The Darkest Craving

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR



JOSEPHINA HURRIEDLY STUFFED her meager possessions in a bag. A wad of cash she’d saved. A change of clothing. Her mother’s locket—one she never wore, too afraid someone would rip it from her neck.

Kane hadn’t left. His wedding was today, and she wasn’t going to stick around to watch. Maybe he’d go through with it. Maybe he wouldn’t. She had a feeling she would wonder for the rest of her life—and cry.

As she tied the bag closed, her stomach clenched. Tears beaded in her eyes, and she sniffed with frustration. Stupid tears! They came so often now. Ever since she’d met Kane.

I shouldn’t have kissed him that last time.

But she’d lost herself in the pleasure and the riotous sensations and the heat and the pressure and the need...everything. The past had fallen away. The desire to die, muted as it had become, had breathed its last. Kane had become her world, and she hadn’t wanted to ever be found.

And he’d wanted to stay with her, too. But...yeah. But: the word that had ruined everything. She’d had a choice. Be with him, risking the wrath of the king, or be without him, protecting him.

Protecting him had seemed more important than her desire—but only by the slightest degree.

One day, Kane might even thank her. Heck, he was already happy without her. He’d left the ball with Synda and though Josephina had looked for him, she hadn’t seen him since. She had no idea what had happened between the pair, but rumors were rampant. Kane had spent the night in her bedroom.

One of the tears spilled over, and she wiped it away with the back of her hand.

Whatever. Alone in the servant’s wing, Josephina tiptoed down the hall and peeked out the window overlooking the driveway. A line of carriages stretched down the road; each contained an Opulen probably bursting with eagerness to reach the royal gate. The wedding was set to begin any minute.

There was no better time for escape. The servants were busy below. The king and queen were distracted. The guards had to watch the grounds to make sure the Phoenix stayed away.

“Seriously?” a voice said from behind her. “You’re actually running from me?”

She spun around and came face-to-face with a very angry Kane. He wasn’t wearing wedding finery. In fact, he looked...slovenly. He wore a wrinkled T-shirt that read Honey Badger Don’t Care, whatever that meant, and his pants were ripped in several places. His eyes were bloodshot, and thick lines of tension branched from his mouth.

“Why aren’t you in the human realm, or better yet, downstairs preparing for your nuptials?” she demanded, hating him, hating herself.

“You’re that eager to marry me off?”

She raised her chin, refusing to reveal the turmoil inside her. “You bedded the princess, didn’t you? I think you’ve got enough eagerness for the both of us.”

His features softened, making him appear boyish and hopeful and so lovely her chest hurt. “Do I detect a note of jealousy, Tink?”

“You certainly don’t! I don’t care what you do or what skank you do it with.”

A lie. She hated lies. What was wrong with her? Since meeting him, she’d become more than a crybaby. She’d become a shrew.

The softness vanished in a blink, and his eyes narrowed. “All right. Yeah. I slept with her. I also slept with a boatload of women before I even reached Séduire. But you know what? Synda was the best I’ve ever had.”

It was like a punch to the gut, a blow so low she wasn’t sure she would ever recover. Humiliation burned in her cheeks, and maybe it was fused with disappointment and fury. How could he! How could he go from Josephina’s kisses to Synda’s bed, and then brag about it?

The fury suddenly overshadowed every other emotion.

“Congratulations,” she said as drily as she was able. “You’re officially like every other man in this realm.” She had saved his life, and he had saved hers. Circumstances hadn’t allowed them to be lovers, but they could have been friends. She’d always wanted to be his friend. Yet he’d just ruined any hope for such an outcome. “I wish you’d stayed away from me. I wish I’d never met you.”

His features didn’t change, not this time, but his voice went low and quiet, dripping with disdain. “Too bad. I didn’t, and you did, and you have no one but yourself to blame. You should have left me in hell.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m about to do just that.” She tried to step around him.

He moved with her, blocking her. “You’re not going anywhere. Synda got into trouble last night and she’s earned another punishment.”

Josephina froze. “What did she do?”

“Does it matter?”

It had to do with him, didn’t it?

“You’re to be whipped.”

“No, no, no.” That would mean the king was searching for Josephina. She knew him. Knew he would actually postpone the wedding ceremony to find her, wanting the situation dealt with before placing Synda—and thereby Josephina—into another man’s care. And if he discovered she’d planned an escape... How could Kane be so cavalier about it? Shaking her head, she backed away from him. “How could you do this to me?”

“I didn’t want any of this to happen, Tink.”

“Don’t call me that! You don’t get to call me by a cutesy nickname when you just ruined my only chance for freedom.”

“You want freedom?” His volume increased with every word. “Well, then, I’ll get your freedom. Right now. Then, I’ll be leaving the realm, and so will you. But don’t worry. I won’t be with you, so you won’t have to fear my inability to protect you.” He extended his arm, intending to grab her.

She jolted out of reach. “I believe you can protect me, idiot, I just don’t want you hurt doing it. And if you do this, you’ll be hurt. They’ll hunt you. Forever.”

The sharpest edge of his intensity dulled. “Being hunted was something you were willing to risk, obviously. Do me a favor and allow me the same choice.”

She...had no response to that.

“I’ve thought about this, and thought about this, and I’ve nearly given myself a brain aneurism from thinking some more, and this morning I finally picked a plan and decided to stick with it. You’re not going to like it, but honestly? I don’t really care. I don’t like you within these walls, and I can’t deal with the demon any longer. I have to get out of here, and I have to kill him or I’m going to start hurting people, maybe even you. Again.”

He was rambling, without giving her any useful information. “You can’t just—”

“I can.” He lunged for her, latching onto her before she could get away, and draping her over his shoulder. A favorite position of his. At the moment of contact, breath exploded from her lungs. She kicked and hit at him, but he sped into motion without missing a beat. “Every woman I come across throws herself at me, but not you. You keep fighting me.”

“I’ll never stop!”

“That’s probably wise.” He took her through secret passages he shouldn’t have known about, up several flights of stairs, and into the daylight. “Why are you still wearing gloves? You know you can control your ability now.”

“Because my hands are ugly.” People had begun staring.

“Listen to me. Believe me. They’re not.”

She caught the scent of freshly cut grass and flowers, and the sound of murmuring voices...voices tapering to a quiet. Shock bombarded her, and she stilled. He wasn’t sneaking out. He was walking through the crowd of wedding guests. How could he...the courage such an act required...the utter stupidity!

“I told you I’d marry your daughter, and I will,” Kane called to the king. “That’s not going to change. But I want this one.”

What! Marry...Josephina? Despite their discord? No, that couldn’t be right.

“There’s two ways this can go down. You’ll either gain a connection to my family by giving Josephina to me—in marriage—or I’ll kill you here and now. Pick.”

Yes. Her. But...but...

I won’t let him. I’ll put a stop to it.

“No,” Leopold, standing behind the sputtering king, snarled. “You can’t—”

“Go with option two,” a male said with a laugh, interrupting him. “I’ll finally get to put my pimp hand to good use.”

She turned her head and watched as William, Red, Black, White and Green stepped into the gazebo where the royal family awaited the bride and groom. All five warriors were armed for war. Swords peeked over their shoulders. Guns were sheathed at their waists. And there were more men behind them! Men she recognized from the picture books the scribes had commissioned.

Oh, sweet lightning. The Lords of the Underworld were here. The frightful males were loaded with even more weapons than William and his crew. There was the scarred Lucien, the dark Reyes, the scary Sabin and the irreverent Strider.

Her heart sped into a faster rhythm. “Hi,” she called, and waved at Lucien. “I can’t believe this is happening. I’ve dreamed of this day all my life.”

His scarred features were pale, and there were bruises under his eyes. He looked as if he’d been without sleep for several centuries. “Your wedding?” he asked her.

“No, I’m not getting married. I’ve been waiting to meet you,” she said, her voice fluttering.

“All right, calm yourself,” Kane muttered. “And yes, you’re getting married.”

“Kane—”

He continued. “I didn’t want help, but I realized I needed it. There was no other way. But don’t you ever trust the Rainbow Rejects. They’re only aiding me now so they’ll have an easier shot at you later.”

“William, my darkling,” the queen gasped out. “What are you doing? You’re to be my protector.”

The king roared, “Darkling? You’re calling another male by my pet name?”

“Shut it, both of you,” William snapped, all humor gone. “We’ve heard enough out of you.”

The queen’s mouth floundered open and closed, but she never made another sound.

Leopold stepped forward, but Red reached out and grabbed him by the neck, jerking him backward. In the next blink, a blade was poised at the prince’s hammering pulse and he was gurgling in pain, a bead of blood leaking to the fluffy collar of his dress shirt. He tried to speak, but the weapon prevented any sound from forming.

“But what about me?” Synda called, racing up behind Kane, her wedding dress not quite fastened. She had to hold up the beautiful Fae lace with her hands. And her veil was askew, about to fall out of her pale curls.

“Shut it, woman,” Kane snapped, mimicking William. “If I have to listen to one more bit of cruel, inane chatter from you, I’ll remove your tongue. I swear I will.”

Synda stopped, just stopped. No one had ever rejected her before—well, not for long. Bewilderment and hurt danced in her eyes, and Josephina almost felt sorry for her. Almost. She was too busy reeling. Kane had just put the girl in her place.

Red bloomed in the princess’s eyes as she marched through the sea of guests, throwing people out of their chairs.

The king blustered, saying, “This isn’t the way of things, Lord Kane. We should—”

“Pick,” Kane shouted. “I didn’t ask for commentary.”

Silence rolled through the masses, every gaze on Tiberius. The king switched his attention between Kane and his friends.

“Very well,” he finally gritted.

“Good choice.” Kane placed Josephina on her feet and glared down at her.

“Should I curtsy to your friends?” she asked to hide her nervousness. “I feel like I should curtsy.”

He leaned in until they were nose-to-nose. “You’ll accept this. Whatever you feel about me, whatever you believe about me, this is the best choice for you right now.”

A wave of dizziness struck her. “I can’t let you do this.” She needed to tell him something else, but...what? She couldn’t recall.

“Unlike your father, I’m not giving you a choice.” He turned to the male officiating the ceremony. “What are you waiting for? Begin.”

The priest obeyed him, but she didn’t hear a word he said. Her thoughts were too loud. Surely she couldn’t marry the very warrior that had slept with her half sister only last night. Surely she couldn’t allow him to welcome a lifelong war. Surely she wouldn’t bind her life to his, giving herself to him, while wearing a maid’s uniform, looking her worst.

Even if he was the most incredible man she’d ever met...even if every inch of her body screamed, yes!

But would he ever be faithful?

Did he even want her or was he just trying to protect her, as he felt he owed her?

Her gaze strayed to Kane’s friends. What had they thought of her at first glance? She’d been slung over Kane’s shoulder so...probably not much.

“I’m really quite wonderful,” she muttered.

“I know. You’ve told me,” Kane said. “Now answer the priest.”

“I will, just as soon as you tell me what he asked me.”

The same murderous red she’d just seen in Synda’s eyes pulsed from Kane’s. “Just say yes,” he snapped.

A beam in the canopy above them snapped and fell, and Kane had to drag her out of harm’s way.

“Say it,” he commanded.

“I will if the question was, does Kane annoy you? Because yes, he does,” she said, attention returning to the other lords.

“Tell me the answer to that question again,” Kane demanded, but he didn’t sound offended.

“Yes,” she threw at him.

He nodded, satisfied.

Lucien winked at her and she couldn’t help but offer him as big of a smile as she could manage at the moment. Reyes nodded in acknowledgment. Strider gave her a thumbs-up. Sabin continued to glare. She wanted Kane’s friends to like her—even though she didn’t currently like Kane.

“This is a mistake,” she whispered. Yes! Those were the words she’d wanted to give him. “We shouldn’t do this. Let’s stop before it’s too late.”

He squeezed her hand so tightly she whimpered, but even then, he didn’t loosen his grip. He slid a ring on her finger, the metal heavy, with a huge stone glittering in the center. A stone she didn’t recognize. The color hovered somewhere between ruby-red and sapphire-blue.

“It’s already too late. Don’t ever take this off, understand?” Kane said.

Too late? They were...they were...no way.

Still. Eyes wide, she nodded.

“Oh, and here’s the big guy’s ring,” William said, handing her a plain, over-warm band that was vibrating.

Trembling, she slid the thing onto Kane’s finger, and finally he released her.

“It’s done,” he said, and there was a wealth of satisfaction in his voice.

Josephina could only nod, dazed.

A scream nearly split the daylight. “You’re not taking her away from me!”

Not Synda. But...the Phoenix?

Definitely. The entire back end of the garden burst into flames.

Kane threw Josephina over his shoulder.

“Not again,” she gritted out.

Lucien held out his arms. “I’ll take her now. And I’ll take good care of her, you have my word.”

“Change of plan,” Kane said. “She’s going with me. At least for now. Get the others to safety. And thanks for coming, my man.” He took off in a dead run. Smoke wafted to her nose, making her cough. Shouts of fear erupted through the crowd.

“How do you propose to leave the realm?” she asked, trying not to panic. Only a select group of Fae possessed a key between the human realm and this one. Kane wasn’t select, nor was he Fae. She had planned to steal Leopold’s for her own escape, but that was now an impossibility.

“Like this.” Kane withdrew a flesh-colored glove from his pocket—a key. “Before you ask, I stole it. And no, I’m not ashamed and I won’t return it.”

“I don’t want to chastise you, you silly man. I want to pat you on the back. Now, do you know how to use it?”

“Yeah.” He quickened his pace.

She expected some of the guards to chase him, no matter what her father had said, and she expected guests to try and pass him, desperate to get away from the fires, but he was moving too fast for anyone to catch. Within seconds, he was at the front gate and he wasn’t even winded.

He fit the glove over his hand and waved from high to low, side to side, in the shape of a door. A sheet of the landscape fell away from every place he touched, leaving a black hole.

“Think about where you want to go, and step through,” she hurried to explain, even though he’d claimed to know what to do.

He stalked into the darkness, and then, suddenly, they were out of the realm of the Fae and in the realm of the humans. Tall buildings knifed on both of her sides. Harried people strode along narrow sidewalks. The scent of coffee and car exhaust and even urine filled her nose.

“Close the door,” she said, and he obeyed, once again waving his hand through the air.

He set her on her feet, took her by the wrist, and tugged her forward. “Let’s go. The door might be closed, but I want you as far away from it as possible.”

“Where are we?”

“New York. I want you masked by the crowd.”

Should have guessed, she thought. She’d been here before, and there was no place like it.

“What about your friends?” she asked.

“They’ll be fine.”

“You were going to leave me in their keeping?”

“For a while, yes.”

A while. How long was a while? Probably better not to know.

They walked for hours, and the more they walked, the busier the streets and sidewalks became. Any other time, the crowd would have bothered her, but just then her mind was too busy reeling. She was out of the Fae realm. She was with Kane. Maybe even married to him—had they truly finished the ceremony? They’d never kissed.

Didn’t matter, she supposed. For a little while, she would be safe from her family. She wouldn’t have to worry about being punished. She wouldn’t have to worry about the king hunting her down for a few days, at the very least. He would need time to plan a strategy against a man like Kane.

For the first time in her life, she was free.

Joy burst through her, and with the joy came an unquenchable desire to truly live. To do all the things she’d never dreamed possible. To fall in love, get married and—wait. She was already married. Maybe. She would have to talk to Kane about that. He probably hadn’t meant his vows. If he’d spoken any vows, that is. She could have slapped herself for not paying attention. For all she knew, she’d pledged to be his slave.

Whatever. It still didn’t matter. With this first taste of freedom, her entire world had changed. She’d already decided she was done accepting the abuse thrown her way. But now, she was done allowing fear to hold her captive. The future was hers to embrace, and she would hold on as tightly as she could.

Kane flicked a glance in her direction, did a double take. He stopped, and his eyes widened.

“What?” she asked, nearly bumping into him.

“You’re smiling.” There was a reverent tone to his voice, one he’d never used before.

“I am?” She reached up and patted her lips, and yes, she was smiling.

For the second time that day, his features softened. “You’re happy, and you wear it well.” But a second later, his cheeks blushed, and he turned away. “Come on. I haven’t slept in days and I’m about to crash. We need a place to stay.”