Genesis Queen (The Road to Hell Series) (12 page)

“Zen will never agree.”

“He already has.”

Mads’s eyes widened. The statement had clearly surprised her. “If he comes here, he’ll try to get me into his bed and I don’t know”—she exhaled in slow increments as if already damned—“if I can resist him.”

“I’d prefer you be in his bed rather than dead.”

“Don’t.” Her fingers curled into his shirt. “Don’t be understanding. The idea of you with another woman turns me violent. I wanted to kill that hussy when I interrupted you in South Beach.”

Nix grinned. Jesus, that was ages ago, somewhere close to four years back. He liked that she had a possessive streak, though. “I don’t want any other woman but you, baby.”

“And I don’t want to betray you.”

With no idea how to respond, he kneaded the nape of her neck.

“You know how his seraph affects me, Nix.”

“I do.” Remembered well how she’d responded in Hell. The same reaction she had to his messian. Her whimpered climaxes off their magic a fond memory. “I’ll make sure I’m giving you mine as you’re freebasing on his.”

“I don’t like this idea. Not even a little.” She vibrated against him, her body evidently disagreeing with her words.

He placed his thumb beneath her chin and tipped her head back so he could stare into her eyes. “If I thought the only way to save you was getting you into Micah’s bed, I’d carry you there myself. I’d strip you for him.” Wide eyed, she stared at him. Her mouth parted, but nothing emerged. Panic tightened the edges of her eyes. “That shouldn’t surprise you. I told you I’ve had fantasies where we enjoy you together. We planned it to happen once you joined us in Hell.”

“I cannot think of that right now.”

A grin twitched his face. “My point, Mads, is that while I prefer to be selfish with you and keep you all to myself, I’ll do anything to keep you safe. Even share you with your asshole husband. So, stay alive at whatever cost.”

Mads wrapped her arms around his waist and he held her. His body aligned against hers, with his mouth against her temple, as he breathed in her unique sweet scent. She had no idea how far he’d go for her. He’d make a new demonic deal to save her, to eliminate her struggles, and to give her a normal life, if the pacts worked that way.

She nipped the curve of his neck. He flinched in surprise.

“My bacon is burning.” She tilted her head back but didn’t shift to save the pork. “I gave you my heart, and I want to keep that vow. I will do my best not to betray you.”

She’d given Micah her heart, too, and Nix wasn’t altogether certain she’d ever taken it back. Loving two men as divergent as they were wouldn’t be easy. Not on her. Definitely not on them.

“Hang on.” He transferred the pan with the burnt pig in it off the burner. Afterward, he cupped her face and bent his head to skim his mouth across hers. “Not taking what you need from him will be considered a betrayal to me.”

She shoved him away. “Don’t push me into Micah’s arms.” Her movements were jerky as she twisted the knobs on the stove to off. She snatched up the skillet of ruined meat and dumped it in the garbage.

He’d cage her husband in Hell to keep him away from her if that were possible. Taking down a fallen angel King wasn’t his role in life. Or possible with his heavenly magic. Mads and Amos were his new line of work. Keeping them safe was his single-minded focus. He’d pay any sacrifice to see them survive.

“I’m not pushing you into that motherfucker’s arms.”

“It feels like it. Feels like you’re already giving up on us.” Mads turned her back and dumped the cookware in the sink. The grease spit and sizzled on impact with the cool water, a poetic sound to the spitfire he’d seen in her eyes just before she turned from him. Her shoulders sagged, and she buried her face in her hands.

He touched her shoulder. She shrugged it off. “Don’t touch me right now, Nix.”

“Mads, baby, I need you to understand where I’m coming from. How important you are to me.” The wound of her supposed death remained too fresh; the soul-searing ache had spawned him to commit depraved acts. Because of them he had hit the Sherlock monster list. To lose her again would damn him completely. “I fucking love you. The atrocities I committed after losing you the first time—I cannot lose you and have humanity remain untouched by my sorrow.”

“I understand.” Her voice sounded scratchy, her Southern accent stronger with her emotions. She lowered her palms to the sink ledge and shot him a watery glance. “But I need you to expect a little more from me right now or humanity may be damned either way.”

Nix flinched. Mads rolled against the counter and leaned against it with her hip, facing him. She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. He wanted to touch her. The look in her eyes suggested it’d be a very bad idea to act on his desire.

“You are a full-blown fire inside me, Nix. I love you and I want to be with you. But there’s a smolder inside me for Micah that has never died. The ‘what ifs’ and ‘could things be different than before’ thoughts rolling around in my head complicate everything. When I factor in my history with him, the son we have, and our connection to Hell, that creates a big rivalry for you. Maybe insurmountable competition. I don’t know. But I need you to fight for me, not be the better man.”

Madison walked out of the kitchen.

Shoving his hands in his jean pockets, he stared out the kitchen window.

“Nix?”

He glanced over his shoulder. Georgie stood in the doorway.

“Everything will work out.” She swiped strands of her hair behind an ear.

Nodding, he turned to face her. She’d never tried to take the spot of his mother, but she’d become his surrogate mom nonetheless. He trusted her opinions above most others. “Do you agree with James and Gage that Mads is dangerous?”

“With the right provocation, aren’t we all dangerous?”

A slight wisp of sound emerged when he skated his fingers along his jaw. “That’s not what I’m asking and you know it.”

Steps hesitant, she strolled toward him. Georgie captured his hand and squeezed. “Since before I met her, I knew the name of the only woman you would ever love. Mads. Imagine my surprise when the day I met her, you told me you’d nicknamed her Mads. I admit I was thrown with the knowledge because I knew you wouldn’t be with her until you had your fight with Hell. I never imagined you’d meet her so early or that she’d be part demon.”

Nix grinned at her small chuckle, recalling the day with ease.

“For that reason alone, I
have
to believe she’s not as dangerous as James and Gage fear. But her future grows foggy in my head. Zoe has enough faith in her for us all.”

Chapter Twelve

Nix’s wince as she walked out of the kitchen replayed in Madison’s head. She wouldn’t apologize for being truthful even if the words were on the tip of her tongue. Exiting the kitchen before she did something stupid, like touch him to soften the impact of her statement, was the only choice she had.

Micah’s appearance on her front porch had whammied her hard. She’d wanted to accept his offer of help, and she fought against her demon’s desires to claim her husband. She brawled internally to remain committed only to
her
Sherlock. But she wanted them both. Dear God, how she wanted them both.

Madison kicked into a sprint to her bedroom. Her inability to run off steam thanks to the Demon Lock left her feeling caged. She slammed her bedroom door and paced the room. It wasn’t enough physical exertion to take the edge off her irritation.

Nix has always been there for me
.
Micah has not
. Just because he skirted the edges of her life after abandoning her and Amos didn’t qualify as a commitment in her book.

Yet that reality altered none of her yearnings. A Queen of Hell should be stronger than this. Weakness was for lesser demons. She had to remain strong, resilient against her longing for her husband. A fine, honorable man stood at her side, willing to save her any way he could. Nix’s unselfishness made her angry, while at the same time plucked at her heartstrings.

No way would Micah make the same sacrifice.

Madison bolted into her closet, ditched her clothes, and pulled on a pair of running shorts and a tank top. She knotted her hair into a ponytail and crammed her feet into tennis shoes. She hit the treadmill and bumped it to high without a warm-up. Running as if she could evade the demons chasing her, the sound of her heart pulsed in her ears and hurt her chest. Sweat trickled between her breasts and her lungs burned.

She continued to run.

“Are you trying to kill yourself?”

She tripped at the sound of Kur’s voice. Hands grappling at the treadmill’s handrails, she caught them as her knees buckled, just barely saving herself from eating high-speed rubber. Panting, she smacked the off button and slammed into the controls with a grunt.

“This is my bedroom!” She gasped for breath. “Ever hear of knocking?”

“I knocked. You didn’t answer.” With a confident swagger, the dragon moved away from his reclined position against her shut bedroom door.

“FYI, an unanswered knock means go away, not enter
my
private domain.”

“My apologies. I’ve been in Hell for many years. I’m obviously not up to speed on my manners.”

“Whatever.” Madison snorted. The dragon knew better. “What do you want, Kur?”

“Zen is missing.”

“He’s not a pet with a defined perimeter.” She swiped her palm over her face. Yuck. It came away wet. “Last time I checked, he was free to go about as he pleased.”

The dragon’s reserved stare hinted he had other reasons for his visit.

“Why are you really here, Kur?”

“Were you serious about what you said? That we cannot kill you regardless which side you choose?”

“Yes. Were you serious about not being disappointed?”

“Very much.” He stalked closer.

She held her hand up. “Don’t get too close. I stink.” She needed a shower, a bottle of water, and a deep muscle massage. Not necessarily in that order.

“You smell fine. Do you willingly accept dominion over the dragons?”

“If you’re asking if I plan to remove your Scroll, the answer is no.” Madison gave a half-laugh. She’d discovered her demon was very possessive. “You dragons represent power. My Lynx won’t allow me to relinquish power willingly.”

Kur grinned. “Then you should know Micah had already planned to give us to you as a gift when you were throned as Queen of Hell.”

Her belly swirled either with nerves or the betrayal of mini-dragons. “You’re not at odds with him as you claimed?”

“Not entirely.” Kur ran his fingertips across the dark scruff on his jaw.

“Everything you said in Hell was a lie?”

“Not everything.”

“Explain. Fast.” She kept her breathing steady even though her pulse raced. “Starting with your reasons for giving me the dragon blade to kill Micah if you weren’t truly at odds with him. And it better be good.”

“Micah did kill the dragon leader before me. His actions were justified and his to make.”

Odd outlook from a fellow dragon
. Madison waited for him to continue.

“I did not truly expect you to defeat him in Hell when I conferred my blade to you. And he told me to convince you to come after him.”

“You speak telepathically with him.” Not a surprise.

“Yes. Would you like for me to continue?” She nodded. “Beliel told me to send Phoenix earthbound with one of my scales to aid in that deception. Phoenix would come back into Hell’s fold so long as you were a part of it. When you defeated Micah, it surprised us both. Our expectation was a fight that ended in his triumph and your succession as Queen of Hell. That was always the plan.”

No wonder he and Elias hadn’t harmed one another. Their battle had been for show only. “Did he know you gave me a dragon blade?”

“Yes. He was that confident of his ability to manage you. Dragon scales were the only known toxins against angels. That he survived is miraculous.”

Madison rubbed her temples with her fingertips. “How much of this truth does Zen know?”

“None.” Kur hooked his thumb in the waistband of his pants. “He cannot read my mind.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“If you are to maintain command of the dragons, you should be privy to the truth.”

Had Petra known her father planned to give her the Scroll? Was that why she’d suggested Zen retrieve it? Being stage-managed by Micah was bad enough. Adding Petra to that list of manipulators, after giving her stepdaughter a modicum of trust, scored along her nerves like cat claws against her flesh.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t send all of you home right now.”

His dark eyes held hers. “You have our loyalty. We will defend you to the death, against anything, even our fathers.”

Fathers
? “Who are your fathers?”

“Micah and Zennyo Ryuo. Your Zen specifically, not his entire race.”

Madison sucked in a shocked breath. “Do you care to explain how that came to pass?” And why hadn’t Zen told her immediately?

“Not my story to tell. Neither would it be particularly accurate. Our creation was accidental, non-sexual, and before the Fall.”

“Why do you remain loyal to Micah and not Zen if they’re both your creators?”

“The dragons were split on masters after the four brothers crafted Hell. Some sided with Zen, others with Micah. My faction attempted to remain neutral, honoring them both.” He shrugged. “It didn’t work out.”

Madison rotated her hand in a silent command to keep explaining.

“We fought side-by-side with them both on differing wars. While the Kings were building Hell, Beliel was practically non-existent on earth. But when the Kings of Hell decided to make a play for earth’s residents, we assisted him. I suspect Zen disapproved. We afforded Hell too much power. I believe that’s why Zen crafted the Scroll, to lock us in our hellish cage. To have a true understanding, the question would have to be posed to him.”

What creatures did the other four Scrolls lock away? Kur’s reasoning made sense. Being tasked with keeping the balance, the immortal would’ve seen the dragons as an advantage to the hellish empire. As their creator, locking them away was more logical than annihilating them. How much else had her peacekeeping friend kept from her? She muttered every curse word she knew in her head.