Genesis Queen (The Road to Hell Series) (25 page)

“Didn’t help you much when I came for Phoenix.” Her husband’s bland tone had her whipping about.

From the corner of her eye, she realized Zen was already in the thrust of motion and wouldn’t be able to stop. In a slow-motion type of scene, she shifted to block the assault, but prepared to take a direct hit. A blink later, the King of Hell was in front of her, catching her friend’s punch with his palm.

Shit! She’d never seen him move with such speed. Fast like Zen, he’d been a blur of movements.

The two men scowled at one another, both frozen in their stances.

“Holy smokes!” Madison gaped. Micah hadn’t used any of his warp-speed on her in Hell when they’d fought. Not even back at the beginning of this saga, when Amos first went demonic and began killing animals, had he executed his nimbleness against her. And they’d clashed more than once before Hell. It’d never been clearer that he’d never wholly let loose his full potential against her.

“How many times have you hit her while sparring?” Micah’s lips pulled away from his creepy angel-canines and the glower clearly expressed his desire to knock Zen’s teeth down his throat.

“Whoa!” Now might not be the best time to remind him that
he
had struck her a handful of times. His aggression had been to gain his desire. The immortal’s was to aid her. “Boys…let’s lower the testosterone a few notches.”

“Yes.” Zen offered a tight grin. “Melt out, Beliel.”

Micah frowned and Madison burst out laughing. “It’s chill out, not melt out.” She chuckled again because her friend’s screwed-up version was just too funny not to giggle over. His menacing countenance combined with his erroneous saying made it all the funnier.

Zen shrugged. Why he bothered with sayings when he sucked at them was beyond her comprehension.

She wrapped her fingers around Micah’s wrist. “Let’s just lower this, okay, big guy?”

Her husband elevated an eyebrow, and allowed her to pull his arm down. With a mocking grin, he murmured, “Big guy?”

“You’re bigger than Zen.” Dwarfed her friend by a good seven inches, not to mention his broader physique.

“Size is not indicative of power, eh, Micah?”

Madison pushed the immortal backward and stepped between them. Not all that neutral of a territory, but if her location would keep these two from going at it—which kept her from mopping blood off the floor—well, then, she considered the danger worth the tradeoff. “Didn’t I request you lower the testosterone? Work with me, my friend.”

She faced her husband as he said, “I don’t like him hurting you.”

“What we do…it’s not your choice.” She didn’t answer to Micah any longer. “What do you want?”

“You.”

Flustered by his comeback, she gawked a long moment before she resumed the use of her tongue. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

“Amos is ready to begin his party.”

Madison glanced at her wristwatch. Eleven. “I didn’t realize we’d burned the morning away already. Let me get a quick shower.”

“Don’t bother. You’ll be sweatier by the end of the party. And….” One slow sweep of her body with his hot gaze and her breathing went funny. “I like the way you smell.”

Weird, because there was no way he didn’t need to pinch his nose. “What do you have planned for him?”

“First up is paintball wars.”

“Gawd, you’ll be his hero by the end of the day.”

“You say that like it’s a ghastly outcome.”

“It is. You’re a bad influence.”

***

Upon Amos’s request, the paintball game pitted men against women. Micah and his son teamed up to get a slight edge on the competition. Since the men outnumbered the women, they’d given the gals a two-death limit, which meant they could be painted twice before they were eliminated from the rivalry. The males were down with the first shot. Madison had grunted and rolled her eyes at the two-kill handicap. He guessed she didn’t think it was needed.

Manipulating magic, Beliel erected a war zone. To keep the playing field interesting, the layout altered every ten minutes.

Micah and Amos stalked Alessa for several steps. As he double-tapped her for the initial kill, he caught sight of Madison taking out the dragons with ease. Using her right hand. Seemed she’d given them a handicap, too, since she was left-handed.

“Not such a lightweight for angel-jelly, huh?” He winked at Madison’s friend. “Catch you on the next go-round, doll.”

Alessa cursed and his son giggled, tugging him by the arm and pointing to Zoe. Peeking around the corner of a barricade, only one of Zoe’s eyes was visible. As he assessed their soon-to-be conquest, he wondered where Madison had gotten off to and how many she’d killed. He’d no doubt enjoy sitting back and watching her strategy, could probably learn a few things about the woman she’d become, too.

He led the boy through a twisted maze of blockades and came up behind Zoe. Amos pointed at himself, then Zoe, as he tiptoed toward the woman. Micah nodded, understanding his son wanted to take her out without his aid.

“Hey, Zoe,” Amos said as he neared the woman. She spun about, but the child plugged her before she could raise her weapon.

“Shit!” She fingered the wet pain on her gut. “First Nix, now you. That means I’m out.”

“Hey, sexy Sherlock,” Micah heard Madison say and he glanced over his shoulder in the direction of her voice.

Madison pegged Phoenix in the heart. The Ark crooked his finger at Madison. “That stings, baby.”

Going into the other man’s arms, she kissed him, her left hand diving under his shirt to cop a feel exactly where she’d plugged him with a paintball. “Sorry I killed you.”

“Worth it for that reward.” Phoenix kissed her forehead. “Good luck, baby.” The other man swatted her ass as she went low and took off in the opposite direction.

In his estimation, she had more skill than luck. Maybe he should thank the immortal for preparing his family, because they were both proficient with a weapon.

“Alessa is this way, Daddy.”

“She’s your kill this time.”

With ease, they hunted and assassinated Alessa for the second time. That left only Madison, and Amos grew excited by hunting his Momma. But she proved a hard target to take down. They stalked her, and then she’d pursue them. The ever-changing landscape made it impossible to track her. She always seemed to relocate them until he began to suspect she never lost them but played with them like a good demon might real prey.

They split up to try and box her in. That tactic failed, or he’d thought so until she stepped from behind a tree and double-tapped him in the chest…straight over his heart on the right side.

She sauntered toward him, hips rolling and not wearing a single shot. He took pride that no one had managed to maim her, not even once, in their paintball war. When he thought she couldn’t get any more exotic, she did. And he wanted her desperately. More than he’d coveted anything in his existence.

“Twice I’ve killed you, Micah.”

“Gloat much, kitten?”

A twisted grin. “When I can.”

Eyes bright at taking him down, he decided cockiness looked really fucking good on her. “Since I’m down, that leaves only Amos, Gage, and Elias.” He hadn’t seen his twin since the game started.

“I took Gage out first and nailed Elias by surprise. He seemed irrationally displeased by his quick demise.” Madison grinned, a twinkle in her eyes. She gloried in his brother’s defeat. Eliel was a piteous loser, so Micah could imagine how poorly he reacted. “Those two took five minutes tops, then I went for the dragons.”

He elevated an eyebrow, wanting to claim a death kiss the way Phoenix had. “You’ve taken this much too seriously, kitten.”

“Nah. I toyed with you and Amos. Got bored of the chase and led you here.” She nodded at his painted chest.

“You always had us in your sights?”

She nodded, confirming his previous suspicions. “I can see through your magical landscape.”

“A little like cheating.”

She shook her head. “Not at all. I stayed within the parameters of your design. I never retreated when you came close but held my ground.”

A good demon would’ve cheated and bragged just to taunt its victim
.

A blond head emerged from behind a magical boulder. By the gleam in Amos’s eyes he could tell their son anticipated claiming Madison as a conquest.

“Did you shoot any of your victims in the back?” A subtle hint to guard hers as Amos tiptoed closer.

“No.” She ignored his tip-off and wedged the gun in the waistband of her pants. “No challenge.”

A slight pop and their son tagged Madison from behind. He cackled and executed a victory dance.

No flinch from Madison when he shot her, just a slight smile tilting the edges of her mouth.

You knew he was behind you
? Micah sent the thought telepathically.

Yep
, she responded in like fashion.
Knew before you hinted
. Palming her weapon, she spun and nailed the boy with a paintball.

Jaw dropping and eyes rounding, Amos smeared the bright pink paint on his chest with a finger. “Aw…man!” He stomped his foot.

He chuckled at his son’s meager sportsmanship-like conduct.

“Chin up, angel. That was the first chance anyone had to shoot me. Remember, when your enemy is down, it might be a ruse.”

“That was fun, Daddy. Can we do it again?”

“Let’s select a different entertainment this go-round. Something that might loosen up your momma and she won’t take too seriously. Any ideas?”

“Muddin’ on four-wheelers?” Amos jumped up and down, his grin so big it threatened to fragment his face.

Madison laughed and drawled in her Southern twang, “Because wearing mud is so much more entertaining than shooting y’all.”

Micah wanted her wearing him. Yet the idea of her getting muddy in a bathing suit appealed to him greatly. Too bad she didn’t have on a bikini.

***

Mudding ended up being more fun than Madison expected. Covered in dirt from head-to-toe, their clothes were ruined, but hearing Amos’s genuine laughter was all that mattered. The light-hearted memories he’d have from this day were priceless. Future birthday parties would pale in comparison. Just what she needed, Micah elevated to sainthood by their impressionable son.

Nix snickered when her back wheels became stuck in the sludge. “First lesson: boys are better at everything, baby.”

Knowing he joked, she shook her finger at him. “Nix Birmingham, you’ll pay for that.”

“Promises…promises.” He chuckled, flooring his four-wheeler. The tires spun, slinging grime everywhere before he lurched forward. “Impressed, huh?”

He winked as he circled her, randomly revving the engine.

In a lot of ways he captivated her, but not because of his ATV skills. Madison clambered off her stuck vehicle and tackled him off his…straight into the bog.

“Girls are better at getting even.” She squirmed all over him, dumping handfuls of grime wherever she could during their minor struggle.

Using his body weight, he rolled them and positioned himself between her legs. “You want a congratulatory kiss for toppling me off my ATV, baby?”

“Well….” She copped a feel of his ass. Too bad his jeans separated their flesh. “I do deserve one for my tackling ability.”

He snagged the back of her knee with a finger and hooked it over his hip, his pelvis hard against her crotch. “No offense, but you’re a tad dirty and I prefer my gals clean.”

Nix wrinkled his nose as if she stunk.

“That’s rude!” Madison poked him in the ribs and shoved him hard, following him over so she could straddle his hips. She bent and placed her lips to his ear. “I was going to let you bathe away the muck—imagine your hands all over my wet,
wet
skin.” She would’ve run her tongue along the shell of his ear if not for the dirt. “Too bad you lost the privilege with your rudeness.”

A breath hissed from his lungs. Madison grinned.

Amos executed a catcall whistle to snag their attention. Astride his four-wheeler and grinning, he did a little wiggle on his seat. “Nix, you’re so lame. You got beat by a
gurl
.”

Oh, that does it
!

Let’s get him
, Lynx cackled hard, enjoying their antics as much as Madison. Scrambling off Nix, she went for her child. He emitted a high-pitched squeal, attempted to gun his ATV, and instead flooded his engine. The stall left him a sitting duck.

“No, Momma!” He held his palm toward her in a stop fashion, but he couldn’t cease giggling. “Let’s talk about this like adults before you—”

“Who’s scared of the
gurl
now?” She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and yanked him off the four-wheeler.

He shrieked with laughter as he landed in the grime. “No fair, Momma! You’re stronger than me.”

“Sore loser.” Madison slugged him in the belly with a handful of mud. Amos’s laughter amplified until he gasped through his chuckles. Nix got involved and they ganged up on her.
That
wasn’t fair!

Recognizing defeat, she tried to escape their attack. A twist in the muck to escape sent her face down in the filth, thanks to her submerged ankle.

“I got your back, kitten.” Micah whipped his four-wheeler about and floored it, dousing Amos and Nix with the thick stuff.

Amos shrieked and Nix bellowed. They were both spitting dirt out of their mouths when Micah stopped. The distasteful looks on their faces sent Madison into a fit of giggles.

Her son yakked. “Yuck!” He threw a handful of grime toward his father, but missed by at least a yard. “Daddy, you’re a cheater.”

Madison laughed so hard her belly hurt, and tears ran down her cheeks. “The…expressions on…your fa—faces”—she rolled from side to side, clasping her arms around her tummy—“fan-freakin’-tastic.”

“That’s more like it.” With no idea Micah had departed his four-wheeler, she peered up at him between dying chuckles as he halted beside her, feet braced wide. “Way too serious. Everyone here needed some fun.”

Madison couldn’t argue with that.

As if vacuum-packed, the mud clung to her foot. Through a series of wiggles and tugs, she finally freed her ankle and sat up. She extended her hand for him to assist her to her feet.