The Darkest King (Lords of the Underworld 15)

Her new cell phone beeped just as she finished. A little eager and a lot anticipatory, she rushed to read the screen.

Master W: Does my little tuna miss me?

A second message arrived a split second later.

Master W: Duna. Stupid autocorrect.

Master W? A grin teased her lips. This man...oh, this man. Part of her did miss him.

No more mooning over kisses and sex. Start decoding. Only thirteen days until William’s protection ends and mating season starts. Her stomach churned.

Why the time limit, though? She still didn’t know.

Before she had a chance to type a reply, Pandora clapped her hands and barked, “Chop, chop.”

She tossed the phone on the bed, planning to respond later, in private, then crossed the distance to hand over the list. “Before you comment about the number of items or the expense incurred, don’t. William acquired a thoroughbred, and as you can guess, my upkeep is expensive.” She snickered at her own joke. Unicorn humor never got old.

“The lingerie is meant to seduce William, yes?” Pandora asked, glancing from the list to Sunny.

She shrugged. Actually, the lingerie was meant to torment William. She had not and would not cease making him uncomfortable, not until she became a guest rather than a prisoner.

“Well, I approve.” The dark-haired female winked and stepped backward. As the portal closed, she said, “I’ll return shortly.”

Wait. Had anyone thought to lock the stable door?

Marveling at the possibility, Sunny checked the knob. No resistance. She didn’t... She couldn’t... With a single push, the entrance swung open. Shocked stupid but grinning, she stepped beyond the threshold. Overwarm air enveloped her, but she didn’t care. If she wished, she could escape.

Her grinned widened. Another step and another. Should she or shouldn’t—

Sunny slammed into some kind of invisible barrier and bounced back. She tripped over nothing and crash-landed on her butt, air bursting from her lungs and stars flashing before her eyes.

She pounded a fist into the dirt. I will double his torment!

Huffing and puffing, she lumbered to her feet and marched forward, arms outstretched. When she reached the barrier, she hit it with magic...but it remained in place.

Disappointed, she cast her gaze over the landscape. An array of hills and valleys greeted her, with random fires raging throughout. Wind howled, ash falling like wisps of snow. There were a handful of trees, but all were spindly with huge black thorns dripping...motor oil?

Demons wandered about. Some had horns. Others had scales, wings or tails. All had weapons.

Enemy! Her violent side bowed up, ready to fight and slay superhero-style. Could the fiends enter the stable? Would they? If they were part of William’s army, she wouldn’t harm—no. Not true. Loyal to William or not, demons had to die. Evil was evil, and the fiends could not be trusted. She would set traps, not to dissuade unwanted visitors, as she’d planned before—to kill.

At the moment, the entire horde hyperfocused on... Sunny sucked in a breath. Swinging two short swords with masterful skill, William worked his way through their ranks. Golden runes branched over his muscular arms, lightning flashing just under the surface of his skin.

As he struck down one demon after another, he was absolutely, utterly vicious. Brutal. Magnificent. Such beautiful temptation. So deadly, and yet he handled me with such care.

Her body reacted as it always did in his presence. Heating and dampening, preparing for rough, vigorous sex. Then she remembered the barrier surrounding the stable.

Scowling, she called, “Don’t mind me, Willy. Pretend I’m not here, thinking about rubbing one out while I watch you.”

He spun so fast he’d have whiplash, his electric blues glittering with excitement. The distraction cost him, just as she’d hoped. He failed to track the demon sneaking up behind him, which meant he failed to brace for a blow to the back of the head.

Ouch! “That’s what you get!”

He righted quickly and—Oh. My. Wow. Massive jet-black smoke-wings exploded from his back. Her jaw went slack. The lightning under his skin spread to his wings, a storm raging within each appendage. Amazing.

Around him, demons toppled. Were they dead or unconscious? Either way, they lost their heads the moment William moved within striking distance.

“Enjoy your concussion, warden. In the coming days, it’ll be your fondest memory,” Sunny whispered, backtracking into the stable and kicking the double doors shut.

She paced, her mind whirling. In the ballroom, she’d considered him no match for unicorn strength. Now? I might have met my match.

If ever he decided to make a play for her horn... Who am I kidding? He would. Every non-unicorn who’d ever discovered her origins had coveted it.

Cold spread through Sunny’s limbs. If he did manage to steal her horn, she would lose everything. Without the horn, she had no magic. No strength. No way to shift forms. She wouldn’t be able to read auras and wouldn’t know ordinary citizens from garbage humans, mortals from immortals or truth from lie.

She would work on his book, as promised, while continuing his punishments, enjoying his shelter and provision, spending his money, and using his battlefield skill to pare down the number of collectors and poachers on her trail. Still, she needed to get that escort to Lucifer’s door. But. With this new development, she also needed to win his trust and gain possession of his book. She’d have to be careful and take measures to ensure he didn’t somehow win her trust, ruining everything. She’d never be able to torment, betray and evade someone she trusted.

In two weeks, she would use the book as collateral if necessary. Set me free or watch the precious burn.

11

“Try to stop me. Dare you.”

Wondering if Sunny still watched him, William exaggerated his movements as he stabbed and beheaded demon after demon. He wanted her to note his skill, to know he could and would protect what belonged to him. So she’d feel safe. Of course.

Black smoke rose from the bodies, absorbing into his glowing runes. Strength flooded him, plumping his muscles, doubling their size.

He fought methodically, mercilessly. For months the demons had skulked around the house—once Hades’s country estate, now William’s headquarters. They spied for Lucifer, continually painted penises on the walls, vandalized the stable and peed on any foliage that managed to grow.

I’ll kill them all.

A demon clawed William’s side; skin split, blood poured and pain flared. With a growl, he reached into the culprit’s throat. Teeth and fangs chomped on him as grabbed the male’s larynx and ripped it out, along with pieces of lung.

A faint whistle caught his attention. A sound he recognized. Someone had tossed a sword at him. With a dark oath, William ducked. The weapon flew overhead, and he threw himself back into the fray.

By the t

ime he took down his final opponent, his yard was a sea of dead bodies and body parts. The stable doors?

His gaze whipped to the right. Closed. They were closed, Sunny sealed inside. Another oath left him. He’d hoped to speak to her...and maybe perhaps he’d hoped she would fawn all over him and patch up his wounds. What? He deserved a little fawning.

At least he didn’t have to worry she’d escape and he’d lose her. The first time she and the other codebreakers had stepped through the portal, he’d tagged them all with a mystical tracker. From now on, he could find his unicorn with only a thought.

He returned to the house, stomping on corpses along the way. Under his boots, bones crunched and blood splashed. The front doors opened automatically, the home bespelled to do what he wanted, when he wanted. The scent of sulfur, brimstone and death faded, the blistering wind dying down.

Pandora was out shopping for Sunny and the other prisoners, and Green had rejoined his brothers to complete a mission to find Evelina, Lucifer’s absentee bride. She’d run away soon after the wedding, never to be heard from again.

So, William should be alone, yet someone stood in his foyer.

He ground to a halt, his bloody hands fisting. A dark-haired Sent One faced the far wall, his back to William. Had to be Zacharel, here to discuss Fox. He wore a white robe with purple trim, with golden wings tucked into his sides. Solid gold wings = one of seven Elite soldiers.

“Hello, Zacharel. To what do I owe this...pleasure?” Lies tasted foul to the Sent Ones. So, every now and then—or always—William told the male a falsehood just for grins and giggles.

Z didn’t react to William’s voice in any way. Meaning he’d known the moment William entered. Slowly he turned...

Dread punched William. An uppercut followed by a backhand of shock. A jab of wonder. A kick of elation. An elbow of foreboding. A pat of joy. A punch of sadness. Another punch. Horror. Punch. Hope. His guest wasn’t Zacharel, after all...but Axel.

“We meet at last, William of the Dark.”

Their gazes locked, every emotion sharpening. Soon William felt as if he were hemorrhaging inside. He didn’t know what to say, didn’t know what to do.