The Darkest Promise

by Gena Showalter

  dimOuniak--Pandora's box.

  Downfall--nightclub for immortals owned by Thane, Bjorn and Xerxes.

  Echidna--Gorgon, mother of Lazarus.

  Elin--Phoenix/human hybrid; mate to Thane.

  Ever--daughter to Maddox and Ashlyn, sister to Urban.

  Fae--race of immortals descended from Titans.

  Flashing--transporting oneself with just a thought.

  Galen--Lord of the Underworld; keeper of Jealousy and False Hope.

  Gideon--Lord of the Underworld; keeper of Lies.

  Gillian Bradshaw--aka Gilly Shaw; human female recently made immortal.

  Greeks--former rulers of Olympus.

  Gwen Skyhawk--Harpy; wife of Sabin; daughter of Galen.

  Hades--one of the nine kings of the underworld.

  Haidee Alexander--former Hunter; keeper of Love; mated to Amun.

  Hera--queen of the Greeks; wife to Zeus.

  Hilda--Sphinx; guard of the Realm of the Skulls.

  Hunters--mortal enemies of the Lords of the Underworld; disbanded.

  Josephina Aisling--queen of the Fae; wife to Kane.

  Juliette Eagleshield--aka the Eradicator; Harpy; self-appointed consort of Lazarus.

  Kadence--the goddess of Oppression; deceased yet in spirit form.

  Kaia Skyhawk--part Harpy, part Phoenix; sister of Gwen, Taliyah and Bianka; consort of Strider.

  Kane--Lord of the Underworld; keeper of Disaster; husband to Josephina.

  Katarina Joelle--formerly human; Alpha of the Hellhounds; consort of Baden.

  Keeleycael--a Curator; the Red Queen; engaged to Torin.

  Lazarus (the Cruel and Unusual)--an immortal warrior; only son of Typhon and Echidna.

  Legion--demon minion in a human body; adopted daughter of Aeron and Olivia; aka Honey.

  Lords of the Underworld--exiled immortal warriors now hosting the demons once locked inside Pandora's box.

  Lucien--coleader of the Lords of the Underworld; keeper of Death; engaged to Anya.

  Lucifer--one of the nine kings of the underworld; son to Hades; brother to William.

  Maddox--Lord of the Underworld; keeper of Violence; father to Urban and Ever; husband to Ashlyn.

  McCadden--fallen Sent One; brother to Brochan.

  Morning Star--thought to be hidden in Pandora's box; with it anything is possible.

  Olivia--Sent One; mated to Aeron.

  Pandora--immortal warrior; once guardian of dimOuniak (newly resurrected).

  Pandora's box--aka dimOuniak; made of bones from the goddess of Oppression; now shaped as a small apple charm; once housed demon high lords.

  Paring Rod--Godly artifact with ability to rend soul from body.

  Paris--Lord of the Underworld; keeper of Promiscuity; husband to Sienna.

  Phoenix--fire-thriving immortals descended from Greeks.

  Rathbone--one of the kings of the underworld.

  Reyes--Lord of the Underworld; keeper of Pain; husband to Danika.

  Sabin--coleader of the Lords of the Underworld; keeper of Doubt; consort of Gwen.

  Scarlet--keeper of Nightmares; wife of Gideon.

  Sent Ones--winged warriors; demon assassins.

  Sienna Blackstone--former Hunter; current keeper of Wrath; current ruler of Olympus; beloved of Paris.

  Siobhan--goddess of Many Futures.

  Strider--Lord of the Underworld; keeper of Defeat.

  Taliyah Skyhawk--Harpy; sister of Gwen, Bianka and Kaia.

  Tartarus--Greek god of Confinement; also the immortal prison on Mount Olympus.

  Titans--rulers of Titania; children of fallen angels and humans.

  Thane--Sent One; mate to Elin.

  Torin--Lord of the Underworld; keeper of Disease; engaged to Keeleycael.

  Typhon--father of Lazarus.

  Urban--son of Maddox and Ashlyn; brother of Ever.

  Viola--goddess of the Afterlife; keeper of Narcissism.

  William the Ever Randy--immortal warrior of questionable origins; aka the Panty Melter and William of the Dark.

  Xerxes--Sent One.

  Zeus--king of the Greeks; husband to Hera.

  Bonus Scene

  This snippet takes place after The Darkest Torment but before The Darkest Promise.

  Hades threw open his bedroom door, nearly ripping the solid gold hinges from the frame. He stomped down the hall, his boots leaving cracks in the marble. Any soldier foolish enough to remain in the area would soon find the heart ripped out of his chest. Too bad, not sad.

  Mystical blue fires blazed here and there with no distinguishable pattern; they were simply warnings for spirits and humans alike. Approach my quarters without my permission and die horribly. He stepped through each of the flames, welcoming the heat. While the infernos would agonize others, they only strengthened him.

  When he reached the throne room, he dismissed the surrounding guard with a roared "Go! Now. While you still have legs."

  The men scrambled out as fast as their feet would carry them. Those who had witnessed the repercussions of his temper would do anything to avoid his notice. Wise. Most days he could control the all-consuming rage that was so much a part of him. On very rare occasions, he...couldn't. Today was one of those rare occasions.

  The only way to regain control was to purge. Meaning, he had to remove his own heart--or other people's heads. Many other people.

  Care to guess which way I'm leaning?

  Though a door never opened, he suddenly sensed another presence in the room. Someone had flashed here, moving from one place to another in only a blink, and that someone was behind him.

  His senses were highly tuned, even more highly trained, and he deduced the intruder's identity without turning.

  "What has your panties in such a twist?" a familiar voice asked.

  He'd deduced correctly. His youngest son, William the Ever Randy. Also known as William of the Dark and the Panty Melter. Hades knew him as the owner of the only head never in danger of being removed.

  Which was odd. Hades had been called the Keeper of Flames, the Monster Other Monsters Feared, the Lord of Death and the Heartless Foe, but damn if his hollow chest didn't ache with love every time he looked at his son.

  The irreverent womanizer reclined on Hades's favorite throne. His favorite, because it was made from the bones of his victims.

  Oh, there'd been another bone throne before his takeover. But he'd dismantled it during one of his rages and later built a new one...made with the bones of the first victims to die at the end of his claws. Among those victims? His mother and the male she'd sold him to--the male who'd spent centuries torturing him, a mere lad of five. The king who'd ruled a hellish realm long before Hades.

  "Not what," he finally replied. "Who."

  "So you admit that you're wearing panties," William said with a droll tone. "How very modern of you."

  The little shit. "Why should females be the only ones allowed to wear silk? As you know, I demand the best for myself."

  A roll of William's ice-blue eyes. "Let me guess the source of your problem. Lucifer."

  William's brother. The worst of the worst. The slayer of innocents, and the father of lies. Pride and greed, the most dangerous commodities in this world or any other, drove him to do despicable things. His soul was now so black it was nothing but an abyss. The original Bermuda Triangle, where happiness vanished, never to be seen or heard from again.

  The day Hades adopted him was the day his own life--a life forged in the gutters of inhumanity--had truly taken a turn for the worse. But he'd done it for his own pride and greed. Because he'd wanted a family. Sons to stand with him against any threat. Instead he'd helped create a new threat. "He has declared war against me."

  "Well, this isn't the first time," William reminded him.

  "I know. But this time, we will war to the death."

  "So? Kill him and be done with it."

  There was no love lost between the brothers, and with good reason. Lucifer had often tortured the on
ce vulnerable William just for grins and giggles.

  "There are...complications." Only the Morning Star could kill him, but it was currently locked inside Pandora's box, and Hades wasn't in possession of it. Wasn't even sure where to search. Every time he found it, it was somehow flashed to a new location.

  "Besides, I had just acquired a woman I admired," Hades added with a grumble. A beautiful, smart, bloodthirsty woman. Such a rarity these days, when so many felt they deserved a participation medal just for showing up, and everyone cried about their overly sensitive feelings. Shudder.

  Taliyah had never cried about anything. In fact, she had challenged him about everything.

  "I'm sure you have a woman on standby," William said.

  True. "I had to dismiss the new one before I actually wanted to dismiss her."

  In past wars, his women had been used against him. Either they had been captured and tortured for information, killed just to hurt him or paid to turn against him.

  He was better off alone.

  William pursed his lips. "Boo hoo. My heart bleeds for your travesty. I weep for your pain, blah, blah, blah. When the time comes, you'll find a new woman."

  Hades arched a brow in a show of derision. "This from the male who's been waiting for the human--what's her name? Hillbillian...no. Sillian...no, no, Gillian." As William sucked in a breath, he nodded. "Yes. That's her. You've been waiting--drooling--for her to turn eighteen so you could pounce."

  Those crystalline eyes narrowed to tiny slits, black lashes fusing together. "That's different."

  "How?"

  "She's mine." William beat at his chest with a tightly clenched fist. "Mine."

  "And yet you haven't kept little Willy in your pants."

  "Big Willy, thank you very much."

  "So, what does that tell you?" Hades insisted.

  "Tells me I'm a man with very particular needs."

  "Or that you can, in fact, live without her."

  Propelled by a blast of his own rage--rage so similar to Hades's own--William jumped to his feet, his hands fisted. "You're one to talk, old man. You've never waited for anyone. You even have a harem!"

  The harem. Right. He stroked his chin. Perhaps he should free the females he'd collected over the centuries. They had willingly signed on for active duty in his bed, willing to do whatever he desired whenever he desired, and he'd made sure to accept only the applicants he could easily dismiss, but he would hate to see one or all of them targeted.

  On the other hand, he needed an outlet for his passions. The less sex he had, the more his rages won, and wars like this could last decades, even centuries.

  Well. Sacrifices had to be made. He'd keep the harem in place.

  I am such a giver.

  "I'm not here to gossip about our romantic relationships," William announced, cutting into his thoughts. "I'm here to discuss Baden."

  Baden. The former keeper of the demon of Distrust. Former, because he'd been beheaded, his spirit sent to another realm. But Hades had given him a pair of serpentine wreaths, making his body tangible once again...and unbeknownst to Baden, also making Hades his master.

  Lost a lover, gained a soldier. Well. Life wasn't as bad as he'd assumed.

  He buffed his nails against his shoulder. "I'm keeping him. End of discussion."

  "He's changing," William said. "And not for the better."

  "So," he replied, mocking his son for the earlier dismissal of his problems.

  Straight white teeth flashed in a scowl. "Either free him before it's too late or use him. Just do something with him!"

  Again Hades stroked his chin. He'd given Baden the wreaths as a favor to William. He'd owed the boy, and he always sometimes paid his debts. But Baden couldn't be freed without returning to the spirit realm. And with the war...

  Now was the time to stockpile allies. Now wasn't the time to give someone the chance to align against him. And if Baden worked for him, all the other Lords of the Underworld would work for him. Including their very powerful mates.

  Well. Decision made. "I'll use him."

  William pushed out a heavy sigh. "That's exactly what I thought you'd say."

  "Prepare him," he said. "I'll give you two days." Just enough time to figure out what, exactly, he would have Baden do for him. Pad his arsenal, perhaps, acquiring weapons used throughout the ages. Persuade others to aid him. Other royals, even. Slay the humans and immortals Lucifer would one day attempt to use to his advantage.

  So many options!

  Who knew? Maybe the war would be fought and won within a matter of weeks. If miracles really happened.

  "I stopped having to obey your orders centuries ago, you know," William said.

  Hades closed the distance, peering pointedly at his son. "You and I both know what will happen if Lucifer wins. The reign of chaos. Unimaginable atrocities committed. You and yours will never again be safe." And, because Hades was who he was, willing to manipulate anyone to get what he wanted, he added, "Gillian will never again be safe."

  William glared at him, even while nodding. "I will prepare him."

  "Exactly what I thought you'd say."

  They clasped hands to shake goodbye, but William used the contact to yank him against the hard line of his body and pat him on the back. "If anything happens to Baden, I will hold you responsible. Because others will hold me responsible. Tit for tat."

  Hades could carry the blame. Why not? He carried so many other things. The fate of the underworld. A past steeped in so much violence there was no part of him unscarred. Still he said, "I will protect him. You have my word."

  What William hadn't yet learned: ensure your opponent spelled out every aspect of his promise, otherwise there would be loopholes...loopholes that could be exploited. Not that Hades would ever exploit his son, but like anyone who'd suffered a wealth of betrayals over the centuries, he liked to keep his options open.

  "Then I will help you destroy Lucifer," William said.

  He nodded, even while thinking, You would have, anyway, my son.

  They might argue and fight--with swords, daggers, whips and guns of every make and model--but at the end of the day, they had each other's back.

  He hoped.

  Bottom line. He had trust issues. He'd always had trust issues, and he always would. That violent past hadn't just shaped him, it had hardened him. There would be no changing him.

  "Go now," he said, and severed contact.

  Hades walked away before he broke one of his cardinal rules. No allowing emotion to lead decisions. Ever. But only then, as he passed through the door and the guards waiting for reentry into the throne room breathed a sigh of relief, did he realize the worst of his rage had abated. Because of a conversation.

  Well, hell. Miracles really did happen.

  He'd find out if this one stayed the course...

  If you enjoy Gena Showalter's pulse-pounding paranormal romances, don't miss her sizzling contemporary romances!

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  For tempting tales full of passion and peril, don't miss any of the spellbinding stories in the Lords of the Underworld series!

  Though these warriors carry an eternal curse, the Lords of the Underworld are irresistibly seductive--and unimaginable powerful...

  The Darkest Promise

  The Darkest Torment

  The Darkest Touch

  The Darkest Craving

  The Darkest Seduction

  The Darkest Surrender

  The Darkest Secret

  The Darkest Lie

  The Darkest Passion

  The Darkest Angel (novella)

  The Darkest Whisper

  The Darkest Prison (novella)

  The Darkest Pleasure

  The Darkest Kiss

  The Darkest Night

  The Darkest Fire (digital prequel)

  Complete your collection!

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  Two Realms. One Choice. No Second Chance.

  There is a truth most of the world has come to accept: this is only Firstlife. Real life begins after death. But with the two realms of the Everlife waging a dangerous war over the right to her soul, seventeen-year-old Tenley Lockwood has to stay alive long enough to choose a side.

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