The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld 14)

Her heart fluttered as she accepted the glittering band. Or tried to. He brushed her hand away and slid the metal over her finger. Perfect fit.

"Pure Amaranthian gold," he told her.

Translation: priceless. Rainbow shards glinted inside pale amber hues. "Thank you." She knew William's comment about "suffering" had spurred the gift, but she cherished it anyway. A mark of Puck's possession, meant to warn other males away.

"But I have nothing for you," she said.

"Need nothing, want nothing."

How sad, but also inaccurate. "You want your brother's crown so badly you bonded to a stranger and bargained with a devil."

"My crown," he interjected. "Only mine."

"Right." She offered him a berry. After he declined, she said, "So what did he do, exactly, to earn his coming doom? I know he betrayed you, gave you the demon, blah, blah, blah, but there has to be more. And you have to tell me, since you've had your fingers inside me and all."

Gaze suddenly blazing, he rubbed a hand down his swollen length. She watched, fascinated. Then he realized he was practically masturbating before her eyes--yes, yes, continue--he stopped and fisted the pallet beneath him.

She swallowed a groan of disappointment.

"Do not worry. I'll have my fingers inside you again, lass. Soon. Along with other parts of me. But not here, not now. Your pleasure is mine to enjoy. Mine alone. Especially for our first time. Especially for your first time."

Feminine instincts sang. He was just so carnally masculine. "But I've been--"

"No, you haven't," he said with a shake of his head.

Darling man. Beautiful beast.

"As for the prophecy, the Oracles predicted one brother would kill the other and unite the clans with a loving queen at his side. Both Sin and I vowed we would never marry. Instead, we would rule side by side with equal control. I don't know when he began to plot against me, only know your friend Keeleycael gave him a trinket box that contained Indifference."

"But why?"

"According to Hades, she took steps to ensure William's survival."

Puzzle pieces clicked into place, one after the other, leaving Gillian dizzy with suspicions. If Puck hadn't become possessed, he never would have needed William. Or Gillian. Most likely Keeley never would have given Gillian a potion to make her immortal, and her marriage would have been a nonstarter. She never would have ventured into Amaranthia or learned to use magic. Or faced her fears and lived her dream.

I would have missed out on all the good things in life.

But, uh, Puck might not understand if she said, "I guess I owe your brother a debt of gratitude."

She ate another berry, using the time to think about her next words. "Before Sin's betrayal, you loved him?"

"More than I've ever loved anyone. Including myself," he said. And it was odd, hearing such heartfelt words spoken without a hint of emotion. "Now, as much as I want to protect my people and realm from him, I want to watch him suffer."

Thoughtful, she tapped a finger against her chin. "If marrying a loving woman is all Sin needs to do to kick-start the prophecy and ensure you're the brother who dies, why hasn't he married the princess yet? Unless she doesn't love him?" That was certainly the problem in Puck and Gillian's case, wasn't it? "You'd think he'd be extra motivated since you've already married."

"I have a wife, but not a loving one," he said, giving voice to her thought. "And we do not kick-start a prophecy. They kick-start us."

"You sure about that? You never would have acted against Sin if he hadn't first acted against you."

"He never would have acted against me if he hadn't known the fate awaiting us."

Maybe, maybe not. "If you hadn't guessed, I'm not the biggest supporter of fated things."

"I don't believe fate plays a part in everything, only certain things."

"Certain things...like marriage and death?"

"No. Because relationship mistakes are made all the time. Some deaths are premature." He frowned. "Tell me. Which do you consider more powerful--love or hate?"

"Love, absolutely. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"I believe fate works us toward love, always, but people do not always cooperate. Free will. Hate. Evil. Whatever the reason. But I am willing to fight for the desired end, which is why I believe fate will ultimately have her way in Amaranthia. William will dethrone Sin at my behest, and free you. I will find my loving queen, murder my brother and unite the clans, saving everything I once loved."

Good point. Perhaps Gillian needed to remain married to Puck to save the Shawazons. "You could divorce me in order to meet the requirements of your vow to William...then remarry me. I could help you with your goals."

"You do not meet the only requirement, remember?" He scowled, bared his straight white teeth and moved his grip to his knees, his claws digging in deep enough to draw blood. To stop himself from reaching for her? "You do not love me. You might even despise me once our bond is severed."

But what if she did fall in love with him? It wasn't impossible.

She twirled the band on her finger, not yet used to its weight. Could Puck ever love her back? Would he despise her the moment the bond was severed? Could she really help him unite the clans after she'd caused so much turmoil?

And what if the prophecy about his life came true, unfolding exactly as predicted? Gillian would be forced to take a much harder look at her prophecy. Kill her man's dreams...no happy ending...

Was that the fate she wanted for Puck?

"Do you want me to fall in love with you?" she finally asked, her tone soft, almost pleading.

"I want...no," he said. Growled, really. He shook his head, adamant. "I do not want you to love me."

He so totally meant those words. In his dark eyes, the pinpricks of light glowed with intractable resolve. And she wasn't upset. Nope. Not even a little. Love would only complicate their arrangement.

Get Off, and Get Out--Hump and Dump.

"Good," she said, all bravado. "Because this queen doesn't want to be saddled with a bossy, unfeeling king."

No reaction from him.

Even better! She cleared her throat and returned to their original subject. "So why didn't Sin kill you when he had the chance? Why go to all the trouble of infecting you with Indifference and letting you walk away? Unless he loved you, too, and hoped to find a way to beat the prophecy and keep you both alive."

"He chose the wrong way."

True.

Leaning against the tree behind him, Puck crossed his arms over his chest. "Yesterday you said you...find me attractive. Beautiful, even. You do not mind the horns and hooves?"

If he didn't want her love--why doesn't he want my love?--why did her opinion matter?

If she asked, he might walk away in a huff. So, she decided to go a different route, and motioned to the horns with a tilt of her chin. "May I?"

Eyes widening, he scrambled to his knees and bowed his head.

Little quakes sped through her limbs as she drew near

er to him, rose to her knees, as well, and traced a fingertip from tip to base along one of the spikes. Warm, and as hard as titanium. Layers of ivory overlapped, forming multiple rings. Ivory, or whatever the protrusion happened to be made of.

At first contact, he stiffened. Then he moaned.

Gillian went statue-still. "Did I hurt you?"

"No! Don't stop. Please."

In this, he begs? His desperation called to hers, and she wrapped a hand around the base of each horn and squeezed.

He sucked in a breath, as if she'd just squeezed a different appendage. "I've never liked these horns. Right now, I'm unsure I'll ever be able to part with them."

Blood, heating. "No one has ever touched them?"

"I'm unsure. I never cared to say yes or no, or to remember."

Simmering. Her belly quavered, and an ache ignited in her breasts, culminating in puckering nipples...nipples currently at eye level with Puck.

The ache quickly spread to the apex of her thighs.

Boiling now, about to reach a point of no return.

Gillian released him and returned to her perch. He lifted his head slowly, his midnight-sky eyes aglow with all those stars, almost as if runes ran through his irises as well as his hands. The air between them crackled with awareness, heat and aggression.

Can't have him. Not here, not now. Distraction! "What were you like before your possession?" she managed to rasp.

"Why does it matter?" He eased down. "I'm not that man anymore."

"Humor me, then."

He hiked his shoulders in a shrug but said, "I was known as the Undefeated. If I entered a war, I won it. Always." A tinge of pride layered his words. "Sin would plan the battles, and I would fight them."

Victory mattered to him, even now. The fact that Sin had betrayed him--defeated him--must make his hatred for the man so much worse.

Congratulations, lass. You've defeated me.

Would he come to resent Gillian, too?

"I was born with the ability to shapeshift into anyone at any time, no magic needed," he continued. "I didn't have a stable, but I ensured the woman in my bed was well-satisfied."

"Bragging now? No need. Baby, I have firsthand experience with your sensual prowess, remember?"

26

Puck staggered, nearly undone. Gillian had handled his horns. For the second time in two days, he'd nearly come in his pants like a wee lad. Now she spoke of his "sensual prowess" as if she would die without learning more.

Anticipation frothed through him, and he thought, I will do anything--even walk away from Amaranthia forever--to know the feel of her soft hands on my horns again, to hear her pleasure-rich voice cry my name as she comes.