Oh, yes. They had sensed Paris at last.
His friends were used to him, used to his scent and the need it caused, and were mostly immune. Plus, hed over-indulged Sex, so the demon had rarely acted out like this. Paris wasnt yet used to it.
Ive never been this aroused, another female said.
Then, it was on. Moans of pleasure resounded as an orgy broke out. Multiple writhing bodies, hands stroking, legs spreading. The sight failed to arouse even the barest flicker of need. Been there, gotten tired of that.
They were distracted, at least. He studied them, searching for the telltale long, braided white hair hed been told Arca possessed. Another tidbit hed learned: she was responsible for the childrens story about Rapunzel. Once, when shed delivered a godly message to a human king, hed become captivated by her beauty and thought to keep her. And he had very nearly succeeded. Not just because hed used black magic, but because his timing had been impeccable. The Greeks had gained control of the heavens, locking the Titans away. Arca had been forgotten.
Paris didnt know if the rest of the story held true. If she had been rescued by a mortal prince. If the mortal had been killed in front of her when the Greeks at last remembered her and dragged her up to the heavens, locking her in another, stronger prison. And he wouldnt let himself care.
What he did know? Arca had been grabbed right off a golden street and tossed here. Paris could work that to his advantage. She had to despise the king, had to crave revenge.
Also, she wasnt in this section of the palace. Please be in another.
He slinked along the wall. He could have stripped and presented himself as a slave, or a new addition to the harem, but he refused to relinquish his new weapons. No doubt hed need them.
He reached a corner, paused, listened, looked. Heard no footsteps. Saw no shadows moving along the marble floor. He inched forward, leaving the bathing area completely. Curtained doorway after curtained doorway greeted him, and he gnashed his teeth. If he had to screw someone just to find out which room belonged to Arca
A slave strode from the room at the far end of the hallway, a silver tray balanced in his hands. He spotted Paris, but didnt issue an alarm. No, his tanned, naked body reacted instantly, his belly quivering. He set the tray on the floor and practically skipped over, as if in a trance.
He probably was. Paris hadnt fed his demon for twenty-three hours. He wouldnt start weakening for another hour, yet Sexs pheromonesor whatever it was the bastard released from Pariss poreswould continue to strengthen until theyd come inside someone.
A few times, Paris had let himself become so weak he couldnt move. Yet those pheromones had drifted from him, so damn potent that humans had fallen on him, unable to help themselves, lost to lust. A few times, before Paris had reached the point of total weakness, he had lost control of himself and fallen on humans.
The slave reached him. Who are you, beautiful? Callused, overworked hands whisked along his chest, caressing.
Maybe he wasnt as close to finding Sienna as hed thought. First time hed neared her, his demon had begun repelling others. This slave was far from repelled. But he wouldnt change course, Paris thought. He couldnt. If not here, he had no idea where to go.
Do you know where Arca is? he asked, ignoring the question asked of him.
A pink tongue emerged, tracing over already moistened lips. Yes.
Relief flooded him. Tell me. Please, he added as an afterthought.
Those questing hands slid lowerlower still For you, anything.
He waited, forcing himself to remain still. When no other response was forthcoming, he said, Tell me.
Yes, yes, of course, but first I musthave toplease Every word caused the slaves voice to dip lower, huskier, absolute yearning in the undertones.
Lost, Paris thought. The slave was already lost to his bodys needs. Paris would get no answers until that need was assuaged. He leaned against the wall and stared up at the domed ceiling.
Drop to your knees, he commanded, pulling Siennas delicate face, dark hair and adorably freckled skin to the forefront of his mind.
WILLIAM PACED THE CONFINES of his prison cell. After the blonde bitch had dropped her bombshell about Kane, he had erupted, shouting and fighting for freedom. Shed soon realized there would be no calming him down and had had his gurney wheeled here.
About an hour ago, hed regained enough of his strength to break out of the metal restraints. Not so with the cage. Four walls, all bars, and he couldnt bend or manipulate a single one.
The prison had been built for immortals.
He had to get out of here. Had to get to Kane. Had to stop the warrior from reaching hell. The horsemen. The danger
So. Youve calmed down.
The blonde. Fury rising inside him, William turned on his heel, following the sound of her voice. And there she was. Ponytail, wire rims, delicate features, lab coat.
Are you ready to chat now? she asked.
Dont erupt again. Much as he currently wanted to rip her throat out, he needed her.
He was at a disadvantage, though. Patches of his skin were still charred, his pantsthe only article of clothing currently remaining on his bodywere bloodstained and ripped, and his hair was sticking out in spikes.
He was still a babe, though. Surely.
He pasted a seductive smile on his face. Absolutely Im ready. Whats your name, darling?
She arched a brow two shades darker than her hair. I thought you didnt care about my name.
Great. She was one of those. Stubborn and determined not to let a man soften her. Otherwise she would have melted already. And yes, he usually worked that quickly. That was the pain talking, I promise.
Okay. Ill pretend that I believe you. My name is Skye.
Ill call you Dr. Love Button.
And Ill have you castrated. There was no heat in her tone.
Kinky. So you work for Galen, do you? Gods, William hated the bastard. Not for the sake of the Lords, though that didnt help the keeper of Hopes cause, but because William simply couldnt stand people who were deceitful about their evil. Reminded him too much of his brother. And they didnt get more deceitful than Galen, who masqueraded as an angel so he could manipulate a bunch of feeble-minded humans into doing his dark bidding.
Skye, if that was her real name, laughed. Kinda sorta, though mostly no.
Of all the nonanswers she could have given, that topped the list. Mind explaining that a little better, pet?
Not really, but Ill give it a shot. She shook her head and stuffed her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. Im not a Hunter. Or a doctor, for that matter. I never finished med school.
Then why did you bomb me, nearly kill me, help heal me and what? Lock me away as if you despise me. Oh, yeah. And I cant forget that you also carted my demon-possessed friend into hell. Something humans wouldnt have known how to door how to navigate through if by some miracle they did manage to reach it. Which meant a godor a goddesshad to be involved. And the only divine pain in the ass currently helping mortals was Rhea, the heavenly queen. Also, how do you know about Galen and Hunters if youre not part of their brainwashed masses?
A rosy flush colored her cheeks. First, I didnt bomb you. Hunters did, yes. And, okay, so my husband is a Hunter, and thats why Im so knowledgeable, but Im working with him on that, trying to get him out. As for the other, I only locked you away because you were a danger to yourself and everyone around you.
He placed a hand over his heart, as if shed mortally wounded him. As if Id ever hurt you.
Whatever.
What would it take to charm her? Lets backtrack just a bit. Hunters decided to take me out, your husband among them, and you thought youd try to save little ole me, even though you dont yet have your medical degree and even though saving me might piss off your man? Im touched, truly.
She fiddled with something plastic in her pocket. They brought you here, asked me to help.
And even though you want your man out of their ranks, you decided to aid them yourself. He edged toward her, so minutely she wouldnt realize he was close enough to reach through the bars until it was too late.
I decided to aid you.
Another inch. But youre not working for them.
No.
Shall I tell you all my secrets, then? Another inch.
Her eyes narrowed, obscuring her pretty irises. Keep your secrets. Im not interested. She withdrew a sucker from her pocket, the wrapper gone, and stuffed the thing in her mouth.
Well, he was definitely interested in hers. If you dont work for Hunters, who do you work for? How did you know how to save me? And why dont you set me free now? As you can see, Im not a danger to anyone.
Out popped the candy. First, Im currently unemployed. And as for my saving know-how, trial and error. Some races can regenerate limbs, some cant. Some have wings, most dont. Some respond to human medicine positively, some negatively. As for the Hunters and your release, Im sad to say they get you back the moment I decide youre well enough.
Yet another inch. Almost there But you still claim not to work for them.
She shrugged. My husband made the agreement with them. He decides.
And you wont defy him? Or change his mind? he asked, using his huskiest tone.
No. Softly spoken, yet firm, unbending. I cant. I wish, but I cant.
Finally William reached her. He grinned. Too bad. His arm shot through the bars, his fingers wrapping around her fragile neck.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THE NEXT MORNING, STRIDERS ears were bleeding and his mind was echoing the lyrics from Naughty By Natures O.P.P. Didnt help that Kaia and Bianka were still singing. Badly. So damn badly. Not that hed ever admit that last part aloud. Kaia looked so happy squawking her heart out and he didnt want to taint an activity that gave her enjoyment. But seriously. He was willing to bet a cat being skinned had better pitch. And yeah, hed put good money on that bet, not to mention his body and his demon.
Once the girls had started, they hadnt stopped. Tragically, though hours had passed, neither of them had developed laryngitis.
Besides the humans, who had all taken off at closing, the lucky bastards, no one had dared leave the bar. Not the Lords, the Skyhawks, the angels, nor the Eagleshields.
To the Harpies, this was another type of contest, plain and simple. Who could outlast the other? For once, Strider was willing to lose. He would have left, writhed in (grateful) pain for a few days, but damn it all to hell, he had to protect his little Harpy.
A few times, one of the Eagleshields attempted to head up onstage, take over and put everyone out of their misery. Strider jumped up, ready for action, but Lysander and Zacharel, who still couldnt be seen by anyone but Strider and Sabin, immediately formed an impenetrable wall of muscle no one was able to pass.
And the Harpies had tried, hitting, kicking and clawing, until finally giving up in frustration. Of course, Kaia and Bianka were blamed, and hed heard murmurs of wonderment. What type of strange powers did the twins wield?
Good. Let them wonder.
Knowing the angels had Kaias back allowed Strider to switch his focus to Juliette and her boy toy Lazarus, who kept their focus centered on Kaia. He didnt like that. Didnt like that at all. And he wasnt going to stand for it.
Just behave, he told Defeat, and well be fine. Ill handle this.
Despite the noise that had left the demon whimpering and begging for a one-way ticket back to hell, Pandoras box, anything to escape, Defeat snorted.
So. No cooperation today. That wasnt gonna stop him, however.
Before he could talk himself into waiting, planning, Strider closed the distance and kicked a chair over to Juliettes table, the back slats pressing into its surface edge. He eased down backward and propped his elbows on the tabletop.
Immediately he felt the tension in the room escalate, thicken, and he didnt need to look to know Amun and Sabin had just taken up posts behind him. They had his back, always.
Juliette finally deigned to study him, her soft lavender eyes sweeping over his face and body unhurriedly, languidly, lingering in places they shouldnt. Wish and I shall receive. I wanted you to approach me, and so you did. But I must admit, I expected you to do it sooner.
If shed truly wanted his attention, by fair means or foul, she would have tried harder to get it. She wouldnt have waited for him to make a move. Well, if shed had a pair of balls, she would have. Kaia went after what she wanted, no hesitation. And that, he decided, was exactly how a woman should be. Determined, eager. Sexy.
This one craved revenge, though, her every move designed to help her achieve it. So his approach meant something, he just didnt know what.
Why? he asked, genuinely curious.
She was momentarily taken aback, as if shed expected him to wax poetic about her beauty, beg for lenience for Kaia, or even grab her up and screw her brainless right here on the table.
I have something you crave, do I not?
Like?
The Paring Rod. Yes, she added at his start of surprise. I know all about you Lords and your quest for Pandoras box. I know you need four artifacts to find it, and the Rod is one. Why else do you think I offered it?
Rather than answer, he asked a question of his own. Howd you get it?
A smile bloomed, smug and patronizing. I never share my secrets.
Oh, really. He glanced back at Amun. The big, dark warrior was frowning, his features tense. When he caught Striders gaze, he gave an abrupt shake of his head. Huh. Could he not read her mind?
That was rare.
For that matter, why hadnt Sabin used Doubt against her? Or had he tried and, like Amun, failed?
Strider returned his attention to Juliette, keeping Lazarus in his peripheral vision. The fucker hadnt spared Strider a glance, was still watching Kaia. Well, to backtrack a bit, the winner will have something I want, he lied. He would get his hands on the artifact before that final game. He wouldnt allow himself to believe otherwise.