She opened her mouth to protest.
Maddox said, “I’m giving you this chance because we did you wrong when we stole the box—because I did you wrong after my possession—but I won’t give you another one.”
“You’re not going to win this fight,” Sabin told her. “We’re too keyed up, and you’re too injured.”
They didn’t know about the extra juice Hades had given her. She might be able to take them. But weaving doubt was Sabin’s business and business was good. She paled and vanished.
Baden scanned the devastation around him—there would be no salvaging the place. Guilt rose. “I’m responsible for this. I never should have returned, never should have moved in.”
“Don’t talk crazy.” Torin kicked a piece of wood out of his way. “Let’s retrieve what we can while we await Lucien’s return. We’re better together, and that’s final.”
* * *
“It’s good to see you...wife.”
Katarina hissed at the man who’d brought her so much pain and misery. “You aren’t my husband. You were my blackmailer and my brother’s supplier. Now you’re my dogs’ murderer.”
“You can buy more dogs. Many more. In fact, it looks like you’ve already begun.”
Panchart! The hate she’d managed to bury welled up, nearly drowning her as surely as her grief. He deserved to suffer, and yet he looked perfectly content. The chain wrapped around his waist was the only indication he wasn’t there of his own free will.
“Did the redhead buy you those mutts?” The corner of his eye twitched. “You should return to sender. You deserve dogs with a pedigree a mile long.”
The dogs sat beside her, the fur on their backs raised, their gazes glued to Alek. As well behaved as dogs she’d worked with for months.
“Baden is none of your concern. Nor am I. Nor are the dogs.” She ripped the hem from her dress and wrapped the material around her thigh to stanch the flow of blood. “And pedigree says nothing about worth.”
Alek glared at her. “Have you fucked him?”
Was the blunt question meant to intimidate her? “I could work my way through an army and still it wouldn’t be a concern of yours.”
“Don’t kid yourself. You are my concern, because you are mine. My wife...and my property.”
The dogs took offense to his tone, jumping up and emitting a low warning growl.
Knowing better than to startle an angry animal with an unsolicited touch, she began to hum. They relaxed and settled on their haunches.
The ceiling shook, more dust raining down. Where was Baden? Was he okay?
“I suggest you play nice, wife.” Alek attempted to scoot closer to her, but the chain stopped him. “Soon I’ll use the coin to dethrone Hades and take his place in the underworld. I’ll be a king.”
A king. Of the underworld. Aka, of evil. On paper, it was actually the perfect job for him. “That’s what the coin does? Buys you a kingdom?”
“It forces Hades to grant my wish, whatever that wish might be.”
“How did you get it?”
He hesitated only a moment before replying. “A gift from my mother.”
“You have a mother? Aw, is she proud of her murderous little sociopath?”
“She’s dead. I blame my father.” He smiled with a touch of mania. “But Papa got his in the end. I made sure of it. And if you want to keep your pretty tongue, you won’t speak of my mother again.”
The dogs barked, but remained in place.
Tongue removal must be all the rage among evil overlords. She’d noticed the winged devil had lacked one.
“Is my brother alive or did you kill him, too?” she asked, facing the wall to press her hands against the cold stone. There had to be a way out. Not that she doubted her safety. But the women and children might need her and the dogs.
“After the massacre at the chapel, I sent Dominik to my country estate. I won’t harm him...as long as you treat me with the deference I deserve.”
This. This would have become her life if Baden hadn’t showed up. Threats and coercion. She owed the warrior a debt of gratitude.
She managed to extract an already loosened stone.
“You think to leave me?” Alek rattled the chain as he tried to stand. “No. You will stay. Do you hear me? You will stay!”
She turned and lobbed the stone at him, only to gasp. His eyes...they were lit up with sparks of red.
Baden was right. Alek wasn’t human.
How? How was that possible? How had she not known?
“When I’m king of Hades’s realm,” Alek said, his tone low and silky now, “you will be my queen. Don’t you want to be my queen, princezná?”
“I’d rather be a servant for a good king than the queen of a bad one.”
“So...yes?”
“Hard no.” But...
Katarina drew in a breath, slowly released it. Right now, she was part of Baden’s world. He admired strength, and she’d often claimed to be strong. It was time to prove it.
If she couldn’t escape, she might as well go on an information hunt.
“Where’s the coin now?” she asked and winced. Too much too fast.
Another manic smile bloomed. “You can search the world, but you’ll never find it.”
He was so confident. Search the world...
So, where else could she search, if not the world? The underworld he’d mentioned?
No. Not likely. He wouldn’t trust the coin with anyone else. Not if it could do what he thought. He wouldn’t want it far from his reach. “As much as I hate you, I don’t want to be a prisoner, either,” she said. Can you relate, kretén? Blanking her expression, she said, “If I help free you, you must vow to take me with you. And let my brother go.”
His eyes narrowed on her, but he nodded. “So be it.”
Such easy capitulation? Liar!
She stood and took a step toward him, then pretended to rethink her decision and edged back. As he tensed, she took another step forward. “How am I to free you?” she asked, as if nervous.
“Pick the lock on the chains like you picked the lock on your bedroom door.” He practically vibrated with eagerness. “I can do the rest.”
Another step brought her closer to him. “In other words, I do the grunt work for little reward. No! I want the coin, too.”
Look at me. A pretend gold digger deluxe. Baden would be pleased.
“I’ll share it with you,” he said as anger clearly stirred inside him.
Another lie. “How do I know you really have it?”
“You’ll just have to trust me.”
She shook her head, adamant. “After what you did to my dogs? No. I don’t trust you.” There would be no bluffing her way past that particular truth. “You need to prove its existence.”
“I have it, I swear.” The edge of his voice sharpened to a blade-point. “That’s all you need to know.”
“Sorry, husband, but I have to see it.”
His lips peeled back from his teeth in a scowl he’d only ever turned on employees who’d wronged him. “Free me,” he commanded, “and then I’ll show it to you.”
Remaining at a distance, she scanned the chains. “The lock looks complicated. If it were easy to pick, you would have found a way already. Maybe I’m not skilled enough...” According to Baden, she wasn’t skilled enough to do anything.
My bitterness is showing. Mind on the task at hand.
“The key,” he said. “Find the key.”
“How? Baden watches my every move. What if you used the coin? You could become king, as planned, and summon an entire army to free you.” If Alek bought this, well, he was even crazier than he looked. “Tell me where it is. I’ll convince Baden to flash me to its location, and hide it on my person befor
e he finds it. He’ll never know.”
Alek kicked out his leg, swiping nothing but air. His sanity was unraveling. “Whore! You’re planning to use it for yourself.”
She petted the dogs behind the ears before they had time to react, and lifted her chin. “I’m afraid, weak. Would never approach Hades without you.” Surely he’d buy that. “But I can’t risk Baden’s ire. He’s a cruel man.” She forced a shudder. “Very dangerous.”
Alek huffed and puffed. He managed to smooth his features, though he couldn’t hide the furious gleam in his eyes. “You’re a woman. I’m sure you can figure out a way to distract him from his anger.”
Ready for her to whore already, even though he’d used the word derogatorily only a moment before?
Panchart! “All right,” she said. “I’ll put my life in harm’s way and seduce Baden...if you prove the coin’s existence.”
Alek stared behind her and paled.
Uh-oh. Trouble.
“You’ve made a grave mistake, nevesta,” Baden said from behind her, his voice layered, as if the beast spoke with him. “Grave, indeed.”
14
“There are three ways to look at the glass. Half empty, half full, and why are you eyeing my glass, bitch?”
—Gwendolyn the Timid, Harpy from Clan Skyhawk
A WARM, SALTY breeze caressed Gillian’s skin. She lounged in a cushioned chair on William’s private beach, a wispy white canopy above her. The sun was in the process of setting, painting the sky with brilliant shades of pink, purple and gold. Only inches away, crystal-clear water lapped at white sand, leaving foam in its wake. So close yet so far.
The only thing that disrupted the beauty of the land? The eight guards dressed in black and armed to the max. They stood a few yards away from her, forming an octagon around her.
William had left to do...she had no idea what. His father had appeared and said, “There’s trouble.”
Poor Liam. Pulled in too many directions. She was only making things worse.
The two had left soon after, but not before William had carried her out here, wanting her to have sun and fresh air, hoping it would invigorate her.
Hate to break it to you, Liam, but this experiment is a fail.
She was as weak as before, but now she was angry. She deserved an answer to the question she’d lobbed at him as if it were an H-bomb: What is morte ad vitam?
The most he’d told her? “You’re changing, poppet.”
She knew that, but dang it. This was her life...and her death.
A whimper escaped her. Not ready to die.
“Do you need anything, Miss Bradshaw?” one of the guards asked. The men were over-the-top formal with her because William had threatened to castrate anyone who offended her.
Only her Liam!
“No, thank you,” she managed to croak. Not from you.
A second later, a thud rang out.
She barely had the strength to turn her head, but caught sight of two guards, now prone in the sand and motionless. Three others rushed toward them, guns drawn, but they were met by an invisible wall and crumpled to the ground, as well. The remaining three decided to close in and surround her. Only, one at a time, they ended up on their backs.
Puck sidled up to her side, as calm as the ocean, making her gasp. He wore another loincloth, this one braided locks of hair. His furred legs were less startling than before and oddly attractive.
The invalid and the beast.
“Did you kill them?” she demanded, hating the whisperlike quality of her voice.
“Would you like me to deliver a lethal blow?” He sat beside her chair and stared out at the water. “I merely put them down for a nap, but I can slit their throats, no problem. Just say the word.”
“N-no. Please. No.”
“Very well, then.” He said no more, and her panic slowly receded.
The muted rays of the sun reached out to stroke him, creating a halo effect. Which was odd, considering he had horns. Part angel...part demon. Part goat, she added, remembering his legs. All warrior. The razor blades woven into his dark hair glinted in the light.
“Why are you here? I can’t aid you,” she said, remembering his parting words the last time he’d showed up.
He hiked his big shoulders in a shrug. “I was told your situation is so sad, I’ll come to care.”
“Who told you that?” William? Not likely. Closed-mouthed tyrant! “And why do you want to care?” Her mind, fogged though it was, answered the question before he could reply. He was possessed by Indifference, and the demon probably always wiped away his emotions before he had a chance to feel them. There was always a consequence to demon possession. “Do you care?”
He thought for a moment, sighed. “Not even a little.”
Well, she suddenly experienced envy. To no longer be affected by her past? To no longer be bothered by nightmares and fear? A priceless gift. “Do you ever feel anything?”
“Only very rarely, and then...” His voice trailed off, and he shrugged again.
“Lucky,” she muttered.
“Lucky? Lass, I could set you on fire, watch you burn and as you scream in agony I’d only be interested in the warmth of the flames on a chilly night.”
“Okay, maybe lucky was too strong a word.” She nibbled on her bottom lip, watching him through the shield of her lashes. “Are you going to set me on fire?”
“No. I left my matches at home.”
So comforting. And yet, for the first time since the illness had struck her, she wanted to smile.
They sat in silence for several minutes, her gaze constantly returning to him, her interest in him growing. He really was a beautiful man and though—to her—all immortals usually looked the same age, this one actually appeared younger. Why?
A cool, salty breeze washed over her fevered skin, and she shivered. He immediately removed his shirt and draped the material over her. Her gaze dropped to his chest and...oh, wow. He had muscle stacked upon muscle, unlike her stepfather and stepbrothers, who were—
Breathing became a little more difficult as her airway constricted. She turned her head away from Puck, searching for a distraction. Her nose brushed against the soft cotton of his shirt and her mind enjoyed a blissful vacation. Nothing had ever smelled this wonderful. All that peat smoke and lavender infused the cloth. And his heat! The rays of the sun had left her cold, but his shirt gave her a toasty high.
“Thank you,” she muttered, feeling like a kitten that had just found the cream.
“You’re welcome.”
They lapsed into another round of silence. If this kept up, he might leave. She didn’t want him to leave.
Just don’t want to be alone. That’s all.
She racked her brain for a conversation starter. The best she could come up with? “So, uh, how did you go invisible?”
“I didn’t. I simply moved too quickly for you—or them—to track.”
He answered her so readily, without a single moment of hesitation. That was new. William often spoke in riddles, and the warriors in Budapest always sidestepped her questions, as if they feared revealing too much to a human.
Maybe Puck would answer the question. “What is morte ad vitam?”
He arched a brow at her. “Is that what’s wrong with you?”
“Yes. All the doctors agree.” Her mouth dried as he frowned. “What does it mean?”
“Your body is trying to evolve, to become immortal, but it isn’t strong enough.”
What! No, no, no. Impossible. She was human, born and bred. She would always be human.
“The only possible chance for your survival,” he said, “is for you to bond with an immortal, linking your life force to his. But even that isn’t a guarantee. You could drain his strength and make him human.”
>
Bond...as in marry. What William refused to do with her or anyone. Good thing, too.
Marriage meant wifely duties. Like having sex. She would much rather wear a chastity belt for the rest of eternity.
William probably didn’t want to go that route because of his curse. Or he knew something she didn’t. Several of the Lords had bonded to their mates, and there had been consequences. The couples’ lives were now forever tied for the good, the bad and the oh, so sad. If one died, the other would soon follow.
“Well, that sucks.” She would rather die today—this second!—than place William in a moment of unnecessary danger. “How much time do I have before I...”
“Considering the condition you’re in now, I’d say another week, maybe two.”
Fourteen days at most. “I’ll never get to do the things on my bucket list. If I had a bucket list, I mean.”
“Perhaps you should make one. I can help.”
Her brow furrowed with confusion. “Why would you want to help?”
“You could use a distraction, and I could use a new goal. The woman I wanted didn’t want me back, so we parted ways. Now...” He shrugged.
“Women are goals to you?”
“Why not? My goals keep me from sitting on a couch, watching soap operas all day and eating old pizza.”
“But if you don’t feel anything, how do you know when you want a woman?”
“I rarely feel emotion, but I often feel desire. The two aren’t mutually exclusive, lass.”
“That’s true.” She smiled her saddest smile at him. “I feel all kinds of emotion, but never desire.”
A spark of curiosity lit his expression. “You are of age, yes?”
Dreading where he was going with this line of questioning, she gave a hesitant, “I’m a legal adult, yes.” Finally.
“And you’ve never desired a man?”
She stared at the water as the sun disappeared on the horizon. Shadows fell over her hideaway, the torches burning atop a wealth of poles circling her providing the only light. She inhaled and exhaled slowly, precisely, fighting the rise of shame and hate and horror that always found a way to the surface of her heart whenever this topic came up.
The Darkest Torment Page 20
