The Darkest Craving

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

KANE LEFT TINK sleeping in their room, and knocked on Reyes and Danika’s door.

“Go away,” Reyes shouted, sounding out of breath.

No need to wonder what was going on in there. “I need to speak with Danika. I’m staying put until I do.”

Pounding footsteps. The hard twist of a knob. A scowling Reyes appeared. He was shirtless, his pants undone, his hair askew. “You’re flirting with death.”

“And I’m sure Lucien finds me adorable. The painting,” he said, looking past his friend to the beautiful girl strolling toward him, tying a terrycloth robe around her waist. “What can you tell me about it?”

She nodded, saying, “I struggled with the appearance of the female. One second I saw a brunette that could have been Josephina, but I’m not one hundred percent certain about that, and the next I saw the pale-haired female I ended up painting.”

When he’d first met her, Tink had changed facades, but the ability of the Phoenix had left her, so she wasn’t the pale-haired one in disguise. “The Moirai told me I had two possible mates. William thought one was his daughter White, and I thought one was Tink’s half sister, Synda. Both are blondes.”

She thought for a moment, sighed. “You should show the artwork to Josephina. If that’s her body—”

“It’s not.”

“—she would recognize herself.”

“She won’t.” He’d seen and kissed and touched every inch of her. “I know her body better than she does.”

Danika gave another sigh. “I can believe it. Anyway, there’s something strange about that painting. I’ve never had trouble locking onto an identity, and I’ve never been wrong.”

“Tink’s safe.” The assurance was for him, not Danika. “I’m not going to let anything happen to her.” Even though his plan involved throwing her straight to the wolves. “There’s nothing more you can tell me?”

“No, I’m sorry.”

“This meeting is over, then.” Reyes shut the door in his face.

PANTING AND SWEATING, Josephina peered up at Kane. He hovered over her, panting just as hard, sweating just as badly. She watched a bead trickle from his forehead to his temple and catch in his hair, mesmerized.

“How was that?” she asked.

“Absolutely terrible.” His lashes fused, hiding the brilliance of those angry hazel eyes. “The worst.”

Brutal honesty sucked sometimes. “I’m sorry.”

“You should be.”

“I’ll do better.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

Hey! “You’re seconds away from being slapped!”

“That would be a welcome change.”

She shoved him off, and he rolled to a stand. They’d been training for hours, and she was tired. She hadn’t slept last night—even after Kane had made love to her and exhausted her—her mind too busy outlining every possible flaw to his crazy plan. The only real fight she’d ever been in had happened in hell, but at the time she’d had the abilities of the Phoenix and had simply burned everything that had approached her. She didn’t have that luxury now.

He helped her stand, his calluses tickling her skin. “You have to use every weapon at your disposal. A rock on the ground. Your knees. Whatever. Don’t be afraid to get down and dirty, and inflict major damage. If your attacker’s face is within striking distance, like mine just was, poke out his eyes. Break his nose with the heel of your hand, sending cartilage into his brain.”

Josephina anchored her hands on her hips. “Until now, I haven’t wanted to do those things to you, and that’s the only reason you’ve been able to take me down so many times.”

“The only reason?”

Argh! She ripped off her tennis shoe and tossed it at him.

The heavy heel banged into his shoulder and toppled to the ground.

“Better.” He nodded with his first display of pride. “That’s a habit that must run in your family.”

“Do you want to feel the sting of the other shoe?”

“I need to know you can take down an opponent, Tink. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”

Okay. All right. That, she could understand. The plan hinged on her, and what she could do. She would be in the thick of danger, and he would be worried.

She would be worried, but she wasn’t going to let it stop her. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. I’m determined. I know the stakes.

I deserve to live and love. And I will.

“Kane,” she said, stepping toward him. “You’ve left me no choice. I have to do this.”

She punched him in the mouth. Pain exploded through her knuckles and arm, and his head whipped to the side. Slowly he faced her. A cascade of crimson flowed from the corner of his lip, obscene against the bronze of his skin. He grinned, the blood even staining his teeth.

“Now that’s my girl. Good job.”

A knock reverberated through the room, saving her from an embarrassing display of self-congratulations.

“We’re ready for you,” Sabin called.

Kane’s grin disappeared. “We’ll be down in fifteen minutes.”

He tugged Josephina into the bathroom, stripped her, stripped himself and turned on the water for a quick shower. Soapy hands wandered, and once again Josephina found herself panting from exertion. As much touching as they’d done, her body was already primed.

“We only have a few minutes,” she said.

“That’s all I need.”

“Really?” But, every time before had taken hours. “Are you sure I’ll enjoy this? I mean, I want you, but I also want to reach the end.”

“I consider it a personal mission to ensure that you do.” He donned a condom and pushed her against the wall. He was inside her a second later, and oh...oh! The way he moved...hard and fast, nothing held back...he wrung groan after groan from her. He kissed her, a tinge of desperation to every thrust of his tongue.

“I could drain the life out of you in seconds,” she rasped. “I could kill you.”

He moaned with pleasure-roughened arousal. “Tell me more.”

“You’d never know what happened. One moment you would be lucid, the next you would be dead.”

He became a wild man, whatever tether he’d had on his control broken. Her thoughts derailed as he hammered at her, the pleasure too much, not enough and...yes, yes, yes...

“Kane!” she shouted, her body breaking apart, reforming, every inch of her branded by the man in her arms.

He bit the cord between her neck and shoulder as he shuddered against her, the pressure somehow propelling her into another level of rapture. For a minute...an eternity...black dots flashed behind her eyes and silence cloaked her ears. She was lost to the pleasure.

When she came down, Kane was grinning at her. “Told you,” he said, all masculine satisfaction.

The tub shattered beneath their feet. He slipped and caught himself on the curtain rod above their heads. Her legs were still wrapped around Kane’s waist, her feet protected from the shards. But not his. Blood welled from several incisions.

“This will pass,” she said.

“I know.” Scowling now, Kane carried her out of the debris. He set her on her feet, and they dressed as swiftly as possible and rushed to the ballroom to meet with his friends.

The women formed a line in the center, their men behind them.

“I don’t like this,” she muttered.

“Trust me.” He gave her a swift kiss. “Your family will never see you coming.”

And she had to do whatever was necessary to defeat them. That way, they would never again think to use her.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” she asked the women. She was to borrow the strength and power of everyone but Scarlet, who was demon-possessed, Ashlyn, a nursing mother, and Danika, whose visions of the future could distract her.

Each female squared her shoulders, raised her chin.

“Very well.” Trembling, Josephina reached toward Gwen. She stopped just before contact. “Last chance to back out. When I’m done, you’ll be weak. It could last a few hours or a few weeks.”

“Weak schmeak. I know the problems dirtbag dads can cause.”

“Her father is Galen, keeper of Hope and Jealousy,” Kane explained, stepping up beside her to offer moral support. “Though he doesn’t carry the kind of hope you might think. It’s false hope that Galen offers. Real hope is essential...miraculous.” He looked at her, his hazels bright. “The kind that you gave me.”

The kind he’d given her.

She melted into him.

“Do it. Drain me. You’ll need what I’ve got,” Gwen added as Sabin came to stand behind her. “I’m amazingly strong and faster than light.”

Sabin placed his hands on his wife’s shoulders. “Just don’t hurt my favorite toy, and we’ll be fine.”

Gwen preened as she tapped her thumb against her chest. “Today I’m his toy.” Next, she hitched that thumb in Sabin’s direction. “Tomorrow he’s mine.”

Toy. Yes. The perfect word to describe such a delicate-looking female; Josephina wasn’t sure how much strength she would be able to take without putting the girl into a coma.

“I’ll be gentle,” Josephina promised, wrapping her fingers around Gwen’s wrist. “And thank you for this. I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to repay you.”

“I’m sure I’ll think of something.”

She closed her eyes, flipped the mental switch that she now knew caused her pores to open and create suction...pulling...pulling on the strength the female possessed.

Energy fizzed in her veins, as potent as if she’d stuck her finger into a light socket, and she reeled at the force, feeling shocked and giddy.

When she released Gwen, the poor girl sagged into her husband’s arms. “Wow! That was amazing.”

Kane urged her to turn to Kaia.

“You’ll want what I’ve got most of all,” Kaia said. “I’m part Phoenix, and I start fires when I’m angry.”

The moment they touched, Josephina experienced the same crackling surge of energy, but also a flood of warmth. Heat...so much heat swept through her, and she felt as if her body would erupt into flames at any second. It was a familiar sensation, the same one she’d encountered with the other Phoenix.

With Anya, she felt as if she had been invaded by a mighty wind.

With Haidee, there was freezing cold.

Gilly tried to step up to the line. “My turn,” the girl said.

William appeared at her side and tugged her to the far corner of the room, saying, “Not going to happen, Gum Drop.” To Josephina, he called, “She’s only human.”

“Being human isn’t synonymous with weakness,” the girl said.

“Synonymous is a big word for such a small child,” he retorted.

“Hey! I’m not a child. I’m old enough to carry my weight around here.”

“Well, then, I guess it’s a good thing you don’t weigh very much.”

She pointed a finger in his face. “One day I’m going to show you just how strong I actually am, William the Idiot.”

He shrugged, as if he didn’t care, but the hard gleam in his eyes said otherwise.

“I don’t think I can hold anything else,” Josephina said. She could burst at any second. Never had she felt this strong. This...invincible. And...and...she couldn’t just stand there. She had to move.

“What are you doing?” Kane asked after she’d leaped into motion.

“Running around the room.” She was too hot....too cold...too everything. Could fight any enemy. Conquer the entire world. And she wouldn’t even chip a nail, she thought with a maniacal laugh. “Are the women okay? Do you think they’re okay? I really hope they’re okay.” The words poured from her, coming faster and faster. Just like her steps. Soon she was sprinting—and not even winded.

“William,” Kane called, watching her. His lips twitched at the corners. “We’re ready.”

The warrior glanced away from the teenage girl, and said, “Just a sec,” before turning back to the girl and getting in her face. “Go to your room and wait for me. We’re going to discuss the whole proving-yourself thing and put a stop to it now, before I’m forced to clean up a mess I’ll make you wish you hadn’t made.”

“Stop telling me what to do. You aren’t my father.”

“How many times do I have to tell you I’ve never wanted to be your father?” he yelled, raising his voice for the first time since Josephina had met him. “I want you safe, and I’ll do whatever is necessary to see to it, even hurt your feelings.”

All of the Lords watched with unabashed shock.

Cheeks reddened from the force of her anger, Gilly marched from the room.

William watched her until he could watch her no more. Then he tangled a hand through his hair and faced the men, his expression devoid of emotion.

“Let’s do this.” He strode to the center of the room and withdrew a few things from his pockets. Pieces of gum?

He held the—no, not gum—whatever up, and when he let go, the small, chewy-looking objects actually remained in midair.

“Incoming,” he shouted, and everyone in the room turned away.

Kane threw himself at Josephina, knocking her into the ground, absorbing most of the impact. What—

Boom!

A hot gust of air licked over her, then Kane was rolling away from her and helping her to her feet. Or rather, trying to. She accidentally jerked him down beside her, and he hit with so much force he might have punctured a lung.

“Sorry,” she said. “Sorry.”

He laughed. Actually laughed. “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart.” He stood and motioned for her to do the same.

She hopped to her feet and saw that William had somehow blasted through the realm to create a doorway into Séduire. Night had fallen—the time for parties. The entire Fae court would be gathered in the throne room. The moon was out, a crimson sliver in the blackness of the sky. A walking path was lit by torches.

“Maybe we should think about this,” she said, suddenly nervous.

“No more thinking.”

What about stalling? “What happened to the key?”

“Apparently, if you aren’t a Fae, they break down and stop working,” Kane replied. “Mine stopped working.”

“All right. Okay.” If she didn’t act now, she wasn’t going to act at all. “I’m ready.” She raced forward.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Kane called, stopping her.

“What—” Oh, yeah. “Sorry.” She backtracked and grabbed Kane’s hand. He cringed, and she realized she had to keep her newfound strength in check or she would crush his bones. “Sorry again!”

His grin returned, wide and toothy and full of good humor. “I told you. Don’t worry about it. Now do what needs doing.”

They marched toward the Fae realm.

“I’ll give you thirty minutes, then I’m coming in,” William announced.

“We’ve got this,” Kane replied without turning back.

His friends were staying in the Realm of Blood and Shadows to protect their weakened women. William was their backup.

“See you in thirty,” William said with a wave.

“I said no.”

“Twenty-five, then.”

“Frustrating,” Kane muttered.

They passed through the doorway, entered the charred remains of her father’s garden. Dark smoke still wafted through the air.

Josephina’s heart thundered in her chest. What if she failed, like she’d done during much of her training today? What if Kane got hurt? She would forever blame herself—and rightly so.

Yeah, but what if you succeed?

From the corner of her eye, she thought she spotted the warrior with white-and-gold wings, the one who’d brought her new clothing. But...surely not. That would mean he was following her.

She searched the darkness, but found no other sign of him.

“This way,” Kane said.

He led her toward the palace. Whenever a guard passed, he would shield her with his body, doing his best to hide them both. Finally, they reached the door to one of the secret passages.

Inside, Josephina took the lead. Down the hall. Up a flight of steps. Down a flight of steps. Around a corner. Around another corner. Trading one passage for another, moving at such a rapid pace, never giving herself time to think, until they reached their destination.

Her heart drummed as she stopped. Through the two-way mirror, she saw the throne room was as crowded as she’d expected.

“You ready?” Kane asked.

No. Yes. She had better be. “I am.”

“You’ve got this, sweetheart. I believe in you.”

Now, to believe in herself. Josephina pushed open the door, and with her head held high, entered the throng.

Two girls spotted her and gasped. They told their friends, and their friends gasped. One set of eyes after another found her.

Josephina walked forward, Kane behind her; the crowd parted, making way. Soon, the royal family came into view, each member perched on a throne.

Leopold spotted her and stood. Synda waved and smiled, as if Josephina hadn’t ruined her wedding. The queen scowled.

“Well, well,” the king said, rubbing his jaw. “You have returned.” His gaze slid to Kane and filled with satisfaction. “Tired of her already?”

Kane wound his arm around her and kissed her temple. “I’ll never be tired of her. She’s mine. I chose her then, and I choose her now. I’ll choose her tomorrow and every day after.”

Sweet heat. No one had ever... He’d just said...

Murmurs swept through the crowd. Josephina turned in a circle, meeting the stunned gazes of the Fae. These people had ignored her and talked down to her and laughed at her pain. No one had ever offered to help her. Now, envy looked back at her.

In a single moment, Kane had undone years of rejection. He’d given worth to the female no one had wanted. This man... He wasn’t a disaster. He was a savior.

And he’s mine.

King Tiberius frowned. “Then why are you here, Lord Kane?”

Do it. Finish this. “He heard you were looking for me, coming for me,” Josephina said. “I decided to save you the trouble and settle things.”

“You want to settle things?” The king perked up, motioning to the space at his feet. “Then bow before me. Offer your apologies for the destruction of the garden and accept your sentence when it’s pronounced.”

“And what, exactly, did I do wrong?” she asked, lifting her chin.

A pause. Then, “Just like your mother...everything.”

Anger torched any remorse she might have entertained over this. Bludgeoned any sadness, strangled any guilt.

But then, realization struck her. He blamed her for her mother’s decline and death, and always had. Always would.

Had he actually loved the woman, in his own warped way?

“I would like to approach you, yes.” Eyes narrowing, she moved away from Kane, and every ounce of her new, massive strength was required not to ghost her fingers through his hair, enjoying one last touch before Séduire forever changed. Before she changed.

At the dais, the guard backed away, allowing her to draw closer. In front of the king, she bowed her head, presenting the perfect picture of submission. “Majesty,” she said with a curtsy.

“Lower.”

The command scraped against the piece of her heart that had hoped she would finally, at long last, find favor with him.

“How about this instead?” Quick as a blink, she grabbed him by the throat, lifting him from his seat, startling him—and crushing the pipes beneath her fingers. “You bow before me.”