The Darkest Secret

sweat-soaked brow when necessary.

If, when she reached maturity, he was foolish enough to touch her, their easy camaraderie would be ruined. She would be forever disillusioned about the kind of man he was. He didn’t want to disillusion her.

She deserved a man who would give her the world. All William would give her was pain.

So, become involved? Hell, no. Not now, not later. He wouldn’t allow himself to hurt her. Ever. He was many things — a womanizer, a killer. Callous, sometimes cruel, always selfish and dark in a way no one inside this fortress knew. But this tiny little beauty had been through enough in her short life. Physical abuse, and so much worse. She’d run away from home, had lived on the streets, taking care of herself when loved ones should have ensured her safety.

After Danika and Reyes, the keeper of Pain, had hooked up, Danika had brought her here. William had taken an instant liking to her. She’d needed someone to look out for her, and William had decided to be that someone. For now. That meant destroying those who had destroyed her innocence and later helping her find a man worthy of her love. That meant resisting her.

Lids heavy over those exotic eyes and lashes so thick and curling they seemed to be reaching for her brows, she traced some sort of design on the covers beside him. At last she found the courage to ask her question. «You’re cursed by the gods, but I don’t know how you’re cursed. I mean, I tried to read your book. Anya let me borrow it, I hope you don’t mind, but the pages were weird.»

The subject he hated more than any other. His curse. The only person he’d ever discussed the particulars with was Anya, and then only because they’d been cell neighbors inside Tartarus, and he’d needed something to do while the centuries ticked by. When they’d later escaped, he’d made the mistake of showing her the book that detailed everything he’d told her, as well as his only chance for salvation.

He shouldn’t have been surprised when the naughty goddess had stolen that book — and now threatened to rip the pages out every time he pissed her off. Nor should he have been surprised that she’d given Gilly a peek. Anya had taken over the girl’s care, too, and knew how the sweet little human felt about him. But damn it, his secrets were his own.

«Liam?»

Resisting was pointless. And gods, he was pathetic. To not even put up a fight? Sickening. «The book is written in code,» he explained. A roundabout fuck-you from Zeus, he mused. A «here’s your salvation — not.» He had yet to find the key to unlocking that code. He knew it was out there, though. It had to be out there. He couldn’t believe otherwise. Even though he was afraid to find the key, afraid to know more about his curse.

«Yes, but how are you cursed?» she repeated.

He shouldn’t tell her. He knew what she was doing. Trying to find a way to save him. Still. She needed to know the truth. Maybe then her crush would at last crash and burn. «All I know is that the woman I fall in love with will unleash—' He pressed his lips together. The woman he fell in love with would unleash every evil being he had ever created. And he had created some monsters. That, he wouldn’t tell her. «She will kill me,» he finished. That, too, was the truth.

Her eyes widened as she lifted her gaze to his face. «I don’t understand.»

«The curse isn’t completely mine. I share it with her.» Whoever she was. «Once I fall in love with her, she’ll lose her mind. She’ll think only of my demise, and she’ll make sure it comes to pass.»

Another gift courtesy of that too-cocky shit, Zeus. Good news was, the joke was on the now deposed king. William had never fallen in love and never would. There was only room in his heart for one, and he was that one.

«I would never hurt you,» Gilly said softly. And before he could reply, not that he had any clue as to what to say, she added, «Let’s backtrack a little. The book contains a way to save you? And her?»

«Maybe.» He gently chucked her under the chin. «Don’t even think about it, Gumdrop. The curse is one of blood, which means someone has to die. If I’m saved, the one who saves me will be the one to die in my place. That isn’t going to be you. Understand?»

She didn’t speak, but she didn’t nod, either. Nor did her gentle expression change. That scared him. The thought of dying should have freaked her out. The thought of her dying did freak him out.

With more force than he’d intended, he said, «Be a good girl, and go get some rest. You’ve got circles under your eyes, and I don’t like them.»

Finally. A reaction. Her mouth pressed into a mulish line, and as well as he was coming to know her, he prepared himself for pure, unbending stubbornness. Whoever she ultimately ended up with was going to have his hands full. Poor bastard.

Dead bastard. William might kill him just for fun.

Don’t go there.

«I’m not a little girl,» she gritted out. «So stop treating me like one.»

«You are a little girl,» he replied easily, rolling his eyes for good measure. She was, and that was a fact.

She stuck her tongue out at him, proving his claim. «The boys at my school don’t think so.»

He would not react to the sight of that tongue. Or to the provocative words. «The boys at your school are dumb.»

«Hardly. They want to kiss me.»

A flicker of rage took residence in his chest. «You better not encourage them, little girl, because I will hurt them if they ever try anything with you. You’re not ready for that kind of relationship.»

«And I suppose you get to decide when I’m ready?»

«Exactly.» Smart, his little gumdrop. «In fact, as soon as I think you’re old enough, I’ll let you know. Until then, keep your lips to yourself or you’ll regret it.»

«Oh, really? Give me a hint, then.» There was steel in her voice rather than amusement. «What age do you consider old enough and just how will I regret disobeying you?»

A wiser man would have kept his fat mouth closed. «Three hundred. Or so,» he added, giving himself room to work. «And believe me, you do not want to find out.»

«First, I’m human,» she snapped. «I’ll never be that old.»

«I know.» And he didn’t like that fact, he realized. She had eighty years, give or take a few, but no more. And that was only if she wasn’t run over by a car. Or beheaded by a Hunter.

Damn it. If he had to sign on with the Lords for a permanent place in their army just to look after her, he was going to be annoyed. He had shit to do, places to be.

«Second, I’m not afraid of you.»

She should be. The things he’d done over the years…. The things he would do in the years to come…. «Let’s forget the fear for now. By your own admission, you’re a puny human. Which is another reason you need to rest.» He gave her a «gentle» push off the bed. «Go. Get out of here.»

She hit the floor with a hmph, then popped to her feet. She peered down at him for a long while. He let her look, silent, knowing what she saw. A black-haired, blue-eyed stunner who had broken more hearts than he could count. He prayed that she, like all the others before her, wouldn’t overlook the fact that his heart had never been breached. That she wouldn’t see him as a challenge, as tamable…as worth any risk.

His phone beeped, disrupting the quiet and signaling a text had come in. She glanced at the phone on the nightstand, then at him.

«Go,» he said more firmly.

«Fine.» She spun and strode from the room, leaving William with an odd, hollow feeling in his chest. Damn it, he thought again.

Another beep sounded. He pushed Gilly to the back of his mind and lifted the little black device to read the screen.

Screen name «Stridey-Man» asked, Want 2 vacay w/me?

William snorted as he typed. Romantic getaway for 2? UR not my type, dickwad.

Only a few seconds passed before the second message arrived. Fuck U. I’m everyone’s type. So U in or out? ’Cause I’m thinking about hooking up w/P, wherever he is. U’d just B extra baggage.