The Darkest Night (Lords of the Underworld #1)(99)

She sighed. "I trust you."

"What..." He paused. Stiffened. "What did the Hunters do to you, Ashlyn? I have to know."

"Nothing, I swear," she assured him. "I have to tell you something." Please don't stop loving me. "I brought them here, Maddox. Me. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. Really. I didn't. They tricked me and - "

"I know, beauty. I know."

Relieved, she relaxed. He truly loved her, to forgive her so easily for something he'd almost killed her over before. She hugged him tight. "Before he died, my boss told me that they plan to find Pandora's box and suck your demons inside."

"We were told the same thing." He suddenly yawned. A peaceful smile lifted the corners of his lips. "I owe the gods a thank-you for bringing you back to me, but I find I'm too tired to approach them right now. I need little rest, but I have gotten none these past few days."

"Go to sleep. I need you to keep up your strength," she said huskily.

He chuckled, a sound of absolute joy. "Your wish is my pleasure."

"He sooo does not owe the gods. He owes me. But I swear this is totally my last favor to you. I put him to sleep. Don't waste any time."

Ashlyn froze as Anya's voice penetrated her mind. No, not yet, her body whined. I need more time with him.

"Choice is yours, chica. I'm signing off."

And she did. Anya's hum of energy died, leaving the room deflated.

Shaking, Ashlyn pushed from the bed and sneaked from the room - but not before giving Maddox one last wistful glance. She hated to leave the decadence of his arms, but wouldn't risk losing this chance.

"This is for the best," she told herself. "He's not going to die again. Not when I can save him."

For fifteen minutes, she roamed the halls of the fortress, knocking on bedroom doors. No one answered. Not even Danika. All the while the halls echoed with the sound of someone shouting profanities. She heard chains rattling. Aeron, she realized and shuddered. He scared her.

Finally, she found one of the immortals. The silver-haired angel who'd taken her from Danika's room and hidden her in another. Torin. Disease. He was lying on a bed, a red towel wrapped around his neck. His skin was pale, he'd lost a little weight and the lines around his eyes and mouth were taut with pain. But he was breathing.

She didn't wake him. She did approach the side of the bed to whisper, "I wish I could touch you, hold your hand and thank you for hiding me that day. I was able to reach Maddox and hold him that night."

His eyelids fluttered open.

Startled, she jumped backward. Their gazes met and she relaxed. There was gentleness in his green eyes, and she liked to think he would have said, "Welcome home," if he'd been able. "I hope you get better soon, Torin."

He might have nodded, but it was hard to tell.

Her nerves on edge, she continued her search.

Finally, she located a group of them. Her heart hammered in her chest as she studied them, unnoticed. They were working out, bench-pressing and squatting more weight than five humans combined could have done. The one named Reyes was pounding away at a punching bag. Sweat poured down his bare chest, ribboned with flecks of blood.

He was the one who always wielded the sword. She tried not to hate him for it.

"Ahem," she said, drawing everyone's attention.

All of them paused, peered at her. A few narrowed their eyes. She lifted her chin. "I need to talk to you," she said, aiming the words at Reyes and Lucien.

Reyes went back to his punching bag. "If you're going to try to talk us out of killing Maddox tonight, save your breath."

"I'll listen to you, sweet," the tallest of the group said. Paris was his name. Blue eyes, pale skin, brown and black hair. Pure sex, Maddox had said, and she believed him. The words had been delivered as a warning to stay away.

"Quiet," Lucien said. "If Maddox heard you, he'd go for your head."

A blue-haired man faced her. "Want me to kiss them for you?"

Kiss them? She'd only seen him once before. In the foyer, right after the bombing, but he hadn't struck her as a kisser. He looked as if he wanted to kill them.

Reyes growled, "You shut up, too, Gideon. And don't cozy up to her. She's taken. I'll have to hurt you."

"I'd hate to see you try," the now-grinning man said.

She blinked. How odd. His words said one thing, his tone quite another. Well, whatever.

"You're right," she told Reyes. "I don't want you to kill Maddox tonight. I want you to - " oh God, are you really going to say this? " - kill me instead."

That got everyone's attention. They stopped what they were doing, weights dropping, the treadmill grinding to a halt, and stared at her, gaping.

"What did you just say?" Reyes gasped out, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Curses are broken through sacrifice. Preferably self-sacrifice. If I sacrifice myself, dying in place of Maddox, his curse will be broken."

Silence.

Thick, heavy silence. She only wished it were comfortable.

"How can you be sure?" Lucien asked, those odd eyes somber. "What if it doesn't work? What if Maddox's death-curse isn't broken and you've died for nothing?"

She gathered her courage, wrapping it around her like a blanket in the winter. "At least I will have tried. But, uh. I kind of have it on the highest authority that this will work."