Dark Haven Illusion (The Children Of The Gods Paranormal Romance Book 47) Read online

  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

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  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.