Текст книги "The darkest seduction"

Автор книги: Gena Showalter

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Galen pinned her to the floor, ready to render the final blow.

“Where is Legion?” the keeper of Hope shouted, going to his knees, putting his weight on her shoulders.

“Never…tell…” Her voice held no trace of Wrath. Which meant the demon wasn’t guiding her right now. Shewas in control. She would feel every injury.

Hurry! Get to her!Paris stumbled, righted himself, kept moving. Closer…but not close enough…so damn far away.

Another human, tossed aside.

“Where is she?” Galen.

“Where you’ll never find her.” Sienna.

Just beyond them, Cronus drilled Rhea’s sword with so much force, the queen lost her grip. The king pounced, fisting her hair and forcing her to her knees. And there was nothing she could do about it, weaponless as she now was.

With his free hand, Cronus withdrew a thin link of chain from the pocket of his robe and bound her wrists behind her. Struggling the entire time, she spat curses at him. He hooked the chain around her ankles. A hog tie. A good one. The queen wouldn’t be going anywhere until he let her.

A sharp lance of pain seared between his shoulder blades. Someone had just stabbed him in the back, Paris realized distantly. Once again his knees gave out. This time, he couldn’t get to his feet. Commanding his crystal blade to elongate, he shoved the length backward, nailed the one who’d taken him down, then he began crawling. He wouldreach Sienna. He would, even though every inch he gained left a thick trail of blood behind. In fact, he’d lost so much he wasn’t sure how he was still conscious.

Galen swung around, removing his weight from Sienna, but she stayed where she was. Prone, motionless.

What had the bastard done to her? “No. No.” On his hands and knees, Paris worked his way to her. “Hold on, baby. I’m coming.”

Cronus and Galen circled each other. Both were cut and bleeding profusely. Both were limping.

“Well, well. Our showdown at last,” the king said. He coughed and spit out a tooth. He was without a weapon, having dropped them to confine his wife.

He couldn’t flash away, too injured to do so.

Galen raised his sword. “Well, well, indeed. You didn’t bring what you promised me, and now you are defenseless.”

“Am I? I think not. If you want your woman,” the king continued, “you’ll walk away now. I will bring her to you, and you may keep her. But you are never to defy me again. So walk away. Now.”

Sienna twitched. Twitched again. Relief consumed Paris. Almost there, almost… Slowly she rose, shook her head and took stock of the scene playing out in front of her, clearly still consumed by Wrath’s influence after all. Cronus had his back to her. Galen was in front of Cronus, but paid her no heed.

The crystal dagger she held glinted in the light. And it elongated as his had just done, thickened, the end becoming a hook. Becoming a scythe. Becoming the only weapon capable of killing the man who ruled from the Titan throne. Paris realized what was about to happen and froze.

Oh, damn.Anyone looking from behind Galen, which was the view from Danika’s painting of this moment, would see only Cronus. They wouldn’t see the slight female behind him. The female who would change the world with her next action.

“I will never bow to you,” Galen snarled. “And I will get my woman on my own.”

“You’ll get her after I kill her, then.”

Galen roared, his weapon shaking in his grip.

“Actually,” Sienna said, even as Galen swung, “ you’llbe the one dying.” She, too, swung.

Her weapon was longer, stronger, and far more powerful, and she beat Galen to the punch.

Cronus never knew what hit him.

His head detached, flew, and his body collapsed. Rhea screamed, but for a split second, she looked nearly triumphant. “Worth…it,” she whispered, and then she, too, went silent, suddenly motionless.

My woman.Pride joined Paris’s relief. My woman did this. Won this.

As the throngs began to shout in revelation, a dark, screeching form rose from the king’s body, its crimson eyes glowing, its fangs long and sharp, and a tail swishing behind it. A similar form rose from Rhea, only hers had a stooped back with horns and claws so long they could have been sabers.

Their demons were escaping.

Crazed, Greed and Strife shot high into the air, disappearing into the night. Two of Pandora’s demons would once more be unleashed upon the world.

“Someone should go after them,” Paris tried to say, but then Sienna screamed, hitting her knees, and he no longer cared about anything else. Her arms spread wide, her back arched, contorting her. Her head fell back, and she released another scream, then another and another.

At last Paris reached her. At last she quieted, her voice box razed. She remained in that position, shaking, shaking so badly. He wanted to gather her into his arms, to offer comfort, but he put himself in front of her. He was her shield. Now, always.

Galen stood there, panting, and maybe he would have attacked, but the battle had ended as suddenly as it had begun. The few remaining Hunters realized they were outnumbered and took off in a dead sprint, though where they thought they could escape to up here, he had no clue. Bloody gods and bedraggled goddesses sank to their knees. Some bowed their heads; others simply looked stunned.

The angels came up to flank Sienna, daring the keeper of Hope to make a move.

“All hail the new queen,” a goddess suddenly said.

The rest of the Titans repeated the phrase, their voices rising in fervor, as one by one, they kneeled in front of Paris. He wasn’t sure what was happening; surely they would not refer to him as the new queen. He had his moments, sure, but maybe it was a Titan thing, like how Viola called her male pet “princess.”

“They speak to the girl behind you,” Zacharel said, moving to stand beside him.

Sienna? Sienna was queen?Of the Titans? Still crouched, he swung around to check on her. The dizziness increased, and he realized his line of sight was completely blown.

The angel added roughly, “Choices decide our fate. And though I was not made aware until now, she was to be the king’s greatest asset—or his only downfall, depending on the choice she made.”

“But hewould…have known. His Eyes…would have…told him.” Every word scraped his throat, burning. Every word weakened him further.

“I am sure they did,” Zacharel said. “In their own way. Perhaps he did not look closely enough, or perhaps they did not show him everything. And now Sienna has taken the godly throne. Thisis why we wanted her on our side, why everyonewanted her on their side. The powers Cronus stole from so many others over the centuries have now become hers.”

Do I know how to pick ’em or what?This was one more hat for her to wear, he thought with a faint laugh that caused blood to bubble up his throat, spilling out of his mouth.

A fog drifted through his mind, but it couldn’t hide the revelation that he was dying. Already he’d lost too much blood, and with every second that passed, breathing became more difficult. But Sienna would be safe, always safe, and that was all that mattered. He couldn’t ask for more than that. Except for a future with her. He would have liked that.

The rest of his strength draining, he allowed himself to fall backward, his head landing in her lap.

“Paris?”

Darkness that had nothing to do with his anger closed in. “I…love…you,” he croaked out.

“Paris!”

“Save…friends…don’t let…die.” The darkness consumed him, and he knew nothing more.

Except…

“Paris!”

Her voice jerked him back. A flash of white. Darkness. A flash of white, lasting several seconds longer. Another flash, lasting…lasting…his body and demon seeming to stretch apart, disconnect…until he heard Sienna’s voice and everything snapped back together.

“—not leaving me! I won’t let you. Remember when we talked about having someone to die for? Well, you’re mine. You’re my someone. If you pass, I’ll follow. Somehow, I’ll follow.” Oh, was she pissed. That temper of hers was coming out to play. “Do you hear me?”

The ground rumbled beneath him.

He smiled, because in that moment he realized something wondrous. Everything was going to be okay. Sienna was stubborn to her core. She had defeated Cronus, outwitted Galen. This was nothing.

They would be together, one way or another. She would make sure of it.

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

SIENNA HATED TO LEAVE PARIS in bed, and didn’t want him to wake up without her by his side. His body was in the process of healing from the massive wounds he’d sustained during battle, and when he opened his eyes, he would want answers. Answers she would happily give, just as soon as she learned them.

So, after brushing her knuckles over his beautiful face—though he turned toward her, he gave no other reaction—she hurriedly left the chamber they shared in the Realm of Blood and Shadows. Then she stopped. Wait, wait, wait. She could flash now, couldn’t she?

In fact, that’s how she’d gotten Paris and all of his friends back here. She’d entertained a simple thought: I wish we were home,and boom, she’d blinked and every single one of them had materialized at the castle. Shock had drilled her to her knees, and her mind had gone into a tailspin. For hours after that, her mind had reeled with the possibilities—Hawaii, Russia, Ireland, Key West, plus everywhere else she’d ever wanted to visit—and she’d ended up flashing all over the world by accident.

That had been, what? Two days ago. Two days that seemed like an eternity, but she’d finally gotten control of that particular ability. She didn’t think she would ever get used to some of the others.

Power swirled inside her, so much power her skin felt too tight for her body and her pores felt stretched, as if at any moment she could shatter into a thousand pieces. Apparently, taking Cronus’s head meant she was entitled to nearly all of his powers, and definitely all that he’d owned. Like, say, his home in the heavens and even his harem—from which she’d promptly freed everyone.

One of the females inside—Arca—had asked her if Paris had sent her. In exchange for Arca’s aid, he’d vowed to free her after saving Sienna. She’d said yes, and now that debt was paid.

On top of everything else, Cronus’s allies were hers—as were his enemies. But she wasn’t worried.

She could also feelthe darkness inside her now, the darkness Zacharel had told her about, the darkness Paris had given her—a darkness Wrath loved to devour. He’d never fed from her, but had begun to feed from Paris, taking that part of him and lessening its hold on him. Zacharel would have to approve.

With a sigh, she flashed into Lucien’s room, ready to begin her daily checkup on all of Paris’s friends. He and Anya were in bed, sleeping peacefully. His injuries were less severe than Paris’s, and he had finally crawled out of bed this morning, only to stalk into the entertainment room, toss Anya over his shoulder, and vanish them both.

Maddox and Ashlyn were also in bed, but they were cooing to their babies, who kicked and gurgled in their adoring parents’ arms. Maddox was bandaged pretty heavily, was pale and bruised, but he was smiling. The little boy, Urban, met Sienna’s gaze and winked.

Winked? Surely not.

Strider and Kaia were—having sex. Oh, oh, ick! My eyes.Sienna moved to the next room.

Sabin and Gwen– someone save me.They were also going at it. What was with the people in this castle? Had Paris’s demon somehow rubbed off on all of them?

Gideon and Scarlet were snuggled together, talking. And a stranger conversation Sienna had never heard.

“I hate you.”

“I hate you more.”

“I hate you most.”

Moving on.

Amun and Haidee were in the kitchen, baking cookies. Haidee had flour streaked on her cheeks, prints on her breasts and butt, all courtesy of Amun and his wandering hands.

Reyes and Danika were in their bedroom. Like Paris, Reyes was sleeping off his injuries. Danika was painting.

Sienna knew Danika was the current All-Seeing Eye, and purposely didn’t look at the colorful scene being created. She didn’t want to end up like Cronus, obsessed with what was to happen and doing everything in her power to prevent it, all while forgetting to truly live in the present.

All she’d been willing to listen to was Danika’s claim that the Lords’ fortress in Budapest would soon be too dangerous to occupy, though she didn’t know why, and that the whole crew needed to stay here for the time being. Sienna had, of course, given her blessing.

Cameo was in the entertainment room, polishing her daggers while the TV played an episode of 1000 Ways to Die.Yes, the warriors had found a way to rig the immortal realm to receive a satellite signal.

Aeron and Olivia– Not again! Seriously. The castle was more like a zoo with monkeys. Wrath gave his customary heaven/hell coos, and there was still a hint of yearning in his tone, but no more of the whimpers.

Happy to be with me?Sienna asked the demon. At least a little?

You aren’tso terrible.

She laughed. Wrath talked to her more and more now, real conversations rather than a spew of single-minded words. He’d helped her on that battlefield, guiding her actions but not overtaking her completely, just as he’d done with Fox, allowing her to work with him and do what was needed. She suspected he felt that this way, he helped protect his Aeron and Olivia.

Legion was in the room they’d chosen for her, as well, but one of her wrists had been chained to the wall. A long link allowed her to move freely about, but the cuff itself kept her from flashing to Galen to keep her vow to him.

I’ll have to fix that,Sienna thought.

Hope will fight to the death to win her back,Wrath said.

Yeah. Probably. But that was a worry for later in the day.

Viola and her princess dog thing were in there with Legion, and Viola was regaling the chained girl with stories about herself. A captive audience. Seemed about right. Poor Legion, though. The princess was licking her feet.

Torin was in his room, sitting in front of a bank of computers. There was a faraway expression on his face, and she wondered what he was thinking about.

In a snap, she knew. Could actually hear what he was thinking.

– supposed to do with the All-Key now? Cronus won’t be asking for it back, he’s dead, and crap, what’s up with Paris’s woman being queen of the Titans? Are you kidding me with that? She’s a former human and dead besides. Not to mention a former Hunter. And we already know how whacked it is to be ruled by those with demons inside them. Do we bow to her now? Damn, this is weird and I have no clue—

Enough! she thought, and the volume on his mind was completely shut off. Much as she didn’t want to know the future, she didn’t want to know more than her fair share about the present, either. Invading people’s thoughts was so uncool. Mrs. Manners would not approve.

Sienna hadn’t spoken much to the Lords in the past two days, too busy tending Paris and adjusting to her new position, but now she knew most of them were still uneasy about her. Fine, whatever. That would take time. Time she was willing to give them. Anything to be with Paris.

Next, she appeared in front of the three rooms occupied by Cronus’s immortal prisoners. Cameron, Winter and Irish. Unlike all the times before, she saw no flashes of their crimes inside her mind. During the battle in the heavens, Wrath had fed to the point of sickness and currently had no appetite.

Cameron spotted her first, and alerted the others. She wasn’t surprised that they could see her now. Everyone else could, too. They strode to those air-shielded doorways.

Cameron sniffed, caught her scent and growled. “Ambrosia. Again. I know you. You’re that bastard’s invisible spy.”

“Well, good news,” she replied. “That bastard is dead, and clearly I’m no longer invisible.”

All three blinked at her. Irish gave no reaction, but the other two laughed without humor.

“Yeah, right.”

“Whatever.”

“I’m going to set you free,” she said, and that shut them up fast. They stared over at her, suddenly serious. She hadn’t done this earlier because she hadn’t been sure it was the safest course of action. How would they react to her as queen? Try to kill her? But then she’d decided, so what if they did? My powers are greater than theirs.“If you harm the Lords of the Underworld, your brothers by circumstance,” she stressed, “you will regret it. They are mine, and I protect what’s mine. Do you understand?”

Stiff, disbelieving nods.

“Ask around,” she said. “You’ll discover that I can hurt you in ways that will haunt you for eternity.”

She stepped forward, touched Winter’s door. The shield fell away, and Winter gasped. A second later, the girl was gone. She repeated the process with the men, and they, too, left in a snap.

So easy, when only a few days ago, such a thing had been impossible. Go figure.

Sadly, she still was not done with her chores.

William was not in his room, but a human girl—Gilly, she recalled—was sleeping soundly in his bed, her dark hair spilled out over his pillow. The scent of sex was notin the air, but fear was, with an overlay of comfort. Gilly had come here, afraid for William, who had also been injured during the battle. He had soothed her until she’d fallen asleep beside him, then he’d left.

Now he was perched on the rooftop of the castle, popping gummy bears into his mouth and talking to another man in hushed tones. Hades. Instantly both males sensed she was there, as proven when they glanced in her direction.

“Hello, girl I helped time and time again,” William said, his sly humor evidently intact despite his battle wounds.

“Hello, girl who owes me many favors,” Hades added. Black mist enveloped him, veins of fire running through what appeared to be wings.

Maybe her new powers had improved her vision, because suddenly she could see things she hadn’t noticed before. He had long jet-black hair, eyes of pure black, no pupils evident, and a face even more handsome than Paris’s. Well, a face that other women might consider more handsome than Paris’s. She didn’t.

His muscles were huge, and there appeared to be tiny stars tattooed all over his chest.

I like him,Wrath said.

That kinda scares me, just so you know.

“If two equals many in your world, yeah,” she replied dryly. “Have you decided what you want me to do yet?” What left her uneasy was the fact that he could ask for the world and she would have to give it to him, as long as it didn’t harm Paris or his friends.

Hades shook his shadowed head, his grin serial-killer wicked. “Soon,” he promised.

“Great,” she said, and left them to their secret conversation. A blink, and she was up in the heavens, standing inside Zacharel’s cloud.

It amazed her that the angels lived in the clouds, and those clouds were actually like homes. Furniture, hallways, gardens. Whatever the owner desired. Zacharel’s had the requisite bed, but it had a man with pink hair and blood-inked tears chained to it. A blindfold was wrapped around his eyes, a gag stuffed in his mouth, and a sheet draped over his waist. The rest of him was naked.

Don’t look. Not my business.On that nightstand was an hourglass-shaped jar with some kind of gooey substance in it. She did not want to think about what he did with the stuff.

“Zacharel,” she called, gaze already returning to the pink-haired man. Her eyes narrowed. This was Paris’s assailant from the cavern…and, she saw with her new and improved vision, he was no man at all, but a fallen angel. Since when were his kind held hostage in the very place they’d chosen to escape from? She watched as he struggled for freedom.

Zacharel walked through the far doorway, and he was naked and wet, and oh, sweet Lord, he was gorgeous. Just…wow. A muscle mass to rival Paris’s, and he must be smuggling tube socks in his stomach, because damn. He had muscled roll after muscled roll. Small brown nipples, and some serious man business, and no body hair.

Only flaw that he possessed was a black spot as big as her fist on his chest, just above his heart. The spot bled out in a few places, as if ink had been smudged. Wait. Nope. Not the only flaw. Whip marks seemed to wrap around his ribs, red and raw. And could she really call the snow still falling from his wings a sign of perfection?

He stopped when he spotted her. A second later, a white robe draped him. Also, his bed—and its prisoner—had vanished. “I had a do-not-disturb barrier outside.” His emotionless tone had returned. “How did you get in?”

“Um, sorry about that,” she said. “I just, uh, kind of willed myself here.”

No chastisement. Just a tight “What do you want?”

“I wanted to thank you.” He was the reason Paris and company lived. “You gave me water from the River of Life. I didn’t know what you had to do to obtain that water at the time, but I do now, and I’m aware you had to make some sort of sacrifice.”

Tidbits of information came to her at the oddest times now, and only this morning, she’d realized angels had to give up something they loved to even approach the water. And to leave with a vial? They had to bleed. A lot. Maybe that’s why he’d been whipped.

After the battle, as Paris’s energy had drained right along with his blood, Zacharel had traded her a vial of the stuff for a simple promise to help the angels in the coming war. Apparently, the battle against Cronus was not the one he needed help winning.

“I will do everything I can for you,” she finished. There were limits to what she could do, of course. She couldn’t bring her sister back, though she’d tried. She couldn’t find Kane. She couldn’t heal others. Cronus had never been the all-powerful entity he’d made himself out to be.

“You have much to learn about yourself,” the angel said. “You will spend the next few weeks with us, and we will teach you what you need to know.”

“As soon as Paris is up and around. He’ll be coming with me,” she said. And she prayed she was right, that he would want to.

“He shared his darkness with you, and you want him still?”

“Of course. I am a light for him, a way out, and somehow his darkness is my light.”

“That is—”

“Enough about this, I know. I want him with me, and that’s that.” She disappeared, having one more stop to make before she could return to Paris.

Galen’s home.

He and Fox were seated at their kitchen table, piles of guns and ammo spilled out around them. They were polishing metal, checking clips, fitting bullets.

Wrath growled, but didn’t say anything.

Galen looked upset. Fox looked strung-out. Her nostrils flared, and she sniffed, hard, and then her head was whipping around. Her gaze landed on Sienna and she jumped to her feet, about to lurch in Sienna’s direction, obviously craving another taste of her.

With a flick of her wrist, Sienna willed the female to the very table where Sienna herself had been snacked on, chaining her there.

Galen jolted to his feet, his chair skidding behind him. “You!”

“Me.”

“I want my women back. Legion andFox.”

“And I want you to release Legion from her vow to you.”

“Never.”

“I thought you’d say that.” She glided over and eased into Fox’s seat. He made no aggressive moves toward her, but then, he knew what she could do now.

Maybe she should have killed him for all the wrongs he’d committed. But most of his Hunters were dead, decimated in the battle, so perhaps he’d suffered enough. Also, she didn’t want his demon loose, like Greed, who had belonged to Cronus, and Strife, who belonged to Rhea, the two now out there somewhere, no doubt plaguing the world.

“As you know, the Unspoken Ones were bound to Cronus. Now that he’s dead, they are free. I tried to keep them chained, but by the time I realized who and what they are, that I, too, could bind them, they were long gone.” Her gaze was piercing. “They want your blood, Galen. They want it bad. They’ll be coming after you hard-core.” And really, she was surprised they hadn’t gotten to him already. “Do you really want to put Legion in that kind of situation? That kind of danger?”

A long moment passed. His answer would reveal his true feelings for the girl.

His shoulders sagged. He sank back into his seat. “No. I do not.”

He cared for her, Sienna realized. Truly cared for the girl.

“I…release her,” he gritted out. “Release Legion from her vow to remain with me, obey me.”

Double wow, but she didn’t comment. She didn’t know what to say. So she moved them on to their next order of business. “You have something I want.”

He didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “The Cloak of Invisibility.”

“Yes.”

“It’s mine. Mine.”

How she wished she could make him give her the artifact, but free will was a greater power than what bubbled inside her. Whatever Cronus had told her, that’s why he’d worked so hard to convince her to do what he wanted. Immortal or not, king or not, you messed with free will, and you would be punished. Severely. She was pretty sure that’s why she had ultimately defeated him. Because he’d taken hers, he’d lost his own in turn.

“What will it take to convince you to give me the Cloak?” she asked. She’d learned a thing or two about bargaining.

His eyes narrowed on her. “Protection. You must protect me from the Unspoken Ones.”

And wouldn’t the Lords just lovethat? “For a year,” she said.

“Eternity.”

“Two years.”

“Eternity.”

“One year,” she said, her own eyes narrowing.

He popped his jaw. “Very well. Two years of protection. Maybe in that time, I’ll kill you and take those kingly powers for myself. Protect myself.”

By that time, she would have found Pandora’s box, but she didn’t tell him that. “Make a play for me, Galen, and you’ll find yourself in a special prison for immortals for the next two years.”

He paled.

Yeah. He caught her drift. He’d be rotting next to the Greeks he’d once betrayed. “Give me the Cloak.”

His motions jerky, he pulled a small square of gray material from his pant pocket and tossed it at her. “There. Yours.”

There was no time to bask in her victory.

“Sienna!”

She heard Paris’s bellow across the vast distance between them. Her cheeks flushed with pleasure as she stuffed the tiny, folded Cloak in her bodice. He was awake! “Gotta go,” she said, and willed herself back inside her bedroom.

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

PARIS WAS JUST ABOUT TO GO on a rampage when his woman appeared beside the bed. He caught his breath and fell back against the pillows. Her dark hair tumbled over one shoulder. She wore a gown threaded with gold and emerald, jewels sparkling in the material. Her hair was brushed to a luxurious mahogany shine. Those black wings arced over her shoulders.

She had never looked more beautiful.

He sighed with happiness as she threw herself on top of him. “I’m so glad you’re awake!”

Her slight weight settled on him, her hair creating a curtain that made them the only two people in the world. He rejoiced. They belonged together.

“Is it true you’re now the boss of us?”

She snorted. “You have such a way with words. But yeah, I am kind of the boss of you. Titans kept appearing out of nowhere to pay their respects, and I finally had to make a royal decree for space.”

Queen Sienna. He liked it. “I guess that makes me King Paris.”

A tinkling laugh escaped her. “I’ve always known you were destined for greatness.”

“I’ll get to boss my boys around, of course.”

“Of course.”

He grinned, so damn happy he could burst. “I knew you’d bring me back, baby. So, am I an undead soul?”

She lifted her head, a soft smile lighting her delicate features. “No, you’re very much alive, and you still have your demon.”

Yeah, he could feel the bastard waking up, stretching, demanding Sienna, only Sienna. Sex wasn’t after random grind anymore. The demon had embraced Sienna and all the different facets of her personality, and didn’t want to lose her. She was their lottery ticket.

Maintaining his grip on her with one hand, he patted himself down with the other. No injuries. He was completely healed. “What happened up there?”

She kissed his cheek, his neck. “After you passed out and I flipped my ever-loving lid, Zacharel calmed me down and told me about my new status and abilities. He also gave me a vial of water from the River of Life. For a price. I gave you and all the Lords a sip and you guys have been healing ever since.”

“What price?” he asked.

“Well, all along the angels have wanted me in the heavens, helping them with their war. I told him that I was willing to help, but I wouldn’t be living there. I will stay with you. If you’ll have me. Except, we do have to stay up there for a few weeks so I can learn how to use my new powers. There’s where I was just now. And I’m rambling, aren’t I?”

“I love when you ramble. But did you really just say the words if you’ll have me?” He couldn’t help himself. He kissed her hard and fast, staking his claim. “I will have you today and every other. And I will help you help the angels. And yes, I will go with you, wherever you need to go.”

A relieved breath left her. “I’m glad. Oh, and just in case it comes up, the darkness inside of you is now inside of me, too.”

“What?” He sputtered, paled. “I’m sorry, so sorry. I didn’t—”

“Don’t worry about it… husband.”

Everything stilled inside him. His heart, his lungs, the synapses in his brain. “You know I married you?”

“Of course.” A sly smile lifted her lips. “I know a whole lot of stuff now. Like, world-changing stuff.”

“World-changing, smorld-changing. You’re okay with being bound to me forever? Because I get the impression it’s not a two-sided marriage until you say so.”

“I’m saying so, and I’m better than okay with it.”

He soloved this woman. “Good, because I feel the same. Wife.”

Her smile quivered as if she were fighting tears. She told him about Arca, and rather than displaying his customary guilt and shame because of his past actions, he kissed her tenderly. She loved him, too, and she had forgiven him. She saw the best in him.

“Thank you,” he said. “With all of my heart, thank you.”

“Welcome. Now, back to the darkness,” she said, probably trying for a business tone but failing. His woman was a softie, a Twinkie with a cream filling, and he loved that, too. “Wrath feeds on it, and that helps keep him calm. And you know what that means, right? We’re perfect for each other in everyway.”

“I so agree with that. We’re a family, you and me, and I love you more than I can ever say.”