Sacrificed Read online

  He waited while she stood in silence, clenching and unclenching her hands.

  Finally, he asked, “Your maiden’s male was killed?”

  “No. She was. Dagda has murdered all my handmaidens, save my first maiden. He’s allowed her to live.” Eyes squeezed shut, she hung her head. “For now, at least. I have no doubt he will end her life once she’s served her purpose.”

  Although he hated hearing the name of the once-beloved fairy king come out of his mate’s mouth, he didn’t correct her. She loved the male once. She had the right to call him whatever she wished.

  “I will send my hounds to your remaining maiden. They will guard her.” His dogs, along with his horse, Deliverance, retrieved the souls of those humans who died at the hands of the fairies. Stained by their touch, the mortals were often too traumatized to move on. Arawn offered them peace in the resting fields until they could ascend into the heavens.

  Minerva spun, her hair whipping around her to form a dark cape. “No!”

  “Why not? They will protect her, and—”

  “They will kill her.”

  He studied his mate but couldn’t understand where her fear stemmed from. “My hounds would never harm an innocent.”

  “Dagda has impregnated her.”

  And infected their babe with the chaotic taint he carried, damning his child to a living hell and marking Minerva’s beloved maiden as a member of the Unseelie Court and an enemy, at least for the next nine months. If Arawn’s hounds stumbled upon her while she carried Dagda’s baby, they would kill her. It was what they were bred to do—eliminate the threat to the humans. No matter how much Arawn wished differently, the innocent child she carried would one day turn into a monster, exactly like the babe’s father.

  Arawn sighed. “Then death is best for her and the baby. It would spare them both much agony. Your maiden will be reborn.”

  “You cannot.” Minerva closed the distance between them and fisted his tunic. “She has not yet met her mate in this lifetime.”

  He covered her hands. “And? I do not understand. She will get another chance. It is why you bleed for them.”

  “She will not.” Minerva licked her lips, then dropped her gaze to their joined hands. “The deal I made with the Triad requires my maidens to consummate their bindings with their mates or lose their connection to them.”

  “You would condemn an innocent child? For what? So your maiden can find and fuck her male after her damned babe is born?”

  Minerva turned furious eyes on him. “Do you think so little of me, my mate?”

  Shame burned his gut, but his desire to protect those who couldn’t do so for themselves often overshadowed his choices and his words.

  “No, of course not.” He turned his back on Minerva and walked to their bed. “But I cannot help feeling protective of all those who have suffered at the fallen fairies’ hands.”

  “I understand, but you must trust in me to do what is right for my maiden and the child she carries.”

  He glanced over his shoulder. Her confidence worried him. As a goddess of love, her powers were limited to ones of a gentler nature. “You have a plan?”

  “I will offer the Triad a sacrifice.”

  No, the only sacrifice made would be his. He knew better than to forbid his independent female, however.

  “For the child’s life?” He needed to be sure of her desires. When dealing with the Triad, there could be no misunderstandings. The being’s words were law.

  “For all of Dagda’s tainted offspring. My maiden’s babe is not the first to be conceived.” She twisted her fingers together. “I do not know what his plans are, but the other gods fear him. They think he will use his half-breed children to make good on his promise.”

  She hung her head but didn’t elaborate on how he’d accomplish his goal. By wielding Dagda’s own magic, Arawn had tied Hell’s gateways to the fairies themselves. The pain and suffering of those fairies incarcerated in the deepest pits of the Underworld fed the living magic, ensuring it would never falter. Unless…

  “Dagda wants to tear down the barriers between Hell and the human realm, unleashing every creature condemned here, including the members of his Court I have punished.” Arawn spoke the words they both knew, breaking the silence that had descended.

  Minerva laid her hand on his back. “Yes, and if Dagda uncovers and claims the Key to the heavens? No realm will be off limits, and all the gods will suffer the Triad’s wrath.”

  “Despite our inability to fight Dagda?”

  “In the Triad’s eyes, we should have found a way to defeat him. We are gods, after all.”

  What Minerva spoke was true. It wasn’t right, but life as a god had nothing to do with fairness. Their existence came down to duty and sacrifice.

  “Dagda would not destroy the heavens. Doing so would kill you.” Arawn shook his head. “No. He still loves you. He wouldn’t do that. What he wants is me dead. Once he destroys me and my realm, he will come after you. Steal you as he vowed and force your love. He can’t do that while I live. He fears me.”

  She linked her arms around his waist. “You are not the sole target any longer. His anger and resentment has grown. He wants all our deaths, even mine, even the Triad’s.”

  “An impossible feat. The Triad rules over all the realms. To destroy the deity, Dagda would have to…” A chill ran down his spine.

  “Return the world to a state of chaos.” She rested her head against his back. “Do you see why the gods are afraid? Why the Triad’s anger with us grows?”

  He covered her hands. “It is my fault. I stole you from Dagda and set the world upon this path.”

  “You did not steal me from anyone, nor did you force the fairy king to commit the horrendous acts he has.” Minerva slipped her hands between the gap in his tunic and skimmed her fingertips over his skin, making him burn. “He is the one who tapped into the Well of Chaos. He is the one who absorbed its power knowing full well what the raw force would do to him. You, my honorable mate, tried to reason with him. Dagda refused to heed your warning.”

  “I mated you knowing full well you loved him.”

  Her exhaled breath warmed his back even through the thick garment he wore. She squeezed him tighter, then dropped her hands and stepped in front of him. Silver hair replaced the black, and the molten silver around her eyes gleamed. Her mood had settled. The moment she undid the ties of his tunic the reason for the change became clear.

  With delicate fingers, she tugged the rough fabric off him, letting it fall to the floor and leaving him naked. His breathing quickened, and his shaft lengthened. His mate had a voracious sexual appetite, and the look in her eyes was one he knew well.

  She hungered.

  Minerva dragged her nails down his chest and over his abs before fisting his penis and stroking him. “Dagda was a lover only, one of many. I never promised him fidelity or the return of his affection.”

  “You told me you loved him.”

  “I told you I loved how he worked my body.” She swiped her thumb over the head of his erection, spreading the glistening drop and lubricating her strokes. “But sex and lust are not the same as love.”

  Arawn unleashed a single sharpened nail and slit the silver gown she wore. With a smile on her lips, she released his shaft long enough for him to yank off the lacy fabric. The swell of her breasts lured him. He didn’t fight the urge to touch her. Her body was his to enjoy, just as his belonged to her.

  He bent and latched on to her breast. With flicks of his tongue and nips of his teeth, he teased her until she squirmed in his embrace.

  The scent of her arousal grew. He inhaled deeply, and the evidence of her desire filled his lungs, drugging and enflaming him.

  He wanted to devour her.

  He eased back, ready to make the thought a reality, but she fisted his hair, stopping him and holding him inches from her breasts.

  “More, my mate.”

  Not on her terms. After a century together, he knew what she craved, and he’d give it to her.

  He shook his head and straightened, forcing her to either release him or rip his hair from his scalp. She loosened her hold but didn’t let him go. She stood on her tiptoes and curled her hand around the back of his neck.

  “Arawn.”

  A demand. A plea. He heard both in her tone. The compulsion to satisfy her needs took hold, a consequence of their mate bond and his love.

  “Not yet, my mate. Let me look upon you.”

  He grasped her wrist and tugged her hand off him. A resigned sigh fell from her lips as if being the center of his world was a burden she was forced to bear, yet her eyes darkened with lust and a pleased smile flitted across her sultry mouth.

  “Then, look”—she stepped back and dropped her arms, putting herself on display for him—“and yearn.”

  He did. Every moment of every day, he craved her presence. If he had the choice, he’d stay within arm’s reach of her for eternity. His obligations forced him to distance himself from her healing touch. He couldn’t punish the multitude of sinners who entered his realm if he couldn’t hear the pleas of their victims. Only Minerva silenced their screams, giving him relief from the constant onslaught.

  “Yearn for you as you long for me?” he asked.

  “Yes.” Minerva swept her gaze over him in a slow visual worship that set him on fire. His cock thickened more under her study. She focused on his hard length and licked her lips. “You know I do. You’ve healed parts of me I hadn’t known were damaged.”

  Which was why she stayed. They complemented each other in ways neither of them had expected.

  Hands clenched at his sides to stop himself from pulling her into his embrace, he motioned toward her with a jerk of his chin. “Turn. I want to see all of you.”

  The order he’d given to her all those years ago brought back the memory of their first time together. He embraced the recollection, allowing it to guide him into what might be their final night together.

  She raised a brow.

  He growled. “If you have not realized where you are, this is Hell. I rule here, and my commands are to be obeyed immediately. Now, turn.”

  With her lower lip caught between her teeth, she dropped her gaze and complied with his demand, slowly spinning on her heel. The ends of her silver hair swayed. A tinkling sound accompanied the move, and the flickering lights from the candles illuminating the room reflected on the strands, making her appear as if she carried her own inner light. The sight entranced him. He allowed the spell she wove to mesmerize him for another moment before shifting his focused stare to her rounded bottom. The ends of her hair caressed her ass cheeks. Soft yet firm, she was made for loving.

  Made for him.

  She wasn’t. He knew that. It didn’t stop the wonder he experienced in her presence from seizing him.

  He closed the distance between them but didn’t touch her. He curled his hands until his nails dug into his palm. Head bent, he buried his nose in the fall of her hair. A deep inhale satisfied his craving for her scent. She smelled of life and goodness.

  Everything he was not.

  With his mouth at her ear, he whispered, “You tempt me, goddess.”

  “How? I have not spoken.” She repeated the response she’d given him all those years ago.

  Pleased she picked up on his prompting, he captured her earlobe between his teeth and nibbled on her tender flesh until her air escaped on a slow exhale, and her body relaxed against his.

  He released her lobe, then pressed his lips to her neck. “You stand before me naked and aroused.”

  “You too are naked and aroused, my dark lord. The fact that I am should please you.”

  “It does not.”

  She turned her head, and her glowing gray eyes filled his vision. “And why not?”

  He ran his hand over her hair. His fingers itched with the desire to wrap her shimmering locks around his palm. He dropped his arm.

  “You make me want things I shouldn’t.”

  She dragged the tip of her tongue across her upper lip. “Do I?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then take me.” Minerva leaned closer, her mouth a hairbreadth from his. “My body is yours to use. I will not stop you.”

  He stepped around her and walked to the foot of the bed. The mirrored wall opposite him offered a perfect view of the goddess behind him. He caught and held her reflected gaze. “I am the Lord of the Underworld. I was created for one purpose—to punish the damned. Your presence distracts me from my duty.”

  “Distracts?” She approached him, hips swaying seductively. “Or did I make you into the god you were always meant to be?”

  Her words shattered the game he’d initiated and brought to light an aspect of their meeting he’d always questioned.

  He faced her. “How did you end up in Hell that night? Only angels are allowed in my realm. By the Triad’s law, no other heavenly being is permitted here.”

  “The angel Lucifer found me crying and in pain.” She linked her arms around Arawn’s waist and pillowed her head on his chest. “He vowed to ease my suffering.”

  Arawn tensed, and a sense of trepidation settled over him; one he could not fight. Whatever deal Minerva and Lucifer had struck had been made before Arawn had known her.

  “In exchange for what?” Something of great value, he’d guess. The winged warriors were as cunning as they were principled.

  Minerva glanced away. “It matters little now. I made a deal and paid the price. I do not regret my choice. Without Lucifer’s intervention, I never would have found you.”

  He wanted to argue but knew it would do little good. They both had made choices; some good, some bad. None could be erased.

  Words had power, and a vow made should never be broken. Damnation found those who did.

  “I am glad you came.” Arawn brushed his lips over hers. “And yes, you awakened a part of me that had been buried beneath the veil of never-ending wrath I have lived with.”

  “And allowed you to feel.”

  More than he’d thought possible. Besides love and desire, she’d taught him empathy, not only for the wronged but also for the damned, whether they were heavenly beings or humans. Before Minerva, no soul who’d entered his realm left it or escaped the full punishment deserving of their crime. Because of her, he was able to offer redemption to some sinners, a concept he’d never considered in the endless years he’d ruled alone.

  He closed his eyes. “Yes.”

  “You strengthen me, as I do you.” She laid the tips of her fingers on his jaw. “I can’t help but wonder if that is the true reason Lucifer brought us together.”

  The reason no longer mattered. They had found each other.

  Healed each other.

  He skimmed his hands over the erect tips of her plump breasts, then down her stomach to the patch of silver curls between her legs. She widened them, inviting him to touch her. Instead of taking her up on her offer, he toyed with the soft hairs at the top of her sex and let the anticipation build.

  A long moment passed before she grasped his wrist and squeezed. “Do not tease me.”

  He waited a few seconds more, then gave her what she wanted, pushing two fingers into her body. “You love me, don’t you?”

  She peered at him from under hooded eyes. “You need to ask?”

  No, but he needed the words fresh in his memory. What he planned would drive a wedge between them. He would do everything in his power to earn her forgiveness once he returned. Gaining it might never happen. The recollection of their time together might be all that would comfort him in the years to come. The risk of losing her wouldn’t stop him, however.

  Never again would he choose love over duty.

  A lump formed in his throat. He swallowed past the weakness and focused on the woman who owned him.

  “I am a demanding male.” He stroked her inner muscles and curled his fingertips until she offered up a shaky sigh. “You have said so often enough.”

  She lifted one corner of her mouth on a smile that promised ecstasy. “And I am a stubborn female. If you want the words, you will have to convince me they are worth uttering.”

  “As I did the first time?”

  She squeezed his shaft. His air rushed out on a surge of lust. He thrust against her tight grip, but she eased her clenching hold on his cock before he could enjoy the pressure.

  “Yes, my dark lord.” She stepped closer. The move pushed his fingers deeper into her body. “Remind me of why I completed our union.”

  He’d initiated their mate bond. She could’ve easily broken it, destroying his one and only chance of having a mate. Instead, she’d whispered the words “I love you” as he spilled himself inside her, completing them both.

  And how will I return her love? By destroying her trust?

  No! He didn’t have a choice. Neither did she. His mate would eventually accept the truth and the reason behind his actions.

  And if she didn’t, he would have his memories of what it was like to be whole. It was enough.

  He held the words close and shoved the debilitating doubt away. His path was set.

  “With pleasure.” He yanked his fingers from her body. Hands on her hips, he pushed her. She fell, sinking into the feather mattress. He followed her down, pinning her to the bed. In one quick move, he caught her wrists and tugged them above her head.

  “I was surprised you accepted my claim so soon.”

  He traced the overlapping circles seared onto her palm. The mark served as a warning to all that she was taken. He wore his mated status with dual-ringed eyes, her dark gray encompassing his pupil and setting off the lighter silver of his eyes. Combined with his nearly white hair and darkly tanned skin, he’d been called mesmerizing by many of the inhabitants of the Underworld. He never cared what anyone thought about him. Only Minerva’s opinion mattered.

  He kissed her hand. “I didn’t exactly give you the chance to learn about me.”

  She smirked. “Nor did you ask my permission.”