The Darkest Secret Read online

Page 27

Page 27

 

  What? Amun had mental y shouted. When he remembered to sign, his motions had been jerky. My little jaunt into hel is the reason I’m like this. So returning isn’t real y a solution, is it?

  “You took the demons out, now you wil take them back in. ”

  No.

  A shrug. “Then you wil forever be chained to the woman’s side. Not that forever wil be long. Not for you. Without her, the spirits overcome you, and the next time you are overcome, you wil die by my hand. ”

  If getting rid of the demons is as easy as going to hel , why didn’t you take me back already?

  “I did not say it would be easy. Nor did I say returning with me would be helpful. You must take the girl. ”

  No, he repeated.

  “Your choice, of course. I have no qualms about removing your head. ”

  It was impossible to argue with so logical and uncaring a being. How do I get them out of my body once I “take them back in?”

  Zacharel had walked away without answering, without offering even the slightest hint. Why? What was Amun supposed to do when he got there? How long was he supposed to stay? Exactly where in the endless pit did he need to go?

  He told me the only way to free myself was to return to hel , Amun said to Haidee now.

  “Return to…hel ? As in the fiery pit of the damned?” The last was uttered in a horrified whisper.

  Yes. And you’re going with me. He waited for her to protest, to fight him. She didn’t, not yet, and he relaxed. Somewhat.

  He couldn’t subdue her, defend her and search for a way to liberate himself. You won’t burn, he assured her. I won’t al ow the flames to reach you.

  “If we go,” she said with a tremor, “wil there be anyone with us?”

  If, she’d said, and he relaxed a bit more. No. We’l go alone. He desperately needed the muscle and support—

  because gods knew, he’d barely survived last time, and he’d had two trained warriors with him—but he wouldn’t place his friends in danger. Not from the demons, and not from Haidee. Besides, that would defeat the purpose of whisking Haidee out of their midst. Why? Do you wish to take someone with us?

  Her lips pressed together in that mutinous line, and he suspected he’d somehow hurt her feelings. No, surely not.

  She would have to care about him, he reminded himself, and she didn’t.

  “Wil you—wil you al ow me to have a weapon?” The word al ow choked from her, and he doubted she’d ever spoken it before.

  Yes, but if you attempt to use it on me, I wil strike back in kind. Perhaps a lie, perhaps not. He valiantly hoped she didn’t try to test the claim.

  Silence stretched between them, an oppressive cloud he couldn’t shoo away. He gave her the time she needed, though. He was asking a lot from her and offering very little in exchange. Of course, he would have to force her if she refused him—they truly had no other options—but until she did, he would let her think the decision was hers.

  “Al right,” she final y said on a sigh. “I’l do it. I’l go with you. ”

  No fight at al .

  Once again he was thrown, but this time he couldn’t hide the intensity of his shock or the earth-shattering cascade of relief. Then his suspicions flared. What did she hope to gain, placing herself in danger to help him regain his senses? Or did she plan to go simply to gather intel? Yes, he thought with a nod. That was far more likely. She was a Hunter, after al , and finding ways to destroy demons was her business.

  Hunter. The blasphemy echoed through his mind, and he cringed. Stop reminding me.

  “Stop reminding you of what?” she sputtered, obviously confused by his sudden bout of disgust.

  Nothing, he muttered. He nearly apologized but bit the words back. He would not apologize to this woman. Ever.

  He had some pride, at least. We’l waste no more time.

  Amun strode to the door and knocked. Behind him, he heard Haidee gasp, her clothes rustling again as if she had pushed to her feet. A few seconds later, the lock clicked from the other side, and the wood squeaked open, revealing the angel Zacharel. Black hair in perfect order, emerald eyes devoid of al emotion. White-and-gold wings arched over his shoulders and swooped down his robed sides.

  “Yes,” the warrior said. The greeting should have been inflected with a question, but surfaced as a mere statement.

  We are taking you up on your offer of transport, Amun signed.

  Zacharel offered no hint of his thoughts. “I’l gather the necessary supplies. Be ready to leave in five minutes. ” With that, the door shut, locked.

  Amun rested his forehead on the cool wood, reminded for a moment of Haidee’s skin. Hel . He was returning to hel when he’d sworn never to go back. In a deep, dark corner of his mind, he thought he heard Secrets whimper.

  Thousands of years ago, Secrets had fought to escape hel

  —and won. And yet, Amun kept taking him back. At least the other demons remained calm, neither crying nor cheering in regard to his plans. But then, they were more afraid of Haidee than anything else.

  “Why can’t you speak?” she asked, slicing through the tension he hadn’t realized had sprouted anew.

  My demon, he replied, offering no more. He straightened and turned to her. Mistake. She had stood, and as always, he was struck by the delicacy of her features, the passion that lurked under her glowing skin. More than that, his mouth watered for a go at those breasts, that stomach, those legs.

  those legs.

  He shouldn’t have dressed her in the T-shirt and jeans. He should have dressed her in a shapeless sack.

  “Because you carry the demon of Secrets, you can’t speak?”

  Yes. Had he ever thought to find himself in this position?

  Sharing his own inner mysteries with a Hunter?

  “I don’t understand. Why does your demon prevent you from speaking?”

  She wasn’t curious about him, he knew, but was merely fishing for information to perhaps share with her people.

  Stil . He answered. I open my mouth, and everything the demon has discovered, every dark deed of those around us, every bit of information that could ruin families and friendships, slips out.

  “So you can speak?”

  What did that matter? Yes.

  “But you choose not to?”

  Yes, damn it. Why do you want to know?

  Amun’s uncustomary outburst didn’t faze her. “It’s just…it’s a good thing you’re doing. Very sweet. ”

  So unexpected was the praise, he could only blink at her.

  “No one else can hear your voice? Inside their head, I mean. ”

  No. Just you. Bitterness had crept into his tone, and he could do nothing to mask it. Not that he wanted to. Let her hear. Let her know.

  Twin pink circles stained her cheeks, and she cleared her throat. She eased back onto the mattress, prim once again.

  “So how did you guys hook up with angels?”

  A change of subject. Wise of her, yes, but foolish of him to offer more truth. A friend of ours married their leader. More like Bianka had claimed Lysander as her property, but Amun wasn’t sure Haidee would understand that kind of sentiment.

  “An angel and a demon? Married?”

  Pretty much. As stone-cold as Lysander was, the term

  “angel” seemed just about as appropriate as “fairy godmother. ” The term “demon” fit Bianka perfectly, though.

  Her soul was darker than Amun’s, but in the best possible way. The Harpies were so open, so honest about their mischievous nature, they were a delight to be around. At least for Amun. For a while, he’d even considered pursuing Bianka’s twin sister, Kaia. War had gotten in the way.

  Speaking of angels, you should know that your precious Galen isn’t one. He—

  “Okay, let’s agree right now not to talk about your friends or mine,” Haidee interjected angrily. “It’l onl
y make us angry with each other. We should focus on the mission. ”

  So she considered Galen a friend of hers? Of course she did, he thought next, and wanted to punch something. The leader of the Hunters wanted every Lord of the Underworld

  —excluding himself—dead and buried. Because of Baden, Haidee had to be a prize among prizes for the keeper of Hope. Or was it possible Galen didn’t know who she was?

  Amun’s teeth gnashed together—he was doing that a lot lately—grating the top layer into a fine powder, but he nodded. Very wel . There wil be no talk of our friends.

  “I just, I don’t want us to fight,” she said. “And just so you know, Galen isn’t a personal friend. ”

  “Time is up,” Zacharel’s hard voice proclaimed before Amun could reply.

  At the vocal intrusion, he whipped around, at the same time moving in front of Haidee to act as her shield. The door was stil closed. He frowned—until the angel simply stepped through the wood, a backpack dangling from his hand.

  He’d possessed the ability al along, yet had only now opted to reveal it. Why?

  “I wil take you to the place your journey must begin,”

  Zacharel said. As with al angels, there was an undeniable layer of truth in his tone, and Amun couldn’t doubt a single thing he uttered. “But know that Lucifer is angry that he was thwarted in his quest to destroy you and yours through Legion, and wil be out for eternal blood. Be wary, trust nothing and no one. ”

  I never do.

  “Except, perhaps, each other,” the angel added.

  Amun glanced over his shoulder, and he and Haidee shared a look.

  Zacharel nodded in approval. “I can promise you that your last journey through the underworld was nothing compared to what you wil soon face. In reparation for his role in Legion’s freedom, Cronus has returned it to its former glory. ”

  Why would he—?

  The angel held up his hand, halting Amun’s tirade. “It was either that, or return Legion. ”

  He made the right choice, then.

  “Let’s see if you stil agree when you get there. Monsters you’ve only heard whispered about, you wil soon encounter. ”

  Haidee stood, her cool hands flattening on Amun’s lower back. He had to bite his tongue to stop his moan of pleasure. Final y, contact. He felt as if he’d been waiting forever to feel her, any part of her, again. That she now offered comfort…comforted him.

    Ecstasy in Darkness Read onlineEcstasy in DarknessFirstlife Read onlineFirstlifeCan't Hardly Breathe Read onlineCan't Hardly BreathePlaying With Fire Read onlinePlaying With FireThe Queen of Zombie Hearts Read onlineThe Queen of Zombie HeartsTwice as Hot Read onlineTwice as HotUnraveled Read onlineUnraveledThe Darkest Secret Read onlineThe Darkest SecretSeduce the Darkness Read onlineSeduce the DarknessLord of the Vampires Read onlineLord of the VampiresThe Darkest Surrender Read onlineThe Darkest SurrenderEnslave Me Sweetly Read onlineEnslave Me SweetlyThe Darkest Lie Read onlineThe Darkest LieIntertwined Read onlineIntertwinedInto The Dark Read onlineInto The DarkSavor Me Slowly Read onlineSavor Me SlowlyCan't Get Enough Read onlineCan't Get EnoughAnimal Instincts Read onlineAnimal InstinctsThe Harder You Fall Read onlineThe Harder You FallThe Darkest Promise Read onlineThe Darkest PromiseThe Closer You Come Read onlineThe Closer You ComeThe Pleasure Slave Read onlineThe Pleasure SlaveThe Darkest Warrior Read onlineThe Darkest WarriorOn the Hunt Read onlineOn the HuntThe Darkest Prison Read onlineThe Darkest PrisonBlack and Blue Read onlineBlack and BlueThe Amazon's Curse Read onlineThe Amazon's CurseWicked Nights Read onlineWicked NightsTwisted Read onlineTwistedBurning Dawn Read onlineBurning DawnThe Darkest Pleasure Read onlineThe Darkest PleasureThe One You Want Read onlineThe One You WantThe Darkest Night Read onlineThe Darkest NightThe Hotter You Burn Read onlineThe Hotter You BurnDark Swan Read onlineDark SwanThrough the Zombie Glass Read onlineThrough the Zombie GlassAlice in Zombieland Read onlineAlice in ZombielandRed Handed Read onlineRed HandedThe Darkest Assassin Read onlineThe Darkest AssassinAwaken Me Darkly Read onlineAwaken Me DarklyThe Darkest Fire Read onlineThe Darkest FireThe Darkest Seduction Read onlineThe Darkest SeductionBeauty Awakened Read onlineBeauty AwakenedThe Darkest Craving Read onlineThe Darkest CravingThe Darkest Kiss Read onlineThe Darkest KissJewel of Atlantis Read onlineJewel of AtlantisThe Darkest Angel Read onlineThe Darkest AngelThe Darkest Whisper Read onlineThe Darkest WhisperEverlife Trilogy Complete Collection: Firstlife ; Lifeblood ; Everlife Read onlineEverlife Trilogy Complete Collection: Firstlife ; Lifeblood ; EverlifeThe Darkest Passion Read onlineThe Darkest PassionPrince of Stone (Imperia) Read onlinePrince of Stone (Imperia)Heartless Read onlineHeartlessThe Stone Prince Read onlineThe Stone PrinceA Mad Zombie Party Read onlineA Mad Zombie PartyKat in Zombieland Read onlineKat in ZombielandAll Write Already: Year Of Your Book Read onlineAll Write Already: Year Of Your BookSecond Chance Read onlineSecond ChanceCan't Let Go Read onlineCan't Let GoLast Kiss Goodnight Read onlineLast Kiss GoodnightHeart of the Dragon Read onlineHeart of the DragonEverlife Read onlineEverlifeThe Darkest Touch Read onlineThe Darkest TouchThe Nymph King Read onlineThe Nymph KingHeart 0f The Dragon (Atlantis Book 1) Read onlineHeart 0f The Dragon (Atlantis Book 1)The Darkest Captive: A Lords of the Underworld Novella Read onlineThe Darkest Captive: A Lords of the Underworld NovellaLifeblood Read onlineLifebloodBlacklisted Read onlineBlacklistedPrince of Forever Read onlinePrince of ForeverForbidden Craving Read onlineForbidden CravingThe Warlord Read onlineThe WarlordThe Darkest Seduction lotu-10 Read onlineThe Darkest Seduction lotu-10Shadow and Ice (Gods of War) Read onlineShadow and Ice (Gods of War)Unraveled i-2 Read onlineUnraveled i-2The Darkest Captive Read onlineThe Darkest CaptiveThe Glass Queen Read onlineThe Glass QueenThe Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil) Read onlineThe Evil Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil)Last Kiss Goodnight (Otherworld Assassin) Read onlineLast Kiss Goodnight (Otherworld Assassin)After Dark Read onlineAfter DarkOh My Goth Read onlineOh My GothBlack and Blue oa-2 Read onlineBlack and Blue oa-2Wicked Nights aotd-1 Read onlineWicked Nights aotd-1The Darkest Kiss lotu-3 Read onlineThe Darkest Kiss lotu-3The Darkest Assassin: A Lords of the Underworld Novella Read onlineThe Darkest Assassin: A Lords of the Underworld NovellaAlice in Zombieland wrc-1 Read onlineAlice in Zombieland wrc-1The White Rabbit Chronicles Read onlineThe White Rabbit ChroniclesThe Darkest Promise--A Dark, Demonic Paranormal Romance Read onlineThe Darkest Promise--A Dark, Demonic Paranormal RomanceRomancing the Gravestone Read onlineRomancing the GravestoneThe Pleasure Slave i-2 Read onlineThe Pleasure Slave i-2Can't Let Go--A Bad Boy Romance Read onlineCan't Let Go--A Bad Boy RomanceFirstlife (Everlife #1) Read onlineFirstlife (Everlife #1)The Stone Prince i-1 Read onlineThe Stone Prince i-1Playing With Fire (tales of an extra ordinary girl) Read onlinePlaying With Fire (tales of an extra ordinary girl)The Darkest King Read onlineThe Darkest KingThe Darkest Prison (lords of the underworld) Read onlineThe Darkest Prison (lords of the underworld)The Vampire's Bride--A Paranormal Romance Novel Read onlineThe Vampire's Bride--A Paranormal Romance NovelBeauty Awakened aotd-2 Read onlineBeauty Awakened aotd-2Twisted i-3 Read onlineTwisted i-3Dark Taste of Rapture Read onlineDark Taste of RaptureJewel of Atlantis a-2 Read onlineJewel of Atlantis a-2Atlantis Series Complete Collection Read onlineAtlantis Series Complete CollectionThe One You Want (Original Heartbreakers) Read onlineThe One You Want (Original Heartbreakers)Last Kiss Goodnight oa-1 Read onlineLast Kiss Goodnight oa-1Wicked Nights (Angels of the Dark) Read onlineWicked Nights (Angels of the Dark)The Vampire's Bride a-4 Read onlineThe Vampire's Bride a-4The Darkest Passion lotu-6 Read onlineThe Darkest Passion lotu-6Everlife (An Everlife Novel) Read onlineEverlife (An Everlife Novel)Ever Night Read onlineEver NightHeart of the Dragon a-1 Read onlineHeart of the Dragon a-1The Darkest Whisper lotu-5 Read onlineThe Darkest Whisper lotu-5The Nymph King a-3 Read onlineThe Nymph King a-3The Darkest Fire lotu-1 Read onlineThe Darkest Fire lotu-1The Darkest Surrender lotu-9 Read onlineThe Darkest Surrender lotu-9The Darkest Lie lotu-7 Read onlineThe Darkest Lie lotu-7Tempt Me Eternally Read onlineTempt Me EternallyLord of the Vampires and The Darkest Angel and The Amazon's Curse and The Darkest Prison Read onlineLord of the Vampires and The Darkest Angel and The Amazon's Curse and The Darkest PrisonMagic at Midnight Read onlineMagic at MidnightThe Darkest Night lotu-2 Read onlineThe Darkest Night lotu-2The Amazon's Curse (atlantis) Read onlineThe Amazon's Curse (atlantis)Catch a Mate Read onlineCatch a MateThe Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld Book 8) Read onlineThe Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld Book 8)Lord of the Vampires rhos-1 Read onlineLord of the Vampires rhos-1Shadow and Ice Read onlineShadow and IceBeauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark) Read onlineBeauty Awakened (Angels of the Dark)The Darkest Torment Read onlineThe Darkest TormentLords of the Underworld Bundle Read onlineLords of the Underworld BundleThe Darkest Craving lotu-11 Read onlineThe Darkest Craving lotu-11Temptation in Shadows Read onlineTemptation in ShadowsThe Darkest Surrender (Hqn) Read onlineThe Darkest Surrender (Hqn)The Alien Huntress Series Read onlineThe Alien Huntress SeriesThrough the Zombie Glass wrc-2 Read onlineThrough the Zombie Glass wrc-2Can't Get Enough (The Original Heartbreakers Book 6) Read onlineCan't Get Enough (The Original Heartbreakers Book 6)