In the end, she’d fallen for a beastly POS who—William shuddered—needed her. In other words, a fool! Needing another only ever ended in heartbreak.
“I will not give my future murderer access to the object of my salvation,” he bit out. “I would rather kill her straightaway and void the curse before it ever activates.” But...could he truly slay his one and only lifemate, ending her life simply because she’d one day try to slay him?
Keeley gaped at him. “You would give up your one chance at eternal contentment?”
“Yes,” he hissed, the muscles in his shoulders knotting. How could he miss what he’d never had?
She flicked her tongue over an incisor. “What if you cannot defeat Lucifer without her?”
He went still. “Can I not?”
She ignored his question, saying, “Do you remember when I told you that Scarlet and Gideon’s baby would aid you in the breaking of your curse?”
“I do,” he replied, cautious. Scarlet and Gideon were part of a select group of friends. Demon-possessed men and women and their assortment of mates known as the Lords of the Underworld. The same group as Torin and Keeley. “As much as I love them, I doubt their baby will have the power to help a prince of the underworld.”
“Well, you’re right. I misspoke. Their baby won’t aid you at all. Their baby will aid your daughters. Daughters you won’t have without your lifemate.”
What! Daughters, plural? Girls who would grow into beautiful women and fall in love with shit-ass males he’d have to murder? No! “Another reason to kill the codebreaker. I won’t be having any more children.”
“Oh, you’ll be having kids, all right. Enough to create a base...foot...sports team.” As if she hadn’t just dropped a bomb, she leaned closer and said, “There’s no way you’ll fall in love with your lifemate in two weeks, right? So, you’ll let her live and work on the code for fourteen days. Vow it, or I’ll keep the list of names to myself.”
“Very well.” No need to ponder it. When you lived forever, two weeks was nothing. But what had she meant, list of names? There should be only one. “If she behaves, I vow I will not harm her for fourteen days.” Never would he make a vow without a caveat.
“Excellent! Now, before I reveal the nineteen names on my list—”
“Nineteen?” he roared.
“—you’re going to tell me why you grow more powerful in Hell. And don’t say no. In our world, you have to give to get.”
So she’d heard the girls at the bar, too. He sighed. “I don’t know the reason.” Nor did he know why it mattered. “I only know I produce wings of smoke up here. Down there, that smoke is laced with sopor, a pain toxin. Here, I grow claws. There, those claws leak poena, a death venom. Here, I have no fangs. There, I can grow sabers, if I wish.”
Canting her head to the side, she asked, “Is that why you moved to the mortal realm so soon after your dad and I called it quits?”
He gave a clipped nod. Had he stayed, he feared he would have become as vile as Lucifer.
“How interesting.” Keeley stroked her chin all villain-like, the wheels in her brain obviously spinning. “Definitely take your lifemate slash codebreaker to Hell.” Finally, she extended an arm, revealing an array of ink smudges that began at the inside of her elbow and ended at her palm. “Ta-da! The names, as promised.”
With only a glance, he memorized every word. Then he arched a brow. “There’s a codebreaker named spaghetti and meatless balls?”
“Oh, my bad.” She licked her thumb and rubbed the culinary disaster off her arm. “That was my dinner.”
“Your name is also on the list.”
Her eyes hooded. A dreamy smile curled her mouth as she twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “I was Torin’s dinner.”
May l never be as whipped as my friends. “Which name belongs to my codebreaker?”
The waitress appeared, handed a bottle of champagne to Keeley and muttered, “On the house. Don’t kill me!” then raced away.
As the Red Queen tasted the beverage—straight from the bottle—he stroked the dagger sheathed at his waist, waiting.
“Keeley,” he prompted. “I asked you a question.”
“Oh, yes. I remember. You wanted to know where you could find a crown of Hell.”
Again, he went still. Long ago, eleven crowns were made by the Most High, the leader of the Sent Ones. Own a single crown, and you would transform into a powerful king, whoever—or whatever—you were. Lose the crown, and you would lose everything.
After failing to usurp the Most High, young Lucifer managed to steal ten of those crowns, or so the story went, and presented them to Hades, who selected others to rule at his side, saving the tenth crown for Lucifer. Only, Hades and the other kings stole it back after Lucifer’s coronation.
Now, Hades claimed the tenth crown was lost. William planned to find it, becoming the tenth Hell king, undermining and humiliating his ex-brother.
Fighting to maintain his composure while his nerve endings buzzed, he grated, “Do you know where the tenth Hell crown is?”
“No. Why would I?”
I won’t kill her. I won’t. “Do you remember the name of my mate, then?”
“No, but I remember what she looks like.” Her sweet, sweet smile made another appearance. “You’re getting your most fevered dream...and your worst nightmare. Enjoy! And good luck.”
2
“You want a piece of me? Your girlfriend certainly does.”
Sipping sugar water from a wineglass all classy-like, Sunday “Sunny” Lane meandered through a shadowy hotel bar teeming with youngish and oldish codebreakers, hackers and hobbyists. Most were humans who’d flown into New York City early that morning to network and party before the world’s premiere cryptanalyst conference kicked off tomorrow. Her longtime friend...er, acquaintance Sable remained at her side. The six-foot black beauty came from the same realm and ancient village as Sunny.
They’d come to set honeytraps for any immortals who hunted their kind.
A waiter approached with a bottle of white. “May I refill your drink, ma’am?”
Ma’am? The worst insult known to womankind.
Able to read auras, she easily distinguished immortals from humans. The waiter was human. “No, thanks,” she said. “As a self-appointed superhero and proud vigilante, I prefer to stay sober and scumbag-aware.” Asterhole.
Sunny was born with an innate magic that prevented her from cursing, changing obscenities into flowers. Daisy replaced damn. Argh! D-a-m-n. Hellebore replaced h-e-l-l. Sage replaced s-h-i-t. Bluebell replaced b-a-s-t-a-r-d. and b-i-t-c-h. Aster replaced a-s-s, and freesia replaced f-u-c-k.
The waiter offered her an unsure smile before rushing off.
“Here’s hoping the duality serves us well tonight.” Sable clinked her glass of sugar water against Sunny’s.
Oh, yes. The duality. Half their nature longed to hunt and kill baddies, whether immortal or human. That part of her—Horror Show Sunny—worked as an assassin. A girl needed a purpose, right? The other half demanded they spread love, joy and peace. She’d dubbed that part Roses and Rainbows Sunny, and worked as a decoder.
The two sides were forever locked in a brutal tug-of-war.
“I posted online to let the world know I’d be here,” Sunny said, fingering the medallion that hung at her neck. Her most prized possession, capable of feats few could imagine.
As an extremely rare “mythical” creature, they had to remain armed at all times. Poachers hunted them for sport, and collectors hunted them for pleasure. Little wonder Sunny trusted no one, not even Sable, and never stayed in one location more than a couple weeks. She constantly looked over her shoulder and rarely slept.
“If anyone attacks,” Sable began.
“They die screaming.”
Crackling with excitement, Sable gulped back the rest of her water and set her glass aside. “Once we’ve eliminated the poachers and collectors, we won’t have to worry about being ambushed every second of every day. We can turn our sights to the underworld royals.”
“All nine kings, and every last prince of darkness.” Two princes of darkness in particular topped her list. Lucifer the Destroyer, and William the Ever Randy. Even their names filled her with blistering rage. The terrible things Lucifer had done to her people...things he’d done while shouting, “For William!”
The two might be at war now, but they’d been inseparable back then.
Focus up. You’re here for a purpose, remember? Right. Sunny scanned the sea of faces. Some attendees ambled from group to group. Some remained in place, talking, laughing and generally clogging the pathways. Others stayed at their tables, nursing drinks. Many were relaxed and at ease. Oh, to be so uninvolved, unconcerned and untouched by the world’s evil, as oblivious to the surrounding danger as everyone else. Sunny couldn’t recall a time she’d ever felt safe.