The Dark King (17 page)

"Do you need some help?" a deep male voice called out.

Taylor turned expecting to see Hades. Perseus stood at the edge of the Pit instead. She kept her disappointment hidden behind a smile. Ever since they'd slept together, Hades had gone out of his way to limit their contact. Taylor tried not to take it personally, but hadn't entirely succeeded.

"Sure.” She motioned Perseus over. “I can use all the help that I can get."

He grinned. “Happy to oblige.”

At least one man seemed to enjoy her company.

Perseus was a handsome warrior with raven hair, dancing eyes, and a playful demeanor. He was a shameless flirt, but he’d extended her friendship, when no one else had. For that kindness alone, Taylor would be forever grateful to him. Perhaps if she’d never met the Dark King things would be different between them. They might’ve had a chance. But she had met Hades, and he was a hard act to follow.

Perseus picked up a wooden sword as he passed the rack. He swung it smoothly like it was a part of his limb. She thought about how young some of the kids in Hades' class had been. No wonder Perseus was so proficient. He'd been holding a sword since he could walk.

"You need to extend your arm more. You don’t want your enemies to get too close." Perseus demonstrated. "When you arc wildly, you leave your torso open to attack. That's not a problem for a Phantom because we have two hearts, but for a human a direct strike can be fatal."

Taylor shuddered in mock horror. "We wouldn't want that." She snorted, then followed his lead.

They sparred for an hour or so, laughing and joking the whole time. Perseus concentrated on teaching her defensive moves. Stuff that would keep her alive in a fight until help could arrive. His optimism was catching.

"You are beginning to get the hang of it," he said.

"I have a good teacher." Taylor winked. Flirting was as natural as breathing to her. She did it without thought, but she was well aware it didn’t mean anything.

Perseus grinned. "I could do more than teach, if you'd let me." He lowered his wooden sword and slowly approached her. The mirth in his eyes changed to liquid heat.

Taylor's heart hammered and not just from the workout. "Um..." She glanced around, but they were still alone.

Perseus ran a finger over her cheek, grazing the side of her mouth before following the gentle slope of her neck. "You are so soft, so lush," He glanced down, admiring her curves. "So very beautiful. If I were Hades, I would claim you before another gets the chance."

Taylor's face flushed and warmth spread throughout her body. "The King isn't looking for a wife."

Perseus leaned forward until they were but a breath apart. "Then Hades is an imbecile. If I ruled the Phantoms, the first thing I would do is make you my Queen."

Like any little girl, Taylor had dreamed about being a Princess. It wasn't until she'd gotten older and life had kicked her in the gut that she realized the fantasy in no way matched the reality of the title. Royalty in general never had a life of their own. She couldn't live like that, not that she'd ever get the chance. Taylor knew her position in the world. She was comfortable with it, which was good, since her situation was unlikely to change on Zaron.

Before she could reply, Perseus stopped her with a gentle press of his finger to her lips.

"Only a fool would allow one such as you to remain unattached. With a quick bite, I could change that." He ran the pad of his callused thumb over the spot where her neck met her shoulder, where Hades had left a love bite. “I wonder, would you let me?”

What did he mean by
bite
? Was he being literal or figurative? She could tell that Perseus was asking her something important. But Taylor didn’t know enough about the Phantom culture to ascertain the significance of the question. How did Phantoms mate? Was there a ceremony involved? Or was it a ‘with this bite, I thee wed’ sort of thing?

Taylor wished that she’d thought to ask Tabby. Her sister would know, since she was mated to Linx. Was Perseus proposing? She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but she also didn’t want to encourage him if that were the case.

“I can’t make any big decisions,” she said, going for diplomacy. “Not with my future on Zaron being so precarious. Do you understand?”

"I suppose,” he said tightly. Perseus’ hand dropped to his side and he stepped back. “Perhaps after tonight you will have a change of heart."

"What's tonight?" she asked, totally confused. Was it a Phantom holiday of some kind?

"The dawn of a new Phantom realm," he said.

Okay, whatever that meant.
Perseus was making even less sense than Opal. And that was saying something. Soon Taylor would need a decoder ring and a map to figure out what the Phantoms were talking about. Maybe speaking in riddles was just a Zaronian thing? Either that, or she'd been here too long and her mind had finally gone bye-bye. Taylor hiked a thumb over her shoulder. "I need to shower, so I'm going to head back to my room."

He gave her a slight bow. "Please think about what I've said. Honor me by seriously considering my offer."

Was he talking about the proposed bite? That didn’t seem like a good offer to Taylor. In fact, it sounded painful. But she couldn’t exactly say that because it was obvious that it meant a lot to him.

"All right," she said, even though she’d already made up her mind. Whatever Perseus was asking her, the answer was no.

Heaviness settled around them. There was nothing left to say.

Taylor walked to the entrance of the Pit, then stopped. She glanced back. Perseus hadn't moved. He was still standing in the center of the cage, this time lost in thought. "Thanks again for your help."

He blinked in surprise and looked at her, as if he'd forgotten that she was there. "Anytime," he said, but seemed distracted.

“Is everything okay?” she asked.

His expression softened. “Yes, than you for inquiring.”

"Can't wait to show Opal all my new moves." She waved her sword in the air dramatically, pretending to slay an invisible enemy. Anything to lighten the mood.

Perseus chuckled. "I'm not sure that she'll appreciate that I've interfered."

Taylor snickered. "Maybe not, but I sure do."

"Until tomorrow, sweet Taylor," Perseus said, then slowly walked away.

Taylor lowered her sword. Her buoyant mood was gone, replaced by sadness. The worst part was that she didn’t know why.

***

Hades entered the stands surrounding the Pit at the precise moment Perseus touched Taylor's cheek, then slid his finger down her neck. He brushed the fading purple spot that Hades had left, as if to erase it.

The sight stopped the Dark King in his tracks. His beast bristled. Perseus slowly closed the distance between them and Hades' hearts clenched. He ducked into the shadows before they spotted him and continued to watch the intimate exchange.

Snippets of the conversation reached Hades' ears, each word more painful than the last. There was no doubt that Perseus intended to claim Taylor and from her reaction she didn't seem opposed to the idea.

What if Perseus bit her right here in front of him?

Panic struck, leaving him winded. It was followed by blind rage. Hades couldn't let Perseus claim Taylor. He couldn't let anyone claim her.

The realization sobered him. He'd done his best to stay away from her, avoid further temptation. Doing so had cost Hades dearly. It was obvious that his evasion didn't affect her the same way.

Taylor smiled at Perseus.

Hades looked away, as something inside of him crumbled.

Tonight he would meet Perseus in the Pit and they would do battle. Perseus wanted his throne—his
woman
. Hades could not let him live, not even for Taylor. Fueled by pain, he forced himself to watch their playful exchange, no longer hearing what was being said. They parted a few minutes later.

Taylor would hate him after tonight. Of that, Hades had no doubt. Whatever chance he had of keeping her would end, when he was standing over Perseus’ dead body.

***

Taylor was eating dinner in her room, when the drums sounded. She thought she was hearing things, until the rhythmic boom, boom, boom came again. She poked her head outside her door to see what was going on. Kon stood guard in the hall.

"What's happening?" she asked.

His grim expression told her it wasn't anything good. "A challenge is to take place."

She frowned. "A challenge? I never heard anything about there being a challenge tonight." The Phantoms who’d brought her food hadn’t mentioned it. “Was it a last minute thing?”

He nodded.

"Is Hades going to be there?" Taylor groaned inwardly. Why had she asked that question? It made her sound like a lovesick teen.

Kon paled. "Yes, the King will be present."

Okay, that was weird. What was going on? "Will Opal be there?"

He hesitated, then said, "Yes. I believe the entire Kingdom will be watching this particular challenge. A holo-feed has been set up for those outside the Keep."

Taylor stared at him. If the fight was so important, then why hadn't she heard about it? Had Hades asked that she not be invited? Was his need to avoid her so great that he didn’t even want to sit next to her? The idea hurt more than it should. She hadn’t behaved that badly at the last challenge. All things considered, Taylor thought she’d handled the situation at the Pit well. "You said everyone would be watching. So is this some kind of prizefight?"

Kon shook his head. "There will be no prizes given after this battle."

"No, I didn't mean." She waved her hand to say never mind. "Who is fighting tonight?" Taylor wasn't sure why she asked. It wasn't like she knew many people here. Kon could name the two biggest, baddest fighters in the land and their names would mean nothing to her.

She recalled the challenge between Pitticus and Cornelius. That fight had been one of the hottest things she'd ever witnessed in her life. If tonight’s challenge was like that one, Hades wouldn’t have to ask her to sleep with him. She’d volunteer.

Kon shifted from foot to foot, his discomfort growing.

Unease replaced Taylor’s excitement. "Kon, who is participating in this challenge?" she asked.

He hesitated.

“Please tell me,” she pleaded.

"The Dark King," Kon said finally.

Taylor's mind closed down. She had to have misunderstood. Hades was rarely challenged. Hadn't he said that on the first day they met? So Kon’s statement didn’t make sense.

“The Dark King what?” she asked being purposely obtuse. Taylor’s heart was pounding so hard she could hardly breathe.

Kon's solemn expression turned to one of impatience. "Hades is fighting," he said in a hushed tone.

Challenges to the King were to the death. Taylor remembered that part clearly. Cold enveloped her and she shivered. Kon had to be wrong. "He can’t be," she said, refusing to accept what she was being told.

“He is,” he said.

Who was dumb enough to challenge the King? Taylor's heart dropped to her knees, then shot back to her stomach. She clenched her abdomen as a wave of dizziness struck. She stumbled to the side and caught the doorframe to steady herself.

"The King had no choice, but to accept the challenge," he said.

"What do you mean that he had no choice?" Her voice quivered. “Everybody has a choice.” This was horrible. This was worse than horrible. What if Hades died? The room spun again, but this time Taylor was ready. She held fast to the stone to keep from collapsing.

Kon sighed. "This was the third challenge he'd received. Hades had already ignored the first two. If he’d disregarded this one, then the Phantom people would begin to question his ability to lead."

He sounded sad. Or perhaps resigned. Taylor couldn't tell which and it really didn't matter. Not right now. Not when Hades’ life was in danger. "Who is the King fighting?" she asked.

Was he bigger than Hades? Did his teeth hold poisonous venom? Pitticus' fangs flashed in her mind and her heart nearly stopped beating. There was only one reason for the King to enter the Pit and that was to defend his throne.
It couldn't be.

Taylor's stomach soured and threatened to dump her dinner on Kon's feet. She closed her eyes to block out the truth.
Please let me be wrong.

"Perseus has challenged the Dark King for his throne." His chin dropped to his chest.

This couldn't be happening. Perseus' words from this afternoon came crashing down upon her. Now everything made sense. She'd thought he was just trying to impress her. Isn’t that what men did, when they liked someone? Taylor hadn't thought for a moment that Perseus was serious—at least not about making her his Queen.

This was crazy. She had to stop the fight. "You need to take me to the Pit," Taylor said. "I have to talk to Hades and Perseus before this goes any further."

Kon shook his head. "The King does not want you there."

Bile rose in her throat, as worry wound its way around her spine, squeezing her tight. "Why?"

Kon didn't answer.

Taylor's hand rose to her mouth. "Oh my God, he thinks he’s going to die."

“No,” Kon said softly. “He doesn’t want you to see him kill.”

All this talk of death had Taylor gulping for air. She couldn’t breathe. Nothing was going in. She grabbed her throat and gasped.

Kon shoved her head down, until it was level with her knees. "Inhale," he said.

"I'm trying." Stars burst behind her eyelids.

Kon thumped her on the back.

Taylor took a stuttering breath, filling her greedy lungs with air. She had to get out of here. She had to get to the Pit. She spun away from Kon and grabbed her practice sword. "If you don't get out of my way, I swear I'm going to hit you."

Kon looked at her face, then at her wooden sword and raised an eyebrow. "That's not even sharp," he said.

"Maybe not, but it'll leave one hell of a bruise. You might even get a splinter. Now move aside! I have a fight to stop."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "And I have my orders," he said.