The Darkest King Read online

  She kissed the spot just over his heart, then rested her cheek there. His body temperature jacked up, delicious heat enveloping her.

  Lids growing heavy, she traced the tattoo on his pec. Two small swords that flanked a larger one. “What does this image mean?”

  “It is Hades’s seal,” he explained, then gave her butt a little slap. “Go to sleep, sundae. You’re halfway there already.”

  “No, I’m—” A big, fat yawn ended her denial. Fine! But she refused to sleep with someone nearby, even if that someone was William. Plus, she’d set zero traps. Mostly, she wasn’t ready to put a plug on their conversation. “Tell me about Gillian. Yes, I know her name. No, I won’t tell you who told me.”

  Once again, he stiffened. “I don’t have to wonder who told you. I know. Pandora. But we’re not done talking about you.”

  Seriously? “That’s such a penis move,” she grumbled, and he laughed.

  “Penis move? Do you mean dickpix? No, sorry, I misspoke. Do you mean dick,” he said, his eyes flashing with amusement.

  “Yes,” she hissed. Her cheeks burned, her humiliation spoiled by another jaw-breaking yawn. One way or another, she would learn something about him today. “I’m unable to say the D-word without tacking on another.” Reverse alpha male had worked so beautifully before. Why not now? “If you’d like to postpone the conversation about your former ladylove, that’s fine. I’ll withhold sex until you change your mind.” Tormenting him sexually...orgasm denial... Sign me up!

  Where had this wanton side come from?

  He must have liked it, because he smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. “You’re already withholding sex, sugar tush.”

  “I’ll withhold make-out sessions, then.”

  “Please. Now that you’ve had a taste of the good stuff, you’re going to jump me three times a day. Minimum! So go ahead. Try to withhold make-out sessions. I dare you.”

  “You are so, so wrong about me jumping you.” The number was probably closer to five. Still. “You asked for it, you get it. Consider my candy store closed.”

  In a singsong voice, he said, “Someone’s forgetting mating season.”

  Well, daisy. “Answer my question about the girl, and I might—might!—open the candy store up on occasion. Like holidays. And every night before bed.”

  He exhaled a breath, and at first, she figured she’d pushed too hard and too fast, and he merely worked up strategies to bail. Instead, he surprised her by saying, “I only thought I loved Gillian romantically. If I had, I would have waited for her. But I feared the curse and continued to sleep around. That should have clued me in that I’d made a mistake, and we were destined to be friends, not lifemates. Alas. Later, when she wed another male, my pride was pricked rather than my heart. Another clue I missed. Then I kissed her and realized we had no spark.”

  When Sunny glided her fingertips along his sternum, she felt his heart leap, and she thrilled. “We definitely have a spark.”

  “No, sundae, we have an inferno.”

  We must. I’m melting... Then a thought hit, and she skipped several breaths. What if she were his lifemate? What if he fell in love with her?

  Her heart leaped next. She wanted his love, despite the curse? Oh, sage. The curse. He hadn’t let himself love Gillian because of it. He might not let himself love Sunny, either. Might not? Ha! If anyone had the ability to kill him, it was Sunny and her horn. He might fear the curse more.

  Words began to spill out of her. “You can rest easy. I’m fifty percent—probably sixty...seventy-five...ninety percent sure your curse will never affect me.”

  His heart raced faster against her hand. “Explain.”

  “Some immortals are bulletproof. I’m curse-proof, because horns are siphons as much as conduits. Spells and curses don’t stick.”

  Different emotions played over his features. Hope. Doubt. Excitement. Dread. “Can you siphon the curse from me?”

  “I wish, but no. It’s has been a part of you so long, it’s bonded to you. Removing it would kill you, the same way removing a demon kills the one possessed. You’d need some kind of spiritual patchwork afterward, and that’s not my specialty.”

  He exuded hope and disappointment, one after the other. The first warmed her, but the second chased the heat away, leaving her chilled.

  “Tell me about your childhood,” she said, as determined to distract him as she was curious.

  He tensed. “I don’t remember my childhood.”

  Truly? “Not a single memory?”

  “There is one.” With a hand under her knee, he draped her leg over his own, clinging to her, as if he needed an anchor in order to continue. But that couldn’t be right. Could it? “I see the memory in my dreams,” he continued, his voice so broken it was almost unrecognizable. “A Sent One tells me and another boy that she loves us, but we should never have been birthed. A faceless man appears behind her and sinks a blade into her heart. Then the memory goes blank.”

  “Oh, William. I’m so sorry.” What a terrible thing to tell a child. Or anyone! “For the record, I’m very glad you were born.” To prove it, she kissed a corner of his mouth. Once, twice.

  The darling man lifted his chin to give her better access, and she planted kisses on his brow, his temples, the tip of his nose.

  “I shared the memory with Hades, and he told me to forget the woman, and the boy.” The more he spoke, the more easily the words seemed to flow from him. “I was never to speak of it again, for all walls have ears, and if ever anyone discovered my connection to the boy, or if ever I met with him, a part of me would die.”

  Yet still he’d told her. He doesn’t just like me. He cares for me. “Thank you for trusting me,” she said, melting faster. “What happened to the rest of your memories, baby?”

  Resentment frosted his eyes. “I believe someone erased it. I just don’t know why.”

  “Uh, there are very few ways to erase an immortal’s mind. Like limbs and appendages, memories can regenerate. Are there exceptions? Yes. But I’d guess your memories were hidden with magic rather than erased, and if that’s the case, I can help you. Maybe. Probably. The problem is, I don’t sense a curse in you.” She recalled the barrier she’d encountered when she’d first touched the book. Fresh from a couple orgasms, her mind clear for the first time in forever, the answer crystalized. Excited, she told him, “I think the witch tacked on the magical qualifier.”

  He frowned. “Explain.”

  “The woman you love will kill you, but only after you fall in love with her, right? Well, Lilith ensured the curse couldn’t be purged from you, only from the woman.” She yawned again, her excitement no match for her strengthening fatigue.

  Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Too heavy to hold up. “William,” she said, sounding drugged. “I think I’m about to fall asleep...can’t stop it. Do you know how long it’s been since I—” The world went dark, and Sunny knew nothing more.

  22

  “Hate thy neighbors.”

  William held a sleeping Sunny for hours, his body completely sated for the first time in...ever? A miracle, considering they hadn’t even had sex. The unicorn truly was, well, a unicorn. One of a kind. And mine.

  Moonlight seeped through the window to paint her slumber-softened features with gold. Had he ever seen a more exquisite sight? She had no tension, no fears.

  He hardened, ready for another go—when wasn’t he ready with her?—but he’d rather die than wake her.

  He recalled the day they’d met, how tired she’d looked. Until now, he hadn’t realized her trust issues had been keeping her up at night.

  When had she last slept this deeply, dead to the world? The wonder in her tone as she’d drifted off... Had to be years, perhaps even centuries.

  A pang threatened to rend him in two. What was he going to do with his unicorn?

  For the first ti
me, he had no thoughts about his next conquest. Why should he? With Sunny, he’d been present, utterly caught up as he’d watched her discover the pleasure to be had with a partner. Talk about a revelation!

  The only downside? She’d never admitted she cared for him. The lack shouldn’t matter. They were better off not caring for each other right now. But the lack fucking bothered him! She’d gotten to know him better, so she should care. It was only fair, since she’d made him care for her.

  William scoured a hand down his face. He did. He cared for the lifemate he’d kinda sorta agreed to date. Even now, he clung to her, and he couldn’t force himself to stop. Somehow, she’d wormed her way under his skin. Therefore, he needed to worm his way under hers. Because karma.

  She released a puff of breath, and he caught himself smiling with contentment. Contentment. While cuddling.

  Traveling a dangerous road. If the curse activated, affecting Sunny, what would he do? What could he do? His stomach turned inside out at the thought. He wouldn’t put her down, and he couldn’t mute the feelings he already had.

  Maybe if he locked her away until she’d fully decoded the book?

  No, she’d hate him for it. As punishment, she would refuse to help him. At first, anyway. If decoding the book were the only key to her freedom, she would change her mind soon enough. But damn it, he didn’t want to go that route. The guilt would ruin him. They’d have no future.

  Look at me. Planning ahead to salvage a relationship.

  He wanted more nights like this. Sunny coming undone as he tongued her. Talking after. Cuddling. Sharing breaths and memories.

  Could she free his memories in addition to deciphering the book? Oh, to remember Axel and their parents...to know their lineage...to discover what they’d lost and why... William would have everything he’d ever wanted. Almost. He still had to find the tenth Hell crown.

  * * *

  His ears twitched as different noises seeped into the stable. If someone woke Sunny, that someone would die.

  William flashed to the side of the bed, where he donned his leathers. After zipping up, he flashed outside. Two Sent Ones leaned against the stable wall, positioned between two of Sunny’s spikes, giving each other a little sexual CPR.

  “While I’m certainly enjoying the show,” William said, soft but menacing, “your voices have the potential to wake my...girlfriend.”

  The two broke apart, peering at him with wide eyes.

  William had never met the pair, had never worked with them and had no idea about their battle savvy, but that didn’t stop him from snapping, “You wake her, you die. Spread the word.”

  He didn’t wait for a response, just flashed into the stable. Once he’d stripped out of his leathers, removed his cell phone from his pocket and turned it to silent, he slipped under the covers, Sunny’s body heat and sweet scent enveloping him. Like a homecoming.

  He imagined keeping her...forever. Waking up to her radiant smile every morning. Getting called on his shit always. Teasing her from her bad moods. Floundering when she said illogical things. Arguing, bargaining. Bantering. Making her blush with innuendos. Caring enough to stick around and work through any problems. Making love every night, taking her body to new sexual heights. Sounded like...paradise. A future he’d never dared to entertain. And still couldn’t. Yet.

  Once he’d defeated Lucifer and found the tenth crown, William would become a king of the underworld. A king required a queen.

  Sunny...my queen.

  The idea appealed greatly.

  A unicorn-shifter was an unlikely mate for a king of the underworld, yes. One was dark, one was light. One was (somewhat) good, the other (somewhat) evil. But, oh, the fun they’d have.

  His cell phone vibrated, breaking into his musings. Careful not to disturb Sunny, he checked the screen.

  Daddy Dearest: My apologies for missing the predinner battle. Return tomorrow night. We’ll chat about Axel. This time, bring the girl. I’d like to meet the woman Rathbone calls the new star of his spank bank.

  First, Rathbone was an asshole. Second, William still dreaded introducing Sunny to his father. Hades had hated Gillian. Too weak, he’d said. Not the one for you, he’d added. What would he say about Sunny?

  He texted back. We’ll be there. Now, do us both a solid and gird your loins. I have an announcement to make.

  Several minutes passed before a response arrived.

  William checked his balls. Yep, he still had them. Time to nut up and make his father see the truth. He typed another text. Ready? I love you. I will always love you. Getting to know Axel won’t change that.

  There. Done. Now the wait—

  Daddy Dearest: It will change. YOU will. This, I know beyond any doubt. Do not seek him out until we’ve spoken. Until then, think about what’s more important. The father who raised you, or the brother who forgot you.

  William popped his jaw. So no declaration of love from dear old dad. All right, then. Of course, to his knowledge, Hades had never said those three little words to anyone.

  Though disappointed, he turned his sights to his next order of business, opening a group text with his sons. He typed, I have another secret task for you. There are five unicorn-shifters out in the wild. One is named Sable. Find her. Don’t ask why, just do.

  Black Attack: Why?

  Red Abed: Whyyyyyy?

  Green Machine: WHY, PAPA, WHY??????

  Okay, his kids were assholes, too.

  Green Machine: Aren’t unicorn-shifters extinct?

  William: They are not. Search as quickly as inhumanly possible. Any leads on Evelina or Lilith?

  Black Attack: Lucy has men searching for Evelina, and I overheard one mention a possible sighting in Listeria. I’ll be there within the hour. Nothing on Lilith.

  Lucy—a hate-endearment for Lucifer. Listeria—a Hell realm named before the bacteria, known for its toxic atmosphere and criminal inhabitants.

  Red Abed: I’m in the middle of an interrogation with the soldier Black overheard. If he knows anything more, I’ll know something more. Soon.

  Red included a video with his text. In it, a seven-foot-tall demon was strapped to a rack, sobbing. The fiend had ivory horns and a forked tail. Each of his limbs were limp, the joints pulled out of their sockets. Blood and sweat poured from gray scales. His eyes had been removed, leaving two bloody sockets.

  William: Keep up the good work. By the way. Hades is having a family dinner tomorrow night, and I’d like you to be there.

  Not wanting to make his father’s mistake, he added, You’re shits, but I love you. That done, he set the phone aside and—

  His gaze lit on Sunny’s diary. It was across the room, just sitting on the desk. His pulse quickened. She liked to write down her fantasies. A mistake—for her. He’d already decided to read every word. Why wait?

  As sunlight replaced moonlight, illuminating the stable, William slipped from the bed and donned his leathers once again. Leaving Sunny’s soft, warm, world-changing body proved more difficult this time. But he did it, the chance of reward great. He padded to the desk to flip through the pages. Every passage but one was written in code—the passage written about him. The corners of his mouth quirked. She wants me to read this. What fresh torment did she have in store?

  He scanned the words and discovered a list of fifteen sexual positions. Things he’d never heard of. The Brazilian cowboy. The topsy-turvy curvy-swervey. The snake-bake wrangler. Beside each position was a name. Lucien. Green. Rathbone. The men she wanted to practice with?

  What the hell?

  She goes too far! With the book in hand, William marched back to the bed. Along the way, he spied Dawn peeking out from under the bed. Shit. He needed to make provisions for her.

  He paused long enough to create a doggy door, then walled off a section outside, adding grass. Inside, he conjured a food and water bowl, and
a handful of chew toys.

  Dawn darted over, one head drinking, the other head eating.

  That done, he finished his trek to the bed and shook Sunny awake. “Sunday Lane, you tell me what this is or there will be blood!”

  She blinked open her eyes and gifted him with a slow, sleepy smile. “Good morning to you, too, babe.” The smile faded as her eyes cleared, and her jaw dropped. “It’s morning. I slept. I slept an entire night.”

  Locks of pink hair tangled together as she stretched her glorious, lingerie-clad body. The sheet shifted, revealing most of her torso. Cool air drew her rosy nipples tight.

  He tried to look away. He did. He stared instead, his shaft hardening. Shocker.

  When she looked him over and licked her lips, he only grew harder.

  “Answer me,” he snapped.

  Still stretching, she said, “Sure. If you ask nicely.”

  See! Calling me on my shit already. Deep breath in, out. “What are these sexual positions, and why did you write the names of other men? Let’s start with Rathbone. If I’m morally compromised, he’s morally corrupt. Did you know he has a harem stocked with a bevy of beauties? And I was there the day he staked his favorite concubine to a wall and made her watch as he secured her other lover to the dinner table, cut him open while he still lived and served his organs to demons.”

  “What are you—” Her gaze dipped to the diary. She snickered. “You were a jerk to me, refusing to take me to Hades’s dinner, so I decided to punish you.”

  Diabolical temptress. Relieved, he set the diary aside. “In that case, I’ll allow you to seduce me from my ire. After you show me your unicorn form.”

  “No and no. But I give you permission to seduce me.”

  He sat beside her, hip to hip, and slid a hand under her nape to lift her into an upright position. Those pink locks tumbled to her waist. Locks he fisted, trapping her face inches from his.