The Darkest Torment

by Gena Showalter

  She almost couldn’t bring herself to utter her next words. “I want to feel you come against me.”

  His fingers slid out a second later. She groaned at the emptiness he left behind, but pressed herself against his erection and rubbed...rubbed...

  His gaze hot on hers, he brought his fingers to his mouth and hungrily licked away her desire. The sight...the very thought that he was taking a part of her inside himself...the sweetest part...she flew over the edge, rubbing him harder, rubbing him faster, using her core to kindle his climax and stoke her own. Suddenly he roared her name.

  He cupped her ass, his fingers digging into her giving flesh, and jetted into his underwear, wetting the material and her hand. She’d feel him tomorrow—and she’d love it.

  She collapsed against him, utterly spent, her breathing as labored as his, her mind reeling. They hadn’t had sex, and yet he’d made her come twice.

  This man...oh, this man. He affected her.

  “Off,” he said, surprising her. When she failed to move fast enough for his liking, he stood, ensuring she slid off his lap.

  Her legs were the consistency of jelly, and it required a conscious effort to remain on her feet as she stumbled away from him.

  “Get dressed,” he said, looking anywhere but at her.

  “I will, but only because I want to dress.” A pang of hurt, but really, had she expected anything different? He didn’t like or respect her. As if he’d really want to cuddle with her now.

  You need me, he loved to tell her. The implication? He didn’t need her.

  Anger overtook the hurt. “Well, well. Look who’s in a rush to change his underpants. You unloaded a bucket’s worth of batter, didn’t you?”

  He tossed her discarded garments at her, silent. Motions jerky, she covered her nakedness; her efforts to hide her trembling were wasted.

  “Just so you know, you had a great start but a deplorable finish,” she muttered, smoothing the material in place.

  “You enjoyed yourself,” he snapped.

  “And so did you. So what’s your problem?”

  “Maybe all the contact pained me more than I admitted.”

  Maybe...wasn’t really an answer. The single word removed both truth and lie from the sentence. What didn’t he want her to know? “Maybe you’re beginning to have feelings for me, and you don’t like it.” The taunt echoed in her mind, and her eyes widened. Her feelings toward him had certainly softened, so why couldn’t his have softened toward her?

  “You should pray that doesn’t happen,” he said quietly, menacingly. “I’m dangerous.”

  Not to me. Even when he’d thought she’d betrayed him, he’d offered her pleasure rather than punishment.

  He added, “There’s darkness inside me, and it’s only growing. I have no light.”

  “Well, guess what? There’s light inside me, and when darkness and light go head to head, darkness runs and light saves the day.”

  He frowned at her. “You think you can save me?”

  “Don’t be silly. One person can never save another. Not in the true sense of the word. We all make our own choices. I’m just saying I’m willing to share with you.”

  His frown intensified, but he remained silent.

  “A demon once inhabited you,” she said, “but you kept your wits until the end and overcame him. Right? Mind over matter. Now you can do the same with the beast.”

  “You make it sound easy, yet you have no idea the battle—”

  “Oh, I know it’s a battle. Your own mind is often your fiercest opponent.” Her smile held an edge of sadness. “When I lost Peter—”

  “Peter?” The name lashed from him. “Who is Peter?”

  “My fiancé. Before Alek.”

  Baden relaxed, but only slightly. “Who broke things off?”

  An invisible hand wrapped around her heart and squeezed. “Neither of us. Alek killed him.”

  He softened. “I’m sorry.”

  “Thank you. The point is, I wanted to wallow in my sorrow, but I didn’t. I couldn’t because my dogs needed me.”

  “Dogs Aleksander later took from you.”

  Her chin quivered as she nodded. “You saw what happened when I did wallow.”

  “I also saw what happened when you stopped.”

  “I had to change the direction of my thoughts. Instead of lamenting about what I lost, I had to focus on what I had left. My emotions soon followed my mind. The same can happen for you.”

  He pondered her words and for a moment, she thought she had him. Then he scoffed at her. “Our situations are different. You weren’t influenced by an outside force.”

  “And you are. Boohoo for you.” She twisted her fists under her eyes to mimic tears. “Guess you’re not strong enough to overcome.” A challenge. A clear taunt. “I was.”

  He took a forbidding step toward her. “You need—”

  “Don’t say it.” She raised her chin, stood her ground. I am the alpha dog. I am pack leader. “If you don’t like what I’m saying, refute it, but don’t you dare insult me. Or order me to feel a certain way.”

  He halted, his hands clenching and unclenching. Good boy. He’d calmed on his own, with no real prompting from her.

  His training would be easier than she’d suspected. Beauty would totally tame her beast, yo. She just had to concentrate and stop losing herself in the vast expanse of his sexiness.

  Thought I planned to leave him sooner rather than later.

  Well, plans changed. Again.

  The door burst open, and a scowling Galen stomped inside the room. He held a leash in each hand, Biscuit and Gravy bucking at the ends. “Special delivery. Enjoy. Or not. Yeah, probably not.”

  Happiness sprouted. He dropped the leashes, and the dogs bounded toward her. She crouched, welcoming them with open arms. They licked her face as she petted and praised them. Most trainers discouraged licking, but she’d always enjoyed the show of canine affection. Dogs spoke a different language than humans, and licking said, “I love you.”

  “What’s that stain on your pants?” Galen asked Baden, obviously trying not to laugh. “What were you crazy kids doing while I was away? Shall I venture a guess?”

  She pressed her lips together to stop a laugh of her own.

  Baden murmured curses under his breath. “Katarina, you’ve seen Galen around, I’m sure. He’s the keeper of Jealousy and False Hope. He owns this home, which is located in another realm.”

  She’d seen Galen around, yes, but they’d never actually spoken. She’d noticed most of the warriors avoided him. “Another realm?” she asked.

  A nod. “You can trust the male with your life, but nothing else.”

  Galen lost his amusement in a hurry. “The murderous beast-man likes to cast stones. Excellent. We should probably start a dodgeball team. Or like the Harpies, a dodge-boulder team.”

  “I need to leave before I do something I’m not sure I’ll regret.” Baden stomped out of the room, Katarina’s mirth dying, too.

  Her gaze landed on Galen. His prettiness was almost hypnotic, but in a scary serial killer kind of way. “What did he mean, another realm?”

  “Think of it as another world. Because it is.”

  Immortals...other worlds...what else did she not know about? “Why the animosity between you two?”

  He ignored her, saying, “I’m supposed to keep you safe any time Baden is off on one of his missions for Hades, but I won’t hesitate to gut you if I think you’re a danger to him.”

  Biscuit prowled toward him, growling, until she called the pup back to her side.

  “You love Baden?” she asked.

  Galen shrugged. “I love myself, and I need him. You, little girl, aren’t that lucky.”

  17

  “I w
ish I was kissing you instead of missing you.”

  —Aeron, former keeper of Wrath

  BADEN STRIPPED OUT of his soiled clothing, glanced at the unlit hearth and decided burning every stitch was a sound plan. He threw a blazing match in the center, then the clothes, watching the fabric smolder. The garments would only serve as a reminder of Katarina and the way he’d come like a wee lad being handled for the first time. Humiliating, but also...worth it? He climbed into the steaming shower.

  Hot water pounded against his face and shoulders, droplets trickling down his chest; even without the clothes, his mind returned to Katarina. The pleasure she’d given him...he’d never experienced its like. He’d wanted her so badly he would have done anything she’d asked, given her anything she desired. He would have died for her.

  She’d had power over him—over both of them—and yet Destruction had been willing to kill for her. Her, not himself. As if her enemies mattered more than his. As if every foe needed to be taught the error of turning his sights on the human.

  Damn it, she still had power over them!

  Having more of her was no longer optional, was now a necessity. Her taste. Her purrs. Her groans and moans, and the breathless way she uttered his name—or shouted it. Her hand, fisting his length just right. Her passion unleashed, pure wicked indulgence, as she ground herself on his fingers.

  He banged a fist against the tile. What the hell was he going to do about her?

  With some of his pent-up lust at last assuaged, his head was clearer than usual, the beast quiet. Baden was able to replay the damning words he’d overheard Katarina say to Aleksander.

  I’ll put my life in harm’s way and seduce Baden...if you prove the coin’s existence.

  The man had killed her dogs; she hated him with the heat of a thousand suns. Would she truly free him, simply to become a queen of the underworld? Not a chance. So she must have had a very good reason for making such a promise.

  A sudden suspicion drifted through his mind. Had she hoped to find the coin for Baden?

  Yes. Absolutely. No question. He cursed his quick temper, cursed his paranoia. He owed her an apology. Not that words would be enough to fix the problems he’d caused.

  As he shut off the water, the bands began to broil his biceps. A soft red glow filled the stall. He hurriedly reached for a towel...only to dematerialize without it. He reappeared in Hades’s throne room, wet and naked, weaponless.

  The scent of smoke and the sounds of distant, discordant screams registered as he performed a quick scan. No one stood within striking distance, but the guards lined up against the far wall leered at him. He glared, daring them to say a word.

  “For the sake of my eyes, dress,” Hades commanded, drawing his attention. He materialized atop his ghoulish throne, his body encased in a three-piece suit.

  Baden held out his arms, all feast your eyes, asshole. “Someone should have told me it was business-formal Friday.”

  “Pippin!”

  The old, robed man stepped from a puff of black smoke. “Yes, sire.”

  “It’s makeover Monday. Give Baden a new look.”

  “Yes, sire.” Pippin chiseled a pebble from the edge of his tablet.

  Hades. Flames. Ashes.

  Those ashes adhered to Baden’s skin, as if glued, swiftly morphing into black leather pants with a multitude of zippers and a cotton T-shirt. Both were a perfect fit.

  Baden wanted one of those tablets.

  “Much better.” Hades drummed his nails against the arms of the throne. “Update me on your search for the coin.”

  “Aleksander has proven more stubborn than I anticipated.”

  “And the other tasks on your list?”

  “Nearly completed.”

  “Then you’ll be pleased to know I have a new job for you.”

  One of Destruction’s memories fought its way to the forefront of his mind. His mother, the dark-haired beauty who’d feasted on his liver, sat upon a throne. That throne. Hades’s. She cringed at his approach, her sharp claws digging into the arms as she fought to rise—but she couldn’t. He held her in place with a power she couldn’t overcome. Shadows, all his beautiful shadows, swirled around her, hissing at her.

  “—listening to me?” Hades snapped.

  The male had suffered greatly at her hands, and he’d killed her for it. Killed his own mother. Mercilessly.

  There was no line he would not cross when betrayed.

  Focus! “I’m listening, yes.” Now.

  “I want this artifact in my possession by the end of the day.” He clapped his hands and Pippin placed a new stone on his palm.

  Flames. Ash. Baden breathed deeply, inhaling every particle. The artifact—a necklace—was known as the cœur de la terre. Two hundred carats of mystical blue coral. Exquisite, or so women claimed, but mostly desired for its supernatural properties. With it, a male or female of any race, even human, could live and breathe underwater with the Mers.

  The current owner: Poseidon’s mistress, a delicate-looking forest nymph.

  “Just one minor issue with this mission. Hardly bears mentioning,” Hades said with a wave. “If you succeed, the water king will lose his favorite concubine, and he’ll send assassins to kill you.”

  Wonderful. “He won’t be the first or the last. I’ll handle him.”

  Hades glanced at his manservant. “See, Pippin. I’m not being needlessly cruel. Baden welcomes the challenge.”

  “Yes, sire.”

  To Baden, Hades said, “Handle the water king, but don’t kill him. If the concubine has to die, she has to die. And remember, what you do, you do for the greater good.”

  The greater good. Victory. The protection of his friends...of Katarina.

  “I’ll acquire the necklace.” The qualification—by the end of the day—allowed him to launch a strike against Lucifer first. He was already in the underworld, so why not?

  “Stop. I know that look,” Hades said with a frown. “What are you planning? Tell me true.”

  The answer left him, pulled out by the power of the king’s command.

  Hades thought for a moment, nodded. “Very well. I’ll even aid you. Pippin, if you please...”

  Another piece of the tablet provided a map of the nine underworld realms and the ability to flash anywhere within them. The only location forbidden to him was inside Lucifer’s palace, the walls mystically blocked.

  But there were ways around that. Or there would be by the time he finished.

  When a weight pulled at the waist of his pants, he looked down. A grenade hung from every belt loop. He grinned. Here was the way.

  Like for like. Lucifer destroyed his home, now Baden would destroy his.

  He flashed to the outskirts of the male’s palace. A towering monstrosity built from blood and bones. The surrounding moat was a mix of acid and the tears of the damned. Above, dragons flew through a sky of smoke and fire.

  The scent of sulfur and brimstone pervaded, blending with the fetid stench of death. A thousand screams of pain and fear created a gruesome soundtrack—far worse than anything he’d ever heard in Hades’s domain.

  Armed guards patrolled the palace parapet. They spotted him and activated a shrill alarm. Baden lobbed a grenade. Boom! As the parapet crumbled in a burst of fire and debris, he flashed to the other side of the palace and lobbed a second grenade. He continued the assault until his belt loops were empty. Took a total of ten minutes, but during that time more than one guard managed to pinpoint his location. They pitched spears in his direction while others pitched spears everywhere else so that, when he flashed to a new location, one of those spears would find and gouge him.

  Which it did.

  On impact, he lost the ability to flash, was pinioned by an invisible barrier, Destruction roaring. Every guard focused
on him then, throwing more spears. Just before the avalanche reached him, the beast was able to free him from the immobility.

  He flashed again, intending to grab a handful of discarded spears, but he reappeared atop a steel trap—one made for flashers. Metal teeth snapped closed around his ankle, preventing him from dematerializing. The lines that marked every kill he’d made for Hades began to burn and blister, as if the beast breathed fire on them from the inside. Smoke actually rose from his skin, soon forming a wall around him.

  Not smoke, he realized, but the creatures that had once lived inside his victims.

  Shock clouted him in the chest. He’d witnessed the rise of shadows from Hades, had even seen a hint of the shadows when he’d dealt with the Berserker, but he’d never expected this.

  An army took shape around him.

  What the hell was he supposed to do? The humans who’d once hosted the creatures hadn’t known how to utilize them, Hades had said. Baden had no idea how to utilize them, either...and yet they were...helping him?

  They were. The creatures separated from him, though an invisible tether kept them bound to his soul, preventing them from going too far. They stopped every weapon tossed his way—even a grenade. As fire blazed around him, unable to touch him, he reeled. Within seconds, the shadows were able to eat through the metal clamp, freeing him.

  Be ready, Destruction said.

  The very moment the shadows reabsorbed in his arms, Baden flashed home...but the fire leaped at him and he ended up taking multiple embers with him. They kindled on the carpet and curtains in the sitting room. He rushed to stomp them out before they could spread. When he finished, smoke filled the room. True smoke.

  He wasn’t going to think about the shadows, or what they were capable of doing. Not now. He had too much to do.

  Where was Katarina?

  He stalked through the home. A stronghold in a desert realm where no one else would ever dare venture. The only patch of grass was located in a gated oasis found in the backyard. When wheeling and dealing with Galen, he’d insisted on a place for the dogs to run and play. Because. Just because. Galen had delivered, in his own unique way. Other than the palace and the oasis, the realm offered mile after mile of glaring sun, burning rocks, and black sand dunes.