by Addison Fox
“How can I know you’ll help her?”
“I will get her or else Hades will be mad with me for losing one of his favorites.”
Without waiting another moment, the little demon dived into the roiling river, swimming toward Ilsa in bold, sure strokes.
Kane watched, his pride a mass of bitter embers that curled into ash. He should be the one swimming to save Ilsa. And instead he sat in the boat.
Waiting.
The poison aimed to kill him through physical torture, but Kane would have taken the pain of infinitely more venom rather than have to stand one more minute waiting helplessly by as someone else did his job.
He was a Warrior.
And right now he felt like a helpless kitten.
The screams of the damned grew louder and louder as Charon swam for Ilsa’s bobbing form. Her arms thrashed and each time she fell beneath the water, a silent scream echoed through Kane’s head.
What if the little demon couldn’t reach her? What if he was too late?
The screams grew louder still, deafening in the dark cave that surrounded the river. The souls waiting their judgment screamed and chanted, almost as if they wanted Ilsa to drown.
Wanted her to pay for some great sin.
And then, in a moment of striking clarity, Kane understood what was happening.
The chanting wasn’t for Ilsa. It was for Robert and Alex. The souls on the riverbanks were passing their judgments, one harsher than the next, and they were all directed at the evil souls Ilsa carried inside of her.
Kane drew his first easy breath as Charon got a firm grip on Ilsa, dragging her through the choppy currents. She writhed and twisted in his grip, but the ferryboat captain clearly knew what to expect. He dodged her flailing arms as he pulled her toward the boat.
The screams intensified as they drew near, Ilsa’s wild-eyed stare and thrashing arms growing worse with each stroke of Charon’s arms.
As soon as the demon was in range of the boat, Kane reached out toward the boiling waters, grabbing at Ilsa to drag her into the boat, before helping Charon. Cradling Ilsa in his lap, it took all Kane’s strength to hold her still, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hold.
“Let me go! I have to hold them. I have to get them to Hades.”
Hold them?
Ilsa screamed and cried, her head turning and twisting. Pain rode her face in harsh, craggy waves.
For the first time in his life, Kane felt utterly and completely helpless.
Squeezing her tighter, ignoring the scalding water that soaked through his clothes, he crooned in her ear, “Shhh. Shhh, Ilsa. It’s okay. You’re safe.”
Turning toward the demon, Kane barked out instructions. “Charon, we need to get to shore. I need to lay her down.”
“I can’t, Warrior. I must take her to Hades.”
“Fuck that. We don’t have time. I need to find some way to calm her down. I can’t do that in this rocking boat. Over there. I see the shallows along the shore. Pull up there.”
Surprisingly, Charon refrained from further argument, rowing them in the direction of the shore. As soon as he saw shallow ground in the water, Kane leaped from the boat, Ilsa in his arms.
If it was odd when the souls crowding the shore parted for them, he paid it no heed. In his heightened state, Kane’s only thought was to get Ilsa on the ground and calm her down.
As he trudged the last few feet from the searing water, the heat soaking through his shoes and pant legs, the chanting ebbed, quieting abruptly. Ilsa’s thrashing ceased as well, her resistance to his hold clearly weakening.
Laying her on the firm ground of the Acheron’s bank, Kane leaned over her.
“Ilsa. Sweetheart. What’s wrong?”
Her head swung from side to side as her eyes darted wildly to his face, then to the souls gathered around them, then toward the domed roof of the tunnel that housed the river.
“Ilsa! I need you to listen to me.”
Still nothing.
The chanting had stopped altogether, and with it, Ilsa’s body stilled.
Kane sat back on his heels, desperate to figure out what was wrong with her. Anxious to find some way to calm the seizurelike state that gripped her.
Without warning, Ilsa’s entire body shook, her back coming up off the ground in an arching motion as a shriek tore from her throat.
As the scream flew from her vocal cords, a dark, opaque flash of breath followed from between her lips. The black flashes shaped into form a few feet away, immediately taking the outline of human bodies.
While the odd body-shaped outlines filled in, two men came to life before him. When the last bits of flesh filled out, Kane tried to process what he was looking at as scrawny arms and legs, concave chests and greasy hair stared down at him.
The scientists.
Robert and Alex stood for a moment in line with the other spirits that stood along the shore.
And then they ran.
Kane was on his feet and stumbling along the riverbank—over, around, through—and the horde of souls encamped there. There was no fucking way he was letting Robert and Alex go.
No way were they blending in with the mangled mass of humanity on the shore.
They didn’t deserve to escape their fate.
And Ilsa didn’t deserve to lose them.
She’d suffered too much—had come too far—to lose them now.
Kane ran, the heat rising off the river coating his body in a sheen of sweat as he kept an eye on the dynamic duo.
The only thing in his favor was the same crowd that made it difficult for him to get to the scientists kept them from getting too far ahead. The chants that had assaulted them in the boat while Charon rowed along the river grew louder and louder as the spirits passed judgment on Robert and Alex.
From the screams, Kane knew the verdict was bad, indeed.
His lungs burned with the exertion but still he kept on. As he ran, Kane tried to assess his enemies and gain a sense of their abilities.
His scorpion itched on his shoulder, that long tail sweeping back and forth in an impatient arc.
Did he dare let the animal out here, in the middle of all these bodies?
Was it even possible to hurt anyone in this realm?
Damn it, why hadn’t he paid a bit more attention on his visit to the Underworld all those years ago? His infernal Scorpio need to control everything had ensured much of the lesson was lost as he focused on ways to get back above-ground.
Robert shoved and pushed his way through the crowd of writhing bodies, Alex increasingly falling behind him. Although the crowd slowed Robert down, his sheer determination and whatever passed for adrenaline in the Underworld had clearly given him an advantage.
Kane had suspected all along Robert held the power in the duo’s partnership, and watching him push and shove his way through the bodies only reinforced that. What Kane hadn’t expected was Robert’s complete disregard for his friend.
Ignoring the aching screams of his muscles, Kane pushed harder, closing the gap by a few additional yards. What felt like endless miles of shoreline passed by as they navigated the stream of dead humanity.
Just . . . a few more . . . yards.
The poison slammed through his body, intent on destruction. He was winded, when normally the scenery flew by on a run. His muscles ached when they’d normally take the abuse and ask for more. And worst of all . . . air wheezed in and out of his lungs like an old man on oxygen.
Ignore. Ignore. Ignore. The word beat through Kane’s mind with each footfall.
Great, searing shoots of pain filled his muscles as he ran. While the poison didn’t literally have a voice, he could almost imagine it taunting him.
Die. Die. Die.
Pressing on, Kane couldn’t deny his body’s needs. Couldn’t fully ignore his lungs’ need for air.
A few more yards and he would be close enough to at least grab Alex.
Run.
Reach.
Push harder.
RunReachPush—
Without warning, Ilsa landed on top of Robert in a chaotic port, a round of cheers greeting her tackle. Alex screamed, his frail body crumpling in on itself as he slammed into the two of them.
Relief filled Kane at Ilsa’s seeming health and vitality, especially if her body was already able to port again. The sensation followed quickly on the heels of bone-shuddering anger.
This time, the scientists were his collar.
“Ilsa!” Kane ran the remaining distance that separated them, snagging a hand on the back of Alex’s shirt to lift him from where he sprawled next to Ilsa. His little goddess had already regained her feet, steely determination filling her movements as she struggled to keep her hold on Robert. For his part, the newly embodied scientist was doing his fucking level best to decimate Ilsa, his arms wrapped around her as he struggled to grab her neck.
Rage pumped through Kane. Great, galloping waves of it. Like a horror movie unfolding before his eyes, Ilsa struggled against Robert as he attempted to subdue her.
He watched her gasp for breath, still weak from nearly drowning in the river, and all conscious thought evaporated.
Every shred of reason and clarity Kane possessed fled at the sight of his woman in danger.
His woman.
A war cry erupted from his throat as Kane dragged Alex along in his wake, throwing the protesting rat bastard toward the writhing souls gathered around them in a screaming mob.
And then he let his scorpion out.
Ilsa fought against Robert’s hold—the skinny bastard stronger than she’d given him credit for. Pain continued to pummel her body; the tear the scientists had ripped through her soul was a gaping wound inside her that throbbed in agony.
She would heal. Ilsa knew the gifts of her immortal body well enough to know that.
But she’d be damned if she’d let this asshole get away while she waited to heal.
Robert’s arms came around her neck again as he attempted to pull her into a choke hold across her windpipe. Unwilling to go gently, Ilsa slammed a fist toward the side of his face, satisfied when the direct hit snapped his head back like a punching bag.
Despite her ability to get a few good jabs in defensively, she couldn’t get an upper hand. Couldn’t find a weak spot. Couldn’t get an advantage over him.
As she shifted and struck out with another punch, a loud scream echoed off the arched, caved walls.
Kane.
Robert’s attention, momentarily diverted by the Warrior’s scream, gave her all the chance she needed. Sliding out of his hold, Ilsa dropped to all fours, scrabbling away to gain some ground and work through her strategy.
But it was all for naught.
Like a feral ballet that played out before her eyes, Kane swooped in on Robert and began to attack. The magnificent black scorpion battled next to him, man and beast in perfect harmony as they fought the evil little man who resisted death with everything he was.
Alex huddled on the shore, curled up in a ball, ignoring the screams and shouts of the souls as he lay there.
As before in London, Ilsa couldn’t help but feel some sense of sympathy for him. Yes, he’d done wrong. But he’d been betrayed, led along by someone he trusted.
Just like her.
She’d been betrayed by Zeus. Someone she believed in. Someone she thought had her back.
Was Alex all that different?
The reality hit Ilsa so hard her knees buckled and her already-exhausted body fell to the ground at the sudden loss of strength.
Was she really any better than Alex?
Where Alex was led astray by ignorance, she lived with a far darker emotion.
With a far deeper wound.
And it would never heal as long as vengeance ruled her choices.
Look at what she’d wrought already. Her choices had put Kane in the gravest danger. Her agreement with Emmett ensured it.
The cries of the Warrior filled the air as Kane attacked, retreated, then attacked again. Robert put up a good fight, but he was weakening, his body slowing under Kane’s rapid assault.
As the balance of power shifted, Kane got a firm hold on Robert’s neck, using his height advantage to lift the scientist off the ground. Robert’s feet dangled several inches above the shore and loud, gurgling sounds fell from his lips.
“You will not touch her.”
Robert’s frantic gaze darted toward her. “That thing?” he gasped out. “You mean her?”
“You will never touch her again.” Kane’s voice was low, the dead calm more menacing than if he screamed with the power of a thousand voices.
“Do you even know who she is?” Robert gasped out. “I lived inside of her and I know exactly who she is.”
Ilsa’s stomach dropped at Robert’s words.
Was it possible?
Did he truly know her thoughts?
Had he heard them?
“Your little whore, ready to spread her legs for you. Right there on the shore,” Robert ground out, gasping for breath as his lips turned a dark shade of purple. He lowered his voice to a whisper, his evil, soulless eyes filled with calculated cunning. “Don’t you want to hear what I know?”
Slowly, Kane lowered him to the ground. He never broke physical contact, but Robert now stood on firm ground and the scorpion stilled, in a battle-ready position behind Kane.
“Do you know who she is?” The words slid out in an evil purr as Robert’s lips returned to a more normal shade.
“Robert! No!” Alex screamed from where he lay. “There is no chance for you if you do this.”
Dark, dead eyes shifted from Kane’s face to focus on his partner. “There’s no chance for me. There never was. So I’m going to ensure there’s no chance for her, either. Isn’t that right, Nemesis?”
Kane shook his head, as if the motion could dislodge Robert’s words. Although he maintained a firm grip on the scientist, Kane shifted his attention toward Ilsa.
“Is this true?”
Ilsa’s stomach dropped again, the cold tone of Kane’s voice telling her all she needed to know and more. When she didn’t answer his question, Kane pressed again, undiluted fury riding his tongue. “Is this true?”
Tears rimmed her eyelids, but Ilsa held her head high. “Yes. It is true.”
Kane’s voice was quiet now, the low tone almost harder to bear than the shout. “You didn’t tell me. Even here, as we came down here, came to understand each other better, you didn’t tell me.”
Robert’s calculating purr returned. Ilsa felt his gaze slip away from Kane, those dead eyes shifting to meet hers. “Ever the whore, eh? Playing your lover with the greatest of ease.”
Kane’s justice was swift, his scorpion striking out in a deadly arch with its front pincer. The open claw severed Robert’s head before he could make any further accusations.
Even if they were true.
Waves again lapped at the side of Charon’s boat as they rode down the river.
Although they were tighter on board with the addition of one passenger, Kane hardly noticed. His bewilderment left room for little else.
Nemesis?
Ilsa was Nemesis? The goddess who lived in constant vigilance over men’s souls?
Should he even call her Ilsa any longer?
Her name hovered on his tongue, but he ignored it, instead focusing straight ahead as Charon ferried the boat to Hades’s domain.
Alex sat between him and Ilsa, huddled into a weeping mass of humanity. Now that he’d escaped his bonds, his body had corporeal form in the Underworld as he awaited his judgment.
Kane almost felt sorry for him, but held the urge in check.
The bastard didn’t deserve any lenience.
None.
The race to capture Robert hadn’t done him any favors, either. The poison had him in its claws with a vengeance, ripping his stomach lining to shreds.
Kane gritted his teeth but it wasn’t helping. Nothing was. Com
bine the pain with the fact he’d been played the fool and it made for a bad fucking afternoon.
“Kane. Are you okay? You’re awfully quiet. Is the pain back?”
He maintained his focus on the water ahead of them, unwilling to make eye contact. Unwilling to face the woman who had betrayed him.
Again.
“It’s not the poison.”
“But you haven’t moved. I knew this was a bad idea. You’ve barely recovered from the knife wound. Damn Quinn for let—”
“Quinn?” He turned toward her then, uncaring they had an audience. “How the fuck can you think this has anything to do with Quinn?”
“He forced you”—her voice faded out to a whisper—“down here.”
“Wrong answer. You forced me down here. You and my concern for you. Clearly I need not have bothered. It’s obvious you know how to take care of yourself. I’d expect nothing less, after all, from the great goddess of vengeance and retribution.”
“That’s not fair! You knew I was immortal.”
“There’s immortal and then there’s immortal, Ilsa. You’re the freaking goddess of vengeance. That’s quite a handle.”
“Oh, so when you thought I was simply Hades’s errand girl, I was fine?”
“How are you even related to Callie? She’s a nymph, for fuck’s sake. You can’t be sisters.”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’ll just bet it is. And I’ll also lay odds you’ll keep that from me like you’ve kept everything else.”
Charon’s pointy little ears stood on high alert and even Alex sat up straighter as the argument escalated. Acknowledging the need to pull it back, Kane returned his gaze straight ahead and wondered when he’d lost his edge and become such a simpering, stupid fool.
And then he didn’t need to remember.
He already knew.
The day he’d gone and fallen for a fucking goddess.
Chapter Sixteen
Hades greeted Kane, Ilsa and Alex as they were escorted into his chambers. “The host of many,” as Kane had often heard him referred to, was a congenial man, with surprisingly strong vigor for a god who spent the majority of his days in the Underworld.
Their seemingly endless trip on the Acheron was blessedly over, and even though his deepest desire was to simply go home, Kane knew they’d not leave the Underworld until they partook of Hades’s hospitality.
