The Darkest Touch

“But...how is that possible?”

“The demon is a spirit, infecting his spirit. But the evil is housed inside his body. A body that created immunities. Those immunities are found in his blood and semen.”

Magic semen? Torin could come inside her and save her from sickness? Or she could swallow him? “I’ve...well, I’ve tasted the latter,” she admitted, her cheeks heating, “and still I sickened.”

“A taste might stave off the illness for a bit but not eradicate it. You would need a full dose. One way or the other.”

“But...why does his skin infect, yet the rest of his body does not?”

“You know better than most that the skin radiates whatever is in the spirit. You are a spirit inside a body that doesn’t belong to you, and yet that skin changes with the seasons, just as your spirit does.”

He was...right. Skin radiated the spirit, but fluids sprang from the body.

Which meant...

Finally! A way to have everything she’d ever wanted. Torin, health. A family. She only had to ingest his blood once a day. Or let him feed her the other thing...

Shivers of excitement stole through her. This was Torin’s every dream come true, as well.

But reality returned, crushing her. She still owed Hades whatever he wanted—and she could guess what that was.

“You love him,” the dark lord said.

“I do.”

“But you’ll stay with me if I so decree it.”

She closed her eyes, nodded. A deal was a deal when she made it freely. “Is that your decree? That I stay with you?”

Oppressive silence.

She breathed deeply as she faced him. His chin was lifted, a pose of deep masculine pride, but his expression was blank. “Hades...please don’t make me do this.”

“I won’t.” Tone gruff, he added, “You would feel trapped, and I did that to you once already.”

Hope unfurled soft wings. “Then what do you want?”

“Obviously I am at war with Lucifer.”

“And?” she prompted when he went quiet.

“And you will be on my side, help me every step of the way.”

It was more than she could have ever hoped. And in that moment, she saw the truth. He did care for her. He did want to make amends with her. He was truly repentant for what he’d done.

“I forgive you.” She released Torin and walked around the gurney, wrapping her arms around Hades. “Thank you.”

He hugged her back, hugged her so tight, as if he didn’t want to let go, but then he did it—he let go and stepped away from her. He cleared his throat. “Take your man and get out of here before I change my mind.”

“I can’t. He has wards.”

“He doesn’t.”

He’d...cut the new ones off, as well? Keeley backtracked to lift the hem of Torin’s shirt. Bronzed skin...scar free. Electric joy sizzled over her.

Wasting no time, she flashed Torin to his bedroom in Budapest. She ensured his comfort before flashing to Anya to tell her what had happened—and to mention she would personally murder anyone dumb enough to enter before she’d given the go-ahead.

Then she waited. And paced. And waited some more. She wondered if this was how Torin had spent his time while she’d been recovering from the demon’s sicknesses and nodded. Yeah. Probably.

Finally, though, after so many hours she’d lost count, he gasped in a breath and jolted upright. Keeley rushed to his side.

“I’m here. You’re okay. You’re healed.”

He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe he was actually seeing her. “Keeley! You’re here.” He jerked her into his arms, holding her with every ounce of his considerable strength. “You’re here.” Then he pushed her back so that he could peer into her eyes. “Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me. But if you do, I will understand. I will also stalk you to the ends of the earth. In heaven or in hell. There is nowhere you can go that I won’t find you. You are mine—I let you get away once, and I’m not doing it again. Ever. So, try to keep yourself from me, I dare you, and I will wage war with you.”

“Whoa, warrior,” she said with a laugh.

The laugh seemed to unnerve him. He eyed her warily.

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “I was miserable without you. Hated every minute I spent apart from you. I don’t want to spend the rest of eternity wishing you were with me just so I can prove a point and hurt you for hurting me.”

His arms banded around her again, holding her ever tighter. So tight she lost her breath—worth it! “I’m sorry for everything.”

“I’m sorry. And you don’t have to worry about getting me sick. I—”

“Wasn’t worried.” He kissed the hem of her shirt. “Will let you endure anything for me. I’m a giver.”

This. This was what she’d missed most. His teasing. Well, maybe not most. She’d missed her connection to him, too, and the intensity of him and the way he looked and the way he touched her.

“But seriously,” she said as warm tingles tickled her chest. Growing hotter. And hotter. “As long as I ingest your blood or your—I almost hate admitting this because I know jokes are going to follow—but...your semen at least once a day, I’ll be immune to your demon’s sicknesses. All of them. Of course, that means we’ll need another means of birth control, because I want you all to myself for a while, but we’ll find something.”