Dark Dream’s Temptation (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series Book 26)

by I. T. Lucas

  “Are you going to charge the girls rent?”

  Julian chuckled. “Of course not. Once they have jobs that can pay rent, they should graduate into full independence.”

  “So how are you going to get a mortgage? The loan officer will want to see where the monthly payments will come from.”

  And he was raking his fingers through his hair again.

  Apparently it was a nervous tick.

  “I’m sure the rules are different for a charity.” He shook his head. “I’m so out of my element with this. Kian should dump this task on someone who knows a thing or two about running charities.”

  Not pretending to be a know-it-all was another point in Julian’s favor. She liked that he had no problem admitting being lost and confused. It made him seem a bit more human.

  Well, the term human didn’t apply. Fallible was better.

  Ella scrunched her nose. “Have you ever heard of GoFundMe?”

  “No, what is it?”

  “It’s a fundraising platform. When my teacher’s house burned down, the school organized a fundraiser, and they collected a lot of money to help her out. I think a lot of people will donate to an important cause like this.”

  Magnus frowned. “But that’s small money. How much would people give? Five bucks?”

  “Some will give five, and some will give more, but this can reach millions of people around the globe. I think it would be awesome if a project like this was to be financed by regular people and not some deep-pocketed donors.”

  “A double-whammy,” Julian said. “Raising money and awareness at the same time.”

  As a plan started forming in Ella’s head, tingles of excitement rushed up her spine. “We can make a video of a girl telling her personal horror story. We won’t show her face, of course, only a silhouette, and we can even change her voice in the recording. But think what a powerful motivator it would be. I can already imagine the money pouring in.”

  “You can make several videos,” Vivian suggested. “You can even create a fundraiser for each girl featured. It’s much more powerful when people see and listen to the person they are helping out.”

  Ella’s excitement was growing by the minute. There were so many possibilities to explore, and the beauty of it was that it was so simple she could do it all on her own.

  Not only would she be helping girls who’d gone through hell and deserved every bit of support possible, but she would be repaying the clan for what they had done for her and her family.

  “I can shoot videos with the camera on my phone. And I can also post them on YouTube. This can be huge.”

  Julian shook his head. “I think we should get a professional camera crew to do that. Brandon can help with that.”

  “Your uncle in Hollywood?” Vivian asked.

  “Well, he’s not really my uncle, more like a distant cousin, but he is a clan member. He’s the one responsible for spreading our message to the world.”

  Ella frowned. “What message? Vampire and shapeshifter movies?”

  Julian chuckled. “Not exclusively. I’m talking about the message of freedom from oppression, equal opportunity, and quality of life for everyone. In order to strive for something better, people need to first know that it exists. For example, a female starship captain in a sci-fi movie demonstrates that women can hold the highest military positions. After seeing enough movies like that, people wouldn’t think twice about nominating a woman for a position that was previously thought of as exclusively male. Like the chief of police.”

  Ella crossed her arms over her chest. “We’re not there yet, but I get what you’re trying to say. I’m just wondering what is the best way to showcase our girls without causing them too much grief. I know how hard it is to talk about that stuff.”

  Crap, she shouldn’t have said that. Suddenly, the mood around the dinner table switched from enthusiastic to sorrowful, with everyone but her looking into their coffee cups.

  That wouldn’t do.

  “Don’t look so glum, people.” Ella lifted her cup and took a sip. “I think this is going to be a very uplifting experience for the girls. The humanity that has turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to their suffering is going to rise up to support them. Personally, I like the idea of millions of individuals acknowledging their silent part in the crimes committed against those girls and trying to buy redemption with their contributions.”

  14

  Kian

  “I know one way that is sure to help me relax,” Kian said as they left Merlin’s house. “You can come work with me. We will take breaks every couple of hours to make out.” He pulled her close against his side. “It’s a double whammy. I’ll be less stressed, and because we will be having so much sex, we’ll have a baby on the way in no time.”

  It had been fun having her with him in the office. The problem was that neither had managed to get much work done. That was why Syssi had decided to work for Amanda instead.

  “Sounds lovely. But we are already making love several times a day, and you know what happened the last time we tried to work together.” She chuckled. “All we did was fool around. I don’t want to be responsible for single-handedly ruining the clan’s business empire.”

  He leaned to kiss the top of her head. “But we weren’t trying to make a baby back then. This would be fooling around with a purpose.”

  Syssi lifted her eyes to him. “You aren’t serious, are you?”

  “I kind of am. You have a calming effect on me, and I know that having you around would help me relax. But I also know that this is wishful thinking on my part. You love what you do at the university lab, and office work can’t compete with that.”

  With a sigh, Syssi leaned her head on his chest. “Life is full of compromises, my love.”

  And wasn’t that the truth. At first, right after Syssi had gone back to the lab, they’d been meeting for lunch at Gino’s, which was more or less midway between the university and the keep. But pretty soon it became clear that he couldn’t take an hour and a half break from his work day, and the daily lunches turned into once a week lunches. After the move to the village, it was more like once a month. They still called each other several times a day, but hearing Syssi’s voice over the phone didn’t have the same calming effect as having her near him.

  He wondered whether the effect was caused by something chemical or was it all in his head? It was a question he might have an answer for pretty soon.

  “Did I ever tell you about the virtual reality startup I invested in a while back?”

  “I don’t think so. Is it a new gaming platform?”

  He chuckled. “In a way. In crude terms it’s a platform for virtual hookups. People fill out a very extensive questionnaire, listing their ideal partner’s attributes and creating a fantasy that they would like to enact. After the software pairs them with the best match in the company’s database, a virtual meeting is arranged. Each of the partners is hooked up to a machine, which can be on different continents or in the next room for all they know, and they get to experience a fantasy in cyber world that feels as authentic as any real one.”

  “Sounds fascinating. Is it up and running already?”

  “Not yet. They got stuck with a problem they couldn’t solve. I didn’t want to lose my investment money, so I sent William to help them with the code. With him on board, I believe they will be ready to start beta-testing soon.”

  Syssi cast him a seductive smile. “Can we take part in that testing? I can think of several interesting adventures for us to try out.” She batted her eyelashes and lowered her voice. “You know I have a wild imagination.”

  Minx.

  He cocked a brow. “Am I not fulfilling all of your sexual fantasies?”

  “I meant we should test it together. A joint fantasy. You can be a pirate captain who kidnapped me and is holding me captive, or even better, a space pirate. Or I can be a rich lady on some distant planet who buys you on the slave market and orders you to pleasure her. I’m sure you ca
n see the possibilities.”

  He’d meant it as a tease, but his imagination hadn’t gone that far. Since time moved differently in the virtual world, and a week of experiences could be crammed into a three-hour session, his original idea had been to spend a cyber vacation with Syssi and see if it had the same calming effect on him as being with her physically.

  But whatever the scenario, he was going to wait until the beta-testing was done and all the glitches were cleared. Syssi’s brain was too dear to him to risk on an experiment.

  “We can try it when the company is officially open for business.”

  “How long until then?”

  “It depends on William and on funding. Their original estimated budget was depleted a long time ago. I kept pouring money into it because I believed it was going to be a huge success, but at some point I had to say enough was enough. Now they have no choice but to scrabble for more investors.”

  “Is it because of the financial squeeze the clan is in?”

  “In part. But if that were the only obstacle, I would have sold another company to keep financing the development. The main problem is that the service is going to be expensive. Not only because of the enormous initial investment, but because it’s costly to operate. This means that only the wealthy would be able to afford it, and that’s a limited market.”

  “Hmm.” Syssi didn’t continue, and for a long moment, they walked in silence.

  “Does the clan have a controlling interest in it?”

  “The founders were not willing to give it up. We have thirty-four percent, and the founders retain sixty-six. Any additional funds they need will be in the form of a loan and not shares.”

  Syssi stopped and turned to face him. “If the founders are struggling financially, they might reconsider, especially if you promise them creative freedom or whatever else they are afraid to lose.”

  “They might. But as I said, that’s not the only problem. I’m not sure how profitable they will be, and if it’s smart for us to keep pouring funds into what seems to be a money pit.”

  “I have a good feeling about it.”

  He put his hands on her waist and pulled her closer. “Is it because you’re impatient to experience it? I can pretend to be a pirate right now.” He waggled his brows. “I’ll throw you over my shoulder and take you somewhere I can ravish you. Harrr…”

  Laughing, she slapped his chest. “No, silly. Well, yes, that too. But mainly because I have a feeling about it.” She lowered her eyes. “Remember Starship Enterprise’s holodeck?”

  “What about it?”

  Star Trek, the old one and the new generation, had been two of the few television series he’d watched. His current guilty pleasure was Game of Thrones.

  “I kept fantasizing about it. It was a way to experience things I was terrified to do in real life, like skydiving or mountain climbing, or even an open-Jeep safari.”

  “And sexy pirates?”

  “Yeah, that too. But anyway, I would’ve loved a service like that. I’m sure there are many people like me, men and women, who would love to have a unique experience at least once. A special occasion kind of thing.”

  “Like a couple’s twentieth anniversary.”

  “Exactly. A way to be young again in a dream world, or rather cyber world. And since everyone is so busy, and time is the most precious commodity, a cyber vacation, even a costly one, might seem like a very attractive alternative to a real one.”

  “Okay, I understand why you think the company will succeed. But why should I go after a controlling interest?”

  “Because a technology like that is a breakthrough, and I believe we should be in a position to defend it and to expand it. Besides, when all the bugs are fixed, we can get a machine or two for the clan’s use.”

  Kian laughed. “It might work for the females, but not the males. Mental biting would not release the pressure from the venom glands.”

  In addition, because of their unique situation, there was a possibility of being paired with a cousin. Even though it was only virtual, the idea was so abhorrent to them that it would be enough to deter clan members from trying it out. Then again, if they had control over the database, they could ensure that no clan members were paired.

  “You don’t know that for a fact. It might. If men can ejaculate while dreaming, why not this?”

  “Because most men do not, at least not after puberty. But I guess we will find out when we try it.”

  “You keep calling the startup ‘it.’ Don’t they have a name for the company?”

  Kian grimaced. “For now it’s called Dream Encounters, but it’s only a working title, and I don’t like it. It sounds like an advertisement for mattresses.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. That’s a sucky name. How about Perfect Match? After all, they are promising to pair people with the best possible partners.”

  “That sounds like a matchmaking service.”

  “It does. But in a way it is. People can go on virtual dates, and if they enjoy it, they can request a real life meeting.”

  Kian chuckled. “I doubt it’s a good idea. Imagine finding out that the handsome dude from the fantasy is a middle-aged bald guy with a potbelly. Or that the beautiful young woman who was a tigress in bed is a seventy-year-old grandmother.”

  Syssi nodded. “That is true. Although it’s kind of sad. In their minds they are young and beautiful. But then that’s the beauty of a service like that. The mind is free from the body’s constraints. The possibilities are endless, and the benefits can be tremendous for people with mobility and other issues. Besides, they can always deny the request for a meeting.”

  Syssi’s enthusiasm was contagious.

  Kian wasn’t as imaginative as her and therefore hadn’t considered all the possibilities. In addition to generating profits, a service like this could improve people’s lives, which fell under the overriding umbrella of new technologies the clan wanted to encourage.

  “I’ll suggest it to the founders when I meet with them.”

  Kian seldom met with the heads of enterprises he either purchased or invested in. But since this was important to Syssi, and the company was faltering, his personal involvement was needed. He was going to make sure it succeeded.

  “And the name too,” she added.

  “Perfect Match. It has a nice sound to it. It’s definitely less cheesy than the Perfect Hookup, although that would be more truthful.”

  “Don’t worry. People will get it.” She smiled and put her hands on his chest. “Even though I’ve already found my perfect match, I can’t wait to try out a virtual adventure with you.”

  “You don’t have to.” He lifted her up, threw her over his shoulder, and smacked her bottom. “Off to my cabin, lassie. Harrr....”

  15

  Ella

  Long after Julian had left, Ella was still thinking about him. When dinner was over he hadn’t gone home right away, but had stayed to play computer games with Parker.

  She’d enjoyed listening to them together, shouting, laughing, poking fun at each other, and teasing like a couple of old friends. Julian had a gift for putting people at ease. He hadn’t acted below his age just so Parker would like him. It seemed that he’d been genuinely having fun with a kid half his age.

  No wonder Parker liked him so much.

  Heck, everyone did, and that included her.

  The problem was that right now all Ella could offer Julian was her friendship, while it was quite obvious that he wanted more.

  He’d done an admirable job trying to hide his attraction to her, but she’d caught the quick glances he was stealing when he’d thought she hadn’t been looking.

  It was kind of sweet.

  And if Ella were okay in the head, she would have signaled him that she was interested. But she wasn’t okay, not by a long shot, and if Julian wanted her, he would have to wait for time to heal her wounds.

  When there was a knock on the door, Ella’s heart skipped a bit, thinking that Julian had
come back, but when she opened the door, she found Okidu’s twin brother standing on her doorsteps with a mannequin grin spread over his face and a Saks shopping bag in his hand.

  “Good evening, Mademoiselle.” He dipped his head and lifted the bag. “Compliments of Mistress Amanda, who sends her best regards along with these items.”

  “Thank you.” Ella took the bag. “And thank Mistress Amanda for me.”

  It was awkward to say mistress, but Ella was afraid the butler would feel scandalized if she just called his mistress by her name.

  “I shall.” He bowed. “Good night, Mademoiselle.” He turned on his heel and walked down the steps.

  “Who was it?” Vivian asked.

  “Amanda’s butler. Or at least I think that’s who he is. He looks like Okidu’s twin.”

  “That’s Onidu, and he is indeed Amanda’s butler.” Her mother pointed at the bag. “What’s in it?”

  Reaching inside, Ella pulled out a short, dark wig. “Oh, how cool. It’s just like her hairdo.” She pulled it on her head, tucking her braid under the back. “How do I look?”

  Her mom shook her head and grimaced. “Go take a look. If I say something, you’re not going to believe me anyway.”

  Ella peeked into the bag to see what other goodies Amanda had sent. “There is also a ginger-colored wig. I’m going to try both.” She glanced at her mother. “Do you want to come with me to my room?”

  That brought a smile to Vivian’s lips. It wasn’t an invitation Ella extended often. After letting her mom tuck her in for the first two days, she’d gone back to her usual ‘my room is my castle’ attitude.

  Standing in front of the vanity mirror, Ella had to agree with Vivian that black wasn’t her color. She was too pale to pull it off without putting on a darker foundation, and she had no intention of doing that.

  “Try the red. It should suit you better,” Vivian suggested.

  “Yeah. I like the short style, but I don’t like the color.” Ella took the black wig off and pulled on the red.