The Darkest Surrender (36 page)

Before the Harpy realized Kaia had changed locations, Kaia grabbed her wings, claws sinking past skin and into tendon, and ripped with every bit of her strength. Exactly as she’d done to her mother.

A patented Kaia the Wing-Shredder move, and as easy as licking the bowl of her favorite ice cream during Fertile Week—aka Hell Week—but then, what did you expect from a woman with a name like hers?

Strider whooped. “That’s my girl.”

Juliette grunted as she fell face-first against the sand. She tried to pull herself to her knees, but she no longer had the strength, and simply collapsed. Blood pooled around her, as promised, the stark crimson nearly obscene against the purity of the white granules.

The Eagleshields were silent for several heartbeats, their shock palpable. Then, gasps sounded.

Grinning, Kaia crouched beside her nemesis. Juliette’s pain-filled eyes looked past her. “We’ve both hurt the other. Let that be enough. I’ll even say I’m sorry it came
to this. But, and hear me well, if you come after anyone I love, I will ruin you. And you know I can do it now. I have the Paring Rod and I will take your soul without remorse. Plus, I’ve got those goody-goody angels on my side. You shouldn’t have pissed them off. Enough said.”

She didn’t wait for a reply. Juliette might taunt her about not truly knowing how to utilize the Rod or might even push her to do something she didn’t want to do. Namely, take the woman’s head. So she stood and walked toward Strider.

Grinning, he met her halfway.

K
AIA SPENT THE REST OF THE DAY
making love to her man, in her bedroom, of all places. Being in her Alaskan house, the very house where he’d once broken her heart, was surreal. Anyway, he’d gotten an infusion of strength after her victory against Juliette. An infusion he’d put to very good use.

Now, she lay in his arms, sated beyond compare. She owed this man
so much.
Her current state of happiness, yes, but also her confidence in herself. She was strong, but he’d made her stronger. Because he trusted her, saw deeper than the surface, never caring what other people thought of her, never caring about her mistakes. And he wasn’t afraid to love her for who and what she was, changing her the furthest thing from his mind.

“I love you,” she told him.

“That’s because you’re smart. Further proof—look who you ended up with. Me, rather than that shithead Paris.”

She chuckled. Did her good to hear him discuss his friend with amusement rather than resentment or jealousy. “Didn’t you have something else to tell me?”

“Yes.” He sighed. “Here goes. Speaking of Paris, I have to head up to the heavens to help him find his not-so-dead girlfriend. I promised him. I told you that before, right?”

“You did.”

“Good. I want you to go with me.”

As if she had to think about it. And her willingness didn’t just spring from a desire to remain by Strider’s side. She wanted Paris happy. “Of course.”

“Thank you. And I love you, too. Not only do you make me happy, you make my demon happy. You feed him in a way I hadn’t known he needed, making me stronger than ever. That’s why I’m challenging myself to make sure you’re blissed out for the rest of your days.”

She groaned. “You have to stop doing that.” If he was hurt—again—because of her…

“Don’t worry. I’ll let you convince me of the merits of not challenging myself, baby doll.”

“And just how will you let me convince you, hmm?”

“Don’t be silly. With your body, of course.”

She planted little kisses all over his face. “And I will. But didn’t you have something
else
to tell me?”

“Yes, but how do you know that?”

She tapped a finger against her temple. “Smart, remember?”

He sat up, reached down and dug into his discarded pants’ pocket. When he straightened, he held out his hand, a chain dangling from his fingers. “Here.”

“What’s this?” she asked, sitting up beside him as she claimed it. A thin wooden disk hung from the links. In the center was an intricate, if lopsided, blue butterfly, matching the one tattooed across his stomach and hip.

A flush colored his cheeks. “It’s a necklace. Well, a medallion. It’s not the same as your mom’s or the one she gave you, but—”

“The cuts on your hands,” she gasped out. “You carved this yourself.”

He nodded.

Her eyes filled with tears as she removed the one Tabitha had given her, placed it on the nightstand and
donned the new one. “This is
better
than my mother’s.” She threw her arms around his neck. “I love you, Strider. I was just kidding before, but now I mean it.”

He gave a warm, husky chuckle. “Actually, I prefer Bonin’. And I seriously love you, too, Red. More than I can ever say.”

“All Sabin did was tattoo Gwen’s name on several parts of his body after they got married, the loser,” she said, fingering the medallion’s surface. “I’m so lucky.”

He stiffened. “Uh, yeah, speaking of married…”

“Finally,” she said on a laugh. “But if you’ve got something to confess, there’s a better time. Like, when you’re about to be inside me.”

“You know we’re hitched,” he said, studying her intently, and she nodded. He relaxed. “How?”

“Some people make bad secret-keepers and would be better served spilling everything to their doting wife.”

“Kaia.”

“Fine. I felt the connection.”

“Because of the mind-speak, I’m betting. I should have known.” He grinned at that. “And you don’t mind?”

“Mind? I want to be your wife. You remember my goals as a young girl, don’t you?” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “But…maybe you
should
get my name tattooed all over you. I mean, I adore the medallion so the ink would just be icing on the cake, proving we’re a better couple than Sabin and Gwen.”

“Consider it done.”

As she straddled his waist, he reached up and cupped her jaw. “Now, I’m not doubting you, you understand, but I’m gonna need you to prove your love. You do remember promising to do so, don’t you?”

“I do. Just tell me how,” she whispered, breathless, knowing exactly where he was headed with this. “I mean, I love you for your mind, of course, so I guess I could sit
here for hours, describing how I delight in your every genius idea. And then I could—”

“Just for today, we’re going to pretend you love me for my body.” He lay back down, pulling her with him. “So, you can start up top and work your way down. Okay, okay. You can also show me how grateful you are for my brilliance while you’re at it. I mean, your sister is safe because of me. It’s the least you can do.”

She barely cut off her laugh. “You’re not afraid I’ll challenge you?”

Those navy eyes gleamed. “Baby doll, I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.”

K
ANE CAME AWAKE IN AN INSTANT
,
jolting upright. Panic swam through him, perhaps left over from the falling boulders—and deepened when he saw the iron bars around him.

Bars? A cage? He was in a damned
cage?
What…why…? Before the thought could fully form, he saw that William, unconscious and bleeding, was outside the cage and being carted away.

Dread slapped at Kane, cold and hard and stinging. He reached out, his hand shaky, and tried to shout for his friend.
Wake up. Fight.
But no words emerged.

Kane swallowed, his throat filled with sawdust. And damn it, his head throbbed like a son of a bitch. His stomach threatened to heave at any moment, his body jostling left and right, left and right.

The cage was being wheeled through a cavernous hallway, he realized. Then dizziness flooded him and he closed his eyes. He measured his breaths, hoping the spinning would stop. The air was hot, humid and layered with the scents of rot and sulfur.

Rot. Sulfur. They could mean only one thing. Hell. He was being taken deeper into hell.

His demon roared.

Kane cracked open his lids and glanced at his surroundings, slow and easy this time. He spotted horned, winged monsters beside his cage. They had scales rather than skin, and glowing red eyes.

Demons. Minions.

The roaring in his head turned to laughter. His demon was genuinely amused. That was not a good sign.

He must have groaned. One of the creatures glanced in his direction and scowled, flashing long, white saber teeth. A moment later, a clawed hand reached inside the cage and batted at his cheek, splitting skin.

Once more, Kane slipped into oblivion.

O
NE ITEM LEFT ON HIS LIST
, and then he could go after Sienna, Paris thought. All he had to do was find Viola, the minor goddess of the Afterlife and discover how a man like him could see the souls of the dead.

Word was, she frequented a bar in the heavens. He was headed there now. As he stomped along the streets, he withdrew his phone and sent his man Strider a text.

I release U from UR vow

He pressed Send and pocketed the phone. After what he’d learned from Arca about the dangers of the two realms he’d have to enter—and the possibility of never leaving one of them—he wasn’t willing to risk his friend’s life. Especially since the guy had just married his Harpy. Yeah, he’d gotten a text from Strider with the happy news.

I’ll never have that,
he thought hollowly. Rather than wallow in despair, however, he opened himself back up to the darkness now constantly frothing inside him. So much darkness. A mist, sweeping through him, turning him into a cold, hard bastard.

Hurt…kill…

Good. He needed that coldness, now more than ever.

No matter what, he would save Sienna—even at the expense of his own life.

Aeron
—Former keeper of Wrath

All-Seeing Eye
—Godly artifact with the power to see into heaven and hell

Amun
—Keeper of Secrets

Anya
—(Minor) Goddess of Anarchy

Arca
—Messenger goddess

Ashlyn Darrow
—Human female with supernatural ability

Atropos
—One of the Three Fates; snipper of threads

Baden
—Keeper of Distrust (deceased)

Bait
—Human females, Hunters’ accomplices

Bianka Skyhawk
—Harpy; twin sister of Kaia

Cage of Compulsion
—Godly artifact with the power to enslave anyone trapped inside

Cameo
—Keeper of Misery

Cloak of Invisibility
—Godly artifact with the power to shield its wearer from prying eyes

Cronus
—King of the Titans, keeper of Greed

Danika Ford
—Human female; All-Seeing Eye

Dean Stefano
—Hunter; right-hand man of Galen

dimOuniak
—Pandora’s box

Galen
—Keeper of Hope

Gideon
—Keeper of Lies

Gilly
—Human female

Gorgon
—Immortal with snakes for hair and the power to turn man to stone with only a glance

Greeks
—Former rulers of Olympus, now imprisoned in Tartarus

Gwen Skyhawk
—Half-Harpy, half-angel; daughter of Galen

Hades
—One of the rulers of hell

Haidee
—Immortal; former Hunter

Hate
—A demigod and keeper of the demon of Hate

Hera
—Queen of the Greeks

Hunters
—Mortal enemies of the Lords of the Underworld

Juliette Eagleshield
—Harpy; enemy of Kaia

Juno
—Harpy; ally of Kaia

Kaia Skyhawk
—Harpy; sister of Bianka, Taliyah and Gwen

Kane
—Keeper of Disaster

Klotho
—One of the Three Fates; spinner of threads

Lachesis
—One of the Three Fates; weaver of threads

Land of Cinder
—Home of the Phoenix race

Lazarus
—Imprisoned immortal consort of Juliette; son of Typhon

Legion
—Demon minion; friend of Aeron

Lords of the Underworld
—Exiled warriors to the Greek gods who now house demons inside them

Lucien
—Keeper of Death; leader of the Budapest warriors

Lucifer
—Prince of darkness; ruler of hell

Lysander
—Elite warrior angel and consort of Bianka Skyhawk

Maddox
—Keeper of Violence

Medusa
—Most famed of the Gorgons

Mina
—Goddess of Weaponry

Moirai
—AKA The Three Fates; three immortal females who weave destiny

Neeka the Unwanted
—Harpy; ally of Kaia

The Odynia
—also known as “the Garden of Goodbyes”; Rhea’s heavenly realm

Olivia
—An angel

One, True Deity
—Ruler of the angels

Pandora
—Immortal warrior, once guardian of dimOuniak (deceased)

Paring Rod
—Godly artifact, container of souls and granter of abilities

Paris
—Keeper of Promiscuity

Phoenix
—An immortal with the power of fire and the ability to raise the dead from its ashes

Reyes
—Keeper of Pain

Rhea
—Queen of the Titans; estranged wife of Cronus; keeper of Strife

Sabin
—Keeper of Doubt; leader of the Greek warriors

Scarlet
—Keeper of Nightmares

Sienna Blackstone
—Deceased female Hunter; new keeper of Wrath

Skye
—A pseudodoctor; wife of a Hunter

Strider
—Keeper of Defeat

Tabitha Skyhawk
—Harpy; mother of Taliyah, Bianka, Kaia and Gwen

Taliyah Skyhawk
—Harpy; elder sister of Bianka, Kaia and Gwen

Tartarus
—Greek god of Confinement; also the immortal prison on Mount Olympus

Tedra
—Harpy; ally of Kaia

Titans
—Current rulers of Olympus

Torin
—Keeper of Disease

Typhon
—Father of Lazarus; immortal with the head of a dragon and the body of a snake

Unspoken Ones
—Reviled gods; prisoners of Cronus

Viola
—Minor goddess of the Afterlife

Warrior Angels
—Heavenly demon assassins

William
—Immortal warrior (and god among gods—or so he says)

Zacharel
—A warrior angel

Zeus
—King of the Greeks