The Darkest Pleasure (Lords of the Underworld #3)(58)

Maybe...possibility...what if...

"In the morning, I will take you to your sister and your mother and perhaps you can locate your grandmother. Tonight, I will have Torin hunt - Uh, damn. Find them. Torin will find them for you."

Danika stiffened, every muscle suddenly humming with tension. "Will he hurt them? If he hurts them, I'll - "

"No, no. You have my word. No harm shall befall them."

She believed him. Stupid of her, but she did. She had no other lifeline at the moment.

"No matter what, we will find your grandmother, as well. You will know, one way or another, what happened to her."

No matter what. One way or another. Ominous phrases. And yet, the second stirring of hated hope did spark to life. Maybe...possibility...what if...the phrases once again swept through her mind. It was human nature to wish for the best, she supposed, and too hard to believe otherwise without solid proof. She hadn't seen her grandmother's body; as Reyes had reminded her, Aeron had said he thought he'd killed her, not that he truly had.

Grandma Mallory could be alive.

The numbness encasing her began to melt, leaving flickers of relief. "I'd rather leave tonight," she said. "Aeron knows where they are. Make him tell."

"I tried. Twice. But do you really want to continually remind him that they're out there? When he craves their deaths? Torin can do this, I have no doubt. He just needs time."

She clasped his wrist and peered up at him, wanting to kiss him and push him away at the same time. To hug him and hit him. "Thank you."

"You are so lovely," he whispered. Then he shook his head, as if he couldn't believe he'd uttered those words and needed to clear his thoughts. "In the cell you said you paint to purge yourself of your nightmares. Why don't you paint tonight? Perhaps it will soothe you."

Do not soften. You are already too close to the edge. "You just want another glimpse inside my head."

"Can I not want both your comfort and the knowledge you possess of the gods?"

She released him, feeling bereft, and shrugged. "I would need the proper supplies." There was a bloom of excitement in her chest at the thought of holding a brush. She'd never thought to paint again.

Twin pink circles suddenly colored Reyes's cheeks, and he cleared his throat. He straightened, looking away from her. "I - I already have everything you will need."

Danika studied his profile. His nose was a shade longer than the other warriors', very aristocratic. His lashes were thick and curled up toward his brows. His jaw jutted stubbornly. "What do you mean?"

"I visited your home. I had your purse, your address, and after you left, I could not stay away. I traveled to your home, saw your supplies and bought some for the fortress. Just in case." The admission croaked from him. "Will you use them?"

Just in case what? "I - Maybe." He'd been inside her home? What had he thought of her small and cluttered house? Loved? Hated? And why did the image of him surrounded by her things feel so...right?

Reyes didn't try to pressure her. He simply nodded as if he understood her reluctance. "I need to leave for a little while, talk with Torin. Will you be all right on your own?"

She wasn't sure she would be all right ever again, but she said, "Yes. Of course."

Reyes faced her, leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. Hers parted automatically, welcoming him inside. The hot length of his tongue pressed forward, slowly, tenderly, giving comfort rather than passion. She accepted, too raw to resist.

"Angel," he breathed.

Her arms wound around his neck of their own accord, holding him close. Perhaps she would hold on forever. Here, right now, there was no pain or loss or what if, only a strong man who scared her demons away.

His fingers settled on her waist, and he pulled her as close to him as he could get her. Her legs parted to allow him the final contact, placing hardness to softness. A gasp left her as a jolt of pure desire speared her, chasing away her fatigue.

"The Darkest Pleasure"

She remembered how he'd kissed her this morning and experienced no real pleasure. Until she'd hurt him. He'd even told her that he could not really feel without a sting, a bite or a scratch.

Even though this kiss represented the passing of his strength to her, she wanted him to like it. She told herself she wanted him to like it so that he would continue to protect her. That if the time came, he would choose her over Aeron and slay the man. She told herself it was because if Reyes desired her, he would not renege on his word. He would take her to her family in the morning.

Sadly, she knew she lied.

Deep down, she wanted him, desired him madly, and had from the first. She'd been a captive here and had found herself face-to-face with him after he stormed into the room she'd been locked in, demanding a healer for Ashlyn. It had seemed as though a match were being struck inside her chest, lighting everything on fire. Burning and blistering. Every man she'd ever dated, every man she'd ever kissed, and the two men she'd slept with over the years had faded from her mind as if they'd never existed.

So odd. Besides her dreams and her secret paintings, she'd never been a fanciful girl. Oh, she believed in love - her parents might have divorced when she was just starting her teens, and her dad might have taken off and begun another family, forgetting the one he already had, but she did believe. Her grandparents had loved each other madly, only parting for death.