The Darkest King (Lords of the Underworld 15)

So she could stab Lucifer, putting herself at even greater risk? No again. “You won’t.” Think. He would—

Suddenly, glass shattered, a snarling Dawn busting through the window, her body flying through the air, colliding with Sunny and Lucifer. One of the hellhound’s heads chomped on Lucifer’s wrist, ripping his hand away from the unicorn. The other head chomped at the bastard’s face.

Sunny dropped, and so did Lucifer’s knife. Without pausing to catch her breath or take stock, she grabbed the weapon’s hilt and jabbed the blade into the back of his knee. Finally, he toppled.

“Look out!” William shouted, grabbing Sunny to fling her away from the danger zone. As she skidded across the floor, he reached for Dawn.

Too late.

Lucifer’s body burst into Hell flames—a natural defense mechanism. Those flames wouldn’t harm William. Because of his connection to Hades, he remained immune. But those flames would consume everyone and everything in their path, including Dawn, who whimpered as her fur scorched and flesh blistered.

Lucifer rolled back, escaping William’s slashing blade. The blaze quickly spread over the floorboards, smoke thickening the air. Then he vanished.

He had a choice. Pursue Lucifer, or save his girls?

No contest. Moving as fast as inhumanly possible, he gathered Sunny, who grabbed Dawn while sobbing, “My poor plant-babies.” Next he flashed them outside, set them on the grass, then flashed back into the stable, grabbing the book and a potted plant. He flashed back to his girls.

“My diary!” Sunny shouted.

Damn it! He flashed back to the stable. As soon as he had the diary in hand, he flashed back, regathered his girls and his belongings, then flashed to his bedroom.

30

“What’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is mine.”

Sunny tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. As usual. Just not for the usual reasons. She’d lost her home and all of her clothes. William had jeopardized his own safety to ensure her well-being and save Dawn, because Sunny had been bested by a stupid illusion.

Why hadn’t she seen the truth?

William had deposited her and Dawn in his bedroom, cleaned and patched their wounds, then taken off, saying only, “Our trip to see the boys and their prisoner has been postponed. I will hunt Lucifer. You will doctor Dawn, and check my book for damage.”

He had yet to return, but she wasn’t upset about his overnight abandonment. Not this time. How could she be? The man had saved her, Dawn, a plant and her diary. And when Lucifer had held a knife at her throat, William had radiated such rage and determination.

He’s got it bad for me, and only me!

She grinned as she walked to the desk, intending to study his book. Halfway there, her phone buzzed. Hopeful, she checked the screen and found a text from William.

The Panty Melter: Be ready in one hour. We have received permission to flash into Hades’s palace. We have a meeting with the kings of Hell. There’s a dress and undergarments in the closet. Wear the first. Consider leaving the rest behind.

She shivered and texted back: Two dates in two days??? (Go ahead and cross “the giving and accepting of space” off your list of skills, baby.)

Studying would have to wait. Sunny showered and donned the lingerie William had left for her. The bra and granny panty set with all the colors of a rainbow were too pretty to leave behind. Plus, no thong! The dress looked like something a sexy Little Bo Peep would wear. A pink fit-and-flare to match her hair, with white lace on the shoulders, a bow between her breasts and ruffles that ended above her knees. The shoes resembled ballet slippers, with pink ribbons interwoven up her calves.

She curled her hair, pinned back the sides and applied a light layer of makeup to complete the look. The end result? Adorable. But she looked twenty-years-old—if that—and so weak she’d be snapped in half by a halfway decent wind. No doubt William’s intention. She’d begun to understand how his mind worked. The man considered everything a weapon. The weaker she appeared, the more the kings would underestimate her.

Their mistake! Sunny found a piece of plain paper and a clear glass from the minibar. A glass she filled with water to the halfway mark. She made a pallet on the floor, directly beneath the window, where sunshine streamed inside the room, golden and cheery. She laid the paper on the floor, in the middle of the brightest beam, then set the glass of water on the bottom edge. Just like that, a rainbow appeared on the paper.

A trick she’d learned as a child, the refraction of light providing a much-needed boost of energy.

Next, she made a pallet on the floor, near the rainbow, and carried William’s book there. I will resist any urges to harm my man.

I will.

Could she resist, though? She’d have to. She couldn’t not study the book and doom William. Things were just getting good between them.

Better to be free than trapped, as she knew firsthand. So, she must, must, must keep plowing ahead.

Very well. As she settled into place, she had a perfect view of William’s bedroom. Or inner sanctum. A spacious master suite with more of Anya’s portraits hanging on the walls, mirrors on the ceiling, a video arcade in the corner, a freaking waterbed and a vending machine of booze. Gold star! She loved it all, even the bookshelves lined with more of the skulls in his collection, with little plaques to describe the former owners.

The stepfather. Repeatedly raped his young stepdaughter. Pissed himself during his vivisection.

Soon, they would add Lucifer’s skull to the mix.

Focus. But, the more she studied the book, the more dizziness plagued her, screwing with her vision. On the plus side, symbols changed to words faster than usual. This time, she didn’t try to make sense out of what she was reading; she simply wrote down every word, hoping that would keep the whispers at bay.

Kill him.

No, no, no! Sweat beaded on her brow as she fought, fought so hard. But the urge to obey proved treacherous.

The door opened and closed with a loud snick, startling her. William strode into the bedroom, wearing a black T-shirt and leathers. As gorgeous as ever.

Energy poured off him, seeming to crackle in the air, and she began to calm. He took one look at her and did a double take. “Your hair.”

Kill him. KILL HIM. Now!

Nope. Not calm. Sunny tensed. Must fight this! Yes, yes. She plugged her claws into the floorboard, anchoring herself down, and breathed deeply. At some point, the dizziness did ease, along with the urge to kill him. The whispers did quiet.

Then his words registered, and she frowned. “What’s wrong with my hair?”

“It changed again.” Satisfaction oozed from him as he closed the distance and knelt beside her. He looked over her setup and nodded, impressed. “A makeshift rainbow.”

“I wanted to be strong for our meeting with Hades.”

“You look like...” He pinched a lock of her hair between his fingers, and she saw the strands were a pretty silver-white. Next rainbow, she bet the tresses turned black. Her favorite. “Sex. I like it.”

His million-dollars-an-hour lips lifted in a slow, devastating smile. A savage punch of lust nailed her, her limbs trembling, her heart racing. In seconds, her panties got soaked.

“Wh-what color are my eyes?” she asked.

“Purple.” Ghosting his knuckles along her jawline, he said, “You are well, sundae?”

“I am.” She leaned into his touch before motioning to her diary. “You’re about to be super happy. I decoded so much more of your book and wrote the passages in mine.”

He picked up the diary, perused the pages and paled. Horror radiated from him.

But, but...why horror? “I know the new paragraphs are ramblings about how foolish you were to dismiss Lilith, but progress is progress, right?” she rushed out.

“You don’t know what you wro

te, do you?” he asked gently. He picked up his book next, straightened and walked to his dresser, where he locked both tomes in a drawer. What didn’t he want her to see? “Ready to go, sugar tush? Or would you rather have an orgasm or two before we leave?”

She glanced at the locked dresser drawer and decided to break in as soon as they returned, then settled her gaze on the bed. Her stomach fluttered. Unfortunately, she suspected a couple of orgasms would only make her horniness worse. Kind of like an appetizer. She needed the full meal, but she couldn’t shake the fear that the desire to kill him would strengthen exponentially after sex, because their feelings for each other would strengthen.

“Never mind,” he said before she could decide on an answer. “We’ll go.”

Wait. What? She opened her mouth to ask, but he was frowning, no, scowling, his attention riveted on the bed, too. A shadow passed through his electric blues. He said, “We leave now.”

Okay. What had just happened? What was she missing? “Am I going as eye candy or guard duty?”

“Eye candy slash moral support slash lie detector. If anyone tells a falsehood, you are to use your favorite safe word—penis. And, sugar tush? I need you to trust me a little more, trust that I will not put you in danger and release me from my promise not to mention the medallion.”

Ugh. Shockingly enough, she did trust him, so she nodded. In return, he gifted her with a blindingly bright smile, the perfect reward for her sacrifice.

* * *