The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld 14)

"I'll go first. Stay directly behind me. And wife? If a fight breaks out, you will run to safety. I will find you."

"I...okay. Yes."

Puck tightened his grip on his daggers before stepping through...

Bitter winds pelted him, like knives against his bare skin. He scanned, spotting ice mountains studded with trees, a gray sky peppered with black clouds heavy with rain. Practically a metaphor for his heart.

So. William's doorway was mobile. Meaning, it opened into a new realm every time someone other than its owner passed through.

Gillian gasped, her little body instantly struck by shivers. As his blood thickened, turning to sludge in his veins, he wrapped an arm around her, offering warmth.

In the distance, an animal howled. Other animals answered in kind. Wildlife. Excellent. Puck could feed his--Gillian.

Time to stop referring to her as wife. Soon, he would let her go. Nothing would change his mind.

Her teeth chattered as she said, "Oh, my, ice hell."

As an immortal, she would survive the bleak temperature. But...urgency beleaguered him. Must get her warm.

"This way." He ushered her into a nearby thicket of trees, blocking the worst of the wind, then moved toward a pile of furs--

Well. The furs came with bodies. At some point, humans had stumbled through the doorway and died. They were perfectly preserved, and at first glance, uninjured. No bloodstains.

Puck freed the smallest coat and draped the material around Gillian's shoulders. "This should help."

Clutching the lapels tight, she stared up at him, gratitude glinting in those intoxicating eyes. "Thank you."

Will not soften. He offered a stiff nod in acknowledgment.

Between breaths, whenever the mist in front of his face evaporated, he scanned the area to find the yawning mouth of a cave, hidden by sheets of falling snow. Did predators nest within?

After gathering wood and starting a fire, he urged Gillian to sit before the flames and said, "Do not move from this spot."

"Wait. You're leaving me?"

"If I shout, you run."

"But--"

Weapon at the ready, he entered the cave, ending the conversation. A spacious entryway led to a narrow hallway with twists and turns--a hallway that exited into a large room with a bubbling hot spring. Steam curled through the air, carrying the scent of--he sniffed. Cleanliness, no hint of blood or rot.

A pile of bones littered one corner, each bearing fang and claw marks. A predatory animal had made its home here, but hadn't returned in ages. No fresh blood.

Puck marched outside but avoided nearing Gillian. If he caught a whiff of poppiberries, he might not gather the will to leave her, and he had to leave her to see to her wants and needs.

"Back with thirty-three seconds to spare," she told him with a relieved smile.

That smile...

His shaft pulsated with desire, and Indifference--there! The demon scrambled through his mind, clawing and slashing, but with far less force than usual.

Where have you been, fiend?

Of course, no answer was forthcoming, only a muted snarl.

"Stay out here," Puck told Gillian. "Do not go inside the cave without me, just in case its owner comes back." If she were cornered... If the rocky walls kept him from hearing her cry for help... "I'll catch our lunch," he ended a little too harshly.

"What? No." She lumbered upright, the cold making her clumsy, and reached for him. Just before contact, she frowned at her hand, as if the cursed thing had dared to act against her will. Dropping her arms to her side, she said, "I don't want to be alone. Please. Stay here with me."

Remain unconcerned. "I'll only be a scream away."

As she stared up at him with wide eyes--gifting him with a view of all the kindling still waiting inside her, ready to catch fire and burn--he began to understand William's dilemma. How the warrior had left her behind in an attempt to better provide for her.

"A scream away," she echoed. "Wow. That is sooo comforting. Thank you very much."

"Don't worry. If you're attacked and injured, you'll heal. You're immortal now, remember? And we're bonded, your life tied to mine. If you die, I die. Do you know what that means?"

"No," she whispered.

"That I wouldn't leave you if I thought something catastrophic would happen."

His words--meant to comfort her--only antagonized her. All piss and vinegar, she said, "Is there anything else I should know? Like, am I going to grow a penis now that we're sharing a life?"

He didn't want to admire her spirit, or enjoy how she could be both soft and forceful. No, he didn't. "The only penis you'll have to deal with is mine." And the current conversation had it agonized, razing the demon further. "I'm unsure what other ramifications we'll face."

Her cheeks pinkened, and she opened her mouth to respond.

Unwilling to hear any other arguments on the subject, he left her then, heading into the thickest part of the forest.

Her curses followed him, rousing instincts he'd never before encountered, and he almost turned around. Something inside him demanded he pamper his new wi--Gillian. Demanded he do everything in his power to make her happy every minute of every day.

Foolish! "Why aren't you more upset?" he snapped at Indifference. "Where is my newest punishment?"

Snarl, snarl.

Had the bond weakened the demon? Perhaps even subdued his ability to affect Puck? Possibly. How? He wasn't sure. Could Indifference still weaken him? Maybe.

Truth was, Puck didn't want to feel right now. For the first time since his possession, he actually craved the cold nothingness offered by the ice. No desire for Gillian. No longing to ease her fears. No problem letting her go.

He threw himself into the hunt, scouring the land for tracks. There! As he followed a secluded path, he pocketed petals of every winter orchid he came across, intending to use them in the hot spring because--just because.

Finally he reached the source of the tracks. A pack of wild...something. Some kind of oversize rabbit-pig hybrid, with wiry fur and a snout.

The moment they scented him, they erupted into a chorus of screeches and rushed him, as fast as jaguars, their long, sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight.

No time to prepare. Puck dodged the first wave of attack, spun and just started slashing. His daggers cut through throats and bellies, blood spraying, viscera plopping to the ground. The second wave knocked him down, but never had a chance to bite. He fought too diligently.

His injuries would become Gillian's injuries, and the thought of her cut and bleeding...

With a roar to rival those Indifference used to unleash, Puck slashed with more force. His supernatural speed prevented the creatures from ever locking on him. One by one, they succumbed to his blades.

By the time the battle ended, he was drenched in blood and panting, dead bodies piled around him. Darkness had fallen--how long had he left Gillian alone?

He selected two creatures before hurrying back to camp, following the fragrance of poppiberries. No doubt he could be blindfolded and dropped in the middle of nowhere, and still find Gillian without difficulty.

She sat before the fire, alive and well, and relief skittered through him. Relief and awareness, both antagonizing the demon. Moonlight paid her skin glorious tribute, causing her rich brown mane to glisten like silk.

"Lunch and dinner." After dropping the bounty in front of her, he said, "Clean and cook them while I bathe."

Anger contorted her exquisite features. "You were gone forever

. And oh, yeah, I'm not cleaning and cooking those."

"You aren't hungry?" No matter. She would eat. This, he would force. Physical weakness would not be permitted.

"I'm starved, but--"

He cut her off, saying, "Then clean, cook and eat. Problem solved."

"I don't want to touch a dead animal, and I certainly don't want to eat an animal. I'm a vegetarian."

In Amaranthia, females rarely naysayed their males. Though Puck wouldn't be keeping Gillian, he wouldn't tolerate disobedience, either.

"You'll do what I command," he said, his tone pure menace. "Nothing else is acceptable."

Walking away had served him well last time, so he did it again. In the cave, warm, damp air enveloped him. Water drip, drip, dripped from the walls, growing louder the deeper he traveled.

When he reached the spring, he tossed the orchid petals into the water. His new husbandly instinct demanded he go outside, gather Gillian against him and get her settled, keep her safe. Instead, he stripped down to skin and fur and stepped into the liquid. He could use a few minutes away from his tormentor.

He dunked once, twice, rinsing off the blood. Footsteps sounded behind him, followed by a soft feminine whimper, and every muscle in his body tensed.

She'd come to him.

Ignoring a new chorus from Indifference, Puck kept his back to her, unsure what he would see on her features. Disgust? Approval? What did he want to see?

Nothing!

She stomped her foot, saying, "You are my...my husband. You'll feed me fruits and vegetables. It's your duty."

Face her. Get it over with. See.

Slowly he turned. As his gaze found Gillian, the air in his lungs evaporated and his butterfly tattoo trekked to his lower back. Indignation had flushed her cheeks, and soulful eyes beseeched him--save me from my troubles.

No! There would be no saving. From now on, he would keep her at a distance. "I may not care about much of anything, lass, but I live by certain rules. I have to. Rules keep me alive despite my affliction. Keep the people around me alive."

She licked her lips, and though he commanded himself to look away--to look anywhere else--he followed the motion of her tongue, earning more protests from Indifference.

Enough! "The rule you need to memorize?" he continued, his tone harsher. "Eat three meals a day." Lest she think he would cater to her every whim, he added, "Also, you will work or you will starve." Conflicting statements. Or maybe not. Three meals a day--three meals she would work for.