He readied the spear. Just need Lucy to come closer...
Cocky as he was, Lucifer took the bait. Twirling his sword, he did it: he closed the distance. As he raised the weapon, preparing to swing, William rotated to his back, met his ex-brother’s gaze and grinned.
The bastard paled, because he knew. It was too late.
Lucifer screamed as William shoved the spear up, up through his groin and torso, the tip coming out through his throat.
Panting, sweating from exertion, William maintained a tight hold on the base of the spear. He felt no joy—yet. Lucifer couldn’t escape and wouldn’t want to try, any movement increasing his pain a thousandfold, but still he lived. No death, no celebration. Only sadness?
He frowned. Sadness? Because he mourned what could have been? An unbreakable bond. Friendship. Trust. Exactly what he would have with Axel; he was determined.
“Do not render a death blow,” Hades bellowed at William. “Somehow, he’s made himself deathless, like a Phoenix. If you slay him, he’ll only reanimate stronger. I know this beyond any doubt, because I’ve killed him a dozen times.”
More secrets Hades had kept. William seethed.
“We’ll leave the piece of shit on the spear, locked in the dungeon, then surround him with mystical blocks. Just until we figure out a more permanent solution.”
And Lilith? What would he do about her?
His gaze roamed over the throne room, but he found no sign of her. Had she run off during the fight? Probably, but so what? William had no desire to go after her. The woman had tormented him for centuries, yes, but she’d also ensured he met Sunny. For that alone, he would forgive her every crime.
“Take a bow!” Anya called.
“I did it!” Keeley shouted. “I won for us!”
Gripping the end of the spear, he lifted Lucifer above his head and executed a perfect bow. The crowd cheered wildly as blood trickled from the corners of Lucifer’s mouth.
“The Sent Ones thank you, William,” Axel said, his brethren bowing their heads in a show of respect.
“I’m so proud of you!” A grinning Gillian jumped up and clapped.
Like the Sent Ones, the kings of Hell bowed their heads.
Sunny, the one he cared about most, watched him, her red eyes unsure.
Unsure? Why? He handed the spear to Axel and flashed over to nuzzle her snout and pet her hair. The more he petted her, the more she glowed. Fur and hooves disappeared. She began to shrink, and soon his perfect ray of sunshine stood before him, a golden ring remaining on her forehead, brighter than before. That glow wouldn’t go away, would it? From now on, he would be able to draw forth the horn with or without her approval.
Wait. She was naked. “Turn around or die!” he shouted at the others.
Of course, no one obeyed. Rathbone tossed him an extralarge T-shirt. A shirt saturated with the king’s scent. William gritted his teeth.
After he’d maneuvered Sunny’s arms through the appropriate slots, he drew her close. She melted against him, their bodies seeming to fuse together.
He kissed the glowing ring and told her, “I love you, Sunny. I love you so damn much. If you leave me again...never leave me again.”
“I love you, too. And I never wanted to leave. I only wanted to protect you.” She rubbed two fingers around the light. “You see it now. You’ll always see it, so you’ll always know where to cut, if ever you wish to remove my horn.”
He kissed the bright ring again, the rest of the world fading from his awareness. “Darling, I’ve seen the faint outline from the beginning. It’s one of the reasons I guessed what you were.”
“You did? Truly?”
“Truly.”
Her eyes widened. “Then the Wrathlings must have used Fae or unicorn as one of your DNA components. Or both!”
“If I’m part unicorn, I guess that makes me your new king.” He might not ever know what all he was made of, but he didn’t care anymore. He was what he was—Sunny’s man, Axel’s brother. Hades’s son?
“Actually, that makes me your queen, a much more exalted position” she said with a toothy grin. “But I wonder if you’re the king of other species, too, making me their queen, too, of course. We’ve got to find out! More kingdoms, more places for our animals to live. Congrats! We’re having a menagerie! And sage! I wish you’d told me you saw an outline of the horn. I might have shown you my unicorn self sooner.”
Please. He knew his unicorn. “You would have run for the hills, love.”
She shrugged. “Yeah. Probably.”
They shared a happy smile, until her amusement fled. Pupils enlarged, she stepped away from him, severing contact. Roses bloomed in her cheeks.
“What’s wrong, sundae?” he asked, confused and concerned. Everyone else stared at him in the same way. And why the hell was the upper part of his scalp burning...burning, hotter and hotter?
“Fetch a mirror,” Sunny commanded anyone and everyone.
Someone obeyed. Footsteps. Silence. Everyone continued to stare at him, and he scowled. More footsteps. Sunny shoved a handheld mirror in his direction, and he clasped the handle. In the glass, his reflection revealed...
What the hell? He saw a crown. A crown had appeared atop his head, made of brimstone and bone. All around it, different-size spikes stuck out, creating a buck-like horn effect.
To his shock, Hades was the first to bow. The others quickly followed suit. Actually, everyone but Sunny followed suit. She remained at his side, her head high.
“How?” he demanded of Hades.
Hades’s voice filled his head. —The legends you’ve heard about needing to find a crown are false. In actuality, the kings of Hell choose who rules at their sides. The moment we are in accord, a coronation occurs. If you wish to reject this honor, you have only to destroy the crown.—
So, Lucifer’s crown had not been hidden but destroyed. Mind reeling. Anger and hurt rising. The hidden crown was another childhood lie on Hades’s part, and the death blow to their relationship. “You and I are finished. Done.” Bitterness coated his words. Ignore the sadness in the undertone. “I want nothing more to do with you. Yet you want me, your fated killer, ruling at your side?” Now the bitterness escaped on a laugh, an-n-nd, yes, there was still an undertone of sadness. Damn it!
Hades raised his chin, eyes narrowing, upper and lower lashes fusing. He demonstrated no guilt, no remorse of any kind. “I did what I thought was necessary to survive. I didn’t know I would grow to love you.”
Fury shoved his next words out of his mouth at warp speed. “If you loved me, you would never have kept me from Axel. You would have saved Axel, too.”
“I did save Axel. I gave him to the Sent Ones. And I kept the two of you apart, not just to survive, but to keep you in my life.” His chin dipped ever so slightly, as if...as if... No. As if he did feel guilty. But Hades never entertained guilt. Not for any reason. “I did not wish to give you up.”
“And yet you did give me up,” William snapped. “Since Axel’s arrival in Hell, you have avoided me.”
“Yes. I gave you time with him, without interference.”
“And your reaction over the medallion?”
Hades closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. “I knew you could use it against me. I would have given it back once we’d reached an understanding. I admit I handled things...poorly.”
As much of an apology as he’d ever given.
William gazed around the room, seeing the people he loved and protected. His pack. Could he hate his father for a life well lived? No. In the end, he announced, “I will not choose between you and Axel. If you insist I do, that is your choice, and your loss. Eject yourself from my life or not. I’ll carry on regardless, as I’ve proven.”
Hades peered at him, silent, for a long while. Ultimately, he offered a brusque nod.
Something inside W
illiam loosened, almost like a net splitting open to release a great weight. “I’m going home with my unicorn to celebrate our victory.”
“And my coronation.”
“And our upcoming marriage.”
“Marriage?” With a squeal of happiness she jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. “You want to marry me?” Her smile quickly faded. “What about the curse? The book—”
“The book was poisoning you, love. Every time you studied the symbols, you were hit with another dose of mystical poison, warping your mind against me. Without the book, you’ll only want to kill me when I’m withholding orgasms, just to hear you scream. Also, the word want is an understatement. I demand marriage. I’m a king, so I can do that now. But first, you get a spanking for leaving me.”
She laughed, the sound warming him. “Sure, but you get a spanking for being injured.”
“Deal.” He faced the crowd, catching smile after smile. “Everyone is invited to my home for the first annual Ball and Chain Celebration in an hour...no, three days...no, a week...no, two weeks. The spanking takes time.” Without another word, he flashed Sunny to their bedroom and tossed her on the bed.
As she bounced, her grin returned, those purple eyes sparkling brighter than ever. “Since I’m going to honor you with my hand in marriage and become your queen, you have to meet my list of demands. I expect a throne the same size as yours, and none of that ridiculous the queen gets a smaller one business. And I believe there should be a national pajama day. And—”
“Love, what you want, you get. Always. But National Pajama Day only happens if I get to pick your pj’s.”
“Are you saying my pj’s will be skin?”
“Oh, good.” He positioned his body above hers and rubbed the tips of their noses together. “You understood.”
She wound her arms around his neck, saying, “I understand that you’re stuck with me forever.”
“Forever isn’t long enough.” He kissed her then, letting himself get lost in all that was Sunny Lane, the love of his life. And what a life it would be, with her at his side.
Epilogue
First Annual Ball and Chain Celebration
Sunny perched upon William’s lap while he lounged in his new throne. Yes, her throne had been built next to his...a little bigger than the king’s. While his throne was made of what looked to be interlocking unicorn horns, hers was made of diamond sheets that reflected flecks of colored light. At their feet was a dog bed/throne for Dawn, who rested comfortably.
They watched their friends party in their new palace. Along with the crown, William had been gifted with the territory formerly owned by Lucifer. Sunny and her man had been working tirelessly to clean the place up. She’d even dubbed the land a safe zone for anyone seeking asylum from demons.
Life was good. William had burned his book, and they’d cheered as the pages turned to ash.
“You made this possible, love,” William said. “Is there anything you can’t do?”
“Yes. Lose.” As he laughed, she added, “Or find Sable.”
“She’s out there. My boys finally had a sighting. We’ll find her, I swear it.”
When William made a promise to Sunny, he kept it. So, she wouldn’t worry about her friend. “You know, we did this together, baby. I’m so thankful for our new pack.”
“As I am.” William stood, lifting Sunny. He set her on her feet, and led her to the dance floor he’d had installed.
He’d also had windows installed, so she’d always see the great outdoors. And he’d used magic to ensure rosebushes grew along the walls all year round.
As Sunny snuggled up to her man, she moved her gaze over their guests. Anya danced dirty with Lucien, and Puck danced extremely dirty with Gillian.
Sunny loved Gillian. The girl had sass.
Gideon and Scarlet stood off to the side, chatting with Amun and Haidee. Both females were heavily pregnant. Earlier Sunny had heard mention of a “mucus plug” and she’d wanted to cut off her ears.
Maddox and Ashlyn ushered their twins, Urban and Ever, along the buffet table, which boasted a nice selection of meats, cheeses and flower petals.
Reyes and Danika, Aeron and Olivia, Galen and Legion played darts with a poster of Lucifer acting as the bull’s-eye.
Paris and Sienna talked and laughed with Koldo and Nicola—well, with Nicola. Koldo maintained the same expression as always: homicidal.
Hades and Pandora walked a circle around the room, their heads bent together.
Father and son had been working to rebuild their relationship. As for Hades’s sort-of prophecy, Sunny figured she’d been right, that death hadn’t meant actual death but a new beginning.
With Lucifer impaled on the horn and locked in the dungeon, they were all getting a new beginning. And soon, they’d know how to kill him for good.
Sunny already had ideas. Somewhere out there was something known as the Morning Star. Oh, the things it could do.
She’d mentioned it to William and he’d told her the Lords of the Underworld had been searching for the Morning Star for a while. With the information she had, she suspected they’d find the Morning Star in no time.
Laughter drew her gaze to Strider and Kaia. They played on the gauntlet William had rigged. A real-life video game, he’d said. Sabin, Gwen, Bianca and Lysander played, too. Strider was winning, because Kaia kept taking out his competition.
Sunny grinned. William had the best friends. And now so did she!
Torin and Keeley were petting three new hellhounds brought by Baden and Katarina.
As soft music continued to float through the ballroom, Reyes and Danika, Kane and a pregnant Josephina, Zacharel and Annabelle, and Cameo and Lazarus all moved onto the dance floor. Then Bjorn and Fox did the same, so, of course, Thane and Elin did, too. Their buddy Xerxes watched from the sidelines.
William’s children—no, their children, since she was their stepmom and all—played poker and smoked cigars.
The trio had been out searching for Lilith, so William could apologize and thank her. No joke.
The only one missing from the celebration was Viola, the keeper of Narcissism. She’d been missing on and off for a while. William had expressed concern about where she was and what trouble she was causing, so Sunny had sent out her other unicorn pals to look. Her people were free again!
What an incredible life Sunny now lived. She traced her fingertip over the sun tattoo he’d inked into his chest in her honor—a sun for his Sunny.
To show her appreciation, she’d implemented No Shirt Mondays. And Tuesdays. And Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
“I saw you and Gillian talking earlier,” William remarked. “I’m glad you two are getting along.”
“She’s wonderful.” Gillian might be Sunny’s favorite visitor. There was no one more passionate than Gillian, who fought to help women and children stuck in abusive situations. “We’re planning ways to torture you, if ever you need something more than a spanking. Oh! Did you know she’s pregnant?”
“I did not, but I’m happy for her. And I’m pretty sure we’ll spawn our first brat next mating season.”
She smiled. “You think Axel is crushing on Evelina?” She watched as the Sent One moved off to the side to check his phone. He had a camera on the girl at all times.
“For sure. He hasn’t killed her as ordered, and not because he fears my wrath. Thankfully, now that Bjorn is dating Fox, no one should care who Axel ends up with.”
“Well, if anyone has a problem with it, they should fear your wrath. Everyone should. Well, except me.” All of the underworld knew if you messed with Sunny, you’d have to deal with William’s wrath...after you dealt with Sunny’s wrath. “You’re going to make an amazing king.”
“I know,” he said, and she grinned. More and more of his memories were returning.
When the song ended, they returned to the throne.
Hades approached and eased into the diamond one. “I found my magic mirror in Lucifer’s bedroom. The goddess has gone quiet, and won’t show me images. I think Lucifer did something to her, magically speaking, and I’d like you to siphon it, as you did for Axel.”
With William’s help, she’d aided Axel’s memory recovery. “Happy to,” she replied. “Once you’ve properly apologized to my fiancé.”
William grinned.
Hades compressed his lips into a thin line, but also nodded. Peering at William, he said, “I’m not the same male I was when you were a child. You helped change me. You were so damaged back then. You needed things I knew nothing about—kindness and understanding. We learned together. As you grew older, I feared I would lose you if ever Axel became part of your life. I feared you would remember the purpose of your creation, and you would try to do what you were programmed to do, and I’d have to do what I do best. Put a potential assassin down.”
“As if you could,” William said with a snort.
Now Hades’s lips twitched at the corners. “You aren’t wrong. You’ve become a strong man. A powerful king. I’m proud of you, and I’m sorry for my part in your pain.” He patted William’s hand and stood, then rejoined the party.
“Better?” she asked William.
“Much,” he said, squeezing her hip. “I still love him.”
“Well, he’s part of your pack. Our pack.” She rested her head on his broad shoulder, utterly content. Never in all her wildest dreams had she envisioned a life like this. So full, so exciting. So promising. “His actions, despicable as they were, played a part in bringing us together, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”
“I had the same thought about Lilith. How can I be upset, when you brighten my life, chasing away the darkness?”
She beamed at him. “We’re going to have an amazing future, baby.”
“The best.”
They shared a look, and that was all it took to rev her engine. “How would you feel about leaving—”
The Darkest King Page 38
