The Darkest Kiss

'Sienna,' he said, upset in a way he didn't understand. He shouldn't care. He'd meant to punish her. Had wanted to hurt her.

'Paris,' she gasped. 'I should…have…killed you.'

As if the words had sucked the last of her strength, her head lolled to the side. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. Only a heartbeat later, she died.

LUCIEN GRABBED ANYA'S ARM and stopped her just before she crossed through that thick, dappled patch of air. She glanced at him curiously, and he shook his head.

'You first,' he told William, just in case they were stepping into some sort of trap.

At first, the warrior gave no reaction. But then his eyes narrowed, and he shrugged. 'Very well. I'll go first.' Without another word, William walked past them into the glistening shimmer.

He disappeared as if he'd never been on the mountain.

Dear gods. It was a doorway. Lucien experienced a moment of joy. They might find the Cage of Compulsion after all. With the thought, his joy was tempered by apprehension. To win the cage, they might have to fight the mighty Hydra. He'd expected to do so, but the possibility had never been so real.

'After me,' Lucien told Anya and stepped forward before she could protest. 'Be ready to fight.' He gripped a dagger in each hand, a little shaky and a lot weak, though he refused to succumb to either.

Whatever he'd expected the shimmers to feel like, they didn't. They were dry and as light as air. There was no moment of suspension, no dizziness. One minute he was surrounded by snow and ice, the next he was in paradise.

Warm air beat around him, heating him, melting the frost and making him sweat.

'Wow,' Anya gasped behind him. She stepped up beside him, gripping the sword she'd stolen from William. 'This is, like, amazing. Who would have thought a place like this was actually up in these mountains?'

William was—where? Lucien looked around the tropical island. There were lush emerald trees and blooming flowers of every color. The aroma of coconuts and pineapples scented the air, almost drugging. Definitely lulling. Beguiling. His brow wrinkled in confusion as his muscles relaxed of their own accord.

You were doing something. What? The answer—William, he suddenly remembered. The grass climbed up to Lucien's knees. He kept searching, fighting past the languor still beating through him. There! William leaned against a giant silver boulder at the far left.

He'd removed his coat, hat and gloves. He wasn't holding a weapon, but had his arms crossed over his chest. Determination gleamed on his face, though he did his best to appear nonchalant.

Lucien removed his own mask and coat and dropped them, not wanting the bulk to hinder him. With Cronus's curse looming over his head, he was slow enough.

Anya stripped down to a skin-tight white shirt and shorts that stopped just below the curve of her ass. Despite his condition, he was instantly hard for her.

'This is where we need to honeymoon,' she said. Laughing, she skipped forward and danced through the flowers, their soft petals caressing her skin as he wanted to do. 'I don't see any sign of our monster. Do you? And do you care? This is the best I've ever felt!'

'No, I do not see her.' Watching her, Lucien felt his lips curl into a grin. She's captivating, he thought. She's mine. And if they managed to win the cage, he might just get to live and keep her.

Suddenly she stopped, gasped and pointed. 'Lucien, look look look!' she said excitedly. 'The Cage of Compulsion.'

He gazed across a crystal lake stretching before her. Sure enough, there was indeed an ordinary-looking cage perched on a boulder on the other side. Rather unspectacular for a godly relic, Lucien couldn't help but think. But those polished bars were tall enough to house a human and wide enough that the human could lie down and not touch the other side. Who was he supposed to lock in there, to learn about Pandora's box? he wondered. Anya had thought Hydra.

'It's not as glamorous as I'd anticipated,' Anya remarked, echoing Lucien's thoughts.

'No.'

'Hydra should thank us for taking it.'

Hydra. He should be worried about her. Shouldn't he? 'Be careful,' Lucien said, trying to force his body to prepare for war. 'The monster could be near.'

Unconcerned, William stepped forward, plucking strands of tall grass along the way. 'You vowed to give me back the book if I brought you here,' he said to Anya. 'And as you can see, I brought you.'

'Yes, I did and yes, you did. As soon as we return, you'll have your book. You have my word.'

A wave of dizziness worked its way through Lucien. He drew in a deep breath, but that only increased the dizziness. By the time he thought to cease breathing it was too late. He was nearly incapacitated. What was wrong with him?

'I'm sorry,' Lucien heard William say, and then a sword was slicing through Lucien's middle, cutting through skin, organs and even bone, every point of contact burning as the warrior twisted, slicing deeper. 'I had hoped it would not come to this.'

Had he been his normal self, Lucien would have seen the blow coming and flashed. He would have healed. As it was, he couldn't move. Didn't care to move. He felt what little energy he possessed draining. Then his knees gave out, and he crumpled to the ground. Did William wield some sort of power?

Anya.

He heard her scream, a bloodcurdling cry of rage and fury, hate and fear. Suddenly he cared.

'You bastard!'

'Cronus came to me while you were packing, Anya,' William shouted. 'He threatened to kill me if I didn't kill the pair of you once the cage was found. I did not want to do this, but you forced my hand. I'm sorry. I am. You have to believe—'

'I'll fucking kill you, you traitor!'

The sword was pulled out of Lucien and black cobwebs wove through his vision, giving him limited eyesight. But he was able to see Anya with that sword in hand, a dark storm blanketing her lovely face. He saw William square off with her, determined, resolved.

They would battle to the death.

'No,' he ground out. He couldn't let that happen. Couldn't let her fight the warrior. 'No!'

'Rest, baby, and heal,' she choked out. Relief pulsed from her, wrapping around him. She'd thought he was already dead. 'I'll punish William for you.'

'I do not want to hurt you,' William began.

I once said that to her, Lucien mused dizzily.

'According to Cronus, you have to. Isn't that right? Still looking out for number one, I see. But I'm not worried. A dead man can't hurt anyone.' She licked her lips, as if already tasting William's death. 'You should have told me what Cronus wanted you to do.' Like a predator, she circled him. 'We could have thought of something to stop him.'

'If there were a way to stop him, you would have done it by now.'

'How could you do this? How, damn you? I love him.'

'I know. And I truly am sorry.'

Lucien tried to push to his feet, even as his body bled out, continuing to drain more and more of his strength. You are a warrior. Act like one. For Anya. Drawing on a reservoir he hadn't known he possessed—Anya's, he realized—he at last managed to stand.

No one noticed him. Anya raised her sword.

William raised his, as well.

A deafening screech sounded from the water, and Anya turned, distracted. That's when William lunged forward, swinging for her head.

Clang.

Anya met his weapon with her own and the two began a lethal dance of attack and retreat, swords always slicing toward each other. All the while a two-headed monster rose from the lake, half woman, half snake. Smaller serpents slithered over her head, hissing, jaws snapping. Each of them, including Hydra herself, possessed long, sharp teeth that resembled minidaggers.