The Darkest Surrender (Lords of the Underworld #8)(80)
Author: Gena Showalter

You do what you have to do.

He hadn’t had to worry about interruptions. The spacious bedroom was hidden in the back of the harem. A bedroom Arca couldn’t leave. Cronus had actually cursed her so that she would experience utter, absolute agony if she stepped outside the spacious boundaries of her “home.” And having learned from the mortals and their mistakes, the king had ensured there were no windows for the goddess to utilize.

Clearly, the king had thought it was better to deprive Arca of sunlight and fresh air than to chop off her long, silky hair.

She propped herself up on her elbow and stared down at him, white braids draped over her shoulder. “Well?”

“Yes, that was indeed amazing,” he said automatically, as he’d said to a thousand others.

Her smile slowly waned. “You could at least try to sound convincing.”

Sighing, he studied her. He’d been with countless others over the centuries, and she was by far the loveliest. But appearances mattered little to him. What was a beautiful face when a monster could very well lurk beneath? All that mattered was how the other person made you feel, inside and out.

He doubted Arca was a monster inside. She had spent so many years in captivity, both on earth and here in the heavens, that she should have been warped, a shrew at the very least, but when he’d strolled inside, she hadn’t yelled at him. Hadn’t fought him. She had peered at him with wide blue eyes, clasped his hands and smiled, so lonely and desperate for attention, any attention, that she’d caused his chest to constrict.

And when he’d tried to question her about Sienna, when she had shaken her head and said, “After,” already lost to the lust-haze his demon created, Paris had given in without protest.

“I’m sorry,” he said, letting his voice dip with husky promise. Another skill he’d perfected over the years. “It’s just, you wore me out, sweetheart. I have no energy left.”

She chuckled and fell beside him, snuggling into his side. “Cronus won’t find out, I promise. So if you want to return to me…”

He remained silent. He couldn’t sleep with her again. His demon wouldn’t let him. Even if he spent hours kissing and touching her, his c**k would remain flaccid and useless. Always did around anyone he’d already bedded, and really, Paris wouldn’t have wanted a repeat, anyway. He felt guilty enough, sleeping with anyone other than Sienna.

He’d had her and he could have her again. He could get hard just thinking about her. Which was why everyone he’d nailed after her was like a slap in her beautiful face. Like she wasn’t good enough for him. Like she couldn’t satisfy him. But he couldn’t save her if he died and he really would die if he remained celibate.

Plus, he felt guilty for another reason. These lovers of his…they didn’t want him, not really. If not for his demon, they might not have ever slept with him, might have turned him down flat, found him unattractive, whatever. So, in a way, he was forcing them to be with him.

As always, his mind cringed away from the thought.

“What’s wrong?” Arca asked. “You tensed up.”

He forced himself to relax and rubbed her arm up and down, a gentle caress. “Earlier I mentioned a woman. A slave, killed and in soul form, and now possessed by a demon. Wrath. Her soul is invisible to the naked eye.” He tried not to reveal his own sense of desperation. “Do you know of whom I speak?”

She twirled a braid around one of her fingers. “Yes. I remember. You want to know where Cronus is keeping her.”

Easy, steady. “Do you know the answer?”

“I haven’t heard anything, no.”

He closed his eyes, fighting a rush of disappointment and regret. He’d thought…he’d hoped…he’d been so sure…

“But,” she went on, “I do know where he kept prisoners he couldn’t control, people he didn’t want anyone to find, before his imprisonment in Tartarus.”

“Tell me.” The words rang out with more force than he’d intended.

“I’ll do better than that.” Her arms tightened around him, and she trembled. “I’ll show you.”

His stomach churned. Can’t alienate her. “You know that isn’t possible, sweetheart,” he croaked. “You have to stay here.”

“But…” She sat up again, expression tight as her braids fell around them, framing them. “Please. I have to leave. I can’t stay here any longer. I hate it, and I’m slowly going insane. Please.”

He cupped her cheeks, trying to be gentle. “Tell me where to find this secret place and once my mission is done, I’ll come back for you. I’ll find a way to save you.”

Tears pooled in her eyes. “That could take forever. You could die.”

“I know and I’m sorry, but that’s all I can offer.” He couldn’t save her now. He couldn’t try and free her now. That would alert Cronus. The god king would come gunning for him and Sienna would be lost to him forever.

If Paris lost his head, if that was his destiny, he first wanted to move Sienna somewhere safe. She’d died because of him. She’d been paired with a demon because of him. Because he’d brought her to the god king’s attention. Paris owed her.

“I could aid you,” Arca said. “Not just find the place for you, but help you navigate the secret corridors.”

“I know, sweetheart, but that doesn’t change my mind.”

“Please…”

He didn’t tell her that feminine pleas held little sway with him. How many had begged him to remain in bed with them? How many had cried as he walked away? “I’m sorry, but this is the best I can offer.”

And if she wouldn’t tell him what he wanted to know, if she continued to refuse him, he would hurt her. Hurt…kill…anyone who got in his way. Anyone. He’d come so far. She wouldn’t stop him from going further.

For a long while, she sobbed silently. Then she bucked up on her own, squaring her shoulders and lifting her chin, the stubborn expression reminding him of Kaia.

How was Strider handling the female determined to bring him to his knees? Either the possessive warrior was fighting his attraction or he’d finally given into it—otherwise he would have been here, right beside Paris, meeting the terms of their “challenge.”

“Do you swear you’ll come back for me after you find her?” Arca asked.