The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld 14)

Magic he could use against her?

Gillian pondered her options. She could try to run--again--but how could she hope to evade him? She had no idea where she was, or what dangers awaited her. Or how many other warriors wielded magic. She could stay with Puck and bide her time, but the clock had officially started. Hours or days for William now equaled one hundred years for her.

Her friend was lost to her forever, wasn't he, despite what Puck had claimed?

Tears spilled from her eyes, leaving hot tracks as they streamed down her cheeks. "If you're gone for even a few days, hundreds of years could pass for me. I'll change, but you won't. William won't," she croaked. Time always left some sort of mark. "He might not want me anymore." Who was she kidding? He didn't want her now. He'd washed his hands of her.

The muscles in Puck's hand clenched and unclenched. "Changed or not, he'll want you. No man can look at you and not want you."

"You don't. You plan to happily, eagerly let me go." Am I complaining?

"I will let you go, aye. One day, I'll even remarry. My father announced my betrothal to Princess Alannah of Daingean the same day my brother betrayed me. I'll claim her and open a stable."

Breath wheezed through her nose. "What if she's already married by then? And what's a stable?"

"I'll murder her husband." His tone remained casual, unconcerned. "You would call a stable a harem."

No, she would call it a nightmare. This is the man I pledged my eternity to? "I'm sure the two of you and your harem will live happily-ever-after," she snapped.

Two men sprang up from hiding places in the sand, and Gillian reared back, startled. Puck had no reaction whatsoever. Of course.

As daggers glinted in the hands of each assailant, fear crept up her spine. "Run!"

Silent, Puck yanked her to his side.

With a war cry, the men rushed forward. To Puck's credit, he didn't throw her in their path to slow them down. Instead, he shoved her to the ground and spun, his long hair flinging out, razor blades cutting through the eyes of their would-be attackers. As the pair screamed, he unsheathed a dagger and slit their throats.

Both men collapsed in front of her, blood pouring from gaping wounds. A strange black mist rose from the bodies and enveloped Puck. He closed his eyes, inhaling sharply, and the mist disappeared--inside him.

Horrified, Gillian watched as he casually cleaned his razor blades on a dead man's shirt.

What have I done?

14

Another goal met. Puck had found William, bonded to Gillian, and now had her tucked inside Amaranthia.

Next up? Bargaining with William, warring with Sin. William. War. Divorce. So close.

Then his goals would shift again. Remarry. Murder. Unite.

Puck should celebrate, but he was too busy fighting Gillian's magnetic appeal, calling on centuries of emotional disconnect to keep from pouncing. Why had he insisted she continue to try to make him feel? Foolish!

Indifference kicked up a fuss, only to go quiet between one heartbeat and the next.

Gillian groaned and rubbed her temples. "Ugh! The roaring is back."

He jolted. "Roaring?"

"After we bonded, I heard an animal-like roar in the back of my mind. Then it stopped, but now it's back. I don't know why."

"I do," he grated. So that's what had happened. Indifference now moved between them. Like an unwanted child shuffled between divorced parents. I'll take Diff on Christmas, if you'll take him on New Year's.

The fiend must be weakened, though, because he'd had plenty of opportunities to impair both Puck and Gillian, but hadn't. Between them, they'd experienced guilt, envy, sadness, hope. Desire. So much desire. Fury.

Oh, had Gillian indulged in fury. She'd come alive. A warrior ready to be trained for battle. Savagely fearless.

Puck had seen potential...and had only wanted her more.

Whenever he'd scented poppiberries--a fragrance innate to her--he'd wanted to taste her. Whenever she'd spoken, he'd longed to whisk her away and keep her forever.

Can't keep her. Must let her go.

But right now, she's mine.

No, no. Enough of that. Better to maintain as much distance as possible, before she burrowed any deeper under his skin. And she had burrowed under his skin.

But through it all, he'd remained strong and fierce, never weakening.

He wondered if he'd shared his hidden emotions with Gillian, too. He felt more in control of everything but desire, and her moods kept shifting...

Maybe, maybe not. But either way, her dislike of him was all her own.

He could win her over. And what if he could keep her? What had the Oracles said about William, exactly?

Wed the girl who belongs to William of the Dark...she is the key...

Bring your wife to our lands and lead the dark one here after. Only the male who will live or die for the girl has the power to dethrone Sin the Demented.

Only then shall you have all you desire.

But do not forget Ananke's shears, for they are necessary...

There's no other way.

Puck wouldn't live or die for her. My kingdom for my wife? No! But William wouldn't live or die for her, either; he would have let morte ad vitam kill her. And in the end, he had let her go without a fight. But Puck's actions had most likely caused a change...right? By now, William had to understand the treasure he'd lost. He would live or die for Gillian. He would fight for her.

Puck's hands curled into fists. If William happened to be slain immediately after Sin lost the Connacht crown, well, Puck could have his clan, his realm, and keep the woman...and launch all of Amaranthia into a war with Hades. And the Red Queen. And the Lords of the Underworld. And Gillian herself. She would never forgive him.

"Well?" she asked, and he realized he'd gotten lost in his head. "Why am I hearing roars?"

The truth would frighten her. But shouldn't he warn her?

"Indifference has invaded your mind," he said.

"Indifference...the demon?"

He nodded in confirmation, and she went rigid.

"There's a demon inside me?" she gasped out.

"He's still tied to me, but he's using our bond to hide inside you."

"Get him out! Get him out right now."

&n

bsp; He tried, he did, willing the fiend to return but...nothing happened.

Gillian tugged at her hair. "He's not leaving!"

"I don't think you'll weaken with emotion, as I do. Or did," Puck said. "I think our bond weakened him."

Ashen, she wrapped her arms around her middle. "Before our bond, you weakened when you felt emotion?"

"Yes." Something he'd never admitted to another, not even his friends, after they'd witnessed an episode. The information could have been used against him. "That's why I stayed away from you so many days after our first meeting. I didn't have the strength to return."

The panic leached from her, leaving her lax. "That's awful. I'm so sorry, Puck."

Sympathy? For him? "Enough talk." What was done was done, and he would not feel guilty. Nope, he wouldn't. "Come." Determined, he pulled her upright and, maintaining hold of her hand, kicked into motion. "The longer I'm here, the longer you'll be parted from William." The words lashed from him, more vehement than a whip.

"You've placed too much importance on my relationship with him. He has hundreds of lovers. Maybe thousands. I'm just a friend. Or rather, I was."

"Friends are better than lovers. His desperation to save you from my sinister clutches will only increase. He'll happily bargain for your freedom."

"Okay. Let's say you're right, and I'm special," she said. "Do you really think he'll help you after everything you've done?"

"Yes. Because to him--" to me? "--your safety means more than your pride."

"Just...let me go." She sounded deadened now. "This isn't going to end well for you."

Puck stopped, turned and locked gazes with her, only to have his thoughts derail.

Breathtaking. Stunning. Exquisite.

Tantalizing. Titillating.

Mine.

Never mine.

She wore her immortality well.

Earlier, he'd stolen clean clothes for her. As wind gusted, a gauzy white dress clung to one side of her curvaceous body. Around her delicate face danced long locks of hair; as beams of sunlight caressed her, the strands gleamed with different shades of brown: maple, umber and cinnamon.

One touch, and he would--

Must focus. "William might be able to best Sin, but your male will never best me. I am second to none." Puck leaned down, letting the tip of his nose brush against hers. "Perhaps you think little of my worst because, so far, you've only seen my best. Would you like a taste of the terrible things I can do?"