The Darkest Torment

by Gena Showalter

  “Enough conversation.” He forced the corners of his mouth to lift. “I’m less murdery. See?”

  “Wow. Just when I think you can’t look any worse, you go and prove me wrong.” Even still, William clapped his hands. “Ladies.”

  Hinges creaked as the door opened. A new crop of scantily-clad females sauntered into the room—a brunette, blonde, redhead and ebony-skinned beauty. Smiles abounded as they lined up across the dais.

  The mirror suddenly made sense. Baden had a perfect view of the front and the trunk. His long-denied body stirred at last, even as a new heaping of self-disgust assailed him.

  “Prostitutes.” He should have known.

  The blonde blew him a kiss.

  “They prefer the term freelance pleasure specialists. They are immortal. A Phoenix, siren, nymph and pretty little kitty shifter, to be precise.” William draped a muscled arm over the top of the couch. “Which one do you want to jones for your scones? Your wish is her command.”

  “I have no interest in feigned passion.”

  “Hate to break it to you, Red, but feigned passion is all you’re going to get.” The warrior offered him a sorry-not-sorry smile. “Right now, you have only two things in your favor. You’re rich, thanks to investments Torin made over the centuries, and you’re a dead ringer for Jamie Fraser.”

  “Who?”

  “The male these females are going to pretend you are,” William said. “Because you, my dear man, are lacking in charm and sophistication, which means your fat wallet and chiseled features are all you have to get you to the finish line.”

  “I’m not lacking in charm.” Sometimes he was. Maybe. Probably always.

  William ignored him. “Ladies, tell Baden how pretty his wallet and face are.”

  “So pretty.”

  “The prettiest I’ve ever seen.”

  “More beautiful than pretty.”

  “I’ll ride your wallet and your face!”

  Baden glared at William while stroking the hilt of the dagger hidden in a sheath at his waist.

  William sighed. “If Jason Voorhees and Freddy Krueger spawned a love child, I’m certain that nightmare of a kid would look at me just—like—that.”

  More men he hadn’t met. Which annoyed him greatly! He had no need for reminders that the world had ticked along just fine without him.

  “My brilliant sense of humor is lost on you. Noted. Ladies,” William said, reclaiming the bottle of whiskey, “tell Baden what carnal delights you’re prepared to offer him.”

  One by one, they breathlessly described different scenarios. The shy virgin. The naughty librarian. The punishing dominant. The girlfriend experience.

  When Baden had lived in Mount Olympus, he’d dated his fair share of women, but he’d never loved one. He’d wanted an equal, not a weakling merely using him for protection, placing his power before her sentiment. He was tempted to try out the girlfriend experience.

  “Well?” William prompted.

  “I will accept none of the scenarios offered.” Give me truth, or give me nothing. He met each beauty’s gaze. For the chance to tame the beast and return to his friends... “Who will bend over and simply take it?”

  Perhaps he was lacking in charm.

  William shook his head and muttered, “You should be embarrassed.”

  Meanwhile, two feminine hands shot into the air.

  “Me! Pick me!” The brunette. The punishing dominant.

  The blonde elbowed her in the stomach. “I’m the one you want.” The naughty librarian.

  “How are we friends?” William asked him.

  “We aren’t.” Baden had twelve friends. Only twelve. The men and woman who’d suffered demon possession right alongside him. The warriors who’d bled with him and for him—the heroes he’d only disappointed since his return. They wanted him to be the man he used to be, not the bastard he’d become.

  An-n-nd there was another log on the fire of his guilt.

  “Tears. Sadness.” William placed a hand on his chest, as if he’d been stabbed. “Now. Choose your girl. I’m going to do you a solid and take the other three.”

  “What type of immortal are you?” Baden asked the two contenders.

  “Phoenix,” the brunette said, her pride evident.

  “Nymph,” the blonde said, her voice smoky.

  “You.” He pointed to the blonde. “I choose you.” Nymphs needed sex more than they needed oxygen. At least she’d get something other than cash for her trouble.

  The brunette wilted with displeasure, surprising him.

  “I’ll make it up to you, petal,” William told her with a wink. “With him, you’d have to work for every cent. With me, you can simply enjoy. I don’t want to overhype my skill, but I invented the female orgasm.”

  Whatever. Baden stood and, without initiating contact, led the blonde to the exit. He opened the door and motioned her through. The faint scent of white oleander accompanied her. He followed her into a narrow hallway, maintaining a safe distance.

  “Pick a room,” she said with what might have been...anticipation? “Any room.”

  He selected the first one on the right, entering before her in case someone waited inside, intending to attack. No assailant jumped out, but he did find a camera hidden in a clock on the mantel above the hearth. William’s doing? Why?

  After disabling it, he conducted a more generalized search. The room had a king-size canopy bed with black silk sheets, a nightstand full of condoms and lubricants, and a recliner next to a bear-shifter rug.

  The blonde traced a fingertip between her breasts. “What do you want me to do, gorgeous?”

  The beast protested. Loudly. He didn’t like her, and didn’t want Baden distracted and vulnerable while in the presence of another—especially in an effort to quiet him.

  Still Baden said, “Strip and bend over the edge of the bed, facedown.”

  “Ohhhh.” She grinned. “Are you going to spank me for being naughty?”

  The beast cursed him, then the girl. You will leave. You will leave now.

  No threat. Just an order. Something about his tone...

  A tone Baden had only ever heard from kings. Who are you?

  With barely a pause, the beast replied, I am Destruction.

  2

  “Your hardest times often lead to your greatest moments. So get hard.”

  —William the Ever Randy

  BADEN REELED. THE BEAST...Destruction...a demon.?

  A king, he added.

  The pride in the creature’s voice was unmistakable.

  Nailed it. A king of what?

  Right now? You. Leave the girl or kill her. Your choice.

  There was one other option. Baden narrowed his focus on his chosen bedmate. “I won’t be spanking you, only fucking you. Strip, and bend over the bed facedown,” he repeated. “Please, and thank you.”

  Destruction hissed.

  “For you, gorgeous, I’ll do anything.” She unhooked her bra and shimmied out of the matching underwear. Both garments floated to the floor. As she moved, the ring she wore glinted, the multicolored stone catching in the light.

  Bang, bang, bang. The beast kicked Baden’s chest with so much force, the impact mimicked a heartbeat. Can you not see the danger right in front of you?

  The girl had no concept of his inner turmoil and slowly pivoted, revealing her backside. She bent over the mattress, as requested, and spread her legs to present him with a view he’d missed all these centuries.

  “Just so you know, I can take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.” She looked over her shoulder, her smile returning. “Show me your worst.”

  She wouldn’t survive his worst.

  Destruction banged harder, hissed louder. Kill her before she kills
us.

  “No,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “No?” she asked, incredulous. She gave her ass a firm slap, leaving a red palm print. “You’re going to walk away from this?”

  Jaw clenched, he replied, “I will have you.” And I will silence the beast.

  Relief bathed her features as he moved behind her. As he fought the impulses of his companion, sweat poured from him. Soon his clothes were sticking to his too-sensitive skin.

  Destruction grew even more frenzied. She’s the enemy. See! Know!

  All I see is a one-way ticket to paradise. It was time to nut up or shut up. No matter how agonizing. Risk...reward. Baden left his dampened shirt in place and merely unzipped his pants.

  She continued to watch him over her shoulder, unabashed. “You really are beautiful, you know.”

  “Only on the outside.”

  “Even better.”

  He wished he had experience with modern women. Did they actually like assholes?

  In four thousand years, the only other female he’d interacted with was Pandora, and she’d constantly tried to kill him. Now she was out in the wild, tangible because she, too, wore a pair of serpentine wreaths. She’d staked out the fortress and managed to sneak past security to ambush him. Twice! In both instances, they’d nearly killed each other.

  Was she dealing with her own version of Destruction?

  Fool! Already you’re distracted. Without me you’ll become a walking target.

  Hell, no. A lie from a desperate creature. Baden withdrew a condom from his pocket, not trusting the ones in the drawer. As he ripped the foil packet with his teeth, a strange red glow bathed the room. He palmed a dagger, looking around, Destruction suddenly—strangely—calm.

  The girl twisted to brace her weight on her elbows and face him fully. She gaped at him. “Your arms.”

  He glanced down and frowned. The wreaths were no longer black but crimson, and the brighter they glowed the more they singed his skin, little black rivers branching from underneath them, reminding him of the cracks in the foundation of his life—and his sanity.

  What the hell was going on? He zipped up his pants, intending to find William.

  His companion released a heavy sigh. “No wonder he wants you dead.” With no other warning, she swung her fist at him.

  Instincts honed on the bloodiest of battlefields spurred him into motion even before his mind processed what was happening. He caught her wrist before contact and twisted her arm behind her back, effectively pinning her down.

  Now kill her, Destruction said. Make her a cautionary tale for all who think to harm us.

  He would...not. “You said he wants me dead.” The words were snarled. “Who is he?” William?

  “Let me go!” She kicked at him to no avail. “It was nothing personal, okay? Not on my part. I only wanted the money.” She beat her free hand into the mattress. “I should have stuck to the plan and waited until you were weak from orgasm.”

  He wrenched her arm higher, and she shrieked in misery. The ring caught his attention. The stone had been discarded, revealing the needle underneath. She’d intended to poison him?

  Cautionary tale...

  Enemies had to die. Always.

  “William!” he bellowed, though he needn’t have bothered.

  The bedroom door burst open. William stomped inside, his narrowed gaze landing on the blonde. “Mistake, nymph. I would have been good to you.” Blood drenched him. “Now you’ll only experience my worst.”

  Tremors of fear rocked her.

  “She said he wants me dead,” Baden informed the warrior.

  A muscle ticked below his eye. “He. Lucifer. And don’t you dare refer to the male as my brother. I’ll never claim him.”

  Baden should have guessed. Lucifer was power-hungry. Greedy. An unrepentant rapist. A killer of innocents. The father of lies. There was no line he wouldn’t cross. No foul deed he wouldn’t commit against men, women and even children.

  William motioned to Baden’s glowing bands with a tilt of his chin. “Prepare yourself. Soon you’re going to face—”

  Baden was yanked through an invisible black hole...only to crash-land on the other side. He oriented his mind as a massive ballroom came into view. Tendrils of smoke wafted from multiple bonfires, hazing the air as they curled toward a domed ceiling made entirely of flame. There were only two exits. The one in back, manned by giants, and the one in front, manned by even bigger giants.

  A grandiose throne made from bronzed human skulls consumed the center of a long dais, and on that throne sat Hades himself. He was a large man, similar in size to Baden, with inky hair and eyes so black they had no beginning or end. He wore a pin-striped suit and Italian loafers, the elegance at odds with the stars tattooed on each of his knuckles.

  Urbane and yet uncivilized, Hades spread his arms. “Welcome to my humble abode. Love it before you hate it.”

  Baden ignored the nonsensical greeting. He’d interacted with the king only once before, when the male gifted him with the wreaths and freed him from Lucifer’s prison. “Why am I here?” The glow faded from the bands, the metal cooling, becoming dull and dark once again. Better question: “How am I here?”

  Hades smiled slowly, smugly. “Thanks to the wreaths, I’m your master, and you are my slave. I called, you came.”

  Baden fought the urge to attack. “You lie.” He was slave to no one, not even the king. The beast, however...might be. Realization stabbed him, and suddenly only one question mattered. “Who is Destruction?”

  The king was an expert strategist and donned a blank mask. “Perhaps a man I cursed. Perhaps a being I created.” His fingers formed a steeple in front of his mouth. “The only thing you need to know? He will always choose me over you.”

  The beast offered no response, a fact as annoying as it was baffling.

  “I will fight his compulsion to obey you,” Baden vowed.

  Hades winced with something akin to pity. “When I summon you again, you will come. When I give an order, you will obey. Let’s have a good old-fashioned demonstration, shall we?” He lifted his chin, the picture of a male who’d never known uncertainty. “Kneel.”

  Baden’s knees slammed into the floor with so much force the entire room rattled. Though he struggled with all his considerable might, he failed to rise.

  Horror joined his rage. Bound to the will of another...

  “As you can see, my will is your delight.” Hades waved a hand through the air. “You may stand.”

  His body unlocked, and he leaped to his feet, his hand automatically resting on the hilt of a dagger. He’d been tricked. And oh, the irony. The one time he should have doubted, he’d trusted blindly.

  Battling a redoubled rage, he gritted, “You can’t give orders if you’re dead.”

  “An empty threat? I expected better from a fearsome Lord of the Underworld. Excuse me, former Lord. But all right. Do it. Try to kill me.” Hades motioned him forward. “I won’t move. I won’t even retaliate if you land a blow.”

  Without hesitation, he stalked toward the throne, a plan of attack already forming. The throat and heart were obvious targets, so he would go for the femoral artery. Massive blood loss would lead to weakness.

  The moment he came within striking distance, he went low, the dagger at the ready.

  Hades smiled with genuine amusement.

  The rage redoubled, and Baden—

  Froze, unable to move. A mere inch from contact.

  Arching a brow, Hades said, “I’m waiting.”

  With a roar, Baden swung his other arm. It froze, as well.

  The king smirked. “As you are clearly brain damaged, I’ll help you compute what’s happening. You are incapable of harming me. I could press myself into your weapon, but you would turn the blade on yo
urself before I started to bleed.” He ran the tip of a finger along the edge of the blade in question. “The box bitch required a demonstration of that. Do you?”

  Box bitch. The bastard had put Pandora through this same routine?

  Protective instincts welled, appalling him. And yet, he thought he understood the source. Right now she was the only person in the world who understood his plight. Not only had they experienced the same horrors in the spirit realm—poisonous fogs, months without a single spark of light, plagued by a bone-deep thirst that could never be quenched—they were now experiencing these new horrors in the land of the living.

  “Well?” Hades prompted.

  Baden didn’t need another demonstration. He needed a new plan. “Why are you doing this?”

  “Because I can.” Black eyes glittered like a night sky filled with dying stars. “Because I’ll do anything, hurt anyone, to win the war against Lucifer.”

  A war Baden had supported for weeks. Of his own free will! There was no reason to force his hand. “Five minutes ago, I would have said the same.”

  “Five minutes from now, you’ll say the same again.” Hades reclined, stretching out his legs, and gesticulated with two fingers. “I’ve decided to delegate some of the more unsavory tasks on my to-do list. I’ll hear your thanks now.”

  Unleashed from the freeze-frame, Baden stumbled backward. Comprehension delivered a punch as powerful as William’s fists. He was to be an errand boy?

  “To ensure your willing participation outside these walls, every successfully completed task will earn you a point,” Hades continued. “Once the list is completed, the slave with the most points will be freed from the wreaths and allowed to live in the human realm.”

  New flickers of rage burned his chest. “And the loser?”

  “What do you think? I have no use for incompetent weaklings. But by the end, you might actually welcome the blade, eh? That is your MO, is it not?”

  Guilt...

  “Don’t bother going after Pandora in order to eliminate the competition,” Hades added. “Kill her, and I will kill you.”