Dark Stranger The Dream: New & Lengthened 2017 Edition (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series)

by I. T. Lucas

  The ringing started just as she was about to close her lips around it.

  What the hell? Was it an alarm?

  No. It was the damn bedside phone.

  Ugh. Syssi wanted to hurtle the bloody thing against the wall, but of course, she didn’t. Nonetheless, she was going to give whoever dared call her so early a piece of her mind.

  “Who is it?” she barked.

  “Good morning, beautiful. I’m ordering breakfast. What would you like?” Kian sounded awfully cheerful for such an ungodly hour.

  With wicked satisfaction she thought that he wouldn’t be as happy if he knew that his phone call had just cost him a blow job. The other him, but still.

  “It’s six in the morning, Kian.”

  “I’m sorry, is it too early for you?”

  He didn’t sound sorry at all.

  “Coffee.” She hung up and plopped back on the bed.

  Naturally, she wasn’t naked, she was still wearing the jeans and the T-shirt, and the laptop was open on the other side of the bed. The only reminder she had of the dream was another pair of wet panties.

  So annoying. Syssi grabbed a pillow and shoved it over her face to muffle a frustrated groan.

  Chapter 47: Kian

  “How long are we going to be stuck here?” Anandur asked after they’d finished their breakfast.

  More than two hours had passed since Kian had woken Syssi up, but she was still a no-show. She was either mad at him for waking her up so early and had decided to stay in her room, or she had gone back to sleep.

  “I’ll try to convince her to come home with me today.”

  Anandur scratched his beard. “Do you think it’s smart to take her to the keep?”

  “No, but I can’t spare even one of you to guard her. We don’t have enough men.” It was true, keeping them here because he was obsessed with the girl wasn’t fair to the guys. They had other things to do, and at a time like this the keep’s occupants needed its few Guardians to be there at all times. But that wasn’t the only reason.

  “Thrall her. It’s quicker,” Brundar suggested.

  Maybe he should.

  “I’m going to knock on her door.” Anandur wiped his mouth with a napkin and pushed his chair back.

  Not a bad idea. If she was still mad over the wake-up call, Kian preferred for Anandur to get hit with the brunt of her ire.

  The Guardian rapped his knuckles on her door. “Syssi, it’s time to get up.”

  There was a muffled, “Shit,” and then a patter of small feet rushing to the door. She opened it a crack, hiding her lower half behind the door, and cranked her neck to look at Anandur. “God, you’re tall.” She shook a head of mussed hair that was sticking out in all directions. “I’m sorry, I overslept. I’ll be out in ten minutes tops.”

  “It’s okay. Take your time, there is no hurry.”

  “Thank you.” She closed her door.

  Anandur came back to the dining table and sat across from Kian. “She is such a cute little thing.”

  The seemingly innocent remark had Kian seeing red. “Keep your opinions to yourself.”

  A red brow lifted almost to the guy’s hairline. “Someone woke up grumpy this morning.”

  Kian ignored him and signaled an end to the exchange by lifting the Wall Street Journal and hiding behind it. The thing was that Anandur was right. Syssi was adorable and sexy as hell.

  There had been a good reason for him calling her up when he had. She must’ve been dreaming something naughty because he’d been awakened by the scent of her arousal.

  Sometime around one in the morning, the brothers had retired to the other bedroom. Kian had stayed up to catch up on his work, going over the files he’d brought with him until the words had started to blur.

  Lying down on the couch to catch a little shut-eye, he’d been alone in the living room when the enticing scent had hit his system. It had been a struggle not to go to her and take care of her need, and he’d been thankful for the two Guardians sleeping in the other room. Their presence had helped rein in his libido.

  That didn’t mean, though, that he would’ve allowed them to get a whiff of what belonged to him alone.

  Waking her up had been the first thing he had done, so no more of the aroma would filter into the living room. Next, he’d opened every window, and lastly, he’d ordered breakfast, hoping that the scents of baked goods and freshly brewed coffee would mask the last traces of her aroma.

  As promised, Syssi emerged from her room ten minutes later.

  “I’m so sorry to have kept you all waiting. I fell asleep.”

  “No worries. Here, I have fresh coffee for you.” Kian gestured to the dining table where he had saved a thermal carafe filled to the brim for her. It had been delivered together with their breakfast, but the container it was in would have kept it warm. Something to eat was another matter. What he’d ordered could’ve fed six people, but had been barely enough for the two Guardians.

  Syssi sat across from him, avoiding his eyes. Was it about the dream? Or was she embarrassed about keeping them waiting?

  He poured her a cup. “What would you like to eat?” He handed it to her.

  “I’m not hungry yet, thank you.” She took the cup and he handed her the container of assorted sweeteners.

  “Did you sleep well?” He couldn’t help asking.

  Her head shot up and she looked at him with suspicious eyes. “Very well. How about you?”

  He stretched and pretended to grimace in discomfort. “Not at all. I’ve worked until late, and when I finally lay down, I discovered that the couch is not comfortable.” He was lying through his teeth. The couch was perfectly fine. Granted, not as good as his bed at home, but not as bad as he’d made it sound.

  “Why didn’t you go home? Two men to guard me are more than enough. You could’ve been sleeping comfortably in your own bed.”

  Fuck, this didn’t work. He needed another angle. Time to take off the kid gloves.

  But wait? Did he really want Syssi to come home with him? Alone with her in his penthouse, there would be nothing to stop him from taking her. Other than his self-respect, that is, and Kian had a feeling that it would not be enough.

  On the other hand, without her near him, he wouldn’t be able to do shit, as he’d proven to himself yesterday.

  This was so beyond fucked up.

  It was all Amanda’s fault. If not for her matchmaking, he wouldn’t be in such a bind. Except, he knew it wasn’t true. Even if Amanda had never mentioned Syssi to him, he would not have reacted to her any differently once he’d met her.

  He would need to think of a solution, but until then Syssi had to come home with him. A financial empire was at stake.

  “We could’ve all been sleeping more comfortably. Anandur and Brundar in their own apartment, and you in a perfectly appointed guest room that is even nicer than the one in this suite. Not to mention the amount of money we could’ve saved.” He was such a manipulator. Kian couldn’t care less about the money, but he knew Syssi did. It was a low blow, hitting her where he knew it would hurt, but she’d left him no choice.

  With a sigh, she nodded. “You’re right. If you agreed to drop me at my brother’s as I asked, you would have saved a fortune.”

  Stubborn woman. This wasn’t the answer he was anticipating.

  “As I’ve explained before, your brother’s place is not safe. You would be putting both of you in danger by staying with him.” That at least was true.

  Syssi lifted her hands in defeat. “You win. I give up. Let’s go to your place.”

  Hallelujah.

  Chapter 48: Syssi

  Once again Syssi was about to enter Kian’s penthouse, unsure about the wisdom of the move and feeling awkward. Not that she had a choice. The only option left to her was to buy an airline ticket and join her parents in Africa. There was little chance the fanatics would follow her all the way there.

  Except, it was akin to curing a headache by chopping off the head. Too
extreme a solution for the situation. In a few days, they would know if those crazies had made a move to capture her or Michael, and if they didn’t, she could go back home to her old life.

  Fearing her own attraction to Kian was not good enough of a reason to flee all the way to the other side of the world. Besides, she hated heat and humidity, mosquitoes and God knew what other bugs. How her mother was tolerating it was beyond her.

  “Are you hungry yet?” Kian asked the moment they stepped inside.

  “Yes, a little.”

  “Good. I’ll ask Okidu to serve us brunch.”

  It seemed that the guy liked to feed her. Which must have meant that he cared at least a little. Or maybe not. Maybe he was just being hospitable. She really didn’t know what to think anymore.

  Kian was unlike any other guy she’d ever met, and not just because he was leagues above anyone she knew. The guy was full of contradictions. At times she’d felt certain he was going to make a move, kiss her again or tell her something that would indicate he was interested. At others she was convinced she’d imagined it, nothing but wishful thinking making her see interest where there had been none. Because there was no way a guy like him would go for a girl like her. His normal fare was probably celebrities, movie stars and models, not everyday people like boring lab assistants or architect’s interns.

  But then she remembered that one kiss, the real one, and the way he’d looked at her. Syssi shook her head. She was driving herself nuts. The best thing to do was to let things unfold and see where they led.

  The tricky part would be not to let herself fall for the guy, not any more than she already had. Not that her infatuation with Kian meant that she was falling in love with him. She needed to keep telling herself that.

  Play it cool and guard her heart.

  Easy.

  Right.

  Same as yesterday, Okidu served their brunch in Kian’s formal dining room. Two people sitting at a table large enough for eighteen was awkward in itself, and not having Brundar or Anandur as buffers didn’t help either. And to top it off, she tended to overeat when nervous, which meant that she attacked the delicious meal as if she hadn’t seen food in a week.

  When she was done, Syssi dabbed at her mouth with a napkin, attempting to look ladylike despite the way she’d gobbled up everything on her plate. The truth was that it had been delicious, and remarkably it had also all been vegetarian. Glancing at her plate, she realized that there was nothing left but a few crumbs from the delicious eggplant sandwich. If no one were watching, she would’ve picked those up too and stuffed them in her mouth.

  But someone was.

  Syssi could feel Kian’s eyes on her even without looking at him.

  When Okidu came in with the coffee, she was granted a few moments’ reprieve, but once he left, the silence between them felt like a vacuum begging to be filled.

  With nervous fingers, Syssi folded and refolded her napkin, then braved a quick glance at Kian.

  Her breath hitched.

  Reclining in his chair and sipping on his coffee, he was watching her raptly. Not the casual friendly look from before, but one that was appraising and unnerving.

  Averting her gaze, she cleared her throat. “Thank you for a wonderful meal. I’ve noticed, though, that everything was made with vegetables and mushrooms. You didn’t order any meat dishes for yourself when we ate out either. Are you a vegetarian? Same as Amanda?”

  Kind of lame. She’d already determined he was a vegan yesterday, but it was the best she could come up with under his unnerving stare.

  “It’s a healthier way to eat, not to mention kinder. I think most of us are instinctively reluctant to kill a living creature. If people had to actually hunt and kill their own food, I’m sure many would choose not to—not unless they had no choice because there was nothing else. I stay away from all animal products as much as I can, although when the alternative is starving, well... self-preservation and all that. Amanda tries, but you know her, she has to have her Brie or goat cheese from time to time.” He smiled a tight-lipped smile.

  Syssi had to agree. Amanda hated rules. Her boss was a rebel.

  “Yes, I know what you mean. What puzzles me though, is your comment about eating meat as an alternative to starving. Have you ever been in such situation?” It took deliberate effort, but Syssi finally let go of the napkin, placing it beside her plate.

  “There were times when there was nothing else, when I ran out of provisions, out in the wilderness or on a trek at some remote location. Hunting and killing for food was my only way to survive. Yeah, I’ve been in situations like that.” He shrugged as if it was of no consequence, and yet, his sharp expression told a different story.

  “Are you into the whole extreme-survival-camping thing? Lately, whenever I go channel surfing, I stumble upon one of those reality shows. The theme has become very popular. Obviously, the shows are staged, but I assume that for some it’s a real form of recreation.”

  Kian didn’t strike her as the type. He embodied the sophisticated, worldly CEO, not an extreme survivalist. And yet, she could sense that just under the surface there was something wild lurking inside him. Maybe he had served in the armed forces at some point, a commando unit like Andrew’s. Except, he was too young to have done both.

  “No, for me it wasn’t a recreational choice. Let’s just say there were times in my life when I was forced to fend for myself in a hostile environment.” There was a finality in his grave tone that suggested he wouldn’t appreciate any further questions on the subject.

  Syssi figured he couldn’t talk about it, or wasn’t allowed—

  Like Andrew.

  Yep, the little he had said sounded like Special Ops. “I admire your ability to do so. If left alone in the wild, I would probably become the food. I have no survival skills whatsoever. No sense of direction either. I would be lost and defenseless.” Syssi shivered, remembering the nightmare and her desperate run through the woods with the demon-wolves snarling at her heels.

  Unbidden, images of what had followed slammed into her mind, sending a powerful flash of arousal through her. Erupting in her core, it spread up through her chest all the way to the nerve endings of her fingertips, making them tingle as if zapped with an electric current.

  Oh, God, please, let it stop!

  God didn’t answer her prayer. If anyone did, it must’ve been the devil. Because following that first crack, the floodgates burst open, and every erotic moment she’d spent with Kian in her dreams rushed through her mind like a fast-forwarded movie.

  She tried to stop the moan from escaping her throat, but despite her efforts a quiet whimper managed to get away. Mortified, Syssi blushed and looked down, desperately hoping Kian would attribute that embarrassing sound to her fear of getting lost in the wild.

  Chapter 49: Kian

  Kian’s body had reacted before his mind had time to process the torrent of sexual triggers slamming into him and knocking his breath out with the force of a battering ram.

  Kind of like the one that had popped behind his zipper.

  What the hell had just happened?

  What had brought on that tortured moan? And why was Syssi suddenly emitting such strong scent of arousal tinted by fear? It was nothing like the soft kind he’d scented this morning. This was powerful. Overwhelming. A trigger he couldn’t resist.

  It wasn’t as if Kian was a stranger to that particular combination. Sensing his predatory nature on a visceral level, most females responded to him that way; their lust and their apprehension combining to create one heady aphrodisiac.

  His favorite.

  But coming from sweet shy Syssi that explosive mixture fueled his lust like nothing before.

  And as it grew stronger, his control grew weaker.

  Taking over, the predator in him overpowered the thin layer of civilized behavior he struggled to maintain. Kian pounced. In one quick move, he had Syssi on his lap, trapped there in the cage of his arms.

  Taken by sur
prise, she squeaked.

  She must’ve felt his cock swell and twitch under her butt because her eyes widened and her lips parted on a sharp inhale, the flush on her cheeks climbing along with her arousal.

  “You see, Syssi. If you were mine, I would have taken care of you, defended you, provided for you. You would have never been left alone to fend for yourself. The only wild beast to fear would have been me.”

  Even to his own ears, he sounded like a Neanderthal, but every word was true. All that was male about him craved this. He wanted to be everything to her, the only one to take care of her in every possible way, the only one she would ever want or need.

  Searching his face, Syssi smiled a little, probably thinking he was only teasing. But as she looked into his eyes, sensing the kind of animal she was trapped by, her smile faltered.

  With his palm closing gently around the back of her neck, he held her gaze as he drew closer to her mouth, slowly, deliberately, prolonging her breathless anticipation until she was panting with it.

  Abruptly, he tightened his grip on her nape and closed the remaining distance between them, striking her soft lips with an almost bruising ferocity.

  Syssi melted into the kiss, pressing herself against him, surrendering to his invading and probing tongue, flicking it and sucking it in.

  So damn good.

  As he withdrew, breathless, she followed, licking his lips and pressing her own little tongue into his mouth.

  Reluctantly, he refused her entry.

  By now, his fangs had fully descended, following the rest of his body in preparation for what it assumed was coming.

  He couldn’t allow her to find out that he wasn’t who or rather what she thought he was. Not yet, anyway.

  Entangling his fingers in her hair, he pulled her head back and nipped her bottom lip in warning, then licked it to soothe the small pain away.

  “No, sweet girl, I can’t have you do that. I need to be in charge when we are together like that.” He tried to mask the implied command with gentle words and a soothing tone, then kissed her again, softly, tenderly—teasing, testing her compliance.