"The news I have can wait until you are healed, Sire. Sleep well." Opal slipped out the door, feeling the sting of humiliation nipping at her, but at least now she had a purpose. And that purpose was going to take her straight to the communications" room. If she succeeded in making contact, then she"d pay Taylor a quick visit. Opal had a lot to do and only one night to get everything arranged. Fortunately, she was motivated.

CHAPTER TEN.

Resentment roiled inside Opal as she hurried down the hall. How dare a Half-being turn down an offer of s.e.x from a pureblooded Phantom! Tonight she"d lost Hades, but tomorrow she"d win him back.

Taylor had corrupted the Dark King"s mind with her sensual ways. Opal couldn"t allow that to continue. Wouldn"t allow it. There was only one woman meant to rule the Phantom people and that was her. She was convinced if she got rid of Taylor, then things would return to normal and Hades would find his way back to her bed.

Opal made her way to the communications room. She hid in the shadows and waited for the guards coming on duty to take their place outside the door. As soon as they were in position, she stepped out. "The King wants to see you in his chambers immediately. He needs an updated report on the most recent Slaver" communications."

"Right now?" the guard on the left said.

"Yes, now," she said.

"We"re supposed to maintain our post until morning," the Phantom on the right said.

"I"ll watch the room until you get back. Now hurry!" she shouted. "Hades is in no mood for excuses."

They rushed off.

Opal waited until they were out of sight, then slipped into the room. It wouldn"t be unattended for long, but she didn"t need a lot of time to do what she came here to accomplish.

The crystals glowed in ebbs and flows, indicating that they were active. Opal checked the halls, then sealed the door. She sat down in front of the crystals and hit a b.u.t.ton on her wrist, highlighting the location of the Slavers" ships. She quickly rearranged the crystals and hailed the Slavers, then did her best to wait patiently for a response. They"d be hesitant, expecting a trap. That couldn"t be helped. Hopefully their curiosity would outweigh their self-preservation.

It took five minutes before she received a scrambled message from the coordinates. The response was short, sweet, and held an oddly familiar tone, as if they"d been expecting to hear from her. But that wasn"t possible. There was no way they could"ve antic.i.p.ated her contacting them. Opal made a mental note to look into the situation further once her mission was complete.

I have a rare female to offer you, her message said. She is called an Earthling.

We have heard of such creatures, but did not believe that they existed.

Opal couldn"t hear his response, but her gut told her that she was speaking with Captain Hawk. Her stomach fluttered as she entered the next message.

I will gladly give her to you, if you take her and leave Zaron.

Why would we do that, when we haven"t recovered what we"ve come for?

I know not what you seek, but she is worth more than fifty Zaronian women. Her rarity alone will fetch you more credits than you can possibly spend in a lifetime.

There was a pause. You know nothing about my appet.i.tes, so there is no way you can guarantee such a thing. Besides, how do I know that you"re not setting a trap? The Dark King"s fierce reputation is known throughout the galaxy. He is cunning and should never be underestimated.

You don"t. Opal let the full import of her words sink in before continuing. But if I"d wanted to trap you, I would"ve simply sent the guards to your current location.

How will we acquire this magical creature?

I will bring her to you at the far wall of the city, where the moons align.

You will be there yourself?

Opal flushed. And was grateful that he couldn"t see her. Don"t get any ideas? I will have a means to summon reinforcements.

Don"t worry, Little Cat. I will honor our agreement...for now. Communications ceased.

Little Cat? Opal stared at the screen, her hearts pounding. He knew who she was, which meant he had seen her that day in the trees.

Taylor ignored the first two knocks on her door. She thought about ignoring the third, but knew that she was only delaying the inevitable. She rolled out of bed and padded across the furs. Taylor pulled the door open as Opal raised her fist to knock again.

"What?" she asked, in no mood for more of the woman"s hostility.

Opal hesitated. "Sorry to wake you."

You couldn"t wake someone who hadn"t been to sleep, she thought.

"I came here to apologize for earlier at the Pit," Opal said. "I keep forgetting that you"re human and not used to our ways."

Taylor blinked. She couldn"t have heard her right. Opal was apologizing. She glanced behind her and expected to see ice forming on the ceiling and the walls. Did they have h.e.l.l here? Whatever the Zaronian equivalent was it had just frozen over.

"I wouldn"t have really hurt you," Opal rushed on. "I shouldn"t have even threatened to, but I couldn"t risk the King"s life."

Something softened inside of Taylor at the mention of Hades. "Do you want to come in?" she asked. She hadn"t exactly behaved rationally, but there was nothing sane about a Pit battle.

Opal shook her head. "I can"t. It"s late, and I have things to do before I can seek my rest."

"Sorry I threw up on your shoes." Taylor blanched at the memory. "I"m just not used to seeing things like that."

"I understand." This time her tone held an edge. "To make it up to you, I came here to invite you to go shopping in the Walled City with me tomorrow. Thought maybe you could use a little time away from the Keep. Get your head clear. What do you say?"

Taylor"s heart leapt. She hadn"t been outside of Hades" stronghold since she"d arrived. The thought of fresh air, open s.p.a.ces, and sunshine was too tempting to resist. "You"re sure we won"t get in trouble?"

Opal arched a brow. "You are not a prisoner. You are allowed in the city as long as you have an escort. I"ll be with you every step of the way."

She hesitated.

"I did say that shopping would be involved, right?" Opal asked.

"Yes, you did." Taylor grinned. "What time do you want to meet?" They quickly settled on a time, and then Opal was on her way.

The thought of shopping shouldn"t cheer her up, but for some reason it did. Taylor spun toward her bed and had barely taken a step, when another knock sounded on the door.

"Did you forget something?" She threw open the door, expecting to see Opal. Instead, Hades was leaning in the doorway.

Her breath caught at the sight of him. Loose leggings covered him from the waist down, but from the waist up, he remained bare...and masculinely beautiful. Taylor couldn"t seem to tear her gaze away, as she drank in every inch of him, confirming to herself once more that he was truly alive.

"May I come in?" he asked, glancing back at her guard. Kon kept a granite-like expression on his face, but Taylor noticed his eyes widen. "We need to talk."

Taylor stepped aside, shocked to her toes. Hades never asked permission for anything that she could recall. Not when they were alone and certainly not in front of any of his men.

She waited for him to enter, then quietly shut the door behind him. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Claiming what is rightfully mine," Hades said.

"Claiming?" Taylor"s eyes widened as his narrowed.

"Not in that way," he said, though the vehement tone he"d had when they"d first met was gone.

"Of course not. Everyone knows that you have no intention of ever taking a mate." She was not disappointed. She was not disappointed. Taylor moved away from the door. "Hades, why are you really here?"

A muscle ticced in the Dark King"s jaw. "I told you. I am here because of my victory."

Taylor watched him closely. She recognized the lie for what it was. "There were no winners tonight," she said.

Surprise bloomed in his aqua eyes. "No, there were not." He took a deep breath. "I am sorry if I caused you pain," he said quietly.

What did he mean by that? "Are you saying that you came here to apologize for killing Perseus?"

Their eyes met and held. "No, I am not sorry that I slayed Perseus. It would"ve happened sooner or later. He was ambitious, but he never thought beyond his need for power."

"Then why are you here?" Taylor refused to let him off the hook. He"d avoided her for days, could"ve died in the Pit, and now he was here, claiming that they needed to talk. Uh-huh, he"d have to do better than that.

Hades scrubbed a hand over his face and she noticed how tired he appeared to be. She looked closer. No, not tired. Weary.

"It"s a simple question, Hades," she said.

He sighed. "Taylor, nothing about you is simple." Hades walked over to her bed and sat down. "I came here because...I needed...I thought if I saw...I wanted to...d.a.m.n it! Kings don"t beg."

Taylor tilted her head. "n.o.body asked you to."

"Then what must I do?" he asked in frustration. "What must I give up in order to have you in my arms once more?"

"I"m not interested in your kingdom or your crown, Your Majesty."

Hades" lips twitched. "Good thing. Because I don"t have one."

A King without a crown. Now why didn"t that surprise her?

He glanced up and looked so lost, so desperate, so lonely.

It wasn"t his words that swayed Taylor, though they did touch her deeply. It was the desperation, the need to connect-his need to be loved that moved her across the floor and into his arms.

Hades didn"t try to kiss her. He waited for her to make the first move. Feeling empowered, Taylor straddled his lap and softly pressed her lips to his forehead. Her mouth moved to his eyes, where she gently kissed each lid. Her lips glided over his stubbled jaw before settling on his firm mouth.

There she deepened the embrace. It took a moment or two of exploration, but Hades finally kissed her back. He made no move to touch her, which only made Taylor hotter. She set the pace. She controlled the rhythm. By the time her tongue teased its way into Hades" mouth, they were both ravenous for more.

His callused hands brushed her thighs as they journeyed toward her hips. Instead of gripping them, he bypa.s.sed them and went straight for her a.s.s. Hades" large hands cupped her bottom and squeezed, then kneaded the flesh. Taylor"s head fell back, exposing her neck. Within seconds, his lips were upon her. His teeth grazed the side of her bare throat as he sucked and licked his way from her ear to her shoulder and back again.

She moaned and scooted closer until her moist s.e.x met his hard shaft. Two many layers of clothing separated them, which was good because Taylor wanted to play. This might be the last time she got to sleep with the Dark King and she planned to enjoy every minute of it. She rolled her hips and kicked her leg up over his head, until she was facing the door.

She ground her bottom into his erection. Hades hissed and his hands clamped down on her hips, keeping her in place before she could pull away again.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Dancing." Taylor gasped as sharp teeth latched on her b.u.t.t cheek.

"I like it," he said.

She tossed her hair back and looked over her shoulder at him. "Most men do."

Hades" blue eyes flashed red. "I am not most men."

Taylor smiled. "No, you most certainly are not."

He seemed satisfied by her answer, but he didn"t let her go. "Take your pants off. I want you to dance without them."

His raspy voice made her shiver in a good way. "You"ll have to let me go a minute."

Hades did so reluctantly.

Taylor reached for the front clasp and undid her pants. She stuck her thumbs into the waistband and slowly shimmied out of them, making sure she had the King"s undivided attention. She bent over in order to give Hades a clear view of her thong-covered bottom. Her long hair fell down her back and over her shoulders.

He growled low in his throat, then reached out and ripped the material off her. "That"s better," he said, flicking the thong from his claws. "Now come here."

Taylor turned slowly, but instead of going straight to him. She performed a short b.u.mp and grind. Her hands stroked her chest, before sliding over her thighs. By the time she finished the dance, Hades" c.o.c.k looked as if it would split his pants open.

The King"s body trembled, his control barely tethered. His claws were buried in the furs on her bed. She noticed several holes where there"d been none before. His teeth had grown sharper and he stared at her through cat"s eyes.

To have such command over one of the most powerful beings she"d ever met was...intoxicating. Taylor smiled to herself, determined to enjoy it while it lasted. She allowed her hips to sway as she walked over and climbed back onto his lap. "Once again, you have far too many clothes on."

Hades grabbed her, crushing her to his chest. He didn"t stop kissing her until Taylor was breathless.

"I"ve missed you," he murmured, brushing the hair away from her face.

His admission tore at her heart and strangely gave her hope.

Hades caught the bottom of her shirt and pulled it over her head. Taylor had removed her bra earlier, so she was bare to his hungry gaze. His eyes seemed to glow the longer he stared at her.

"I cannot seem to get enough of you. I stayed away, but I couldn"t stop thinking about you, remembering the feel of you beneath me. You haunt my nights and occupy my thoughts during the day."

Taylor felt the same way, but there was no way she"d ever tell him. He already had far too much control over her.