The Darkest King (Lords of the Underworld 15)

Yes, Willy. Why? Every muscle clenched, he croaked, “She works for me. She’s my codebreaker. I protect her from my enemies.” I crave her. And it’s only getting worse.

He’d decided to maintain his distance until she finished decoding the book. But...he was still falling for her, wasn’t he? Still missing her the way he’d miss a limb.

“Tell me about the time before you met Hades,” Axel said.

No part of William wished to share details about the cannibals. Relive the worst days...weeks...years of his life? No, thanks. But he craved a relationship with this man, and sharing significant events from his past might be the only way to bond.

Before he could respond, a commotion in front of the palace kicked up; they went quiet. William peered through a pair of binoculars, magic allowing him to see past a thick cloud of smoke emitted by the array of firepits.

Spotting the reason for the commotion, he belted out a dark obscenity. “I can’t be seeing what I think I’m seeing.”

Axel had a pair of mystically enhanced binoculars, too. He placed them at his eyes and snickered.

Sunny, Pandora and Anya had entered the yard at top speed, slashing and hacking through demons. Severed limbs plopped to the ground. Blood spurted.

“Your Sunny decided to show off for you?” Axel asked with a laugh.

“She doesn’t know I’m here,” he grated, keeping the binoculars trained on her. His heart raced. He’d known she enjoyed fighting demons, but he’d never seen her wage war.

Despite fear for her safety, his chest puffed with pride. The woman had skill, boundless grace and lethal precision. She was an angel of death, wielding a spear, toppling demons three by three. Magnificent. Of course, he hardened at the sight of her.

Not just hardened. Burned. For the first time in centuries, William felt truly demonic. Watching his female lay waste to the enemy, his every savage instinct clambered for attention.

Sunny’s companions paused to cheer her on, and a glorious smile lit her face. Killing demons, having fun.

“What is she?” Axel asked, sounding awed.

What else? “My greatest torment.”

26

“I want what I want when I want it. Give it to me.”

Missed this so much. Sunny used her spear to stab, jab and kabab every soldier in her path, leaving a trail of destruction in her wake. She laughed. Cleaning up Hell, one rapist, murderer and abuser at a time.

Since meeting William, she’d put her hobby on hold. And what had she gotten for her sacrifice? A domineering male who thought he could order her to stay put and stand down. A foolish male who held her captive.

A confusing male she’d wanted to kill only hours ago.

A POS male who let her worry about his whereabouts.

From now on, there would be no more tormenting him. No more bantering. No more make-out sessions.

Scalding demon blood poured down her arms and splattered her face, whisking her back to the present. A terrible odor saturated the air, a mix of sulfur, blood and char. There was no sun here, only blazing firepits and crackling torches.

Demons converged from all directions, accompanied by a cacophony of pain and anguish. Such lovely music. Her favorite battle soundtrack. They get what they deserve.

“I am judge. I am jury. I am executioner!” Pandora cried, brandishing two short swords.

“I am pretty, oh-so-pretty,” Anya sang as she felled two demons, stabbing one in the eye and the other in the belly.

Both women fought with masterful skill. The more opponents they killed, the brighter their smiles.

Adrenaline imbued Sunny with extra strength and incredible speed, her stamina unmatched. If ever William saw her like this, he would be so impressed, and sorry he’d pushed her away.

How could he temporarily activate the curse, then treat Sunny like garbage? Unless he hadn’t activated the curse at all. Maybe William hadn’t been able to fall in love until a codebreaker came along and broke through the magical barrier?

She sucked in a breath. Had she inadvertently aided Lilith?

Was William out in the world, falling in love with some nameless, faceless woman right now?

Ridiculous! You didn’t. He isn’t. Now, no more thinking about him.

Claws raked her side, and she hissed. She’d let herself get distracted, and it had cost her, burning pain shooting down her legs. She nearly toppled, only an iron will keeping her upright.

Twirling the spear, she slammed the end into the offender’s sternum, shattering the bone, then she faced her next challenger. Or tried to. Her body refused to obey.

Daisy! The demon must have injected her with some kind of toxin. Her internal thermostat jacked up. Sweat beaded on her brow and upper lip, and trickled between her shoulders. Her limbs trembled. She swayed. Weakening?

Had she gone soft in her captivity and lost her touch? She might need to retreat and regroup.

A whirlwind of motion, Anya decapitated the demon responsible for Sunny’s injury. Pandora went low...lower...slicking her swords across his Achilles tendon.

Wheezing, dizzy, Sunny drew on a reservoir of strength and magic to force her body back into motion. She lifted the spear just in time, blocking a demon who hoped to use her neck as a snack pack.

The action brought a fresh wave of pain. Ignore! She had a mission—keep these bastards off her yard!—and she would complete it. Today.

This might be a hobby, but it was a beloved one. She gritted her teeth and jabbed a demon through the eye. Slice, straight across his neck. Rip, from navel to nose. Next!

A demon wrapped the end of his spiked tail around her calf and yanked, dragging her leg out from under her, breaking the bone in the process. Excruciating pain. Stars flashing before her eyes.

Other demons rushed over, surrounding her in seconds and quickly closing in... More claws raked her. Fangs and daggers, too. Hurting, Sunny rolled to her side. Though she poured blood into the char-laced ground at an alarming rate, she bucked and she kicked, doing as much harm to the demons as they did to her. The unicorn motto? Battle in public, hurt in private.

Vision darkening...

Pandora and Anya cut a swath through the growing crowd and made their way over. One claimed the spot at Sunny’s left while the other claimed the spot at her right, the two working together to protect her from further attack. Forget being prefriends. The girls moved up the ranks. Genuine friends, baby!

For some reason, the demons began dropping and writhing before the girls delivered the next strike. What was—ahhh. In the distance, William descended from the midnight sky, ginormous wings of smoke gliding up and down, blowing dark tendrils across the battleground. Lightning flashed beneath the surface of his skin, forking over his eye sockets, his cheekbones, down his neck and arms. Shirtless, his muscle-cut strength and tattoos were on mouthwatering display. Rips in his black leathers revealed bone-deep gashes. Mud and other things caked his combat boots.

Eyes glittering with menace, expression raw and brutal, he was the incarnation of war, the epitome of sex and the king of violence, savagery and carnality. A single glance threatened to ruin her for life. No other man could ever compare.

Sunny lumbered to her feet, or tried to. Come on, come on. She drew on her magic... Yes! Success. But right away, dizziness attempted to knock her down again. She breathed through it, in and out, in and out, and remained on her feet.

The demons continued to collapse.

“We’ve got this, Willy. Go before—” The smoke rising from his wings reached Pandora, and she dropped, as well. Only, she didn’t writhe in pain.

“William, don’t you dare—” Anya dropped.

The wing-smoke must be laced with a drug. Would it affect Sunny the same way? Surely not.

Movement to her left. She turned her head. Axel glided across the battleground, gripping a sword

of fire. Every time he came upon an unconscious demon, he swung, removing the head.

So...obviously William hadn’t been out there man-whoring around, as she’d originally suspected. He’d intended to spend the night getting to know his brother. But why not just tell her? Why leave her in suspense? Unless he’d wanted her to worry, which sucked on a whole new level.

Or maybe he’d feared he was falling in love with her, and she would try to kill him, so he’d hoped to put a little emotional distance between them? That, she would totally understand. Hadn’t she begun to do the same?

Heart fluttering, she met William’s narrowed gaze, and daisy! Awareness buzzed along her nerve endings, making her want to touch...kiss...freesia.