’m sure Wendy would prefer the privacy.”

  Vlad really hated having the Guardians and Kian involved in his intimate life, but what choice did he have? He needed to get permission, and he needed advice.

  As Leon took out his phone and started a text to Kian, Vlad knocked on Wendy’s door.

  “C
ome in.”

  He opened it just a crack. “Leon wants me to clean the motorhome. I’ll try to do it as fast as I can.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll just watch something until you are done.”

  “It shouldn’t take long.” Or so he hoped.

  What if Kian called him the next day? How long should he wait in there?

  Leon was right about the motorhome being a great spot for necking, though, and cleaning it was not a bad idea. Grabbing a roll of paper towels and a bottle of Windex, Vlad headed out.

  Jin and Arwel had left the motorhome clean, so all he had to do was get rid of the dust. Even the bedding had been replaced, and it smelled of laundry detergent and dryer sheets. The fresh scent was fake, but it wasn’t unpleasant.

  His phone rang as he walked into the small bathroom, and he dropped the bottle of Windex in his rush to pull it out of his pocket.

  “Hello?”

  “It’s Kian. You wanted to speak to me?”

  Damn. That gruff voice always stressed him out even though he knew that it was Kian’s regular tone and that the guy wasn’t angry.

  “It’s about Wendy. Can I tell her about who we are?”

  “Is she the one for you?”

  “I think so, but I’m not sure.”

  “Until you are sure, use condoms. Anything else?”

  “Can I tell her, though? My fangs elongate every time I get excited, and it’s really difficult to do anything without Wendy noticing them. It’s a real pain, and I don’t want to thrall her every time we kiss, which we do a lot.”

  Kian chuckled. “That’s a predicament. You can tell Wendy about who we are and why you have fangs and what they are for, but don’t tell her about her potential dormancy. That should only be done when you are convinced that she is the one and you are ready to take the final plunge and commit to her. Naturally, you want the same level of commitment from her as well.”

  “Got it. Thanks.”

  “No problem. But you don’t have long to make up your mind. It’s not safe to thrall away more than two weeks worth of memories, and some Dormants take that long to transition. Give it a few days, and if you are still unsure, erase her memories, or better yet have one of the Guardians do that.”

  “Of everything?”

  “If you want to erase just the memory of what you’ve told her and the bites, you’ll have to do that every few days. But there is also a limit to how many times you can do it without causing her damage.”

  “So basically you are telling me that I should decide whether she is the one or not. But how would I know?”

  “If after you make love to Wendy, you are still unsure, then she is probably not the one for you, and you’d better erase her memories right away.”

  54

  Wendy

  Why was Vlad cleaning the motorhome so late in the evening? Was someone coming?

  Maybe Bowen and Leon had decided to use it after all. When Jin and Arwel had left, there had been a short debate about who was going to sleep in it. But no one wanted to, each for their own reasons.

  Wendy was afraid to sleep there by herself, and the guards wouldn’t have allowed it anyway. Richard had said that he was comfortable in the loft and didn’t want to move his stuff. Bowen and Leon claimed that they were perfectly fine on the living room couch because only one of them slept while the other kept watch.

  After Vlad’s mom had bailed out, Vlad took the bedroom that had been supposed to be hers, and there was no reason for him to move to the motorhome either.

  Wendy had thought that he would try to sneak into her room through the connecting bathroom, but her boyfriend was a perfect gentleman.

  Who knew that she would want a guy to be a little less gentlemanly?

  But maybe she was being brave only because Vlad was so considerate, polite, accommodating, and not pushy in the least. If he were more forward, she would have probably gotten scared.

  Ugh, how were they going to move forward with their relationship while both of them were so full of insecurities?

  Jin was so lucky. She didn’t have any hang-ups, and as soon as she’d laid eyes on Arwel, she went after him without a moment of hesitation. The two had jumped into bed after knowing each other twenty-something hours.

  If only she had balls like Jin.

  Her envy of Jin was so strong that Wendy was starting to think she might have inadvertently jinxed Jacki’s wedding because of it. She was a little jealous of Jacki too, but not nearly as much.

  Jin’s forwardness and her take-no-prisoners attitude was how Wendy would have liked to be. Perhaps she could try to emulate her behavior?

  To seduce Arwel, Jin had worn a sexy bikini. Maybe she should put on something sexy as well?

  Like what, though?

  Her pajamas were a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, and she would look silly wearing a swimsuit to bed.

  Perhaps a sexy movie would put them both in the right mood?

  Except, she didn’t remember watching anything titillating lately. The last time she had gotten excited by a show was when she’d accidentally stumbled upon hentai. At the time, she hadn’t known that porn anime even existed, and since the title had piqued her curiosity, she had checked it out. That one had been nice, romantic and well-made, so she’d checked out another one, and another.

  Some of them were really depraved, though, and she wondered how a society of people who were so polite and proper like the Japanese could harbor such perverted fantasies.

  It had only reinforced her conviction that all men were beasts on the inside. After all, the creators of hentai were all guys, and in real life, they probably bowed to their elders, spoke politely, and were model citizens.

  Appearances were misleading.

  On the other hand, for the past week she’d been living in close quarters with four men and spending most of her days with them. She’d gotten to know them pretty well, and they were all decent guys.

  Vlad was more than decent, though, he was wonderful, and the lust he felt for her didn’t scare her because it was packaged together with love and protectiveness.

  Love. He hadn’t said the words yet, but she knew how he felt.

  Did she love him back, though?

  What was love anyway?

  If Wendy had any female friends to talk to, she could have asked. But she didn’t have a phone to call anyone, and even if she did, she wouldn’t call Jin or Jacki, who were her only options. If they didn’t think she should have been invited to Jacki’s wedding, then they weren’t her real friends.

  Mey could be a good person to talk to, but without a phone, that was irrelevant.

  As a triple knock on the door announced Vlad, Wendy got up and opened it.

  “Sorry it took so long.” He looked flustered.

  “It wasn’t long at all.” She closed the door behind him and sat on the bed. “What made you clean the motorhome? Is anyone coming?”

  He sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her. “Not tonight. I called Jackson and invited him and Tessa over, but he said that they could only come Saturday night, and I wasn’t sure we would still be here. Roni is working on some important project, and he can’t get away either. But after Bowen said that we might be staying longer, I figured that Jackson and Tessa can come over on Saturday, sleep in the motorhome, and go back on Sunday. When I told Leon, he said that I should clean it before inviting them to stay overnight.”

  “Did you call Jackson?”

  “Not yet. I wanted to check with you first.”

  Right. Leon wouldn’t have made Vlad clean the motorhome tonight for guests that might or might not arrive Saturday evening.

  Wendy had a feeling that Vlad was making the story up on the spot. She didn’t get the sense that he was lying, but if he wanted the motorhome to be ready by Saturday night, he had all day tomorrow and the next day to clean it.

  What if he did that for them, so they would have a private spot for necking?

  55

  Vlad
>
  “I’m okay with them coming,” Wendy said. “But you should check with Bowen and Richard as well. They'll probably say yes, but you need to ask.”

  “True. I’ll do that.”

  Vlad let his bangs fall over his eyes, hiding his face from Wendy. Not that it was going to help with an empath who could sense that he was fibbing.

  Why the hell was he doing that?

  He’d just gotten approval from Kian to tell Wendy the truth about immortals and who he was, but instead of taking her hand, looking her in the eyes, and revealing his secret, he was telling her half-truths about cleaning the motorhome for Jackson and Tessa.

  Perhaps he wasn’t as ready as he’d thought he was. His problematic fangs had created a sense of urgency that might have been artificial.

  Wendy hadn’t told him that she loved him yet, and he hadn’t told her either. Perhaps they should keep things simple and old-fashioned.

  If they just kissed and did nothing else, he could keep his fangs under control, and there would be no need to tell Wendy anything until their relationship reached the stage when revealing his secrets was appropriate.

  Except, he had a feeling that Wendy was just as eager as he was to move to the next stage, at least as far as intimacy went, and he doubted his ability to impose restraint on both of them.

  Reaching with her fingers, Wendy pushed his bangs out of his face. “I have a question, and I know that it’s kind of personal, but we are a couple, and we should know personal stuff about each other, right?”

  Tensing, Vlad nodded.

  If she asked about his fangs, he could answer her without violating the rules.

  “Have you ever watched porn?”

  Damn. That came out of nowhere.

  “I don’t watch that.”

  Wendy rolled her eyes. “Come on, everyone does it. You shouldn’t be embarrassed to admit it.”

  “I really don’t.”

  “Why? Is it a religious thing? A prohibition on masturbation or something?”

  How could he answer that without mentioning his need to bite? Masturbation released only part of the pressure and was more frustrating than satisfying. That was why he tried to stay away from stimulation and not actively seek it.