The Darkest King (Lords of the Underworld 15)

Sunny shook her head. “I’ve got her.”

“Her name is Aurora,” he said, his voice cracking.

“Aurora.” Tears spilling over, Sunny carried the precious bundle to the stable and laid her on the bed, then stretched out beside her. So the sheets would get bloody. So what. “C-can you heal her, William? Please! I’ll pay any price. Heal her, and you don’t even have to move in!”

“I’m sorry, sundae,” he croaked, “but there’s no magic strong enough.”

A sob bubbled up, but she swallowed it back. To the dog, she whispered, “You are not alone, baby girl. I’m here, and I’m staying by your side. May you have the sweetest dreams, my darling.” Then, she waved her hand over Aurora’s face, using magic to put the dog into a deep sleep. That way, when her organs failed, she would simply drift off forever, pain-free.

To his credit, William stayed by her side, too. And the other dog, Dawn, watched from a corner, her red eyes projecting misery and fear. Together, their trio cooed to the sleeping Aurora until her little heart stopped.

Sunny’s tears fell in earnest then. Still, she and William remained in place. She hadn’t known the dog, but one look, and she’d fallen in love. That was her way with all animals, and the reason she would be a vegetarian for the rest of eternity.

“Who is responsible for this?” she demanded softly.

“Who else?”

“Lucifer.” She spat his name like the vile curse it was.

William reached out and linked his fingers with Sunny’s. “He will pay. I swear it.”

Trembling now, she glided her free hand through the hound’s biggest wound, collecting blood on her fingertips—blood she smeared under her eyes. “The demons outside belong to your ex-brother?”

William sat up, nodded.

“Then they die. Today. By my hand.” William had never seen her fight. He didn’t know her skill level. If he attempted to stop her—

“Very well,” he said, releasing her. He stood. “We will do this together.”

Though surprised, she marched to the door. Centuries had passed since she’d gone to battle with a partner. How would they work together?

William flashed to her side. “Are you s—”

“Do not ask me if I’m sure I want to do this. I’m sure. I’m ready.”

He nodded, as if impressed, then kicked open the door. Sunlight flooded into the stable and—

“Daisy!”

The demons were gone. Not a single creature dotted the landscape.

Unable to contain her rage, she screeched, turned and punched the wall. Her knuckles broke, and her skin split, but the pain barely registered.

William ushered her into the bathroom, where he tended to her wounds gently, tenderly. To her shock, he kissed the bandage when he finished.

Without saying a word, he gathered Aurora and carried the slain hellhound outside. During his absence, Sunny changed the sheets, showered off the blood and petted Dawn, fighting to shed a heavy weight of sadness.

William returned. Alone. Dirt streaked his face and caked his hands. He’d buried her, hadn’t he?

What a sweet thing to do. Sunny sniff-sniffed and plopped into the chair at the desk.

He flashed in front of her, crouched down and clasped her chin, tilting her head up. Their eyes met, and a frisson of heat whisked through her. He looked so earnest.

“I’ve decided to take you to the book, sundae.”

His words registered, and her eyes widened. “Really? You aren’t afraid I’ll destroy your precious to punish you?”

“Part of me is, but I’m desperate enough to trust you. Don’t make me regret it, sundae.”

“I won’t,” she whispered, and daisy, she meant it. If he stayed sweet like this, she’d never be able to use his book against him, would she?

“Do not leave the stable,” he called to Dawn. He opened a portal and, after a slight hesitation, escorted Sunny into a small windowless room with white walls, an old wooden table and a plush recliner.

In the center of the table rested a display case with a leather-bound tome tucked inside.

The hound did not stay put. She followed them into the room. William scowled at her, and Sunny grinned.

“Are you sure you’re irresistible to women?” she teased. “We continue to defy you.”

The look he gave her...scorching hot, dark and sardonic. “Laugh it up, chuckles. One day soon, I’ll have you screaming my name to the rafters.”

She gulped. Embers of lust sparked and caught fire, a fever spreading through her body.

Hoping to cool down, she drew in a deep breath. Wait. Another deep breath. Huh. The air contained zero odors; she couldn’t even smell William’s ambrosial scent. A true travesty.

“What is this place?” she asked. Dawn explored, sniffing here and there, clearly annoyed by the lack, too.

“A pocket dimension in Hell I created with my magic. Scents are filtered out, preventing others from tracking the book. My friend Anya likes to joke about...”

Sunny tried to listen, she really did—magic, scents, Anya, joke—but the room reminded her of the unicorn punishment pit. Small and isolated, with no way out. Horrible memories rose from the mire of her mind. The loneliness. The screams. The taste and feel of blood-soaked mud.

Calm. Steady.

“What is this? Panic?” William asked, confused. Again, he pinched her chin and angled her head, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Why?”

Don’t do it. Don’t tell him. Never reveal a vulnerability.

Except, that was how single Sunny thought. If she wanted William, and she did, she had to let herself be vulnerable with him.

Isn’t the relationship fake?

Yes. No. Argh! She didn’t know anymore. If she’d never detected his deep, abiding sadness, if he’d never been so kind to the dog...but he had, and now, here they were. “It’s not panic,” she told him. “It’s unease.”

“The woman who planned to combat a legion of demons fears...a room?”

“Have you ever been buried alive, William?” Her voice cracked. “I have. It was the unicorn king’s favorite punishment. When Lucifer and his demons invaded our camp, I couldn’t fight them because I was trapped in a dark, damp hole.” Her chin trembled. “They slaughtered everyone as I listened, helpless. The screams...so many screams. Blood poured into the pit in rivers of crimson while demons laughed. Then there was silence, and it was so much worse.”

He cupped her nape and pulled her close, then settled his palm on her lower back. “I’m sorry, sundae.”

Smashed up against him like this, she only wanted to burrow. With her face resting in the hollow of his neck, she sank her fingers into his silken hair, absorbing his heat.

This. So many people craved a significant other, and now she knew why. The right person comforted you, accepted you and built you up, never tearing you down.

But. William hated clingers, and Sunny hated being one. She pried her fingers free, straightened and stepped back, severing contact. Regret hit her in an instant. No heat. No comfort. Only cold and loneliness, exactly what she’d had pre-William.

Maybe clinging wasn’t so bad.

With yearning in his eyes, he advanced on her, forcing her back into his embrace. A gentle embrace, despite his ferocity.

Marveling, she peered up at him. He clings to me? Who was this man?

He finger-combed her hair before grazing his knuckles along her jawline, every touch a revelation of tenderness, as if he...cherished her. “Why were you punished, sundae?”

For the first time, she had no voice in her head telling her to keep her past to herself. Maybe because William wasn’t her captor right now; he was her friend. “I wanted to divorce Blaze, but he refused, even though he wanted to be with someone else and we were miserable together.” She tried for a casual tone, b

ut pain seeped into her words. “I made a public scene, hoping to change his mind, but I only managed to injure his pride and infuriate his father, the king.”

William tensed, but he also kissed her temple. “I’m sorry.”