The Dark King (12 page)

"Hades." A cry and a plea for mercy. She lifted her hips and a few more inches slipped inside. He was so achingly big. For a moment she worried that he wasn’t going to fit. He moved again and Taylor's eyes rolled back in her head.

"I'm not finished yet." Hades reached between them and adjusted her body until her hips tilted even more.

Taylor felt him go even deeper.

"Almost there." Hades pulled back and thrust.

If it weren’t for her cervix stopping him, Hades would've hit the bottom of her heart. He was so hard, so long, and so incredibly thick that Taylor didn't think she'd be able to move once they were done. Not that she'd want to. Not that she'd care. She'd always been a greedy lover, but prided herself on being able to give as good as she received.

Hades thrust again, rolling his hips.

Taylor bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain and ecstasy.

“Don’t hold back,” he murmured. “Let me hear you.”

He moved again and she mewed.

Taylor had heard of women being 'whipped', but she had never understood the saying until this moment. Hades was a master at making love. It was like he'd been made for the act. Taylor could see how that would make the Dark King highly
addictive
. And like any addiction, exposure needed to be limited.

But how could she walk away from the best sex of her life?

Easy
…if sex was all that was between them. Unfortunately, the chances of that being the case were now slim.

Taylor had felt the moment a tenuous connection formed. It hadn’t been there before. Of that she had no doubt. The fragile web now stretched between them and was as tangible as the hard muscles of Hades’ back, flexing beneath her fingertips. The intensity of the friable bond scared her to death.

She hadn’t wanted a deeper connection with the Dark King. Definitely wasn’t looking for one. She was sure Hades wasn’t either, but it was there nonetheless. Taylor was smart enough to keep the information to herself. No need to mess up an otherwise perfect moment. She’d deal with the emotional fallout when she got back to her room.

***

Taylor's tight channel had a death grip on Hades' shaft. He could barely breathe from the pleasure of it. He'd never felt anything so wonderful in his life. Thrusting inside her had been like coming home, except he'd never really had this connection to home or to anything else for that matter. Only to Taylor. The urge to share minds rode him hard.

He kept still for a few seconds as his hearts thundered inside of his chest. He used the sparse time to fight the need to connect. It was dangerous to try to re-experience the intimacy they'd shared last night. Repeated mind melds would only make the separation harder when she left.

"Relax." The request was meant for both of them. Hades’ breath brushed the hair on her forehead. Taylor’s body softened beneath him and he slowly began to move.

Each thrust felt like the first. Their bodies glided together in perfect synchronicity. Velvet heat surrounded him, cradling him, as he drove them toward completion. Taylor’s whimpers of pleasure turned to passionate cries. The joyous sound rang in his ears, filling him with pride and satisfaction…and a longing so deep and dark that for a moment Hades was overwhelmed.

Taylor tensed beneath him and her sheath fluttered. She was close, so very close. Hades brushed her hair from her face and marveled at her beauty. Her lips were swollen from his kisses, yet remained ripe and welcoming. So much so, he couldn't resist another taste.

He latched onto her mouth. The kiss deepened as their bodies rocked in unison. Without conscious thought, Hades' mind entered hers. The instantaneous connection knocked the air from his lungs. He could feel what Taylor felt, hear what she heard, and taste himself on her full lips. The intimacy of the merge was bliss and sheer agony in equal measures. How could he live without this? Tingles prickled his spine and his sac rose. He wouldn’t last much longer.

Still Hades couldn't let go. He drank from her, swallowing Taylor’s cries as she fell apart in his arms. With one final clasp, she pulled him under, milking his body until he was but a shell of his former self. Lost to the world, Hades felt contentment for the first time in his existence. It was an odd sensation, but one he could easily get used to. He gazed down at Taylor’s flushed face. She was the epitome of a well-pleasured woman. Pride surged through him. He’d been her first Phantom.

Her only Phantom
, a darker voice whispered. Fear’s icy fingers squeezed Hades, until the only option left to him was to run.

Taylor may not know it yet, but she held the power to bring the Dark King to his knees.

***

Blissfully sated, Taylor had never felt this dreadful in her life. She'd made a lot of bad decisions over the years, but sleeping with the Phantom King had to be the worst. She shook her head. What was she thinking? Last night she’d been so disgusted by Hades’ behavior that she’d called Linx to come and get her.

What a difference a morning made.

She couldn’t even blame her poor judgment on alcohol. This one was all on her. Hades, and his great sex, had just ruined her for all mankind. She snorted. Like that was her biggest concern.

No, what truly made this lapse in judgment a monumental disaster was that Taylor had fallen for him. A King. A Phantom. A stranger, who in a few days time she'd probably never see again. She sighed and stared at the ceiling.

“I am such an idiot,” she muttered, knowing she couldn't hide in his chambers forever.

Hades had been unusually quiet when he slipped out of bed an hour ago. There’d been no bantering, not even a quick exchange of teasing smiles. The only thing he'd asked before he left the room was that she notify him prior to contacting Linx again. The request had been all business and had left her feeling cold.

Still, Taylor had readily agreed, since he'd seemed genuinely hurt that she'd gone behind his back. That hadn't been her intention when she’d used the device, but he didn’t give her time to explain. He simply inclined his head and left. Hades hadn't returned, since their awkward exchange. She could hear him working in the other room, which somehow made the situation worse.

Was he waiting for her to leave?

Taylor flushed with embarrassment. She'd done several 'walks of shame' over the years, but this one by far was shaping up to be the most humiliating. Despite all her proclamations to the contrary, she hadn't changed a bit. Taylor was still the ditsy stripper, who fell into bed with the wrong men and gave her heart away too easily. She had let her sister, Tabby down. Worst of all, she'd let herself down.

Hades had probably realized that he'd screwed up, too. That would explain the uncomfortable silence. Or maybe he was over her now that they'd had sex. The depressing thought hurt more than it should. Taylor took a deep breath. She’d delayed the inevitable for as long as she could.

She swung her long legs over the side of the bed and surveyed the room. Taylor didn't immediately spot anything that she could wear. Her gaze landed on the closet door. No way was she going to rifle through the Dark King’s clothes. She glanced down at the mound of furs beneath her. Surely he wouldn't miss one. It wasn't like she planned to keep it.

Taylor hopped off the bed and grabbed the smallest fur she could find. She draped the hide around her body, then searched for something to hold it in place. A scarf of some kind had been tossed over the back of a chair. That would have to do. Taylor wrapped the scarf around her waist, then jumped up and down to make sure the whole outfit stayed in place. Confident that the fur would remain where it should, at least until she got back to her room, she marched out of the bedroom.

She didn't look at Hades, though she sensed him seated behind the desk, watching her. Instead, she walked directly to his chamber door and opened it. He didn't try to stop her. In fact, Hades didn't say a word. Taylor fought back tears as she picked up her towel and stepped into the hall. She kept her head down as she passed the guard, which was why she didn't see Opal until she ran into her.

"Sorry." She glanced up long enough to catch Opal's shocked expression, then rushed on. Her shame over being caught coming out of the King's chambers was magnified by her lack of clothing. It's hard to be dignified, when you're dressed like an X-rated, prehistoric cartoon character.

***

Opal couldn't hide her shock at seeing Taylor slip from the King's chambers. Her curvy body had been draped in furs that barely covered it. Frozen in place and her mouth gaping, she watched the human female rush down the hall.

It wasn't until the King's guard cleared his throat that Opal realized what she'd been doing. If she'd harbored any doubt of what had occurred inside of Hades’ living quarters, it was quickly squashed by the guard's taunting smile.

“Looks like you’ve been replaced,” he said.

"You don’t know what you’re talking about, now move aside,” she hissed. “I have a report for the King that cannot wait."

The guard didn't budge. "I'll check to see if the King is
available
."

"Did you not hear me?" she asked.

The guard stared at her. "I heard you, but the Dark King has been
busy
this morning. He may not be prepared to receive anyone at this time."

"I'm not just anyone,” Opal said through gritted teeth. “I am the Dark King’s Righthand. Now move."

The guard hesitated, loyalties clearly torn. He finally took a deep breath and stepped to his left.

Opal pulled herself together and knocked on the door.

"Enter," Hades called out after a moment’s hesitation.

She wasn't sure what she'd find, when she walked through the door, but Opal was determined to keep her emotions in check. Maybe Taylor had been there for innocent reasons? Maybe the guard was goading her to see her reaction. It wasn't like he'd been inside the room with the pair. There was no way to know exactly what had happened.

Opal took a long look at Hades as he sat behind his desk. Had the King finally succumbed to his desire and got Taylor out of his system? From the sated look on his face that seemed the most likely scenario, but there was no telling with Hades.

She stepped deeper into the room. Hades glanced up in eager anticipation. When he saw her, the expectation faded into disappointment. Jealousy twisted Opal's gut. She inhaled to calm herself, but the move backfired. The smell of sex permeated the room, mocking her.

It was as she suspected. The King had lain with the Earthling. Taylor’s cloying scent still clung to his lightly tanned skin. That in itself wasn’t alarming, but the King's reaction to seeing her certainly was.

Hades wasn't the type to brood. After a conquest, he tended to be jovial and self-satisfied. He loved the hunt, the seduction, and ultimately the capitulation. It wasn't unusual for him to start planning his next pursuit hours after bedding his latest conquest. He always had someone in mind. But it didn't look like that was the case today. If anything, the Dark King looked
troubled
.

"Sorry to interrupt your…” Opal cleared her throat. “Sorry to interrupt, Sire, but I thought you'd like to know that we shot down one of the Slaver ships."

"Where?" Hades’ gaze sharpened. "Any survivors?"

"The Rydon Ravine," she said. "It was difficult to reach the crash site. By the time the scouts did, they only found one body. It was obvious that he'd died on impact. There was a blood trail leading deeper into the woods. The scouts are following it now."

Hades nodded. "Let me know what they find."

She bowed. "Right away, Sire."

Opal left the room feeling sick to her stomach. Taylor’s musky stench had covered every inch of the King. Even now her scent saturated the air, leaving a sickly sweet odor behind.

If it were just sex, then Opal wouldn’t be bothered by what had occurred. Hades had sex with a lot of women. They meant nothing to her—meant nothing to him. Or hadn't before...

She squeezed her eyes shut. No matter how hard she tried, Opal couldn't stop seeing the look on the King's face, when she'd walked into the room. There'd been hope there and
longing
. She had never seen anything like it, and certainly not on Hades' handsome face. What had the Earthling done to him? Had she somehow bewitched the Dark King? That more than anything frightened Opal. How could she compete with
magic
?

***

Sometime over the last few hours while Taylor was soaking in the bathtub, feeling sorry for herself, trying to wash away the memories of this morning and scrub Hades' scent off her skin, clothing had been delivered to her room. She found the neat stack sitting on the edge of her bed.

No doubt the King was behind the new wardrobe. Had he bought her the clothes out of guilt? Or was he like Sergei, thinking that nice shiny things would keep her pacified, while he went off and did whatever he wanted? Both ideas hurt, but not as much as the possibility that he might be ‘paying her’ with new clothes for the sex. That thought made Taylor nauseous.

She wasn’t a whore.

Even if Hades did this for every woman he slept with, Taylor wanted no part of it. He didn’t
owe
her anything. And she certainly didn’t want any kind of
compensation
for sex, even if it came in a roundabout way. Time to tell him so before she lost her nerve.

Taylor ignored the beautiful fabrics and dug out her pair of jeans from the back of the closet. Someone other than her had put them there, burying them with the tote she'd packed before they'd left Earth. She slipped the denims on, pairing them with a sweater and pumps.

Some people wore body armor to battle. Taylor wore her high heels. If she were going to face Hades again, she'd need all the 'armor' she could get.

Taylor opened her door and instantly recognized a familiar face, standing guard outside her room. "Hi Kon," she said.