The Darkest Warrior

by Gena Showalter

  His gaze on his wife, he decided, I'm willing to chance it.

  By unleashing a tendril of magic and lifting his hand, he extracted the shears. The moment the artifact encountered air, it solidified. He opened and closed the shears. Once. Twice. How was he supposed to--

  The magic that held him in place ripped apart, as if cut. Just. Like. That.

  Satisfaction had no time to sprout. Rage overtook him. Attack!

  Sprinting forward, boots flinging sand, Puck returned the shears to his chest. They melted into his skin, searing him, annnd he breached Sin's wall of magic, as easily as he'd done in the past.

  Puck had a split second to take stock. Sin had already begun to heal. Gillian stood a few feet away, gearing for another clash.

  Unleashing a battle cry, Puck tackled his brother. They skidded across the sand in a tangle of limbs, even mowing over the Oracle. She never roused.

  They bit at each other. Punched, kicked and stabbed. Two predators, with one purpose: victory at all cost.

  Adrenaline added kindling to Puck's rage, the emotion so hot no amount of ice would ever cool it; Indifference would never be able to hide it. With expert maneuvering, he pinned his brother beneath him, knees to shoulders.

  "You do not hurt Gillian." This time, he was the only one to attack. Punch, punch, punched. Bits of flesh and muscle tore with each impact. "You do not look at Gillian."

  "I will do that and more." Blood wet Sin's teeth as he grinned. "She's your greatest weakness." His brother shuffled his legs between them, planted his feet against Puck's chest and kicked with enough vigor to break his sternum.

  Breathing hurt, but it didn't slow him down. He launched at his brother a second time. He didn't just punch; he clawed. He didn't just bite; he ripped and tore. He didn't just kick; he punted specific organs.

  Sin...let him?

  "How could you do this to me?" Between each tide of rage, he caught a glimpse of hurt. "I loved you, only wanted to protect you."

  "Yes, but for how long? One day, you would have betrayed me." Sin hit him with a blast of magic, flinging him backward. "You're only upset I struck first."

  Sin speed-raced, grabbing a sword and moving beside him. Their gazes met--and he paused. He might wear Puck's face, but he couldn't mask his emotions. In his eyes blazed hatred, uncertainty...and the barest threads of affection and hope.

  The same emotions continued to bubble inside Puck. Affection wouldn't be tolerated. Sin had taken everything from him, and Puck had wasted away...and found Gillian.

  The hope only intensified.

  Gillian, at Sin's side, a sword in her grip. She swung. Whoosh! The blade sliced through Sin's wrist. His hand fell to the ground, still clutching his weapon.

  He roared in fury and anguish, blood spurting from an open artery. Gillian prepared to swing again. Her next target? Sin's neck.

  "I'm sorry, Pucky," she said, tears in her eyes.

  Old instincts surged. Must protect Sin.

  No! Must destroy Sin.

  Puck needed a second to think, only a second. He hurled his body at Sin, knocking him to the sand.

  Gillian missed his throat by a mere half an inch.

  Lying beneath Puck, a panting Sin morphed into his true form. Gashes littered his cheeks, neck, and stretched all the way to his--

  Puck did a double take. Sin had a butterfly tattoo on his chest. The mark of a demon.

  His brother was possessed?

  No time to process the revelation. Sin kicked him, sending him flying. As his brother stood, he grew a new hand. A regeneration as fast as William's.

  "How do you want this to play out, Puck? Tell me, and I'll respect your wishes." Gillian remained in place, sword held steady. "I'm happy to give him a little internal body bling. Or, if you want him alive and unharmed, I'll back off--as long as he stops attacking you."

  Sin looked between Puck and Gillian, his pupils dilated to the size of teacups. Envy, sadness, relief and anger played over his features. "She loves you."

  "Yes. As I love her." A love that burned hotter than his rage, hotter than anything he'd ever known. It had no beginning and no end. It just...was.

  "The prophecy," Sin whispered. "You have your loving queen at your side."

  Yes. One brother would unite the clans with a loving woman at his side. The other would die.

  Sin swallowed. "One of us will die today. I suppose it must be me. There's no changing fate, is there?"

  "Puck," Gillian insisted. "Dead or alive? And by the way, there is a way to change the outcome of a prophecy, there must be, and we're going to prove it."

  Puck stood slowly. He had no idea what he would say, until the word left his mouth. "Alive." He had too many unanswered questions. How had Sin become possessed? When had it happened? Which demon did he host? Did the demon lead him now? Had the demon led him all those centuries ago?

  A blur of motion before something--a chimera--charged past the shield and slammed into Sin.

  "That never gets old," a familiar voice announced.

  Stunned, Puck met William's ice-blue gaze. The warrior loomed inside the wall of magic, along with a few others. Winter and Cameron, who appeared sane, Keeley and Torin, Rathbone, Galen and Pandora. Even Hades had come to watch the final showdown. Everyone who'd played an active role in Puck's life since his possession.

  "Hey, guys," Keeley said with a wave. "I remembered there was going to be a party today and insisted the hubs and I join the fun."

  Gillian gasped, her features brightening. "William! Peanut! How...what..." She stepped forward, halted, keeping her weapon trained on Sin. "I knew you were alive."

  "Nice to see you, too," Winter said, her pique clear. "I'm well, thanks for asking."

  "Winter." Grinning, Gillian offered her a thumbs-up. "You're only half-cray now. That's awesome."

  Winter flipped her off but also returned her grin.

  Peanut trotted to William, who scratched him behind the ear and said, "That's my good boy."

  Gillian's grin widened as she exchanged excited greetings with Keeley and Torin.

  Meanwhile, Cameron spat curses at Torin. He still blamed the keeper of Disease for leaving them trapped inside a prison realm, and longed to attack. Understandable, but not allowed, either.

  Keeley and Torin had helped Puck win Gillian. In Amaranthia, they fell under his protection.

  "Cameron," he snapped. "You will do nothing."

  Careful. Distraction can kill. Puck fixed his attention on his younger brother, bent down and withdrew a pair of daggers from the sheaths on his ankles.

  "William, can you ensure Sin remains here until I decide my next move?" he asked. "Trapped inside his own magic walls?"

  "I can," Hades said, sounding offended that he hadn't been asked first.

  Very well, then. Determined, Puck closed in. Sin scowled at him--and flashed. A new ability, and a testament to the level of magic now charging his runes.

  Puck tensed, knowing his brother would have to reappear...any second now...

  Sin reappeared next to Gillian. Only, he no longer looked like Sin or Puck. He'd shifted into Gillian--an exact replica.

  The real Gillian's jaw slackened. "What the--"

  Sin plowed into her, taking her to the ground. A clear attempt at misdirection. Which card is the queen?

  When one of them finally broke free, both stood to unsteady legs.

  William cursed. "Who is who?"

  "I...have no idea," Winter said.

  Hades scratched his head. "I have an idea. We kill them both."

  Puck tossed a dagger, end over end, nailing the vaunted king of the underworld in the heart. No one threatened his wife.

  "Fool." With a frown, Hades plucked the weapon from his breastbone. "I'd need a heart for that to work."

  "How about we just stab them both?" Galen suggested, and Pandora nodded her agreement. "Just until the impostor fesses up."

  Puck tossed another dagger, the tip embedding in Galen's shoulder.

  "
Ow!" Scowling, the winged male yanked the weapon free. "What was that for? I didn't threaten her life."

  "Suggestions to harm Gillian will be met with swift and severe retribution." Puck's gaze returned to his two possible wives, and in an instant of startling clarity, he understood how Gillian had guessed Sin's true identity. He recognized the sweetness of her scent, and the emotions glittering inside her eyes--anger, dismay and indignation.

  "Suggestions can be ignored without bloodshed," Galen grumbled, rubbing his wound. "Just sayin'."

  Now that Puck knew which was which, how should he proceed?

  "I'm Gillian," one of them snapped.

  "No, I'm Gillian," the other one said, her voice an exact match.

  "You're dead," Cameron said to Torin, and finally attacked.

  Puck grew a vine of thorns between the two males.

  The distraction, slight though it was, came with a steep price. Sin-Gillian took an offensive position, throwing himself into real Gillian a second time, slashing and stabbing.

  Real Gillian--now wounded--had to take a defensive position, and do everything in her power to save herself without hurting her opponent. Because she knew Puck wanted Sin alive.

  Or had wanted his brother alive?

  No one hurt Puck's wife.

  44

  Puck entered the fray, wrapping his arms around the real Gillian and kicking Sin in William's direction, shouting, "Subdue him!"

  "How do you know--" William began.

  "Just do it," Puck commanded, applying pressure to a gash in Gillian's side. Warm blood soaked his hand.

  "I'm fine, I'm fine," she rushed to assure him. "But how did you know I was the right girl? Same way I knew you?"

  "As if I couldn't pick you out of a crowd of thousands, lass."

  "If you're wrong about who is who..." William grabbed hold of Sin, anyway. Then the pair vanished together--Sin attempting to flash them both away?

  He failed. The two reappeared in front of Puck.

  "Oh, yes, our Pucker was right," William said. "Give me the shears. Now!"

  Puck didn't have time to protest or question. Acting on instinct, he lifted the shears from his chest.

  "I knew it," Gillian mumbled.

  William punched his fist, and the shears, into Puck's chest--and withdrew Indifference.

  Withdrew the demon?

  Black smoke writhed in William's grip, red eyes glowing from within.

  The shears had done as promised?

  Waiting...waiting...

  Puck remained standing, his limbs strong. No residual pain. His mind was quiet, the dark presence gone.

  He drew in a deep breath, savoring. Finally he was free of the demon! His horns began to recede. The fur sloughed off his legs, blowing in the wind. The hooves fell away, revealing his feet.

  A heavy weight lifted from his shoulders, all of his emotions sparking with new life. A thousand watts of love, relief, adoration, affection, amusement...hate, resentment, grief, remorse, anguish. Joy like he'd never known. Sorrow.

  With the good came the bad--and Puck wouldn't have it any other way.

  "The shears," he began.

  "Back on your chest. And don't worry about your brother. Class isn't over yet." William shoved the demon into Sin.

  The male's entire body jolted before his knees gave out. He collapsed on the sand, thrashing in pain. No longer did he resemble Gillian. No, he was himself...but not. Horns sprouted atop his head, fur grew over his legs and hooves materialized over his feet.

  Puck felt sorry for his brother, and longed to use the shears on him. One day. Maybe. But first...

  His gaze moved to Gillian, and his chest clenched. Tears streamed from her eyes, raining down her cheeks.

  "You are hurt?" he asked softly, willing to murder anyone who'd dared.

  She threw herself into his arms, trembling against him. "Are you okay?"

  Not hurt--she worried for him. "I am, lass. I swear it."

  "Your brother..."

  Puck peered down at Sin, who'd gone motionless. When he looked up at Puck, his eyes emptied of all emotion. Indifference had a new host--and a new victim. Pang.

  "You're going to leave him alive?" Gillian asked, then chewed on her bottom lip.

  "I...am. I'll lock him away for now," Puck said.

  Gillian smiled, her face beaming. "Then you're doing it. You're changing the prophecy. We can be together!"

  He wanted to be together. He'd earned a happy ending with this woman. After everything he'd suffered, she was his prize. And yet, he was still going to break their bond.

  Her happiness comes first, always.

  "Not sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you won't be locking Sin away. Sent Ones are pissed, remember?" Hades marched to Sin and lifted him by the nape. "Sin is to be a gift to their Elite. He killed hundreds of their race, and he will answer for his crime. This is the only way to save your hide and your realm, Pucker."

  "No. I'll find another way." Puck shook his head, razor blades clinking together. "I will oversee his punishment. Me."

  "My words weren't part of a debate," Hades said, his tone casual and yet laced with menace. "They were an FYI. But don't worry. The Sent Ones aren't planning to murder him for centuries to come."

  Puck stepped toward the underworld king with every intention of lashing out, but a delicate hand wrapped around his ankle, surprising him. He looked down to find the Oracle had awoken. Her otherworldly gaze stared up at him, glimmering with remorse.

  "You saved my life," she croaked, "so I owe you, and I always repay my debts. The brother you once knew and loved is dead. If you want him back, let him go. One day, he'll lose his head. He'll return and what once was will be again."

  Lose his head? Literally? Then how could he return?

  Couldn't be literally if what once was--the love and fellowship he'd had with Sin--was to be again.

  Another pang assailed Puck, but he forced himself to nod. Very well. He would leave Sin to the Sent Ones. For now.

  Oh, how quickly a life could change.

  "What other demon possesses him?" Puck asked.

  "Paranoia," Keeley replied. "He acquired the fiend during those peace talks with your neighbor. Someone gave him a box...who could it have been? Oh, yes. Me! And oh, wow. Think about it! He's got Paranoia and Indifference now. The two totally do not mesh. I have a feeling he's going to vacillate between total batcrap crazy and ice-cold apathy." She turned to Torin. "Can we spy on him? Please!"

  Paranoia. The reason for the change in Sin, all those centuries ago, and the total assurance that Puck would betray and kill him.

  A miracle Sin hadn't murdered him outright.

  "Why would you do this?" Puck rubbed the center of his aching chest. "I heard what you said in the cave. You love us. Or you will love me, one day. Which I still don't understand. Why would you hurt the people you claim to love?"

  She offered him a sad smile. "Puck, do you have any idea how many lives are touched by a single person? Especially an immortal person? The ripple effect is enormous. I saw you so long ago. In here." She tapped her temple. "You were my friend, though we had never met. I helped you survive centuries you would have otherwise missed. I helped you find a way to keep Sin alive. I helped you find Gillian. I helped you spank William. I helped you... I helped all of you. Moral of the story? I'm amazing."

  Hades coughed into his hand, saying, "William."

  "Right." The dark one closed in on his father. But it wasn't Hades he focused on. He reached for the crown still glowing above Sin's head. "And so the reign of Sin the Demented ends."

  The crown!

  Gillian raced forward--too late. William already had the crown clasped in his hand. Sin offered no protests, just blinked with a total lack of emotion.

  "Now I make my goodbyes." With a salute, Hades flashed away with Sin.

  "Which means we do, as well," Keeley said, then stopped. "Oh! Before I go. William, sweetheart, I found the only woman--or man--in the history of all his
tories with the power to break the code. You know, for your book. The one you think has a solution to your greatest problem...your death at the hand of your lover. Stop me if you've heard this."

  William went rigid. "Who is he?"

  "Or she."

  "Tell me!"

  "Okay, okay. Geez. You kids and your impatience these days."

  "Keeley!"

  She held up her hands, all innocence. "Next week, there will be an adorable cryptanalyst convention in Manhattan. At last count, there were fifty-three nerds planning to attend. Like, seriously geeked-out mortals. Maybe a handful of geeked-out immortals, too. You have only to find her--or him--among the crowd. Toodles."

  "Next week?" William roared. "Manhattan?"

  Rathbone winked. "Make that fifty-four in attendance. This is something I don't want to miss."

  "Oh, and Galen," Keeley said. "If you want a chance to win Legion, come find me. Hades will have a thousand other tasks for you before he lets you near her. I only have seven...teen." With that, she flashed away with Torin.

  Galen roared now, and tried to catch her before she vanished, but failed. He whipped to Rathbone. "Take me to her."

  Rathbone revealed a catlike smile. "Of course. I'll explain about payment when we reach her."

  The winged one nodded without hesitation. As Rathbone wound one arm around Galen, Pandora stepped up to his other side to clutch his bicep. The trio vanished.

  "Please, don't do this, William," Gillian beseeched. "Don't make Puck fulfill his vow. Please."

  Puck lifted his chin. He'd decided to use the shears--or try to--no matter what happened. There was no reason not to accept the crown, even though he would rather be with Gillian. The Connachts needed a king. Amaranthia needed a king. And, to be honest, Puck had no reason to doubt Gillian's love. Not anymore. She'd proven herself time and time again. When the bond broke, her love for Puck would endure. He was certain of it. Just as his love for her would endure, always and forever.

  Deep in his heart, he knew she was both right and wrong about the prophecy. She thought they had changed Puck's future by allowing Sin to live, but as the Oracle had said, the brother Puck had once known was dead, a new man living in his place. The prophecy had been fulfilled.

  Gillian's prophecy claimed she wouldn't have a happy ending.

  For a while, Puck had convinced himself she wouldn't have a happy ending with William. Then he'd let fears cloud his thinking and latched on to the idea that she couldn't have a happy ending with Puck. But she could. She would. She would rule at Puck's side, joyous. He knew it. They simply didn't understand the prophecy.