grandmother had the casts taken off, she's been dogging your every step, wanting to help you with your paintings. Let's not waste any of this time together.'
Her mouth watered at the sight of him—would she ever get enough of him?—but she clutched his shoulders and shook him. 'Come see, come see, come see.'
Catching her urgency, he jerked upright. Though she hadn't seen him reach for one, a dagger was in his hand. 'Is something wrong? Has something happened?'
'Nothing's wrong. You just have to see this.'
He pushed to his feet, still unabashed by his nakedness. She grabbed his free hand and tugged him into the studio. As always, his touch filled her with warmth.
'Did you have a nightmare, angel?'
'Kind of.'
They passed the threshold, a bright canvas coming into view. She stopped in front of it and Reyes moved behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. His erection pressed between the curves of her ass, and she smiled.
God, she loved this man. If only she hadn't pulled on a pair of jeans when she'd gotten out of bed to paint.
'Pretty,' he said, leaning down and propping his chin on her shoulder.
She could feel his heart beating against her back, steady and sure. She rubbed her hands up and down his arms, unsure how he would take what she was about to tell him. 'Look closely. I, uh, think I found the third artifact.'
'What?' He spun her around, expression shocked.
'Look at the bottom of the pyramid. See those men?'
His gaze moved around her and latched on to the canvas. 'Yes. Galen and Stefano.'
She studied it, too. The pyramids of Egypt stared back at her, humans marching inside them. 'In my dream, they were walking the corridors of this particular pyramid and muttering about a cloak of invisibility. They kept saying that when they had it, they were going to use it to sneak inside the fortress undetected.'
Reyes gathered her close and kissed the top of her head. 'You are brilliant. We must tell Lucien.'
'Uh, you must dress first.'
He laughed, and the sound warmed her as surely as his touch. 'I love you, angel.'
'I love you, too.'
'I have a feeling we will soon be traveling to Egypt. Can you handle another adventure?'
'I can handle anything as long as I'm with you.'
He leaned down and kissed her, a tender brush of lips. 'How did I ever live without you?'
'You didn't,' she quipped. 'Not really.'
He kissed her again, lingering this time. 'No, I didn't. Until you, I was dead inside. You've given me everything. Love, life, happiness.'
'Just like you've given me. Who would have thought it, you know? You, me and that sweet little demon.' Slowly she grinned. She just couldn't help herself, she was so blessed. 'We're a ménage of bliss.'
'Now and always,' he said.
'Now and always.'
Lords of the Underworld Glossary of Characters and Terms
Aeron—Keeper of Wrath
All-Seeing Eye—Godly artifact with the power to see into heaven and hell
Amun—Keeper of Secrets
Anya—(Minor) Goddess of Anarchy
Ashlyn Darrow—Human female with supernatural ability
Baden—Keeper of Distrust (deceased)
Bait—Human females, Hunters' accomplices
Cage of Compulsion—Godly artifact with the power to enslave anyone trapped inside
Cameo—Keeper of Misery; Only female warrior
Cloak of Invisibility—Godly artifact with the power to shield its wearer from prying eyes
Cronus—King of the Titans
Danika Ford—Human female, target of the Titans
Dean Stefano—Hunter; Right-hand man of Galen
Dr. Frederick McIntosh—Vice President of the World Institute of Parapsychology
Dysnomia—Greek, goddess of Lawlessness
Galen—Keeper of Hope
Gideon—Keeper of Lies
Gilly—Human female, friend of Danika
Ginger Ford—Sister of Danika
Greeks—Former rulers of Olympus, now imprisoned in Tartarus
Hera—Queen of the Greeks
Hunters—Mortal enemies of the Lords of the Underworld
Hydra—Multiheaded serpent with poisonous fangs
Kane—Keeper of Disaster
Legion—Demon minion, friend of Aeron
Lords of the Underworld—Exiled warriors for the Greek gods who now house demons inside themselves
Lucien—Keeper of Death; Leader of the Budapest warriors
Maddox—Keeper of Violence
Mallory—Grandmother of Danika
Pandora—Immortal warrior, once guardian of
Paring Rod—Godly artifact, power unknown
Paris—Keeper of Promiscuity
Reyes—Keeper of Pain
Sabin—Keeper of Doubt; Leader of the Greece warriors
Sienna Blackstone—Female Hunter
Strider—Keeper of Defeat
Tartarus—Greek, god of Confinement; Also the immortal prison on Mount Olympus
Themis—Titan, goddess of Justice
Tinka Ford—Mother of Danika
Titans—Current rulers of Olympus
Torin—Keeper of Disease
William—Immortal, friend of Anya
Zeus—King of the Greeks
ISBN: 978-1-4268-1880-6
THE DARKEST PLEASURE
Copyright © 2008 by Gena Showalter
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario M3B 3K9, Canada.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's
