his hand over hers, not to hold her in place—powerful as he now knew she was, he doubted he could have done so—but to offer reassurance. He was here, he wasn’t leaving. Nothing she said would send him running. “Please.”
Her chin trembled. “I—I gave him a year on earth, unimpeded, to do as he wished.”
“Oh, Kadence,” Geryon said, knowing the other gods would have to honor her bargain—and would make her suffer for it. Everything inside him rebelled at the thought. If they hurt her…you can do nothing. Powerless fool. “Why would you do such a thing?” A savage whisper. Run, no. He still would not.
Tears beaded in her eyes. “To save you. To save me. To save the world beyond our reach. I could think of no other way. A single year to wreak his havoc seemed a small thing to trade in comparison to an eternity of demons roaming free.” Her mouth opened, but rather than words she gave a pained cry.
Quick as a snap, her skin leached of color and she doubled over.
Concern instantly rocked him. “What’s wrong, sweet? Tell me.”
“The demons…I think…I think they’re at the wall. I think they’re killing me.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
HAD LUCIFER TOLD THE DEMONS of her bond to the wall? Kadence wondered, pain slicing through her. Rather than come here to fight, they had gone there. Why would they do such a thing unless they knew she would weaken, die?
Or perhaps they had hoped to draw Geryon to them, leaving her here, alone and seemingly vulnerable to ambush. Or did they want her to come to them? So many alternatives. All of them grim.
The prince probably found the entire situation vastly amusing. He probably—a sudden thought nearly paralyzed her. If she were killed, he could have more than the agreed upon year on the earth, bartering for souls, causing untold havoc. He could have forever, if he so desired, and he could bring his demons with him, ruling his minions and humans.
He was a god, a brother to the sovereign. Because of that, there was no guarantee he would be captured and sent back.
Of course. The perfect plan. He’d wanted her to come here. He’d wanted her to bring Geryon. He’d wanted them both—his only hindrances—to die.
Oh, gods. She was sickened, for she had unwittingly helped him every step of the way. What kind of fool am I? More than sickened, she was so ashamed.
So easy. She’d made it so easy for him.
“Kadence, speak to me. Tell me what’s wrong,” Geryon insisted. He popped to his knees and swung around, kneeling between her legs. One of his claws gently, tenderly brushed away the damp hair clinging to her brow.
Her gaze lifted to his. Seeing him with so much concern in his beautiful brown eyes, the sickness and the shame left her—the pain, though, remained. She suddenly could not regret the choices she’d made. No matter what happened, he would be free. This proud, strong man would finally be free. As he’d always deserved.
“I…am…fine,” she managed to gasp out. Gods, she felt shredded inside, as though her organs were being ripped to ribbons.
“No, you’re not. But you will be.” He scooped her into his arms and carried her to the back. To a room the owner must have used. He laid her on a thin pallet of fur. “May I?” he asked, lifting the amethyst that housed his soul.
“Yes.” She had planned to present it to him once their mission was completed, a gift for his aid, but she nodded. Right now, there was a good chance she would not complete anything.
“Is my soul inside?”
“Yes. All you must do is hold the stone over your heart.”
“That easily?”
“Yes,” she repeated. She wasn’t capable of more.
Slowly, carefully, he worked the stone from around her neck and placed it over his heart as she’d instructed. His eyes closed. He was probably unsure what would happen. And at first, nothing did. Then, in gradual degrees, the jewel began to glow.
A frown pulled at Geryon’s lips, and he grunted. “Burns.”
“I’ll hold it for y—”
The glow exploded into a thousand pinpricks of light, and he roared, loud and long.
After the last echo sounded, everything quieted. The lights faded. Only the chain that had held the jewel remained in his hand.
His frown was lifting into a smile as his eyes opened. But when he studied his arms and then his body, the frown returned, deeper, more intense. “I should have…I did not…I had hoped to return to my former visage.”
“Why?” She loved him, just as he was. Horns, fangs, claws and all. Loved. Unquestionably. She had considered it before, but had discarded the idea. Now, there could be no discarding. The emotion was there, undeniable as Death stared her in the face.
No man had ever been more perfectly suited for her. He was not disgusted by her nature, he reveled in it. He did not fear what she could do, but found pride in it. He delighted her, amused her, tempted her.
“It is my hope that…that…” He gulped. “If you bond with something else, something besides the wall, perhaps your ties to it will lessen and your strength will return. Perhaps the pain will ease.”
Something else? “You?” she asked, suddenly breathless for reasons that had nothing to do with pain.
“Yes. Me. I would understand if you choose not to do such a thing. I wanted only to offer the possibility so that—”
“Geryon?”
“Yes?”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
GERYON REMAINED IN PLACE, looking away from her. “First, hear me out. I know I’m ugly. I know the thought of being with me in such a manner is abhorrent, but I—”
“You aren’t ugly,” Kadence interjected, “and I do not like that you think you are. I do not like when you demean yourself like that.”
His attention whipped back to her and he blinked at her, astonishment shining in his expression.
She continued, “The thought of being with you is welcome. I promise you. Now can we kiss?”
Now his mouth opened and closed. “Welcome?”
She supposed not. “Yes. But I don’t want you to bond with me simply to save me.” She had once been too afraid to admit she craved his body, had pretended merely to be grateful to get a kiss. There would be no more pretending. “I want you to want to do this. Because I…I want you inside of me, becoming part of me, more than I want another tomorrow. I want to be your woman, now and always.”
Before he could respond, another pain slicked through her, raining
