Page 81 of Kiss of Death
It didn’t take longer than a few seconds for me to find the appropriate choice. “General Viper.”
Talon stared at me for a long time before he finally blinked. “She denied his affection irrevocably, so I doubt he’ll be much help to us.”
“If he really loves her, he will.”
“I know you’ve lived far longer than I have and come from a different time, but no self-respecting man is going to risk his life for a woman who chose someone else.”
“I would. She could be pregnant with another man’s child, and it would make no difference.”
He stared at me again, his eyes flicking back and forth between mine in quiet incredulity. He looked back at his hands again. “I don’t know where to find him.”
“I know his location. I brought Lily there to petition for his help before the war.” I wished I could take us there instantaneously like before. It would save a tremendous amount of time and suffering for Lily.
“How far is it?”
“Several days, even by dragon.”
He released a frustrated sigh. “Then we should choose someone else.”
“Anyone else we know is too connected to us. But Viper and I will seem like enemies to Leviathan, even if that couldn’t be further from the truth. If he knew what happened to Lily, he’d probably want to help.”
“That she traded places with the man she loves who was trapped in the underworld?” he asked incredulously. “Not everyone thinks the way you do, Callum Riverside.”
“He defied his king and sailed across the sea with his entire fleet to come to a kingdom he’d never seen before,” I said quickly. “I’m willing to bet there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her. Trust me, I understand how he feels.”
Talon drew in a slow breath before he released it in a painful exhale. “Then we should get going.” He pushed himself to his feet. “Now.”
23
LILY
The underworld was exactly as I remembered, but because I was one of the dead, it felt different. The darkness was more potent, the solidarity of the world still a haze, like it was a dream.
A nightmare that was constantly real.
When I came down from the funnel, I was grabbed and tugged by monsters, but Leviathan, the evil god who smiled through the pain of others, took me for himself. Marched me to the castle and seated me in a chair at the head of a warped table.
Up close, he was even more repulsive.
He changed into his human form as he sat in the chair next to me, staring at me with a penetrating gaze as a scream sounded from a different part of the castle. He was in the same uniform and armor that Callum had worn, but it didn’t flatter him in the same way.
“Lily Rothschild, you serve me and me alone.”
If I hadn’t been here once before on a private tour given by a god, I would be a lot more terrified. But the familiarity allowed meto keep a blank expression, to look evil in the face and remain unfazed. “The way Wrath served you?”
He smiled. “No. You’re a succulent meal that will make my mouth salivate. But I like to play with my food before I consume it.”
I didn’t need to ask for clarification on that part. “Do you even have a dick?”
His eyebrows slowly furrowed. “Would you like me to show you?”
A darkness filled me, but my stare remained hard as steel.
“It’s bigger in my demon form.” He smiled. “That should be fun.”
“Well, I’m sure you can figure out how cooperative I’ll be in this endeavor.”
“The less cooperative, the better,” he said. “And once I’ve had my fill of you, I’ll harvest your soul. And we’ll spend the next millennia training you to replace me…if that day ever comes.”
