The Darkest Secret

With a moan, he severed contact, tiny ice crystals flying in every direction. His expression was tormented, and his eyes sparkled with red. Strangely, seeing the red didn’t scare her. Even with the memory of what had happened so long ago still playing through her head.

I’m so sorry, Haidee. So sorry. His voice was as tormented as his expression.

«Why?» The single word scraped her raw throat, her voice hoarse and broken. Had she screamed during the vision and just hadn’t realized it? «You did nothing wrong.» She knew that now. Was amazed by it. He’d done everything right.

The Hunters must have been chasing the other demon. And I don’t know if the robed creature killed your husband or if it was one of the Lords who reached the bedroom first. All I know is that I was part of the group that arrived last. I wasn’t trying to hurt you, he rushed out. I swear to the gods I wasn’t.

«I know. Now.» Just as she knew he had almost died for her, avenging a veritable stranger. God, she’d wanted to absolve herself with the memory. She’d only managed to weaken her case.

She had destroyed this man for nothing. For nothing!

I never saw your face that night. I saw a frightened female and tried to move her — you — from the battle. But I put you in the middle of it instead. You wouldn’t have died if I’d left you on the floor.

He would not feel guilty about that. She wouldn’t let him. «You don’t know what would have happened to me, Amun. You can’t—'

Don’t try to make me feel better. Don’t try to comfort me. Gods, I don’t deserve it. Don’t even deserve to be here with you. You, helping me. Me. The man who placed you in the path of a blade. A bitter laugh left him as he flexed and unflexed his hands. All these centuries, I’ve never understood why the others allowed themselves to be filled with remorse over actions they hadn’t been able to control. Meanwhile, I’m the worst offender of the lot. Because of me, you died. Because of me, you came after Baden.

That was not the reaction she’d expected or wanted. «Amun, I—'

He tore his gaze from her and pushed to a stand. If you want me to summon the angel, I’ll find a way to do so. He can return you to your…friends. You don’t have to do this. Don’t have to help me.

«I’m not leaving you,» she told him, angry now. «And you saw for yourself that you weren’t the one who killed me. You tried to save me. More than that, I blamed you when I—'

You blamed me, and rightly so! He swiped up the backpack, commanded it to provide clean clothes for both of them and then tossed her a shirt and jeans. The robes are good for the caves, but not for movement. You need to change. We’re leaving.

«Listen to me. I wrongly blamed you and—'

We’re done discussing this. Change. Now.

He’d never, ever treated her like this, even when they’d first discovered who the other was, and she had no idea how to reach him, how to make him understand. Shaking, Haidee removed the robe and tugged on the new clothing. «We — we can’t leave yet. Not until we know what we’ll be facing.» She claimed the backpack and said, «Give us instructions for successfully navigating the next realm.»

When she reached inside, she found a small, yellowed scroll.

Without a word, Amun took the backpack and settled the straps over his shoulders. With every second that passed, he seemed even more removed from her, and still she didn’t understand. She didn’t blame him for what had happened, so why did he blame himself?

Because he’d failed? Because he feared failing again? «Amun,» she said, trying again to reach him. She had to reach him.

Come, he replied, striding from the cave, forcing her to follow or be left behind.

The scroll crinkled as she unwittingly tightened her grip. «I’m not going to let you shut me out,» she said, knowing he couldn’t hear her but feeling better just saying the words.

She forced herself to relax and trail after her man — and he was her man, there was no question of that now — as he headed into the unknown.

Chapter Eighteen

Vacation sucked. Strider sat in the passenger seat of the caddy William had stolen, peering out at the barren landscape and waning sunlight. This was the road trip from hell.

After the debacle with the invisible girl, who just had to be Paris’s obsession, Sienna, Paris had flipped his ever-loving lid and attacked William for not preventing the god king from leaving with her. It had taken all of Strider’s strength — and a dagger through his friend’s broken heart — to defeat the hysterical warrior.

Afterward, bleeding and far from calm, Paris kicked Strider and William off his ranch, along with the strippers. But Paris had soon realized Sienna could escape Cronus again and return to him, and without William, he wouldn’t be able to see her. So, the injured Paris had tracked them down and insisted on coming with them. Not a difficult task since they’d merely hiked to the mailbox at the end of his driveway and decided to rest. For a few hours.

Ambrosia hangovers sucked as much as vacations.

They’d been on the open road for countless hours, and for most of those hours Paris had shouted for Cronus, issuing threats and generally annoying the hell out of everyone. Finally, though, he’d quieted and now slept fitfully in the back seat, blood loss having drained him. Just before falling asleep, he’d vowed to call Lucien and demand the keeper of Death flash him to the heavens when his injuries healed.

Paris was going hunting for his female.

That kind of obsessive desire for one specific woman wasn’t smart, and Strider acknowledged that he himself had been speeding in that direction with Ex. Unlike Paris, he had willingly given the woman up, and suddenly, he was grateful. Had he continued down that path, he eventually would have fought Amun for her.

Fighting a friend for a woman was the epitome of stupid. Wrong on every level.

One, he valued his friendships. Two, no woman was worth the trouble she caused when he knew he would one day lose interest in her. Three, a Hunter really wasn’t worth the trouble she caused. Four, sex was sex. A man could get it anywhere, as proven by his time at Paris’s ranch.

He sighed and concentrated on the shitty scenery. Trees. Rolling hills. And — oh, hells yeah. A convenience store, dead ahead.

«Pull over,» he commanded.

«What?» William flicked him a now’s-not-the-time-to-joke glance. «We just got a little peace and quiet and you want to ruin it all just to piss? You’re such a baby.»

«Red Hots, dude.» He’d ruin anything for a mouthful of those. «Now pull the fuck over.»

«Oh, Gummy Bears. You should have said so.»

The car merged right, hit the service road and finally halted abruptly in front of the twenty-four-hour shop. Burly truckers hustled in and out, as well as families traveling the countryside.

William jerked a thumb toward the backseat. «What about sleeping beauty?»

«He’s not gonna kill himself while we’re gone.»

«Do you have any self-preservation instincts?» Ice-blue eyes glittered with sardonic humor. «I meant, what if he wakes up, steals our car and abandons us?»

«Easy. We steal a truck and play chase. I’ve always wanted to drive a big rig.»

«I like where your head’s at, Stridey-Man. Maybe we’ll do that anyway.»

Out of habit, Strider performed a perimeter check before exiting. During the drive, when he hadn’t been lost in thought, he’d been watching for a tail. So far, so good. Not once had he spied anything suspicious. To be honest, that was kind of disappointing. He’d expected Haidee’s boyfriend to come after him. Shit, the guy had sworn to spill