His eyes closed again, hiding whatever emotion was banked in them. His lashes were like summoning fingers, beckoning her deeper into a world of shadows and dark seduction. "I can'tI'm not"
"Dungeon. Aeron. Nothing else matters. Talk time is over. Kiss time is over. Like we wanted, it's over and done. I won't wonder about your taste again." Sadly, she knew she would dream of that kiss for the rest of her life. She would dream of what might have been, fantasize about what would have happened if he'd truly wanted her.
"Danika, I"
Again he paused, and she experienced a wave of painful curiosity. "What?" Her heart pounded against her ribs. "Just say it so I can go!"
His eyelids popped open, fire blazing bright in his pupils. He got in her face, pressing his nose to hers. White-hot breath blistered her skin. "Not another word from you. I have something to tell you."
These last few months, her will had been ignored completely. Her wonderful life had been taken away, her existence stripped to the bare necessities. Everyone she lovedgone. Painting, her lifeline to sanitygone.
She wouldn't capitulate on this.
"Not another word, huh?" You've trained for combat. You know what to do. Heart pounding, Danika flattened her palm on the cold mattress. Sweat beaded over her skin. Last time she'd defended herself, she'd killed. Careful this time. She didn't want to hurt this man beyond repair. She just wanted to wound him a little.
"I never wanted to tell you this, had hoped it would be different with you, but I cannot allow you to think I do not crave you."
Block his voice and his bittersweet words. Act!
"I"
Danika struck.
With all of her strength, she propelled her palm up and into his nose. Crunch. Snap. Warm blood poured from him, spraying her. Reyes moaned. Not a moan of pain, she realized, but of pleasureexactly the sort she'd longed to hear while his tongue had filled her mouth.
The shock of that moan froze her in place. What. The. Hell?
Slowly Reyes turned his head and faced her again. The blood had already ceased flowing, his nose readjusting itself all on its own. Her eyes widened. He was an immortal warrior, yes, she'd known that. He healed quickly. That, too, she'd suspected after the choking last night. But how could she have predicted the explosive need that would appear in his eyes because she'd broken his nose?
His cock swelled quickly, again as she'd craved earlier, a brand between her jean-clad thighs. What would she have felt if they'd been naked? She swallowed, and Reyes licked his lips, as if he could suddenly taste her there.
A tremor catapulted down her spine. Their bodies brushed, her nipples against his strength, her softness against his warrior-might, and electricity sparked. For a moment, only a moment, the sensation was painful and the pain was a pleasure inside her.
Reyes jolted away from her, that dark lightning gone in an instant. He stopped and stood at the far wall, the glistening head of his erection rising above the waist of his now too-tight pants.
"Reyes," she said, unsure. Needy all over again, scared and confused.
"I want you, but I cannot have you unless you hurt me." The harsh admission seemed ripped from his throat. His shame had returned. His guilt. And hope? "I can only experience pleasure with pain."
Slowly she sat up, her brain too fogged to make sense of what he was trying to tell her. "I don't understand."
"Yesterday you asked what demon possessed me. Well, my demon is Pain. It makes me crave physical agony, and the more excruciating the better. Bodily suffering is my only source of pleasure."
Just as it had been hers in that single moment.
No, not a single moment. The truth slinked through her like an ice shower in the midst of a perfect day. It had happened before. Yesterday, when she'd awoken in Reyes's bed. She'd bitten him, and she'd liked it. "Can your demon enter me?" Her stomach curled into itself. That was impossible. Right?
"No," he said, but his gaze had sharpened.
Don't think about this right now. You'll panic, lose focus. "What you're telling me is that, to be with you, I'd have to torture you?" Over and over again?
He nodded.
Her mouth dried, and she suddenly tasted cotton. If she came to care for himif?and gave herself to him, what would be expected of her? Would she have to scratch him, pinch him, bite him? "Other women havehurt you?"
He gave another grave nod.
Danika's hands fisted, her nails cutting into the sheet. In that moment, she had no problem summoning the will to harm someone. The thought of Reyes with another woman propelled her toward a jealous rage she'd never before experienced. "Did that work?"
"For a while. Pain is pain, no matter the reason it's meted."
"Do you still" Indulge with those little hookers? she finished silently. "Do you still seek that kind of woman?"
"Not for many years."
The anger and the jealousy melted somewhat. "Do you want me to injure you?" Could she?
Surprisingly, he shook his head. Dark hair swayed at his temples. "I crave the pain, I will not lie, and I would love you to be the one giving it to me. But" He licked his lips, looked away.
"But what?"
"I would never allow you to hurt me like that."
"Why?" The question burst from her before she could stop it. Not wanting to see pity light his features, she pulled her gaze from his faceand found herself staring at fresh cuts in his arm. He'd been slicing grooves this entire time.
Shaking, she wound her own arms around her middle. That's what he needed, knives in his veins. She'd always assumed he was clumsy. She gave a humorless laugh. He wasn't clumsy at all. How foolish she'd been.
"It would change you," he said, "and not for the better. You are perfect, just as you are."
Do not react. Ignore his words. The conversation was dangerous, and nothing good waited at the end. Either she would lose her mind, beg to be allowed to give him what he needed and be disgusted with herself for doing so, or he would continue to reject her, humiliating her. Get away from him.
"You said what you wanted to say. II need to speak with Aeron now. I've wasted too much time. I need to find my family."
A blank mask fluttered over Reyes's face.
Her chest ached. For him? For her? For what could have been? She didn't know. "What kind of person would I be if I continued to put myself above them? They might be in trouble, might be scared and worried about me."
"I will talk to him again and you may listen," Reyes countered.
"But"
"You saw how Aeron erupted at the mere sound of your voice. I will talk to him. Understand?"
She nodded reluctantly. The information Aeron possessed was too precious to stay here squabbling over semantics. "Will you let me go after them? If he tells us where they are?"
"I'm afraid I will never be able to let you go."
It was the second time he'd said that to her, but this time the words were whispered and she had to strain to hear. When his meaning registered, she nearly leapt off the bed and attacked him. Only the knowledge that he would like it held her in place. "Try and keep me here, then," she snarled. "See what happens."
"You misunderstand. I will help you find them," he said, "and I will escort you to wherever they are." If they are alive. The unspoken statement echoed between them. "In return, you will not betray my friends to the Hunters. Not even Aeron."
Every drop of heat leached from her cheeks, leaving them cold. He knew. Had probably known all along. "II"
"You do not have to tell me what they said to you, what they asked of you or what you promised them. It doesn't matter. My knowledge of it could get you killed." He turned, giving her his back. "Do you agree to the trade?"
The Hunters had vowed to help her find her family, protect them. But they were mortals, humans like herself. They hated Reyes and the other Lords, wanted vengeance against them and would do anything for victory. Even mow her down if she got in their way, she suspected.
They had asked for her help, for her to enter this fortress and collect information. So far, she had not lived up to her vow to help them. There hadn't been time, and she hadn't had the inclination. Reyes had distracted her.
Now he was asking her to switch sides completely and trust the enemy.
"Do you agree?" he demanded.
"I agree," she said, but she wasn't sure she spoke truthfully. She had a phone briefing scheduled with Stefano tonight, and she would do whatever was necessary, use anyone, to find her family. To keep them safe, she would have every single one of Reyes's friends killed if necessary.
And ruin Ashlyn's life. Anya's, too. Her stomach churned with sickness. God, the equation worsened with every hour that passed.
She'd already proven she couldn't destroy Reyes.
And that was okay. He wouldn't hurt her family. Or would he? If she conspired against his friends, he could very easily morph from sweet protector to murderous demon. Which meant he would have to die, as well.
Damn it!
"You will not betray us, even if your loved ones are gone?" he pressed her.
Were her intentions flashing all over her face? She closed her eyes. "I agree, okay?" she said again, and this time the words were choked. The coming days might prove to be the worst of her life, dashing her hopes, ruining her familyand devastating this man she both wanted and feared.
Reyes nodded soberly. "Then let's do this."
CHAPTER TWELVE
"HAVEN'T WE DONE THIS BEFORE?"
"Didn't work out last time," Reyes said. He was standing inside the cell as he had yesterday, but Aeron noted his old friend remained a safe distance away. "I thought we'd try again."
"No. I think you've returned for more." Aeron stared at Reyes, who looked every bit the warrior primed for battle. When didn't he, though? "I think you liked my hands on you."
A muscle ticked below each of Reyes's dark eyes.
"A few years ago I asked if I could whip you, beat you. Something. I would have stabbed you, even. I didn't want to do it, didn't want to hurt you any more than you wanted to kill Maddox each night, but I knew you needed the pain so I was willing. I loved you enough."
"And I loved you enough to say no. Remember that?"
Aeron ignored the question, because he did remember. Thinking of it could deflate him. He petted Legion's bald head when the creature settled on his lap, saying, "I'm still willing to help you. If you want to hurt, give me your woman." He laughed, even as fury clouded his friend's face. "One slice, that's all it will take. She'll fall, and your heart will literally break. Pain for eternity will be yours. My gift to you. You can thank me later."
The tip of Reyes's tongue slid over his teeth. A show of aggression. Well, a need for aggression. Yet Reyes remained in place. Unlike Aeron and Maddox, he rarely erupted. He was a man who waited, then struck when his enemy least expected it. "You've changed. Once you were desperate to let her go. What happened?"
"I simply realized I cannot win against the bloodlust. I've given myself to it, and I've never been happier," he said.
"Liar. You hate what you are. I know you do." Reyes sighed when Aeron didn't respond. "Tell me where her family is. Please."
Aeron turned his wrist, his hand never leaving Legion as he rattled the chains that bound him. "Free me."
Reyes's expression was tortured, but not in the usual way. He appeared torn apart by painpain for once he did not like. "You know I can't let you go."
"I know you won't."
Bleak, Reyes nodded. "You're right. I won't."
"Then you have your answer. You won't, I won't."
Legion slithered around him, and two small hands were soon whispering over Aeron's back. They were scaled yet smooth. Worshipping. Massaging his muscles to loosen them. When he gained the desired results, the creature eased to a stand. His chest pressed against Aeron's shoulders, and he peeked over at Reyes. His lips smacked hungrily.
"Not yet," Aeron told him. He didn't understand why the little demon liked him and not the others, but he accepted it as fact. He didn't understand why the demon had followed him here, but he was glad. For some reason, he needed the creature. Legion calmed him as no one else had been able, quieting Wrath, muting the bloodlust, keeping him aware. Except when Lucien and Reyes had come to take him away from the cave. Then, Aeron had gone crazy.
He'd been so close to escape. Legion had been eating through flesh, about to eat through bone, when the fiend had sensed the warriors' impending arrival and disappeared. Only to reappear here later when all had settled.
"Do you know where the women are?" Reyes asked, probably unaware Legion was picturing him splayed on a silver platter, knife and fork optional. "Tell me that, at least."
Oh, Aeron knew where the women were. He knew every damned second of every damned day. The knowledge taunted him constantly, laughing at his helplessness, driving him to madness. When the women were dead, the laughter would stop. The madness would fade, and Aeron would stop craving the destruction of everyone he encountered.
"Tell me," Reyes repeated.
"Yes," he finally admitted aloud, knowing the boast would hit its target and slice deep. "I know where they are." What have you become? He knew he should feel guilty, but couldn't summon the energy. Locked deep in the earth, his emotions had seemed to wither away, leaving only hate. A need to cause death.
Reyes's nostrils flared and his eyes blazed with obsidian fire. Yes, contact.
"Can I sssuck hisss blood?" Legion asked, claws sinking into Aeron's shoulders. "Pleassse. Pretty pleassse."
"No," Aeron told him. He owed Reyes a quick deathtoo much would the warrior enjoy a long and torturous demise. Teeth shredding his veins, blood pouring from him would be pleasurable. And Reyes did not deserve pleasure. After all, Reyes was keeping the girl from him. Such a crime deserved a harsh punishment.
Crime? That is not a crime, that is a mercy. This is not you. Fight this.
His eyes narrowed. There was nothing to fight. He had been given a task, and he would fulfill it.