The Darkest Passion (Lords of the Underworld #5)(41)
Author: Gena Showalter

Confident. Aggressive. “Sorry to interrupt. I was just…in the neighborhood.” Truth. “I’m Olivia,” she said, waving. Though this demon raised her hackles as Torin had done, she didn’t scream at him to leave or run away herself. Before, she’d been injured and lost to those terrible memories. Now, her body was stronger—or as strong as a human body could be. She could handle this. “I’m with Aeron.”

Which wasn’t a lie. He was one of the reasons she’d come here. She’d just kissed him while lying in a bed and oh, her heart had yet to settle over that. She’d never seen him do that with another female.

Just like that, her mind immersed itself in what had happened. Wow. Just…wow. While his body was hard as a rock, his mouth was soft as a rose petal. His hands had moved all over her, she’d rubbed herself on his massive erection, and those big fingers had pushed inside her. The pleasure…the heat…the surprising abandon…she’d never experienced anything like it.

Now she knew. You really could die from pleasure.

He’d tasted of mint, sweet and spicy; together, they’d been the perfect aphrodisiac, overwhelming her senses. Completion had become her sole source of survival.

“You’re the angel,” the woman said with a welcoming grin, tugging her from her thoughts.

“Yes. Fallen, but yes.”

Gideon relaxed against his pillows. “Wonderful.”

“Pay no attention to him. He’s grumpy from boredom. I’m Ashlyn, by the way.” Ashlyn had golden hair, golden eyes, and looked as delicate as an iris. “Maddox’s wife.”

“Maddox, keeper of Violence,” Olivia said. A giant of a man with black hair, violet eyes identical to Aeron’s and a seemingly untamable temper. “You’ve married?”

“In our own private ceremony,” Ashlyn replied with a blush. She stood. “He’s not so bad, though, I promise.” Her hands smoothed over her rounded belly. “He’s a sweetie once you get to know him.”

Olivia couldn’t help herself. She strode forward and placed her own hands on that belly. Pregnant females had always drawn her, for she’d always known she would never bear children herself—another secret wish of hers. Angels were created, not born, so even if she’d experienced physical desire with another of her kind, she wouldn’t have conceived.

Now that she was human…perhaps there was a possibility.

With Aeron? A girl could hope. For a moment, she pictured what children of theirs would look like. They wouldn’t be born with all those tattoos, of course, and that was a shame, but they might have his beautiful violet eyes, and even his wings. Everyone should experience the joys of flight, if only once. Perhaps their children would even have Aeron’s grit and determination, driving her mad while at the same time enchanting her.

She sighed, returning her attention to the task at hand.

“They are strong, your twins,” she said, knowing mothers welcomed such news. “Fire and ice. You’ll have your hands full, keeping them out of trouble, but you’ll be happier for it.”

Ashlyn’s jaw dropped and for a long while, she simply blinked up at the taller Olivia. “T-twins? How do you know I’m having twins?”

Oh, no. She’d ruined the surprise, hadn’t she? “Sensing who grows in a woman’s womb is a gift all angels possess.”

“That…that just can’t be.” Her skin was paling by the second, even becoming tinted with green. “There’s only one being inside me. I mean, I’m progressing normally. Right?”

How much to tell her? Only enough to calm her, perhaps. “No. You’re progressing slowly. Your children are immortal and require a much longer gestation. But don’t worry. As you promised me, I now promise you. Both your son and your daughter are healthy.”

“A son? A daughter?”

Great. She’d ruined another surprise.

With a shaky hand, Ashlyn brushed a lock of honey-colored hair from her face and hooked it behind her ear. “I need to lie down. I need to call Maddox. I—I—” Her wild gaze swung to Gideon. “Would you mind terribly if—”

“Yes,” he said, grinning. “I would mind.”

She exhaled heavily. “Thank you.” As if she were lost in a trance, the pretty Ashlyn padded from the room, not sparing Olivia another glance.

“I’m sorry,” Olivia called. For more than one reason. Now she was alone with Lies. A situation in which she had never thought to find herself. Injured as he was, however, she couldn’t leave him. “Would you, uh, like me to continue the story?” she asked. Not waiting for a reply, she lifted the book Ashlyn had left behind—ohhh, a romance novel, how decadent!—and claimed the woman’s seat.

“I’d love for you to read to me,” he said. “Your voice is not…creepy.”

Meaning he wouldn’t and it was. Rejected.

She fanned the book’s pages, doing her best to hide her disappointment. “What you’re hearing is a layer of truth. There’s nothing I can do about it. Well, except lie, but that’s not something I want to do. They taste horrible. Plus, they’re too complicated. Feelings get hurt, fights erupt.”

“Yeah, I’d know nothing about that. Lies are awesome,” he said, but she knew he was agreeing with her. There was envy in his tone. “I wish…nothing. I wish nothing.”

Poor guy. He must wish for a lot of things. “So. Do you still want me to leave?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent.” Progress. “Can I read now?”

“Yes,” he said again. “I’d rather not talk.”

Oh. Still no romance novel for her, then. “About what?”

“About you. I have no desire to know why you’re here.”

“So you can help me?” she asked hopefully. From fear to need? And so quickly. Perhaps that proved the depths of her desperation to succeed.

“Sure. Why not?”

Choosing to ignore the lie—perhaps he merely thought he couldn’t help her, but would surprise himself—Olivia told him about her decision to fall, what she hoped to gain and the progress she’d made with Aeron. It was nice, having an unbiased bystander to share with. Someone who wouldn’t judge her.

“So you hate him, then?” the warrior asked, and she knew that he meant love.

Love. Did she love Aeron? “No. Yes. Maybe.” She still didn’t know. “I think about him all the time. I want to be with him, give myself to him fully. You know, sexually,” she added with a blush, in case he didn’t understand. Confident. “He said he wouldn’t have sex with me, though.”