The Darkest Touch

by Gena Showalter

  "Liking her more and more," the redheaded Harpy named Kaia said.

  Her man, Strider, dragged her away, muttering, "Told you one word would get you evicted."

  "But bay-bee..." Their voices faded.

  "It's been a long time," William continued. "I was quite sorry to hear what Hades had done to you...especially since I hadn't had the opportunity to sample you yet."

  Torin moved to her side, his hand on the hilt of a dagger.

  "Yes," she said dryly. "That was my one regret."

  William offered her the barest hint of a smile, a display of teeth she'd watched rip through countless enemy throats. "I'd carry you to my room right this second, give you a new reason to live, but you'd become a clinger, just like everyone else, and I'm currently a little too busy to deal."

  "Has nothing to do with the fact that your good buddy Torin is already imagining your head on a pike?" she quipped.

  His smile grew wider. "Darling, he's giving me a come-hither look. I get them everywhere I go."

  She rolled her eyes. "So who are the brutes behind you?"

  "I'd make you play the guessing game, but their beauty always give away their origins. They are my children."

  The "children" in question remained stoic, glaring at her as if she were next on the chopping block. "Wow. None of my spies picked up that bit of intel."

  "I'd be happy to describe how these miscreants were conceived, and in great detail," William said. "I'm pretty sure your brain would be bleeding by the time I finished and you'd want to pluck out your eyes, but I'm willing to risk it if you are. Just say the word."

  "The word."

  "This one time, at band camp, I--"

  Someone threw a handful of popcorn at him.

  "Boo! Hiss!" Anya called. "I've already heard this one. Spoiler alert: the only way you can get two piccolo players to screw you in perfect harmony is to shoot one."

  Keeley didn't like having the female at her back, but other than stiffening, she gave no other indication it bothered her. "Why are you here, William? Why did you summon me?"

  He hitched his thumb over his shoulder, indicating all three males. "My strapping young lads request the honor of your services. A Phoenix soldier killed their sister." His voice tightened, the muscles in his jaw clenching. "The culprit has been dealt with appropriately. Of course. But her clan claims my boys went too far--" he used air quotes for the last two words "--with their vengeance and retaliate on a daily basis. My boys are winning this war, naturally, but the continuous skirmishes are...annoying me. Your particular skills would be the perfect blood-icing on the cake we will make from their organs."

  She'd participated in many wars, and not once had her team lost. The constant victories used to amuse Hades. And she supposed that was one reason he'd begun to fear her power; he'd had to wonder what would happen if ever she'd turned on him.

  He'd acted accordingly--and that alone had brought his fears to life.

  "I'll consider it," she said, and Torin stiffened. "And if, ultimately, I agree, your strapping young lads will have to pledge their eternal loyalty to me. I'll soon be jump-starting a new kingdom, and I'm on the lookout for a royal guard."

  Her announcement received several different reactions. Alarm from Torin. Amusement from William. Affront from each of his children.

  "Those are my terms," she said with a shrug. "Take them or leave them."

  "Does anyone want to hear my opinion?" Anya called.

  "I would rather swallow a battery," Keeley muttered and flashed the girl into a cage at the zoo. Or rather, she tried to. Anya remained in place, smug.

  Well, well. She'd scarred herself with brimstone.

  Keeley glared at Torin. He'd shared her weakness with his friends already, choosing their safety over hers. And the only time he could have done it was while Keeley had been writhing in bed, recovering from an injury that would have killed Gideon, whom she'd maybe kinda sorta saved.

  And yeah, okay, there was a slight chance the other Lords had known about Curators as Torin had, but she doubted that was the case. Especially when he lifted his chin, his teeth gnashing together, his look total what did you expect?

  The fortress began to shake. Deep breath in....out. She had been working at this relationship, giving it everything she had, trusting him, risking her life for him, and yet he had been working at handicapping her.

  How much more will I tolerate?

  Keeley tore her gaze from Torin. Deal with him later.

  Always later. The story of her life.

  "So...why the huge crowd?" asked a voice Keeley couldn't place.

  William set his drink aside and stood. No longer the picture of relaxed depravity, he morphed into a bona fide pillager--ready to spring and attack...to devour.

  Keeley had never, ever, witnessed such a response from him.

  A delicate-looking girl stepped through the Lords and ladies, her glossy dark hair and flawless olive skin a lovely combination. She had sensual eyes of the deepest, richest brown, and they were framed by lashes so long and thick they created a spiky fan around her lids. But as gorgeous as she was, she was young and human. Far too young and far too human for a male of William's fierce appetites.

  This had to be the infamous Gilly.

  Her birthday approached, Keeley remembered. Poor darling. Did she have any idea William was set to pounce? Just waiting for time on the clock to run out?

  The girl waved at Keeley, an aura of sweetness and light enveloping her. "I'm Gillian. Everyone here calls me Gilly, even though I've begged them not to. You must be the Red Queen I've heard so much about."

  "You may call me Dr. Keeley." We are going to be fast friends, and I am going to teach you how to torment William of the Dark for years to come.

  "Do I not deserve a greeting, poppet?" William purred.

  Gilly--Gillian--turned with a grace rivaling a ballet dancer and placed her hands on her hips. "Are you the person who burned all of my party decorations to ash?"

  "I am." And he didn't sound sorry about it.

  "Then no. You don't deserve a greeting."

  Keeley crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed on the girl's behalf. "You burned her decorations to ash?" A little human who'd had no way to stop him.

  His eyes narrowed on her. "She doesn't need a party. I have a surprise for her."

  Yes, and Keeley would bet the surprise was in his pants. "Your surprise isn't what she wants, Willy, or she wouldn't have bought the decorations."

  William raised his chin, flickers of red appearing in his eyes. "You getting angry, Majesty? Go ahead. Try to harm me. See what happens."

  Oh, she knew what would happen. Nothing. Like Torin and Anya, he had brimstone scars.

  Too bad for him she had a weapon unaffected by those scars. Information.

  She flashed a brilliant smile at Torin. "Guess what? You wanted to know who stole Pandora's box after it was opened. Well, I'm ready to tell you."

  Torin took a step closer to her.

  A strange, high-pitched ringing suddenly filled her ears. In seconds, massive amounts of strength seeped from her pores, her knees threatening to collapse.

  Don't understand what's happening.

  Something warm and thick dripped from her nose, and after she wiped, she saw streaks of crimson on her fingers.

  "You should go to your room and rest," William said. "Clearly you're unwell."

  Have to tell Torin... "William..." she said, forcing herself to go on. "William is the one who...stole dimOuniak...he is...your betrayer."

  Her entire world went dark.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  TORIN MASSAGED THE back of his neck.

  Eleven days. Long enough to get over his rage with William, who'd admitted his crime. The warrior had watched the Lords and waited. He'd stolen Pandora's box seconds after it was opened, but before he'd gotten very far, Lucifer had stolen it from him.

  Willy had seen no reason to tell them what he'd done, he'd claimed, because--get this--he
just hadn't wanted to tell them. He wasn't sorry he'd done it, was just sorry he'd been found out. Typical.

  According to William, Lucifer couldn't touch the Morning Star. His darkness would be crushed by the light, and he would face the ultimate defeat. Which was why he'd never wanted anyone to have it.

  Something to be dealt with later.

  There was nothing more important than Keeley. And eleven days also happened to be the length of her newest illness. Blood had continuously leaked from her nose, and even her eyes and ears. Torin hadn't known what was wrong until the back of her skull had basically exploded, revealing the tumor growing out of her brain.

  The gruesome sight had nearly done Torin in...my Sugar Plum Fairy in pieces. It had been the worst moment in a life filled with worst moments.

  Yesterday the bleeding had finally stopped and this morning her skull had healed. She was going to live.

  "She'll wake up soon," he said to Lucien. They were alone in the warrior's bedroom suite, sitting across from each other. This was the first time Torin had felt comfortable enough to leave her side.

  "That's good. Why do you look so miserable?"

  "I have to give her the let's just be friends speech for what seems the thousandth time--and mean it." If they continued along their current path, she would grow to hate him the same way she hated Hades.

  Hades had done too much to forgive, she'd said. Torin couldn't allow himself to reach that point.

  Actually, he might have reached it already. Not because of the demon, but because he'd told his friends about the brimstone. They would have remembered on their own, but they'd freaked about the vastness of her power and what it meant for their families, and well, he'd hoped to assuage them before they could ask him to choose between them and Keeley.

  But wasn't that exactly what he'd done? She certainly thought so.

  "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but...would continuing to date her be such a bad thing?" Lucien asked. "I've never seen you so content."

  Content...angry...frustrated. With Keeley, he felt more than usual. "Bad? Try terrible. I'm no good for her."

  "I think she would disagree."

  Which was the biggest part of the problem. "I can't keep doing this to her." He pulled at his hair, welcomed the sting. "I've tried to leave her. You saw. I failed. I think I wanted to fail. Hell, I know I did."

  Lucien rubbed his scarred jaw with two fingers. "I have a theory about all of this. I think you can touch the Red Queen without consequences."

  "Screw your theory," Torin muttered. "I've already proven it wrong."

  "Can...one day," Lucien amended. "If she bonds with--"

  "She is bonded to me."

  "Let me finish. If she bonds with you...and many others. As a Curator, the more bonds she has, the stronger she'll be."

  Others? Probably not a good sign that he wanted to cold-bloodedly murder anyone who ended up tethered to her. My woman. Mine alone. But for her--he would deal. There was only one problem. "What if, through the bond, she passes on the demon's sicknesses? She would be strong enough to combat them, but others might not be."

  Lucien sighed. "Yes. There is that."

  Cursing, Torin swiped his hand over the side table, sweeping an ice-filled glass to the floor. Life shouldn't be this way. Shouldn't be so hard. No matter what decision he made--stay, take off, touch, don't touch, try for something, just be friends--it was a bad one.

  "I've got to do this," he said. "She means too much to me."

  Lucien gave him a pitying smile. "She doesn't strike me as the type to allow a man to make decisions for her."

  "Don't care. I'll be firm."

  "You were firm last time, too."

  "You are such a pain. I'm leaving before I donkey punch you in the face."

  Lucien blinked innocently. "Was it something I said?"

  Scowling, Torin stood and moved to the door. As he reached for the knob, the door flung open and Anya rushed inside the room, almost crashing into him.

  She stopped abruptly, jerked her hands behind her back and peered up at him. At least, he thought she was peering at him. She wore a hat, and the shadows cast by the brim obscured her eyes.

  "On your way out?" she asked. "Good--I mean, boo, I'm super bummed. So sad we won't get to chat. Did you ask the Red Queen about the boy? Well, goodbye." She stepped aside, motioning to the hall with her chin. "Time for Lucy to give Annie some alone time."

  This did not bode well--for Lucien. My Sugar Plum Fairy would--

  Stop!

  "What did you do, Anya?" Lucien demanded, coming up to Torin's side.

  She shifted from one foot to the other. "Don't make me say it in front of Torin. Please, baby!"

  "Say it," Lucien insisted. "Now."

  "What's going on?" Torin asked.

  "Well...there might be a slight problem with the she-devil in your room," she admitted.

  What! Demon red shimmered before his eyes. "Did you harm her?"

  "What? Sweet lil me?" She shook her head, all innocence. "But I may or may not have done some research and come across a bit of info that said hacking off all of her hair would severely weaken her. Then I may or may not have snuck in your bedroom with a pair of scissors and taken these." She lifted her arms and clutched in both of her hands were thick hanks of golden hair. "By the way, I may or may not know for a fact that the rumors are definitely not true."

  Going. To. Kill. Her.

  "The Red Queen may or may not have woken up mid style job," Anya continued blithely, "and may or may not have taken the scissors away from me and given me a new style of my own."

  With a clipped slash of his arm, Lucien knocked off her hat. The ultrafashionable Anya sported uneven bangs and layers that hung sloppily around her face. "You may or may not look ridiculous. And adorable," he added with a grumble.

  "Not adorable," Torin roared. It had taken weeks to convince Keeley to rest in his vicinity. Weeks to prove she was safe with him, that she could trust him to protect her from others while she was vulnerable. All his efforts had been ruined in a blink.

  Anya ignored him, saying to Lucien, "We'll have to postpone the wedding until my hair grows back."

  "Why am I not surprised?" the warrior replied.

  "If you don't spank her, I will. And I won't wear gloves." Torin left the room before harsher words were spoken and friendships were ruined.

  "Yo, Tor Tor," Strider called, running to catch up to him in the hall, then keeping pace beside him. "Kaia's been pestering me--I mean, asking sweetly. She wants you to set up a playdate with Keeley. A girl's night out with murder, mayhem and crap like that."

  "I'll talk to her," he said, rounding the corner.

  "You're a lifesaver," Strider replied. "But, uh, do it soon. Kaia's pestering--I mean, asking sweetly--can get painful."

  Torin reached his room. He fortified his resolve--I made a decision, and I'm sticking to it--before he entered. Keeley stood at the edge of the bed, hands folded neatly in front of her. Waiting for him?

  Hell, she was gorgeous. Her hair had indeed gotten a major trim, the waves stopping just below her shoulders. Still long enough to fist. Like Anya, she had bangs. Only she'd swooped hers to the side. Made her look younger...like a doll who'd gotten a trim at Salon Toddler.

  Adorable was right.

  She wore a new gown. One of scarlet silk that clung to her magnificent curves and formed a ruffled pool around her feet. Elegant--except for the deep vee between her breasts, showcasing her cleavage. That was straight-up hot.

  He stepped back, increasing the distance between them. But it didn't help. The desire to put his hands on her was always with him, riding him, but now it utterly consumed him. Resist!

  But...she was well and in front of him, and a bed was behind her. How easy it would be to toss her to the mattress and pin her with his weight.

  "We have to break up," he bellowed. Damn it. He cleared his throat, added softly, "We'll remain friends, of course."

  Her eyes narrowed to tiny
slits. "Don't let's be friends me. I invented that speech."

  "Keeley--"

  "No! I knew you would try something like this. I knew it!" At least the fortress wasn't trembling. "Well, I refuse your offer of friendship and your breakup. We're staying together, and that's final."

  The demon mewled with disappointment.

  "You can't refuse a breakup," Torin thundered.

  "I beg to differ. I just did."

  He had zero experience to draw on and no idea how to respond to her. He went with honesty. "Breaking up is for the best, princess."

  "You thought leaving me was for the best, too, but it wasn't long before you were holding me in your arms as if you couldn't bear to let me go. And do you know why you did that? Because you couldn't freaking bear to let me go!"

  "A mistake." He scrubbed a hand down his face. "Obviously."

  "You don't believe that."

  "I do. I really, really do."

  The color drained from her cheeks. "No. No!" She stomped her foot, the hem of the dress rippling. "You can't keep doing this to me, warrior. You're either in this relationship or you're not. I'll give you one more chance."

  Do it, say it. "I don't need another chance. I ended things. You're the one still fighting it."

  She drew in a heavy breath and squared her shoulders. "You're right. It's over then. We're over." No emotion from her, in word or deed. "You'll stay in here, and I'll move out."

  Where's my relief? "There's a room next door to this one."

  "I'll be moving into a house of my own. In town."

  "Now hold on just a minute." He wanted her here so that he would always know where she was and who she was with. So he could pop in and check on her anytime he wished--and shut the front door in the face of any male stupid enough to visit her.

  She arched a brow at him, haughty, disdainful, every inch the queen. "Regretting your decision already, Torin? Well, too bad. It's too late." She walked to the closet, saying, "This time I've decided."

  How did she strip away his resolve with so few words? "You're acting like I'm doing this simply to hurt you. Why can't you see I'm picking your life over my happiness? That I will always pick your life."

  It was the truth, and the realization nearly drilled him into the carpet. He would pick her over anyone and anything--always. Keeley was it for him. The one he'd waited centuries to possess, not really knowing that's what he was doing but seeing it now. There would be no one else for him. And even though Keeley would be better off if he took the "no one" route, he couldn't do it--not again. Picking her life over his happiness destroyed her happiness, and that he couldn't, wouldn't do. Ever.