The Darkest King Read online

  Hades—only if one of us is dying.

  There were a few other names, people she’d never met.

  Gillian—only if you want to hear stories about my amazing amazingness.

  Anya—only if you need help hiding a body or want to be framed for murder.

  Zacharel—only if you’re having too much fun and want it to stop.

  Who was Anya? A former lover? Great! Fury turned up the heat again. Fuming, Sunny texted Pandora: Let’s do a girls’ night. Aka hunt and kill demons like true vigilantes.

  She could enter the stable, no problem, and portal Sunny out.

  Pandora’s response came a few seconds later. I’m guessing Willy doesn’t know what you’re planning, because I haven’t heard any man-pouting. But either way, I’m in! I know just the place.

  Elated, Sunny typed, See you as soon as possible?

  Pandora: Yep. I’ll be there in five. Gird your loins, though. I won’t be alone.

  Ohhhh. Did she have a boyfriend? A girlfriend?

  Sunny hid the case in the closet, then took the world’s fastest shower and dressed in a black tank and a pair of camouflage pants with a thousand pockets she filled with an array of daggers she’d found in William’s bag. Mine now!

  Perfect timing. A portal opened near the bed. Wearing black clothes already splattered with bright red blood, Pandora stalked inside the stable.

  She had a pink aura today. Meaning she rocked a good mood. On her heels was a gorgeous blonde with tanned skin and blue eyes, dressed in a skimpy halter top and a mini-miniskirt. Her aura possessed a rainbow of colors, and Sunny loved it. When this woman felt, she truly felt.

  Dawn watched from her pillow, her two heads tilted in opposite directions. So cute!

  “Sunny, this is Anya, a goddess of Anarchy,” Pandora said. “She’s engaged to a death-demon named Lucien, coruler of the Lords of the Underworld. She’s also William’s oldest and dearest friend.”

  “I am the goddess of Anarchy, thanks,” Anya corrected, fluffing her hair. “And William’s greatest inspiration. Before you ask, I do sign autographs...but only with other people’s blood.”

  Really like this girl. Especially since she wasn’t a former lover of William’s. “How’d you and William meet?”

  The goddess smiled with fond remembrance. “We had side-by-side cells in Tartarus.”

  Truly? “William spent time in an immortal prison?”

  “Several years actually. He slept with the queen of Greeks. Her husband found out and sought vengeance.” As Anya walked around the stable, inspecting things, she said, “What no one knew was that William wanted inside the prison. He had a list of prisoners to kill. Hades’s hit list.”

  A man willing to be locked away for years, just to reach people his dad preferred dead...what dedication. What passion for a job well done. Sunny admired him a thousand times more.

  “Would you stop talking so I can finish intros? Geez,” Pandora said. “Anya, this is Sunny, the one I was telling you about. William’s...” Frowning, she eyed Sunny. “What are you to William?”

  “Captive employee of the month,” Sunny groused, stiffening when Anya approached the closet. Demanding the woman stay away would only encourage her to peek inside. “He insisted we have an exclusive relationship. Later he texted to tell me he’s staying out all night.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Anya hurried back to Sunny’s side. “Did you say William agreed to be exclusive?”

  “Yep. Clearly, he already regrets it. I mean, while I’d like to believe he’s out there murdering his ex-brother, I suspect he had an emotional hard-on for me last night—” after we climaxed our hearts out “—so now he’s running scared, determined to sever our connection.” Talking to other women felt good. Right. Since William had already vetted these two, Sunny felt comfortable considering them prefriends.

  The goddess nodded as she spoke. “Yeah, that sounds like our William. His emotional hard-ons usually end with a high body count.”

  Our William? No. Mine! Only mine.

  Not mine, not really. Certainly not yet. “If he didn’t need me to decode his book, he would have kicked me out. I’m sure of it.”

  Anya grimaced. “Man, I hate that stupid book. Do you know how many times I’ve tried to convince Willy-boy the witch wasn’t stupid enough to give him a way out of the curse? She only wished to make things worse for him. Yet still he clings to hope.”

  Anya might be right. The book might just be a diary of Lilith’s hate for William, nothing more. But Sunny had to admire his outlook. He had one possible lifeline, and he held on to it with all his might. Whether foolish or wise, only time would tell. Would Sunny stop decoding? No way. If there was a chance the witch had told the truth and given William a way out, Sunny wanted to know.

  “You guys ready to go?” she asked.

  “Always!” Anya tilted her head at Sunny and frowned. “For what we have planned, you’re gonna need a weapon.”

  “No worries. I’m covered.” She had William’s daggers, yes, but they were backup. After unhooking the medallion from her neck, she fit her fingers over certain grooves, a black horn sprouting from the center, creating a spear.

  One demon massacre coming up!

  25

  “A man always knows what he wants—something else.”

  In the mortal realm, William raced down a shadowy alley, Axel at his side. He carried daggers coated with a paralytic, just as he used to do when slaying for Hades. Axel carried a pair of nondrugged daggers. If needed, the male could produce a sword of fire.

  Dumpsters lined the walls of each building. A cool breeze carried hints of waste, urine and rotting food.

  Hardly mattered. He was working with his brother to learn everything they could about the Wrathlings.

  He wished his father had joined them, but after dropping his bombshell, Hades had flashed away. William had flashed, too, determined to learn everything Hades knew about his and Axel’s past, but he’d ricocheted back. That’s when realization had sunk in: his father had barred him entry.

  He popped his jaw. He hated being at odds with the man. How was he supposed to kill him? Why was he supposed to kill him?

  Whose eyes do I have, hmm?

  Not knowing... William felt as if his chest had been ripped open, doused with acid and filled with rocks. Being forsaken by the man he loved above all others, a warrior he respected and adored, the king he had slaughtered entire armies to protect, the savior he’d revered, it hurt in ways he’d never thought possible. And why had he been forsaken? For a prophecy he’d never heard about, and an action he never planned to see through.

  He tightened his hold on the daggers. At least he had a new lead on Wrathlings. After calling in multiple favors and contacting his spies outside of Hell, he’d learned of a vampire who’d supposedly left the Wrathlings before William started killing.

  Now he and Axel chased the vampire through the back allies of New Orleans.

  “Go up,” William told Axel. “Fly overhead and cut him off.”

  With his next step, Axel flared those golden wings and leaped into the air. As soon as he landed, the vampire prepared to shift direction. William launched a dagger, nailing the bastard in the back of the knee.

  A pained grunt sounded, and the male tripped and slowed, then limped, leaving a trail of blood. Then he froze, the paralytic kicking in.

  William sauntered around him and stopped at Axel’s side. The vampire gazed about wildly.

  “You think to escape us?” Axel tsk-tsked. “I know my kind is supposed to slay demons and those who conspire with them, but I’ve never been good at following the rules. You’ll be next on my hit list if you fail to tell us what we want to know.”

  For a Sent One—for anyone—Axel had proven shockingly vengeful. Anyone who got in his way got mowed down.

  A family trait, then.


  “I am William of the Dark. This is Axel the Great and Terrible. Ah. I see you recognize our names. As Axel said, he will kill you if you try to keep secrets, but I’ll turn my sights to your family.”

  The vampire whimpered.

  “I’m going to free you from paralysis.” Outside of Hell, William couldn’t use magic for anything other than portals, so he’d have to give the vampire an actual antidote. He held up his hand, the ring on his finger glinting in the light. “Before I do, a warning. Strike at us, and he kills you. I kill your family. Run, and he kills you. I kill your family. Lie and... Are you starting to understand how this works? Blink once for yes. Blink twice if you’re an idiot.”

  Blink. A single crimson tear rolled down his pale cheek.

  “Good boy. But let’s be sure you aren’t tempted to strike or run, regardless of the consequences. Safety first, and all that.” He nodded to Axel, who produced the sword of fire.

  The vampire’s eyes widened, projecting a message—Please, no.

  Shockingly merciless, the Sent One went low, slicing through both of his ankles, amputating his feet. William caught the sobbing male before he fell and eased him to the ground. A fresh flood of crimson tears streaked his skin.

  “There, there.” William flipped the top off the ring, revealing a needle—one he pressed into the vampire’s neck. “Now, tell us everything you know about Wrathlings.”

  The male flashed his fangs, suddenly able to move, pain and fury pouring off him. “I know you murdered every last one of them!”

  Maybe he had, maybe he hadn’t. “If you want to earn the right to crawl away from this interrogation,” William said with an evil smile, “you’ll tell us the rest, without delay.”

  Withering, the vampire said, “You want to know about the babies.”

  He stiffened. Babies? “What babies?” William and Axel?

  “Thousands of years ago, there were rumors,” the vampire continued, his voice breaking. “Things I heard about but never witnessed. Only the higher-ups had access to the information.”

  “Tell us,” Axel snapped, kicking a bloody stump.

  The vampire screamed and gurgled blood. Between wheezing breaths, he said, “Experiments were done, certain species paired together to create immortal soldiers. Witches with vampires. Wolf-shifters with Harpies. Dragon-shifters with sirens. Sent Ones with demons. Fae with whatever else they managed to nab. When the children reached adulthood, they were then mated with each other. A witch-vampire paired with a wolf-Harpy. Those children grew up and were forced to mate with each other, too. A witch-vampire-wolf-Harpy with a dragon–siren–Sent One–demon.”

  William shared a look with Axel. They must have been part of the experiments, must be a mix of supernatural species. More than they’d realized. “What else?”

  The vampire glanced between them, finally admitting, “My job was...to steal DNA from...specific beings. Gods and goddesses. They planned to create a new godlike species with all the strengths of other supernaturals and none of the weaknesses.”

  A shocking realization. If Wrathlings had worked with DNA, they might have artificially inseminated females, rather than having them get pregnant the old-fashioned way. Anyone could be in William and Axel’s family line.

  You have his eyes.

  Whose eyes, damn it? Whose?

  Axel squeezed his shoulder, a silent request for a private meeting, and William nodded before leading his brother a few feet away.

  Axel whispered, “What if he told the truth? We might not ever learn who our parents are. They could be anyone.”

  “My thoughts exactly.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “We need to know if any Wrathling survived my murder spree. Maybe they kept records of their willing and unwilling donors. I’ll go to Hades and find out what he knows.” If he’ll see me. His chest ached at the thought.

  Had Hades known about the stolen DNA? You have his eyes. If he had, then he’d betrayed William in the worst possible way, using him to slaughter his own people.

  Danger! About to blow!

  No. Absolutely not. This, William not believe without hard proof. No way Hades was so cruel. Did the king have a cruel streak? Yes. But not with William. There had to be another explanation for his selective mutism.

  “I’ll get the vampire to a healer and question him further,” Axel said, “then meet you back at the stable.”

  “No, not the stable.” William wasn’t ready to face Sunny. They’d been apart only a few hours, and he already missed her smile, her taste, her sass. Her everything. He needed to gain control of his desires first, and she made him feel like he was spinning out of control. Made him want what he couldn’t have. “Let’s meet at your cabin. We’ll flash to Lucifer’s palace and stake out his front yard.” What would they see?

  Axel nodded. “We can portal demons to your dungeon for a chat.”

  William grinned. “I like how your mind works, Sent One. I really do.”

  * * *

  Darkness crept over the land, only to be pushed away by spontaneous bursts of fire. Atop a pile of dirt and ash overlooking Lucifer’s territory, William lay on his stomach, shoulder to shoulder with Axel.

  After Hades had refused to see William—again—he’d been a mess. He’d wanted Sunny, the very reason he’d stayed away from her. He’d visited the Lords instead to borrow their Cloak of Invisibility. Now he and Axel were invisible to all as they watched demons come and go.

  This should have been an exciting and emotionally satisfying night. He’d reunited with his brother, and his woman had begun to decode the book. For the first time, his future had promise. Yet, judging by their last chilly text exchange, said woman was now pissed off at him because he’d canceled their plans.

  Maybe he should have explained why, but... I shouldn’t have to explain anything to anyone!

  Like Hades doesn’t have to explain anything to you?

  Shit. His irritation with Sunny dissipated. He’d done her wrong, hadn’t he? He’d insisted they were a couple. Of course he’d owed her an explanation.

  “Hades’s prediction,” Axel said, breaking into his musings.

  “What about it?”

  “Do you want to kill him and take his throne?”

  Kill a man who’d provided shelter, prestige and training, who’d given him a purpose? “Not now, not ever. I cannot imagine a good enough reason to do such a terrible thing.”

  Unless Hades did, in fact, order him to slay his own family.

  He gripped his dagger so tightly, the hilt cracked.

  “Had you heard the prophecy before?” Axel asked.

  “No. I’m sure Hades, being Hades, murdered everyone privy to the details, ensuring word would never spread.”

  A scream pierced the air, and he cast his gaze about, searching for the source. There. A demon tortured a human spirit.

  On the outside, Lucifer’s palace looked like a haven. Both tall and sprawling, with marble walls, towers and a steepled roof made of precious gems. All a deception. Demons of every size and shape occupied the surrounding area, most joining in to torture the human. Fires burned here and there, filling the air with dark smoke.

  “Who raised you?” he asked Axel.

  “A nice married couple who’d had trouble conceiving a child of their own,” his brother replied. “Both were Messengers.”

  Messengers were often tasked with guiding a specific human down the right path, by whispering instructions into their ears. Humans couldn’t hear spirits, but their hearts could receive a message from one; it was up to the human whether they followed any guidance or not.

  “They were good to you?” Even nice people could do bad things.

  “They were, yes, but I was too much for them. Too wild. Too rambunctious. Too everything.” Axel puffed out a breath. “How about you? Hades treated you well?”

 
His fingers curled into the dirt beneath him. “He did. In every way but one. He commanded me to keep my distance from you. I didn’t know why until today, when he explained the prophecy.”

  William stared down at his curled fingers, watching as claws grew from his nailbeds. Ignore the pain in your chest. “As for life in the underworld,” he grated, “it’s not a pleasant place for a child. You can stand in a crowd of thousands and feel alone. Everywhere you look, someone is being mutilated, and screams of agony are background noise.”

  Right on cue, a wind blew past, carrying a new scream.

  “I wondered about you constantly,” Axel admitted softly.

  “Just as I wondered about you.” Touchy-feely emotional crap wasn’t normally William’s jam, but he’d already missed so much with this male. Why not tell the truth? Even though they were related by blood, even though they were allies against Lucifer, they were also enemies. The respected one versus the dark one. Good versus evil. The demon assassin versus the demon prince.

  Heartbeat...heartbeat.

  “Your curse,” Axel began. “Whoever you love romantically will try to kill you, yes?”

  “Yes. The witch responsible gave me a coded book, promising I can break the curse if I decode it.”

  “You are certain she told you the truth?”

  “The alternative leaves me without hope. So, yes.” Logically, he knew the odds were not in his favor. But magic wasn’t all-powerful. If something had a way into your life, it had a way out, as well. A door was a door. An entrance and an exit.

  “The Sent Ones war with witches almost as violently as demons,” Axel said. “I’ll ask around, find out what other Sent Ones know about this kind of coded magic.”

  The offer surprised him. He doubted Axel would discover anything new, but he appreciated the effort.

  “The female. Sunny,” Axel said now.

  Words barreled from him. “She is off-limits to you.” To everyone!

  The Sent One snickered. “Defensive, are we? I’m not hoping to steal your woman away. Although I could, if I so desired. I just... I’ve been told you and I have a similar dating strategy. Get in, get out. And yet, you moved in with her. Why?”