The Darkest King Read online

  His jealousy helped sooth her temper. “How cute are you. Look at me,” she said, doing her best impersonation of him. “I’ll kill anyone who looks at my woman.”

  Steam curled from his nostrils. “I’m not—never mind.” Gentling his tone, he told her, “If I move in with you, sundae, you’ll fall in love with me. And I...” He shook his head. “You’ll cling.”

  “Me, cling to you?” And her temper redlined again. He’s going to pay for that comment. I’m going to plant a verbal dagger in his heart. But...what if he’s right and I do cling to him? No. No! He’d never been more wrong. “If you’re secretly hoping I’ll start clinging, I suggest you watch a few how-to-kiss videos on YouTube first.”

  “I know how to kiss!” He huffed and puffed like a big, bad wolf. “But you’ve given me my marching orders, and I—”

  “Hold up. I’m not done.” Gotta twist the knife. “Since we’re committed and all, you must remain monogamous or I’m out of here.”

  Inhalations ragged, he slapped his hands on the arms of her chair and leaned close...closer...getting in her face. “Very well,” he said, shocking her. “You have a deal, sundae, but I don’t think you’ll be happy about it when all is said and done.”

  15

  “If I have a sword, and you have a sword, then I have two swords.”

  William resettled against the desk, struggling to maintain a stern, even angry, expression. Sunny thought she’d gained the upper hand. Instead, she’d done exactly as he’d hoped. After killing the poacher early this morning, he’d wanted to move in. The closer he was to Sunny, the better he could protect her if anyone managed to make it past the traps outside. Like, say, a certain witch.

  Lucifer is a liar. Lilith is dead. Surely.

  So why did foreboding sting his nape?

  A mystery for later. When he wasn’t verbally warring with his unicorn. During their “negotiation,” Sunny had revealed more than she’d concealed, and he’d realized she’d pushed his move-in as another punishment, not because she’d wanted a roommate. That had angered him.

  I want her to want me to move in? Who am I?

  Why did he look forward to her next punishment? And what the hell had she written in that diary? He would be reading those fantasies of hers just as soon as he moved in. His house, his rules.

  “Now that I’ve agreed to your terms, sacrificing my desires to fulfill yours,” he intoned, “you will tell me where the medallion is located.”

  She chewed on her bottom lip, as if nervous about the conditions of their bargain. Too late. No take backs.

  In the end, she whispered the coordinates to a realm tucked and hidden inside the mortal world. Her realm. Mythstica.

  Intrigued, he stood, took her hand and drew her to her feet. He didn’t release her right away. She was so close, so soft, and she could give him more pleasure than anyone else.

  Sunny Lane was his lifemate. No longer could he doubt it.

  She’d translated a small section of his book, proving herself to be his one and only codebreaker, and his one and only lifemate. William still reeled.

  He remembered how blithely he’d told Keeley he would kill his lifemate. How he’d later balked at the idea. How he now seethed at the thought. No one harmed Sunday Lane. No one. Not now, not ever. Not even William.

  Shit. Shit! Trembling but trying to hide it, he waved, unleashing a stream of magic. Embers sparked and spread, burning a seven-by-seven-foot hole in the atmosphere. Through it, he glimpsed a mossy, rocky cliff teeming with different-colored flowers, white trees and countless rainbows.

  Just in case Sunny decide to bolt, he tightened his hold. “You will stay in the stable,” he told her.

  She sputtered, “How are you going to find the medallion without me? For that matter, you might want to stay here. Rainbows burn demons the same way sunlight burns vampires, so it’ll probably burn a prince of darkness worse.”

  “Or,” he continued, as if she hadn’t spoken, “you can vow to remain my side.” As for the rainbows, parts of William would burn, yes. Other parts would not. Most likely he had a demon in his lineage. Perhaps the reason Hades had gone searching for him as a boy? When he returned home, he would ask Axel how he reacted to rainbows.

  William went still. That’s right. Axel had moved into the underworld. They’d met; they’d interacted. Hades’s prediction was null and void. No part of William had died; no part of him would die. His love for the male was as strong as ever.

  Now that he thought about it...who had made the death prediction in the first place?

  “I vow to stay by your side,” Sunny snarled. “Okay? Happy now?”

  Yes. Very. “Do you miss this realm?” he asked. The scent of orchids, earth and rain wafted into the stable—Sunny’s scent, only jacked up a thousand degrees. Instant hard-on. Again.

  Was he ever not hard around her?

  “I do.” She peered at the rainbows, her eyes soft with longing. “My pack ran faster than the wind and loved to frolic in the meadows. We helped people in need and even granted wishes.”

  Longing coated each of her words, too, causing unease and guilt to hammer at William. Once, she’d warned him unicorns and captivity did not work. As if it worked for anyone. Now, though, he thought he understood better. To unicorns, freedom was life. But...

  Can’t let her go. Just...can’t. Not yet. He couldn’t risk losing his codebreaker or his lifemate—the one destined to murder him.

  He needed Sunny to break the curse. Then he could take her in every possible way, as many times as he wished. He could talk to her without reservation, fearing he would reveal too much and aid her crusade, if ever she turned on him. And damn, did he enjoy talking to her. He loved her wit, and thrilled every time she surprised him.

  The woman constantly surprised him.

  Does she thrill every time she talks to me, her captor?

  She continued, “I was married here and planned to rule over—”

  “Married?” William bellowed. Aggression seared his limbs. Once, he’d preferred married women. Wham, bam, go back to your hubby, ma’am. But no longer. The thought of Sunny bound to some piece of shit male... Fuck!

  With a snarl, he released Sunny, grabbed a chair and tossed it across the stable. It hit the wall and shattered upon impact.

  Tonight, Sunny becomes a widow. His codebreaker, lifemate and temporary, live-in girlfriend would not have divided loyalties. By the Hell kings, I will be her one and only.

  “Shall I fetch another chair, or are you done with your tantrum?” she asked.

  “Fetch. Another. Chair.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I was married, yes, but I’m not now. Blaze was the son of the unicorn king, killed in the battle with Lucifer.”

  A heavy breath escaped William. Okay. All right. The urge to commit murder faded. Now he only wanted to dig up the bastard’s grave and spit on his corpse. “Do you miss him?”

  “Not even a little. We never liked each other and only wed for duty.”

  Appeased, William took her hand once again and tugged her through the portal. He wanted that medallion.

  They emerged onto a cliff situated between two rainbows. Gusts of floral-scented wind nearly flung him over the ledge, as if the realm itself wanted him gone ASAP. Tree limbs clapped together, and leaves glittered in beams of sunlight. He sensed life, but didn’t know if that life was animal, insect or unicorn.

  “Mmm.” Azure hair whipped around Sunny’s face as she closed her eyes and breathed deep. “Home. There’s nothing better.”

  He observed her, entranced.

  When she opened her eyes, she said, “I gave you coordinates to the medallion, not just the realm.” She leaned over to reach inside a rainbow, then withdrew a small golden disc, exactly as she’d described.

  Exactly like the one she wore around her neck, he realized now. What did thi
s—

  His mind short-circuited. Her hair. Her hair had changed. She had touched the rainbow, and the blue locks had become neon pink. Her eyes had changed, too. Once amber, now a pale but vivid green. Her skin acquired more glitter.

  Glorious female. “How? Why?”

  “Unicorns absorb the essence of the rainbow.”

  The Sphere of Knowledge had failed to mention this, a trait he found fascinating. Sunny looked more delicate, even dainty. Fragile. No one would suspect her of being a hard-core demon slayer.

  When she held out her hand, offering the medallion, he accepted, trembling with desire. I want to watch this pink-haired, green-eyed vixen shatter.

  Focus! As he studied his new weapon, a mix of light and dark magic prickled his skin. Powerful. Ancient. No wonder Lucifer had hunted it. And now I have it. William grinned. He would safeguard it with his life.

  Instinct flared. I’m fated to wield this medallion.

  An instinct he didn’t understand, but would. “Now we have his and her matching medallions,” he said with a wry tone.

  Her cheeks pinkened. “So you noticed mine.”

  “I did.” He’d noted every detail about her. My new addiction. “I just didn’t know what it could do.”

  “Well, yours is different than mine,” she said, shifting from one foot to the other, “but, uh, still the same. If that makes sense.”

  It did, and it didn’t. But why the sudden bout of nerves? Hoping to make her smile, he asked, “Do you wish to explore the realm before we go home?”

  First, she brightened. Then she wilted. “No. The longer I stay, the harder it’ll be to leave.”

  That, he understood. In the back of his mind, he scheduled a return trip. Once his curse was broken and Lucifer was dead, they could stay for weeks. Months even. Or as long as they were together.

  Still think you’ll come to want another?

  Unsure what he wanted from a woman for the first time in his existence, William led Sunny through the portal. He closed it and strode to the desk, where he plopped into the chair.

  When she headed his way, he said, “I need to study, and you are too much of a distraction. Give me space.”

  She stopped and blew him a kiss with her middle finger, but she made no protests. Instead, she busied herself with the photos of his book. Another surprise. Did she not want to spend time with him, her brand-spanking-new boyfriend?

  Inner shake. What did it matter? He flipped on the desk lamp and bent his head over the medallion but...he failed to block Sunny from his thoughts. His awareness of her sharpened, and he spent the next half hour pretending to study his prize while covertly watching her, wishing she would ignore his request.

  The more she concentrated on the photos, the more the crease between her brows deepened. A crease he longed to trace with his fingertip.

  Patience eroded, he slammed a fist against the desk. “I’ve learned nothing new, and I’ve run out of time. I must go.”

  “If the big, strong he-man had asked the sweet little woman,” she said, sauntering over to claim his medallion, “she would have shown him how to use it. Watch.” She pressed the medallion against her palm and curled her fingers into specific grooves.

  A hard, black protrusion grew from the center. A spear, just as she’d claimed. When she pried her fingers free, the protrusion retracted. Fascinating.

  “Where are you going?” she asked.

  “I must pack a bag so I can move in. I’ll return sometime before midnight.” Thereby meeting the parameters of her request.

  “What about our dinner with Hades?” She performed a twirl, her skirt flaring just above her knees. Those silken pink waves hung free, and he would give anything to fist the strands, angle her face and take her mouth. Holding out her arms, she asked, “Are my clothes appropriate or should I change?”

  The ice-blue cloth molded to her curves, turning her into a fantasy made flesh with peekaboo slits. Desire seethed inside him.

  “I go alone,” he told her. One, he had no idea what Hades wished to discuss. And two, she was a distraction he could ill afford.

  “Oh.” Her shoulders rolled in. “I see.”

  So forlorn. A pang ripped through him. “What exactly do you see, duna?”

  She flinched as if he’d punched her. Why, damn it? Then she smiled without a speck of amusement, and he flinched. “Doesn’t matter.” She shooed him off. “Go. Have fun without me.”

  What thoughts rolled through that cunning mind of hers? The temptation to stay and question her proved strong. Nearly too strong to resist.

  In the end, William opened a portal to his bedroom. He would change his clothes, then head to Hades’s. He would not spend the evening agonizing over Sunny’s reaction.

  He walked through the doorway. Without a backward glance—don’t you fucking do it—he waved, sealing the exit. Guilt attempted to devour him whole.

  I won’t think about Sunny. I—

  What would she think about my bedroom? He used one entire wall as a television screen. Video games and controllers littered the floor. The wet bar offered an assortment of ambrosia-laced whiskeys. Instead of a nightstand, he had a minifridge stocked with all his favorites—anything loaded with high-fructose corn syrup. Yeah, he had the sophisticated palette of a frat boy. So what? The bed was a masterpiece of craftsmanship, bigger than a king, but surprise, surprise Pandora lay in the center of it, flipping through a magazine.

  A wave of affection washed over him, a side effect of Hades’s adoption. He strode to the closet, asking, “What are you doing here?”

  She didn’t bother to glance up. “You sent me a message and told me to meet you here. So nice of you to remember.”

  He’d never sent a message. “In other words, Hades expects you to act as my chaperone and ensure I’m a good boy who attends the family dinner.”

  Page-flip. “If you knew the answer, why’d you ask?”

  Two hellhound pups poked their heads out from under the bed.

  William jolted back, already reaching for a dagger. Hellhounds could rip an immortal to shreds in a matter of seconds. And once a hellhound locked onto a target, nothing but the target’s death dissuaded it from a hunt. “Panda?”

  “Oh, yeah,” she said, flipping another page. “Baden dropped off a couple hellhounds. They’re a gift from Hades.”

  Baden, another of Hades’s adopted sons, as well as a Lord of the Underworld formerly possessed by the demon of Distrust. A male of honor who meant what he said and said what he meant. His wife, Katarina, trained packs of hellhounds for Hades.

  My own hellhounds. William grinned as the pair ducked back under the bed. The first pup was a little cutie with white-and-black fur, two heads, two sets of red eyes and a single forked tail. The second was a larger female with dirt-caked fur of indeterminate color, one head, three black eyes and a wealth of scars.

  How did Sunny feel about pets?

  His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. He rushed to check the screen, just in case she had need of him.

  Gilly Gumdrop: Liam, I’m so thrilled for you! I hear you found your decoder. Now you’re one step closer to being curse-less

  He grinned as he typed, That I am. How about a celebration video game marathon? Torin created a Lords of the Underworld demon slaying game. As you probably guessed, the Slick Willy character is undefeatable.

  Gilly Gumdrop: Puck and I would love to destroy Slick Willy! We’re currently locked in negotiations with Sent Ones. They’ve still got his brother locked away, and we want him back. As soon as we’re done, we’ll come for a visit.

  William couldn’t wait to see her. She always brightened his life.

  What would she think of Sunny?

  As for Puck’s brother, Sin, they’d never get him back. Possessed by the demons of Paranoia and Indifference—the worst of the worst combination—he was
the one who’d bombed the heavens, killing hundreds of Sent Ones. He wasn’t just imprisoned; he was being tortured.

  William might have to get involved.

  He sighed, pocketed the phone and began packing an overnight bag to stay in the stable. “Have you ever spent an entire night with a lover?” he asked Pandora.

  “No. Gross. I get what I want, and I get out.”

  Exactly! To sleep with a woman, actually sleep, he’d have to trust her with his life. He’d never trusted anyone with his life, not even Gillian, whom he’d treasured. He’d seen too many friends fall victim to “bait.” Males and females who seduced in order to kill.

  Sunny wasn’t bait, but she was destined to kill him.

  Won’t leave her alone, unprotected. Can’t resist her charms.

  Perhaps he’d use the nighttime hours to scheme ways to kill Lucifer and acquire Lilith. If she truly lived.

  Or he’d just have sex 24/7 to prepare for mating season. Because yes, he would be taking care of Sunny.

  At the thought, desire scorched him, inside and out, and he hissed a pained breath. I want her. I want her now. He’d been celibate since they’d met...what? Two days ago? That was two days longer than usual. And damn if it didn’t seem like he’d known her two years.

  Was that how matehood worked? A day seemed like a year, and a year seemed like a day?

  “Why’d you ask about the lover thing?” Pandora asked. “No, you know what? Never mind. Let’s just change the subject before I start barfing. So. You know Lucifer better than any of us.” While rocking her legs back and forth, her ankles crossed, she flipped another page. “Could he really keep the witch locked up for centuries and resist the urge to kill her?”

  “I don’t know him anymore. I never knew him.” William stuffed a few shirts and an entire box of condoms in his bag, saying, “He’s always been a deceiver, changing personalities the way other people change clothes. But I’ll learn the truth one way or another.”

  A straight-up invasion of Lucifer’s palace would be foolish. Lucifer was a master at rigging traps so that the one who broke in inadvertently murdered the one they hoped to save.