The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld 13)

"Hades." A softly spoken word, and yet, Siobhan reacted as if she'd been punched in the gut.

Would the king of the underworld come? Would she face her enemy at last?

Yes! He appeared in a haze of shadows, sending her heart into overdrive.

He was more beautiful than ever, and he had no right. Taller and more leanly muscled, with inky hair and matching eyes. Eyes so black they were endless pools. He wore a pin-striped suit, the perfect fit for his powerful frame, the only signs of his uncivilized nature the stars tattooed on each of his knuckles.

She beat against her prison wall--bang, bang, bang--desperate to reach him, to claw out his eyes.

"Like me, you have the power to see past any illusion, yes?" William asked his father.

"Oh, yes. The blow-up doll is a nice touch, though."

"Cameo is unable to cast illusions." William sniffed the air. "I scent Lazarus the Cruel and Unusual...and aren't the Lords of the Underworld going to love their girl's choice of dates."

Hades continued to stare at her. "You are correct on both counts."

"I know the mirror is what I think it is. I can see the power radiating from it. What I don't know is how to activate it."

"Her, not it. She decides who sees and who doesn't." Hades flashed, appearing directly in front of her, crouched atop the mattress. "The goddess of Many Futures is still trapped inside. I can feel her."

She banged the glass harder. His hand shot out, touching where she touched, and she gasped. A stream of heat penetrated her ice-cold prison. As shudders racked her, the pane rippled.

Hades's pupils expanded with excitement.

Bang, bang, bang. How she would love to replace his excitement with pain.

"Are you kidding me?" William tossed his arms up. "You're getting a hard-on for a mirror? I doubt Taliyah would approve."

Taliyah the Cold-Hearted? The vicious Harpy Siobhan had seen move in and out of William's possible futures, because of his friendship with the Lords of the Underworld? Hades was dating her?

He deserves to suffer!

"Taliyah hasn't spoken to me in weeks," Hades said, his tone cutting.

Good girl.

Once again Siobhan opened her mind to the days and years to come, but this time, no matter how intently she probed, she saw...nothing. Not a single path, and she cursed. Hades's future must be so intertwined with hers she couldn't see anything that happened to him.

Well, well. Looked like her luck was finally turning.

"How did Lazarus acquire the mirror?" William asked.

Hades tensed, his spine snapping ramrod straight. "I'll find out."

"She's our ally. We can't steal from her without jeopardizing her allegiance and the allegiance of the other Lords."

Hades rubbed two fingers against his clean-shaven jawline. "Perhaps we'll offer a trade."

Yes, please do. Did he know how much Siobhan hated him? Did he suspect she would only ever plot his downfall?

A sudden commotion in the hallway jolted both males. The pitter-patter of running children and the pounding footsteps of chasing parents.

"Do not stick another toy soldier in the toilet, Urban," a woman shouted. "I mean it!"

Hades and William shared a look of determination before flashing away, leaving Siobhan alone...but she didn't have to be the goddess of Many Futures to know she would see the father-son duo again...and very, very soon.

18

"To ensure your skills remain honed, make a new kill pleasure your woman every day."

--Eternal Truths for Men Without Women

--The Art of Keeping Your Female Happy

World. Rocked.

Lazarus reeled as he cleaned Cameo, then himself. He righted his pants before hooking the clasp of her bra, covering her beautiful breasts. A necessary travesty. One glance at her feminine perfection, and he would be on her again...and again...

He fastened her pants, but left both their shirts on the floor, intending to enjoy a little skin-to-skin contact.

He should leave. He'd gotten off, and he'd gotten her off. A miracle, she would say. His mind should be clear of the passion-fog, vengeance against Juliette his number two priority.

His number one priority? Stopping new crystal formations. Lava flowed through his veins, scorching him, and his muscles ached. Telltale signs of impending growth.

Even still, he crawled into bed with Cameo and tugged her close. Her smile had unmanned him. He would never be the same. Her entire face had lit up, and happiness had glowed through her pores. There was no sight more beautiful in any realm.

He was addicted, already wanted another one.

First, he had questions for her. Later, he would explore every inch of her beautiful body, would see and touch her butterfly tattoo...would see and touch all of her. Nothing held back. Then she would bless him with another smile.

In both his life and death, he'd been with a lot of women, but no one had ever meant more than his monomania. He shared something with her that he'd never shared with another. An emotional bond.

"I don't know how," she said, her voice raspy and tragic, her warm breath fanning his chest, "but you, Cuddles, make everything better."

"Of course I do." For you, only ever you.

"Correction. You make most things better."

"Sorry, but there are no take backs."

In his arms, she'd been Cameo, a woman without a demon. Happy and content. Never had he beheld a more magnificent sight. Her skin had flushed and glowed with health, vitality--and pleasure, so much pleasure. Her eyes had

sparkled like freshly polished diamonds in a setting of platinum. Her kiss-swollen lips had glistened with his essence.

I'll be forever haunted.

"I'm surprised you were willing to lower your guard in an unfamiliar environment," she said.

"How dare you." He gave a mock growl. "I never once lowered my guard."

She arched a single black brow. "So you didn't give my body your full attention?"

He barked out a laugh, awed by her wit. "This is a first. You've backed me into a corner. If I say yes, you'll call me a liar. If I say no, you'll call me a horrible lover. Either way, I'll be in a whole lot of man-trouble."

"Well, I can't exactly accuse you of being a bad lover while I'm still twitching from my very first orgasm." As she rubbed her soft cheek against his bare chest, he wrapped an arm around her waist. "I actually climaxed. A real one, not a fake."

"Trust me, sunshine. I noticed. Also, I had no plans to stop my expert seduction until you erupted."

"Well, thank you." She kissed the hollow of his neck, where his pulse had yet to slow, her lips soft, sweet and giving. "But also no thank you! How am I supposed to live without at least one orgasm a day?"

He nearly choked on another laugh. "You're not?"

"Exactly!"

Something dark twisted in his chest, his good humor evaporating. What if, when Lazarus parted with her, she turned to another man?

"Hey. You stiffened." She frowned at him. "Why?"

"Maybe I'm missing your smile."

"Please. You've never even seen my smile."

Had she already forgotten? "Sunshine, you smiled after you came."

"What? Me?" The ends of her hair tickled his skin as she shook her head. "I can't smile."

"You can. You did." She had forgotten. Poor Cameo. Poor Lazarus. How soon would she forget him? And how would he react when she did?

Self-preservation said, You'll rejoice. No monomania, no weakness.

The rest of him bellowed, Kill the demon!

Lazarus had known the outcome of his dalliance with Cameo from the beginning. One way or another, he would lose her. He'd thought he'd accepted their end. Now, with her cuddled against him, he only wanted to rage. Never again touch her softness? Or glide against the liquid heat only he could draw forth? Never again hear her voice change from tragic to breathy as she moaned in pleasure? Never again watch her unravel as satisfaction burned centuries of hopelessness to ash? Never again see her smile?