The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld 13)

Horror turned her blood to icy sludge. "What causes it? Is there a way to stop it?"

"Doesn't matter." He combed his fingers through her hair, petting her. "I've accepted my end. You will, too."

She gave a violent shake of her head. "I will never accept your end."

He kissed her temple, sighed. "You must."

"The way you accepted mine when I told you about the vision?" she snapped.

"That's different. Yours can be prevented by a change of action. The crystals are spreading, limiting my range of motion. One day they'll cover me."

Lose him, after she'd only just found him? No! "There must be an antidote."

"Trust me. I exhausted my resources during my search. There's not. And now, I'm turning my efforts to something else. Before my last breath, I will see to the destruction of our enemies."

Not my. Not your. But our. "Lazarus." I don't want to go on without him. "We can talk to Torin and Keeley. They can help you--"

"No. I will accept help from no one but you. To do so would reveal my weakness. I will risk being abducted like my father, doomed to live out an existence in paralyzed awareness, unable to change my fate in any way. And you will not break up with me over this," he said. A command, not a question.

"Of course I won't." Why would he think such an awful thing? And was he serious about accepting no help? His pride was that great? The reward--more time with her--not enough? "But I will find a way to save you."

Already an idea took root. Pandora's box...the Morning Star supposedly still trapped inside. What if the being could remove the crystals?

To free the Morning Star, Cameo would have to find and open the box. She would end up killing herself and her friends in the process. Damn it! There had to be another way.

"Hope you don't mind," he said, "but I've already planned our week. First, we'll hunt and kill Juliette. Second, we hunt and imprison Hera. See? A change of action, a new outcome. You will live. Third, we'll spend every spare minute in bed, making memories to last a thousand lifetimes."

She had to convince him to talk to Keeley, the oldest woman in creation, and Torin, the best researcher on the planet. "Actually, I'll be attacking Juliette. I tried to tell you earlier, but you distracted me. She challenged me to a duel and claims the winner gets to keep you."

Tension radiated from him. "There will be no duel. The deathblow is mine to mete."

At least he hadn't assumed Juliette would win. Hardly a silver lining, but hey, silver linings of any sort were new to her, so she wasn't going to complain. "I thought you said we'll be working together."

"We will. I will give orders, and you will obey them."

"Dream on, Neanderthal Man. I've been managing my calendar without a Secretary of War for centuries, thanks."

"Too bad. I've dreamed of killing the Harpy for centuries."

Cameo fluffed her pillow. "Before, you were alone. Now you have me. Therefore, your dreams need an overhaul."

"I do have you." He nuzzled her cheek. "And I like you like this. Openly admitting you're mine."

Trying to distract her? "You're going to give me your blessing. You're going to watch me fight your enemy on your behalf. You're going to cheer me on while I kick her ass. Consider it your gift to me...since I've given you the gift of my presence."

He gritted his teeth. "Someone's been hanging out with Viola, I see."

Another silver lining: he hadn't contradicted her!

"I have. I like her," she admitted. "I might want to be her when I grow up."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "You do realize what you're asking of me goes against every fiber of my being, yes?"

"Yes."

"And yet still you ask."

"Wrong," she said. "I don't remember asking, only telling. I mean, what else am I getting out of our deal? Your to-do list benefits only you. What about my list? Talk to Juliette, find Pandora's box. Find a way to free the Morning Star. Maybe, just maybe, save you in the process." Because I don't want to remember you only to live without you.

"You can't trust anything the Harpy says." As rigid as steel, he released a sound that was part growl, part sigh. She noticed he had no questions about the Morning Star. He must have heard the rumors. "I did mention we would spend our free time in bed, yes? Orgasms should be numbers one through ten on your list."

"Orgasms are two through ten."

"At least they rate." He scrubbed a hand down his face. "I probably should have hooked up with a weaker woman."

"You have hooked up with weaker women. Everyone you dated before me." Cameo rolled on top of him, something odd happening to her face. The corners of her lips were...lifting? A smile was about to bloom! A miracle only Lazarus could perform.

Misery seemed to reach through her mind to petrify the muscles around her mouth, and the urge to smile faded.

"So," she said, and sighed. "Give me your blessing."

He framed her jaw with his big, strong, callused hands. "You will not trust her?"

"Of course not." But even still, Cameo would be checking out any leads about the box.

Lazarus looked up at the ceiling, as if praying for patience. "When you look at me like that, sunshine, I can deny you nothing. You have my blessing."

22

"If you are truly king of your castle, your woman is queen. Treat her like one."

--The Art of Keeping Your Female Happy

Lazarus kept Cameo in bed until the last possible second. When he could postpone the inevitable no longer, he flashed her to a remote part of Alaska. A forest surrounded by ice-mountains and supposedly neutral territory for Harpies. They were the first to arrive.

The duel would kick off in an hour. Just enough time to study the terrain, check for traps and ensure Cameo had every advantage.

He erected two tents side by side, since four of Cameo's friends had insisted on coming to force the Eagleshields to play by the rules. Kaia and Gwen, Keeley and Viola. He felt...indebted.

A strange sensation. Especially since he still believed killing Juliette was his job. His privilege.

> His hands curled into fists. Has to be this way. He understood the Harpy way of life better than most. The clans were predatory; when they sensed weakness, they pounced. One way or another, Cameo was going to have to prove her strength, or the Eagelshields would forever view her as easy pickings. And then they would pick, pick, pick at her, even if Lazarus beheaded Juliette before the fight.

"Do you have a pre-battle ritual?" he asked Cameo.

"Doesn't everyone?"

"Do it." He kissed her, lingering as long as possible before his body began to insist he do more. "I want to do another sweep for traps."

"Sir, yes, sir."

He tweaked her nose before taking off and hiking a one-mile radius around the campsite. Mist danced in front of his face every time he exhaled. Perhaps the territory was neutral. There were no land mines, no hidden pits or armies lying in wait, ready to attack.

Satisfied, he returned to the tents to find a handful of Eagleshields had arrived at last. They were drinking beer and climbing trees, and they waved when they spotted him.

"Juliette brought a saddle," someone called. "She's planning on riding you hard tonight."

Red winked through his vision. Keep walking. If he killed a Harpy now, the clan could cry foul later.

He entered the relative warmth of the tent and took stock.

The box--once again hanging around his neck.

The ring he'd gotten from Viola--hanging right beside it.

The jewels he'd procured for Cameo--still burning a hole in his pocket.

More and more, the first item filled him with sizzling guilt he couldn't escape. If ever Cameo discovered he had the box, she would despise him. She would never forgive him.

I'll be frozen in my crystal form. What will it matter?

He could deal with her hate, but not her death.

Problem: in a frozen state, he would be unable to protect her or the box. If someone stole the relic and used it against Cameo...

He cursed. Maybe he would give the box to one of the Lords on the condition Cameo never know about it, see it or touch it. Amun, former keeper of Secrets, had perfected the art of staying quiet. During his possession, he couldn't utter a single word without spilling countless confidences, so he'd said nothing.

Could Lazarus trust him?

Maybe. Probably. Unless Amun's own guilt drove him to confide in his friends. Word would reach Cameo.