The Dark King (23 page)

"They have her, Sire," the guard said. "Your Righthand just reported the news at the front gates. She's on her way here now."

Hades didn't need to ask the guard who he was referring to. He knew. His gut clenched at the thought of what the Slavers were doing to Taylor. She was so soft. So weak. So very human. He'd vowed to protect her and he'd failed.

"How did this happen?" Hades bellowed. It would be easy to blame another, but he could only blame himself. He should've never left her side this morning. He should've made her come with him. He'd known she was up to something, but he'd given Taylor her privacy and not pried into her mind. Now he wished that he had. Maybe he could've prevented this whole situation.

The guard lowered his head and spoke. "She was snatched from within the Walled City."

"What in Zaronian fire was she doing in the city?" Hades asked. "I told her it wasn't safe."

"Shopping, Sire," Opal said as she stepped around the guard. "I took her shopping. It's my fault that she was taken."

"She was grabbed within the city?" he asked.

"Yes, Sire."

"That's impossible. No one can get past our energy field to enter the city without tripping an alarm," Hades said. "It would've been detected immediately." He turned to the other guard. "Have there been any perimeter breeches?"

He shook his head. "No, Sire. Nothing."

Hades gaze landed on Opal.

She stared at him beseechingly. "I don't know how they did it, Sire, but somehow they managed. I was a couple of booths away, when I heard Taylor scream. I rushed to her aid, but by the time I reached her location, she was gone. I am sorry."

"No!" Hades shouted. "She cannot be gone. They couldn't have left the planet so quickly without being detected. Even with their advanced cloaking device, we knew that they were here." He turned to the first guard who'd entered his room. "Expand the energy field. I don't want a single ship taking off from this planet until Taylor is found. Better she die…" He choked. “Than her fate be left in the hands of a Slaver.”

"Yes, Sire. Right away." The guard sprinted out of the room. Hades could hear him barking orders as he did so.

He turned to Opal. "I want you to tell me exactly what happened. Leave no detail out. Then I will decide if any disciplinary action shall be taken."

***

Opal nodded solemnly and tried not to quake under his regard.

Hades' face was a mask of fury as he stared at her. She had never seen him look so angry. Not even when he was challenged for his throne. His aqua eyes shifted from blue to red so quickly that she could barely keep track of the rapid color change.

Phantoms rarely lost control of their Other halves, but the King's body trembled as if he'd burst at any minute. The unanticipated level of violence hovering just beneath his skin truly frightened her. This was a side of the Dark King that Opal had never seen before. And hoped to never see again.

She'd thought she was doing the right thing. Knew she had done what was needed to protect the Kingdom, protect her position, but would Hades ever see it that way? From the furious look on his face, she doubted it.

"We were in the city shopping. I thought she could do with some fresh air," Opal said. "She's been cooped up for days and her clothes aren't exactly acceptable attire."

"Why didn't you take a guard like I ordered?" he asked through clenched teeth. Teeth that appeared to grow sharper and longer as she watched.

Opal's chin rose. "I didn't need one."

"The facts say differently," he said.

She blanched, but met his hard stare.

His gaze started at her feet and worked its way to the top of her head and back down again. "Why aren't you injured? It was your duty to protect her." He shook with emotion. "At the very least, I'd expect to see battle wounds."

"I barely got away, my King." Opal bowed her head to appear distraught. "If Taylor hadn't warned me, the Slavers would now have us both."

Hades' eyes narrowed. "So she saved
your
life and forfeited her own?"

Opal nodded and managed to muster a tear. "I am sorry, Sire. I know that you vowed to protect her."

Hades' jaw tightened. "As did you, but it looks like we both failed." Claws sprang from his fingertips and stripes appeared beneath his skin. He threw his head back and roared, the sound deafening.

Opal jumped. She'd expected the Dark King to be upset, but she'd underestimated the violence of his reaction to losing the Earthling.

"Shall I notify her sister of the loss?" Opal asked.

Hades' expression arrested her. "No, because I intend to find her and retrieve her. She is mine," he said with so much vehemence that Opal took a step back.

She tried not to let the shock from his declaration show on her face, or the pain that followed. "I fear she's long gone by now, Sire," she murmured. Soon her troubles would be over and everything would return to normal.

"If the energy field doesn't prevent them from taking off, then I shall follow the Slavers across the galaxy until they land on another planet," he growled. “They are not self-sustaining. They’ll have to stop eventually. When they do, I’ll be ready.”

Opal's eyes widened. "You would declare war over the loss of one human female?"

Hades’ blue eyes frosted. "I will tear this galaxy apart and every being who stands in my way, until I find her. And if in the end I discover that Taylor is truly gone from this mortal realm, then Goddess help those who took her from me."

Opal shivered as cold fingers of fear trickled down her spine. For the first time since she'd concocted this plan, she was truly terrified. Hades would
never
forgive her. There was nothing that she could do that would atone for this act. If he found out that she was the one behind Taylor's abduction, he would rip her apart with his claws and feast upon her entrails. Her mind raced. What could she do? Where could she go?

She only had one chance at saving herself.

Opal forced herself to look at the Dark King. His fury beat at her, battering her senses, until she was ready to turn tail and run. "I-I believe I have located the Slavers’ last position. I cannot guarantee that they will still be there, but it's a place to start the search."

"We have no time for your guesses," Hades said.

"This isn't a guess. I am positive I have found their location." Opal gave the King the coordinates.

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Then let us go and stop wasting time."

Opal had never been more grateful that she could block the Dark King's probing mind than at this moment. She could 'feel' him reaching for her thoughts, searching for the truth. If he even had an inkling that she was lying, Opal would be dead. She had only one chance to make it out of this situation alive. She had to reach Taylor before Hades did. If she killed her before the Dark King got to her, then he'd never learn the truth.

***

Taylor straddled the two rods that kept her arms spread and hands bound. Sweat dripped from her forehead, running along her face. She'd been trying to shimmy up the poles since the Slavers had left her. Her efforts thus far had been fruitless. It was hard to hold the splits between poles, when you could barely move your hands.

The ship's engines purred beneath her feet. She could hear men rushing back and forth outside the door. If even one of them looked in, she'd be caught. But if she didn't get out of here soon, Taylor would be trapped. There'd be no escaping. And thanks to Opal, no help would be coming.

More shouts sounded from inside the bay. Taylor held her breath and prayed they didn't enter the holding room as she gripped the rods and jumped once more, spreading her legs wide until her feet touched the poles. Her muscles shook as she forced her body to climb.

"You can do this," she grunted.

Inch by inch, Taylor worked her way up. Twenty feet had never looked so high. What if when she got to the top she couldn't slip her wrists free? Her arms trembled. She thought of her twin, Tabby. She thought about the bad decisions that she'd made in her life. But most of all she thought about Hades.

Taylor couldn't fathom never seeing him again. She loved him. Funny how being in danger had put everything into perspective. She'd never had such clarity in her life. Too bad the epiphany came so late.

Her body quaked and she dropped an inch. Sweat covered her palms, but somehow Taylor kept from falling even further. She squirmed her way up the last seven inches, arms and legs quivering, lungs gasping for air.

When she reached the top, Taylor paused. Doubt crept in. What if it didn't work? What if she'd done all this for nothing? It had to work! She strained, pulling herself up the last inch. The rods tugged at her wrists, almost as if they were magnetized. Maybe they were. She pulled harder and her left wrist slipped free.

Taylor swung her body over to the right rod and wrapped her straining thighs around the pole. She climbed until her torso was above the right rod and yanked both hands up with all her strength. Her hands slipped free of the rods. Taylor cried out in relief and quickly covered her mouth with her palms, so the Slavers didn't hear her.

She slid down the rod. The second her feet touched the ground, her legs gave out. Tears streamed down Taylor's face. She'd done it. She still had to figure out a way to get out of the room and make it past the guards, but at least she'd freed herself.

Taylor couldn't afford to rest for long. She rubbed her legs, then staggered to her feet. Her thighs protested, but she remained standing. She ducked as a dark shadow passed in front of her door. Taylor dropped to her hands and knees, and crawled across the floor. There had to be something inside of the crates that would work as a weapon. Was it too much to hope for a baseball bat?

She rifled through the crates and found mostly clothing. Clothing of various sizes, shapes and colors. Taylor's gaze strayed to the dark stain, circling the drain in the middle of the floor. How many women had died? How many had been tortured? She shoved the clothes away and moved onto the next crate. She would not give up without a fight. Taylor had learned that much from the Phantom people.

***

Hades suspected there was more to Opal's story, but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what she could be lying about. She disliked Taylor. Felt threatened by her. That much was obvious, but that didn’t explain the events that had occurred in the Walled City.

He tried to probe her mind once more to uncover the truth, but failed again. Her mental blocks were some of the strongest he'd ever encountered. That strength had been a bonus when he'd made her his Righthand, but now it served only as frustration.

Opal led them directly to the Slavers’ location, which only added to his growing suspicions. How had she known? She couldn't have just found out, which meant she’d been keeping the information from him. Why hadn't she given him the coordinates right away? The only logical reason for her to keep this from him was if she was the spy they’d been searching for.

The thought pained him. Hades had taken Opal into his bed. He’d trusted her with his life. Depended on her to protect the Phantom people. He’d considered her a
friend
. And this was how she’d repaid him. He had been so worried about challenges from the outside that it never occurred to him to take a closer look at his inner circle. It was a mistake that had cost him dearly. Hades would have to wait to find out the extent of her betrayal until after the raid. It was not something he looked forward to.

The ships’ engines roared to life.

Fear beat at Hades’ chest as he watched the Slavers prepare for takeoff. He couldn't let them get away. If they gained altitude, they'd blow up when they hit the energy field. There was also a chance that they'd kill Taylor, when the Phantoms attacked. Either way, she would be dead. His beast roared in anguish inside of him. Hades might be uncertain about his feelings, but his beast was not.

With a mental push, Hades told his army to spread out. He planned to take as many of the Slavers as he could alive, if only to torture them later in the Pit. He wanted them to know that the Dark King would not tolerate them in his Kingdom. Would not tolerate them taking what was his.

Once his men were in place, Hades gave the signal and roared. The sound echoed through the woods, signaling the attack. The Slavers' heads shot up and they scrambled to pull their weapons, but it was too late. Phantom Warriors poured out of the trees, shifting as they went. Bears, cats, misshapen wolves, and two-legged vipers rained down upon the Slavers, tearing a swath through their numbers as they fought to reach the ships' open doors.

Hades' claws ripped the head off one man, then he backhanded another. Bone crunched as the Slaver crumpled and fell to the ground. Rage turned his world into a red haze. If he couldn't save Taylor, he would avenge her. His two hearts nearly stopped in his chest at the thought of her being gone forever. She had to be alive. He would accept no other outcome.

More Slavers appeared in the doorways. They rushed out to assist their fallen brethren. Hades tore a bloody swath through the re-enforcements, leaving shattered bodies and twisted limbs in his wake. He no longer cared about survivors. He just needed to reach Taylor before it was too late.

He continued to fight, pushing his way closer and closer toward the ships. Blood dripped from the Dark King's torso and ran down his claws. The Slavers tried to retreat inside the lowest craft, but his men cut off their escape. Hades' beast leapt through the open door and quickly scanned the surroundings. He inhaled, searching for that sweet aroma that he knew so well. Hades caught Taylor's faint scent, but could not tell where it was coming from due to the stench of death and excrement filling his nostrils.

"Fan out!" he bellowed. "She is here. Find her."

***

Opal rushed through the doors behind Hades in a panic. She had to locate Taylor. She'd told the Slavers that she was worth more alive, than dead. Now she prayed to the Goddess that they hadn't listened to her. If they'd killed her, then all her troubles would be over. Hades would slaughter the Slavers, and then they would return to the Keep. The Dark King would go through a short period of mourning out of respect for Linx and his mate, then things would return to normal.