"I wouldn"t count on it," she said under her breath. It didn"t escape Taylor that Hades and his powerful position were interchangeable in Opal"s mind. She wondered how many other women the Dark King had slept with felt the same.

Hades was a royal a.s.s. There was no reason to feel sorry for him, yet Taylor still found herself pitying the King. He must feel so alone surrounded by these types of subjects. No wonder he walked around like he didn"t care. It was the only way to survive.

They dropped their swords and walked over to the poles. She stood by one and waited for Opal to take her position beside the other. Taylor had seen many women over the years, herself included, set out to change a man. More often than not, the journey ended in heartbreak for the woman. "I take it that you think you"re strong enough to tame the King?"

"Isn"t it obvious?" Opal asked. "I am the only person fit to claim the position of Queen."

The only thing obvious to Taylor was that Opal was clueless when it came to men.

"Have you ever dated anyone else?" she asked.

Opal"s brow creased. "Dated?"

"Gone out with any other warriors besides Hades?"

Opal"s face flushed.

That answered that question. It also explained a lot.

Taylor knew men well. She may not have the best track record when it came to choosing them, but she knew there was no changing men"s minds or habits once they were set. She knew something else, too. If Hades hadn"t claimed Opal by now, he never would. But Taylor didn"t think Opal wanted to hear the truth. No one liked hearing that they were wrong.

Opal reported to Hades" quarters after Taylor showed her a few moves on the poles. She was nowhere near good enough to perform for the Dark King, but she was determined to try. Unfortunately, the dancing would have to wait until they finished their briefing. Perseus had taken advantage of the Slavers arrival and finally made his move.

She"d expected him to wait, but he hadn"t. Opal had found his third official challenge sitting on her desk, when she returned to her quarters and had brought it directly to Hades. She laid the challenge onto the King"s desk and stepped back. He didn"t need this right now. Not with his Kingdom under threat.

Hades lifted the missive and sneered.

"This is Perseus" third challenge, Sire. You cannot toss it aside like you"ve done all the others," she said. "I told you rumors are beginning to spread."

His expression turned mutinous.

Opal rushed on. "Most people don"t believe them, Sire."

Hades ran a hand through his hair, leaving it disheveled.

"Perseus has convinced some that you are unable to protect your Kingdom. He uses the Slavers as an example. He has told everyone who will listen that you"ve rejected his challenges because you fear him."

Hades scowled. "That"s ridiculous. I"ve rejected all his previous challenges because I know the fool will die, if I accept. Doesn"t he realize that?"

Opal shook her head. "No, Sire. He truly believes he has a chance at taking the throne. He"s so confident that he"s already picked out a mate to rule by his side."

"Really?" Hades snorted. "And just who would his future widow be?"

Opal kept her expression blank. "The Earth woman of course. Surely you noticed Taylor"s interest in the warrior two nights ago at the Pit? It was rather hard to miss."

"I believe things have changed since then." Hades sounded like his usual c.o.c.ky self.

"Hmm..." Opal reined in her anger before jealousy sealed her throat. "That wasn"t the impression Perseus gave me when we last spoke. Are you sure that things have changed?" She glanced at the King. "Just this morning before you arrived, Taylor was telling me how impressed she was by Perseus" manners. I wouldn"t be at all surprised if she sought him out upon her return to New Atlantis." It was a lie, but it needed to be said. Anything to snap the King out of his foolishness and get him to focus on what was important.

Red bled into Hades" blue eyes and his face hardened. "No one will take my throne from me." His words sliced the air, making it hard to breathe. "Tell Perseus that I accept. As for claiming a mate," he ground the words with his teeth, gnashing them to dust, "he lost that privilege when he sent me the challenge. He should use his remaining hours to make peace with the G.o.ddess for tomorrow he dies in the Pit."

"As you wish, Sire." Opal bowed and finished her report. "I have looked at all the data. a.n.a.lyzed it closely. I believe I"ve located the Slavers" hiding place. It was as I suspected. They are near my old homestead, hiding in Rydon Ravine not far from the crash site. You should"ve spotted them."

"They weren"t there. We checked entire area," he said.

"Perhaps they"re there now," she said.

"They would be foolish to return to the same location."

"I know, but if we have a leak as we suspect, they will not antic.i.p.ate our next move," Opal said. "Especially if we do not announce the outing ahead of time."

"Taylor is not our traitor," Hades said.

"We do not know that for sure, Sire," Opal said.

"I do." Hades voice held such firm conviction that there could be no doubt in his mind.

"Do not allow your feelings for this woman to cloud your judgment," she pleaded. "We know nothing about her other than what Linx has told you. It could all be a lie."

Hades" gaze darkened. "I never allow emotions to interfere with my command. Now choose two warriors that you trust and give them the information you"ve uncovered. If we send them out immediately, then there"s a very good chance that we can detain the Slavers before they know that we"re upon them."

"But Sire, it was my idea. I should be allowed to lead the raid," Opal stuttered.

She wanted to be the one to capture the Slavers. If she brought them in, her achievement might take the King"s thoughts off that useless Earth woman and put them back where they belonged.

On her.

"That"s an order." Hades glanced up from the discarded challenge on his desk. "I want you to continue to guard the Earthling."

"Guard her from what?" Opal asked, directly questioning a command from the King for the first time. "She should be perfectly safe in the Keep."

Hades stared at her. "Can you guarantee her safety?"

"No, of course not," Opal said. "No place is impenetrable."

"Then you have your answer," Hades said. "You will continue to guard Taylor until the threat to the Kingdom is over. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Sire." It was an order that Opal planned to disobey. The first order from Hades that she"d ever disobeyed, but she was determined to do what was best for the Kingdom, best for herself. Ultimately, if she succeeded, it would also be best for the King.

All she had to do now was locate the Slavers, capture them, and bring them to Hades. Should be easy enough. She was a Phantom Warrior after all. Guarding a useless female, who liked to dance on poles, was a waste of her skills. Opal had no intention of wasting a minute more.

"If you have no further need for me?" Her voice automatically dropped to a seductive purr. It was a tone she"d used many times on Hades. One he"d responded to repeatedly. Given his earlier "condition", she expected him to take advantage of the offer, proving once and for all that Taylor meant nothing to him. Opal waited for her pheromones to reach the King.

Hades" nose twitched, but his eyes remained Atlantean blue. He didn"t even look up, when he said, "You"re dismissed."

His reaction, or lack thereof, only reaffirmed to Opal that her decision to lie had been the right one.

Rage bubbled within Hades. He"d barely contained it, when Opal shared Perseus" plans. How dare Perseus try to claim Taylor, when she was under his protection! No one was allowed to touch her.

You did.

He growled. Angry at himself. Angry at Perseus. Angry with Taylor for somehow getting to him, when no one had been able to reach inside. What was he going to do? He couldn"t claim her, but there was no way in Fury"s fires he"d let Perseus do so.

What if Taylor pet.i.tioned him on behalf of Perseus?

Hades" chest clenched, squeezing his two hearts. He rubbed the spot to ease the ache. Taylor had given herself to him. She had surrendered her body to the Dark King. Surely that meant something to her. It did to him. Even though afterwards he"d gone out of his way not to show it.

His furs still held her delicious scent. The sumptuous aroma had made sleeping in them nearly impossible. Hades had been hard all night and had eventually taken himself in hand to relieve the pressure, when all he"d wanted to do was send for Taylor. Keeping his distance had been a mistake.

Hades had half a mind to hunt the flame-haired Earthling down and remind her again that she was his. His to pleasure, his to f.u.c.k, his to keep, for as long as she remained in his Kingdom. He could almost picture the shocked expression on Taylor"s face if he did so. Hades would"ve smiled if the situation weren"t so serious.

Just the thought of another warrior laying his hands upon Taylor brought out his Beast, his Other. The Beast would fight Perseus or any other warrior stupid enough to try to take her from him. Hades refused to look too closely at why the thought of her with another bothered him so. Or why he"d so easily ignored Opal"s s.e.xual invitation.

His gaze strayed back to the challenge. If Perseus was in a hurry to die, then he was done trying to save him.

Opal left the King"s chambers, still stinging from his rejection. She strode down the hall and stopped outside of Taylor"s door. She knocked and impatiently waited for a response. Taylor opened the door, her hair wet from a recent cleansing.

"I need to go out for a while. Do you think you can stay out of trouble until I return?" Opal asked.

Taylor c.o.c.ked her hip. "I didn"t realize that I"d been in any trouble," she said. "Did I miss something?"

Opal projected patience she did not feel. "It is my duty to keep you safe. King"s orders, remember? But I have something that I need to do. I should be back in a few hours."

Taylor"s expression lightened. "So you want me to cover for you, is that it?"

"Yes," she said through tight lips.

They stared at each other for a few more seconds, then Taylor shrugged. "Sure, why not? If I run into Hades, which I doubt, I"ll make an excuse for why you"re not there."

Opal inclined her head. "Thank you."

"No problem." Taylor shut the door.

Opal rushed off, making her way out the side of the Keep, past the courtyard training area. Perseus and another warrior were working on their sword skills. He was both precise and deadly, when he struck. For a second, Opal felt doubt creep into her mind. Could Hades beat Perseus in the Pit?

Perseus spotted her and stopped sparring. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" he asked.

"That is none of your concern," Opal said.

"Aren"t you supposed to be guarding the Earth woman that the King is so fond of?" he asked.

Opal hesitated. "She means nothing to him. Another distraction. He"ll tire of her soon enough."

Perseus" brow rose. "Is that what you think?"

"Yes, why wouldn"t I? The King is nothing if not a creature of habit." Opal tried to move past him, but he stepped in her way. "I told Hades about your mutual interest in Taylor. Fortunately for you, the Dark King isn"t one to fight over a female."

Perseus frowned. "You told Hades that I was interested in Taylor? You shouldn"t have done that." An odd expression flashed across his face.

"It"s the truth, isn"t it?" Opal asked.

"Yes, I suppose it is," Perseus said. "But I don"t think your plan is going to work."

Opal"s face paled. Did he know that she was going in search of the Slavers? "W-what plan?"

Perseus snorted. "The one to drive Hades and Taylor apart. That is what you"re trying to do, right?"

Relief warred with surprise. "I don"t know what you"re talking about," Opal said.

"Yes, you do." Perseus shook his head and gave her a commiserative look. "You"ve noticed the way the Dark King looks at Taylor. He practically salivates every time she enters the room. Not that I blame him, Taylor is rather luscious." Perseus grinned in remembrance, then his sharp gaze speared Opal. "Honestly, I"m surprised he hasn"t marked her yet."

"You know not of what you speak." Opal denied his accusations vehemently, but she couldn"t shake the doubt that crept into her mind. She"d invited Hades to take her and he"d refused. The Dark King never turned down a chance to f.u.c.k.

Perseus" mouth curved. "Don"t I? If I had the opportunity to bed Taylor, she"d be wearing my mark right now. Too bad she only has eyes for the Dark King."

"She is a foolish human who will leave here soon enough," she said. "Besides, everyone knows that Hades has no intention of taking a mate."

"Yet you still live in hope," Perseus said with a laugh.

"Watch your tongue, warrior or I might just cut it out," Opal spat.

His expression hardened. "Righthand, do not think that your current position intimidates me. I am not like the other guards. Speaking of which, did you deliver my challenge to the King?"

Opal snorted. "You"re a fool!"

"Did you?" he repeated, this time with more force.

"Yes!" she snapped. "The King said that you should make peace with the G.o.ddess before tomorrow night."

Something flared behind Perseus" eyes, but he quickly banked the emotion. Whether it was doubt, fear, or triumph, Opal would never know.

"You side with the wrong warrior, Righthand," he said. "Perhaps if you"d come to me first, before spreading your thighs for the King, then you would be marked and mated by now."

"I would never allow you to touch me." Opal"s chin rose. "You know I side with the King."

Perseus shrugged. "And what if I am King after tomorrow night? What then? Where will your allegiance lie?"

"Wherever it needs to," she said.

He smiled, but there was no warmth behind it. "Perhaps you should come to my chambers tonight, I just might be able to sway you in my favor ahead of time."

Opal looked him up and down. "That is doubtful. Now I must go." She hurried out the side doors.