Immortals After Dark 09 - Pleasure of a Dark Prince

me.”
    “Why on earth?”
    “ ’Cause I’ve been there, lass.”

TWENTY-FOUR

    “But no one comes out of Rio Labyrinto alive,” Lucia said.
    Garreth lifted his chin. “No one—but me.”
    Her eyes went wide. “Then tell me about the river! Where is it?”
    “First, you tell me what else you know about the apocalypse. You ken you will no’ get a word from me otherwise.” That wasn’t true. If she ever used her wiles on him, he’d likely be putty in her hands.
    She paced, worrying her plump bottom lip—the one he wanted to take between his own teeth to nibble on. After exhaling a breath, she asked, “Have you heard of the god…
Crom Cruach
?”
    He had. But the way she’d uttered, or
barely
uttered, the god’s name with a flash of sorrow in her eyes made his hackles rise. “Maybe some scattered tales,” he lied. “Canna remember.”
    She cast him an expression that said she didn’t know whether to believe him.
    “Gods are no’ really my area of interest. Rugby? Now
that
I pay attention to.”
    After a hesitation, she said, “He’s evil to the bone.His primary power is to make people feel a mad need to sacrifice whoever they love. Only now, that need will be contagious—the lust to slaughter in Cruach’s name—passing from person to person. In the past, he’s been jailed in a lair, but with each Accession, he grows powerful enough to break from his prison. Every five hundred years someone has to send him back there. Nïx dispatched me to do this.”
    After Lucia’s explanation, he sensed that she knew far more than what she was telling him.
    And that she might be about to snap.
Let the information unfold.
“With all the creatures in the Lore that owe the soothsayer, she chose you for this?” He was impressed, and didn’t bother hiding it.
    “Yes, me.” She tucked her still damp hair behind her pointed ear. “Nïx told me there might be a way to kill him. To finally end the cycle.”
    “A
way
?”
    “A weapon. Called a dieumort. It’s a—”
    “God killer. I’ve heard of them. And she thinks one’s on Rio Labyrinto?”
    Lucia nodded. “That’s what she said. Now, I’ve told you my part—tell me about the river. How did you find it?”
    “Purely by accident. I’d been chasing game along the riverside, and I saw it disappear right before my eyes. But I could still
scent
it. I followed my nose straight through the portal.”
    “And? Tell me more!”
    “Also known as the River of Doom and the River ofDoors, it’s a watery maze of channels and cutouts.” He paused for effect. “And it’s rumored to be the gateway to El Dorado.”
    “El Dorado?” Lucia’s eyes went wide. “The Lost City of Gold?” Maybe the dieumort
was
the golden arrow of her dreams? “Where? Where is it?” Lucia had already been reeling from the fact that MacRieve knew where Rio Labyrinto was—
everything you need will be on that boat
—and now this?
    El-freaking-Dorado.
    “As though I’d reveal the location to you?” MacRieve scoffed. “I think no’. I like you dependent on me and my good will.”
    Apparently she
wouldn’t
be taking her bow back from MacRieve and ditching him. “I told you the nature of the apocalypse.”
    In answer, he gave her a look as if he knew she was holding back.
    “Don’t you understand? It’s critical for me to find a way to destroy Cruach!”
    “So if I allow you to stay on the boat, you’re at risk from a thousand different perils, and if I take you from here, you’re still in danger from an apocalypse?”
    “Pretty much.”
    He exhaled wearily. “Verra well, we’ll stay. But we’re going to establish some guidelines for our time aboard this ship.”
    “In other words, you intend to give me rules
to obey
? MacRieve, just tell me where it is—I can do this on my own.”
    “Never.”
    “The full moon’s coming! Have you thought about that, werewolf? It’s only ten days away!”
    “You know the dates as well as I do, then?”
    “You won’t be able to control yourself. You’ll attack me. I know what your kind does.”
    “I’d never put you in harm’s way. As long as I’m wearing this”—he pointed to the silver cuff on his arm—“I will no’ lose control of myself.”
    “What does that do?” She eyed it suspiciously. “Where’d you get it?”
    “The… witches.” He seemed to have just stifled a shudder. “The inscription on the cuff makes it so that I will no’ change involuntarily.”
    “I thought you told me you’d