by Dena Christy
Her tiny hands rested on his chest and pushed gently against him. He put a small amount of space between them, but continued to hold her. He didn’t know if he could ever let her go for fear that this was all just a dream.
“I take this greeting to mean that you aren’t unhappy to see me,” she said with a small smile on her face. He tightened his hold, and she put her hands up to stop him from crushing her to him again. “I need to talk first, before I lose my nerve.”
He took a step back and his arms fell to his side. She was still standing on his front porch, and he stepped aside so she could walk into his home. She walked into the living room and he followed her, his eyes devouring every line and curve of her body, as if memorizing her in case she disappeared. She turned to face him, and her chest rose when she took a deep breath.
“I know you spoke to Odin, about my punishment. He told me as much before he banished me from Asgard as my penance. I don’t want you to think that I will be a burden to you. I know that what I did was unforgivable and I know it will take time for us to put the past behind us,” Nan said, her voice growing breathless. He walked toward her steadily, his eyes never leaving her face as she spoke. “I don’t know why you intervened with Odin, but I hope it’s a sign that we can move forward from this—”
Cadric reached up and cradled her face in his hands, bringing his mouth crashing down on hers. He knew she thought that she needed to beg for his forgiveness, but he had to show her that there was nothing left to forgive. He kissed her with all the longing he’d felt since the conclusion of the tribunal, and she sighed and melted against him. Her lips softened under his and he nibbled on her lower lip. He pulled away from her a fraction, knowing there was something he needed to tell her before his desire for her pushed everything from his mind.
“I love you,” he said as he pulled back a few inches. “I spoke to my father and asked for mercy for you because I love you. I don’t need time to put the past behind me. These last few days without you have driven me out of my mind. I had everything I thought I wanted and needed, but I realize that none of it matters without you.”
“You love me?” she asked, her voice sounding surprised.
“Surely you knew that,” he said as he caressed her face, which he still cradled.
“Well you haven’t said it to me for a long time…” she said as she pressed herself closer. Cadric’s mouth kicked up in the corner when her hands drifted down to cup his ass.
“I must have shown you,” he said as his right hand moved down her throat to cup her breast, kneading and squeezing until her eyes grew heavy with desire.
“I think my time away as made my memory hazy. Perhaps you could refresh it?”
“It would be my pleasure,” he said as he scooped her up in his arms. Her arms encircled his neck, and she looked into his eyes as he looked down at her.
“I love you too,” she said.
“I know.”
He pressed his mouth against her forehead and strode toward the bedroom. As he laid her upon what would now be their bed, he promised himself that he would spend the rest of his life telling her and showing her how much he loved her. And since they were immortal that meant forever.
Epilogue
“Come in,” Samara exclaimed as the front door to Eric and Samara’s house opened and Cadric found himself, along with Nan, being hauled inside. “I’m so glad you could come.”
They stepped inside, and Cadric handed Samara the gift he’d brought for the twins, protective amulets he’d had made. He and Nan had imbued them with a little magic, and once the girls were older they could wear them so they would be cloaked in the protection of the gods.
The baby shower was in full swing, and Cadric could see many people that had been at his tribunal and a few that hadn’t.
Simone and her sister Kate, stood together laughing as they helped themselves to some cake. For a while he had been concerned that their years apart would make it difficult for them to foster a relationship, but it was apparent that meeting as adults and going through similar experiences had only forged a stronger bond for them. Rowan and Lee were drinking beers as they stood close to their women’s sides and Cadric was glad they’d both found happiness in their lives.
As he looked around the room, he felt blessed to have been allowed to be a part of these people’s lives, and now part of a new generation.
“Are you happy?” he asked Nan who remained at his side. She’d been nervous about coming, since she thought there would be lingering resentment by some people with her involvement in freeing Loki. The guests who didn’t know her looked at her with curiosity only and he felt her hand relax where it rested in his.
“I am, are you?” she asked as she turned her face up to look at him.
“More than I have ever been in a long time,” he said. He nodded his head toward Hadria and Nick, who each held one of Eric and Samara’s twin girls. “Although, those two are giving me some ideas.”
A frown knotted her forehead, and after a few seconds he saw comprehension dawn and her eyes rounded in surprise.
“You want to have a baby? Didn’t we already do that,” she asked with a slight laugh in her voice.
“We did,” he said as he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. “But I missed so much with Forseti and from what I recall you were very hot when you were pregnant.”
Nan rolled her eyes, but it didn’t stop a blush from creeping up her cheeks and he knew she was remembering how she was with him when their son had been growing in her belly. She could barely keep her hands off him, and he’d found every moment of her pregnancy delightful. She turned to face him.
“You don’t think we’re too old?” she asked.
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve only just hit my prime,” he said as he winked at her. “I’m not saying we find a closet somewhere and do the deed right now. I want you to think about it.”
“I’ll think about it,” she said. “Now let’s go hold babies that are already here.”
She stepped away from him, and walked over to Hadria, holding her arms out so she could cradle a baby. His heart turned over in his chest when he saw her holding the infant. He took a step forward, and as his eyes took in everyone around him, he was confident that even if another child wasn’t in the cards for them, he had everything he wanted.
Sneak Peak - Going Under
Ben Rainey promised his dying sister he would protect her infant son and raise him as his own. For ten years he's committed himself to his nephew, to the exclusion of all other relationships. He has been content with his love 'em and leave 'em lifestyle until he meets a woman who stirs within him a desire hotter than any he has ever felt before.
Taryn is a demon, commanded by her master to kill Ben's nephew. Her master believes the child is prophesied to end his life, and he will do whatever it takes to ensure that it doesn't happen. Failure is not an option for Taryn, since her master holds her sister's life in his hands. All she has to do is get Ben to trust her so she can gain access to his nephew. She doesn't count on being with Ben, whose kiss makes her long for a love she knows she can never have.
Going Under
Taryn refused to bow to anyone, not even the demon Decarbia who watched her with narrowed eyes as she walked toward him. She’d been summoned to see him and was now forced to walk through his throne room past the eyes of his sycophants. She pushed down a smile as she gave an exaggerated swing to her hips, knowing that they coveted her. As long as she belonged to the demon sitting on the throne, they could not touch her for fear of his wrath.
His dubious protection was the only good thing about him, she thought as she walked up the steps to the dais and stood before his throne. Her eyes focused on the wall behind him, it was the only way to keep her hatred for him from showing. She was the best enforcer he had, and the silver bracelet encircling her upper arm also proclaimed her his slave.
“You wanted to speak to me, Master?” she said, the words burning like acid on her to
ngue as she forced herself to say them. This was a game, where she pretended to show deference to him and he acted like he believed it. Every day she played with him, and once he tired of it, he would kill her . She had not yet figured out a way to end him. The bracelet around her arm prevented it, but she would figure it out, eventually.
“I did,” he said and from the corner of her eye she could see the curling of his fist, which he tightened until the knuckles cracked. He would not knock the impassive look of her face, not here anyway. It was a weakness he would not show over those he ruled. “Come into my counsel chamber, I have an assignment for you.”
He stood and turned toward the door that led to the chamber. She followed in his wake, galled that the bracelet prevented her from doing anything else.
Once inside, he shut the door. She remained still, staring at the wall on the opposite side of the room as he approached. He was so close she could feel his hot breath on her, and he moved her hair aside, burying his nose against her neck and breathing deep. She clenched her teeth to repress the shudder of revulsion that wanted to snake down her spine and divorced herself of her emotions. She knew what he was doing, trying to smell fear on her skin. He found that scent intoxicating, but he would not find it on her. She’d ceased to fear him long ago.
“What can I do for you, my lord?” she asked, her voice bland and without inflection.
She heard his teeth grind and squeezed her lips together to prevent a smile from curling her mouth. Any urge to smile soon fell away as his hand stroked down her neck, over the warm leather encasing her torso until he reached her breast. It took all her will not to flinch at his painful grip. She’d grown used to such mauling from him, and he would grow bored when she didn’t react. Taryn had learned never to show him any weakness, no matter what he did. It frustrated him, but prevented him from doing far worse to her. She cleared her throat to prompt him to get on with it, and he took his hand away with a rumbling in his chest.
“I have a task for you. My death at the hands of a human is foretold. You are to go topside and kill him for me.”
For the first time since stepping foot into the room, Taryn looked at her master. Her eyebrows climbed up her forehead as the implications of what he was saying raced through her mind.
“If I’m to go where the humans dwell, you will have to remove my bracelet. Without it you cannot compel me to do your will. What makes you think you can make me kill a human, my lord?”
“You’ll do what I want,” he said through clenched teeth as he leaned toward her, his nose only inches away from hers. “Weak emotions flow through your veins, a tragic failing of your race. It’s what’s kept your kind enslaved for centuries. You’ll do as you're bid if you don’t want me to keep your sister.”
Every muscle in Taryn’s body clenched for a second at the mention of her sister. She forced herself to relax. He could not have found Katia.
“What sister?”
A smile snaked across his mouth, and Taryn’s mouth went dry. She remembered what Botis had once said about him, that secrets did not exist in this realm, not from him anyway.
“You remember Katia?” he asked, and Taryn’s heart pounded in her chest at the mention of her sister’s name. As much as she tried to suppress it, her silver blue skin darkened, a sign of stress in her kind. “Did you think I wouldn't find her? She’s not as strong as you, although I commend you on keeping her innocent. I shall enjoy destroying her should you disobey me.”
“Forgive me for saying, my lord, but you are mistaken. I have no sister,” she said, her voice remaining neutral even though every fibre of her cried out for her sister. She could not be sure that he really had Katia, and she would deny her existence until proven otherwise.
A low growl rumbled in Decarbia’s chest, and Taryn braced herself for the strike she knew was coming. She’d pushed him too far, and pain blossoming on the side of her face was her reward as he slammed her with the back of his hand. She stayed on her feet, to do anything else would incite him even more.
His hands grabbed her waist in an iron grip, and he leaned forward to lick the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She longed to shove him away, to strike out at him as he’d struck her, but that would only end badly for her. She stood there, enduring his touch as her mind raced at the possibility that her sister had been found.
He drew away, and she reached up to wipe the blood and his saliva from her face. He had noticeably calmed as the taste of his violence mollified him.
“Why don’t we disprove the lie?” he said, his voice smooth and calm as he walked over to the door that led to his private chambers.
An iron band clamped around Taryn’s chest when he spoke to Botis, his lieutenant, who stood on the other side of the door. Botis walked in, holding a partially naked young demon. The iron clamped tighter and Taryn struggled to breathe as she recognized Katia’s innocent young face beneath the blood and bruises. Decarbia seized Katia’s arm and dragged her to stand in front of Taryn. Her sister’s piteous sobs would echo in her nightmares for the rest of her life. She vowed that she would kill him, no matter what it took or how long.
Taryn tried to meet her sister’s eyes, but Katia would not look at her. She stood there trembling, and Taryn longed to reach for her, to assure her that everything would be all right. Decarbia would never allow such a thing, and any words of comfort she could offer her sister would be a lie. She knew what went on in this stronghold at night. She was Decarbia’s only bargaining chip, so hopefully she hadn't experienced the worst that could happen. Taryn push comforting thoughts into her sister’s mind, using the telepathic connection they had, but her sister’s fear kept her locked out.
Decarbia handed Katia back to Botis, who left with her.
“Are you ready to listen?” he asked as he folded his arms across his massive chest.
Taryn turned to him and let her emotions come to the surface. Rage exploded in her, and in that moment she didn’t care what he did to her in retaliation.
“How do you know I won’t kill you myself for what you’ve done to her?” Taryn’s skin felt hot, and she knew her eyes glowed like red-hot coals as she glared at him.
“You won’t kill me, not while you’re wearing your bracelet,” he said as he towered over her. Her anger made no impression on him at all. She tamped it down. He was right. She could do nothing to him as long as she wore his shackle. “You’ll do what I want, unless you want me to torture your sister before I pass her to my men. I know they’d enjoy her. I doubt you would recognize her when they finished.”
Taryn closed her eyes for a moment and defeat curled in the pit of her stomach. He won.
“If I kill him will you let her go?” she said, knowing it was foolish to ask. He could not be trusted.
“Your sister will remain alive as long as you do as you are bid,” he said. She noticed he gave no guarantees over her sister’s freedom and knew he had no intention of letting her go. He would keep her sister alive, he wasn’t stupid enough to believe that she would obey him otherwise, but freedom for Katia was too much to expect. She would free her sister once she completed his task. And then she would end him.
“What do I need to know?” she said with her eyes on the floor.
“You’ll be escorted to the human realm by two of my most trusted guards. Once there, your bracelet comes off. The guards will take you to my minion. He knows the target and will get you close to the human to fulfill the task.”
“Why don’t you have this minion kill the human?”
“Because I want you to do it,” Decarbia said. For him, minions were the lowest level a demon could aspire to, and were not good for much except gathering information. “I don’t need to tell you that I wouldn't trust a task this important to a minion. You are the best enforcer I have, and you also have certain attributes that make you easier to trust. No one would think a woman capable of the violence I’ve seen you commit. Once you bring me proof the human is dead, you may have your sister back.”
>
“What proof do you need?” Taryn asked. The sooner she got this done, the sooner she could get back to her sister and kill him.
“You will bring me the human’s head. Ed has sent me a likeness of him, so do not trick me. Fail me and your sister will die in the most horrible, lingering fashion that I can imagine, and you know the breadth of my imagination.”
“It shall be done, Master,” Taryn said as she bowed before him. His hand reached out with the swiftness of a striking snake and bit into the soft flesh of her upper arm. He jerked her toward him.
“Don’t even think of disobeying me,” he growled and shoved her away.
Going Under is available now on Amazon
Also by Dena Christy
Dark Assassin, Dark Wolf Series Book 1
Dark Curse, Dark Wolf Series Book 2
Dark Wolf, Dark Wolf Series Book 3
Dark Vengeance, Dark Wolf Series Book 4
Dark Gods, Dark Wolf Series Book 5
Dark Wolf: The Complete Series Books 1-5
Other Paranormal Romances:
Going Under
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Contents
Copyright
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
