The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3)(30)
Author: Gena Showalter

Lucien closed his eyes and shook his head, as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

"I’m thinking masked ball with a creatures of the night theme."

Anya changed directions faster than Danika could keep up, but Ashlyn took everything in stride. "No party. Not with the box and the artifacts and Hunters and God knows what else hanging over our heads. Danika, you call me if you need anything, okay? Anything at all." With that, she dragged a protesting Anya from the room.

Such sweet women. Smart, too. So what were they doing with these warriors? What am I doing with these warriors? Danika sighed. What artifacts had Ashlyn meant? "I’m ready," she said, bringing everyone back to Topic One. "Where’s Aeron?"

Reyes and Lucien shared a dark look.

"What?" she demanded.

Reyes faced her again, his expression blank. "Here," he said. "Aeron is here, in the fortress."

Anticipation rushed through her with dizzying speed. "Take me to him." She had to know. For better or worse, she had to know. "Right now. Please. I want to see him."

"He is chained, but you cannot go near him. In his case, chained does not mean helpless. Promise me you will remain at a distance."

At the moment, she would have promised him the moon and the sky. "I promise." But if Aeron refused to answer her questions, Danika thought she might leap at him and attack. Maybe even add a number two to her kill list. If only her former self-defense instructor could see her now.

Reyes glanced up at the ceiling, as if praying for guidance. Then, "Very well. Come. I hope you receive the answers you wish."

CHAPTER NINE

WHILE A WARRIOR FOR THE GODS, Reyes had battled heavenly creatures now only whispered about in books and fables. Cerberus – a three-headed dog thought to have stood watch at the gates of hell. Chimera – human/animal hybrids. Harpies – half woman, half demented bird. All had left him bleeding and in agony. Back then, pain had not been a pleasure.

His first few years in ancient Greece, the demon had churned inside him, pulling his strings, leading him to slaughter and maim. When the humans finally started fighting back, war had reigned, destruction in every corner. He’d lost limbs, regrown them only to lose them again, had nearly been decapitated several times. And yet he had never experienced fear as potent as this.

Danika would soon be face-to-face with Aeron. A man whose demon urged him to kill her with the same kind of relentless persuasion that always plagued Reyes. A man who had clearly tried to gnaw his way through his own wrist to free himself of the chains that bound him. Thankfully, he’d only gotten through the first layer of muscle when Reyes and Lucien arrived.

But what if Aeron managed to slip free while Danika was nearby? What if his strength increased exponentially and he snapped his wrists off in a blink, launching forward, teeth bared – Stop!

Reyes wanted to sweep Danika up and carry her away from the fortress, but she wanted answers, so he would get them for her.

It was that simple. Her wants came before his own.

He descended a flight of stairs to the lowest level of the dungeon, Danika behind him and Lucien behind her. They journeyed from homey to slightly cared-for to completely neglected. The stone walls were crumbling and broken bits coated the floor, digging into the soles of his boots. Reyes could not even tell if he walked upon wood planks or marble, the rocks and dust were piled so high. His guilt returned, increased. How can I treat my friend this way?

So what that Aeron, the real Aeron, didn’t want to kill the women. So what that Aeron yearned for death. The man didn’t deserve to suffer like this, bound and locked away as if he were disposable. In a place Anya had proclaimed even gloomier than the godly prison Tartarus.

"The Darkest Pleasure"

Damn the gods for reducing Aeron to a killer and Reyes to a jailer!

Thankfully, none of the other warriors were around. They were too busy packing and gathering supplies for the upcoming trip to Rome. A trip Reyes wasn’t sure he would take. He wanted to find Pandora’s box and defeat the Hunters once and for all, but he didn’t want to cart Danika all over the world.

She might run again. He might not be able to find her. The Hunters might decide she was better off dead and come after her.

More and more, he was beginning to think his existence depended on hers. He didn’t understand it, didn’t like it, but there it was. He was still amazed that every time he neared her, he and the demon both calmed.

Danika coughed.

He rounded a corner, tossing a glance over his shoulder. She was waving a hand in front of her face. Dust sparkled around her hair like a halo. Some of her tresses had been washed of the dye, revealing a tantalizing glimpse of blond. First time he’d seen her, he remembered thinking her hair was like the sun, bright and radiant. "Want to return to my room?" he asked. "I would be very unhappy if you sickened."

She offered him an exaggerated frown, an expression of dry amusement. "I coughed. I’ll live. Keep going."

A man’s irritated grumblings echoed off the walls. "I don’t want to play Wrists-and-Blood anymore. I told you, stop."

At least Aeron was not screaming.

Reyes turned another corner and barred cages came into view. He stopped abruptly, holding out his arm so that Danika would not pass him. For a split second, her br**sts pushed into his forearm, soft and full, and her damp hair slapped at his skin.

He swallowed a curse; she stumbled backward as though she’d been shoved. His entire body suddenly felt engulfed by white-hot flames. Her scent filled his nose, thunderstorms and innocence.

"Stay here." The raspiness of his voice embarrassed him. He didn’t mind if others – and even Danika herself – knew he desired her. There was no hiding that fact. What he did mind was anyone knowing the intensity of that desire. The knowledge could be used against him.

"Why can’t I go farther?" she asked.

He was pleased to note her voice shook.

"I want to see him first, discover if his mood has changed since I left him." And check to see if his wrists had healed and were no longer in danger of detaching, but Reyes didn’t add that part. "If he’s relatively calm, you may approach the bars. You will not enter the cell at any time. Understand?"

"Yes."

"You may ask him questions, but do not insult him and incite his…wrath."

"Okay! I get it. Stay back, ask nicely. Just get on with it already."

He didn’t. He remained in place. "When you see him, do not be afraid. I will not allow anything bad to happen to you."

"Yeah, and tomorrow I’ll count to infinity. Twice. If you don’t move this along, I’m going to snap."