by I. T. Lucas
Leon had texted the guy, telling him that he and Anastasia had made it out safely and were heading to the airport.
He should call. Maybe they had a solution to his problem. But what could they possibly have come up with that he hadn’t thought of already?
It was a catch-22 and then some.
Eventually, Anastasia would figure out that she wasn’t imagining the bites. He would have to come up with some crazy shit like Greggory had for Eleanor. Except, Eleanor had been exposed to the government’s shady dealings, so she was prone to believe the crazy story Greggory had told her about his fangs and venom being the result of gene-splicing experiments.
Anastasia wouldn’t buy a story like that.
Besides, he shouldn’t induce her without telling her what was going on and getting her consent. But then if it turned out that she was not a Dormant, he couldn’t thrall her to forget what she’d learned either.
Perhaps Kalugal would be able to compel her silence?
He was a much more powerful compeller than Eleanor, so there was a small chance that he could do that.
The other option was to forget about the whole thing. They could watch Anastasia for several days, and if she didn’t transition, they could let her go without finding out whether she was a Dormant or not.
The clan would lose a potential Dormant, but that would eliminate the risk of exposure.
Except, he knew that he couldn’t do that either, and not just because he wanted her and hoped she was his one. Anastasia deserved a chance at immortality, and it wasn’t fair to deprive her of that.
It wasn’t his decision to make though, and perhaps it was a blessing because his thinking might be clouded by what he wanted.
Pulling out his phone, Leon dialed Kian’s direct number.
“Hello, Leon.” Kian sounded even more gruff than usual.
“Hi. We are on the plane.”
“I know. Charlie called me when you got there. Is Anastasia next to you?”
“I’m calling from the bathroom. What am I supposed to do with her?”
Kian chuckled. “It’s too late for you to be asking that question. You should have done it before you had sex with her.”
“I messed up. But what’s next? She will eventually figure out that the biting is not in her imagination, and I will have to tell her the truth. But if she turns out not to be a Dormant, what are we going to do with her?”
“I have a feeling that she is. This story has the Fates' handprints all over it. But in case she isn’t, try to keep her in the dark as long as you can, or claim a weird biting fetish. Brundar used to tie up his partners and blindfold them, and they thought that the painful incisions were part of the BDSM game.”
“His partners weren’t potential Dormants, and he wasn’t concerned about inducing their transition without their consent.”
Kian let out an exasperated sigh. “When the choice is between keeping our existence secret and a Dormant’s consent to induction, the clan’s safety comes first, even when her life might be in danger. Does that answer your question?”
“Yeah. It does.” Kian’s directive eased Leon’s burden of responsibility, but not by much. “I thought that perhaps it’s worth a shot to have Kalugal try to compel Anastasia. He is a much stronger compeller than Eleanor.”
“We can try, but don’t get your hopes up.”
“I know it’s a long shot.” He closed his eyes and slumped against the door. “Am I taking Anastasia to the cabin? I don’t want to take her to the keep.”
“The cabin is all yours. Okidu will pick you up from the airstrip with the limo and drive you there. I had him stock it for the entire week.”
“Thank you. What if we run out or if I want to get something? I will need a mode of transportation.”
“Can you ride a motorcycle?”
“I’m sure I can manage.”
“There is one in the shed, and you are welcome to use it. The keys are hanging on a hook to the right of the door.”
“Whose is it?”
“Turner’s.”
“I didn’t know that he rode a bike.”
“Neither did I. The guy is determined to master every possible skill, and riding a motorcycle was his latest. Bridget didn’t like the bike, and he wasn’t too keen on it either, so he left it in the shed for whoever stays there to use.”
“He has my thanks.”
“I’ll tell him.”
“What about Anastasia’s father? What did Turner tell him?”
“He told him that we’d managed to convince her to leave Safe Haven for a week-long vacation, during which we would try to undo the brainwashing. But since she’s an adult, the decision to stay or to return would be hers.”
“That’s close enough to the truth. If she transitions, we will have to come up with a different story.”
“Let’s worry about that when the time comes. Good luck, Leon.”
64
Anastasia
Leon was talking to someone in the bathroom, but as much as Ana strained to hear, she only caught fragments of words. The ones that had raised her hackles were consent and compel, but she wasn’t sure that was what she’d heard.
Still, unless Leon hadn’t made the call and someone had just happened to call him while he was in the bathroom, it was damn suspicious that he was hiding it from her.
Way to start their so-called relationship.
Looking at the scarf she’d pulled out of her coat pocket, Ana felt like a fool for wanting to surprise him again by blindfolding herself. She’d even closed all the window shades to darken the cabin. Perhaps she should get up and open them before Sam got out of the bathroom.
Leon, not Sam.
She lifted the shade next to her and leaned to lift the one on Leon’s side as well.
Perhaps that wasn’t his real name either.
As long as he honored his promise to release her in a week, it didn’t matter, and she’d ensured that he would by calling Megan.
Her ex-roommate was even more paranoid than her, and the safety protocol she’d suggested was solid. If Ana didn’t call her next Monday evening, Megan was going to put it in motion.
Bottom line, she should stop obsessing, relax, and start enjoying herself. A week wasn’t long, and she’d better make the most of it.
Anastasia chuckled softly. It was her own version of Rumspringa, a last hurrah before deciding to either become a permanent member of the Safe Haven community or stay for a little longer and leave when her training was complete.
When she heard the bathroom door open, she lifted her gaze to Leon. Framed by the light slipping out from the compartment, he looked like a god—breathtakingly handsome.
“Sorry about that.” He sat down next to her. “I forgot to call my boss from the train station.”
“Did he call you?” She hoped he would say yes.
“I called him.”
Well, at least he was honest. “Is he okay with you taking a week-long vacation? Or am I still considered an assignment?”
Leaning over the armrests, he reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. “I don’t mix business with pleasure, and even if the mission wasn’t officially done, I would have resigned. From now on, it’s about us, not your father, and not Safe Haven.”
“Speaking of my father. What am I going to tell him?”
“For now, nothing. He is under the impression that the mission is still on, and that over the coming week, we will be working hard on undoing Safe Haven’s brainwashing and convincing you to leave it permanently.”
She arched a brow. “Isn’t that precisely what you are planning to do?”
“Yes, but for my own selfish reasons, not his.” One side of his lips lifted in a lopsided grin. “Besides, I’m sure he wouldn’t approve of my methods.”
Stifling a laugh, Ana affected a serious expression. “And what might those methods be?”
“Lots and lots of kinky sex. My plan is to get you so addicted to my particular brand of p
leasure that you will never want to live without it.”
She wasn’t sure whether he’d been joking or had actually meant it, but if he’d been serious, then it sounded like he was offering her much more than one week of wild sex.
He was offering her forever.
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The Children of the Gods Book 48
Dark Haven Unmasked
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The Children of the Gods Series
THE CHILDREN OF THE GODS ORIGINS
1: Goddess’s Choice
When gods and immortals still ruled the ancient world, one young goddess risked everything for love.
2: Goddess’s Hope
Hungry for power and infatuated with the beautiful Areana, Navuh plots his father's demise. After all, by getting rid of the insane god he would be doing the world a favor. Except, when gods and immortals conspire against each other, humanity pays the price.
But things are not what they seem, and prophecies should not to be trusted...
THE CHILDREN OF THE GODS
1: Dark Stranger The Dream
Syssi's paranormal foresight lands her a job at Dr. Amanda Dokani's neuroscience lab, but it fails to predict the thrilling yet terrifying turn her life will take. Syssi has no clue that her boss is an immortal who'll drag her into a secret, millennia-old battle over humanity's future. Nor does she realize that the professor's imposing brother is the mysterious stranger who's been starring in her dreams.
Since the dawn of human civilization, two warring factions of immortals—the descendants of the gods of old—have been secretly shaping its destiny. Leading the clandestine battle from his luxurious Los Angeles high-rise, Kian is surrounded by his clan, yet alone. Descending from a single goddess, clan members are forbidden to each other. And as the only other immortals are their hated enemies, Kian and his kin have been long resigned to a lonely existence of fleeting trysts with human partners. That is, until his sister makes a game-changing discovery—a mortal seeress who she believes is a dormant carrier of their genes. Ever the realist, Kian is skeptical and refuses Amanda's plea to attempt Syssi's activation. But when his enemies learn of the Dormant's existence, he's forced to rush her to the safety of his keep. Inexorably drawn to Syssi, Kian wrestles with his conscience as he is tempted to explore her budding interest in the darker shades of sensuality.
2: Dark Stranger Revealed
While sheltered in the clan's stronghold, Syssi is unaware that Kian and Amanda are not human, and neither are the supposedly religious fanatics that are after her. She feels a powerful connection to Kian, and as he introduces her to a world of pleasure she never dared imagine, his dominant sexuality is a revelation. Considering that she's completely out of her element, Syssi feels comfortable and safe letting go with him. That is, until she begins to suspect that all is not as it seems. Piecing the puzzle together, she draws a scary, yet wrong conclusion...
3: Dark Stranger Immortal
When Kian confesses his true nature, Syssi is not as much shocked by the revelation as she is wounded by what she perceives as his callous plans for her.
If she doesn't turn, he’ll be forced to erase her memories and let her go. His family's safety demands secrecy – no one in the mortal world is allowed to know that immortals exist.
Resigned to the cruel reality that even if she stays on to never again leave the keep, she'll get old while Kian won’t, Syssi is determined to enjoy what little time she has with him, one day at a time.
Can Kian let go of the mortal woman he loves? Will Syssi turn? And if she does, will she survive the dangerous transition?
4: Dark Enemy Taken
Dalhu can't believe his luck when he stumbles upon the beautiful immortal professor. Presented with a once in a lifetime opportunity to grab an immortal female for himself, he kidnaps her and runs. If he ever gets caught, either by her people or his, his life is forfeit. But for a chance of a loving mate and a family of his own, Dalhu is prepared to do everything in his power to win Amanda's heart, and that includes leaving the Doom brotherhood and his old life behind.
Amanda soon discovers that there is more to the handsome Doomer than his dark past and a hulking, sexy body. But succumbing to her enemy's seduction, or worse, developing feelings for a ruthless killer is out of the question. No man is worth life on the run, not even the one and only immortal male she could claim as her own…
Her clan and her research must come first…
5: Dark Enemy Captive
When the rescue team returns with Amanda and the chained Dalhu to the keep, Amanda is not as thrilled to be back as she thought she'd be. Between Kian's contempt for her and Dalhu's imprisonment, Amanda's budding relationship with Dalhu seems doomed. Things start to look up when Annani offers her help, and together with Syssi they resolve to find a way for Amanda to be with Dalhu. But will she still want him when she realizes that he is responsible for her nephew's murder? Could she? Will she take the easy way out and choose Andrew instead?
6: Dark Enemy Redeemed
Amanda suspects that something fishy is going on onboard the Anna. But when her investigation of the peculiar all-female Russian crew fails to uncover anything other than more speculation, she decides it's time to stop playing detective and face her real problem—a man she shouldn't want but can't live without.
6.5: My Dark Amazon
When Michael and Kri fight off a gang of humans, Michael gets stabbed. The injury to his immortal body recovers fast, but the one to his ego takes longer, putting a strain on his relationship with Kri.
7: Dark Warrior Mine
When Andrew is forced to retire from active duty, he believes that all he has to look forward to is a boring desk job. His glory days in special ops are over. But as it turns out, his thrill ride has just begun. Andrew discovers not only that immortals exist and have been manipulating global affairs since antiquity, but that he and his sister are rare possessors of the immortal genes.
Problem is, Andrew might be too old to attempt the activation process. His sister, who is fourteen years his junior, barely made it through the transition, so the odds of him coming out of it alive, let alone immortal, are slim.
But fate may force his hand.
Helping a friend find his long-lost daughter, Andrew finds a woman who's worth taking the risk for. Nathalie might be a Dormant, but the only way to find out for sure requires fangs and venom.
8: Dark Warrior’s Promise
Andrew and Nathalie's love flourishes, but the secrets they keep from each other taint their relationship with doubts and suspicions. In the meantime, Sebastian and his men are getting bolder, and the storm that's brewing will shift the balance of power in the millennia-old conflict between Annani's clan and its enemies.
9: Dark Warrior’s Destiny
The new ghost in Nathalie's head remembers who he was in life, providing Andrew and her with indisputable proof that he is real and not a figment of her imagination.
Convinced that she is
a Dormant, Andrew decides to go forward with his transition immediately after the rescue mission at the Doomers' HQ.
Fearing for his life, Nathalie pleads with him to reconsider. She'd rather spend the rest of her mortal days with Andrew than risk what they have for the fickle promise of immortality.
While the clan gets ready for battle, Carol gets help from an unlikely ally. Sebastian's second-in-command can no longer ignore the torment she suffers at the hands of his commander and offers to help her, but only if she agrees to his terms.
10: Dark Warrior’s Legacy
Andrew's acclimation to his post-transition body isn't easy. His senses are sharper, he's bigger, stronger, and hungrier. Nathalie fears that the changes in the man she loves are more than physical. Measuring up to this new version of him is going to be a challenge.
Carol and Robert are disillusioned with each other. They are not destined mates, and love is not on the horizon. When Robert's three months are up, he might be left with nothing to show for his sacrifice.
Lana contacts Anandur with disturbing news; the yacht and its human cargo are in Mexico. Kian must find a way to apprehend Alex and rescue the women on board without causing an international incident.
11: Dark Guardian Found
What would you do if you stopped aging?
Eva runs. The ex-DEA agent doesn't know what caused her strange mutation, only that if discovered, she'll be dissected like a lab rat. What Eva doesn't know, though, is that she's a descendant of the gods, and that she is not alone. The man who rocked her world in one life-changing encounter over thirty years ago is an immortal as well.
To keep his people's existence secret, Bhathian was forced to turn his back on the only woman who ever captured his heart, but he's never forgotten and never stopped looking for her.
12: Dark Guardian Craved
Cautious after a lifetime of disappointments, Eva is mistrustful of Bhathian's professed feelings of love. She accepts him as a lover and a confidant but not as a life partner.
