Dark Overlord’s Clan (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Series Book 40) Read online

  Dark Overlord’s Clan

  The Children Of The Gods Book 40

  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

  PERFECT MATCH

  Perfect Match 1: Vampire’s Consort

  Perfect Match 2: King’s Chosen

  Perfect Match 3: Captain’s Conquest

  SETS

  The Children of the Gods books 1-3: Dark Stranger trilogy—Includes a bonus short story: The Fates take a Vacation

  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 © 2020 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 Overlord’s Clan 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. Kalugal

  2. Jacki

  3. Kian

  4. Syssi

  5. Simmons

  6. Wendy

  7. Vlad

  8. Kian

  9. Kalugal

  10. Jacki

  11. Kalugal

  12. Jacki

  13. Kalugal

  14. Simmons

  15. Kian

  16. Jacki

  17. Kian

  18. Kalugal

  19. Jacki

  20. Kian

  21. Kalugal

  22. Kian

  23. Kalugal

  24. Jacki

  25. Syssi

  26. Kian

  27. Jacki

  28. Kalugal

  29. Kian

  30. Kalugal

  31. Jin

  32. Kian

  33. Kalugal

  34. Jin

  35. Kian

  36. Kalugal

  37. Jin

  38. Jacki

  39. Vlad

  40. Wendy

  41. Jin

  42. Jacki

  43. Kalugal

  44. Jacki

  45. Kalugal

  46. Jacki

  47. Kalugal

  48. Jacki

  49. Kian

  50. Kalugal

  51. Jacki

  52. Wendy

  53. Vlad

  54. Wendy

  55. Vlad

  56. Wendy

  57. Vlad

  58. Kalugal

  59. Kian

  60. Jacki

  61. Kalugal

  62. Wendy

  63. Vlad

  64. Jacki

  65. Kalugal

  66. Jacki

  67. Kalugal

  68. Jacki

  69. Vlad

  70. Wendy

  71. Vlad

  72. Kalugal

  73. Jacki

  74. Kalugal

  75. Jacki

  76. Kalugal

  77. Kian

  78. Kalugal

  79. Jacki

  80. Kalugal

  The Children of the Gods Series

  The Perfect Match Series

  FOR EXCLUSIVE PEEKS

  1

  Kalugal

  Kalugal opened his eyes and glanced at the brightening sky through the bedroom's open window. The rising sun was painting the dark blue canvas with pink and orange hues, blending them into soft peaches and purples. The sight was magnificent to behold, but its beauty paled in comparison to the one sleeping peacefully next to him.

  Jacki.

  His mate.

  His love.

  His life.

  With her arm draped over his middle, her leg thrown over his thighs, and her nose buried in the crook of his neck, Jacki had claimed him as hers, and he couldn't be happier about it.

  His heart overflowing with gratitude and love, Kalugal caressed her back and leaned to kiss her forehead.

  Precious.

  He hadn't expected the connection to be so strong. Love had always seemed like a soft emotion to him, but the power of that softness was nearly overwhelming.

  The metaphysical sphere that contained who he was had grown, and Jacki had become an integral part of it. Kalugal's self-definition had changed. He was no longer an individual but a part of a greater whole.

  Except, he hadn't lost any of himself in the process. He'd gained a new dimension of feeling, of thinking, of being.

  Was that how his mother felt about his father?

  No wonder Areana stayed with Navuh. She loved him despite who he was and what he did. Perhaps she didn't know the full extent of his evil deeds, but she must be aware of at least some of it. If what Areana felt toward his father was as strong as what Kalugal was feeling towards Jacki, then leaving Navuh was simply impossible.

&nb
sp; Was that the powerful bond between immortal mates that Kian and Amanda had been talking about?

  But how could it have already formed? Jacki was still human, and it wasn't supposed to happen so fast.

  Or was it just the beginning, and the bond hadn't even reached its full strength yet?

  How much stronger could it possibly get?

  Already, Kalugal couldn't fathom one hour without Jacki, let alone his life without her.

  Leaning, he nuzzled her lush hair and inhaled deeply. Her scent was intoxicating, and it wasn't the perfume he'd bought for her or the shampoo she used, it was just her.

  His woman.

  With a sigh, Kalugal kissed the top of Jacki's head and contemplated the best way to sneak out of bed without waking her up.

  As much as he would have loved to stay and just hold her, duty called. His mother should hear the good news about his upcoming wedding from him and not from Annani, which meant that he had to beat his aunt to it.

  The discovery of his real heritage still made Kalugal's head spin.

  Not only was he the son of a goddess, but he was also the nephew of the formidable head of the clan. Annani and Areana were only half-sisters, but since they were the last goddesses on the planet, the half was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

  Jacki kept referring to him as a demigod, but despite Kalugal's natural arrogance, he hadn't internalized it yet. In his mind, he'd always been and still was the second most powerful immortal ever born, and he was good with that.

  Demigod seemed like too much.

  He didn't deserve the title, at least not yet. Perhaps when he took over control of the entire world, he would be more comfortable with it.

  Carefully untangling himself from Jacki's arms and legs, Kalugal slid out of bed and took his phone with him to the bathroom.

  Regrettably, Tuesday wasn't his turn for Areana's daily call, but he hoped that given the occasion, Annani would allow him to switch days with her. The problem was that he couldn't contact the goddess directly and had to arrange it through Kian.

  It was six-fifteen in the morning, and hopefully, his cousin was up already. The guy was grumpy even when fully rested. If Kalugal woke him up, Kian might refuse to arrange the call.

  Making as little noise as possible, he finished up in the bathroom and then ducked into the walk-in closet for a robe.

  After quietly closing the door between the bedroom and the master sitting room, Kalugal loaded the coffeemaker, sat on the couch, and typed up a text to Kian.

  Good morning. My apologies for the early text. I wish to share the happy news about my upcoming wedding with my mother, and I was wondering whether Annani would be willing to switch days with me. Please let me know if that can be arranged.

  Long minutes passed as Kalugal waited for Kian to answer, but the time wasn't wasted. The coffee had finished brewing, and when Kian's return text finally arrived, Kalugal was sipping on his second cup.

  No problem. Annani sends her congratulations and regrets not officiating over your wedding. When Areana's call comes in, I'll have William patch it through to you.

  Kalugal typed back. Thank you. And thank the goddess for me.

  A quick glance at the time revealed that it was six-thirty. Areana's daily call came at precisely seven every morning, which meant that he had half an hour to plan how he was going to condense everything he wanted to tell his mother into a ten-minute conversation.

  Except, Kalugal's thoughts kept wandering in other directions.

  He was practically already mated to Jacki, and by tonight it would be official, but he still hadn't shared his plans and aspirations with her.

  Kalugal feared that she would find them objectionable.

  It wasn't necessary to have that conversation today, but eventually he wanted to share everything with Jacki, even things that he wasn't sure would ever come to fruition.

  Right now, Kalugal's world domination ideas seemed far removed from him, and if he didn't believe wholeheartedly that his rule would improve the lives of billions and secure the future of humans and immortals alike, he would have shrugged it off.

  Why shoulder such a monumental undertaking?

  Let someone else save the world.

  Except, there was no one else.

  Annani and Kian's hearts were in the right place, but they were going about it the wrong way. They believed in gentle nudges, supplying ideology and technology and hoping that humans would take it from there.

  But that was not going to happen, or rather not happen soon enough. Humanity would destroy itself in one way or another long before it reached enlightenment, and it would take immortals down with it.

  He'd thought that he had more time, but things were moving faster than he'd anticipated.

  Technology was a double-edged sword.

  In the right hands it was a blessing, but the problem was that it didn't discriminate, serving both benevolent and malevolent masters equally well.

  When his phone rang, Kalugal shook himself out of his morbid reveries and planted a smile on his face. He wanted his mother to hear how happy he was, and that required his expression to match the sentiment.

  "I'm patching you through," William said.

  A moment later, Areana came on the line. "Kalugal? Is everything all right?"

  "Hello, Mother. I have exciting news that I want to share with you. I'm getting married tonight."

  Areana gasped. "Are you doing it to secure the alliance? Who is the bride? Someone important in Annani's clan? One of her daughters, perhaps?"

  His mother sounded so hopeful and excited.

  He should have expected that. Naturally, Areana thought that the rushed wedding had something to do with the summit. The truth was that if Annani had unmated daughters, that would have been a good move despite them being cousins. In that, Areana and Annani being only half-sisters was beneficial, and marriage between their children wasn't genetically problematic.

  On the contrary, a child born to him and Annani's daughter would be extremely powerful. But Kalugal had met Jacki first, and she was the one for him.

  Leaning back, he crossed his legs and smiled. "Jacqueline is not part of the clan, and at the moment, she is still human. But not for long."

  "She is a Dormant?"

  "Indeed. She is also an immune, which means that I can't compel her or thrall her or influence her mind in any way. I can just love and cherish her and hope that's enough."

  Areana laughed, the otherworldly sound sending goosebumps up his arms. "I can see the appeal. She is a challenge."

  "In more ways than one. She is also smart, direct, beautiful, and the least demanding female I've ever encountered."

  Except when it came to commitment, but Kalugal didn't want to share that with his mother, lest she think that Jacki had manipulated him to marry her.

  Jacki didn't want his money, and she wasn't interested in a cushy life as a rich man's wife either. She wanted to earn her keep, and she was willing to work hard for it.

  The one thing she refused to compromise on was his soul. Jacki demanded his love, devotion, and loyalty.

  Others though, and that included his mother, might think that she was after his money, or after the immortality he could give her, and that she'd maneuvered him into marrying her.

  The opposite was true.

  His soul might be priceless, but it wasn't an asset Jacki could or would ever sell, and in exchange, she'd given him hers.

  In Kalugal's opinion, the bargain was skewed in his favor.

  He was getting much more than he was giving away.

  2

  Jacki

  As the cobwebs of sleep dissipated, the first thing that Jacki became aware of was the muscular chest her nose was pressed against, and the second was the steady heartbeat within it.

  Kalugal.

  Her fiancé, the love of her life, her first and last lover.

  Or was he her husband now?

  They’d already exchanged pledges last night, had co
nsummated those pledges with mind-blowing lovemaking, and tonight they were going to make it official.

  Jacki was a virgin no more, and as far as she was concerned, waiting for the right man had been one of the best decisions she’d ever made. The other one had been ditching the government program despite the fabulous salary.

  Both had brought her to where she was now. In bed with the best man on the planet.

  Not a man, a demigod.

  Were they now Mr. and Mrs. Demigod?

  With a soft chuckle, Jacki threw her arm around Kalugal and pulled him on top of her.

  Naturally, he helped. “Good morning, my love.” He dipped his head and kissed her. “Did you sleep well?”

  “Best night of my life.” She ran her hands over his muscled back. “You’ve been keeping secrets from me.”

  He cocked a brow. “Like what?”

  “Like the fabulous physique that you were hiding under those cashmere sweaters and suit jackets. The entire time I’ve been here, I haven’t seen you working out even once, and yet there isn’t an ounce of fat on you, and every muscle is defined as if it was sculpted by an artist.” Jacki pretended to narrow her eyes at him. “Were you sneaking out to the gym in the middle of the night?”