Dark Spy Conscripted
The Children of the Gods book 35
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
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
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Copyright © 2019 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 Spy Conscripted 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. Jin
3. Jin
4. Jin
5. Jin
6. Jin
7. Jin
8. Jin
9. Jin
10. Jin
11. Jin
12. Kian
13. Arwel
14. Jin
15. Mey
16. Arwel
17. Jin
18. Arwel
19. Jin
20. Mey
21. Kian
22. Jin
23. Arwel
24. Jin
25. Kian
26. Arwel
27. Kian
28. Jin
29. Arwel
30. Kian
31. Arwel
32. Jin
33. Mey
34. Jin
35. Kian
36. Jin
37. Arwel
38. Jin
39. Mey
40. Jin
41. Arwel
42. Kian
43. Kian
44. Arwel
45. Jin
46. Kian
47. Jin
48. Arwel
49. Jin
50. Arwel
51. Jin
52. Kian
53. Jin
54. Arwel
55. Jin
56. Kian
57. Arwel
58. Jin
59. Kian
60. Jin
61. Arwel
62. Jin
63. Arwel
64. Jin
65. Arwel
66. Jin
67. Arwel
68. Kian
69. Jin
70. Kian
71. Jin
72. Arwel
The Children of the Gods Series
The Perfect Match Series
FOR EXCLUSIVE PEEKS
1
Kalugal
Three years ago.
Kalugal stood in the backyard of his new mansion and watched the excavator dig into the ground. The bunker he planned on building was massive, much bigger than what he needed, but he had long-term plans that might or might not come to fruition before he was forced to move again.
Hopefully, it wasn’t going to be anytime soon.
He liked the area, and his ambitious plans required proximity to the startup center of the world.
“Are you going to stand here all day?” Rufsur sidled up to him. “I vote for taking another trip to Berkeley.”
Kalugal cast him an amused glance. “What’s wrong with the locals? Couldn’t find any hotties?”
Rufsur grimaced. “If I were into MILFs, there are plenty to choose from. But I like college girls.” He licked his lips. “Berkeley is like a buffet. Plenty of delicacies, and they come in all flavors.”
The analogy was apt, and Kalugal shared Rufsur’s preferences, but as with all things, he wasn’t satisfied with anything but the best. “I prefer Stanford girls.”
“That’s because you are a cheap bastard. You want to screw them and pick their brains at the same time.”
The guy was loyal to a fault, and Kalugal counted himself lucky for having him as his second-in-command, but he was also crass, and Kalugal liked more refined company. He had it in his other right-hand man, but Phinas was a dry stick and not much fun to be around.
With a shrug, Kalugal turned around and started walking. “I like intelligent women.”
Offended on behalf of his chosen female student body, Rufsur frowned. “It’s not easy to get into Berkeley. Those accepted are far from stupid.”
“Yeah, but Stanford girls are smart and driven. That’s more my type.”
“I wonder about you.” Rufsur clapped him on the back. “What do you do with the chicks you pick up, talk all night?”
Sometimes.
Kalugal appreciated the company of his men, and he considered the warriors who had stayed loyal to him over the decades as close friends. But he enjoyed female company more and not just for the sex.
“What I do or don’t do is none of your business.” He glanced at his watch. “I have an appointment in the city. Are you coming with me, or are you staying to supervise the work?” He walked out through the open gate.
His Lamborghini was parked on the street at
a safe distance from the dust surrounding the excavation site. In a fancy neighborhood like that, there was little chance anyone would try to steal it, even if the keys were left inside. His other luxury cars were stored in a warehouse he’d rented in an industrial park outside the city, and once the construction of the bunker was completed and the car lift installed, he was going to move them into their new home.
“I’ll come with you. I don’t like it when you go out alone.”
“You’re just paranoid. No one knows who I am, and I’m perfectly safe.”
Rufsur shrugged. “On the off chance that someone can see through your shrouds, I’d rather have your back. Who are you pretending to be this time?”
“A Chinese investor.”
“That’s new.”
As Kalugal got behind the wheel and turned the engine on, the powerful purr brought a smile to his lips.
“The oligarch disguise was getting old. Besides, technology attracts more Chinese investors than Russian.”
As a matter of policy, Kalugal never met with anyone without shrouding himself in one disguise or another. On the rare occasions that he’d encountered humans who were immune to his tricks, he hadn’t stayed for longer than had been absolutely necessary. Pretending to be an assistant with a message from the boss, he’d left as soon as possible.
Even the best of deals was not worth exposing his identity.
Even after the long decades that he had spent in New York, working the stock market and accumulating his wealth, none of those he’d harvested for insider information could pick him out of a lineup.
Besides his activities being illegal, Kalugal also had his father to worry about. There was no doubt in his mind that Navuh was still searching for him.
He didn’t hate his father, but he was smart enough to fear him.
At the time of his escape, Kalugal’s powers were not nearly as formidable as Navuh’s, and even though they had grown over the years, he doubted that they had reached his father’s level. The guy had an entire island under his compulsion, while Kalugal couldn’t even control all of his men at the same time.
Not that he’d tried it for any purpose other than testing his ability.
Whoever wanted to leave was free to do so, and some had chosen to do just that and had gone on to seek their own fortunes. Most had left at the beginning, when Kalugal had still been struggling to find his way in the new world. Some had left later, with his permission and his blessing.
Rather than having a large force that was a mixed bag, he preferred having a small group of men who were loyal to him out of their own free will.
Unlike his father, Kalugal didn’t want to rule with an iron fist, and he didn’t want to watch his back for fear of betrayal or assassination.
But just like Navuh, Kalugal had aspirations of one day ruling the world.
Except, his way of achieving that was not going to be by force, and his rise to power was not going to involve climbing over piles of bodies and sailing over rivers of blood.
The days of brute force were over, and the technological revolution had ushered in a new dawn, heralding the arrival of a different type of conqueror.
2
Jin
Two months ago
“Jin! Get your freaking phone!” Gabi yelled. “I hate that spooky seventies ringtone you assigned to your sister.” She slung the strap of her purse over her shoulder and left their dorm room in a huff.
Drama queen.
It was the theme song from Doctor Who, and for some reason, it freaked her roommate out. Not that Jin was going to change it just because Gabi didn’t like it. It had been her and Mey’s favorite television show when they were girls.
Heck, it still was. Whenever they had the chance, they would cuddle on the couch under a blanket and watch it while sipping cocoa, and on a hot day, they would just blast the air conditioner until it was cold enough to do that.
Except, ever since Mey had moved in with Oliver, they hadn’t done it. Jin didn’t like the guy, and she didn’t like going over to their place.
Pulling her earphones off, she leaned and snatched the phone off the charger. “I was wondering when you were going to call. Do you want to grab a cup of coffee? I’ve missed you.”
It had been a whole week since Mey had flown out for a photo shoot. She’d called almost every day, but now that she was back, Jin wanted to do more than just chat over the phone. Perhaps they could catch a movie.
“I’ve broken up with Oliver.” Mey sniffled. “The bastard cheated on me while I was gone.”
Jin sat up straight. “Where are you now?”
“I’m crashing at Tatiana’s. Actually, it’s more permanent than that. Two of her roommates are moving out later this month, and I’m going to share the apartment with her and Josephine. I left my place with just the things I had with me on the trip, but I’m going to get the rest of my stuff tomorrow when the jerk is at work.”
“How did you find out?”
“The moment I entered the bedroom, I smelled another woman all over the bedding. He tried to deny it, calling me a paranoid bitch, but I know what I smelled. You know how good I am at sniffing things out.”
Obviously, Tatiana was in the room, so Mey couldn’t talk about how she’d really found out about the bastard banging another woman in her bed, but Jin had no problem filling in the blanks.
Mey had heard the echoes of what had gone on in that bedroom while she’d been away.
Her sister’s ability to hear echoes left over in the walls was a secret only Jin was privy to, and the same was true of Jin’s special talent. No one other than Mey knew what Jin could do, which was even weirder than having the walls tell stories of past conversations.
They were the freak sisters.
Not only were they both six-foot-tall Asian females, which was enough to turn heads wherever they went, but they could also do those bizarre things that no one else could.
Poor Mey. Coming home and discovering what her boyfriend had done must have felt like a punch to the gut.
“What a colossal jerk.” Jin plopped back on the bed and draped an arm over her eyes. “Good riddance, that’s what I say.”
Once the initial shock had worn off, rage started building up in Jin’s gut, and it needed an outlet. She felt like hopping on the subway, going over to Mey’s old place, and beating the crap out of Oliver.
How could he have done that to her sweet, beautiful sister?
Mey was not only gorgeous, but she was also a wonderful person. She hadn’t demanded anything from the asshole other than fidelity, and he couldn’t give her even that.
Paying half of the rent on their apartment had been the extent of his contribution to their shared household. Mey had been doing all the cleaning and laundering, as if the maggot was some fucking prince.
Hopefully, Mitch wasn’t like that.
He and Jin had just started dating, and he seemed like a great guy, but she was going to keep a close eye on his behavior. If he showed even a tiny hint of Oliver’s entitled attitude, she was going to get rid of him so fast that he wouldn’t know what hit him.
“I know.” Mey sighed. “I keep telling myself that it’s for the best, and that it’s better I discovered it now, and not while I was married to the jerk. But it still hurts. I’m lying on the couch in Tatiana’s living room, feeling like I have a huge boulder sitting on my chest. I can’t breathe.”
“You don’t want him back, though, right?”
“Never. The hurt is not so much over the loss of the relationship. It’s the insult and the unfairness that gets me. How could he have done it to me? I was good to him.”
“Too good, that’s for sure.”
“I wonder if that woman he was banging is going to move in with him. I don’t want to ever touch any of my beautiful bedding again, but I’m not going to let them enjoy it either. When I go back for my things, I’m going to put on a pair of gloves, put all of it in a trash bag, and throw it out.”
“Don�
��t throw everything away. You can take the clean stuff from the closet.”
Mey wasn’t a big spender, but she had a thing for luxurious bedding. She must’ve spent a small fortune on it.
“God knows how many women he’s screwed when I was away on photo shoots. I bet this wasn’t the first time.”
“I don’t want to say anything in his defense, but it probably was. Otherwise, you would’ve known, right?”
Mey would have heard the echoes of any other times as well.
“Yeah. You’re probably right. Nevertheless, I don’t want to take anything other than my personal things. I’m going to donate everything else to charity, and that includes the furniture that I paid for.”
“I’ll come help you. But first, I’ll go there while Oliver is home and touch the bastard, so I can spy on him later. I’ll probably do that by punching him in the gut and slapping him silly. Then when we go to collect your things, I’ll tune in to him, so we can check where he is and what he’s doing. We don’t want him to catch us clearing out the place. Things might get ugly.”