by Lizzy Ford
“Rhyn, if you need anything, know that I’m here for you,” Andre called after him.
Rhyn rolled his eyes. Too late, Andre. I know better than to trust any of my brothers.
He took the stairs three at a time to the level where he shared a room with Katie, disturbed despite his attempt to act unconcerned.
He shoved the door to his room open and relaxed. His pregnant mate was folding clothing and placing it one of two suitcases on the bed. She glanced over her shoulder at him with a quick smile, her blue eyes standing out from her dark hair and golden skin.
“Hey, Rhyn,” she called cheerfully. “How’s Gabe?”
Rhyn cursed. “I’m standing here covered in blood, and you want to know how Gabe is?”
“I’d know if you were hurt,” she reminded him.
“He’s wonderful. Fine. Happy.” Grunting, he peeled off his shirt, knowing she’d never let him hug her when he was soaked with blood. Covering the distance between them with ground eating strides, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and pulled her into his body tightly.
“I missed you,” he whispered, nipping her neck.
She clasped her hands over his. “I missed you, too, Rhyn. Are you okay?”
“Yeah.”
“I’d hug you properly, but I’m too fat.” There was a note of dismay in her voice, a sign her mood was about to change.
Rhyn rested his hand on her huge belly, where their hatchling grew. Katie was due in a few weeks, and he resisted the urge to curse and destroy the entire chamber.
His baby was coming, and they were about to be homeless.
He hugged her harder. “You’re packing,” he said, realizing what she was doing.
“Yep. We’re exiled,” she said in a hushed voice. “I told Toby and Hannah to pack,” she added, referring to their adopted son, a guardian angel, and her sister.
“I guess they have to come.”
“Of course they do! They’re our family.” She tugged free and faced him. “We’ll be okay, Rhyn. You won’t be stressed out anymore, and we won’t have to worry about all the shit that goes on here. Demons, Wynn, whatever.” She took his face in her hands.
Peering into the eyes of his mate, his anger evaporated, replaced by worry. “I’m so sorry, Katie,” he whispered, resting his forehead against hers. “I’m the worst provider ever.”
“You’re amazing, Rhyn.”
“Worst ever.”
“We’ll be fine. Look.” Leaning away from him, she bent to heft a huge gym bag sagging beneath the weight of its contents. She placed it on the bed. “Andre said you won an award and this is your prize.” Her eyes were twinkling, a sign Andre had said more than he should about the trip to the underworld.
The gym bag was stuffed full of large bills, enough cash for them to buy their own castle anywhere in the world.
“It was a game we were playing,” Rhyn muttered. “This is Andre’s money.”
“I know. And I don’t care.” Katie folded her arms across her protruding belly. “We’re starting over somewhere else. Okay?”
He nodded half-heartedly, unable to shake the guilt and responsibility he felt for his family being kicked out of their home. It made him hate his brothers more than ever. He wanted to refuse the mandate and destroy the fucking fortress. Teach them a lesson about what it meant to fuck with those he loved.
“Whoa, boy.” Katie touched him, the way she did whenever his temper was about to blow. His emotions ceased bubbling, and his body relaxed. “No explosions. Let’s just pick somewhere cool. We always said we needed more us time, right?”
“Maybe when you’re not an Immortal mood beast,” he said before he could stop himself.
“I’m pregnant, not a mood beast!” she snapped, eyes flashing. “You had a hand in this, too, Rhyn. Don’t you forget that!”
Her good mood gone, she whirled and stormed to the wardrobe to grab more clothing.
Rhyn smiled, watching her, grateful she was safe. Maybe she was right and it wouldn’t be so bad to start over somewhere quieter, away from the drama of the Immortals.
Then again, he couldn’t shake the instinct that warned him something here was really wrong.
Family first, he decided. Once Katie was safe, he’d do some investigating. He wasn’t perfect, but he’d always taken his duty to the brothers that hated him more seriously than any of them cared to do for him.
“You sure Hannah has to come?” he teased. “She’s a mood beast and isn’t even pregnant.”
“Rhyn!”
He laughed. With Katie at his side, they’d be all right. Somehow.
Chapter Twenty
Hours later, Deidre’s heart was hammering when she set the soul of her mate on the rug before the fireplace with its black flames. She’d showered and changed into a Hell dress, paced to determine what exactly she’d say when Darkyn was back, then gave up, knowing he’d be able to read her mind the minute he awoke. It didn’t matter what she tried to say, she’d end up revealing everything with her thoughts.
Kneeling beside his soul, she rested her hands over it and closed her eyes. She envisioned him waking up from a nap and waited, her blood racing at the thought of feeling his skin beneath her again.
Something moved beneath her fingers, and she sat back, watching in a combination of horror and intrigue. Black fog rose from the floor. It took on the shape of a man. Within seconds, the fog had begun to harden, the details of the body beneath it growing firm, the color of his skin turning into a familiar golden brown.
Darkyn’s frame emerged from the fog. He was naked, scars visible on his exposed skin. His eyes were closed, his dark hair ruffled. The fog began to dissipate and sank again into the floor, leaving the demon lord before the fire.
“Darkyn?” she whispered. Uncertain what to expect, she touched him lightly. He certainly felt real, and Deidre shifted forward, pulse surging within her. She rested her palm on his warm chest, reassured he was real once more.
Another moment passed, and he began breathing. A few seconds later, his heart started beating.
She almost squealed in excitement.
Deidre darted to the bed to grab a blanket, in case he awoke cold after the bizarre experience. Wrapping it in her arms, she turned to see him standing before the fire, testing his body with small, controlled movements.
Elation mixed with some anger and apprehension, and she crossed to him. Her eyes drank him in, from the lean, shapely muscles of his thighs and arms, to the wide expanse of his chest and the fangs that were already starting to grow.
She stopped close enough to touch him.
“Are you well?” she asked.
“I am.”
“Good.”
Deidre slapped him. Hard.
Darkyn met her gaze, fire flaring to life in the depths of his.
“That’s for not giving me an instruction manual when you gave me Hell,” she said, face flushing with a combination of desire and anger.
“You figured it out.”
She slapped him again. “That’s because … well, because you knew what was going to happen and didn’t bother telling me!”
A cunning smile spread across his face.
Should’ve known he’d take it as an invitation. “Before anything … starts,” she began, wetting her lips. “I think we should talk.”
“About what?” He snatched the blanket from her arms and tossed it.
“For one, I’m the Dark One and I raised you. Gabe says you owe me a favor without restrictions,” she said, growing more confident.
Darkyn drew nearer, holding her gaze to keep her from moving. He paused just before their bodies touched. “And?” he asked, unconcerned.
“What do you mean, and?” she replied. “Hel-lo. I’m the Dark One!”
He nudged her cheek aside and bit her neck hard, a reminder of how thoroughly he owned her.
Hot pain slid through her, along with desire so intense, she began to forget what it was she wanted to set straight before t
umbling into bed with him. Her breath caught, and she stared at him. The enormity of what she’d been through hit her in the safety of her bedchamber, with her mate alive and well before her. Hunger roared to life within her. The scent and warmth of his skin was within reach once more, his sweet blood a mere bite away. In minutes, he’d be fucking her the way he always did: with a combination of pain, pleasure and a whole lot of blood.
“Darkyn, I need something from you.”
He studied her, cold gaze traveling slowly over her features. Cupping the back of her neck in one hand, he tugged her dress loose with the other and let it drop to the floor. His palm skimmed her shoulder and down her side to settle on her hip. He drew their bodies together, pressing his arousal to her lower belly in a way that made her shudder. The heat in her body pooled in her lower belly.
His fangs were growing longer, the fire in his eyes brighter. “What, love?” he asked.
“I love you. I know you don’t respect that kind of emotion, but you need to know it’s true,” she said, voice trembling. “Darkyn, there is no part of me that can live with having your children in Hell.”
“You do not wish to have my heir?” He cocked his head to the side.
“I do, but Hell is no place for a human child.”
“They’ll be half-demons.”
“And half-humans,” she said firmly. “That’s the favor I ask from you in exchange for raising you. That you let me take them to the human world and give them the chance to make their own fates rather than be roped into Hell.”
“I cannot deny it,” he replied.
She started to smile. “You’re not upset?”
He raised an eyebrow. “As long as you know there will be many, many heirs.” He bit her again. “As many as there are stars, because I plan to fuck you every time I see you.”
She gasped, arching against him. His arms went around her, and he began to suck blood from her neck. “So you … did miss me!”
He was purring low in his chest, a sign of contentedness. He withdrew from her neck. “I’m only surprised you asked for this and not for me to dismantle my Army of Souls.”
“About that.” She cleared her throat. “I may have made a deal to return the souls to Gabe.”
“I saw in your mind.” He met her gaze again. “Take them. I’ll just collect more.”
“That’s not how –”
Darkyn kissed her, the taste of her blood incensing her. She bit his lip, sighing into his mouth when the first drop of his blood reached her tongue. She sucked his lip until it stopped then began kissing his face again.
“I missed you,” she said. “I missed you. I missed you. I missed you!” The tears began then, and she choked back a sob, intoxicated by the sensations of his hot skin and the scent of blood in the air.
“Wanna try something that would kill fifteen demons and an ogre?” he taunted, biting her rapidly along her shoulder. Pain melted into intense pleasure that made her the coral tips of her breasts hard and her legs too weak to hold her.
“God, yes!” she gasped.
He lifted her into his arms and took her to their bed. “Demons do not love,” he whispered against her neck. “But there is no one else in the universe I’d entrust with Hell.”
“I know. You trust me now, don’t you?”
“To the extent I am capable of.”
More tears filled her eyes. “What if I decide not to give it back?”
“You’ll be begging me to take it back by dawn, love. Of that, I can assure you.” The dark, husky promise in his tone made her shiver in anticipation.
She touched the planes of his face, smiling. “Let’s see what you got, demon.”
He set her down. “Run.”
“I love you.” Deidre’s heart caught in her throat.
“Run,” he repeated with an evil smile.
She laughed, happier than she’d ever felt. Her instincts and emotions clamoring, Deidre turned and ran.
Chapter Twenty One
A humid, warm breeze swept into the small room where Fate stood before the Oracle, who was busy scribbling new events into her book.
Fate scrolled through the latest deals the Oracle had recorded. Midday sunlight spilled through the windows, ruffling his brown hair and tickling the back of his neck. He scratched it absently, eyes on the page before him.
There was nothing interesting, at least, not since he’d seen the deal between Gabriel and Deidre. Satisfied things had gone mostly the way he planned, he leaned back. He hadn’t gotten exactly what he wanted in the arena of the Dark One, but it was a start.
Gabriel had come into his power and understood his place. His relationship with his mate was getting a fresh start, and he’d be busy for a while repairing the damage to his domain and raising a new army. Past-Death stopped being a bitch, which was really all Fate ever wanted.
Oh, and for her to admit I was right, Fate thought with a smile.
As for Deidre … the woman realized she wasn’t a victim, that she could hold her own in the Immortal society. Her role in Fate’s game was not yet played out, and he was happy to know he had an ally of sorts.
Because when a certain, inevitable chain of events emerged, he’d need all the help he could get.
“A thousand years in Death’s dungeon teach you anything, little sister?” he asked, aware of the woman peering over his shoulder. A deity with no need to see the Past, Present or Future, Karma was clearly unhappy about the book appearing blank for her.
“Yes. Don’t fuck with deities,” she muttered.
“The dungeon is better than what most of them would’ve done to you. Keep that in mind,” he warned her firmly. “You’re young. Don’t make the mistakes I and others did when we started out.”
“She knows.” Her tone softened.
“Stop that shit. I know you’re doing it on purpose.”
“I know.” Karma sighed. “It’s hard to control the urge to tackle people and balance them. So much imbalance …”
“Start in the human world,” he suggested, facing her. “As long as you kill no one, you’ll learn. Humans are delicate. They get second chances, remember?”
She nodded. Her hair was in tight red ringlets, her features glowing and eyes pale green. One of the youngest goddesses, she was learning her responsibilities and domain gradually. With the predatory nature of a souleater and the soft heart of one capable of great compassion and kindness, it was going to take her some time to find her own internal balance.
“It’s time for my vacation,” he said. “I’m happy to say, things are going well.”
She gazed at him skeptically. “What if I get in trouble again?”
“Don’t,” he advised. “I’m not rescuing you, if you fuck with the wrong god or get caught killing humans. Got it?”
She nodded. “Can I ask you something, brother?”
“Ask. I reserve the right to answer.”
“You gave Deidre something. A soul.”
“I did.”
“Why?”
He considered his answer for a moment. “Because there’s no safer place in the universe for it.”
Karma rolled her eyes.
He flashed her a smile and walked out of the room where the sacred Oracle lived. As he climbed to the top of the walls overlooking the teal waters of the Caribbean, he debated dropping in on Deidre one more time, perhaps with a reminder to protect the soul he’d given her before her kidnapping. He’d offered no real explanation, partially because there was little time to, and partially because he wasn’t ready to admit what was coming.
On second thought, it might raise suspicions, he realized. No, it was better to leave the emerald with someone he knew he could trust. Someone who didn’t need to know the inevitable outcome of a chain of events that had not yet begun.
“Some things are better left unknown as long as possible,” he murmured, watching the tide ebb and flow on the white sands of the island’s beaches. “Another win for Mr. Checkmate.”
W
ith a smile, he turned away and summoned a portal, ready at last for his vacation.
Rhyn Eternal Series
Gabriel’s Hope (#1) (Amazon, Amazon UK)
Deidre’s Death (#2) (Amazon, Amazon UK)
Darkyn’s Mate (#3) (Amazon, Amazon UK)
The Underworld (#4) (Amazon, Amazon UK)
#5 - July 2015
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty One