The Darkest King

by Gena Showalter

  She jolted, shocked. Then she melted into his touch, bucking into his hold. “William! Wicked man...more!”

  One day, every part of her would crave every part of him. He would make sure of it.

  He quickened his pace, hitting her clit at a clipped pace while fingering her deeper. Her little hole clenched around his thumb, eliciting an answering clench low in his gut. The need to climax worsened. Don’t come. Not yet. Will last for her.

  Too good, too good.

  He bit his tongue, tasted blood. Just beyond the bed was a full-length mirror he’d brought in before Sunny had awoken, planning to watch her as he worshipped at the altar of her body. Her luscious breasts swayed as her hand worked his length.

  Faster, harder. Soon, they were both uttering unintelligible words. He pumped his shaft faster; she gripped his erection harder. Again and again, the plump head slammed against her clit. When she began to rock, chasing his length, he switched directions. Slam, slam.

  “So close...need...now...give—yes!” she screamed, coming and coming hard. A flood of that honey drenched his shaft. Her inner walls spasmed around his thumb.

  Tightening her grip on him, she reached back with her other hand and tugged on his balls. William still wasn’t ready to come—he wanted to last forever, wanted more of this, more of her—but he couldn’t stop the climax as it jetted from him.

  He threw back his head, roared to the rafters.

  28

  “Be mine. Just kidding. Be gone.”

  Sunny snuggled against William, her heart galloping in time to his, her breathing uneven. His warmth and scent cocooned her, ensuring a low level of pleasure still hummed inside her. But that pleasure was growing more tainted by the second. Any moment now, she expected him to sever contact, say something awful and leave, regretting how vulnerable he’d been with her, even though they hadn’t technically had sex.

  Not that it mattered. Their connection had strengthened, and the intensity of their attraction had deepened. She’d felt it happening, and knew he had, too. If he’d been panicked by the thought of commitment before, he might be ready to race to the hills now. In fact, he hadn’t spoken a word since they’d collapsed on the mattress, utterly spent.

  As one minute bled into another, he simply toyed with her hair and traced the ridges of her spine, as if content to be near her. But Sunny began to resent the silence. If William was going to act like a pouty man-baby about his growing feelings for her, she needed to know, so she could run for the hills. Because, little by little, despite everything... I’m falling for him.

  What they’d done had blown her freaking mind. She didn’t just want more sex. She wanted fidelity. Trust. A family. Eternity.

  She wanted everything he had to give. For real. What did he want?

  Since he hadn’t bailed, she decided to test the waters. If she started with fun questions, maybe she could get him to open up. “If you could describe your life with a movie title, what would it be?”

  He answered quickly, as if he’d known the whole of his life. “I’d be a double feature. A Series of Unfortunate Events followed by I Am Legend.”

  “Liar! You’d be Get Hard followed by Sausage Party. I mean, do you know how many times I’ve had to hear about your link?”

  He grinned. “You’d be Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Big Willy is going to eat...you...up.”

  She snort-laughed. Deciding to push a little harder, now that she had him talking, she asked, “So, how’d things go with your dad?”

  Between one blink and the next, misery pulsed from him. “Hades believes I plan to kill him, so he’s barred me from his home. He won’t even speak to me.”

  Different parts of her constricted. “I’m sorry, baby.” She wouldn’t offer a platitude about time healing all wounds. Some wounds festered. Some scarred. While she hadn’t caused his broken heart, she desperately wanted to help mend it. “A rejection is never fun, but one day, it might be a blessing. With their actions, people show us who they are. If your father can cut you from his life, he doesn’t deserve you.”

  He pulled her even closer and kissed her brow, but said nothing else.

  “How did you come to be part of Hades’s family?” she asked. “I mean, I know you mentioned he and Lucifer rescued you from a hellish realm, but I hear supernatural adoptions are complicated.”

  A pause, rife with strain. Would he deflect now, regretful about his previous admission? Would he leave?

  He surprised her yet again; he explained, “After the woman I believed to be my mother was killed, I awoke in a Hell realm. Not just hellish. I was enslaved by—” Gaze wild, he said, “Cannibals and rapists. They called me Scum. I’m not sure how much time passed before Hades showed up with Lucifer. They killed the entire clan and asked me to go with them, to live with them and act as Hades’s hand of vengeance. I did. Sometime later, I wore a pair of bands that melted into my flesh, bonding me to the king.”

  “Oh, William. The things you must have suffered in the Hell realm. I’m so sorry.” The fact that she’d once called him scum... Guilt and shame seared her. No wonder he’d flinched when she’d done it.

  “Everyone suffers at some point,” he said, his voice gruffer.

  “Does other people’s misery make your past any less awful? No.” Hurting for him, she traced a heart over his, well, heart. “You and Lucifer were so close. What made him want to sacrifice you? For that matter, what caused the rift between Hades and Lucifer?”

  “Lucifer had staged a coup. He planned to sacrifice me to acquire my strength, and use that strength to defeat Hades.” Again the muscle beneath his eye leaped. “He failed with me, but still ambushed Hades.”

  Poor William. Lucifer had destroyed his family, just as the bluebell had destroyed hers. Only, William had to suffer the betrayal of a loved one on top of everything else, and he’d had to do it after the witch had cursed him. Now he lived with the knowledge that his own father, the man he loved best, had lied to him, keeping him away from Axel for selfish reasons. Yeah, Sunny had listened to their conversation. William had endured one blow after the other. No wondered he’d never wanted to be part of a committed relationship.

  “I’m so sorry for your pain,” she repeated. “I’m sorry for every century you didn’t get to spend with Axel. Hey! Speaking of, I figure you must have Sent One DNA, since you were designed by Wrathling. Although, now that I think about it, Sent One DNA tends to takeover. If you were part Sent One, you’d have wings like Axel. Feathered wings, I mean, not smoky ones. Or maybe not? What do I know? Anyway. Even though I’ve always fought for Team Good, I never thought I’d date a possible Sent One.”

  She’d hoped to tease him into a good mood, but he stiffened. “What kind of men did you date before me?”

  “You want the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? I picked weaker males with honest, nonviolent auras who wouldn’t succeed if they made a play for my horn.”

  He gave his patented eyebrow lift. “Do I want to know about my aura?”

  “It’s blurry,” she told him. “I can’t read it, and I don’t know why.”

  “Perhaps because I’m more than a hybrid, my DNA possibly spliced from multiple species.” He shrugged, then changed the subject. “Why do you refuse to reveal your unicorn form, even though I’ve vowed never to steal your horn?”

  Since he’d opened up to her, she decided to bestow the same honor upon him. “Shifting is incredibly personal. Like stripping to reveal my naked body. In that form, I’m more powerful, yes, but I’m more vulnerable, too. Which is why we usually only shift during a battle, if we know we can kill everyone who sees us. To see the horn even once is to understand how it works, something we’ve kept secret for a reason. It would put me at a major disadvantage.”

  “The explanation doesn’t apply. We are together.”

  “For now,” she quipped. They’d made
no permanent arrangement.

  “Together a few days and already preparing for our split?” He pursed his lips. “You trust me to pleasure your body. Why not this?”

  Do it. Tell him. “Because you’re a flight risk. Because, with my dual personality, I’m weird, and there’s no denying it. What if you get tired of dealing with me? What if someone else catches your fancy? What if I fail to decode your book? What if you leave me locked up and I have to fight you to leave?”

  Putting her on her back, her disheveled prince of darkness loomed over her, wicked, wanton and, for some reason, livid. “We’ll drop the unicorn thing—for now. Why did you insist on forgoing sex until the book is decoded? You weren’t worried about it before.”

  Because she was falling for him so quickly. Too quickly. Because he might be falling for her. Because the curse had proven stronger than she’d expected. But telling the truth would be a huge mistake. However, a lie would be unforgivable.

  His phone buzzed, saving her from having to think up a proper response. Voice firm and unbending, he said, “We aren’t done with this conversation.”

  “Sure thing, babe. I’ll pencil in a rehash on the thirty-second day of the month.”

  He looked to be fighting a grin. “Keep it up, and I’ll stuff something in that smart mouth of yours.” Adjusting their positions, he leaned over to grab the cell from the nightstand.

  Sunny caught a glimpse of the screen.

  Black Attack: You’ll be pleased to know I did it. I bagged and tagged Evelina. She’s currently resting uncomfortably in my dungeon. Also, we’ve made no progress with Lilith or that Sable chick. There are zero rumors about them, and no scent to follow.

  Radiating extreme excitement as well as disappointment, William sat up and texted back, Keep searching for Sable. Do not give up until you’ve found a trace. For now, forget Lilith. I’ll come by later tonight to speak with Evelina, and I’ll have a female with me.

  He will? And he’d chosen to send his boys after her aquaint—oh, who was she kidding?—friend rather than his witch. Sunny swallowed a dreamy sigh, glitter bombs detonating in her heart.

  The fact that there was no trace of Sable was actually a good sign. If someone had her, they would have left a trail, but on her own, Sable knew how to hide to avoid detection.

  Black Attack: A woman will be with you, huh? Awww. Am I getting a new mommy?

  William: You’re getting a spanking.

  “What about your dinner with Hades?” Sunny asked softly.

  “Don’t think he has any desire to spend time with me.” Stiff again—no, stiffer—William squared his shoulders, as if bracing for a blow. “I think he’s done with me.” His voice shook, only slightly, but enough to notice.

  She hugged him tight. “William. Babe. He might think he’s done with you, but you’re the Panty Melter. Is anyone ever really done with you? He’ll come around. Besides, if you want to stop his maybe/maybe-not prophecy, there’s a simple solution. Don’t kill him.”

  He opened his mouth. Snapped it closed. Opened, closed. She smirked. Finally, he sagged atop the mattress and puffed out a breath, repeating, “Smart-ass.”

  “But a smart smart-ass,” she said. “Who’s Evelina?”

  “The half sister of the witch who cursed me, and Lucifer’s wife. She ran away the week after the wedding, and has remained in hiding ever since. I plan to use her against Lucifer. And don’t even think about attempting to convince me not to use an innocent. I have no plans to harm her.”

  “First, I would never attempt such a thing. I would succeed. Second, using an innocent is something Lucifer would do. Sure you want to go that route? Lastly, just because you have no plans to harm her, doesn’t mean she’ll walk away unscathed. Accidents happen.”

  His nostrils flared, a dark oath barreling from him.

  Sunny laughed. “I kid, I kid. Just wanted to prove I would, in fact, succeed. I’m a solid sixty percent on board with using her, but only if we have safeguards in place.” Would he heed her advice, or dismiss it?

  Several other texts popped up, and he made no move to hide the screen to prevent her from reading. So, read she did.

  Green Machine: LET ME DROP EVELINA OFF IN YOUR DUNGEON!

  Red Abed: He’s just mad because the little wildcat spat in his face.

  “Black Attack, Green Machine and Red Abed,” Sunny muttered. Why aren’t I Sunny Bunny? “Tell me about their mother.” The last time she’d asked, he’d flushed and changed the subject.

  Now he flushed. “Unlike other magic wielders,” he said, shocking her, “I don’t burn through what I absorb. I store it, until I take one drop too much. Then the magic bonds with whatever emotions lives in my heart and spills from me in streams of smoke, somehow creating adult immortals.”

  “So you’re both father and mother. That’s incredible, and usually something only a god can do. I don’t get why you’re embarrassed by it.”

  He did his surprised blinking thing, and she couldn’t help but add, “FYI, I have no plans to crack uterus jokes, or ask if you’re on your period and need a fresh tampon...for now.”

  “How kind of you.” A corner of his mouth twitched, as if he fought a new smile. “I birthed four horsemen of the apocalypse.”

  “Then you most certainly do have a god in your line. Maybe Ares.”

  Blink, blink.

  She kissed his stubble-rough cheek, disentangled from him and stood to shaky legs. “I better figure out what I’m going to wear to meet your kids.” She padded to the closet, where she dressed in clean undergarments, one of William’s T-shirts and a pair of shorts. Then she glided to the desk and settled in. “I’ll decode until you’re ready to go.” Just be careful. If the whispers started up or a single urge sparked, she’d stop immediately.

  He tensed up, but said nothing else. Her brow furrowed. Why tense? He wanted the curse gone, right?

  As he strode to the closet and selected a plain T-shirt and jeans, she opened the book and forced herself to concentrate on the symbols. Since she’d already broken through the witch’s magical barrier and (kind of) rested up, she had no trouble deciphering another sentence.

  The lesson begins with a curse, and ends with a funeral.

  She wrote it down. Desperate to learn more about the pathway to that funeral, she traced her fingertip over the symbols. Come on, come on. But...nothing.

  A burning pain shot through her head, heralding the whispers. Kill him. Kill him now. Now!

  No. No way. But maybe? Sunny fingered the medallion that hung at her neck. How easy it would be to stand, close the distance, pretend she wished to kiss him and stab him instead.

  “You learned something new,” William said, moving to her side. “Tell me.”

  As she inhaled his masculine musk, the whispers stopped and the urges faded. Horrified, she released a shuddering breath. Would she have done it? Would she have stabbed him? She thought she...might.

  Guilt and fear returned with a vengeance. She might need to rethink her strategy. Trembling, she pointed to a line of symbols, never really touching the page. “They say, ‘The lesson begins with a curse, and ends with a funeral.’”

  He ran his tongue over his teeth. “Basically, Lilith coded a hate diary?”

  “Maybe, maybe not. Once she’s done disparaging your good name, she might give step-by-step instructions to break the curse.” But how likely was that?

  A swooshing sound rose up, the stable shaking. More Sent Ones arriving? She leaned to gaze out the window. Since the Sent Ones moved in, the landscape had undergone a vast change, from sparse and sooty, to a wonderland teeming with cabins, trees and flowers. Warriors marched here and there, on patrol.

  The fact that her wicked lover might be part Sent One still shocked her. Of course, he might also—or instead—be a dragon-shifter. They produced wings of smoke. Maybe he had Fae in him, too. Why else
would he be impervious to her magic? And the way he seduced...just like the nymphs. The way he spoke, like the sirens. The way he moved, as graceful as the vampires.

  A hodgepodge of species had been a specialty of the Wrathlings, who’d hailed from different worlds and realms. Did William have some other creature(s) in his DNA, as well? The more she knew, the better she could help him.

  Pandora returned with Dawn, and the hound bounded over to Sunny, excited to see her. We’re bonding! She petted the little darling behind both sets of ears without getting bitten more than twice. What progress!

  “Come here, girl,” William called, and Dawn darted over, leaped onto the bed to curl into his side.

  Traitor! “Thank you,” Sunny said to Pandora, who remained in the door.

  Tossing the dog’s leash on the desk, Pandora said, “She almost yanked my arms out of my sockets, so you’re paying for a masseuse.”

  “We could put another girls’ night on the books,” she said, deciding to test the limits of her freedom. Had she made progress with William or not?

  “I’m in! Gotta complete a few assignments for Hades first, but I’ll be texting soon.” Pandora left.

  William made no comments, protests or sounds of disapproval. Maybe he’d opted to let Sunny come and go at will?

  Beaming, determination to be with him renewed, she picked up the book to study as she paced. One way or another, she would decode this book for William and resist the curse.

  How much time passed, she wasn’t sure; she lost track, a familiar wave of dizziness and heat sweeping through her again and again, stronger than before. Strong enough to topple her. Instead of trying to catch herself, preventing an injury, she hugged the book close, protecting it. So, when she hit the ground, she really hit, air gusting from her lungs.

  William flashed to her. He set the book aside and eased her into a sitting position. She pushed him aside, desperate to see the pages. More symbols morphed into words!