Read Online The Darkest Kiss by Gena Showalter - Free Book Online Page B

Anya’s mind, a bleak promise she couldn’t quiet. Lucien never joked. She knew that well. Had watched him all these weeks without seeing a single smile or hearing a hint of humor pass his exquisite lips. More than that, the spirit of Death radiated from him now, a skeletal mask glowing underneath his skin.
    The scent of roses thickened the air, almost mesmerizing, beseeching her to do anything and everything he asked. Even die.
    Her heart skipped a beat. She’d seen him take a soul before; it had been a morbidly beautiful sight, yet one she’d never thought to experience firsthand. She was immortal, after all. But she knew better than most that even immortals could be slain.
    The night she’d cut the heart from the Captain of the Guard, ending his miserable existence once and for all, the prospect of mortality had become very clear. Of course, it had become even clearer after her arrest and subsequent imprisonment while the gods debated what to do with her.
    Every day inside her cell, the bars had seemed to tighten around her and the screams and moans of the other prisoners had seemed to grow louder. Maybe they’d been her screams. Being unable to nourish her need to create disorder had hurt unbearably.
    She’d quickly realized life, even for an immortal, could be ruined or ended too soon. And she’d decided to fight for hers, then and always. No matter what. Freedom, whether physical or emotional, would never be taken from her again.
    The gods had thought otherwise. Ultimately they’d decided to make her a sex slave to their warriors. A fitting punishment , they’d said. She’d taken their captain; now she could comfort the captain’s army.
    It would have destroyed her—mind, body and soul. Her determination might have withered. But her father had come for her, rescued her, despite the retribution he would heap on himself. Once again, she’d been free. Once again, she’d had a chance at the happiness she’d always craved.
    And now Lucien, a man she desired, a man she’d kissed, wanted to end her, take everything from her? A thousand different emotions bubbled inside her, and she wasn’t sure which to concentrate on first. Fury? Confusion? Hurt?
    â€œWhy do you want to hurt me?” she demanded.
    â€œI do not want to hurt you. I must. Apparently, you are too wild to roam free.”
    Oh, those words rankled! It was one thing for all Olympus to rebuff her—she was used to that. But for some reason, despite everything, Lucien’s opinion of her mattered.
    â€œHow did you find me?” she repeated.
    Not a flicker of feeling touched Lucien’s cold expression. “That doesn’t matter.”
    â€œI could disappear in the blink of an eye.”
    â€œRun and I will find you again. No matter where you go, I will always find you.”
    Both seductive and frightening. “Why don’t you attack me, then? Get it over with so there doesn’t have to be another chase?”
    He raised his chin, his jaw squaring stubbornly. “I will. I want you out of my mind first.”
    Doing her best to appear casual, she leaned back against the swing’s chain. “I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted, honey. Is wild little Anya so bad a kisser the disgust of knowing you’ve had your tongue in her mouth refuses to leave you?” She sounded as unconcerned as she looked—she hoped—but inside, she trembled.
    How did the sight of him still manage to affect her? Worse, now that she knew the taste of him, the feel of his body pressed against hers and the sensation of his hands clutching her, drawing her closer, all of her reactions to him seemed to be intensified.
    She craved more. Perhaps it’s time to visit a therapist.
    â€œI’m sure you know how good your kisses are.” There was a trace of bitterness in the words.
    â€œYou make that sound like a crime.”
    â€œIt