Genesis Queen (The Road to Hell Series) (9 page)

Eyebrows arched upward and she offered his brother a saccharin smile. Goddamn, he adored her sass. A moment later, she walloped Micah with a sober demeanor.

“Start talking or I’ll kick you both off my property.”

“Look who finally showed up wearing her big-girl panties,” Elias drawled, sweeping Madison with a prideful once-over.

A small leer screamed louder than a tortured soul and aroused his dick. Gone was the girl he’d married. In her place was a self-assured, confident woman. A Lynx. His wife.

Micah got straight to the point. “After you were snatched away by….”

“Amos.”

He frowned. He and his son had been communicating since shortly after Nix broke in Hell, so discovering he’d assisted Madison’s getaway surprised him. “I checked the Azura stones after your departure.” He watched her watch him. Her gaze intense and he suspected she considered his truthfulness. Not that he could lie to her. “Instead of telling me who tugged you out of Hell, they showed an imminent threat on yours and our son’s life.”

“Give me one reason why I should believe you, Micah.”

Not anticipating her disbelief, he sputtered for a half second. “It’s the truth!”

Lame, as an argument went, but he hadn’t expected her distrust. Sure, prevarication was impossible, but convincing her of that would be difficult. And why did no one believe he held her best interest at heart? That she and Amos were all that mattered to him in this entire screwed-up universe his father had crafted?

“The truth is that not one of the psychics in my home has seen this supposed threat.” The words were spoken quietly as she disentangled her fingers from Phoenix’s and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. She leaned a hip against the banister.

“Here.” He extended his arm, a bag resting in his palm. Contained within were the divination rocks linked to her life.

Her gaze flashed to the offering, but she made no move to take them. “What is it?”

“Your Azura stones. Use them and you’ll discover all I’ve said is true.” He resisted stuffing them into her hand.

“After all that’s gone on between us, you gotta understand I have trust issues with you. Those”—she nodded at his extended hand—“could be one more round of manipulation, which you’re so good at.”

“Everything I have ever done has been for
your
benefit.” He’d explained that to her in Hell. He thought she’d understood.

“So
you
say.” Madison came away from the railing and her arms dropped to her sides. Her hands balled into fists, and her eyes pierced the predawn with her very Lynx pink eyes. “You walked out on me at one of my most vulnerable moments!” She inhaled, a ragged sound as if she struggled to temper her resentment. “I cannot dismiss how that makes me feel or how you always seem to have the right thing to say at the right moment. Here and in Hell.”

An emotional Lynx could become dangerous. But affecting her feelings proved all was not lost between them. Kur stepped from the corner of the house, ready to defend the King’s wife. “Madison, do you really desire to rehash this in front of everyone?”

She cast a fleeting look around the group, but held her tongue.

“Phoenix, I like to think our time in Hell gave you insight into my intentions.” The Ark nodded as he pulled Madison against his side. Micah recognized the other man’s not-so-subtle claim on his wife. “Please tell Madison my objective is valid.”

“I told her earlier I thought this was on the up-and-up.” Phoenix squeezed her shoulder. “You, however, need to understand Mads has a mind of her own. She makes her own decisions and comes to her own conclusions.”

He whipped a hard glare in the Ark’s direction and narrowed his focus on him. Giving him advice about his woman rankled, especially when it wasn’t appreciated. He bit back a curse because he was discovering how very independent she had become since he’d left her. “Madison—”

“I’ll take your warning under advisement. Either way, I don’t need or want your assistance.” She dismissed him by giving him her back and striding toward the door.

Even though her confidence was sexy, she would require his assistance when the time came. Another bit of wisdom the stones imparted. He tucked the Azura stones she’d refused into his pocket.

“Madison?”

She halted. Phoenix stood by her side and faced him before Madison pivoted. Micah was pleased she had someone so powerful to guard her back.

Before she completed her turn, Micah had moved to stand in front of her. He cupped her face, wanting to dip his head and claim her lips in a kiss that would rock her world. More than that, he would’ve preferred demanding she leave with him at that very moment. Goddamn those prophetic stones and what they’d revealed. This passive posturing he was forced to effectuate went against his nature. That, coupled with her obvious famine, put him on edge and turned him moody. “Allow me to drive away the hunger and feed you.”

Had it been food she denied herself, she’d be skeletal from malnourishment. Phoenix had fed her well, but his messian wasn’t of the sustaining variety. She needed something hardcore and pure to chase away the starvation.

She wet her lips and sent a hasty glance in Phoenix’s direction. A moment later she offered a very firm headshake. “No.”

The King felt the very real urge to kill something, pound it into a bloody pulp. He hadn’t expected difficulties from her. Especially not after her actions in Hell. He’d been a fool to believe she’d make this easy on him now.

He cleared his throat. “I realize your excitement to discover I was alive was a ruse.”

“My pleasure was genuine.” He stilled. That disease called hope flared its nasty presence. She continued. “I had no desire to kill you in Hell, just as I said. I altered the plunge of my blade at the last moment, praying it wouldn’t hit your heart.”

“A grave misjudgment,” Zen said flatly from beside her.

They ignored him.

Madison pulled one of Micah’s arms away from her face, and he ran the thumb of his other hand along her chin. The pad of his flesh tingled at the contact, and she knocked his touch aside.

“However you may die, Micah, I will not kill you.” Her voice trembled, exposing emotions she hid from her expression. “Your lies and repeated attempts at manipulation have lost my trust. I cannot say you’ll ever earn it back.”

Optimism high, he focused on the fact that she held no desire to kill him. Rather than argue with her, he tried a different tactic. “She’ll need to be fully charged to survive what’s to come, Phoenix.”

“More Azura prophecies?” He nodded at Phoenix’s question. “How specific were they, Micah?”

“Very.”

From the corner of his eye, he caught Phoenix’s wince. After his stint in Hell, he understood how vague the stones were more often than not.

“Take what you need, Mads. Now isn’t the time to be too prideful.”

He sighed in relief at Phoenix’s encouragement.

“Going through Nix to coax my submission won’t help. I count it as one more manipulative technique from you.”

“Goddamn it, Madison, I refuse to lose you—”

“No!”

He glared at her, wanting to push the argument until he wore her down and gained his way. Stubbornness locked her jaw and she returned his glare without flinching. Hands clenching into fists at his sides, it took every ounce of willpower not to force her to submit to his domination. He must respect her choices. Another tidbit from the prophetic device he’d used. If she refused to surrender now, he’d simply find another way later.

Elias broke the tense silence. “Like always, the ungrateful, pampered princess.”

“After all this time, why should I change now?” she shot back.

She stepped to his twin and gripped his arm hard enough her fingertips turned white. A dark-blue sheen exploded around them. Elias gasped and dropped to his knees.

Goddamn
! She’d learned to harvest power without inflicting physical injury to gain it. And without asking permission. That should’ve horrified him for the danger she could turn out to be. Instead, he was impressed.

His brother wheezed a ragged breath, the shimmer of power she ingested waning as she damn near depleted his brother in less than half a minute. He’d be milked to the point of death and explode into the rarest of diamonds in another thirty seconds.

Micah reacted, yanking her arm off Elias.

“We need him in Hell, kitten.” He shook off his amazement at how easily she feasted. She glowed with nourishment, but she would need more. How powerful would she become if she harvested all of his twin’s angelic magic? He no longer knew the man he’d become, because he’d provide her a host of fallen to milk if he believed it’d help her defeat what threatened her life. He swallowed past the sudden lump clogging his throat. “We also need him to help protect you.”

Her demon eyes glowed in the predawn. A small grin sufficed as a gloat. Words weren’t necessary after demonstrating how dangerous she was…how much more would she become? Pissing her off could result in Hell’s downfall.

Madison chucked his chin and winked, before turning and grasping Phoenix’s hand. With the Ark, she sauntered into her home.

Micah’s dick went hard so fast, his zipper should’ve scraped an inch of flesh off in protest.

Zennyo Ryuo contemplated them for a long edgy moment. Expression impassive, his thoughts were unrevealed. Micah had observed the same deadpan just before the man went motherfucking-deadly on a creature. With a slight tilt of his head, the immortal turned and entered the home behind Madison.

Kur caught the air currents and leapt from the lawn over the hand railing. He landed on nimble feet. “Entertaining watching her bring Elias to his knees. An encore would sweeten the amusement value.”

“I should smite you for your insolence, dragon.”

“And I should finish the job Madison started.” Kur jerked his head, tossing his hair out of his eyes. “Fillet your brother with my tail and he’d become diamond-boy.”

Micah’s teeth clicked together when he clenched them. Resisting the temptation to clock the dragon in the chin, he glanced at his brother. The scaly creature required a reminder of his status in his hellish world. But…Elias remained on all fours gasping for breath. He touched his twin’s shoulder. “You improving?”

“Get…me…home,” Elias wheezed.

“I disbanded the Angel Lock.” The dragon adjusted his stance, feet slightly parted. His fingers flexed into fists and relaxed, repeating the process over and over again. Kur itched for a fight with his brother. The dragon was just one more being in a long, supernatural list that despised Elias. “Run with your tail between your legs while you still have the chance.”

Micah laughed. “I’ll return. Until then, safeguard my family.” With an arm slung around his twin’s waist, he hauled his brother to his feet. “I wasn’t joking about the threat. If my family has one scratch on them when I return, I’ll take it out of your scales.” Not a mild intimidation tactic, but a promise.

He looped his brother’s arm over his shoulder. He was too weak to stand without aid. Madison had done a bang-up job on him.

“I’m protected by Madison so long as she wears my Scroll.”

“Those dragons born after the conception of the Scroll are not cosseted by it. Push me and I’ll force
you
to watch me peel their scales off one at a time while I grow drunk off their agony.
Imal
.”
Open
.

The doorway to Hell presented straight away.

Micah smirked at the sullen dragon. “A cocky dragon dismissing his origins is offensive, Kur. Rectify your attitude immediately, or I’ll chastise you for your disrespectful behavior.”

He went through the portal, arriving at
Qugu Quta
, the waters that would regenerate his brother’s strength. The lava-like substance hissed as they entered the swirling sea. Elias groaned, pushed away from him, and fell face first into the fiery liquid.

His brother was safe. The life of his wife and son remained indefinite. The stones said he’d lose something of value to save his dynasty. What would he have to sacrifice to protect them? Uncertain of his family’s future, he waded from the scorching lake.

Chapter Nine

As they entered the living room, Madison was very aware of the Birminghams’ presence. Alessa was there, as well, sitting in the chair located in the corner, flipping through an equestrian magazine. Emotions mixed over the altercation with Micah, Madison extracted her hand from Nix’s grasp and walked to the windows, taking care not to look at anyone.

Dear God, she would’ve drained Elias to death if her husband hadn’t stopped her. The power of his seraph still hummed through her veins. At least it hadn’t gotten her all hot and bothered, the way Micah’s and Nix’s did.

Momma
? Amos’s telepathic voice intruded on her thoughts.

You and Petra can come out of the panic room now
. Unwilling to take the chance his visit was another one of his ploys to get his hands on them, she’d sent their son to the hideaway before Micah arrived, Petra with him as a safeguard in the event her husband’s visit turned out to be a trap. Not that she believed her child would remain safely tucked away if his father’s intentions had been to squirrel them away.

Something wrong
? His empathy was as strong as always. Hiding her emotions from him was damn near impossible.

No
.
I’m fine
.
Everything’s fine
. Maybe if she said ‘fine’ enough, she’d eventually believe it. Decisions had to be made. Sooner rather than later, because her fortitude to stay out of Micah’s grasp wilted with every breath.

Nix joined her at the window and palmed her nape. She continued to face the panes. Futile dreams to provide him with a safe, secure future scattered with the reality her demon wouldn’t allow him to exit her life without a fight. And if she fell to Hell’s allure—as she suspected she would—she’d take him with her. Demand he follow if necessary.

“Don’t shut me out, Mads.” He massaged her neck.

“I’m not.” She couldn’t even if she wanted to. He was too ingrained into her heart to close him off. Madison turned into his embrace and his arms tightened around her, offering security and comfort with a hug.