Kiss of the Betrayer (A Bringer and the Bane Novel) (8 page)

Sha-hera’s army dwelled here, planning and plotting in the war room. Luck had been with Rell so far, having neither drawn the attention of nor made an enemy of the succubae army captain. Rell stopped and scanned the passage in both directions. Still empty—or so it appeared.

She leaned against the wall and gathered her courage. What she was about to do was sheer madness, but she needed Icarus’s help; and though he didn’t know it yet, he needed her help as well.

She glanced around and slipped into the gap separating two behemoth slabs. If one didn’t know the passage existed one would have passed right by. Rough stone scraped against her wings as she inched to the end and exited into a small circular chamber. A rock staircase beckoned her forward. Her heart beat faster. Again she chided herself for the madness of her plan.

Small stones crunched under her foot when she placed it on the first step. Her quiet shuffle up the narrow stairs sounded overly loud.

Rell paused, listening for movement above her. Raised voices filtered down the spiral opening. A female voice, more than likely Sha-hera, bantered with a male. Was it Icarus? The arguing grew louder the higher she climbed.

At the top step, Rell stopped. It wasn’t Icarus, but Vile.

From where she stood, she could peer directly into the succubae army’s plotting chamber. Several of Sha-hera’s commanders lined the wall, their stances rigid. The Demon King and Sha-hera faced each other on opposite sides of a large stone slab, debating over several sheets of parchment. Each drawing looked to be a map of some kind. Rell squinted. Not maps, layouts of buildings and grounds. What were they plotting?

Vile slammed his fist against the table. “I speak but you do not seem to hear me. So I will say it again. Your plan is flawed, and will not work.”

Rell leaned toward the opening, making sure to stay clear of the torchlight that brushed the first foot of rock ledge on which she stood. With controlled impatience, Sha-hera clenched and unclenched her hands behind her back. Tension radiated between the two powerful demons, but Sha-hera wisely made no further argument.

The sensation of being watched skittered along Rell’s skin. For a moment she’d forgotten her purpose, but when she turned the reason came rushing back.

Icarus was there, standing in the shadows, watching her. His golden gaze held her in place, making it more difficult to breathe. Suddenly, success of her plan paled against the cost her encounter could reap. She mustered her courage and took a step forward.

His mouth peeled back in a silent snarl. Her steps faltered but it was too late to retreat. She focused on her anger at Luc and managed three more small paces. Icarus straightened away from the corner he’d been leaning against, his body tense as if readying to fight. Rell glanced away and peered into the army’s strategy room, giving her bravery time to rally.

Turning to the demon, she inched forward slowly and raised a talon to her lips. His snarl relaxed slightly but his stance did not.

On silent feet, she closed the distance between them. He could have been made of stone if not for the suspicion burning in his eyes. His aura was palpable, radiating a power that thrummed against her skin. He was like no other demon she’d ever encountered.

“We must talk.” Her voice was almost inaudible but she knew Icarus had heard her by the way his gaze narrowed even further. “It is urgent.”

He stared at her for a long moment, assessing the situation with the skill of a demon who knew treachery firsthand and trusted no one. She held her breath. Never had she been this close to him. Never had she dared. His skin was black and smooth like polished leather, perfect and unblemished, each muscle sculpted to perfection. His almond-shaped eyes followed the contours of his high cheekbones, giving his face perfect symmetry. Stunning—and deadly.

Icarus’s hand snaked out and wrapped around Rell’s arm. She didn’t resist when he dragged her toward him. He pivoted and pushed her into the corner, his warm body pressing against hers. She stifled her surprise when his skin touched hers. Instead of being cold and hard like marble, heated velvet covered her. Warmth seeped into her body, sending tingles across her skin.

The voices below fell quiet. Icarus’s gaze cut from her face toward the ledge and then back to her. His hand moved to her chest, pressing her more firmly against the wall. She opened her mouth but the words died in her throat when a heavy thud thundered behind Icarus.

He didn’t turn but his eyes narrowed, boring into her with the silent command to remain quiet and hidden.

“Why not come and join us, Icarus?” Vile’s voice filled the small cove. “Lurking is beneath you.”

Icarus straightened, his hand sliding across her chest, gently raking the leather that covered her breasts with his talons, and turned. Fear paralyzed every muscle in Rell’s body.

“I find the company you keep not to my liking, Father.” He braced his shoulder against the wall, effectively blocking her in. “Besides, you don’t appear to want my participation.”

From the sound of his movements, Rell knew that Vile moved deeper into the space. She pressed against the rough stone wall, the rocks poking painfully at her skull. The demon’s presence seemed to swallow the air around her. She closed her eyes and sent up a prayer of help to the Sainted Ones.

“I care not about your strife with Sha-hera.” Vile paused. “You each have your duties and I expect you to accomplish them.” The threat in his voice was unmistakable. “Any conflict that threatens the success of
my
plans shall be dealt with swiftly and without mercy.”

Rell stared at Icarus’s profile. His expression was unreadable. Though he didn’t openly challenge his father, neither did he cower from the threat. His posture remained rigid and unyielding. She had been right to think that Icarus held no love for the Demon King.

“I am aware of your methods,” Icarus said.

“Are you?” Three footsteps paced away from where she hid and stopped. The sweep of Vile pivoting swished along the walls. “Because if I didn’t know you better, I might think you have designs on my throne.”

Icarus gave a convincing laugh of surprise. “I have no wish to rule your mongrel horde, Father—until it is my rightful time.”

Silence stretched between them but Icarus remained unmoving, his gaze peering steadily forward.

Vile’s answer was pitched low, cutting through the strain. “For your sake, I hope that is true—son.”

The sound of wings extending was followed by retreating footsteps. A rush of air hummed from what must have been Vile leaping from the ledge.

Another few seconds passed before Icarus’s stance relaxed. He turned his head and leaned toward her.

“Hot pools.” His lips brushed against her ear. “Go.”

He stared, unmoving. No emotion showed on his face. Rell gathered her wits and stepped around him, wanting nothing more than to get as far away from the Demon King as possible.

She eased toward the stairs, but stopped to glance one more time into the war room, making sure to remain completely in the shadows. All appeared as it had when she’d first entered. Before she could slip away, Vile’s gaze traveled upward and stared steadily in her direction. Could he see her? With a measured step backward, she eased out of his visual range and crept down the stairs.

As silently as possible, she moved down the passage until she reached the first corner. Rell stopped and looked behind her. Nobody followed. She turned the corner and picked up her pace, fairly sprinting by the time she reached the upper level of the Shadow World.

Moist, warm air settled on her skin when she entered the cavern and slowly seeped through the chill of the Shadow World. The chamber’s ceiling soared, a welcome change from the tight, low passages winding through the lower levels. Layers of steam billowed off the water.

Rell paced around the edge of a bubbling pool. Would Icarus come? Or more important, did she want him to come? There was definite contention between the king and his son. Taking sides might be too big of a price for revenge.

A vent of warm air hissed next to a large, flat-topped boulder. The rock had always been Jade’s favorite spot to stretch out. It was the closest thing she’d had to a bed. Rell climbed on top and perched like a waiting vulture, her arms wrapped around her knees. She spread her wings and let heat from the vent blow over them, the gentle vibration relaxing her muscles and thawing her body. Even her talons were cold. She rested her chin on her knees and waited.

The minutes dragged by, fueling her folly of asking Icarus to help her. The slow bubble of the water and quiet hiss of the vents were the only sounds.

Then she heard it. Stone crunched beyond the doorway. Her head snapped up, her gaze riveted on the entrance, her heart beating against her chest. Seconds passed and then he was there.

Icarus’s body filled the arched entrance. He ducked his head and stepped through the doorway. Spike-tipped wings scraped along the stone arch of the entrance.

Rell didn’t move, waiting for some indication of his mood. Icarus ignored her, turning to examine the chamber. Satiny black hair hung in a long tail down his back. Five gold rings banded the silky strands and glinted in the green-blue glow of the cavern’s pools. He flared his wings, stretching them to the warmth of the cave, and held his arms out to the side. A gold bracelet glimmered at each wrist. He flexed his fingers. She watched, surprised by his reaction to the heat. Was it not only her then who hated the bone-chilling burn of the Shadow World?

Icarus pivoted to face her, wings still spread. The demon was magnificent, every line of his body sculpted with perfect symmetry.

Desire stirred inside her. Rell straightened, taken aback by the twinge of lust. She’d seen other demons fornicating, but she had never partaken. Turned before her maidenhead had been taken, she had never had the chance to explore the sensual secrets between men and women.

Never once had she desired any of the filthy beasts that littered the throne room. Even her vengeance against Luc was born of anger, not lust. There had only been one man, until now, who had stirred her blood. She’d risked so much for him, saved him from a fate worse than death. But he was lost to her now and it hurt too much to think about him.

Rell stood, pushing away the memories of what could never be and the yearning she felt for Icarus.

“Where is your sister?”

She gasped, desire evaporating. Of all the things she’d expected him to say, asking about her sister wasn’t one of them.

The smile he gave her was a cross between amusement and a predator cornering its prey. “You kept her here.” He sauntered toward the largest pool. “Raised her from a child.”

Rell eased from the rock and folded her wings behind her. “How do you know this?”

“I know many things that go on in the Shadow World.” He skirted the edge of the pool and stopped to crouch, dragging his talons through the steaming water. “Once she bathed here.”

“But, she never mentioned the encounter.”

Swirls of water eddied around his hand. “I believe I frightened her.”

“Why did you leave her…” Rell searched for the right word. “Unharmed?”

Icarus stood, the amusement draining from his face. “Why did you summon me?”

This was the reason all demons feared him above any other, even Vile. Like a coiled snake, Icarus seemed to wait for his chance to attack. Always poised to take down his enemy, even when none existed. She discarded her question and focused on her mission.

“I offer you a proposal.”

His eyes narrowed. Another way Icarus differed from Vile. Where the king would mock with wide-eyed surprise, Icarus approached with suspicion.

“Speak.”

Rell swallowed hard and forced herself to hold his gaze. “I know you helped the Bringer escape.”

He cocked his head to the side. “Not a proposal.” The velvety purr of his voice licked at her, reawakening her sensual need. “Is it to be blackmail then?”

“No.” She shook her head slowly. “I care not that you helped him.” Her mind scrambled for a common thread to bind them. “I would have helped him myself if it would have foiled Sha-hera’s plans.”

His face relaxed back to its inscrutable beauty. “I’m listening.”

“The Bringer woman still lives.”

Icarus went still. “Impossible.”

“Not impossible. My sister has seen her.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. She appeared dead when you—” She searched for a better description, something less accusatory about the time Icarus had carried Rhys Blackwell and his woman out of harm’s reach. “When I last saw her with the male Bringer.”

Icarus paced along the edge of the pool as if contemplating her words. “You’re sure of this?”

“Yes.” Rell dared a few steps toward him. “And there’s another.” He stopped pacing and looked at her. “Another full-blood. A man.”

“Besides Rhys Blackwell?”

She nodded. The silence in the cavern stretched, growing louder as they stared at each other across the green, bubbling water.

“Why do you tell me this?”

Why
was
she telling him this? What did she truly know about his reasons for helping the Bringer? Too late to retreat, she decided to follow her hunch. She relaxed her stance and locked her hands behind her back in hopes of appearing confident.

“You want the throne and I wish to help you.”

His bark of laughter ricocheted off the walls, causing Rell to jump.

“You are most direct.”

She shrugged, maintaining her air of confidence. “I am observant.”

His smile faded. “Maybe too observant.”

“Perhaps.” The threat was not lost on her. She shrugged again. “But not in this matter.” With slow, measured steps she sauntered toward him. “I can help you.”

His eyes followed her. “At what cost?”

She stopped a few feet from him. “There’s no cost when what we want is the same.” She took a step closer. “You seem to need a full-blood and I want to rid myself of one.”

“Why?”

Anger erupted, rolling through her before she could contain it. She stepped away, fisting her hands. “Because this is his fault.” She held out her arms, indicating her demon form. “He betrayed my family and stole my future.”