Unspoken (Unborn Book 3)

by Amber Lynn Natusch

  “Stunning…” he said under his breath, the wind carrying the sentiment to me.

  “I have a proposition for you,” I said as I approached. “You have made your intentions regarding me very clear, but you wish for my allegiance without earning it, and that is something I cannot oblige. I am not a trusting soul, Kaine. Surely you can appreciate my predicament.”

  “You want me to earn your trust? Your loyalty?”

  “Yes. I do.”

  He hopped off the ledge to the roof on silent feet and took a casual step toward me. But there was nothing casual about it; it was methodical and calculated and everything that Oz had warned me about.

  “What would you ask of me?”

  I sidestepped out of his path, circling the perimeter of the roof. “You offered my father refuge. Provide it for both Hades and his wife until I can stabilize the Underworld and return him to his throne. When that is done, I am yours.”

  He stopped to assess me, his shrewd eyes searching for a trap. “And what of Oz?”

  “What of him?” I replied, evading his question.

  “He will not let you go.”

  “He does not own me, no matter how much he believes he does.”

  “You looked rather intimate together in the Underworld…”

  “Things are not always as they seem, Kaine.”

  “No,” he said softly under his breath, “they are not.” Then his ice blue eyes narrowed, and he took a step toward me. “Does he know you’re here—meeting with me?”

  A mirthless laugh escaped me. “If he even thought that I would do this, he would have strapped me to a chair and locked me in the basement. He will be livid when he learns of my treachery. He always is…”

  Kaine’s interest was piqued. “You have betrayed him before?”

  “We constantly betray each other in one way or another. It is his nature to be secretive, and it is mine to do what I must to survive. Those two traits do not make for a good pairing.”

  “Is that what you’re doing here? What you must to survive?” he asked.

  “I am doing what I must to ensure that the man responsible for raising me is safe.”

  The heat in my tone was clear as I spoke, and it appeared that Kaine had taken the bait. Or maybe he just wanted me to believe he had.

  He took a step closer, looking me over. “Your wings…they were not this color when I saw you last. Tell me, what did you do to change them?”

  I smiled at him again, this one full of lust and longing. “I sucked the soul out of Artemis after she told me of Demeter’s treachery.” I dared a step nearer, close enough for Kaine to reach out and touch me should he have wanted to. Oz’s warnings rang through my mind, and for a moment, I wondered if they had been for my benefit or his own. Did he fear I would use Muses’ ability on the Dark One and learn something I shouldn’t? Or that he’d whisk me away, never to return? “I liked watching her die—the feeling of her power draining from her body into mine. Why do you think I haven’t released it yet?” I asked. His eyes widened and his lips parted. “I want to keep her prisoner…”

  “I will do as you ask,” he said, his hand reaching for my face. I retreated just out of his grasp. “You will deliver Hades and Persephone to the in-between today, and I will keep them there, unbothered and unharmed, until the Underworld is fit for him to return. Once he is in charge of his realm again, you will come with me by your own free will—or by force. Either way, you will be ours.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Good. Now, I shall leave so that you can make arrangements. I don’t imagine Oz will be kind when you share this news. Be sure you are armed when you break it to him.”

  I whipped a blade out from behind my back. “I am always armed,” I said, my monotone delivery belying the anger I felt growing inside, “and I am not afraid to use them.”

  A smile as venomous as Oz’s spread across his face. “I look forward to seeing you soon, Khara.”

  He launched into the air at a speed that blew my hair straight back. For a moment, I watched him disappear, wondering if he would keep his word—if he would protect my father as he had promised. But it was too late for second thoughts. The deal was done and could not be undone.

  I made my way inside to let Oz know that things were set with Kaine and the Dark Ones. He would be the one to deliver the news to my brothers to minimize suspicion regarding my involvement and the leverage used to secure asylum for Hades and Persephone.

  I did not look forward to the fallout.

  19

  There was far less arguing than I had expected—a welcome surprise, indeed.

  Once all objections had been overruled, my father looked at me, concern in his eyes, and asked, “Is this what you want, Khara? What you think is best?”

  “It is,” I replied. “The gods cannot reach you there, as Oz has stated. Deimos can reach you if necessary.”

  “And if Kaine doesn’t keep his word?” Casey asked, staring at me across the room.

  “His end goal will keep him in line—he would not dare risk it by harming Hades.”

  “Kaine is many things, but a fool is not one,” Oz added to strengthen my argument.

  “And what exactly is his end goal?” Casey asked, dark eyes burning with assumptions.

  Silence settled in the room, everyone processing the possibilities, until Muses broke the quiet.

  “It seems my presence is needed in Chicago,” he said, looking down at his phone. When he raised his gaze, it fell upon me. “I do wish we had more time together, Sister. There is so much about you I would like to learn…”

  “Another time,” I replied, stepping aside to let him by. He reached for me, but I evaded his touch, just as I had Kaine’s.

  He frowned at the gesture. “Do your best not to let them poison you against me,” he said as a serpent’s smile overtook his face. “I’d prefer the chance to do that myself.”

  Without so much as a goodbye to the crowd, he disappeared through the front door.

  His exit proved a fortuitous distraction, derailing the conversation at hand.

  “I’d say I’ll miss him, but…” Kierson did nothing to hide his delight at Muses’ departure, a sentiment that seemed to be shared by everyone else present.

  “When do we leave for the in-between?” Hades asked Oz, who had inched closer to me as Muses passed.

  “Soon.”

  Hades gave a tight nod then took his leave, disappearing to the second floor with Persephone right behind him.

  “I must continue to work on the wards in the interim,” Pierson announced, headed for a shelf full of ancient-looking books.

  “Oh! I can help with that,” Aery said, jumping up from the couch. “I’m an excellent researcher.”

  Pierson shot her a dubious look but did not object. Kierson, however, looked very ready to on her behalf.

  “I need to track down Azriel,” Casey said, heading for the door. He looked back to where Drew stood, looking lost as always, and motioned for him to come. “Let’s go, Drew. Maybe something will jog a memory loose in that brain of yours.”

  They disappeared, leaving only Oz and me without a pressing task.

  “Come with me,” he said, leading me to the wall of windows facing the backyard. “You and I have some training to do.”

  “Training?”

  “Yes. Training. The kind that doesn’t involve your fancy soul-sucking abilities or lightning fingers because I’m not so sure that they’ll work in the in-between, and like I said before, if you rely solely on them, it’s going to backfire at some point. I’d prefer it not be with Kaine.”

  He shut the door behind us, leaving us alone in the barren, fenced-in yard.

  “What did you have in mind?” I asked, watching as he pulled blades from places I scarcely believed could conceal them.

  “Hand-to-hand combat. Sword skills. Maybe some knife throwing just so you can bring Casey down a peg or two…”

  “And you feel this is necessary?”

&nbs
p; “Yeah, I do.”

  I opened my mouth to argue, then thought better of it, knowing that the others—most importantly, my father—could hear us from wherever they were in the house. Letting loose our real concerns about the plan would get it shut down in an instant.

  “Your training is lacking, new girl.”

  “It has also been minimal.”

  “You fought just fine at the Victorian that night against the Stealers.”

  “And you imbued me with the strength of our kind—whispering the ancient words of battle.”

  “Maybe you retained those abilities as you have the others,” he observed. “Only one way to find out…” He held a sword up to me in challenge. Mine rose to meet it. “Just to be safe, you might want to focus on those words right about now.”

  With a wry smile and a flash of his sword, he knocked mine from my hands, sending it flying across the yard. I launched myself after it, knowing that Oz would show me no mercy in our training—just as he had said the Dark Ones would show us if our arrival in the in-between was indeed an ambush of some sort.

  I dove into a roll and landed next to my weapon, snatching it up as I spun around to parry his blow. His eyes gleamed with something, the light of the sun reflecting in them as we sparred.

  “Not too shabby, new girl.”

  “Perhaps I just stole your skills,” I countered.

  He paused for a moment, his sword still pressed firmly against mine, seeming to consider what I had said.

  “Maybe. Let’s put that theory to the test.”

  He shoved me away and drew back his sword, ready to attack. I looked deep within until I found the void. I could practically feel Oz’s power there, begging to be used. Begging to be unleashed. I had not expected that I could call upon the strength and skill of the one currently attacking me, but it seemed true all the same.

  Judging by Oz’s reaction, he had already come to that conclusion.

  “Still keeping things entertaining, I see,” he drawled as he lunged for me.

  I dodged his blow by the narrowest margin. “I suppose that means you will be keeping me around. For now.”

  He didn’t answer, the slice of his blade at my head his only response. We battled for what seemed like an eternity, from the backyard to the rooftop of the Victorian, neither one of us making any gains on the other. We were far too evenly matched for that.

  Our breathing was labored by the time he called for a break in our training, sweat dampening both our brows. I cast my sword aside and drew my sleeve across my forehead, Oz watching me like a predator. Something about me seemed to fascinate him. Intrigue him. Perhaps even arouse him.

  I pushed that last thought out of my mind and strode toward the far edge of the roof, prepared to fly down to the yard. Distance proved the best medicine when it came to Oz. His effect on me had only increased with time, and I found myself thinking less and reacting more in his presence. Nothing good would ever come of a union between us. A tentative alliance served us best.

  At least until I could get the answers I wanted from him.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” he called from behind me, his dark tone wrapping around me like a shadow.

  “Unless you wish to continue this madness, which seems pointless at best, I am leaving.”

  “You’ll leave when I say you can leave. You have no idea what we’ll encounter in the in-between. I need you to have your shit together.”

  “It is now and will remain so,” I replied. He shook his head in frustration. “As long as you also have your shit together, all will be well. Do not worry about me. Worry about yourself, Oz.”

  “I don’t worry, new girl. Ever.”

  I turned to face him, my head cocked to the side with curiosity. His words were a lie and I knew it, even if he did not. He seemed to believe what he had said.

  How quickly he forgot.

  “Was that not worry on your face when you reached for me in Zeus’ prison of lightning—when you and I both thought I was dying?” His expression hardened. “And was that not worry in your countenance when you watched me fall from this very roof when the Stealers attacked?” Anger flared in his eyes, but he remained silent, staring at me. “If you had not been concerned for my safety, you would never have done what you did that night.”

  “I had my reasons,” he seethed.

  “Then why apologize for your actions?” His lips pressed into a narrow line that slashed across the plane of his angular features. “I remembered your words when I was in the Underworld. That you hung over the edge of this rooftop as you allowed yourself to be overwhelmed by the enemy—no doubt a tactic to buy me time—and screamed after me as I plummeted. So you see, Oz, I know that you have worry—have fear, in fact—where I am concerned, and it is very, very real.”

  He schooled his expression to the measured indifference I had grown to expect from him as he stalked toward me, his sword still gripped tightly in his hand. He was only inches away when he finally halted, towering over me as he stared me down with those hooded, violent eyes. Whether it was the truth in my words or the boldness of them, I could not be sure, but what was certain was the rage that rolled off Oz as his chest heaved in my face.

  “What about you?” he asked, leaning in closer.

  “Have you forgotten?” I lifted my face to meet his menacing expression. “I fear nothing.”

  “You will,” he said, his voice low and full of warning. “You will…”

  “When I meet Kaine again?” I asked. He said nothing in response. “You lord your alleged knowledge of all things over me without an ounce of evidence to support the illusion that you know anything pertinent at all. So tell me, why should I continue to ally myself with someone who can give me nothing? Do nothing for me?” His body tensed for a moment, then went eerily still. “Perhaps Kaine will prove more forthcoming when we visit the in-between. Surely he must know something if you fear our next meeting—”

  “I do not fear your meeting.” His words were little more than a growl.

  “Yes, yes, your lack of concern is evident in the tautness of your features and the sweat on your brow.”

  My attempt at sarcasm was not lost on him.

  “Do not confuse fear with anger, new girl. That would be a deadly mistake. The kind you only get to make once...”

  “Would it now?” I asked, pressing my chest against his. “What a battle that would be...”

  I closed my eyes and tipped my head back, my face tilted to the heavens, then inhaled deeply. I could feel a smile spreading slowly across my smug expression. The feeling I had—the knowledge that I was getting to Oz—was unlike any I had ever felt. It was heady and satisfying, and in that moment, I understood Oz in a way I had not before. His surly behavior was every bit as much of a weapon as his wings.

  Perhaps even more so.

  “You want a battle?” Oz asked, his voice so low and hoarse that I could hardly make out the words. I opened my eyes to find his hungry and pinned on me. My lips, more specifically.

  He moved with unparalleled speed, his mouth crashing upon mine with a burst of pain that was not entirely unwelcome. The exterior wall soon bit into my back, the rough edges of the brick carving my flesh wherever it was exposed, though I hardly noticed. The weight of Oz pressed against me overrode all other sensations. The need I felt was foreign and all-consuming.

  There was nothing gentle about his touch. His hands ripped at the fabric in his way while his lips devoured mine. The feral nature of his behavior was so unlike the carefully contained power I had always seen him exhibit. Control was everything to Oz, both over himself and others. And though it was clear that he sought to control me in that moment, he was doing so with an abandon I could not comprehend.

  When my mind returned to the present, my shirt was in tatters around my waist. His hand twined in my hair, pulling it to angle my face in a more advantageous way. He did not want part of me—he wanted everything he could get. I returned the favor, raking my fingers through his h
air until I had a fistful of it. I craned his neck back to the point of pleasure-less pain, separating his mouth from mine in the process.

  “This will not be on your terms, Ozereus. Not all of it.”

  At that, he laughed. ”Then let the battle begin...”

  20

  He pulled his head up against my grasp, smiling a devious smile. I bought his distraction like the novice I was and soon found myself flying through the air. I hit the roof hard but rolled to a crouch with some measure of grace. Unfortunately, he was already on me before I could stand. He sacked me, driving us back toward the roof’s open edge—the one he’d pushed me from before. I was sprawled on my back, my hair dangling over the side as he held me in place. The familiar look of satisfaction in his expression was maddening.

  And confoundingly erotic.

  As if he could sense what I was thinking, he covered my body with his, resuming the intense kiss I had broken only seconds earlier. For a moment, I played along, arching my body up against his. The act seemed to fuel his desire, driving the aggressive pace with which he kissed me. His hands roamed freely over my exposed flesh, not-so-gently claiming whatever he wanted along the way. But he would not be the only one to claim things that day. Our battle was far from over.

  As one of his hands claimed my breast and the other my pants, I seized the opportunity to turn the tides. I cupped his face in my palms, playing into whatever fantasy he was living out, drawing him deeper into it. When I felt his body relax just a fraction, I pulled my right hand from his face and drew back to slice my elbow across it. The force of the blow knocked him to the side, and I capitalized on the momentum, pushing him further in that direction. I landed atop him, straddling his waist. Anger and lust flashed in his eyes as he looked up at his half-naked conqueror.

  Then I punched him again to keep him down.

  “You do not control me,” I said in a husky voice that matched his. “You may try, but you will fail. I yield to no man... not anymore.” Before he could speak, I grabbed the neck of his shirt and tore it in two, the sound of the ripping fabric echoing around us. The perfection that lay below never ceased to unnerve me.