The Darkest Promise

"And what will I receive in return?"

  The question hung between them, a noose around her neck. After everything he'd done, how dare he try to bargain with her?

  Knock, knock, knock.

  "Go away," Lazarus shouted, never looking away from her. "Well?"

  Needing time to think, she ducked underneath his arm to open the door, expecting to find Torin. William and Hades stood before her, armed for war and unsmiling.

  "We want the mirror." William was steady on his feet. Actually, he'd never looked steadier. Determination cloaked him. Had he found Gilly, or a new reason to live? "We're willing to trade for it."

  Can't deal with this right now. "No, thanks," she replied, and tried to shut the door.

  Neither male flinched at the sound of her voice. Both slammed a hand on the ancient wood, ensuring the entryway stayed open.

  Lazarus moved directly behind her, his heat enveloping her. She had never been so furious with another being. Not even Galen, after he'd removed her tongue. The man she'd accepted into her bed, her body, and her now decimated heart, had betrayed her. Had kept secrets from her. Had let her worry for nothing.

  "What do you offer?" Lazarus asked.

  Hades arched a brow, his mien as beautiful and sardonic as it was deadly. "What you desire most. Two round-trip tickets to Hera's secret temple."

  Cameo inhaled sharply. The one thing Lazarus couldn't refuse. His vengeance.

  He stiffened, seconds eking by in silence. Finally, he said, "No. You want the mirror, you have to release me from your service. I'm done with war, done with vengeance. I wish to spend the rest of my days with Cameo."

  What? No! He was giving up, preparing to die? "The mirror is mine, not his," she said through clenched teeth. "He gifted it to me. You guys want it, fine. It's yours." The cursed thing had given her hope. Had misled her as thoroughly as Lazarus. Laughing while butterflies flew overhead? Like hell! "But you will release Lazarus from your service, just like he asked--" he wasn't in any condition to fight "--and you will give him Hera's head on a pike."

  If Lazarus was the one to kill the former queen, Cameo would die. Somehow. If she had Hades see to the task, she would survive. Possibly. Plus, she would vengeance-block Lazarus, a prospect that came with two perks. One, she would teach him the error of his ways. Mess with the Mother of Melancholy and suffer. Two, he would grow to hate her and leave her. Then she could forget him, and he could live a long life without being hunted by the former queen.

  Even as furious as Cameo was, she wanted him to live forever.

  "In war, you pick a side. That hasn't changed. So," Hades said, "I will not release him from my service. Victory is too important. Also, I will not give him Hera's head. She and I have an understanding. My offer stands as is. Two tickets to her realm."

  Playing hardball? "No, thanks," she repeated, and tried once again to shut the door in his face.

  "Okay," he said in a rush, holding the entrance open with more force. "I can add a sweetener. I'll give you the tools to defeat her on your own." His gaze lowered to the necklace around Lazarus's neck. He frowned, reached out.

  Lazarus knocked his hand away, and the two males glared at each other.

  "Just one ticket, then," she said. "For me." She would use her ticket to kill Hera without Lazarus and hopefully reap the same benefits. "And the tools."

  Misery started laughing again. Going to regret this...

  Feeling as if she were dying inside, Cameo wrapped her arms around herself.

  Hades smiled at her. "Sorry, poppet, but I won't send you into the lion's den without a lion. You're getting two tickets." He waved his hand in the direction of her vanity.

  She glanced over her shoulder, wide-eyed when the mirror vanished from the wall.

  "While I can't get you past the blocks inside Hera's temple," he continued, "I can put you a few miles outside it. But be careful. There are traps everywhere. Oh. And remember. You can't spell funeral without the word fun."

  There was no time to respond. Like the mirror, the bedroom vanished. A second later, a golden paradise appeared.

  26

  "Do what's right today or suffer the consequences tomorrow."

  --The Secret to Survival

  --Memoir of a Maddened King

  No one could flash Lazarus to a new location when he had no desire to flash. Today, he'd had no desire to flash, and yet the king of the underworld had managed it, anyway.

  His weakness must be manifesting in other ways. Would he have the strength to defeat Hera, even with the proper tools?

  Maybe. Maybe not. But he couldn't bring himself to regret a second spent with Cameo. There was no greater misery than being without her. He only regretted her presence here. If he failed to protect her...

  Fool! She can protect herself. She'd proved her skill time and time again. He would pick her over a queen with an army any day of the week; he could ask for no better partner.

  Unfortunately, his partner currently hated his guts.

  And why wouldn't she? He'd placed her directly in Death's sights. If he killed Hera, Cameo died.

  Only a possibility. One he'd planned to prevent...somehow. Perhaps he could use the Paring Rod to enslave the queen?

  Except the Paring Rod was back at the fortress.

  Fine. He would find another way. He hadn't earned the moniker "Unusual" without due course. He could do anything. Today, he and Cameo had become one. In body...in soul. She had clung to him, welcomed him, while he'd pounded inside her, had shouted his name in passion and supplication, and begged him for just one more kiss, just one more touch, just one more everything. Her lust for him could not be denied.

  Lust means nothing. Only love matters.

  He stiffened. He wanted her love, he realized, but he couldn't fight for it. To do so would be cruel and unusual, and for once, he wanted to be more...to be better. Because one way or another, life as he knew it was going to end. Did he really want to leave her with a broken heart?

  Going to do so, anyway. Might have done so already.

  His hands fisted as he scrutinized the terrain. This was Hera's secret realm? An overgrown forest with gold trees, gold birds and gold monkeys.

  The ground shook beneath his feet. Danger approached? He opened his mind but sensed no foe. He listened but heard no footsteps. Then he looked down. He stood within a small circle of cut grass, Cameo at his side. Behind them, tall grass was interspersed with multicolored wildflowers, the petals dotted with dew. He sniffed. Poisoned dew.

  Hades had flashed Lazarus and Cameo into the middle of a trap. A land mine, to be exact. It had been an accident, no doubt--otherwise the male would have flashed them onto the end of a pike--but it was still irritating.

  "What's happening?" Cameo demanded. "Earthquake?"

  "Worse." Lazarus grabbed the go bags resting at their feet and snaked an arm around her waist. Inside had to be the tools they'd need to defeat Hera. "We activated a land mine."

  She went rigid, as if he'd just turned her to stone. He tightened his hold, lest she try to escape him and lose a limb.

  "No worries, love. I'll flash us to safety before it blows." He attempted to flash...and failed. His irritation sharpened. Another weakness? Or had the realm negated his abilities? To his knowledge, only a handful of realms possessed the power to do so.

  There was only one other way to clear the land mine; they'd have to dive through the poisoned wildflowers.

  "Well?" Cameo demanded.

  "New plan." He removed the ring from its chain and slipped it on and waved his hand through the air, intending to open a portal to safety. Nothing happened. Damn it! They weren't in a spirit realm. "New new plan." He lifted Cameo, cradling her against his chest. Even as light as she was, the action challenged his stamina, and he grimaced. "Curl into me and cover as much of your skin as possible. The dew will burn holes in you."

  "Put me down. I'm hurting you. The crystals are strengthening, aren't they? You shouldn't--"

  He liked that Cameo still c
ared about his well-being, but another quake had just rocked the ground at his feet, the vibration like a giant second hand on the countdown clock. Running out of time. With no other recourse, he jumped.

  Boom!

  Rocks and dirt exploded as the white-hot blast flung him through the air. Fire and acid licked at him, quickly burning through his clothing and shoes. A tree stopped his flight. He curled inward, protecting Cameo as his shoulder slammed into the trunk. Bone shattered. Muscles tore. His lungs emptied and flattened. He crashed into the ground, pain and dizziness assaulting him. His vision blackened.

  When the world finally came back into focus, a loud chime wailed in his ears.

  Cameo crouched at his side, shaking him. Concern had turned her cheeks pale and waxen.

  He searched her and found no acid burns in her clothing or on her skin. However, soot streaked her face and arms.

  "--okay?" Her voice penetrated his awareness as the chime faded. "Where do you hurt? What can I do?"

  "I think...I think I strained my cock. Kiss it and make it better?"

  Concern gave way to relief and annoyance, and she slapped his chest.

  "You're not funny." She turned away from him and dug through the bags.

  "I kinda am."

  "Let's check out our supplies. We've got--Yes! Hades packed the Paring Rod," she said.

  Beautiful bastard. He'd solved Lazarus's biggest problem. "What else?" He eased into a sitting position and rolled his healing shoulder to pop the joint back into place.

  "A change of clothes, a box of condoms with the name Spawn Be Gone, two canteens of water, a can of caviar and a box of organic crackers, toothpaste, wet wipes, a backscratcher, a small bottle of Febreeze, a package of earplugs--" She stiffened, ground her teeth. "What a dirty rat. He only packed one pair of plugs, implying your voice isn't upsetting to me."

  Lazarus hid a smile behind his hand. "I'd punish him for you, but, you know, I'm dying." When she glowered at him, he said, "What? Too soon?"

  She snapped her teeth at him before holding up a spotted stuffed leopard. "A toy version of Rathbone the Only. I wonder why he sent it."

  Lazarus could guess. With a snarl, he confiscated the doll and tossed it into the pit the land mine had created.

  "Hey! What'd you do that for?" Cameo demanded. "He was cute."

  "And he would have loved hearing you say so, which is why he had to go."

  Lazarus scanned ahead and spotted a crystalline river rushing over precious gems the size of boulders. A crystal bridge led to the only splash of white on the horizon. A twisting staircase that wound up a moss-covered hill and ended in front of alabaster columns. The entrance to the temple? How long since Hera had visited?

  Hidden within the spectacular beauty were signs of neglect. Overgrown weeds, chips in the precious gems and a section removed from the middle of the bridge.

  "Anything else in the bags?" he asked.

  "Yeah. A pair of binoculars. A square cloth." She gasped with excitement. "Not a cloth, but the Cloak of Invisibility. And this! This belongs to Danika, the All-seeing Eye." She held up a small four-by-four square tile with only one marking. A name in the corner. Danika Lord. "But aren't there images?"

  Brow furrowing, he claimed the tile and held it under a beam of light. The surface... Something struck him as odd. The slightly yellowed spots, perhaps?

  Cameo withdrew a metal pipe from the bag, looked it over and squealed. "I think this came from the Cage of Compulsion." She snatched the tile from him and clutched all four items--the Cloak, the Rod, pipe and tile--to her chest. "These are mine. Try and take them and I'll--" Her lips pressed into a firm line.

  Couldn't think of a threat great enough?

  No matter. He'd already thought of the worst-case scenario. If something were to happen to Lazarus out here--or anywhere--and his woman didn't know where the box was or what it looked like...anyone could steal it.

  His silence could have cost her big-time.

  No more hiding it. He pulled the necklace from under his shirt and stroked his thumb over the leather casing. "This...is what you've spent centuries searching for."

  She eyed the leather-bound pendant and snorted. "Nice try, but I'm not buying your bull anymore." But even as she spoke, her gaze remained glued to the artifact he'd once called "dangerous." Frowning, she rubbed her nape. "What is it? Really."

  He opened his mind, desperate to know her thoughts, but she'd erected her shield. He wasn't surprised, but he was still disappointed. He craved a connection with her. "It is the box, I assure you. The bones were crushed and reshaped."

  "Impossible. To be remade, it would have to be opened. I would be dead."

  "It was opened. By you and your friends. I'm willing to bet Hera is the one who stole it while you were distracted. Then, before she hid it, she remade it to ensure no one would recognize it if ever it was found."

  "Then how did you recognize it? What about the Morning Star thought to be inside?"

  "It was concealed inside a skull, next to what I thought was the box. I knew Kadence, the goddess of Oppression. Her bones were used to make it, and I felt her power. As for the Morning Star, I don't know."

  Cameo leaned back, balanced on her haunches, her nails digging into her thighs. "All this time, you've had the box, the artifact capable of killing the only people I love, hanging around your cursed neck?" Rage crackled in her tone.

  Tread carefully. "You sensed it. You and all the others." The others. The only people she loved, as if Lazarus had no place in her heart. Calm, steady. "It never harmed you. Not really. In fact, it might have helped you suppress the demon. That's why it was made, after all. To stop evil."

  He should have considered the possibility before, but hadn't let himself. His conscience would have insisted he give the box to Cameo...then she would have had no need to keep him around.

  An eternity passed, the only sounds coming from the rushing river and howling monkeys. The branch above them shook, golden leaves raining around them. Finally, she placed the other artifacts on the ground and held out her hand, palm up.

  She waved her fingers. "Give me the apple. Or box. Whatever."

  He met and held her gaze, saw a deluge of hurt and anger and felt as if the daggers tattooed on his chest had manifested and stabbed him. "I'm sorry I hurt you," he croaked. Before her, he'd never issued a sincere apology; now he couldn't do it enough. "I'm sorry I waited to tell you about the box."

  "How ironic. You seek my forgiveness, and yet you refuse to forgive those who have wronged you." Another wave of her fingers. "The apple."

  Still he hesitated, grating, "Our situations are not the same."

  "Aren't they?"

  No! How could he make her understand her safety meant more to him than his own? How could he prove the intensity of his feelings for her? "When Hades offered vengeance on a silver platter, I declined. I chose you."

  "You chose death!"

  With her, they were one and the same. However, he kept those words to himself. "Do you want me to kill Hera? I won't. I won't risk you."

  "No. I will kill her."

  And change the future.

  "She's a threat to you, and threats get cut," she said, her voice firm but hollow. "Afterward, you and I will part."

  Never! He scrubbed his free hand down his face, clearing the soot from his eyes. "I will stay with you until the end."

  The color drained from her cheeks.

  Have to make her understand. "Let me stay with you, and I will trust your friends, allow them to search for a cure." A major step for him.

  "There is a cure, you fool," she screeched.

  "A different cure," he amended. "One that allows us to stay together. When we're back at home, the box is yours. I'll trust you not to hurt yourself, and you'll trust me again."

  "Or I'll take the box."

  In the distance, a flock of golden birds took flight. He palmed a dagger and jumped to his feet. "We should go, shouldn't stay in one place too long."

 
Ever the warrior, Cameo moved beside him. "If Hera is here, she'll be inside the temple. On the flip side, if she were here, she would have sensed our presence and ambushed us."

  "Not necessarily. If she could sense a breach, she wouldn't have bothered with traps."

  He opened his mind, searching for other living beings, hoping to summon a sky serpent or two. He ignored the birds, monkeys, insects and an assortment of other animals, and concentrated on a dark presence...hungry, so damned hungry...and closing in fast. Enemy!

  "Time to beat feet," he said.

  He anchored the go bags to his shoulders, grabbed Cameo's hand and sprinted toward the river.

  *

  What was she going to do?

  Cameo couldn't escape the tumultuous storm of emotions raging inside her. Lazarus had carried Pandora's box around his neck all this time. He'd told her he would never lie to her--while already trapped in the midst of one. He'd denied her the opportunity to make an informed decision with her friends: attempt to suppress the demons or to destroy the box.

  The bastard had box-blocked her!

  Lazarus ground to a halt, and she slammed into his back. At the top of her to-do list: remain aware.

  Steam thickened the air, making it harder to breathe as she scanned the newest terrain. A field of wildflowers stretched before them, lush and lovely and without the poisoned dew, except...it was a trap. Upon closer inspection, she realized the ground was murky marsh.

  "Quicksand," Lazarus said. "And there." He pointed to the right. "The flowers cover another land mine."

  Misery laughed as he led her to the left, away from the temple. Unfortunately, there was no other way to go. They had to bypass the marsh and circle back.

  They remained on the fringe of the field, caught between the forest and the marsh, careful not to step anywhere they shouldn't--

  An eel-like creature burst from a muddy puddle of water, his fangs bared. Cameo caught him by his slimy neck, preventing him from biting her. His slippery body wiggled.

  "Um, a little help, please."

  With a slash of his dagger, Lazarus removed the creature's head. Grimacing, she tossed the still-wiggling body back into the puddle. Other eels--or whatever they were--jumped up to snack on the remains.

  Here you were either predator or prey. Got it.

  "The tile Hades packed," Lazarus said.

  "Yeah? What about it?"

  "I have an idea." He stopped under a golden tree and fished out the tile. He angled it toward the light, then angled it toward the shadows cast by the forest. "Everything he provided serves a purpose, except the tile. Why?"