The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3)(40)
Author: Gena Showalter

"The opening of the box, then."

"No. Baden." Guilt had been branded inside him that terrible night. Guilt that he’d failed to protect a friend. Guilt that he had punished only a few of the men responsible before walking away from the Hunter-Lord war, hoping to find a sliver of peace in an eternity of chaos and death when he did not deserve it.

I’ve never loved anyone enough to fight, to war, or to beg.

"He was a good friend," Reyes said. "He would have hated to see us like this."

"He would have looked at us with disappointment in those yellow eyes of his. We would have ignored him because he’d want us to kiss and make up, and then he would have stabbed us to get our attention."

"Being ignored wasn’t something he could tolerate."

"No."

They peered at each other in silence. Reyes didn’t move, but remained on his knees. He would stay there until Aeron told him what he wanted to know, of that Aeron was now sure.

But if he told Reyes where the women were, and Reyes managed to hide them from him, Aeron would always be this way. He would never return to normal, would never again know anything except bloodlust.

"Please." Another rumble.

Legion slithered over his shoulder and down his chest like a snake, then propped his chin on Aeron’s upraised knee. "Thisss not much fun. Why can’t we play? Why can’t we drink?"

"Soon," Aeron said. Then, to Reyes, he said, "Tell the girl to step up to the bars."

At last Reyes popped to his feet. He shook his head, dark hair swinging, panic flaring over his features. "No. She – "

"Is here. I’m here."

At the sound of that determined, feminine voice, Aeron angled his head. Reyes jumped in front of her, remaining in the cell while she stayed out of it, but blocking his view nonetheless. Aeron scowled. "Move. I will not hurt her." Not right now.

The warrior seemed to debate with himself for a long while, rooted in place. Finally he stepped stiffly to the side, allowing Aeron a peek at the girl. She stood at the bars as ordered, clutching them, knuckles white.

Wrath exploded into a frenzy of activity, pacing the prison of Aeron’s mind, drooling with anticipation. Act.

"No," he replied through gritted teeth.

Act! She is here, she is ours.

"No!"

Legion petted his temples, and the screaming faded to a mere whisper.

"Excuse me?" Danika said, looking from him to the little demon.

Reyes stepped in front of her again, body tense, waiting.

Delicate fingers settled over Reyes’s shoulder and gently pushed him aside. The warrior could have resisted, could have held his ground this time – and his taut features proclaimed that he wanted to – but he didn’t. He inched to the side.

Once again, Aeron was staring at Danika. She was small, only reaching Reyes’s shoulder. Light hair framed her face and her green eyes sparkled like emeralds. Her nose was uptilted like a queen’s, as if she waited for her servants to grant her every desire. She was slender, a little too slender, with a face as dainty as an angel’s wing – but her expression was not soft. Harsh determination radiated from her.

"You still want to kill me," he said.

"Yes." Her lips were red and swollen. Obviously, she’d been kissed, and very recently, too.

Aeron’s gaze settled on Reyes’s mouth. It, too, was well used. He would not have pegged the human as Pain’s type. He would not have pegged Pain as her type, either. But he had sensed the tension between them the first time she’d come to the fortress. A tension that was stronger now, more intense. Reyes had even called the woman his.

They were enemies, yet they’d become lovers. How sweet, he mentally sneered. And yet, beneath the sneer, he could feel a tendril of…wistfulness?

Legion licked Aeron’s cheek and then his tiny body was slithering around his neck, then down, where he perched his elbows on Aeron’s knees. A favorite position of his, apparently. That forked tongue flicked out at Danika, a rattle sounding. "You familiar. Want to play?"

"The Darkest Pleasure"

She blinked, shook her head as if dislodging a puzzling thought. "You saw me yesterday. And no."

"Oh." The little fiend’s disappointment was palpable. He flattened against Aeron’s chest, his green scales fading slightly.

"You hurt Legion," Aeron growled, oddly offended by the fact. With the knowledge of the demon’s unhappiness, Aeron’s bloodlust threatened to explode, his tenuous control slipping. "Which means this conversation is done. Leave."

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry," Danika rushed out, offering an apologetic glance to Legion. "I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Really. It was…a game. Yes, a game."

"Love gamesss." Relaxing, color returning, the creature added, "Ssseen you before yesterday."

Aeron, too, relaxed.

Danika shook her head. "I’m sorry, but you’re mistaken."

"You fly in flamesss. Watch minionsss torture dead."

The girl blinked as she had before, a mixture of horror and astonishment in her eyes. "I do, but only in my dreams. How do you know? Have you seen my paintings? Wait, that’s not possible."

"Don’t answer," Aeron told Legion, an idea hitting him. He could use the information as a bargaining tool. And in the process, he could, perhaps, decipher the puzzle the girl had just presented.

Flames. Minions. Had to be hell, Legion’s home and the only place the creature could have seen her. Aeron wasn’t sure if the girl had somehow entered hell or if Legion was playing another of his games. But for the first time since the Titans had taken over the heavens and ordered Aeron to kill Danika and her family, the terrible command began to make sense. If the girl could travel to the dark underworld, could she also access the world of the gods? Could she watch them? Maybe even divine their secrets?

Why not smite her down themselves, though? Surely an easy task for any god. Why force Aeron to do their dirty work?

He glanced over at Reyes, who had paled. They must have put the same pieces of the puzzle together. If Danika were to be captured by godly enemies and forced to betray heavenly secrets, the gods would never leave her alone. They would not rest until she was dead.

There would be no saving her.

"I don’t – I’m not – " She scrubbed a hand over her face, as if the action could jump-start her brain into understanding. When she stilled, her expression was carved from stone. "Stop trying to distract me." Her gaze moved to Aeron and stayed. "Where is my family?"

"We will trade information, you and I."

"Okay." No hesitation.