The Darkest King

by Gena Showalter

  “We can continue to argue,” he said, “or we can do what couples do in the morning and seduce each other. Lady’s choice.”

  “How would you know what couples do in the morning? I’m your first and only girlfriend.”

  Good point. “Sunny,” he said, keeping his tone gentle. Can’t let myself fall any faster. Must put some distance between us. “I know we’ve teased each other about being a couple, but we aren’t. Not yet.” It’s her, or it’s me. I choose...me?

  First, her eyes swam with hurt. Then they darkened and narrowed. “Did you not enjoy yourself last night?”

  His heart clenched. “My roars to the rafters didn’t clue you in?”

  She didn’t answer, just shook off his hold. He stifled a protest as she paced before him, still dressed only in her undergarments. “How convenient that you tell me we aren’t a couple after you’ve given me a couple orgasms. Was that the plan? Addict me to your touch, then drop your bomb?”

  He almost grinned. “You’re addicted to my touch?”

  She whipped around to glare at him. Then, inexplicably, she softened and crawled into his lap to rest her head on his shoulder. Voice whisper-quiet, she said, “I know we’re not a couple, okay. Just as I know you care for me, whether you’ll admit it or not. I just wonder if maybe we should be a couple. Unless I’m not enough to satisfy you? Do you still desire others?”

  A muscle leaped underneath his eye as he wrapped his arms around her, locking her in place. “I desire no one else.” I might not desire another...ever. And he wasn’t panicked by the thought. “But I can’t risk activating the curse.”

  “I let myself trust you enough to make out with you before you released me from captivity, and you can’t trust me enough to risk the curse?” she asked, radiating hurt. “I’ll be honest. Part of me understands. But part of me doesn’t, because I’m certain the curse won’t—can’t affect me.”

  “No, you think you won’t be affected by it. There’s a difference.” He traced his hand up and down her arm, luxuriating in her velvety skin. “Just decode the book as swiftly as possible, and we’ll have this conversation again. Yes?”

  As she flattened her palms on his chest, her nails sharpened into claws and cut into his flesh. He welcomed the sting, deserved it. Maybe even craved it. Hurting her like this hurt him.

  “Maybe I don’t want to have this conversation again,” she said, snippy now. “I deserve a man who will move heaven and earth to be with me regardless of the complications, who won’t look for a way out before we’ve even begun. Who thinks I’m enough. Apparently, that isn’t you. So, at the end of our two weeks, I’ll be moving on.”

  He tightened his hold on her. “Sunny—”

  “I’m about to go through mating season, William. A time when my body demands sex. I’ll need chains or a willing partner, but I refuse—refuse!—to chain myself in the underworld, making myself helpless while demons wait nearby.” A familiar calculated gleam lit her eyes, filling him with dread and excitement. “I wonder if Rathbone is available.”

  Rage blazed through him, the urge to do murder returning in a flash. Damn her! And damn her good point. “I will take care of you this mating season.”

  “But only if I decode the book in time, right?”

  He narrowed his eyes.

  “No, thanks,” she said, hiking a shoulder in a negligent shrug. “I still plan to do everything in my power to decode your book before mating season. But after mating season? My itinerary has changed. I’ll be blowing this joint.”

  Every fiber of his being rebelled at the thought. He snapped, “Try to leave or be with someone else. See what happens.”

  She exhibited no reaction to his threat. “While I’m busy decoding your book, your kids will be out spying. What will you be doing?”

  The way she stiffened, awaiting his answer... It mattered. She wanted him to name something specific, but what? “I’ll be scheming, moving living pieces on the chessboard of war. I’ll be antagonizing the enemy so he’s more likely to make a mistake. Mostly, I’ll be keeping a unicorn-shifter focused.” The most difficult task of all.

  Her shoulders rolled in. So, he hadn’t given her the response she’d hoped for. Frustration mounted.

  “In other words,” she said, “you’ll be having fun while the rest of us work.” She wrenched from his hold and strode toward the bathroom. “Yeah, I’m definitely blowing the underworld sooner rather than later. Consider us officially broken up.”

  A denial screamed inside his head. He almost called her back. Almost dropped to his knees in thanks—emotional distance might just save their lives. In the end, he pressed his lips together, watching as she brushed her teeth and dressed in a tank top and jeans.

  Without glancing in his direction—she’d dismissed him, as if he were unimportant—she sat at the desk, opened the book’s display case and freed the book, ignoring him.

  William ground his back teeth, a pain shooting through his jaw. “Just out of curiosity, what do—did—you wish I’d be doing while the rest of you work?”

  “Something, anything that had to do with us, not war or curses. By the way, I get the dog in our divorce settlement.”

  They lapsed into silence. Hours passed, each one more torturous than the last. Eventually, he stood and paced while she continued to study. He cast constant glances her way, the woman both a pleasure and a torment to observe. When she concentrated fully, a crinkle developed between her brows. Adorable. When a passage vexed her, she chewed on her bottom lip. Sexy. When she forgot his presence, she hummed the loveliest song he’d ever heard. Soothing.

  He’d handled things poorly with her—again. But how did he fix what he shouldn’t want?

  A strange noise caught his attention, and he frowned.

  Sunny noticed it, too, her head lifting, ears twitching. “What is that?”

  Dawn lifted her heads from the doggy buffet and howled.

  “Put the book in the case.” As soon as she’d complied, William unleashed a stream of magic to bespell and lock the case. Anyone who looked at it would see a creepy porcelain doll.

  He stalked to the closet, donned on a T-shirt that read Willy’s Delicatessen, then grabbed a couple daggers and moved to the door, Dawn on his heels.

  The noises grew louder. Had Lucifer sent another horde?

  Daggers in hand, the medallion still burning a hole in his pocket, William braced and opened the door.

  23

  “I’ve only made one mistake in my long life—the time I thought I’d made a mistake.”

  Sunny and her threat—promise—to leave must have wrecked William’s brain. At first, he couldn’t compute what he was seeing. Then the synapses in his brain started firing again, and he realized the army of Sent Ones had arrived at last. They were building makeshift abodes around the stable, Axel leading the charge.

  Once he spotted his brother, a familiar pang of longing lanced him. Worse, a fist seemed to wrap around his heart and squeeze.

  Despite Hades’s request to postpone any conversations with his brother, he didn’t have the strength to step back and close the door. Why should he? This was his chance to prove he could sustain a relationship with Hades and Axel. Then, at tonight’s dinner, he could give the king a progress report.

  He didn’t need to glance over his shoulder to know Sunny was closing the distance. Though not even the slightest pitter-patter accompanied her footsteps, he retained a keen awareness of her every move.

  Did all unicorns move so quietly, never really broadcasting their location?

  Reaching his side, she crouched down to pet Dawn, the little hound ecstatic. As Sunny straightened, he inhaled her incredible scent, the beast behind his fly attempting to burst free.

  Damn her! Mere hours ago, she’d sucked him dry. If he’d stayed true to character, he would’ve lost interest as soon as he’d come and focus
ed his lusts on someone else. The next challenge. The newest amusement. Yet...

  Not even close to being done with her. Can’t even imagine it.

  Could he do forever?

  “Aw. How sweet. You got me a BBB.”

  He shouldn’t ask. “What’s a BBB?”

  “Beefcake breakfast buffet.” Sunny wiggled her brows and fanned her cheeks. “I’m starved, so I’m gonna need more than one beefcake. I’ll take him. And him. Oh! And her.”

  Until that moment, he’d never had an urge to kiss and curse someone. “If you crave sausage, I’ve got a juicy link in my—”

  “Don’t you say it!” she cried, slapping a hand over his mouth. Scandalized amusement glittered in her gorgeous green eyes. “You’re ruining my chance at making a good match! Our guests might get the wrong idea and think we’re flirting.”

  “I was wrong. We are a couple. You insisted on a relationship, after all, and I agreed. No take backs. Meaning yes, you made my bed and now you can lie in it.” She might be calculating, but he was wily. He could torment her with her own play. Latching on to her wrist, he brought her hand to his mouth and nipped the tip of her index finger.

  Her plump lips parted on a gasp, the sound erotic to him.

  He stared, Sunny a magnet for his gaze. Light bathed her, illuminating her glittery skin and the array of freckles that dotted her nose. A cool breeze blew a pink lock over her cheek—a cheek currently flushed with heat. When he ghosted his fingertips along her jawline, her breath hitched and her pulse quickened.

  Her every reaction spurred an equal reaction in him. She flushed; so did he. Her breath hitched; so did his. Her pulse quickened; his did, too.

  His awareness of her sharpened, his mind and body becoming a war zone. Bullets of desire flew in every direction. Blades of need sliced his calm to ribbons. Bombs of urgency exploded, shrapnel embedded in his every organ.

  Want her again. Want her now. Not yanking her against him was the toughest thing he’d ever done. But now wasn’t the right time. Must resist. Will resist.

  But he inched closer, saying, “You want me more than you’ve ever wanted anything. Admit it.”

  She inched closer as well, as if trapped in the same war zone. “Maybe, maybe not. Definitely not as much as you want me.”

  Another inch, his heart beginning to pound. “You feel like you’ll die without my kiss.” What are you doing? Stop! He needed emotional distance right now. Not this, whatever this was.

  With her next inhalation, their chests brushed. Friction sparked heat. Heat produced fire, the flames burning through his control at an alarming speed.

  Screw emotional distance.

  Voice as wanton as their last kiss, she whispered, “You would do anything to be with me.”

  “I wouldn’t.” I might. A fog of arousal enshrined William. If he didn’t get this woman naked and in bed immediately, he would—

  “Am I interrupting something?” Axel asked.

  Sunny reared back, startled, as William slowly craned his head to address the intruder. Had the Sent One been anyone else, he would have paid dearly for such an interruption. The fact that William had lost track of his surroundings only deepened his irritation.

  He arched a brow. “The intrusion couldn’t wait?”

  “And miss this killer glare?” Axel tsk-tsked. He wore a pure white robe, his golden wings shimmering in the light. “It’s like you don’t know me at all. Oh, wait...”

  William pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth, guilt seeping from an old heart wound. Clearly, Axel still harbored resentment. Forging a relationship with him wouldn’t be easy.

  His brother focused on Sunny, inclining his head in greeting. “We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Axel, your newest fantasy.”

  “Nice to meet you. I’m Sunny, your new obsession. I’m this guy’s ex-girlfriend.” She hiked a thumb in William’s direction.

  “We are together, and we’re exclusive,” William barked before the grinning Sent One had a chance to respond. My unicorn. Mine! Where was her paranoia with Axel? With Rathbone? “I’ll give you the relationship you want,” he told her, “and you’ll give me space until the book is decoded.”

  “William. Babe,” she began, as if she had the patience of a saint. She didn’t. “You can’t just decide—”

  “I can, and I did. And why not?” he interjected, spreading his arms. “You did it first.”

  “Yes, and then I decided we were broken up.” She turned to Axel, telling him, “I’m single, and I’m on the prowl for an honorable male interested in roughly two weeks of constant sex.”

  A cauldron of fury bubbled up, frothing inside William. My unicorn. My codebreaker. My woman. She would not be enjoying the company of another man, ever. I am a prince of Hell, and I do not share!

  As the words echoed inside his head, he flinched. I think I’m man-pouting?

  “We were broken up, yes,” he managed to say calmly but fiercely, “but we just got back together.”

  Her features softened, his adamancy seeming to break through her resistance.

  “I want to be back together,” he told her. He’d find another way to resist her appeal.

  She looked down. Heartbeat. Heartbeat. Heartbeat. Then she gazed at him with such admiration, such adoration, he could only reel. Must see that expression every day for the rest of eternity.

  Had other women looked at him like that? Yes. A time or twenty. But he’d always remained unaffected, because they hadn’t known him. He hadn’t let them. With Sunny, he wanted to puff out his chest caveman-style. She knew him better, and she liked him, anyway.

  Axel leaned against the door frame and crossed his arms, settling in. He winked at Sunny and said, “If ever you decide to ditch Little Willy, feel free to try and save me from my lecherous ways.”

  She winked right back.

  Temper pricked again, William roared, “Enough!” Why could he not predict this woman’s reactions? Why did he like her unpredictability? It put him in a vulnerable position. “Axel, this is Sunny. Sunny, Axel. My brother... I think.” He slung an arm around his woman in a light, claim-staking hold, anchoring her against him. Then he arched a brow at Axel again. “What are we?”

  Sunny reached up to sink her nails into his forearm, no doubt intending to push him away. She surprised him by melting against him, cradling his erection in the crack of her ass.

  Need hammered at him, as if he’d never known a moment of satisfaction. Unbearable pressure...an unstoppable need for release only she could elicit.

  Breathe. In, out. Good, good. He began to calm.

  Oozing sympathy she’d never shown William, Sunny softly asked Axel, “Were your childhood memories buried like William’s?”

  He paused, eager to learn the answer.

  The winged warrior offered a clipped nod, his good humor obliterated.

  “Poor baby. When we fix William’s head, we’ll fix yours, too.” She shrugged off William’s hold to pat Axel’s arm. “How about we take this conversation inside, neighbor? You can join me for a nice game of Clue. I’m trying to figure out who murdered Fun in the stable with a bad mood. Hint, I think his name starts with W and ends with I-L-L-I-A-M.”

  Grinning once more, Axel allowed her to maneuver him around William and Dawn, entering the stable. Heading for the kitchen, they bent their heads together, whispering and laughing.

  William bit his cheek, tasting blood. My woman and my brother should be whispering and laughing with me.

  He hung back as Sunny and Axel sat across from each other at the table. Sunny, for all her faults—too stubborn, too emotional, too suspicious and too damn beautiful for her own good—had a core of honor. She wouldn’t start something with William, only to seduce his brother. Her flirting must have a different purpose.

  Another way to torment me?

 
Damn it, why do I enjoy even that?

  “Come on, girl,” he said to Dawn, kicking the door shut. “Let’s go speak with my brother before I murder him for hitting on my girlfriend.” He used the word more easily now.

  Halfway to the table, he heard Sunny tell Axel, “I’d be interested in hearing what you do remember about your childhood.”

  Again, William paused, his ears twitching as he awaited the answer.

  “Perhaps I’ll tell you,” the Sent One responded, “once we’ve gotten to know each other better. Why don’t you tell me all about your childhood instead?”

  “Oh. Talk about me? Uh...” She shifted in her seat, suddenly agitated.

  Well, well. Her trust issues had just flared, and William wanted to grin. She trusts me, and me alone.

  On the move again, he told Axel, “I retained a single memory from childhood,” taking over the conversation, saving Sunny from thinking up a better response. “The day a beautiful winged blonde got stabbed in front of us.”

  Axel gripped the edge of the table, his knuckles whitening. “That’s my only memory, as well. We were babies. I mean, I know we were young boys, but we seemed so...innocent. I’ve always thought of us as newborns.”

  The comparison made sense to him. They had seemed innocent. So new. So unsure and confused. “You don’t know who she is?” William asked.

  “I have questioned my brethren repeatedly, but only Clerici remembered her.”

  “Clerici?” Sunny asked, her brows furrowed.

  “My leader, second to the Most High.” Axel’s tone evinced great respect. “He told me she isn’t my birth mother, that she was part of a violent faction known as Wrathlings.”

  Wrathlings. William tensed. Long ago, a group of ten powerful immortals came together with a single goal: recruit an army of supernatural beings. They then used those beings to crossbreed predatory species, creating a supernatural army of creatures able to execute gods.

  For years, William had hunted those ten, as well as their army of soldiers, all on Hades’s behalf. He was one of the gods they’d targeted. William had done his job, and done it well. He’d slaughtered them, one by one, wiping Wrathlings from existence.