Royally Screwed Page 3

  Hah, chided Huxley. Sucks to be you. He sent it to Enlil via mind-speak and watched the hardening of the wind god’s face.

  Fuck off, Hux. At least I recognize a good woman when I see one.

  That shut Huxley down. He wasn’t about to discuss the reasons he avoided Dani with Enlil. And plenty of good ones came to mind. For that matter, it would probably be prudent to go back to his room before he lost track of those reasons. The tall redhead with the lush, full breasts and intriguingly vulnerable-at-the-moment square shoulders that tapered off to a slim waist, grabable hips, and long, very long legs, remained off limits to him. Granted, they were self-imposed limits, but he knew the lovely doctor was light-years too good for him. Because of that, Huxley had purposely been an asshole to Dani last time they’d talked, and he’d successfully shut her down. He’d done a proper job of it, and zero contact followed. Which was why her turning to him now and wrinkling her lightly freckled nose shocked the shit out of him.

  “I’ve just had a visit from Addie May,” she announced loudly to the room in general, but kept her eyes on Hux. Brows lifted all around. Her pronouncement hung in the air, and because it originated from the mouth of the older witch, everyone listened. Including Huxley.

  Dani took a deep breath and let it out in one sentence, glancing toward Nergal first. “She says that King Nergal will know something specific about his queen’s whereabouts before tomorrow morning.”

  The deity came to his feet, chair crashing to the floor behind him. “Did the witch say she was all right?” he demanded. “Does she know where Eresh is?”

  “I’m sorry, sire, but that’s all she had to say on that score. However,” Dani cleared her throat and looked at Huxley, “she made it very clear that Huxley would eventually locate your queen, and they would both be safe if—” She paused. “—and only if, I accompany Huxley every time he leaves the compound.”

  The silence deafened. King Nergal, unaware of the tension between Hux and Dani, stayed speechless, but looked elated. The girl posse—who had jokingly started calling themselves the Goddess League—was for once struck dumb.

  Huxley felt his face taking on a thunderous look worthy of the great Marduk. He squared off his shoulders and bent down to within inches of Dani’s nose. “No fucking way in hell.” His voice sliced through the air like a blade.

  Dani held her ground, barely blinking her big brown eyes. “I knew that would be your answer.”

  Chapter Three

  “Now wait a minute, son.” Nergal quickly grabbed Huxley’s shoulder as he attempted to leave the room.

  “Don’t touch me.” Huxley stilled, and his voice lowered to a snarling whisper. “Remove your hand.” He didn’t turn to look at the king.

  Hux breathed hard, and his adrenaline level shot to the moon. The normal exceptions to his general rule of no touching—which he’d adopted in the past two years—were his sisters and father, sparring or fighting partners―planned or unplanned―and most recently his lapses of judgment with Dani-Lee. Oops, and a very spontaneous, one-off hug from the god Emesh.

  King be damned, Hux did not dig the restraining hand. “Let me go. Right. The fuck. Now.”

  It seemed to Hux that the air suddenly sucked from the kitchen. Well, pardon him. Apparently no one talked to King Nergal like that. But Huxley didn’t give a shit and held his ground. The situation could go many ways. He waited to see what Nergal would do.

  The king’s hand lowered slowly, and oddly, he seemed to delight in Hux’s bold behavior. “You want to be an asshole?” he snarled with a feral grin. “How about you put action over arrogance and settle this dispute with some hand-to-hand combat,” the king’s eyes gleamed speculatively, “prince.” Nergal’s choice of the word seemed deliberate. “But hear me well. If you win, you can walk away from this whole thing, and I won’t bother you again. I’ll find another way to save my wife or die trying.” His voice reverberated throughout the kitchen. “But if I win, you will follow orders from me and do as the witches have decreed.”

  “Fine.” Huxley nodded his head. He didn’t like it, but what choice did he have? If he refused, he either looked like a coward or an asshole.

  “Just to be clear,” the king continued. “If I pin you down to the count of ten, the doctor goes with you each and every time you leave the compound.” He left no room for doubt, but queried Huxley just the same. “Do I make myself clear?”

  Huxley turned eyes to the king that he hoped reflected his disgust. “Perfectly,” he answered then headed out the door.

  “Gym. Twenty minutes.” Nergal’s voice followed him down the hall.

  ****

  Dani stood, unblinking at the scene that had unfolded. The only good thing? Nergal suddenly looked more like himself than he had in the weeks since his wife had gone missing.

  His mouth quirked up as he turned to Marduk. “A good fight will get my blood moving again. The audacity of the whelp,” he huffed. “Thinking he can tell me what to do.” Nergal rolled his shoulders then glanced down at his normal royal attire, all gilded loin cloth and bronzed hardware. It became clear, even to Dani, that he’d need to rethink it to fight.

  “Does anyone have appropriate clothing I might borrow?”

  The king had a good eight inches on Enlil, nine on Lahar, and he topped Marduk by six. Dani didn’t want to feed into this thing, but reluctantly gave the king an answer.

  “I just folded laundry this morning. The war god, Erra, left some workout clothes behind. Shall I go get them?” Dani turned with one disgruntled step heading in the direction of the laundry room when Marduk took charge.

  “I’ll handle this, Dani. Thanks.” Marduk winked. “Come with me, my liege.” The thunder god left the room with Nergal following.

  “Let’s get some money going on this.” Anshar, the whole sky god rubbed his hands gleefully. He’d clearly been chomping at the bit for the king to leave so he could start the wagering. “We haven’t had a fight like this in years.”

  “My bet is on the king.” Lenore licked her bottom lip and raised her eyes to tease her husband. “Have you checked out the size of his biceps?”

  Tess laughed but demurred. “I’m not so sure the extra muscle will help him, Lenore. I’ve never seen anybody beat my brother.” She looked around at those remaining. “Not one of you could hold him down for longer than five seconds on the mats, so” she shook Lenore’s hand, “I’ll take your money.”

  “I’m with Tess.” Holly smirked. She’d obviously seen her brother fight plenty of times. “I know how cunning Hux is. Anybody who bets against him is seriously underestimating my bro.”

  “Hey, I’m not saying Huxley’s any slouch,” Enlil piped up. “But King Nergal has a few thousand more years’ practice.”

  “Sorry, baby.” Dagon turned to his wife Holly. “I’m with Enlil on this one. Nobody ever bests Nergal. He’s not king for nothing.”

  “Well, I, for one, can’t wait to see how they both move.” Lenore’s eyes lost a little of their focus, clearly baiting her man again. Anshar growled, and his demeanor momentarily darkened.

  “Ooh. Serpent playtime, baby?” Lenore assuaged her husband, who when agitated turned into a large sea creature. “Don’t worry. The king has nothing on you.” She slyly winked at Dani. “But a girl can look.” She ran a quick hand up under Anshar’s shirt and looked to score his eight pack with her nails. “Remember? Nothing gets me going like a good fight.” She purred.

  Dani looked around incredulously. Was she the only one distressed by the goings on? She understood that the gods were a physical, warlike band, but they were talking combat between two massive individuals: one who seemed bitter and determined to win for some unknown reason, and the other just as tenacious, if not more so, to save his wife. The results would not be pretty.

  As far as she could tell, the only thing Huxley had going for him was that the king needed him alive to have the prince—Dani’s brain froze. She quickly replayed the king and Huxley’s exchange in her brain.
What the hell? Had Nergal called Hux a prince? Her head nearly exploded.

  “Hey,” she blurted out. “Did the king call Huxley a prince?”

  Sheepish glances were exchanged all around, and it ticked Dani-Lee off. Had she been left out of some loop?

  “Yes, Dani,” Tess confirmed. “But we didn’t intentionally keep that from you. We only just found out earlier today that our lineage points in that direction. I promise we’ll give you details later.”

  Screw that. “Tell me. Does this mean that Nergal and Huxley are related?” Her voice rose into a semi-hysterical register.

  “Sort of,” stated Enten, who looked downright warm after the freeze Huxley had given her. The winter god cleared his throat. “I do believe Nergal would be Huxley’s half uncle by marriage. Tess, Holly, and Huxley’s mother is half-sister to Queen Ereshkigal.”

  Dani put up a hand and shook her head. She didn’t want to know any more right now. She needed to concentrate on what she’d carry into the gym for immediate triage should anything horrific occur. And she wouldn’t rule out that possibility. All the other fucked-up, Huxley-related things she’d shove to the back burner and figure out later. Dani-Lee turned and made haste to the infirmary.

  Twenty minutes later with the gym full, Dani regarded the scene pensively. The crowd seemed lively and the atmosphere sounded festive. Huxley stood on one end of the mats dressed in black compression shorts and a gray tank. His ass and thighs were highly muscled and his deltoids bulged gloriously as he warmed his body up.

  When Nergal walked in, the ladies gave a collective sigh. The king, normally in a loincloth and bare chest, was always something to see. But the king in skin-tight shorts―just a bit too small―and a T-shirt that stretched for miles across his broad chest? Well, that was just mouthwatering. Dani figured Huxley lost most of his female fan base at that precise moment.

  The mated males shrugged off the attention their mates paid to the all-Nergal show. Par for the course with the king, and they wouldn’t waste energy that took away from the upcoming fight.

  Nergal took no warm ups. The king merely stood at ease, rocking on bare feet, waiting to take his cue from Huxley. He didn’t have to wait long. Huxley stepped forward and instantly circled, arms held loosely at a ninety-degree angle from his waist.

  Enlil groused, “We need some structure here. I’ll be referee.” He stepped to the center of the combat area. “Shake hands before you begin,” he scolded, clearly not liking the vibe coming from Huxley. “Then we’ll start the show.”

  The two opponents approached from opposite sides, and Nergal smiled at Hux, extending his hand. “Good luck, son.”

  Huxley hesitated, but then took it and growled, “Yeah. You too,” before moving back.

  “Okay,” Enlil announced. “Fight’s on.”

  The besieging began in earnest with neither opponent invading the other’s space. Dani had a good sense of the battle. The two carefully contemplated each other’s posture, judged foot movements, and looked for tells in the eyes. Each summed up their rival with great care, clearly knowing this match would be unlike any they had ever fought. They both looked confident, pumped, and ready. The king stepped in first.

  He instantly grabbed for the inside of Huxley’s left leg, lifting up the back of the knee, while at the same time using his left foot to sweep Hux’s right leg out from underneath him. This would have worked, except Hux’s right leg was inexplicably rooted and immovable, allowing Huxley the opportunity to hammer with clasped hands on the back of Nergal’s neck as he bent. The king grunted and went down.

  The crowd gasped, but the king simply rolled, gained his feet in one fluid motion, and faced Huxley again. “Good at staying planted, huh?” the king bantered with Hux.

  “Yup.” Clearly he was in no mood for small talk, and sent a hand flying toward Nergal’s neck, attempting to jerk him forward into a clinch.

  The chords on the king’s neck stood out like tree roots and his head refused to move at Huxley’s bidding. The king instead wrapped both hands around the arm that pulled at him and slowly rotated it outward until Hux’s grip was broken and his body had no choice but to twist with the motion. The king once again swept with his foot and this time Huxley fell to the floor.

  Nergal dropped hard, sending a shoulder into Huxley’s chest, knocking the wind out of the younger male and briefly incapacitating him. The king took that opportunity to move, pinning Hux to the mat with his enormous upper body.

  Enlil began the count, “One, two, three…”

  Huxley flexed his hips and defying all laws of physics, planted one foot on the floor and brought the other over and down between Nergal’s legs, hooking him around his thick thigh to wrench up with all his might. He rolled the royal and himself one hundred and eighty degrees. Huxley was now on top.

  Dani remained spellbound. The pair was well matched.

  Nergal did not settle. Pushing for space to move and achieving his goal, the immortals’ elbows flew—bam, bam, bam—hard into Huxley’s collar bone. Huxley responded by lowering his head as if in pain, but instead brought it up in an undercut that made solid and audible contact with the king’s chin.

  Dani marveled. For anyone else, it would have been lights out, but Nergal only roared. It seemed, however, that his good nature had reached its limit. He thrust down with both hands and grabbed Huxley by the waist. Forearms straining and swelling with the effort, he picked up all two hundred and forty pounds of Hux to throw him over his head and across the room.

  Hux lay, as if stunned. Dani considered that possibly no one had ever moved on him like that before. Nergal demonstrated amazing powers and she could see it had dawned on Huxley that he might be in trouble. And there postured the king, bleeding from a large gash in his chin but righting himself to come at Huxley again.

  Hux found his feet and dropped into a crouch as the king readied to bolt forward. Lenore—a wrestling expert—standing beside Dani, gave her a best-case scenario for Huxley.

  “If Hux can move under Nergal’s leap and come up between the king’s legs, he could flip him over backward and bring himself down with all his weight on Nergal’s shoulders. It’s about his only shot since, at this point, it’s pretty certain that nothing Huxley can do will knock the king out.”

  Dani silently agreed. In the last few minutes, Hux must have realized that the king was the stronger of the two.

  Nergal made his move, lunging straight for his nephew but, at the last minute, he feinted to the side. Huxley—who did exactly as Lenore said—had no time to rethink his countermove and went down hard on his belly. The king whipped around and brought down his knee, connecting with a spot between Huxley’s shoulders. Dani could see Hux lose his breath for the second time. She sighed. It was all Nergal needed to finish the match.

  The king flipped Huxley, who gave no struggle then straddled him and ground a knee into each of his shoulders, pinning him to the mat.

  Blood and sweat dripped from Nergal’s face as Enlil counted off slowly to ten. Somewhere along the way, Huxley’s eye had sustained a blow and started to swell. His lip was split in two different places, and contusions quickly turned from red to purple, but he still looked up at the king.

  “Remind me not to do that again.” He smiled wryly. “I give. You fucking win.”

  Nergal smiled his own, bloody crooked smile. “Yeah, I do. But that was the best fucking fight I’ve ever engaged in,” he admitted, shaking his head in apparent wonder. “Wasn’t sure I would come out on top.”

  “Speaking of which,” Huxley twitched one shoulder where it still stayed pinned under the king’s knee.

  “Oh. Right.” The king attempted to get up, but rolled to his back beside Huxley instead. “Shit, I hurt.” He laughed. “Anshar,” he called over to the crowd in a weak but liege-like voice. “Don’t forget my piece of the take.”

  Dani-Lee assumed that meant he’d bet on himself. It was money well earned.

  She made her way slowly to the two prone bodie
s and knelt in the space between them, eying them as professionally as possible, ascertaining who needed medical assistance first.

  “Couple of idiots,” she groused, opening her bag. She caught the surprised look of the king, and scolded him. “Don’t think it means anything to me that you have a title, Nergal. I’m human, remember?” She held up a light and a swab. “Now tip up your head, so I can look at your chin.”

  “Go away, woman,” Nergal said good-naturedly. “I’ll heal up in a few minutes. God stuff, you know.” He wiggled his jaw and a new gush of blood oozed out.

  “I’m putting in a couple of stitches and don’t even think about complaining.” Dani had her needle threaded and ready to go. “It’s gaping enough that you’ll be bleeding all over the floor for at least a couple of hours unless I do.” She approached him with her sutures and asked a question to which she already had the answer. “Something to numb the area or go for it without?”

  “Just put the fucking stitches in, woman. Then see to the human.” He lifted to give her better access.

  “Excuse me?” This came from Huxley, now standing at Dani-Lee’s back, she hoped waiting for his turn to be patched up. “There’s only one human in this room that I know of,” he spouted. Poised to make a stitch, Dani became aware that everyone in the room, including the king, froze at Huxley’s ringing proclamation.

  He bent down, his head even with hers, and grinned as the king flinched with the first stitch. “And it gods’ damned well isn’t me.”

  Chapter Four

  Candy speculated that the house had been shut down and closed up tight. Dusk had already fallen on this cold October night, and she stood in the dark looking around what she assumed to be the study of the Abelard house in Maine. Using a small flashlight, she rifled through the big desk that dominated the room, still shaking her head that she was even here.

  Late last night she’d been on a flight from hell. LAX to Bangor International—with stopovers in New York and Atlanta—which lasted almost fourteen hours. She’d landed just after midnight, and as always, Candy had been out of sorts with the time change. She’d prowled her sparse hotel room until the wee hours of the morning before falling into a fitful sleep.