The Darkest Secret (Lords of the Underworld #7)(63)
Author: Gena Showalter

The rush of blood in his veins. “There’s more. Tel me the rest.”

“Fine. Here it is. While you’ve been playing around, I’ve been chasing the boyfriend and those fol owers of his.

There’s something odd about each of them, by the way, but the boyfriend most of al . They’re…I don’t know, darker than other humans I’ve been around. They made me feel…icky, which is why I made them hurt real bad before I disposed of them. You should have seen them. After I took my blade and—”

“You’re digressing, Kaia.”

“Am not! Now where was I? Oh, yeah. The boyfriend. I couldn’t get close enough to him to figure out what bothered me. He’s dark and wily and like I said, he managed to evade me, which means he’s good, very, very good at evading because I’m very, very good at tracking. Did I ever tel you about the time I—”

“Kaia!”

“Anyway, you haven’t been able to evade him. He’s close, he’s fil ed with piss and vinegar and he wants to make you his bitch.”

“How close is he?”

Her chin lifted stubbornly. “Close enough that you’re lucky you weren’t shot down inside that little gas station.”

Yet she hadn’t said anything while they were there. Hadn’t given him a chance to set a trap. She’d laughed and stolen food and let him take his time. Then she’d carried on a conversation with Wil iam, mile after mile, as if there were no pressing issues. To punish him for not welcoming her to their group, he knew. Harpies were as vindictive as they were destructive.

Most. Frustrating. Female. Ever.

His fingers dug into his thighs to keep from strangling her, and he knew he’d have long-lasting bruises.

“Why were you fol owing him?”

One delicate shoulder, bared because of the lacy pink top she wore, lifted in a shrug. “When everyone left the fortress, going their separate ways to hide artifacts and stash their women safely away blah, blah, blah, I fol owed you. I figured you’d see the most action, and I was right.”

Fuck. He must be losing his touch. He’d never even sensed her.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” she continued. “You grabbed Haidee and carted her off, but you left a blood trail straight to your motel room door. They were set to raid the entire building when I took al but the leader down. That little bastard escaped, and you should have taken him out when you had the chance, because he gathered more men. I’ve been hot on his heels ever since.”

“You’re hot, al right. But seriously, how’d you meet up with Lucien?” Wil iam asked, inserting himself into the conversation.

“Anya and I keep in touch. I told her I needed to borrow her gentleman friend and she agreed. For a price,” Kaia added with a tinge of anger. “And someone in this car is going to reimburse me.”

“Gentleman friend. Nice.” Wil iam opened his mouth to add something else, probably to tel her he would gladly pay.

Strider beat him to it. “Whatever it was, I’l take care of it.”

He owed her. He guessed. But he didn’t like it, and didn’t want to be indebted to anyone.

“Good. Then you owe me a ten-minute Frencher.”

He blinked, certain he’d misheard. He’d expected Hunter hearts or severed limbs. “Anya made you kiss her?”

“Yeah. And at our next stop, I’l expect you to deliver.”

“I’l pay,” Wil iam piped up. “After you describe everything about that kiss you two shared. Did you cop a feel? You did, didn’t you, you little hussy. I bet you moaned a lot, too.”

“Too late for you to pay,” she said in a sing-song voice.

“Strider already offered, and I already accepted. And no, I won’t do any describing. You can just imagine how sexy it was. Oh, and Wil ie. Just so you know, your imagination won’t do it justice.”

She was lying. She had to be lying. But why would she lie about a kiss? What could she possibly hope to gain by forcing him to kiss her? Strider leaned back in his seat and stared up at the roof. No answers were forthcoming, and he doubted they ever would be.

Besides, he had more pressing matters to deal with. Like Haidee’s psycho boyfriend. How close was the son of a bitch?

Win, Defeat said inside his head. Win, win. It wasn’t a question this time. On any level.

Great. The boyfriend wasn’t even here, but the chal enge had been heard, accepted and must now be met.

“Pul over,” he told Wil iam for the second time that night.

“Why? There’s no store.”

Kaia flicked Strider another glance and grinned. “Now there’s the demon warrior I’ve come to know and love. He wants to set a trap, Wil ie, and we’re going to help him.”

“Nope. I’m getting out and doing this solo,” Strider announced. Wil iam had people of his own to kil , and Strider didn’t want to spend any more time with Kaia than necessary.

Her grin remained in place, though the edges darkened with an emotion he couldn’t name. “Oh, real y?

Wel , I seem to recal you tel ing me I’m worse than a stomach virus, and I think it’s time I proved that.

I’m chal enging you to let me help you, Strider. I’m chal enging you to hurt the bastard more than I do, and I’m chal enging you to kil more of his men than I do.”

Fuck! he thought, even as his demon started jumping around again. Nervous, excited. Okay, mostly nervous.

Win, win, win. Please, win.

Suddenly hating Kaia with every fiber of his being, Strider gave her a stiff nod. Game on, then. “When this is over,” he said softly, “I wil make you pay.”

“I know,” she replied, and her tone was oddly subdued.

“Believe me, I know.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

THOUGH TWO DAYS OF WALKING and monotony had passed since they’d left their cave, and al Amun had been able to do was think and guard Haidee the few times he’d al owed her to stop and rest, he hadn’t come to grips with what he’d once done to her. Or what had driven her to hate him and his friends, hate that led her to aid in Baden’s destruction. No matter how good Amun’s intentions had been, he’d stil flung her right into an attacker’s blade.

Gods. The blood pouring from her…the agony in her expression…

His friends only remembered bits and pieces of their time in ancient Greece. They knew they’d burned, pil aged and destroyed, but not specifics. Like who and what. Amun, however, recal ed every detail. Or rather, Secrets wouldn’t al ow him to forget. Mysteries of that nature weren’t ever al owed to remain unsolved, even within himself.