She hissed at him.
Win!
I know, Strider reassured the demon. I told you. I wont let anything happen to Kaia.
Kaia blinked, too, only she appeared shocked. She didnt question her mother, though, and he wondered if she remained quiet because she knew her mother wouldnt answer or because questioning her mother would have revealed ignorance and ignorance would have been perceived as weakness.
Harpies, man. Life seemed to be one big chess match for them. Ridiculous, if you asked him. And yeah, he got the irony. But he had to turn everything he did into a contest of wits and might. They didnt, nor did they suffer afterward. They just did it for funsies.
Dont concern yourself with my man, Kaia finally said, her chin lifting.
My man. He kinda liked the sound of that.
His jaw clenched. This was pretend and he couldnt let himself confuse pretend with reality.
Im surprised you won a fearsome Lord of the Underworld, Tabitha said.
Im not, Kaia replied with a shrug. Im pretty much made of awesome.
Still not a flicker of emotion crossed Tabithas face. Not pride, nor disappointment. I guess well find out exactly what youre made of tomorrow, when the games truly begin.
CHAPTER TEN
PARIS, THE KEEPER OF Promiscuityor Sex, as Paris called the demonclutched two standard-issue daggers as he slinked through the back-alley shadows. Standard issue sucked. Sure, they sliced and diced just fine, but up here, with gods, goddesses, vampires and fallen angels, slicing and dicing wasnt enough.
Whatever. Keep going.
Never ceased to amaze him how similar the immortal world was to the human one. In this heavenly metropolis, there were bars, shops, restaurants and hotels. Not to mention drugs and those who sold them. Whatever you wanted, you could get.
Speaking of, Ill want some ambrosia. Soon. Already he was shaky from withdrawal.
No time to imbibe now. He couldnt be late.
Couldnt afford to so much as talk to anyone. One look at his face, one inhalation of his scent, and peopleno matter their species or genderthrew themselves at him.
Perhaps he should have let them, he thought next. Sex derived strength from anything erotic, and Paris hadnt yet supplied that crucial daily dose. But then, he hated sleeping with people he didnt actually desire and tried to limit himself. And hed get todays influx of strength just as soon as he met with the goddess of weaponry.
The female owned crystal daggers that could morph into any type of weapon the holder desired. He could have them, shed said, for a price. No one ever wanted money from him, so hed agreed to give her what she did want. Him. Hed whore himself, and that was fine. Whatever. Hed done so a thousand times before and would probably have to do so a thousand more. Eventually hed get over the guilt and humiliation.
He needed those crystal blades to rescue the female he did want. Sienna.
His Sienna. Killed because of his actions, only to be brought back in soul form. A soul he could not see or hear. Yet.
Cronus, the god king, had enslaved her and paired her with the demon of Wrath. To keep Paris away from her, Cronus had then trapped her in another realm. He would pay for that. After Paris saved her. And he would. He had a three-part plan.
1. Obtain the crystal daggers.
2. Find Arca, former messenger goddess. Rumor was, she knew where Cronus hid his greatest treasures.
3. Find Viola, minor goddess of the Afterlife. Rumor was, she could teach anyone to see the dead.
Boom, done. Simple, easy. Yeah. Right. Seduction was the only thing easy for him.
Whatever he had to do, though, he would do. For centuries, Paris had dreamed of being with a woman more than once. Because of his demon, his body failed to respond to a lover after one release. So his relationships lasted only the one night. Except with Sienna. Hed had her, and then hed immediately gotten hard for her again. In that moment, hed known they belonged togetherdespite the obstacles that stood between them.
She was a Hunter, his enemy. She had tricked him, drugged him and helped imprison him. Whatever. Shed also helped him escape, and thats when she died. Shot down by her own people while in Pariss arms.
Hed relived that nightmare over and over again, thinking of all the things he could have, should have, done differently. Thinking about her final words of hate, her wish that he had been the one to die. Shed blamed him for what had happened, and rightly so.
Yet still her soul had come back for him. Had escaped its heavenly prison and found him. For help? Revenge? He didnt know and didnt care. All he knew was that Cronus had carted her away before hed gotten a chance to speak with her. She had to be terrified, confused and desperate.
He could soothe her. He just had to find her.
Want, his demon said, drawing him out of his mind.
Dread flooded him. That command could mean only one thing.
Paris focused, and sure enough at the end of the alley loomed a trio of ugly bruisers. Fallen angels, he would guess, who, for whatever reason, had given over to their dark sides. They couldnt be gods, even minor ones, because no power pulsed from them.
He had only to pass them and turn right, and hed reach the goddesss street.
When they spotted him, they grinned greedily.
I want, his demon said.
Youll get yours soon enough.
Ignoring him, Sex blasted his special fragrance from Pariss pores. Soon the scent of chocolate and expensive champagne thickened the air. From experience, he knew that every time the men breathed in, desire would flood them. Desire for Paris and Paris alone, even if they didnt swing that way.
Damn you! he growled.
I want!
His dread intensified as their grins faded and they began licking their lips.
You want by, youll get on your knees.
We each get a turn.
And Ill be first, the biggest one said.
Paris slowed, but didnt stop and didnt change direction. Fallen angels were, in essence, little more than human. He could plow through them, no problem.
Hurtkill A soft whisper, a dark urge, one that had filled his mind more and more lately. Not from his demon, but from deep inside him. He wasnt sure why it happened, or what had caused it, but every time, hed given in. Now would be no different. He would reach the goddess, and these men werent going to deter him. He would plow through them, true, but hed make it hurtwould killwhen he did.
In unison, the trio said, Knees. Now.
Actually, Paris replied. The only thing going down will be you.
He tossed both of his daggers in quick succession. The tip of one sank deep into the jugular of the guy on the right. The tip of the other embedded in a wall of golden brick, missing its mark.
Sex whimpered, racing to hide in a far corner of his mind. His demon was a lover, not a fighter.
The two remaining men watched, wide-eyed, as their friend collapsed, twitching as death approached.
Hurtkill Having run even as hed thrown, Paris barreled into them, his arms spread, knocking both of them to the ground. They pulled themselves out of their sexual stupors and rolled him to his back, their fists hammering at him.
Vessels burst in one of his eyes, limiting his line of sight. His nose popped out of place. His jaw separated. The pain intensified with every blow, but still he fought. And fought dirty, going for groins, throats and kidneys.
Hurt
Kill
The dark compulsions roseroseconsumed. With a roar, he brought his legs up and kicked. Both men flew backward. He leapt at the one closest to him, pinning the guys shoulders to the concrete with his knees. One punch, two, three. Blood splattered.
He hit and hit and hit, until the guys head lolled to the side, his swollen eyes open but glazed. Only then did he realize the other guy had jumped on his back and had been punching him in the head that entire time.
Paris reached back, gripped a fistful of shirt and jerked. Guy soared over his shoulders and landed on top of his buddy, losing his breath. As Paris grabbed for the blade in his ankle holster, his opponent gathered his wits and swung a meaty fist, knocking him into the wall. Temple against brick, and brick won. Dazed, the blade was batted out of his hand.
A booted foot slammed into his trachea, pushing him to his back and holding him down.
The pressure increased as the guy unsheathed a dagger of his own, bent down and stabbed Paris in the stomach. An agonizing lance of pain. A searing hiss of air through his teeth.
That should keep you docile. Looming over him, panting raggedly, scowling, the guy unzipped his pants.
Not a smart move, Paris managed to croak out. Though instinct demanded he wrap his fingers around the guys ankle and shove, he inched his hand behind him, toward the hilt of his remaining blade. You want to keep that thing, dont you?
Shut your mouth. Had you played nice, I would have let you go after I finished with you. Now
Finally the boot lifted from Pariss neck, then the guy was crouched between his legs, working at his zipper. Distracted. Good. Using the last of his strength, Paris swung his arm up. Another dagger found solace in a jugular.
Blood gurgled from the guys mouth, shock and pain glazing his eyes. Paris ripped the blade free, but that wouldnt save him. Crimson continued to flow, and he slumped over, on top of Paris, motionlessdead.
Weak but determined, Paris pushed the weight away and lumbered to shaky legs. He gave himself a once-over. His clothes were ripped, stained and soaked in blood, his skin abraded, bruised and sliced. The goddess might turn him away the moment she saw him.
Probably not a bad idea. She expected pleasure, and right now he was too pathetic to see to hers. On the flip side, he needed sex to heal. But if he used her to heal, taking his own pleasure while unable to see to hers, he wouldnt be able to sleep with her a second time in exchange for the crystal daggers.
Okay. Change of plans. Next female he spotted, hed seduce, unleashing his demon, nothing held back. The thought sickened him, but whatever. Then hed head to the goddesss palace. Hed be late, but he could charm her out of any pique that tardiness might cause. Another sickening thought.
Get over yourself. Hed chosen to travel this path. He would live with the emotional fallout.
Resolute, Paris stumbled out of the alley.
SIENNA BLACKSTONE HUDDLED in the corner, enveloped by tormenting shadows. Her wingsthose ever-growing black wings, courtesy of the demon now inside herpulled at tendons and bone she hadnt known she had, shooting aches all through her body.
Cronus had brought her herewherever here was. A dilapidated castle guarded by gargoyles that came to life. Those gargoyles could see and hear herunlike Paris, the warrior shed hoped to findand they ensured she remained exactly where she was. And when she actually fought her way through their fangs, horns, claws and tails, some kind of clear shield prevented her from stepping into the outside world.
At first, shed been terrified. Someone should have told her death would be a thousand times more horrifying than life. Over the ensuing weeks, shed had to learn to adapt to all these supernatural creatures. Though shed known demons existed and had once hated them, everything else was new to her. And now all she wanted was to get out of here so she could reach one of those demons. Hold him. Help him. But
She could leave only when she vowed to obey Cronus in all things. A condition she didnt understand.
Why did he so desperately want her obedience? Her aid? What did he expect her to do for him? Hed never said. But in his desperate bid for control of her, hed even taken her to spy on her former colleagues. Hunters. God, the things theyd done
She was disgusted, and she was angry. Shed once hurt an innocent manfor them. She had struck when Paris was at his weakestfor them. She would have helped them kill the warrior if he hadnt escaped with her. She had blamed him for her death, thinking hed used her body as a shield. She had hated him for that. Now, she only hated herself.
No, that wasnt true. She hated the Hunters and everything they represented.
Before she diedagainshe was taking them down. Actually, she would help Paris take them down. Somehow, some way, she would leave this castle. She would find him once more. She would tell him everything she knew about his enemy. Every secret hideout, every battle plan, every strategy shed ever heard whispered about. And if he still couldnt see or hear her, she would tell someone who could, like his dark-haired friend. And thenthen she was gifting Pariss other friend, Aeron, with Wrath.
Doing so would finally end her. Forever.
That wouldnt make up for the wrongs shed done, she doubted anything could, but it was a start.
You just have to find a way out?.
A sigh left her. She wasnt chained, and she knew Cronus kept other prisoners here. They screamed and ranted and raved constantly. Unlike her, they didnt have the run of the entire castle. They were limited to the bedrooms on an upper floor. The few times Sienna convinced herself to drag her winged self up the stairs, the demon inside her had gone insane, flashing all kinds of hateful images through her head. Images of blood, torture and death.
The people upstairsthey were warriors, demon-possessed like her. She didnt hate them, didnt want to hurt them. She wanted to help thembut her demon wanted to punish them. Always punish.
You cant help them down here.
I cant hurt them, either.
Arguing with herself. She laughed. Shed always forced herself to be demure, even somber. Shed always quashed any hint of temper and sarcasm. The fear of injuring somebodys feelings, the shame of disappointing her loved ones had been too much. After her younger sisters abduction, shed had to be a rock. Causing more emotional turmoil would have destroyed her.
Well, no longer. She was strong. She was capable. She was needed.
She could overcome her demon and aid the beings upstairs. She could.
For Paris.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE NEXT MORNING DAWNED bright and early. Too bright, too early. Kaia had stayed awake all night, her mind too active to snooze. So when she spotted the big orange glow of the sun, she glared and flipped it the bird.
Go away, you bastard!
Strider lounged on their bed, watching her with an amused glint in his eyes. Hed slept, sprawled out over every inch of the mattress. Shed paced.
Whore you talking to? he asked in a sleep-rumbling voice.
A sleep-rumbling voice that turned her on. Damn him, everything about him turned her on. Be proactive. Nip this in the bud. Maybe I was talking to you, she snapped, stomping to the bed, grabbing a pillow and beating his chest with it.
He didnt bother raising his arms to protect himself. Has anyone ever told you what a bundle of joy you are in the morning?
Bang. No. Bang.
Will you just sit down for a sec? He ripped the pillow out of her hands and tossed it to the floor. Geez. I need I mean, you need a breather from all your worries.
I dont have any worries, she said, plopping beside him. Lysander had taken them all up to the heavens and given them each a room in his cloud, where no other Harpy could reach them. She and Strider had shared, and no one, not even Lysander, could breech its perimeter unless they both gave permission.
Never had she encountered such a kick-ass security system. Even better, misty walls of baby-blue acted as TV screens, revealing anything she requested to see. Her mother? Done. Juliette? Gag.
The absolute best? Kaia had only to say, I want a dagger, and one would magically appear in her palm.
No wonder Bianka had decided to shack up with a goody-goody. And really, Bianka would just have to take one for the team and do a little more of that shacking to convince Lysander to buy Kaia one of these. You know, so they could spend quality sis-time together. They were twins, after all, and Bianka needed her.
You started stressing the moment you got that text, Strider said. Five minutes after we got here!
That text. Ugh. Her stomach cramped as worry flooded her. Not that shed admit it. The first Harpy Game, Tag, would begin in two hours.
Team captains were too valuable to lose so early in the games and never competed in the first event. Instead, the four strongest, most violent members were chosen, and the captain merely prayed they survived.
But though she was captain, Kaia had to compete.
Last night, thanks to the cloud walls, shed kept watch on her motel room. One after the other, Harpies from every other team had snuck inside, hoping to brutalize her. As if she would stay in a room shed rented under her own name. Please. But thats how stupid they thought she was. Worse, they would continue to come after her unless they were taught to fear her.
That, she had learned from her mother.
And so today she would teach them to fear her.
The other three going in? Taliyah, Neekawho Kaia had never seen fight, but Taliyah had recommended her, and Kaia trusted her older sisand Gwen. Bianka was still pouting, but bottom line, Bianka was too damn sweet.
Once, shed BBQed another Harpy whod trashed her appearance. Cool, right? Well, as the girl screamed and writhed, a guilty Bianka had raced off to fetch a glass of water for her. Who did that? Marshmallows, thats who.
If you wont sit still, at least tell Papa Stridey whats bothering you.
There was that rumbling voice again, caressing her, seeping past her skin to fuse with her cells, becoming a part of her. It was clear the bud remained un-nipped. Im thinking that only prison rules are going to apply.
A laugh burst from him. What does that mean? That you shouldnt drop the soap? What, does round one involve multiple showerheads?
Would you be serious?
He snorted. You telling someone to be serious. Weird. But He sat up, his features lighting with interest. The sheet fell to his waist, revealing row after row of muscled strength. Tell me round one involves multiple showerheads.
Her lips twitched, even as her mouth watered for a taste of him. No, you pervert. No showerheads. I have to kill the biggest and the baddest my first day on the inside. That way, all the others will leave me alone.
Smart. How can I help?
By sitting in the stands and looking pretty.
A given. But what can I do to help you win? Thats why Im here, right?
As if shed forget. He wasnt here because he loved her, needed her, wanted to make something work between them. He was here to help her win that damn Paring Rod.
He didnt know about the Rod when he arrived. He likes you. You know that. Yeah, he liked her. Just not enough. She sighed.
JustI dont know, cheer me on. Hearing him might strengthen her. It might also distract her, but they would find out together.
I can do that. Youre fun to watch.
Her heart skipped a beat. Yeah?
Oh, yeah.
His voice had dropped, huskier than before, all kinds of innuendo in his tone. Her nipples tightened, and she had to jump to her feet and turn away from him to prevent him from seeing the evidence of her arousal.
Hed watched her last night, when her Harpy had simply reacted to the threat around him, determined to protect him at all costs. Hed also watched her when she She shuddered, remembering.
Something had happened to her while shed fought her mothers soldiers. Something that had never happened before. She had burned. With rage, yes, but also with actual, literal flames. They had licked inside her, searing her cells, her organs, and leaving only ash. Or so shed thought. Yet when she had stilled, she hadnt noticed a single smear of soot on her skin.
Now suspicions danced through her mind, adding to the already turbulent waters.
Phoenix blood flowed through her veins, half of her genetic makeup. Shed met her father once, when he abducted her and Bianka, whisking them to the Land of Cinder. Heand all his kind, reallywere utterly heartless, completely detached from emotion, as if any softer side was burned away in their constant fires. Not even her mother could compare, and that was saying something.
Not only were they emotionally callous, they were physically formidable, too. Poison leaked from the Phoenixes fangs and claws. Their wings, which looked as smooth and delicate as the clouds around her, were actually tongues of blue flame. A single brush from those flames, and an entire building could be razed.
There was a bright side, though. When a Phoenix burned somethingor someonethe resulting soot was powerful enough to bring the dead back to life.
Her dad had hoped his baby girls would be more Phoenix than Harpy, but the opposite had proven true, and hed released them. After torturing them with his poison, of course. Hed scratched their biceps, just a tiny scrape for each of them, and theyd felt as if theyd been injected with a mix of acid, broken glass and Napalm. They had writhed and screamed for days.
A true Phoenix wouldnt have hurt like that, would have been immune to the toxin, which was why Kaia had never thought shed develop Phoenix-like tendencies. But yesterdays burningcould she have developed an immunity, and in turn taken on their abilities?
Yo, Kye. We need to beat feet, Bianka suddenly called from the other side of the door.
Kaia blinked, realized she still stood beside the bed, but now Strider towered beside her. She hadnt heard him move, but there he was, his heat already wrapped around her, his scent strong and sweet in her nose.
He gripped her forearms, his head tilting to the side thoughtfully. Where were you that time?
Nowhere, she answered automatically. Her standard reply when someone other than her sisters asked her a question like that.
Did she lose herself in her thoughts that often? If I werent so entertaining, maybe I wouldnt
Kaia! Strider rolled his blues, and she noticed the pupils had gobbled up his gorgeous irises. Hed also loosened his grip, was now caressing the length of her arms with his fingertips. Were really going to have to work on your lying, baby doll.
Did hecould hedesire her? Heres an idea. You want the truth from me, youll have to buy it. With kisses. Or orgasms. Whatever. Yes, hed already offered to buy her artifact-stealing services with sex, and yes, that had pissed her off. But he hadnt truly wanted her then. He might want her now, and that changed everything. Not about the Paring Rod, of course, but about them.
His lips curved into a wicked smile. Who said I wanted the truth? He stopped the caressing only long enough to tweak her nose. Youre cute when you lie.
She popped her jaw. Puppies and goldfish were cute. Im hot, damn it. I lie amazingly well. Just ask everyone I know! Theyve never been able to tell.
Actually, Im probably the only one who can tell youre full of shit. Im observant like that.
And humble, too. Meanwhile, you need to work on your man-sluttiness. She rolled her shoulders, lifting her forearms and thereby his hands, causing his knuckles to brush the sides of her breasts. Dear gods, that felt good, lighting her up inside.
He flashed his teeth, as if hed experienced a jolt of pain, and his nostrils flared with the force of his breathing. And just how will we work on that sluttiness, hmm? In bed?
He did, she thought, dazed. He desired her. Why else would he mention a bedding when shed been hinting that he was too slutty? I like the way your mind works. We should
Kye? Bianka called, cutting her off. You in there? I know youre in there. Come. On.
Yeah, Bee. Im here, but I need a minute, she screeched. She never removed her gaze from Strider. Well continue this later. Okay? Please. She needed his touch, his intensity. His everything.
Uh, no, we wont. One step, two, he backed away from her. His arms dropped to his sides, contact severed completely. Were gonna keep this thing platonic.
Her eyes narrowed to tiny slits, his beautiful face the only thing in sight. Platonic? When youve had your tongue down my throat?
His eyes narrowed, too. Fine. Well continue this later.
Really? Happiness burst through herfollowed by dread. Im supposed to believe you changed your mind she snapped her fingers that easily? Whats your game?
No game. Your argument was solid.
Happiness was renewed, and gods, look how beautiful the sun suddenly was, so big and bright above their cloud. Well, all right, then. Later. She tried not to smile as she skipped to the door and greeted her sister.
STRIDER HADNT KNOWN what to expect at the first competition and after the whole elementary school thing, hed prepared himself for anything, everything. Or so hed thought. Just then, he found himself drowning in shock and the ceaseless, excited buzzing of his demon. The little shit had never encountered so fervent a swell of competitive spirit and was currently bouncing around like a kid on a steady caffeine shooter diet.
Strider sat in the bleachers of a high school basketball court, about a hundred other guys surrounding him. All were strangers except for Sabin, who occupied the seat on his left, and Lysander, who occupied the seat on his right. Most were human, though some were clearly immortal. He spotted the telltale pale skin of a vampire, the dark aura of a warlock and the reptilian grace of a snake shape-shifter. Unfortunately, he didnt see the him Kaia had supposedly slept with.
On the other side were the Harpies. While the men were quiet and subdued, the females were rowdy. They were jumping up and down on the steps, throwing popcorn and even cups of soda at the court. They wore tiny, tight T-shirts that ended just under the bra linefor those who were wearing bras. And shorts so short he spotted his favorite place on a womanthe sensual curve where bottom met legmore than once. Yeah, he spied the center of paradise, too.
The Falconways are going down! someone called.
You wish, Eagleshield. But then, youve always liked a woman on her knees.
Please! You couldnt satisfy a nymph if you were cranked on Viagra.
Viagra only works on men, you idiot.
Hello, you and your clanswomen have mustaches, so why not dicks, too?
Snickers, boos and hisses blended together.
And I thought my Bianka wasenthusiastic, Lysander said. I would never have guessed she was actually considered sedate among her kind.
Sabin snorted. Come on. If you arent revved by the lesbian jokes, youre gay.
Lysanders dark gaze swung to Strider. Are you revved by this?
Angels, man. Ive been on low simmer since we walked through the doors. In fact, I didnt need the jokes to crank my chain. What he didnt mention: it was all because of Kaia.
His talk with herone hed tried to postpone forever, but had swiftly realized the futility of postponing as she batted gloriously long lashes at him, all kinds of desire in her eyeswould happen sooner than even she had planned.
Hed stood in front of her, breathing her in, absorbing her body heat, peering down at that pin-up face, and hed wanted his mouth on her, all over her. One more taste. One more, and hed force himself to return to the friend zone.
Lysander! an eager female voice called from across the court. Lysander! Over here!
Strider searched the raucous crowd for Bianka. He found her at the top of the bleachers, waving a candy bar in the air and grinning like a loon. Her silky black hair was divided into pigtails that bounced against her arms. Cute, until you noticed the smoking hot Catholic schoolgirl uniform she wore. Cute mutated into heart attack waiting to happen. A white button-up top was knotted under her breasts, a tie hanging between them. The short plaid skirt left a huge gap between her thighs and her knee-high socks.
Made him wish Kaia had opted to cheer her team to victory rather than fight. In that getup, shed look better than a heart attack waiting to happen. Shed kill him on the spot.
No, he was glad shed chosen to fight. He planned to use the needed separation from her to spy on the Eagleshields, maybe search their belongings. In fact, as soon as Tag began, he was out of here. And he wouldnt feel guilty about that. Every man for himself.