The Darkest Promise (Lords of the Underworld 13)

"Maybe it does serve a purpose. We just can't see it."

"Exactly. Hades has been known to use invisible ink and paints."

A spark of excitement. "How do we make the invisible visible?"

"That, I don't yet know."

"Well, let's think like Hades." I'm a self-important male with a warped sense of humor. I enjoy torturing my enemies, taunting my friends and winning, whatever the cost. Wow. Hades and Lazarus could be brothers from other mothers. I have an unhealthy obsession with making other people bleed. I--

Bleed. Blood. The source of life. Excitement heating up, Cameo whipped out a dagger and dragged the blade over her palm.

Lazarus snatched the dagger from her grip, as if she had no right to injure herself--or better yet, his property. "You do not harm--"

"Too late." A pool of crimson welled. She held her fist over the tile, letting the thick droplets slide down...down...and splash over the surface.

Images began to appear on the tile.

"You did it," Lazarus said, his pride unmistakable.

She ignored the urge to preen under his praise and studied the images. A...map? Yes! The forest, marsh and temple were clearly marked. So were the different traps.

"If we continue on this path for roughly two miles," Lazarus said, "we can use this bridge to reach the temple."

"The bridge is booby-trapped."

"Yes, but we can go over them."

"How? In case you haven't noticed, neither one of us has wings, and the birds aren't big enough to saddle and ride."

He gently chucked her under the chin. "Have a little faith in your man."

Her skin tingled, and her newly awakened lusts surged. She trembled. He's more dangerous than the realm. Cameo wrenched away. "You mean the man who lied to me?"

"I believe you mean the man who admitted to his crime, even though he could have taken the secret to his grave." His gaze slid past her, and every muscle in his body stiffened. "We're being followed. Come on."

As he linked their fingers and trudged ahead, she glanced backward. About a hundred yards away, a storm cloud rolled across the sky, spraying the land with mist. Birds fell from the sky like feathered missiles. Trees withered.

"Go, go, go," she commanded.

Lazarus picked up the pace--until a vine darted out, wrapped around his ankle and jerked him high into the air. He hung upside down, the bags slipping from his shoulders and crashing into Cameo.

Shit! There wasn't enough time to cut him down and escape the death mist.

"Go." He issued the command this time. "Leave me."

Misery snickered.

Determined to save Lazarus, Cameo dug through the bags, withdrew the Cloak of Invisibility, the Paring Rod and the pipe that was taken from the Cage of Compulsion. "Leave it to the woman to save the day--and the mansel in distress."

27

"A man cannot be led by two opposing forces, for truth cannot coexist with a lie. Love cannot coexist with hate."

--Memoir of a Maddened King

--Memoir of a Besotted Fool

Plagued by urgency and fear, Lazarus lifted his upper body and stretched out his arms, his muscles screaming in protest. In the last hour, the crystals had spread and thickened, slowing his reflexes considerably. His fingers found the dagger in his boot. With one hand, he grabbed hold of the vine that was wrapped around his ankle. With the other, he used the dagger to saw.

At last the vine broke. Bracing for impact, he tumbled toward a bank of moss--only to be caught by another vine and hang upside down a second time. He unleashed a stream of obscenities. Still the dark cloud approached, headed directly for Cameo.

As graceful as a swan, she unfolded a piece of gray cloth until it formed a hooded cape. When she placed the cape over her shoulders and lifted the hood, she vanished. Not even Lazarus could see her. Good, that was good. The cloud couldn't see her, either.

"Run," he told her. "Run, and I'll find you." Always.

But he knew she wouldn't obey. She was Cameo, stubborn to an extreme. When the cloud reached the spot he'd last seen her, it screeched. Lazarus cringed, the high-pitched sound nearly bursting his eardrums.

Ignoring his own pain, he pulled up and sawed at the new vine.

The cloud thundered and flashed bolts of lightning, all the while shuddering. What was Cameo doing?

Yet another vine snatched the dagger from Lazarus's grip and aimed a sharpened tip at his heart. He cursed his distraction.

Just before impact, a tar-covered vine batted at the blade, saving Lazarus from injury. He shook his head, confused. The tar-covered vine coiled around the one holding his ankle and squeezed. He was released. He toppled, expecting to crash-land. The tar-covered vine caught him, easing him to the ground.

It's...aiding me? Why?

Think about it later. Ready for battle, he popped to his feet. Cameo materialized, the Cloak of Invisibility in a pool at her feet. She stood underneath the cloud, her arm extended high, her hand hidden by the gloom. No, not hidden. The cloud thinned, revealing her hand and the pipe she held.

Pride overwhelmed him. My woman. So strong. So capable.

When every speck of darkness vanished, she lowered her arm. Her eyes sparkled like diamonds, and her cheeks glowed with rosy health. Brittle leaves tangled in her hair.

"What happened?" he asked.

"The Cloak of Invisibility protected me from the mist as I snuck under the cloud, inserted the pipe into the center, and commanded the thing--whatever it was--to die. And it did! It had to. The pipe is from the Cage of Compulsion. It was a gift, so we own it, and anything inside it has to do whatever we command."

Her excitement...

Beneath his fly, his shaft hardened. With her, it proved inevitable. "You are a true warrior." Even though she was upset with him, she had done everything in her power to ensure his safety.

No one had ever acted so selflessly on his behalf. No one had ever placed him first. Not even his parents. Their hatred for each other had trumped their love for him.

Desperate to touch her, to assure himself of her safety, he closed the distance between them. "You endangered yourself to save me. Can you really fault me for doing the same for you?" He reached for her.

"It's not the same." Avoiding contact, she bent to sheathe the pipe in one of the bags.

His heart shriveled, but he pressed on. "Why?"

"The outcome of my action is life." She folded the cloak and hid it in her pocket. "The outcome of yours is death."

"You speak as if I'm wasting what time I have left. The truth is, time with you is not wasted but cherished."

Scowling, she tossed a bag at him. "Shut up. Just...shut up."

He crouched beside her. He was getting to her, cracking her internal armor. He had to keep pushing, couldn't allow her to refortify her defenses against him. With her, he had no defenses of his own. Because he loved--

He sucked in a breath. He did. He loved her. Not because of what she was to him. Because of who she was. Period. She was a wealth of contradictions. Kind but fierce. Caring but stubborn. Witty but morose. Protective but easily provoked. Compassionate but violent.

Despite the demon, she was the light in Lazarus's darkness. She was smart and she was...everything. Before her, he'd known rage. Somehow, she had filled him with joy.

"Cameo," he croaked.

"No." She stood. "That isn't what I want. I want you to live. Free of the crystals. Free from danger."

He stood as well, hope shining like a brilliant beacon inside him. She loved him, too. To put herself at risk as she had? To make the sacrifices she'd made for him? To give herself to him so unconditionally? She must. "I don't want to live without you." He followed the gruff admission by removing the apple from his neck and placing it around hers, the leather and chain mail touching her skin, rather than the bone.

She raised her chin.

"It's yours," he said. "I trust you not to harm yourself. I trust you to make the call--remove the covering and to

uch it, open it, hide it or destroy it. Whatever you want. I give it to you, free of obligation or expectation." His knuckles brushed her nipple as he ensured the pendant hung between her beautiful breasts, drawing another hiss from her. "I give you my love, my time, my everything."

*

He's shattering what remains of my resistance.

Cameo reeled, Lazarus's declaration ringing in her ears. He loved her? She shook her head and backed away from him. "You'll give me everything...except a future with you. A family."

He moved with her, saying, "You are my family."

She turned away. Looking at him hurt. She wrapped her fingers around the apple. Even with a covering, she felt the heat radiating from the bones. Felt the power.

Misery screeched and scrambled to the back of her mind. Subdued? Precious silence reigned...and yet still she experienced a deluge of sadness.

Lazarus knew her, knew who and what she was, and he wanted to help her, not destroy her. He loved her, despite her many flaws. And she lo--