The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld 13)

Lazarus was unwilling to take chances with her life. If he was going to spend eternity locked in place like the statues he'd created, he had to know Cameo not only lived but thrived.

"You're pacing," Cameo said, calm and cool but not exactly collected. Sorrow dripped from her tone.

His gaze sought her. His gaze always sought her. She sat in front of a crackling fire pit, sharpening a sword he'd never seen her use. A piece of black cloth covered a portion of the hilt.

"Nervous for me?" she asked.

"You will win." A command. He sat beside her, removed the ring from around his neck and drew the chain over her head. If she died today--

She wouldn't die today. He wasn't ready to let her go.

Would he ever be ready?

Even still, he had to prepare for the worst. The ring might be her only way out of the prison realm. He tucked its weight underneath her shirt.

If the worst happens, I will find her. I will always find her.

"If you think I'll win," she said, "why are you--"

"Always have a backup plan." He dug into his pocket and withdrew the diamond knuckles. "These are for you. Do me a favor and drench them with Juliette's blood."

Her hand trembled as she slid the beautiful weapon in place, the jewels glittering in the light. How lovely they looked pressed against her fair flesh.

"Thank you for the gift and for entrusting me with your wrath," she said. "I won't let you down."

"No, you won't." Her gratitude affected him in an unexpected way, making him feel as if he'd just taken an arrow through the heart. "You are the strongest warrior I know."

She set the sword aside and kicked her leg over his to settle onto his lap. Her luscious fragrance enveloped him as she combed her fingers through his hair.

"Will you grow to resent me for stealing your vengeance?" she asked.

He gripped her waist and pulled her directly against his hardening shaft. They both sucked in a breath. "I've waited a long time to kill Juliette, have dreamed of it, craved it."

Pinching his chin with two fingers, she angled his head, forcing his gaze to meet hers. Arousal had deepened her silver irises to a gunmetal gray. "You didn't answer my question."

Because he had no answer for her. He only knew he couldn't stop her from fighting without hurting her; therefore he wouldn't stop her.

He cupped her jaw, simply enjoying the look of her, the softness of her skin, and the astounding connection they shared. Then he slid his hands into her hair and fisted the silken strands. "Why are you so determined to have a conversation when we could be kissing?"

Her eyes narrowed in slow motion, as if her body had to catch up to her thoughts. "Why do you use kissing as a means of stopping every personal conversation?"

"With you, I'll use any excuse to kiss." He turned swiftly, placing her on her back while he hovered over her. She gasped; he pressed his mouth to hers, stealing a swift taste.

"We shouldn't," she whispered, sounding deliciously scandalized. Need shivered through her. "There's not enough time. People are outside. They'll hear us."

"There's always time. And let the people hear."

Let Juliette hear. Let her know.

A petty means of vengeance, but if it served to rattle the Harpy? Sex for the win would make Cameo's victory that much sweeter.

He knelt between her legs, yearning to undress her fully, to devote hours to the butterfly etched into her back, but she was right; time wasn't their friend.

He unsnapped her pants, lowered the zipper...then twisted a finger into the edge of her panties to draw the material away, revealing the hottest, pinkest playground he'd ever seen.

She rasped his name. A plea. One he heeded. He bent his head to lick her, and she screamed his name.

The woman was sweet everywhere. He wasn't content to lick. He sucked and nibbled, and she writhed against him, even began to chant his name. He reveled as the sorrow easily faded from her voice; he heard her passion.

He would willingly give up his vengeance for this. How could he resent her?

"Going to have you every day we're together. Just like this," he breathed against her tender flesh.

"Yes." Goose bumps covered her thighs. "Yes!"

His ear twitched as footsteps sounded outside the tent. Roughly fifteen seconds until someone breached the door of the tent. He growled with frustration.

Not ready to stop. Will never be ready!

Lazarus...utterly...devoured her. With a hard press of his tongue, he brought her to a swift and brutal climax. As she convulsed with satisfaction, he righted her clothing, adjusted his hard-on and drew her to a sitting position. Dark hair fell down her arms in tangles.

Perfect timing.

"Yo!" Kaia stuck her head through the flap. "The starting bell is about to ring."

Cameo struggled to calm. Her cheeks possessed a rosy glow, and her lips were slightly swollen from being chewed on.

The redhead winked at him. "Properly motivating our girl, eh?"

The color in Cameo's cheeks only deepened.

"Something like that," he muttered.

Kaia had reason to hate him. As a child, she'd freed him from Juliette's chains. In return, he'd slaughtered many of her friends in his maddened bid to escape. Not that it had done him any good. Weakened as he'd been, Juliette had found--and punished--him soon enough.

But. Years later, Juliette commanded him to break up Kaia and Strider by any means necessary. The gorier the better. Compelled by the Paring Rod, Lazarus would have plagued the pair forever. He regained free will only long enough to allow Strider to behead him, ensuring the happy couple received their happily-ever-after.

His debt to Kaia had been paid in full.

Lazarus claimed Cameo's hand and pulled her to her feet. With mesmerizing grace, she sheathed her new sword in the pouch hanging from her back.

Acting on instinct, he yanked her against him. "Don't think about me while you're out there. Keep your mind on the task at hand and only the task at hand--winning. Nothing more, nothing less."

While part of him would have enjoyed watching Juliette suffer for hours, the other part of him would rather have Cameo safe...and back in his arms. "Also, if you kill her in under five minutes," he added, "I'll reward you."

Her eyelids grew heavy, her gaze sultry. "With your hands or your mouth?"

"Don't be silly. My cock."

As she mewled her approval, he bent his head to press a hard kiss into her lips, giving her the air from his lungs. He would never get enough of her. She softened against him, thrusting her tongue against his and--

She wrenched from his embrace. Panting, she said, "Juliette will be dead in under five minutes, you have my word. Make sure your zipper is down and your monster is ready." Head high, she stalked from the tent.

He palmed two daggers and followed her out, cold air slapping at his cheeks. The entire Eagleshield clan had arrived, hundreds of Harpies congesting the area.

Cameo's friends stepped from the shadows to lead the way. Their group stalked forward, menace in every step, and he'd never been prouder. My woman has this.

Up ahead, an even larger crowd of Harpies formed a circle--a booing circle.

"Out of our way," Keeley commanded. "I'm not called the Red Queen for nothing. Bodies explode in my presence."

"Or they could stay in our way, and I could use their severed skulls to create designer hag-bags," Viola said.

Kaia and Gwen didn't say a word, just pushed and shoved anyone foolish enough to remain in place. Cameo reached the center of the circle, where Juliette waited.

The sight of his former tormentor gave new life to the fury he'd lived with since their first meeting.

As in the days of old, she wore a bronzed breastplate, leather wristbands with a matching loincloth, and bronzed thigh and shin guards. How many times had he dressed and undressed her?

Cameo wore black leather with chain-mail inserts to cover her most vulnerable areas: heart, stomach, biceps, thighs and calves. The

inserts were lighter than Juliette's bulky armor. Even better, Cameo had made every piece herself, the craftsmanship remarkable.

As she walked, she anchored her hair in a braid. A braid he would later unwind. He would fist the strands as he kissed and licked her from head to toe. She would shout his name, her nails digging into his back. She would demand he take her--fully, nothing held back.

An Eagleshield stepped between the combatants to say, "All right. Let's get this party started. There are no rules. The fight will last as long as it needs to last, and only one woman will walk away. The winner reclaims ownership of Lazarus the Cruel and Unusual."

As Harpies cheered, he flared with indignation.

"Enjoy your thoughts about reclaiming him--they're all you'll have. Not that you ever had him. But I do. I have him. He chose me of his own free will. No Pairing Rod or compulsion necessary." Cameo unsheathed her sword, the metal whistling.

While most of the crowd flinched or cried, he smiled and blew his woman a kiss. She'd just claimed him publicly.

Juliette screeched as she unsheathed her own sword. "The Mother of Melancholy dies today!"