Dark Power Unleashed (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Book 51)

by I. T. Lucas

  “I can’t ask Amanda for a dress. I barely know her. Do I really have to go? I don’t know the bride or the groom, and they don’t know me.”

  “You are my mate. Of course, you have to come. Besides, I promised my mother that she could meet you at the wedding. That was the only way I got her to agree not to come to the village this evening.”

  Margaret’s throat constricted.

  Damn, she’d been so sure that she would never be gripped by panic again, but here it was. First of all, Bowen had called her his mate. That was a big deal. And then he’d reminded her about meeting his mother.

  Breathing through it, Margaret forced herself to relax.

  She wasn’t wary of meeting Bowen’s mother. Not after what she and Bowen had shared. The sense of panic was a knee-jerk reaction stemming from her old self-doubt.

  Something had changed in her last night.

  Maybe it was the way Bowen had worshiped her body, or the incredible pleasure she’d experienced, or maybe it had been the bite’s effect or the venom’s, but she felt like a new woman.

  She was happy and hopeful in a way she hadn’t felt since before her parents had died and her world had dimmed. She hadn’t realized it up until now, but she’d lived in darkness long before ever meeting Roger. Perhaps her despondency had drawn him to her, or perhaps she’d been too numb to notice how horrible he was. Margaret had no doubt that she would have never fallen prey to him if her parents had been alive and her world had been whole.

  Turning to Bowen, she put a hand on his arm. “I need a dress, shoes, makeup, and a visit to a hairdresser. Can we manage all that in one afternoon? I want to look good when I meet your mother.”

  Bowen grinned. “I’ll make it happen.” He leaned and cupped the back of her neck. “You are beautiful to me as you are, but if you want a new hairdo, you are going to get one.” He smashed his lips over hers.

  The kiss was interrupted when the door opened and Anastasia stepped out. “Are you going to smooch for much longer? I want to know what the doctor said.”

  Reluctantly, Bowen let go of Margaret’s lips. “Couldn’t you have waited a few more minutes?”

  Ana crossed her arms over her chest. “I was worried that poor Margaret would suffocate. She is still human, you know.”

  “Not for long.” Margaret lifted her leg to show Ana the new brace. “The doctor said that my knee is mostly healed and that I can walk on this leg. She also prescribed as many venom bites as Bowen can manage to speed up my recovery.”

  A grin spread over Ana’s face. “That’s awesome. We need to celebrate with a bottle of wine.” She uncrossed her arms.

  “Later,” Bowen said. “I’m taking Margaret shopping for an evening dress and to a hair salon.”

  Ana’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Can I come? I planned on wearing the black dress Amanda got me, but if you are going shopping, I might as well get something fancier.”

  Bowen didn’t look happy, but Margaret lifted her hand to stop him before he could refuse. “Of course, you can come. I need your style expertise. Mine is terribly out of date.”

  35

  Bowen

  Bowen had expected to suffer through the shopping expedition with Margaret and Ana, but it turned out to be not as bad as he’d thought it would be.

  Sitting in the food court, he was reading an article on his phone when he was interrupted by a call from Leon.

  “How is it going?” his friend asked, a note of amusement in his voice.

  “Better than expected. Your mate is an experienced shopper, and she’s helping Margaret choose the dress and everything else. All I have to do is wait for them to be done.”

  He’d given Margaret enough cash to cover even the most extravagant gown along with everything else she needed. Naturally, she’d been shocked at the amount, saying that she wouldn’t spend even a fraction of that, and once she got a job, she was going to pay him back.

  To avoid further arguments, he’d nodded, but he had no intention of ever accepting her money. He had plenty, and it made him feel good to be able to pamper her. Fates knew that she deserved it after the miserable life she’d had.

  “Have they been to the hair salon yet?” Leon asked.

  “No.” Bowen glanced at the time. “They have an appointment in less than half an hour, and the receptionist promised to have them out of there in an hour. My torment is almost over.” Not that he was suffering.

  “Which mall are you at?”

  “The Oaks.”

  “I could join you there for dinner.”

  “It will have to be something quick. I need to get back for the night shift.”

  “Onegus is a bastard. He knows your situation. He should have just given you the time off with no trade-off.”

  “Not his fault. He told me to find someone to trade with, and Mason agreed to take over the rest of my day shift only if I took the first half of his.”

  “You’ll be back by three in the morning. That’s not so bad.”

  “Yeah. Margaret will be asleep, but at least I can wake up with her in my arms.”

  Bowen interpreted the silence that followed as Leon debating whether he should ask him about last night. Thankfully, his friend had more tact than that. “Anastasia told me that Bridget removed Margaret’s cast and gave her a brace instead. That’s good news.”

  “Yeah. She said that the knee is healing nicely.”

  Leon hesitated for another moment. “Then there are no more obstacles in the way of Margaret’s transition. You can start the process.”

  Bowen’s shaft hardened at the thought, but then as worry washed over him, it deflated. “I didn’t tell her yet.”

  Leon chuckled. “Ana said that Amanda did that for you.”

  “She told her what’s involved, but she didn’t warn her about the risk. Margaret doesn’t know that it can potentially kill her.”

  “It won’t. The Fates didn’t bring you together only to end it that way. You are a good guy, Bowen. They wouldn’t do that to you.”

  “That’s all superstition, and I can’t put my faith in it. The risk exists, and I need to tell Margaret about it.”

  “Naturally. But I disagree with your lack of faith. We haven’t lost a Dormant to transition yet. Not Andrew, who was forty at the time of his transition, and not even Turner, who was forty-something and not in good health. I think that we have enough circumstantial evidence in favor of affirming the Fates' involvement. It’s not a superstition when it’s proven true time and again.”

  Bowen raked his fingers through his hair. “What if Margaret gets scared and refuses to go through with it? She told Anastasia that she didn’t want to live forever. That life was hard and sad and that she couldn’t understand why anyone would want to prolong the misery.”

  “A lot has happened since.”

  “That conversation took place yesterday morning. How much could have changed for her since then?”

  There was another pause. “Last night changed things for both of you. I could tell that just from looking at you and Margaret this morning at breakfast. She seemed like a different woman. There was a sparkle in her eyes that hasn’t been there before, and her smiles were genuine rather than forced or polite. She looked happy. Hopeful.”

  Bowen had seen that too. And her excitement about getting a new dress and a hairdo was like a breath of fresh air. Before, Margaret hadn’t wanted anything for herself.

  It saddened him to think that after spending half of her life in Safe Haven, she had nothing worth retrieving from there.

  “I’ll tell her about the risk tonight before I leave for the shift.”

  “If you want, you can tell her over dinner, so Ana and I can support you if needed.”

  That wasn’t a bad idea. “I might take your advice on that. Do you want me to check which restaurants are in the vicinity and make a reservation?”

  “Nah. I’ll do it. Knowing you, you’ll choose a hamburger joint.”

  “As you wish. Make it fo
r seven-fifteen in case the hair salon takes a little longer than expected.”

  “No problem. Any preferences?”

  After the hamburger joint comment, he wasn’t about to make any suggestions.

  “Whatever you choose is fine.”

  “Good deal. I’ll text you the name and address.”

  36

  Eleanor

  “Let’s go over the schedule.” Arwel dropped a yellow pad on the coffee table.

  Eleanor snorted. “What happened to the scheduling software you were testing?”

  “Too much work.” Arwel pulled out a pen. “It takes me less than five minutes to write it down, and there are no glitches where everything I worked on disappears because I pressed the wrong key.”

  Eleanor glanced at the monitor, checking on Emmett, who was supposed to write a dictionary of basic Kra-ell words, especially those that had to do with travel and locations. Kian wanted it done yesterday, which meant that her time with Emmett had been cut to nothing. Her job was to bring him food and leave right away, so he could work on the Kra-ell-English dictionary.

  Peter opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water. “When are you heading out to China?”

  Arwel cocked a brow. “Can’t wait to get rid of me?”

  Peter twisted the cap off and straddled a chair. “This is my first command. I’m eager to start.”

  The five of them were gathered around the small dining table in Arwel’s suite, which served as their makeshift conference table. It was an intimate setting that she preferred to the one in Kian’s office. For some reason, every time Eleanor participated in a meeting over there, she felt like she didn’t belong. Here, everyone treated her as part of the team, and it felt good.

  Jay cast him a look that Eleanor couldn’t decipher. Was he mad that Peter had gotten promoted ahead of him? Or did he just doubt Peter’s ability to be in charge?

  Eleanor’s first impression of Peter had been that he was a light-hearted, take-it-easy kind of guy who didn’t take the initiative unless he was forced to. But she’d learned that there was more to him.

  Perhaps Jay didn’t know Peter as well as she did.

  “Kian wants the team to leave after the guests are gone.” Arwel leaned back in his chair. “My last day here is going to be next Friday, and I’m only working the first half of the day tomorrow.” He picked up the yellow pad. “We need to work out a schedule for the wedding. Since it’s right here in the keep, you can take turns. I suggest dividing it into one-hour shifts, so each of you gets to enjoy at least some of the party.” He glanced at Eleanor. “By the way, several of Kalugal’s men are invited to the wedding, so that’s an additional level of security.”

  Great. If Greggory was one of those who were invited, she’d pass.

  Alfie grimaced. “You think? I’d say that they are an additional level of complication.”

  “They pledged alliance to the clan, and it was cemented by Annani’s compulsion. And unlike most of our civilians, they are trained warriors. I say that’s an asset and not a liability.”

  “You’re a head Guardian,” Alfie said. “So you must know best.”

  As the two continued to argue and then Peter and Jay added their comments, Eleanor tuned them out.

  She’d planned on attending the wedding, or at least some of it if possible. It would have been a great opportunity to mingle, maybe dance with some of the males and see if she responded to any of them.

  Getting to know Emmett better, Eleanor was no longer distraught by her attraction to him, but she would’ve preferred to bond with a pleasant immortal clan member instead of the enigma who might be putting up an act to win her over to his case.

  The problem was that she didn’t have a date, which would have been fine as long as Greggory wasn’t there. But if he was invited, the last thing she wanted was to see him dancing with other females and enjoying himself while she played the role of wallflower.

  What if no one invited her to dance?

  “I’ll cover the wedding,” she blurted. “You guys can go and enjoy yourself.”

  Arwel shook his head. “I can’t leave you alone in charge of Emmett. Besides, why don’t you want to attend the wedding?”

  “Because someone decided to invite some of the ex-Doomers at the last moment, and Greggory might be one of them. I don’t want to watch him having a splendid time with the clan females and gloating over my single status.”

  Peter put a hand on her shoulder. “We can go together and pretend to be a couple. Would that work for you?”

  “Thanks for the offer, but no. That would defy the purpose. I planned on checking out other men, but with you by my side, no one would dare to approach me.”

  Alfie snickered. “They wouldn’t dare even without Peter pretending to be your date. You’re a scary female.”

  She flipped him the finger.

  “What about Emmett?” Jay asked. “I thought the two of you were getting cozy.”

  “We’re getting to know each other, but we are far from cozy. Besides, I want to keep my options open. Emmett is definitely not the guy of my dreams.”

  “Of course he’s not.” Peter wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I am.”

  He was teasing, but there was a tiny kernel of truth in his words. The attraction was there, and if not for Emmett’s magnetic pull, she might have given Peter a chance.

  Except, their attraction to each other was so mild that there was no chance that they were fated mates.

  She was female, and he was male, and that created an unavoidable sexual tension, but it was nothing either of them would write home about, so to speak. They were good friends, and they were sharing a home, which they weren’t using at the moment because of the assignment in the keep.

  Casting him a grin, she leaned into his arm. “Back to the schedule issue. I can guard Emmett on my own, and you can all enjoy the wedding without missing a thing. If you are worried about me being alone with him, I won’t even go inside. We can give him a large meal before you guys leave, so I don’t have to go in at all. And if there is an emergency, I can call one of you to come over.”

  Arwel nodded. “Since we will be right here in the keep if you need us, I’ll consider that. But if I let you guard him alone, I don’t want you opening his door under any circumstances, is that clear?”

  “Crystal.”

  37

  Margaret

  As the hairstylist swiveled Margaret’s chair to show Anastasia the final result, Ana gasped. “Wow. You look like a model.”

  The stylist joined Ana to admire her work. “You have a beautiful facial structure, but the dark hair made your cheeks look too hollow. The blond highlights soften your face.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled at the stylist. “I’m glad I listened to you about that.”

  “And I’m glad that you are happy with the results.”

  “Your hair looks gorgeous too,” Margaret returned Ana’s compliment. “The guys’ jaws are going to drop when they see us.” She took the crutch that had been resting against the stylist’s work counter and pushed to her feet.

  It felt so good to actually walk instead of hobbling, to wear leggings instead of a dress, and to have shoes on both feet. New shoes that were black ballet flats instead of the white sneakers or snow boots that she used to wear in Safe Haven.

  Anastasia grinned. “Bowen is going to faint.” She lifted the shopping bags off the floor. “Let’s go get him.”

  At the sight of those bags, guilt speared through Margaret.

  Since the evening dress she’d gotten had been on sale and not nearly as pricy as Bowen had expected, Ana had convinced her to get some new everyday clothes, and once she’d started, she’d just lost it and bought a whole new wardrobe. Leggings, blouses, T-shirts, and jackets. Bras, panties, and shoes. It was good that Ana was an immortal now and had the strength to carry all of their purchases.

  “I went overboard,” Margaret said after paying for her hair. “I’m so embarrassed.”r />
  Ana snorted. “You think that’s a lot? You’ve only spent a fraction of what Bowen gave you.”

  “It’s still more than I’ve ever spent on myself. I’m writing down every penny he spends on me, and I’m going to pay him back as soon as I have a job.” She groaned. “At the rate I’m going, I’ll owe him a year’s salary.”

  “Drama much?” Ana cast her an amused look. “Before Safe Haven, I would spend twice as much as you did today on every shopping run. You didn’t buy that much, and everything you got was on sale. Besides, Bowen will never accept money from you, so you can just forget it.”

  “I’ll make him take it. I don’t want to be dependent on a man ever again. Not even Bowen.”

  Ana’s eyes softened. “Oh, Margaret. I get why you feel that way, but if you say those words to Bowen, you are going to offend him. You’re bundling him together with the likes of your ex. Don’t do that.”

  Margaret swallowed. “I’m not. But I really want to be independent. How can I phrase it so it won’t sound as if I’m comparing Bowen to Roger?”

  Ana shrugged. “Just accept what he gives you for now, and as soon as you start earning an income, use your own money to buy groceries and things for the house. Don’t make a big deal out of it. That’s my advice.”

  “I don’t want him to think that I’m a leech.”

  “Bowen will never think that. It makes him happy to buy things for you. It’s his way of showing that he cares.”

  As they neared the food court, Margaret spotted Bowen sitting at a table, reading on his phone.

  “Poor guy. He must be bored out of his mind.”

  “Shhh.” Ana put a finger over her lips. “Don’t let him hear you,” she whispered. “I want to surprise him.”

  Margaret rolled her eyes. “Yeah, good luck with that. Bowen is a Guardian, and even while reading, he’s alert and paying attention to what’s going on around him.”

  A split second later, she was proven right as his head whipped around, and his eyes widened upon seeing her. A grin spreading over his face, he pushed to his feet and strode toward her.