The Darkest Surrender (Hqn)

by Gena Showalter

  Juliette’s nostrils flared. “You’ll find out.”

  Strider looked as if he wanted to argue the fire thing; instead, he gave her another kiss. Still trusting her. The tidal wave became a tsunami.

  “When I’m done with you, there’ll be nothing left,” Juliette added as she discarded multiple daggers and a gun.

  “You’re so deluded I feel sorry for you.” Kaia discarded her own arsenal. She watched as the angels forced the Eagleshields to crawl away, preventing them from helping Juliette in any way. The Lords went with them. Strider brushed his fingers along her spine one last time before limping away from her.

  Just like that, she and Juliette squared off, circling each other, hatred pulsing off the woman and vibrating in the air. You made a critical mistake, Julie girl, she projected. Throwing Strider into the mix had guaranteed that Kaia wouldn’t mess around. This was serious and she would act without any hint of mercy.

  Wait for it…wait…

  “You think you’re invincible, now that you’ve defeated your mother,” Juliette snapped. “Well, clearly she didn’t give the fight her all.”

  “Whatever you need to tell yourself.” Wait…

  Circle…circle…

  “I’ve watched during each of the competitions.” The smugness had returned to Juliette’s tone. “Know what I noticed?”

  Wait… “That you’re inferior in every way?” Wait…

  Eyes narrowing… “That you lack control.”

  How ironic. Right now Juliette’s emotions were driving her every move. She thought Kaia was distracted. Kaia wasn’t; she was simply prepared.

  A shriek echoed. Juliette’s body tensing…flinging toward her…

  Now!

  Just before the other Harpy reached her, Kaia leapt into the air, wings working overtime, backflipped behind Juliette. Having witnessed what Kaia had done to Tabitha, Juliette had suspected the move and quickly spun. But Kaia had suspected that move and quickly performed another flip. Once again, she was behind Juliette.

  Before the Harpy realized Kaia had changed locations, Kaia grabbed her wings, claws sinking past skin and into tendon, and ripped with every bit of her strength. Exactly as she’d done to her mother.

  A patented Kaia the Wing-Shredder move, and as easy as licking the bowl of her favorite ice cream during Fertile Week—aka Hell Week—but then, what did you expect from a woman with a name like hers?

  Strider whooped. “That’s my girl.”

  Juliette grunted as she fell face-first against the sand. She tried to pull herself to her knees, but she no longer had the strength, and simply collapsed. Blood pooled around her, as promised, the stark crimson nearly obscene against the purity of the white granules.

  The Eagleshields were silent for several heartbeats, their shock palpable. Then, gasps sounded.

  Grinning, Kaia crouched beside her nemesis. Juliette’s pain-filled eyes looked past her. “We’ve both hurt the other. Let that be enough. I’ll even say I’m sorry it came to this. But, and hear me well, if you come after anyone I love, I will ruin you. And you know I can do it now. I have the Paring Rod and I will take your soul without remorse. Plus, I’ve got those goody-goody angels on my side. You shouldn’t have pissed them off. Enough said.”

  She didn’t wait for a reply. Juliette might taunt her about not truly knowing how to utilize the Rod or might even push her to do something she didn’t want to do. Namely, take the woman’s head. So she stood and walked toward Strider.

  Grinning, he met her halfway.

  KAIA SPENT THE REST OF THE DAY making love to her man, in her bedroom, of all places. Being in her Alaskan house, the very house where he’d once broken her heart, was surreal. Anyway, he’d gotten an infusion of strength after her victory against Juliette. An infusion he’d put to very good use.

  Now, she lay in his arms, sated beyond compare. She owed this man so much. Her current state of happiness, yes, but also her confidence in herself. She was strong, but he’d made her stronger. Because he trusted her, saw deeper than the surface, never caring what other people thought of her, never caring about her mistakes. And he wasn’t afraid to love her for who and what she was, changing her the furthest thing from his mind.

  “I love you,” she told him.

  “That’s because you’re smart. Further proof—look who you ended up with. Me, rather than that shithead Paris.”

  She chuckled. Did her good to hear him discuss his friend with amusement rather than resentment or jealousy. “Didn’t you have something else to tell me?”

  “Yes.” He sighed. “Here goes. Speaking of Paris, I have to head up to the heavens to help him find his not-so-dead girlfriend. I promised him. I told you that before, right?”

  “You did.”

  “Good. I want you to go with me.”

  As if she had to think about it. And her willingness didn’t just spring from a desire to remain by Strider’s side. She wanted Paris happy. “Of course.”

  “Thank you. And I love you, too. Not only do you make me happy, you make my demon happy. You feed him in a way I hadn’t known he needed, making me stronger than ever. That’s why I’m challenging myself to make sure you’re blissed out for the rest of your days.”

  She groaned. “You have to stop doing that.” If he was hurt—again—because of her…

  “Don’t worry. I’ll let you convince me of the merits of not challenging myself, baby doll.”

  “And just how will you let me convince you, hmm?”

  “Don’t be silly. With your body, of course.”

  She planted little kisses all over his face. “And I will. But didn’t you have something else to tell me?”

  “Yes, but how do you know that?”

  She tapped a finger against her temple. “Smart, remember?”

  He sat up, reached down and dug into his discarded pants’ pocket. When he straightened, he held out his hand, a chain dangling from his fingers. “Here.”

  “What’s this?” she asked, sitting up beside him as she claimed it. A thin wooden disk hung from the links. In the center was an intricate, if lopsided, blue butterfly, matching the one tattooed across his stomach and hip.

  A flush colored his cheeks. “It’s a necklace. Well, a medallion. It’s not the same as your mom’s or the one she gave you, but—”

  “The cuts on your hands,” she gasped out. “You carved this yourself.”

  He nodded.

  Her eyes filled with tears as she removed the one Tabitha had given her, placed it on the nightstand and donned the new one. “This is better than my mother’s.” She threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, Strider. I was just kidding before, but now I mean it.”

  He gave a warm, husky chuckle. “Actually, I prefer Bonin’. And I seriously love you, too, Red. More than I can ever say.”

  “All Sabin did was tattoo Gwen’s name on several parts of his body after they got married, the loser,” she said, fingering the medallion’s surface. “I’m so lucky.”

  He stiffened. “Uh, yeah, speaking of married…”

  “Finally,” she said on a laugh. “But if you’ve got something to confess, there’s a better time. Like, when you’re about to be inside me.”

  “You know we’re hitched,” he said, studying her intently, and she nodded. He relaxed. “How?”

  “Some people make bad secret-keepers and would be better served spilling everything to their doting wife.”

  “Kaia.”

  “Fine. I felt the connection.”

  “Because of the mind-speak, I’m betting. I should have known.” He grinned at that. “And you don’t mind?”

  “Mind? I want to be your wife. You remember my goals as a young girl, don’t you?” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “But…maybe you should get my name tattooed all over you. I mean, I adore the medallion so the ink would just be icing on the cake, proving we’re a better couple than Sabin and Gwen.”

  “Consider it done.”

  As she straddled his waist, h
e reached up and cupped her jaw. “Now, I’m not doubting you, you understand, but I’m gonna need you to prove your love. You do remember promising to do so, don’t you?”

  “I do. Just tell me how,” she whispered, breathless, knowing exactly where he was headed with this. “I mean, I love you for your mind, of course, so I guess I could sit here for hours, describing how I delight in your every genius idea. And then I could—”

  “Just for today, we’re going to pretend you love me for my body.” He lay back down, pulling her with him. “So, you can start up top and work your way down. Okay, okay. You can also show me how grateful you are for my brilliance while you’re at it. I mean, your sister is safe because of me. It’s the least you can do.”

  She barely cut off her laugh. “You’re not afraid I’ll challenge you?”

  Those navy eyes gleamed. “Baby doll, I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

  EPILOGUE

  KANE CAME AWAKE IN AN INSTANT, jolting upright. Panic swam through him, perhaps left over from the falling boulders—and deepened when he saw the iron bars around him.

  Bars? A cage? He was in a damned cage? What…why…? Before the thought could fully form, he saw that William, unconscious and bleeding, was outside the cage and being carted away.

  Dread slapped at Kane, cold and hard and stinging. He reached out, his hand shaky, and tried to shout for his friend. Wake up. Fight. But no words emerged.

  Kane swallowed, his throat filled with sawdust. And damn it, his head throbbed like a son of a bitch. His stomach threatened to heave at any moment, his body jostling left and right, left and right.

  The cage was being wheeled through a cavernous hallway, he realized. Then dizziness flooded him and he closed his eyes. He measured his breaths, hoping the spinning would stop. The air was hot, humid and layered with the scents of rot and sulfur.

  Rot. Sulfur. They could mean only one thing. Hell. He was being taken deeper into hell.

  His demon roared.

  Kane cracked open his lids and glanced at his surroundings, slow and easy this time. He spotted horned, winged monsters beside his cage. They had scales rather than skin, and glowing red eyes.

  Demons. Minions.

  The roaring in his head turned to laughter. His demon was genuinely amused. That was not a good sign.

  He must have groaned. One of the creatures glanced in his direction and scowled, flashing long, white saber teeth. A moment later, a clawed hand reached inside the cage and batted at his cheek, splitting skin.

  Once more, Kane slipped into oblivion.

  ONE ITEM LEFT ON HIS LIST, and then he could go after Sienna, Paris thought. All he had to do was find Viola, the minor goddess of the Afterlife and discover how a man like him could see the souls of the dead.

  Word was, she frequented a bar in the heavens. He was headed there now. As he stomped along the streets, he withdrew his phone and sent his man Strider a text.

  I release U from UR vow

  He pressed Send and pocketed the phone. After what he’d learned from Arca about the dangers of the two realms he’d have to enter—and the possibility of never leaving one of them—he wasn’t willing to risk his friend’s life. Especially since the guy had just married his Harpy. Yeah, he’d gotten a text from Strider with the happy news.

  I’ll never have that, he thought hollowly. Rather than wallow in despair, however, he opened himself back up to the darkness now constantly frothing inside him. So much darkness. A mist, sweeping through him, turning him into a cold, hard bastard.

  Hurt…kill…

  Good. He needed that coldness, now more than ever.

  No matter what, he would save Sienna—even at the expense of his own life.

  Glossary of Characters and Terms

  Aeron—Former keeper of Wrath

  All-Seeing Eye—Godly artifact with the power to see into heaven and hell

  Amun—Keeper of Secrets

  Anya—(Minor) Goddess of Anarchy

  Arca—Messenger goddess

  Ashlyn Darrow—Human female with supernatural ability

  Atropos—One of the Three Fates; snipper of threads

  Baden—Keeper of Distrust (deceased)

  Bait—Human females, Hunters’ accomplices

  Bianka Skyhawk—Harpy; twin sister of Kaia

  Cage of Compulsion—Godly artifact with the power to enslave anyone trapped inside

  Cameo—Keeper of Misery

  Cloak of Invisibility—Godly artifact with the power to shield its wearer from prying eyes

  Cronus—King of the Titans, keeper of Greed

  Danika Ford—Human female; All-Seeing Eye

  Dean Stefano—Hunter; right-hand man of Galen

  dimOuniak—Pandora’s box

  Galen—Keeper of Hope

  Gideon—Keeper of Lies

  Gilly—Human female

  Gorgon—Immortal with snakes for hair and the power to turn man to stone with only a glance

  Greeks—Former rulers of Olympus, now imprisoned in Tartarus

  Gwen Skyhawk—Half-Harpy, half-angel; daughter of Galen

  Hades—One of the rulers of hell

  Haidee—Immortal; former Hunter

  Hate—A demigod and keeper of the demon of Hate

  Hera—Queen of the Greeks

  Hunters—Mortal enemies of the Lords of the Underworld

  Juliette Eagleshield—Harpy; enemy of Kaia

  Juno—Harpy; ally of Kaia

  Kaia Skyhawk—Harpy; sister of Bianka, Taliyah and Gwen

  Kane—Keeper of Disaster

  Klotho—One of the Three Fates; spinner of threads

  Lachesis—One of the Three Fates; weaver of threads

  Land of Cinder—Home of the Phoenix race

  Lazarus—Imprisoned immortal consort of Juliette; son of Typhon

  Legion—Demon minion; friend of Aeron

  Lords of the Underworld—Exiled warriors to the Greek gods who now house demons inside them

  Lucien—Keeper of Death; leader of the Budapest warriors

  Lucifer—Prince of darkness; ruler of hell

  Lysander—Elite warrior angel and consort of Bianka Skyhawk

  Maddox—Keeper of Violence

  Medusa—Most famed of the Gorgons

  Mina—Goddess of Weaponry

  Moirai—AKA The Three Fates; three immortal females who weave destiny

  Neeka the Unwanted—Harpy; ally of Kaia

  The Odynia—also known as “the Garden of Goodbyes”; Rhea’s heavenly realm

  Olivia—An angel

  One, True Deity—Ruler of the angels

  Pandora—Immortal warrior, once guardian of dimOuniak (deceased)

  Paring Rod—Godly artifact, container of souls and granter of abilities

  Paris—Keeper of Promiscuity

  Phoenix—An immortal with the power of fire and the ability to raise the dead from its ashes

  Reyes—Keeper of Pain

  Rhea—Queen of the Titans; estranged wife of Cronus; keeper of Strife

  Sabin—Keeper of Doubt; leader of the Greek warriors

  Scarlet—Keeper of Nightmares

  Sienna Blackstone—Deceased female Hunter; new keeper of Wrath

  Skye—A pseudodoctor; wife of a Hunter

  Strider—Keeper of Defeat

  Tabitha Skyhawk—Harpy; mother of Taliyah, Bianka, Kaia and Gwen

  Taliyah Skyhawk—Harpy; elder sister of Bianka, Kaia and Gwen

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

  Tedra—Harpy; ally of Kaia

  Titans—Current rulers of Olympus

  Torin—Keeper of Disease

  Typhon—Father of Lazarus; immortal with the head of a dragon and the body of a snake

  Unspoken Ones—Reviled gods; prisoners of Cronus

  Viola—Minor goddess of the Afterlife

  Warrior Angels—Heavenly demon assassins

  William—Immortal warrior (and god among gods—or so he says)
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  Zacharel—A warrior angel

  Zeus—King of the Greeks

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-1385-2

  THE DARKEST SURRENDER

  Copyright © 2011 by Gena Showalter

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.