As if sensing Salvatore’s thoughts, Styx turned to regard his guest with a piercing gaze, the sword held loosely in his hand. Then, with a faint smile, he reached to pluck a matching sword from the glass case on the wall and casually tossed it in Salvatore’s direction.
Snatching the ornately carved hilt, Salvatore strolled forward, a growl of anticipation rumbling in his chest.
“Preparing for an invasion, Styx?” he drawled, gesturing toward the vast array of weapons.
“A good king is always prepared.” A taunting smile curled his lips. “Besides, I never know when I might be challenged by an arrogant Were who doesn’t know his place.”
“My place?” Salvatore paused to strip off the elegant Gucci jacket and white silk shirt. Then, kicking off the shoes, he lifted the sword in a silent invitation. “Do I have to teach you my place?”
“You are welcomed to try.”
Sweeping his sword upward, Styx attacked.
Salvatore was prepared, and with a swift motion he met the brutal flurry of strikes. His true strength was in his wolf, but he possessed enough power and skill with the sword to hold his own, even managing to get in a few blows.
Easily sensing Salvatore’s increased ability since their last confrontation, Styx flashed his fangs in a lethal smile, slicing his sword through the air with a ferocious speed. Salvatore grunted as his muscles absorbed the merciless impact of the attack, flowing in a seamless dance from one side to another.
They sparred in silence, retreating and advancing to the sharp crash of colliding steel and a shower of sparks.
Astonishingly, Salvatore found himself enjoying the mock skirmish. As King of Weres, it was difficult to find a partner who could match his strength, let alone his expertise. It was stimulating to fight a worthy adversary.
Even if that adversary was a leech.
Shoving aside his fear at Harley’s refusal to acknowledge their mating bond and the nagging certainty that Briggs was still out there somewhere, Salvatore lost himself in the pure pleasure of pitting himself against the immense vampire.
A mixture of sweat and blood from shallow wounds coated their skin before both of them stepped apart in mutual agreement.
With a feral smile, Styx set aside his sword and moved through an open door at the back of the room. He disappeared for only a moment before he returned with two damp towels, tossing one in Salvatore’s direction.
Salvatore put the sword on a nearby stand to be cleaned and oiled. Then he gratefully scrubbed away the sweat and blood. Whatever Hollywood director had decided that werewolves were savage, uncivilized beasts had never actually met a pureblood. No creature with such an acute sense of smell could be anything but fastidious.
Of course, not all Weres were blessed with his exquisite taste in fashion.
Styx leaned casually against a glass case, the wounds marring his broad chest rapidly healing.
“The mating with Harley has increased your strength.”
“It has.” Salvatore smiled wryly, realizing that the vampire hadn’t just been casually sparring. He was the Anasso and he would make it his priority to know the precise amount of power the King of Weres could call on. No one, after all, could call him stupid. “Along with the death of the demon lord.”
Styx narrowed his eyes, his expression hard with frustration.
“How the bloody hell could he have remained hidden from us all these years?”
Salvatore understood the vampire’s anger. The demon lord had managed to deceive them all.
“Because he truly wasn’t in this world.” Salvatore shrugged. “Without Mackenzie and then Briggs, the bastard would never have been able to injure the Weres.”
Styx grimaced. “They willingly allowed themselves to be anchors?”
“Si. Worthless cowards.”
“Unfortunately, there are always those willing to sell their souls for power. You are certain the demon lord is dead?”
Salvatore took a moment to consider his answer.
During the confusion of the battle with the demon lord, followed by his hasty flight with Harley from the collapsing caves, he’d been too distracted to consider precisely what had happened to Balam.
All he knew was that the ravaging pain was gone, and that the bastard had at least been severely wounded. They never would have managed to escape if he hadn’t been.
It wasn’t until he’d awaken a few hours ago that he’d realized just how dramatically the world had altered.
“I’m not sure anything can kill a demon lord, but I know his connection to this world has been severed.” His lips curled in a smile of satisfaction. “Already I can feel the strength of my packs beginning to increase.”
“I can sense it as well.” Styx regarded him with a steady gaze. “Soon the formidable powers of the Weres will no longer be just an ancient memory.”
Salvatore didn’t miss the hint of warning, and his chin tilted in defiance.
The Weres had spent too long in the shadow of the vamps. He intended to make sure they were given the respect they so richly deserved.
“We will rule as we were intended to,” he said without apology.
Their gazes clashed in a silent battle of wills, then a slow smile curved Styx’s lips.
Like all demons, he respected power.
“It should be interesting.”
“Si.”
“Do you intend to remain in America?”
“Once I’ve concluded my business, I will need to return to my neglected duties as king. It’s been too long since I’ve visited my packs.” Salvatore grimaced, considering the number of months it would take to complete his task before he could return to his lair in Rome. Not that he had a choice. His connection to his packs was something that had to be cherished and nurtured. And the only means to do that was by spending time among them. “I hope Harley enjoys traveling.”
“She is prepared to take her position as queen?”
“She’s…” Salvatore reached for his shirt, yanking it on, although he left it hanging open. There were still a few slashes on his chest healing, and he wasn’t about to risk staining the fine silk of his shirt. “Adjusting.”
Styx’s laugh echoed through the room, and moving to the back cabinet, he poured them both a healthy shot of whiskey, returning to press one glass into Salvatore’s willing hand.
“Have patience, amigo. Female purebloods might be stubborn beyond reason, but they are well worth the trouble.”
“You don’t have to convince me of my mate’s worth.”
“Actually, it was more an offer of sympathy. Your life will never be the same.”
Salvatore snorted. As if he needed a reminder. Already his gut was tied in knots as he struggled between the instinct to return upstairs and force Harley to accept her place as his queen, and his duty to hunt down and destroy the remaining danger to his Weres.
He’d been mated…what? A handful of days?
Cristo.
“For once we’re in perfect agreement.” Raising his glass in a mocking toast, Salvatore downed the whiskey in one swallow. “Salute.”
Styx drained his own glass, and his eyes narrowed. “There is something troubling you.”
Salvatore snorted, setting aside the empty glass. “I thought Viper was the one famed for reading the souls of others?”
“It does not take a special talent to sense your distraction. Is it Harley?”
“Only in part,” Salvatore confessed. “I need you to continue protecting her for the next few days.”
“Of course. She is a welcomed part of my clan…” Styx deliberately paused, a wicked glint in his eyes. “Brother.”
Salvatore shivered, not yet prepared to consider the repercussions of being so intimately connected to a damned leech.
“Merda,” he growled. “Don’t remind me.”
Styx chuckled, thoroughly enjoying Salvatore’s suffering.
“I assume your request has something to do with the unfinished business you mentioned earlier
?”
“My curs were in the caves,” he said, his jaw tightening at the memory of Max being tortured and Hess under the compulsion of Briggs. The son of a bitch was going to pay, and pay dearly. “I have to make sure they managed to escape the collapse.”
“I could send my Ravens.”
Salvatore blinked in surprise, acutely aware of the honor that Styx had just bestowed.
The Ravens were personal bodyguards to the Anasso, and the finest trained assassins ever to walk the earth. Styx didn’t loan them out like they were Netflix.
“Grazie.” He dipped his head in gratitude. “But they need my presence. Briggs did more than torture them. He invaded their minds. Only I can heal them.”
Styx nodded. Salvatore’s ability to share healing powers with his Weres and curs was no secret.
“And once you’ve rescued your curs?”
Hot fury poured through his blood like lava. “I intend to hunt down and kill Briggs as slowly, and with as much pain, as possible.”
“You’re certain he survived?”
“Certain?” Salvatore shrugged. “No. But my instinct tells me he’s like a roach that refuses to die. Until I’ve seen his rotting corpse, I’m going to assume he’s out there somewhere plotting more trouble.”
“You intend to face him alone?”
“No one’s allowed the pleasure of killing him but me.”
“I am not disputing your right, but your reasoning.” Styx held his gaze. “I, better than most, understand your desire for vengeance, but you cannot allow it to blind you. You have too much to lose to take unnecessary risks.”
Hell, yeah, he had everything to lose.
A beautiful mate who filled his heart with joy, even when she was driving him nuts.
The opportunity to return the Weres to their former glory.
A new Lamborghini waiting for him in St. Louis.
But that didn’t mean he could ignore his duty.
“There’s no risk. Without being able to call on his master’s powers, Briggs will be helpless.”
“A cornered demon is the most dangerous creature on earth. And you cannot be certain that he has not prepared for such a turn of fate. He could have any number of nasty surprises waiting for you.”
Salvatore’s lips twisted. “Briggs is too arrogant to have considered the possibility that I might defeat the demon lord.”
“You defeated the demon lord?” a female voice drawled with dangerous composure from behind Salvatore. “What a selective memory you have, Your Majesty.”
Salvatore heaved a sigh as he turned to meet the furious gaze of his mate.
“Cristo.”
A tight smile curved Harley’s lips as Salvatore slowly turned, his beautiful face carefully composed to hide his guilt.
Oh, he was so busted.
But rather than gloating at having caught his lord and master off guard, Harley felt her mouth go dry and a blaze of heat explode through her body.
Holy…crap.
Standing in front of a half-naked Aztec warrior and a delectable Roman god, there was enough yummy eye candy to make any woman’s brain turn to mush. Especially when it was obvious the two had just finished a sparring match that had left Salvatore’s raven hair clinging to the damp skin of his face, and his eyes glowing with a fierce golden light.
A dangerous warrior who would never be fully tamed.
Perhaps sensing her lack of a functioning brain, Styx moved smoothly forward.
“Harley. I am delighted to see you have fully recovered. I trust you have everything you need?”
He reached to take her hand, only to come to a sharp halt when Salvatore’s low growl rumbled through the air.
“Styx.”
Styx held his hands up in a gesture of peace. “Easy, wolf.”
Harley rolled her eyes. “Thank you, Styx. Unlike some, I appreciate your very generous hospitality.”
The vampire’s lips twitched. “You are welcomed to remain as long as you wish. Darcy is delighted to have you near.”
Harley turned to stab her mate with a warning glare. “Right now my plans seem to be up in the air.”
“Ah.” Styx reached to pull on a loose black robe. “If you will forgive me, I have someplace I need to be.”
“Where do you need to be?” Salvatore demanded.
Styx flashed a meaningful gaze at Harley’s grim expression.
“Anywhere but here.”
The King of Weres snorted. “Traitor.”
“Self-preservation, amigo.”
A thick silence descended as the vampire left the room. Caught between the urge to slug Salvatore and push him to the floor and tear off his clothes, Harley instead wandered the short distance to stroke her fingers over the hilt of the heavy sword propped on a stand.
She was supposed to be annoyed with the Were, not yearning to run her tongue over the exposed muscles of his chest.
“Been playing?” she demanded.
“Styx was in need of a sparring partner.”
“Yeah, I bet.”
Salvatore moved to stand at her side, his fingers tucking a stray curl behind her ear.
“I thought you intended to spend the evening watching movies?”
She jerked from his gentle touch. He wasn’t going to distract her with sex.
A shame.
“And to make sure I did, you sent Darcy to keep me distracted,” she accused in a tight voice.
“I sent her to keep you company,” he smoothly countered. “As Styx said, Darcy is happy to have you as her guest, and I assumed you would enjoy spending time getting to know your sister.”
“You wanted me too busy to notice when you slipped away like a Slugaugh demon.”
He folded his arms over his chest, studying her with a brooding gaze.
“You were the one, cara, to make it clear that our mating was nothing more than biology,” he reminded her. “What does it matter if I intend to leave or not?”
She clenched her jaw. She wasn’t going to be deterred by logic or reason. She didn’t have to make sense. If she wanted to be pissed off, then she was going to be pissed off.
“You’re going after Briggs, aren’t you?”
“My first priority is to make sure that my curs are safe. Briggs was holding them captive in the caves.”
Crap. A pang of guilt twisted her heart. Of course he was worried about his pack. She should have told him that she’d seen the curs the minute they had gotten free of the caves. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been thinking clearly on the trip back to Chicago.
One side effect of battling a demon lord.
She reached to place a comforting hand on his forearm. “I ran across Hess when I was searching for you. He was…” She abruptly halted, considering her words. Salvatore didn’t need to be reminded that he’d been forced to beat the poor cur to a bloody pulp. “Disoriented, but I’m sure he managed to get the others free and lead them out of the caves.”
His lips twisted with rueful amusement at her unusual attempt at tact.
“Even if they weren’t caught in the collapse, they will need to be near me.”
She couldn’t argue with that. Salvatore could help heal both the physical and mental wounds the curs had suffered.
Luckily, there were any number of other things to argue about.
“You didn’t answer my question. Are you going after Briggs?”
“It’s my duty.”
“This has nothing to do with duty,” she gritted. “You want revenge.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw. “I might have more than one motive, but the bottom line is that I can’t allow the bastard to escape.” The golden eyes glowed, his voice roughening with fury. “He nearly destroyed the Weres once. He won’t get a second chance.”
She understood his desire for revenge. She really and truly did. But that didn’t mean she was going to let him stumble into a potential trap. Not when he was blinded by anger.
“What could he do without the demon lord to give him
magic?”
“No doubt he’s already attempting to discover a way to reopen the portal.”
Her brows jerked together at the mere thought. “Good God. Is that possible?”
“I don’t intend to find out.”
Her lips tightened. “So your plan is to charge off like the Lone Ranger to capture the bad guy?”
A hint of amusement sparkled in his eyes. “Lone Ranger?”
“Do you prefer Batman? Hellboy? Incredible Hulk?”
He framed her face in his hands, peering deep into her eyes.
“Does it matter if I do charge off?”
“You’re damned right it matters.”
“Why?”
“Because…” She licked her dry lips. “Because it’s stupid to take such a risk. You’re supposed to be a king. You have an endless number of Weres and curs who can kill Briggs.”
“Hardly endless.”
“You know what I mean.”
His gaze lowered to her mouth, his thumbs teasing the corner of her lips.
“I could send others in my place, but I won’t be satisfied unless I watch him die with my eyes, preferably by my own hands.”
Her heart faltered. Not at the jolt of need that clenched her stomach. Being near Salvatore would always stir her desire. No, it was the melting tenderness of his touch that was doing all sorts of dangerous things to her heart.
“Fine.” She was forced to halt and clear the huskiness from her voice. Just like a starry-eyed romantic. Damn. She determinedly squared her shoulders. “But you can forget going by yourself.”
His thumb feathered over her bottom lip. “Are you giving me orders, cara?”
“I’m a queen, aren’t I?”
He stilled, his gaze sweeping over her upturned face with an unnerving intensity.
“You said you didn’t want the position. Have you changed your mind?”
“I…” Her mouth was dry, parched.
With exquisite deliberation, Salvatore slowly lowered his head, brushing a soft kiss down the line of her nose.
“Harley?”
“I’m going with you.”
“Why?”
“Because.”
Salvatore pulled back, regarding her with lifted brows. “That’s your explanation? Because?”
Beyond the Darkness Page 26