The Darkest Lie lotu-7

by Gena Showalter

  More. He worked at her pants. Lucky fabric, having been so close to her. Soon he had the leather off, along with her panties, leaving her completely bare, and his gaze ate her up. She didn't try to cover herself and didn't blush. She bit her lower lip and undulated her hips, letting him know how much his scrutiny aroused her. Hell, it aroused him. She was magnificent. All that creamy skin, lean legs, flat stomach, small, firm breasts with the rose-tinted nipples and elegantly curved shoulders.

  "Wet for me?" he asked roughly.

  "Yes."

  "Let me see."

  She blinked up at him, suddenly unsure. "But I...I thought I was in charge in this area, so shouldn't I—"

  "We'll take turns. Right now, I'm in charge. Let me see."

  Without hesitation, she parted her thighs, giving him a peek into heaven. Her pink folds were damp, hiding the sweetest spot he'd ever had the privilege to see. His gaze moved, latching onto the colorful butterfly tattooed nearby, and his mouth watered.

  Lucky tattoo.

  Lucky me. Gideon bent down and traced his tongue along the wings, riding the length of her inner thigh. Goose bumps broke out over Scarlet's limbs. Her fingers tangled in his hair, her nails digging into his scalp. He licked and sucked and nibbled that brand, paying it proper homage, as it was one of the reasons they were together right now.

  "Yes," she groaned. "Yes."

  Though he wanted to fall into her and eat her up, consuming every drop of her, he palmed her hips and flipped her over. She gasped, looked at him over her shoulder, expression confused.

  "The others need a little attention, too," he explained. Then, starting at the top, he worked his way down her back, kissing every single tattoo she possessed. TO PART IS TO DIE he laved until he was panting. Sweating. Hurting.

  He didn't stop there. Couldn't. He paid her ass equal attention, nibbling on those sweet cheeks and tonguing the crease between bottom and leg, all the while teasing that moist, waiting sex by blowing and humming but never actually touching.

  When she was writhing, begging him to penetrate her, even reaching between her legs to assuage the ache herself, forcing him to grab her wrists and pin them behind her back, he finally stilled. Took stock. His cock was straining against the fly of his jeans, and every breath he dragged into his lungs was like fire.

  "Gideon," she gasped. "Please."

  Pain was mingled with arousal in her voice, and he frowned. He wanted her out of her mind, yes, but not pained.

  "Need the edge taken off, angel?"

  "Gods, yes."

  Releasing her wrists, he flipped her back over and finally allowed himself to do what he'd wanted to do all along. Taste her fully, deep and thrusting, as if his tongue was possessing her. Instantly she screamed, hips bucking up, meeting him, sending him even deeper.

  "Yes, yes, yesssss!"

  Her orgasm rocked her, her skin like fire, her knees clamped against his temples, her fingers fisting the sheets. He swallowed every drop of pleasure she gave him, her sweetness better than ambrosia as it flowed through his veins, branding him, delighting him.

  Only when she stilled did he raise his head, licking at his mouth as he sought her gaze. Every drop belonged to him, even those. Her eyes were at half-mast, her chest quickly rising and falling in shallow succession, and her arms and legs draped at her sides as if they were too heavy to lift. Never had a woman looked more sated. And never had he experienced more pride. He had done this. He had given this to her.

  The sunlight she'd created caressed every inch of her, adding a golden tint to her skin. At the base of her neck, her pulse hammered wildly. Her nipples were darker now, as if blushing under his scrutiny.

  "Thank you," she rasped. "Thank you."

  "My pleasure."

  Perhaps she heard the pain in his voice, because she eased up on her elbows, gaze roving to his straining erection. "Want me to take care of that?" she asked huskily. "'Cause, darling, it looks so good."

  He almost choked on his own saliva. "Not yet." Barely audible. Not until she was out of control again, desperate for him.

  "A lie, I hope."

  "Truth. Kind of. I just need a little more of you." Gideon lowered his head and flicked the tip of his tongue over one of those beautiful nipples. He plucked at the other, not wanting it to feel left out.

  This was his woman. His darling. Every moment with her was precious. And torturous. Gods, he hurt. Will be a man. Will act like a man. Will last for her.

  When she was once again arching against him, and shit, rubbing that sweet, wet spot against his shaft, causing it to pulse and lengthen as never before, he slid his fingers down her stomach, past that tiny tuft of dark, silky hair and into her sheath. Wet again, dripping. Ready.

  Sweet heaven.

  Gideon pulled from her, severing all contact. He ripped at his clothes, gentleness not even a concern. Soon the material lay in tatters around him, and he was back on top of his woman, her legs opening for him, her black gaze glistening like polished onyx.

  "Ready?" A croak.

  "Beyond."

  "I'm gonna hit you so deep." He positioned her legs on his shoulders, so that her calves were pressing into his back, and then fed his cock into her opening. He didn't press inside, though. Not yet, not yet, not yet. He already wanted to explode. You gotta calm down.

  "What are you waiting for? I need it!"

  If he had to do fucking math equations in his head, he was going to last. "Just...need...to...breathe."

  "But I'm already starting... Gideon! I'm coming."

  Just the thought of him being inside her sent her over the edge? Fuck, yeah! He thrust to the hilt, slamming forward with a single rocking of his hips. Those warm, wet walls closed around him, tight as a fist, squeezing him just right. Shit, the pleasure. Once again, it was almost too much. Especially since her second orgasm was causing her to pump against him. But he chewed the inside of his mouth, drawing blood, and began to move.

  Once, twice, yes, yes. So good. So damn good. He kissed her, tongue mimicking cock, thrusting, retreating, thrusting. Her hands found their way to his ass, her nails cutting past skin as they urged him forward, deeper. This was it, what he'd craved his entire life.

  "You are...everything," he told her.

  "Gideon! I love...I love...this."

  Was that what she'd meant to say? He wasn't sure, and even the thought that she might love him excited him so much that he went caveman. Claim her. Fully.

  "Scarlet!" Hard, deep, so hard, pistoning in and out, feeding his cock to her over and over again, riding the waves of her climax so very hard that he sent her body spiraling into a third.

  She clutched at him, practically jerking the seed out of him in the next instant.

  The release was so intense, so mind-numbing, he actually saw stars winking behind his eyes as his every muscle petrified to stone. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, could only feel. And then he collapsed on top of her.

  "Now that's stamina," he panted however long later.

  A laugh escaped her. A true, honest-to-the-gods laugh, and it delighted him to his soul. Was more satisfying than even the sex, causing his chest to constrict. She didn't laugh enough, but by the gods, she would laugh in the future. He would make sure of it. A vow he would see through with his dying breath and every one in between.

  Gideon rolled to his side, pulling Scarlet into the curve of his body. "I want to marry you. For real." It was a need. "But I already told you that."

  She stiffened, tried to pull away, but he wouldn't let her. "Yes, but..."

  "No buts," he said with a shake of his head.

  "But you're overlooking the fact that I'm a liability to you. I think I had decided to stay with you. Right now I can't even remember my name. But what if you're hurt because of me? I would rather die—"

  "Actually, I've overlooked nothing. I just don't care." His arms tightened around her, this precious treasure he wouldn't give up. "I want you in my life, and that's all there is to it. I want to pledge my
life to yours like the warriors of old pledged their lives to their kings. And there's no better time, either. I can proclaim the truth right now."

  The thick, oppressive silence that followed razored him.

  Still, he gave Scarlet the time she needed to digest his admission and come to grips with what he wanted. No way would he pressure her. That would make him a little too much like that bitch NeeMah. But gods, he wanted to. He wanted to force the issue with every possessive instinct raging inside him.

  "I don't understand this, Gideon." A tortured whisper.

  "What's to understand? I love you." So easily admitted, after he'd fought it so long. How foolish he'd once been.

  "But you could do better," she said, agonized.

  But, but, but. He was sick of that stupid word. "Do better than you?" He rolled back on top of her, smashing her and holding her in place. "There's no one better than you. You are ugly and weak and I never get aroused just by thinking of you."

  Her lips twitched, but she fought her amusement and never gave him a full-on grin. "What if you later regret this decision?"

  "I won't." He'd never been more certain of anything in his life.

  "Are you sure? Because there's no undoing it once it's done."

  "That's the best thing you've said all day. Even better than 'yes, yes, more.'"

  Still no full-on grin, but there was now a twinkle in her dark eyes. "Yes, but how can you know you won't regret it? I mean, what if my aunt screws with my memory again and—"

  "Every couple has problems, angel." He cupped her cheeks, forcing her gaze to remain locked with his, to probe deeply, to perhaps catch a glimpse of just how much he meant to her. "We'll deal with it."

  Tears muted the twinkle, and each droplet cut at him. "Yeah, but it would hurt you and I've hurt you so many times already."

  What could he say to make her understand? "If you hadn't noticed, I considered all those times foreplay."

  Her lips twitched again, and she couldn't cut off her amused snort. Damn, he was getting good at this. At making her find the humor in any situation.

  See? They were perfect for each other.

  "Fine," she said on a sigh, the tears gradually drying. "We can get married for real, but I swear to the gods, Gideon, if my aunt screws with my memory again, if my mother abducts you, I'm leaving you."

  Thank the gods. "Rhea, I'm not worried about," he replied, heart beating so hard, he knew the organ would be forever bruised. "NeeMah, though? We'll track her down and kill her. I mean, what better honeymoon for us?" No way would he let Scarlet get away, not for any reason, but he wouldn't tell her that and spook her. Wouldn't tell her that he'd follow her wherever she went, for as long as necessary. "I don't want to wait. And like I said, I do want to do this old school. But if you want a big wedding, too, we can do that later."

  She rolled him to his back and straddled his waist. "I don't need a big wedding. But if you're going to do this old school, so am I. I'm a warrior, too, you know."

  "Believe me, I know." That was one of the things he loved about her. All that strength...shit, he was getting hard again and his body should have been unresponsive for weeks considering the pleasure it had just experienced.

  Blended with that arousal was straight-up excitement. He was about to marry the woman he loved.

  Scarlet leaned over and down, nipples brushing him. He licked and sucked and she gasped and moaned. When her head cleared just a little, she remembered to palm one of the blades hidden under his pillow. As she straightened, she sliced the tip between her breasts. Skin ripped open and blood beaded before trickling and running down her stomach.

  "Are you sure about this?" she asked shakily. "Last chance to—"

  He took the knife and slashed himself in the center of his chest, exactly as she had done. No hesitation. Blood ran in both directions, raining down his ribs, up to his neck. "I've never been so sure of anything in my too-long life. Now come here."

  Scarlet eased down until she was lying on top of him, their blood mingling. She was trembling.

  He stared into her eyes, those perfect dark eyes. "I am yours, and you are mine."

  "I—I am yours and you...you are mine," she repeated.

  He claimed her free hand and flattened it over his pounding heart. "From this moment, until the end of time."

  Her fingers jerked against him, but she didn't pull away. "From this moment..."

  Come on. Say it. Ancient power swirled around them, as thick as the silence had been. Waiting...

  "From this moment...until the end of time."

  Yes. Yes! Finally.

  A stream of fire slammed into him, and he cried out. The same must have happened to Scarlet, because her shout blended with his. That fire blazed along his soul, tearing it in two. But then, a sweet, cool ice crystallized, filling the wounded void. Making him whole again. Making him more than Gideon. Making him Scarlet's man.

  "And so it's done," he said, voice rumbling with his satisfaction. So simple, so easy. And yet, she was his. She was his wife. Now...always. Every bone in his body, every cell, vibrated with the knowledge. "To part is to die," he added, sure now that he'd come across the phrase when she had entered his dreams all those centuries ago. They'd been connected, even then.

  "I hope you never regret this," she whispered.

  "Never." He urged her closer for a soft, quick kiss, then smiled. "Now don't you have something else to say to me?"

  "To part is to die," she repeated. "And I want you to know...I was never with another man. After I came down here and saw you. I lied to you."

  He hadn't expected the confession, and his eyes closed for a moment, exhaling a warm breath. "I'm glad. I understood why you'd done so, but I'm glad you lied. So damn glad. You're mine."

  "Yours," she said brokenly, as if the word was impossible to believe.

  One day she would. Completely. Two of his fingers stroked the ridges of her spine. "So, who are you today?"

  "Scarlet...Lord."

  Sweet mercy, but he liked the sound of that. That was as close to a declaration as he was going to get. Because, knowing her as he did, and he liked to think he knew her pretty well, she wasn't going to cop to her feelings. And yes, she had them, he knew it, otherwise she wouldn't have married him. But until her aunt was dead and her mother dealt with, she'd try to maintain some kind of distance.

  Which he would see to, all of it. At least Cronus was no longer a threat. Otherwise, the king wouldn't have helped him heal Scarlet. Still, Gideon knew he would receive no more aid. He'd be on his own. But battling two beings that were stronger and more powerful than he was didn't scare him. Not when the prize was Scarlet's heart.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  ARMS SPLAYED, Strider turned in a circle while standing in the center of the Temple of the Unspoken Ones. This was his last resort, his only resort. Otherwise the female Hunter, Ex, would escape him. With the Cloak of Invisibility in her possession. He would be a failure, a loser, and she would have won the challenge between them.

  That, he wouldn't allow.

  "I need your help," he called. "I've come to bargain."

  Last visit, they'd made him wait. This time, their reaction was immediate. A huge beast materialized between two of the pillars, exactly as before. He was totally nude, but then, he didn't need clothing. His skin was furred as if he were a horse. And rather than hair, thin snakes hissed from his head. Like the creature, those snakes possessed fangs.

  Muscle was stacked upon muscle, his nipples pierced by two large silver rings. Metal chains circled his neck, wrists and ankles, and while he had human hands, his feet were hooves.

  Beside him, between two other pillars, another beast appeared. A male whose lower half was covered by dark red fur and whose upper half boasted human skin. Skin that was a mass of scars. He, too, was bound by chains.

  Those chains didn't detract from the menace radiating from either of them.

  A third beast appeared, this one female. Unlike her friends, she wore
a leather skirt. Her breasts were bare, wonderfully large, and her nipples pierced, as well. Only, she wore diamonds rather than silver hoops.

  She stood in profile, and Strider could see the small horns protruding from her spine. The horns he actually liked, almost as much as her breasts. Her face, however, was beaked like a bird's. That wasn't something a man could get over easily. She, too, was furred and chained.

  A fourth and fifth appeared in quick succession, both so tall and wide they were like living mountains. They didn't have snakes for hair, though. What they had was worse. One was bald, yet shadows seemed to seep from his skull. Thick and black and putrid. And hungry. Yeah, they looked hungry.

  The other creature had blades. Small but sharp, they spiked from his scalp, each glistening with something clear and wet. Poison? Probably, though nobody had been able to gather tangible data about the creatures' powers.

  There was a reason these fiends were known as the Unspoken Ones, after all.

  As before, the female stepped forward, her chains rattling. "And so a Lord of the Underworld returns to our midst. There can be only one reason for that. We requested Cronus's head. Where is it?" Her voice brought to mind a thousand souls bound together, desperately trying to escape. They screamed from her, echoing through the temple, their tears practically soaking him.

  "Uh, I don't actually have it," he said, and the Unspoken Ones immediately began hissing and growling at him, tugging at their chains to reach him and, he was sure, claw him into pieces. "Not yet," he added in a rush.

  Yes, they were willing to give him the fourth artifact—the Paring Rod—in return for Cronus's head, and yes, they'd offered the same bargain to the Hunters. But Rhea was leading the Hunters, and if her life truly was bound to Cronus's, as Torin had told him last time they'd spoken on the phone, then Rhea wouldn't allow her men to take her husband's life.

  Humans would have a hard time destroying a god, anyway. So Strider wasn't worried about the Hunters winning the Rod anymore. And if there was no competition, the Unspoken Ones had no bargaining room. It was all about supply and demand, baby. They had the supplies, but he had the demands.