The Darkest Warrior (Lords of the Underworld 14)

Gillian watched as a bone-tired Puck and William tapped the syrup from the cuisle mo chroidhe. Finally, their hard work had paid off. And yet, she wasn't as excited about her favorite treat as before. Or rather, her second favorite treat. She'd found something sweeter and even more rare. Puck's smile.

And I thought orgasms were life-changing.

The award for Most Beautiful Man goes to...

His entire face had lit up. Eyes aglow, with little crinkles at the corners. Harsh features set in a soft expression. Mouth curved like a half-moon. Perfect white teeth on display.

When can I see it again?

Grinning, she bounded over. "You guys are my--"

A vicious bellow echoed in the distance, silencing her.

In unison, everyone reached for a weapon. With the next bellow, Puck cursed.

"Sandman," he spat.

Gillian groaned. She'd never encountered a Sandman, but she'd heard the horror stories parents told their children, cautionary tales to ensure innocent babes didn't go running around the dunes at night.

Unlike earthly legends, an Amaranthian Sandman did not go around encouraging good dreams. Made entirely of sand and magic, a Sandman buried you until you suffocated. And, because he had no organs to damage, you couldn't hurt him or even fight back.

"We'll dig a well." William pulled a shovel from thin air. "Water will weigh it down."

"No time." Puck rushed to Lil Nut Sack to unhook his pack. "Cameron and I will lead the creature away from the rest of you."

Wait. Hold up. "I have an idea," Gillian said. "We can--"

"You will protect Gillian, Panty Melter." Pointing a dagger in William's direction, Puck snarled, "Stay with her. Guard her with your life."

With a grunt of frustration, Winter tossed her arms up. "Does no one care about my safety anymore?"

"No way you get to be the hero," William said to Puck. "You stay here and guard Gillian. I'll kill the creature, and we'll move on. You can thank me later."

"Fool! You don't just kill a Sandman," Puck grated.

"You don't just let an enemy get away, either," William snapped.

"Guys," Gillian said, fighting past her annoyance. "All we need to do is blow him apart and--"

"He'll only re-form," Puck interjected.

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about this, poppet." William slammed his shovel into the ground. "We'll take care of it."

Another bellow, louder this time. As the guys continued to argue, Gillian kissed Peanut's snout. "Do not leave Puck's side, all right?" The two were friends, sort of. Puck would protect him.

No one noticed as she sprinted off. About a hundred yards ahead, insects, birds and reptiles hurried away as tree after tree fell...revealing a massive beast at least ten feet tall and five feet wide, and made entirely of sand.

Runes aglow, Gillian braced her legs apart and stretched out her arms. He paused to sniff, sniff the air before diving at her.

Boom! A blast of wind hit the Sandman directly in the chest, stopping any forward progress. Even as grains scattered and he thinned, he continued to fight, picking up dirt from the ground. And yes, Puck was right. The moment the wind ceased gusting, the Sandman could re-form. That was the reason for stage two.

Unleashing another burst of magic, Gillian caused the sky to dump a tidal wave over the beast. Whoosh, splash! Water and sand collided, dragging the Sandman down, down, until he was nothing but a pile of mud, his body too heavy to lift.

The wind died down. Gillian's arms felt as if they weighed a thousand pounds as her runes darkened. The loss of so much magic, so quickly, had drained her, and she dropped to her knees. She waited one second, two, not daring to breathe, but the Sandman remained immobile.

She'd done it, then. She'd defeated the Sandman, all on her own! Because she ruled!

As soon as she'd gathered enough strength to lumber to her feet, she fisted two handfuls of mud and returned to her friends--who were now arguing about who would make tastier bait.

"You're young, tender meat," William was saying to Puck as he continued to dig.

"I'm old and tough, chewy like leather." Puck stacked fallen limbs at an angle. To create cover for those who remained behind? "I bet you're aged to perfection. And seasoned."

Winter was building a shelter over the chimeras, muttering about how the animals better understand she planned to save them for her comfort and no other reason. Cameron was climbing a tree obsessively seeking a piece of fruit.

No one had noticed Gillian's absence.

"You guys are the worst!" She pelted Puck, then William, with the two handfuls of mud. "Not you," she told Winter. "You're wonderful. Keep being you."

Winter preened, and William sputtered. Puck blinked at her.

"The problem is taken care of." Gillian wiped her hands on her pants. "Now, if you guys are done acting like fools, we should finish collecting the syrup and get going."

*

Puck took the lead as their group navigated through treacherous twists and turns, clearings laden with more land mines, and a field of wildflowers with toxic spores. Somehow, they emerged successful every time despite his inability to pry his eyes from Gillian.

The few times he'd succeeded and looked away, he'd noticed William suffered from the same affliction, staring at her just as intently, as if trying to put together a difficult puzzle.

She'd impressed Puck today, boldly taking on the Sandman. Now...

She still impressed him.

As she rode Peanut, expertly guiding him with pressure from her knees, she lifted her chin to greet golden rays of sunlight filtering through the overhead canopy. Her spine remained ramrod straight, her shoulders pushed back, the position of a warrior ready to face any challenge.

My wife. Utterly magnificent.

Even with wrinkled clothes and her dark hair tangled, she was the most exquisite woman in all the realms. Strong. Capable. Wise.

Staring again.

Don't care.

After everything Puck had suffered in life, didn't he deserve to look his fill? To enjoy her?

To keep her?

Aye. His decision to change his goals was sound. William would remove Sin from power, saving the Connachts and even the realm itself, but Puck would not accept the crown. He would let it pass to another. A warrior deserving of its power. Puck and Gillian would rule the Shawazons together, and live forever as husband and wife.

As for the Oracles' prophecy about Gillian... Puck chose to believe she would have an unhappy ending with William.

Whatever obstacles he encountered along the way, he would destroy.

"On a scale from ten to ten, how delicious is the syrup I harvested for you?" William asked Gillian.

Little growls rumbled in Puck's chest, harmonizing with Indifference's whisper-soft snarls. "We harvested. But mostly me. I did the bulk of the work."

"You are both heroes," she said, her tone placating. "But you know what would be even more delicious than the syrup? If you two finally kissed and made up."

"Whoo-hoo. Yeah, baby." Winter shook a fist at the sky. "Kiss, kiss, kiss."

"Hard pass. Goat isn't my thing. I prefer warrior women." William reached out, as if to smooth a lock of hair from her cheek.

Puck tensed, ready to launch over the chimeras and tackle the male to the ground. Peanut beat him to the punch, swinging his head around to nip William's wrist.

"Ow!" William exclaimed.

That's my boy.

"Peanut." A grinning Gillian patted the top of the chimera's head. "Remember your manners. We ask Momma before we bite, don't we?"

The animal stuck out his tongue at William.

Rubbing the bleeding wound, the male said, "You need a bath, poppet. We'll spend the night next to the pond." He motioned to the left, and sounds of rushing water drifted to her ears. "When you're done, my magic fingers will be ready to soothe your aches and pains. A totally platonic massage, of course. Unless you beg. Or ask nicely. Or hint."

If he put his hands on Gillian, Puck would unleash hell.

"No, thanks," she said with a shake of her head. "We have a few hours until nightfall. The more ground we cover--"

"Let me stop you there, lass. We'll break here, set up camp and give the animals a rest." As much as Puck hated to admit it, he agreed with William. Gillian needed to rest. He'd caught her wincing a time or two. And really, he could use some rest, too, to solidify their bond and explain how things were going to be from now on. "If you push yourself to the point of exhaustion, I will push back."