by I. T. Lucas
Dark Haven Illusion
The Children Of The Gods Book 47
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
42: Dark Choices Paradigm Shift
43: Dark Choices The Accord
Dark Secrets
44: Dark Secrets Resurgence
45: Dark Secrets Unveiled
46: Dark Secrets Absolved
Dark Haven
47: Dark haven Illusion
48: Dark Haven Unmasked
PERFECT MATCH
Perfect Match 1: Vampire’s Consort
Perfect Match 2: King’s Chosen
Perfect Match 3: Captain’s Conquest
The Children of the Gods Series Sets
Books 1-3: Dark Stranger trilogy—Includes a bonus short story: The Fates take a Vacation
Books 4-6: Dark Enemy Trilogy —Includes a bonus short story—The Fates' Post-Wedding Celebration
Books 7-10: Dark Warrior Tetralogy
Books 11-13: Dark Guardian Trilogy
Books 14-16: Dark Angel Trilogy
Books 17-19: Dark Operative Trilogy
Books 20-22: Dark Survivor Trilogy
Books 23-25: Dark Widow Trilogy
Books 26-28: Dark Dream Trilogy
Books 29-31: Dark Prince Trilogy
Books 32-34: Dark Queen Trilogy
Books 35-37: Dark Spy Trilogy
Books 38-40: Dark Overlord Trilogy
Books 41-43: Dark Choices Trilogy
Books 44-46: Dark Secrets Trilogy
MEGA SETS
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
2 FREE audiobooks with your new Audible subscription!
Copyright © 2021 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 Haven Illusion 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. Anastasia
2. Kian
3. Leon
4. Lokan
5. Anastasia
6. Leon
7. Eleanor
8. Richard
9. Leon
10. Eleanor
11. Leon
12. Eleanor
13. Leon
14. Anastasia
15. Leon
16. Kian
17. Parker
18. Lisa
19. Parker
20. Anastasia
21. Leon
22. Anastasia
23. Leon
24. Anastasia
25. Leon
26. Eleanor
27. Lisa
28. Anastasia
29. Leon
30. Anastasia
31. Leon
32. Anastasia
33. Leon
34. Anastasia
35. Leon
36. Anastasia
37. Leon
38. Anastasia
39. Leon
40. Anastasia
41. Leon
42. Parker
43. Anastasia
44. Leon
45. Anastasia
46. Leon
47. Richard
48. Anastasia
49. Lokan
50. Leon
51. Eleanor
52. Anastasia
53. Leon
54. Eleanor
55. Kian
56. Eleanor
57. Kian
58. Eleanor
59. Anastasia
60. Leon
61. Lokan
62. Anastasia
63. Leon
64. Anastasia
The Children of the Gods Series
The Perfect Match Series
FOR EXCLUSIVE PEEKS
1
Anastasia
Three months ago.
Safe Haven Retreat, Oregon Coast
“Welcome to Safe Haven, Ms. Gaboviv.” The counselor smiled and offered Anastasia her hand. "My name is Margaret, I was assigned to be your personal counselor, and over the next two weeks I will be guiding you on your journey of self-discovery.”
“Nice to meet you, Margaret.”
“Please, come in.” The woman motioned for Ana to enter her office.
The counselor appeared friendly, and her smile was genuine, but she didn’t seem nearly as content and tranquil as Ana expected one of the retreat’s top counselors to be.
Tension lines marred Margaret’s forehead, there were dark circles under her eyes, and even though she looked to be in her mid- to late thirties, there were gray strands interwoven in between dull brown ones. She was also too thin, but not in a fashion-model kind of way.
The woman
looked worn out.
Her haggard appearance called into question some of the incredible results for one’s well-being promised by the resort’s literature.
After all, if the staff hadn’t attained spiritual enlightenment and tranquility, what chance did Ana have?
It shouldn’t come as a surprise, though.
They had to oversell the benefits to lure people into shelling out over eleven thousand dollars for a two-week stay in their so-called resort.
Luxurious, it definitely was not.
Whatever.
Ever since Ana had stumbled upon Safe Haven’s website, she’d been obsessing about trying it out. Now that she was here, she was not going to let her skepticism stop her from giving it a fair chance.
Besides, it was her father’s money, which he had no shortage of and no problem spending on her.
No questions asked.
Regrettably, he didn’t do that out of love, but rather out of guilt. Her father used money to compensate for being a crappy parent, whose communications with his daughter amounted to a once-a-month, two-minute phone call.
When she was younger, Ana had thought that he avoided her company because of the voices in her head. Her father hadn’t made it a secret that having a daughter with a mental problem was an embarrassment that he preferred to pretend didn’t exist.
Except, she hadn’t mentioned the voices to him or anyone else in years, but his attitude toward her hadn’t improved. It must have been something else.
Was it because she looked and sounded so much like her mother? Perhaps he just couldn’t stand looking at her or hearing her voice?
Her mother’s tragic death had dealt a heavy blow to both of them, but more so to Ana than to her father. His way of coping was to forget all about the woman he’d loved, push away the daughter who reminded him of her, and start a new life and a new family.
Nevertheless, her father wasn’t the reason she was sitting across from a counselor in a spiritual retreat.
“So, what brings you to Safe Haven, Anastasia?”
The main reason was the damn phantom voices that made her feel like a misfit for most of her life. But she wasn’t ready to share that information just yet. First, she had to get a feel for the place.
Fortunately, or maybe unfortunately, Ana had no shortage of issues that she could bring up.
“In a nutshell, I feel like I’m drifting aimlessly through life. I lost my mother when I was young, I’m not close to my father, and I don’t have any real friends. I need to find a meaning and a purpose for my life.” She looked at the poster hanging on the wall behind the counselor and read one of the retreat’s slogans. “I seek contentment and tranquility.”
Margaret flashed her a bright smile. “Then you came to the right place.” She glanced at the open file on her desk. “I see here that you are a third-year law student. Do you enjoy your studies?”
“Not really.”
“So why do it?”
“My father wanted me to become a lawyer, and I wanted to please him.” Ana grimaced. “Except, nothing I do ever does, so why bother, right?”
In fact, the answer to that was simple. As long as she did what he expected of her, the money kept coming. Hopefully, he wouldn’t stop her allowance if she dropped out.
Ana hadn’t reached a final decision on that yet, which was another reason for coming here and embarking on a journey of self-discovery. Perhaps at the end of the two weeks things would become clearer, and she would figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life.
“I see.” Margaret smiled indulgently. “What would you have liked to study instead?”
“Psychology.”
That could have at least helped her understand what was going on in her head, and whether the voices she was hearing were real or the product of a diseased mind.
Ana and her father disagreed on most things, but they were of the same mind when it came to seeking psychiatric help.
Nothing good would come out of it.
So far, she’d managed to live a pretty normal life despite her problem, so there was no reason to tarnish her future with a psychiatric diagnosis, which was most likely schizophrenia.
“Why psychology?” Margaret asked.
“I would like to help people.”
That was the answer the counselor probably expected, and it was also partially true. Helping herself was the main reason, but helping others could potentially bring meaning to her bleak life.
“That’s an excellent goal, and it is also what Safe Haven is all about. With our help, you will be able to bridge the gap between what is actual and what is possible. By promoting integrated growth in spirit, body, and mind, we will help you realize your full potential, and in turn, you and our other graduates will work toward the betterment of society at large.”
It was almost word for word the mission statement on their website, but somehow it sounded more real when spoken with such absolute conviction. If Margaret believed in it so wholeheartedly, perhaps it was more than a slogan and was actually attainable.
“Like paying it forward?”
Eyes sparkling with fervor, Margaret nodded. “Precisely. We provide you with the tools to become the best possible version of yourself, and once you achieve that ultimate state of being, you will become a beacon of light for others. That’s how our message will spread until it engulfs the whole of humanity.” She leaned forward. “Imagine a world with no boundaries, where the ultimate goal of the individual is realizing her or his full potential and helping others achieve the same, where money and status are irrelevant, where poverty and crime do not exist, and where everyone is fulfilled and happy.”
Despite her natural skepticism, Ana couldn’t help but feel her heart swell with hope.
The utopia Margaret had described was probably unattainable. But even if only a small part of that became true, everyone’s future would be brighter, and who wouldn’t want that?
2
Kian
“I can’t believe that the lesbian thing backfired.” Kri threw her hands in the air.
To say that she was upset was an understatement. The Guardian was fuming, and Kian couldn’t fault her for it. Kri had been looking forward to her joint mission with Eleanor.
The two had struck up an unlikely friendship for reasons Kian couldn’t fathom. Eleanor was as likable as a rattlesnake.
Evidently though, Kri had found qualities in the woman she could appreciate.
“Isn’t Safe Haven supposed to be all about free love and inclusion?” Leaning back in the conference chair, Kri folded her arms over her chest. “I should sue them for discrimination.”
With what they were charging for the two-week retreat, Kian hadn’t expected any of the applicants to be rejected, and he’d been right about that. What none of them had anticipated though, was that not everyone would be invited for the same session.
“It’s not that they have anything against lesbians,” Turner said. “They have a thing against couples attending the retreat together.” The guy seemed just as puzzled, which was uncharacteristic. Usually, he had all the details figured out. “Curiously, this policy is nowhere to be found in their literature or on their website.”
“Not explicitly,” Eleanor said. “But they talk a lot about individual development. It’s all about unleashing latent capacity and becoming the best version of yourself. Maybe doing it with a partner hinders the progress.”
“That’s nonsense.” Kian waved a hand in dismissal. “Syssi makes everything better for me.”
“Humans are different.” Eleanor looked at Turner. “You were a human, and you were single for a long time. You know how it is.”
He nodded. “I get what you’re saying. Not all relationships are healthy, and some are even destructive. But it’s odd that the retreat separates couples. Usually, this is something that people do together.”
“So, what now?” Eleanor shifted her gaze to Kri. “Am I going in alone? Or are we canceling the whole thing?”<
br />
She hadn’t been told about Leon and Peter, who were supposed to join her and Kri on the mission. But now that Kri wasn’t going, Eleanor needed to be informed.
“You are not going in alone,” Kian said. “Luckily for us, Turner always has a contingency plan. We enrolled two more Guardians in the program, and they were both invited to the same session as you.”
Eleanor arched a brow. “Do I know them?”
“No, but you will in a few minutes. They are on their way.”
“They are supposed to keep an eye on me.” She leveled her gaze at Kian. “You still don’t trust me.”
He snorted. “Of course, I don’t. This mission is meant to test you. But that wasn’t the only reason for their inclusion. Turner suspects that the cult is involved in trafficking, and as you know, putting an end to that vile trade is one of our clan’s major humanitarian efforts.”
That was only a slight exaggeration.
Turner had uncovered no evidence of such activity. The complaints he’d found about Safe Haven mostly concerned financial exploitation. There had been a few sexual coercion accusations, but since the plaintiffs had been of legal age and no money had been involved, they had never been prosecuted. It was an integral part of the free-love environment, which Safe Haven openly promoted. Whoever didn’t approve, shouldn’t join.
