The Darkest King

by Gena Showalter

  He’d never known his species of origin. Finally, he understood why. He must be one of the crossbreds. A fact he found disturbing. Not a child born of love, but a product made for war.

  Had he killed his family when he’d killed the Wrathlings?

  He cut off a roar of denial. No. No! Hades would not let him murder his relatives.

  “This. Is. Freesia-ing. Unacceptable!” Hades’s roar echoed off the walls, as if William had summoned him. “Freesia. Freesia!”

  He’d arrived?

  With a whimper, Dawn dove under the bed. Sunny vaulted to her feet, and Axel slowly rose to his. William maneuvered in front of his woman, shielding her. Of course, this put her and Axel at his back, something he didn’t like. He hated having anyone at his back. But their safety mattered more than his discomfort.

  “Watch your tone,” he snapped, looking Hades over. The man looked awful, his black hair askew, his dark eyes rimmed red and glimmering with—no way. No way his father projected fear. His clothes were wrinkled—another first—his muscles tense. What the hell had happened to him?

  One of the first lessons Hades had taught William? Your appearance was a weapon. With the proper clothes and a calm demeanor, you could instill terror in the heart of anyone.

  For the king to come here in this condition... Something terrible must have happened. Or he’d just learned of Axel’s arrival and had come running. Either way, fury bubbled up all over again.

  Too raw to stop his next words, he snapped, “Tell me what you know about Wrathlings.”

  The color drained from Hades’s face—yet another first. But what did it mean? His dark gaze darted between William and Axel before he blanked his expression of emotion, just like he’d taught his children. “They are extinct. What more is there to know?”

  William remembered the day Hades had found “Scum.” He’d said, You have his eyes.

  Realization: Hades had known about William’s ties to the group.

  The fury spilled over, scalding William. Hades had known the truth, yet he’d ordered the executions, anyway. Never mind that he’d saved William from a life of prejudice and obscurity. He should have told me the truth and given me a choice.

  “Let’s backtrack a bit. Did a king of Hell just use freesia as a curse?” Axel laughed outright. “Roses! Lilies! Orchids!”

  Hades stepped in his direction, all menace and hate. Once again, William acted as a shield, stepping in front of Axel. This infuriated his father, whose muscles bulged with aggression.

  Sunny moved to William’s side, took his hand and told Hades, “Hi, I’m Sunny. This is my home. You entered without permission and frightened my dog. Apologize before I—”

  William placed a hand over her mouth, silencing her. Those who insulted or commanded Hades didn’t usually live to see another sunrise. “Sunny, meet Hades. My father. Hades, meet Sunny. My woman.”

  The male stared at her, hard, taking in every detail until William snapped, “What are you doing here?”

  Expression blanking again, Hades brushed a piece of invisible lint from his shoulder. “Did I or did I not tell you to stay away from the Sent One?”

  “You did. And I told you I could love you both.”

  “Love?” Axel said, stumbling back.

  “Look,” Sunny said, unafraid of the monster she provoked. “Can this argument wait? Axel and I are about to be in the middle of finding out what kind of breakfast cereal we are.”

  The Sent One scratched his chin. “I’m leaning toward Trix.”

  She smiled a sugary smile at Hades. “I’m thinking you’re a knockoff brand, like Kookies or Circus Balls. Or maybe you’re a steaming pile of mashed oats with zero flavor.”

  “Anyone with sense knows I’m Franken Berry.” Hades pointed to William. “Froot Loops.” Sunny. “Lucky Charms.” Axel. “Fiber One. Now leave.”

  “Nah. Don’t think I will,” Axel countered with a smirk. “I like it here.”

  Hades popped his jaw, unused to outright refusals. “You will leave of your own volition, or I will make you.”

  Another lesson taught by the king? Never make a threat unless you plan to follow through.

  Hades always followed through.

  William massaged the back of his neck. “There’s no reason—”

  “Go ahead,” Axel said, spreading his arms. “Make me.”

  “Very well.” A tornado of black smoke cloaked him in an instant and shot across the stable, collected Axel and tossed him outside, the doors slamming shut behind him.

  “Stay here,” William bellowed to Sunny. As an afterthought, he tacked on, “Please.” Then he flashed outside, in the middle of hundreds of Sent Ones carting around lumber and tools. Several homes were already completed. Large huts with flat roofs for landings and takeoffs.

  Where was—there. Hades was in humanoid form once again. He stood before Axel, Zacharel, Bjorn and two others. William caught the tail of what his father was saying and stilled.

  “—will erect your homes in my territory, not his. Understand? Otherwise, you’ll find yourself in a war against me.”

  To keep William and Axel apart, Hades had just threatened to go to war with an ally...while already at war with an enemy. What to do? From the beginning, William had trusted his father as much as someone like him could trust anyone other than himself. After everything the male had done for him, grateful didn’t come close to describing what he felt. The very reason he’d allowed Hades to keep secrets so long, never really pushing for answers, despite a desperate need to know where he came from.

  Now? Frustration pulled his strings. “Hades,” he yelled.

  All conversations ceased, silence creeping over the growing crowd. Every gaze found him, including Hades’s. He and his father faced off, Axel momentarily forgotten.

  Choosing to communicate telepathically, and keep the argument private, William groused, They will stay here, surrounding the stable to better protect my codebreaker.

  The unflappable Hades suddenly looked utterly flapped. Again, the color fled his cheeks. —You choose the Sent One over me?—

  For the first time, William thought his father exhibited something akin to panic. I choose not to support the man who refuses to tell me why he’s against my potential relationship with my brother.

  —Because.— Hades pressed his lips together, going quiet.

  Because why? William insisted, refusing to let this go.

  —Because... I know what you do not. Why I kept you, but not the Sent One.— Hades’s dark eyes were stark. —Long ago, my oracles presented me with a conundrum. If ever you and Axel were reunited in truth, you would work together to kill me and take my throne. How can I trust you now?—

  24

  “Get in my way and get mowed down. It’s science.”

  Sunny floated to the bed to coax Dawn out of hiding. She needed a confidante, and who better than her darling fur-baby? They could bond over confessions and snuggles.

  “The big, scary man is gone, sweetness. But even if he returns, you don’t have to worry. Not now, not ever. I’m your protector, and I’ll never let anything bad happen to you. That’s a Sunny Lane gold-star promise. One I can keep. I’m kind of a superhero.”

  Once she had Dawn resting comfortably on a floor pillow, she spent a good ten minutes praising the dog for her bravery. As she stroked her belly, one of Dawn’s heads nuzzled her while the other growled and bit her wrist hard enough to draw blood.

  Sunny winced, the bite packing a powerful punch. No way she’d scold the little beauty for protecting herself, though. “We’re going to be best pals. Like me, you have a dual nature, which can make life difficult. But as long as you do what you believe is best, you’ll never have regrets.”

  The biting ceased but the growling persisted. No matter. Progress!

  “Guess what?” she whispered. She cast her g
aze around the barn, searching for any sign that someone hid nearby, listening. “William is falling for me, and not just because of his book. I mean, why wouldn’t he fall for me? I’m, like, so supergood at sex now, he insists on an exclusive relationship, something he’s never done with another. But just between us girls, I’m wondering if I should do as threatened and bail after I decode his book and kill his brother. I mean, William is a project. He’s never had a full-time girlfriend. I’m worried he’ll grow tired of me. Already he’s waffled. He wanted me, then he pushed me away, then he wanted me again. And he’s still holding me prisoner. I need to protect myself.”

  Although trusting him fully, holding nothing back, had begun to feel inevitable, which scared the crap out of her.

  “Should I bail or shouldn’t I?” she asked the hound. “If I stay, I’ll need to make nice with his family. Not Lucifer, of course. Never Lucifer. But Axel and Hades.”

  Hades would be a tough nut to crack. He had a dark-as-night aura with pinpricks of light. It reminded her of a midnight sky, beautiful to look upon but lethal when you got too close without proper protection. He’d radiated menace and ruthless aggression.

  Axel had an aura as blurry as William’s, with splatters of red, indicative of rage and pain. Yet he’d looked at William with unmistakable longing. The same way William had looked at Axel.

  Okay, so, if she was going to bail, she wouldn’t do it right away. She’d stay long enough to help the two recover their memories and built a proper brothership.

  As Sunny continued to pet Dawn, the hound closed both sets of eyes and drifted off with a little puff of breath.

  All right. Time to get back to work and decode that freaking book. Sunny stood and strode toward the desk but halfway there, a sudden, unexpected storm of arousal hit. Her nipples hardened, and her panties flooded with desire. A full-body shiver nearly rocked her off her feet, wrenching a moan from her.

  When it past, she wanted to curl into a ball and cry. More storms would be coming now, only worse.

  Focus now, while you can. Right. Upon Axel’s arrival, William had secured the book’s case with a (magical) lock. Had the silly man not realized she could siphon that magic away? Which she did. Voilà! Access to the book.

  For one...two...three hours Sunny pored over every page and symbol without success. Why couldn’t she break through the barrier, an extra layer of mystical protection, the equivalent of wrapping an enigma around a mystery? Or maybe a better description was a ‘magical encryption.’

  Every encryption had a key, even the magical ones. She just had to figure this one out.

  She texted William: Bad news. I’m stuck at a roadblock. When you’re done playing chase with your family, tell me why the witch cursed you. The info could unlock the code!

  His reply came within seconds: She told me she loved me, and I laughed in her face.

  Ouch. Should have guessed. The key must center around the witch’s rage. It’d be a word, phrase, thought or emotion. Something simple, or the curse would never reach fruition. So...not a word or phrase. Probably not a thought, either. There were too many possibilities. As for the emotion...

  Yeah. That one had real potential. Think! The witch wouldn’t have wanted anyone who admired William to decode the book, only someone who’d enjoy seeing him suffer.

  The answer crystalized, and she gasped. Had to be anger or hate. Since anger was far more susceptible to change and hatred more deeply rooted, she’d go with the latter. Which was easy for Sunny, considering her dual nature. She could both like and dislike someone at the same time; she just had to focus on one side of her nature. So, that was what she did. She flipped a switch in her heart, placing her vengeful side in the spotlight.

  How she hated demons and the princes of darkness who led them. How William was Lucifer’s brother. How William had locked her away. How William had broken up with her, demanded space—

  There it was. Hatred. The emotion filled her up.

  She focused on the book, and a shaft of warmth suddenly shot through her, the rest of the world fading away. So dizzy. As she released a heavy breath, the dizziness dwindled and—she gasped. Multiple symbols morphed into words.

  Once upon a time...

  She bounced up and down with excitement. She’d finally done it?

  Problem: the words vanished from the page only a moment later, the symbols returning.

  Her excitement dimmed. She refocused on the hate but...

  No new passage opened up, but a thought whispered through her mind, as tempting as a shiny red apple. I should kill William. Yesss. I should...so I will. I’ll transform into a unicorn and sink my horn into his black, rotting heart.

  Fires of fury burned in her belly, her muscles tensing, readying for action. He deserves this. And I deserve to be the one who ends him.

  Sunny released the book and reached for her medallion. She would hunt William down and—whoa! The whispers ceased, and the urges fled.

  Ice-cold terror seeped into her bones. Oh, hellebore! According to William, the curse would activate as soon as he fell in love, spurring the object of his affection into killing him.

  Had he just realized he had feelings for Sunny?

  Maybe yes, maybe no. But she shouldn’t—wouldn’t—tell him about this development. She could already imagine the end result. Once upon a time, a dark prince met a beautiful woman named Sunny, who made him crazed with desire. When he fell in love with her, the curse activated. She tried to murder him, so he did his best to put her down. The end.

  She would weather this alone. No, she would master this. She squared her shoulders and stiffened her spine, determined.

  She’d told William the curse would hold no sway over her, and she’d meant it. Now she knew exactly what to guard against: insidious thoughts and desires that would sneak into her mind, amplified by a need to think horrible things about William in order to decipher the symbols...which meant she had to stop being so charming before he actually fell in love with her. And he would. If she decided to win his heart, he soooo would. She had so much love to give. Love he needed.

  But first, she had to decode the book. And she had to do it while resisting William...who’d been right to want to wait, she realized now.

  Maybe she wouldn’t bail on him, after all.

  Turning on the hate, Sunny spent another hour working on the book and managed to decode an entire paragraph. As she jotted down the translation in her diary, exhaustion set in, segments blurring together. She needed to rest before she tackled another section. Which she would do, after she read over the handwritten page to check for typos, so she could text a photo to William. He’d be so happy.

  Only two words into her read, the blood rushed from her head. Freesia! She hadn’t written what she’d deciphered—a rehashing of everything William had told her about Lilith and Lleh. Hell spelled backward. She’d written “Kill William” over and over again.

  No, no, no. Her mind was playing tricks on her; that was all. Queasy, and maybe a little magic-drunk, she rubbed her eyes and shook her head, then refocused.

  The translation remained the same.

  Sweat beaded on her palms. Had the curse already activated?

  No. No way, she thought next. Despite what she’d written, she had no desire to end his life.

  Her phone buzzed, a text coming in. Her heartbeat went from zero to sixty in a split second. Only William had the number.

  She closed the book with a snap, locked it inside the case and tried not to tremble as she checked the cell’s screen.

  The Panty Melter: Any luck with the code?

  Gulp. She replied, Yes. Your witch patterned the curse after a fairy tale. As the symbols are deciphered, they tell a story.

  She typed what she remembered, leaving out what she’d written: Once upon a time, in the faraway Realm of Lleh, there lived a beautiful, powerful witch who fel
l in love with a handsome but conceited prince of Hell. Though she only wished to please him, he spurned her advances. In return, she decided to teach him a lesson he would never forget.

  “I’m the only one who gets to teach William King a lesson,” she muttered, jabbing her finger into the Send button.

  The Panty Melter: How soon until you’re finished?

  Five words, zero emojis, yet his impatience and excitement pulsed through the phone.

  Sunny: Translating that one paragraph wiped me out. I’m going to rest. I’ll begin again in a few hours.

  The sooner she finished, the sooner she and William could figure things out.

  The Panty Melter: Don’t wait up for me. Remember when I mentioned needing space? I’ll be out all night.

  Out all night? Bailing on her for the second time without offering an explanation? She leaped to her feet, the chair skidding away. Anger turned her core temperature to boiling, roasting her insides. Had he met someone? Did he plan to bed someone who’d caught his fancy?

  If he didn’t, Sunny would be even more furious with him! That would mean he’d made her worry—twice—for no reason.

  She wouldn’t ask him what he would be doing. Nope. If he cared about her, even the slightest bit, he would volunteer the information.

  If you cared about him the slightest bit, you would trust him, even the slightest bit.

  What a stupid thought!

  Forget resting. This single girl was going to have herself a night on the town, one way or another. Because yes, she’d just broken up with William again.

  Her index finger the hammer and her phone the nail, she jabbed at the keyboard, forming the words, No worries. I have plans.

  The Panty Melter: What plans? With whom? You can’t leave the stable and others can’t enter.

  Ignoring him, she checked the phone’s address book. Sweet! He’d included other numbers, with notes.

  Pandora—only if there’s an emergency.

  Baden—only if there’s a really bad emergency.