“You can gawk at the palace later. Right now, Willy’s in a major snit, and I have orders to hand deliver you fast.” Pandora wasted no time, striding down a wide hallway.
Sunny followed, stutter-stepping when she noticed the many portraits that decorated the walls. In one, William wore an apron and a smile, nothing else. In another, he had a feather boa wrapped around his penis.
Oh, sweet heat. Was the image true to size, or scaled? Because sage! In a third painting, he reclined on a plush leather chair, naked, reading a copy of The Darkest Kiss. Other books were piled around him, all with darkest in the title.
People must look at these images, severely underestimate the darkness of William’s nature and relax their guard. His purpose, no doubt. Wily warrior. Impressive, too. But the poor bastard had no idea what she planned to do for his first punishment.
Sunny fought a grin. Her plan? Force him to commit to a fake relationship in order to gain her cooperation. Not that he’d know it was fake. Ah, it’s the little things.
Pandora noticed her preoccupation with the artwork and asked, “Are you a connoisseur of paintings, or William?”
Yeah, no way in hellebore she’d answer that. She changed the subject instead. “Does William prefer to date a certain type of female?” The more she knew, the better she could tailor the torture to his needs and wants, hopes and dreams.
“William connoisseur, then,” Pandora said, a teasing twinkle in her dark eyes. “And, yeah, he has a type. It’s called breathing. He’s a total he-ho. He gets tired of a woman as soon as he nuts.”
Nuts? Ohhhh. A term for shooting his load. Got it. They turned a corner. “Has he ever committed to someone?”
“He considered it once,” Pandora said. “There was a girl. Gillian. He thought he loved her but they split, so...” Shrug.
Sunny curled her hands into fists, a common reaction whenever William dominated a conversation. A prince of darkness deserved no happiness. “Thought he loved?”
“Lookit. I’m not going to give you the gory details. It’s not my story to tell. But it’s clear you’re interested in him, and I get it. You have eyes. So I’ll give it to you straight. He used to sleep with married women exclusively, because they never sought a commitment. And even though he thought he loved Gillian, he still slept around. Honestly, I doubt he’ll ever let himself fall in love and do the whole family thing because of—argh! I’ve shared too much. I never share too much. Why would I do that? You’ll get no more out of me.”
Perhaps Pandora wished for a girlfriend as desperately as Sunny? “No worries. I’ve heard enough.” She squeezed her fists tighter, bothered by William’s former propensity for bedding married women. Like Blaze, he had no respect for the sanctity of marriage. No loyalty or consideration for the people he hurt.
Another reason to punish him, administering unicorn justice...
Switching the direction of the conversation, she said, “So you and William are siblings, huh?”
“Yes and no. We were both adopted by Hades.”
Sunny stiffened. Hades, one of nine kings of the underworld. A commander of demons. Death incarnate. Adopted father of Lucifer, too. Deep breath in, out. “If demons are black holes of evil, with no hint of goodness, and they are, so are the ones who lead them.”
“You are so right,” Pandora said with a nod. “But you shouldn’t compliment the Hell royals in such a way. It’ll only go to their heads.”
Funny. “I’ve done a little research on William, and I know he left the underworld at some point, giving up his territory and his armies.”
“Your info is dated. William recently moved back to Hell. I mean, where do we think you are right now?”
Sunny tripped over her own foot. William had taken her to Hell? That...that...bluebell!
Pandora led her into a small office with a massive desk, a metal filing cabinet and a water cooler filled with what looked to be whiskey. No sign of William.
“Hang on. Gotta let him know you’re here.” Pandora plopped into the chair behind the desk and picked up the landline. Holding the phone to her ear, she said, “Stuff your man meat back into your pants, sir. We’re about to enter.” As she listened to his response, her features twisted into a sneer. “I will not tell her I’m joking. For all I know, you are beating off in there. You never summoned a quick lay like you—yeah, yeah, yeah. Screw you, too.” She slammed the phone down, grinned and pointed to the door. “He’s through there. Enjoy. Or not. Yeah, probably not. I mentioned his mood, right?”
He hadn’t summoned a ‘quick lay’? Why do I want to sing and dance like a Disney princess? Easy. A horny William was a more manageable William. She needed a manageable William.
In a matter of seconds, round three of their private war would begin. And so would his punishment.
Heart racing, Sunny walked forward. With each step closer, her anticipation sharpened. By the time she opened the door and crossed the threshold, entering a second, more spacious office, she trembled wildly.
William sat behind the desk, tension thrumming from him. When his incredible scent hit her—the essence of sex, masculinity and carnal indulgence—her cells blazed with sudden desire. She swallowed a moan, her breasts aching anew, the apex of her thighs throbbing.
See! Lust dust and a pre-mating-season haze sucked.
Needing a moment to compose herself, she looked about the room. Wood floor, draped by a plush rug with a tree of life pattern. Hand-carved furnishings. A wet bar and a desk, with one chair in front, two chairs behind and a side table between them. Two doors, both closed. Possible escape routes, or traps? A window with shaded glass, hiding the view outside. A bare-chested mermaid bracketed each side of the marble fireplace. Bookshelves lined every wall, the shelves filled with goodies: a stuffed squirrel wearing a doll dress, an assortment of skulls and framed photos of a lovely dark-haired girl and a gorgeous blonde. More members of his family? Former ladyloves?
Do not unpack that thought; you’ll only welcome another surge of ridiculous jealousy. Forge ahead. “After I kill Lucifer, I will display his skull on my mantel.” Finally, she turned her attention to the portrait hanging on the walls, interspersed between axes, swords and daggers. In this one, William was fully nude.
Oh, my. The guy had width, length and heft. The trifecta. A true battering ram, and her neglected body ached for it. Not his specifically. Just any one like it. Surely!
Voice blissfully gravel-like, he said, “Why stare at a painting when you’re in the company of the real thing?”
Her heart raced faster. Embarrassed heat flushed her cheeks...her breasts. Yes. Embarrassed. Not turned-on. Nope. Time to embarrass him in turn. “I’ll look your way,” she said, hating how breathless she sounded, “if you’ll whip out your... What did Pandora call it? Oh, yes. Your man meat, and prove your girth. Get it? Girth rhymes with worth.” Or she’d look his way when she’d mounted a defense against his appeal.
“You poor, sweet darling.” His husky chuckle was more sexual than a striptease. “You’ve got to earn a viewing.”
Shiver. No, shudder. Definitely a shudder. “That’s not the word on the street,” she said, still staring at the portrait.
“Panda ran her mouth about my private affairs, I presume. No matter. I’ve changed my mind. Come closer, little sundae, and I’ll give you a private showing free of charge.”
Dang him! He’d caved too easily. It wasn’t a punishment if he’d enjoy it. “No, thanks. You’ll probably maul and paw me afterward. We both know you like to seize any excuse.”
She thought she heard him grind his teeth, and she had to curb another grin.
“I wouldn’t touch you with my ten-inch rod,” he grated.
Liar, liar. “I think you mean ten-foot pole.”
“I said what I said. But we can measure it to be sure.”
An-n-nd her cheeks heated another thousand deg
rees. So far, the man had run verbal circles around her. Gonna have to take things up a notch. “Want to know what I just heard you say?” Mimicking him, she said, “If I can’t touch you, darling Sunny, I’ll plot ways to make you touch me.”
No reaction. “Maybe. Although you’re as bad a kisser as you claimed, so I might be better off without you.”
There was no reason to take offense. Truth was truth, after all. But...offense! “I sucked, yes, but you sucked worse. Think about it. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.”
He concealed a look of uncertainty—a hint of vulnerability—but not before she snuck a peek at him. How astonishing. Maybe he had insecurities like the rest of the world? Maybe—
No! She couldn’t soften. Prince of darkness. Royal of Hell. Leader of demons. She needed to dig this particular knife a little deeper. “One day, I’m going to pick a gaggle of men for my reverse harem. Good men. I’ll practice my...kissing.”
She snuck another peek at him. His eyes were flashing. Oh, oh, oh. What was this? Another bout of jealousy? Then the first portion of his torment had begun. Slowly, ensuring he watched her every move, she reached toward the portrait.
Had his breath just hitched?
She let her fingers hover over his calf...his knee... Did he wonder which body part she intended to caress? When she reached the area above his penis, she paused. He went still, as if enraptured.
Pretending to forget her purpose, Sunny dropped her arm to her side, never making contact. “You’re probably wondering why I decided to drop by,” she said breezily.
He pouted for a moment. Do not laugh. “You mean you didn’t drop by because your master summoned you?”
“It’s because I have two lists for you,” she continued as though he hadn’t spoken. “A list of demands, and a list of poachers and collectors you’re going to find and decapitate on my behalf.”
He glowered, jumping up. When he realized what he’d done, he smoothed the sleeves of his shirt and eased back down. With a voice all gravelly again, he told her, “You aren’t in a good enough position to make demands, duna.”
From duna to sundae, then back to duna. A testament of his darkening mood? “You’re right. I’m in the best position to make demands. You need me—”
“Me? Need you?” He scoffed. “You have yet to prove your decoding skills.”
“—and I need toiletries, clothes and laptops loaded with games. For everyone. Don’t be cheap, either. Get e-readers loaded with an assortment of books, too. I prefer romance. The sexy ones. Knitting needles and yarn would be appreciated. So would snacks. If I get hangry or bored, bad things will happen. Finally, I require private quarters. I will not be staying in the bunkhouse.”
Crackling silence.
Thanks to excellent periphery vision, she knew William stared at her with an impassive expression. Talk about false advertising. He rested his elbows on the edge of the desk, his fingers linked and white-knuckled. Impassive? Hardly.
When he finally unlocked his fingers, he scrubbed a trembling hand over his mouth. “I will provide you with a room of your own. I will buy you the things you need, and I will take care of the poachers and collectors. Anything else?”
How sweet. Too sweet? Yes! Why cave mere seconds after he’d claimed she had no bargaining power? Unless... “What price do you expect me to pay?” she asked, her tone drier than desert sands. “My new room will be next to yours, right? For convenient booty-calling?”
More silence. She waited, on edge, and...hopeful?
He grated, “You have only to decode my book in the two-week time frame.”
At last, she cobbled together a defense and pivoted in his direction. Did she look directly at him? Not yet. The urge was too strong. She focused on the desk, the surface crammed with a smorgasbord of food. Oh! A bowl overflowed with different-colored rose petals. Her mouth watered, and her stomach rumbled at a much higher volume.
None of the other codebreakers mentioned a snack, much less an entire meal. Which meant he’d gone to a lot of trouble for Sunny, and Sunny alone.
“Is this our first date?” she asked, curious about how he’d react to the idea.
His fingers jerked. “I do not date.”
Not exactly a denial... “Ever?”
“Ever,” he confirmed.
But you kind of want to date me, Ever Randy? The idea wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, it caused a sultry fog to envelope her mind. Finally she lifted her gaze, because she couldn’t resist the urge a moment longer. Daisy! Undiluted lust flared inside those electric blues. She began to pant.
Somehow, he was more handsome than she remembered. No, not somehow. Science. The more time you spent with someone, the more you got to know them. The more you got to know them, the more or less attractive they became to you, their personality as much a feature as their eyes and nose. William, providing her favorite food...straight-up sexy.
Her tremors returned and redoubled as she cataloged his differences. His dark hair now stuck out in spikes, as if he or a lover had fisted the strands. He had—
Son of a swine-shifter! “Pandora lied,” Sunny snarled. “You actually did it. You slept with someone.”
“Many times,” he said, a wicked grin blooming.
She would tear the office apart piece by piece! He had no right to enjoy himself while a powerful unicorn languished in captivity.
“Just not today,” he added, calming her temper.
Wait. I think he torments me. Still. Feeling magnanimous all of a sudden, she eased into the chair across from him and eyed the bowl of rose petals. Sweet, sweet petals.
“Eat.” He pushed the bowl in her direction.
Suspicions roused, she reared back. “Why? Are they poisoned?”
“Because I don’t have the balls to stab you?”
He’d sounded offended. And...did she perceive a gleam of sadness in his irises?
Oh, yes. Definitely sadness. His called to hers, attempting to raze her sense of calm. But, why would a warlord as confident and successful as William ever feel sad?
“If you do not want the petals,” he said, reaching for the bowl.
She snatched it before he ever made contact. At first, she ate slowly. Properly. The way she’d been trained. Since her parents had betrothed her to Blaze at birth, she’d been raised as a royal, etiquette lessons drilled into her head as soon as she could walk. But all too soon, ravenous hunger pulled her strings, and she shoveled in the remaining petals at lightning speed.
Far from sated, she exchanged the empty bowl for one filled with fruit. “By the way,” she said between bites of oranges, strawberries and pineapple. “I’m newly furious with you. You brought me to Hell. I hate demons, and this is their hub.”
Darkly magnetic, he arched a brow. “If you think I would allow demons to harm someone under my care, you’re a fool.”
“If you think you can control pure evil, you’re an even bigger fool.” She gave him a pitying glance. “How many unicorns have you interacted with over the years?”
“You are the first.”
She nodded. “It shows.” But... “How’d you know what I was?”
“Hades collects rare weapons, artifacts and, yes, even beings. I stay up-to-date on his must-haves. For centuries, a unicorn has topped the list.”
Her stomach twisted. “Does he hope to study or kill us?” In other words, how awful did she need to make his death?
William’s features softened, a true shock. “He hopes to adopt or recruit.”
Gross. “Pass!” She toyed with a lock of hair, asking, “Are you one of his collectables?”
He flicked his tongue against an incisor, raw challenge blazing in his eyes, singeing her. Color tinged his cheek, making her wonder how hot his skin burned, and a muscle jumped in his chiseled jawline. “I am his son.”
A tad bit defensive, eh? �
��And you can’t be both?” she asked, that raw challenge making different parts of her tingle. For a moment, she yearned to leap into his lap, wrap her arms around him, and...do things. Wanton, wild things. “What kind of—”
“Don’t do it,” he interjected, his tone stern. “Don’t ask what kind of being I am.”
“Why? What kind of being are you?”
He scowled, the picture of annoyed male.
Why so secretive? “Unless...” She gasped. “You don’t know, do you?”
The pen he held? He snapped it in two. “You’re here to decode my book. Let’s get to work.”
A pang ripped through her. He didn’t know his own origins. How awful. Did he ever feel as if he didn’t belong? I know the feeling. “I’m still on my lunch break,” she said, voice soft. Knowledge was power, and she wasn’t done learning about him. “I’d rather talk about you.”
The corners of his mouth quirked up. Why? Had she maybe, perchance...pleased him? “Since I’m a benevolent captor, and you’ve been such a pleasant captive, I’ll grant you a boon. Five minutes to finish your food and ask me anything you’d like, and I’ll answer.”
Ask him to strip. Ask him to strip!
Sage! Mating season made her stupid. “Why is the book of codes so important to you?” she asked.
A terse pause before he admitted, “Centuries ago, I rejected a bitch of a witch, and she cursed me in the worst possible way.” Another pause, the wheels clearly rolling in his mind as he decided what to confess and what to omit. “The day I fall in love is the day the object of my affections kills—attempts to kill—me.”
Interesting. Tapping a finger against her bottom lip, she replayed Pandora’s earlier revelation. I don’t think he’ll ever let himself fall in love, because when he does—so. The curse centered around his affections. “Are you sure you’re cursed? You’ve obviously fallen in love with yourself, yet you haven’t committed suicide.”
“I’m sure?” No doubt he’d meant the words as a statement. Now he scowled. “According to the witch, I can break the curse by deciphering the code.”
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