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caught her before she hit the floor.
Olivia?
Malin scooped her up in his arms and carried her into the bedroom. She stayed close. With
her arms around his neck, she refused to let him go.
His hands massaged her back.
I remember everything. Tears threatened to spill over. In no time at all, she d be back in
Netherworld. Her arms tightened in misery. She d even miss the world he lived in. But most of
all she d miss him so, so much.
Oh Mummy, watch over him for me.
Shh, I want you to calm down.
I wasn t sent here as your guardian angel.
What the fuck are you doing? The darken stormed into her mind.
Her throat constricted. A sob clogged in her chest. She didn t want to tell him what she
really was. She swallowed hard to force the confession out. I was sent here to corrupt you.
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Shut up, you dumb bitch!
No! You shut up! Malin deserved a good life that led to the paradise of Afterworld. Not
this.
Olivia couldn t see past the tears. An unbearable tightness bore down beneath her breast.
Knowing she had only moments with Malin left she clung to his warm body. It s true. She
nodded, a hand burrowing into his short hair. It s true. I m an evil being.
If you think I m going to be punished like Aston was& On the next blink, the half demon
disappeared.
Her blood rushed in fear. There was little time left now.
Olivia, listen to me. He eased away to look into her eyes. You re not evil. You took a
nasty hit on the head. That s all. Rough hands clasped her face. Although initial searches
showed up nothing on your identity we will find out who you are. He kissed her gently, before
hugging her close.
You won t. Eyes closed so she wouldn t be able to see his concern, she shook her head.
You won t. I live among the undead in Netherworld.
Pet.
On a gasp, Olivia opened her eyes to look into amber fire.
Tell your mark you re tired and would like a nap. The Dark Prince s sultry, almost
pleasant tone didn t lull her into feeling even remotely safe. Soon, she d pay for her defiance.
That was a given.
Chilled to the bone, she wet her dry lips. She could scream and demand Malin believe her,
but she dared not. Sure if she did it would only bring Malin more harm. At least this way there
was a small chance he d think over what she d admitted and fear her.
No, she d not risk Malin in such a way. Not in any way. Master, I m so tired.
Again, he eased away. You look pale. A nap might do you some good.
Reluctantly, she let him go.
I ll check on you in a while.
She nodded and rolled over into a ball.
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Dark Chance
There was no time to rest as she and the Prince descended into Netherworld. Immediately,
the noise of suffering threatened to suffocate her. She d never been able to completely tune out
others distress.
Olivia s knees knocked as Satan fingered a lock of her hair. With his free hand, he waved
over the new darken who d been keeping watch over her.
Yes, Master. The half demon lowered his gaze.
Releasing her hair, the Prince struck out to latch onto the darken s head. Don t ever
approach me again with your inability to watch over a single female. Claws extended, and
Olivia turned away but couldn t block out his scream of terror.
At his silence she risked a look back.
The Dark Prince dropped the skull and kicked the decapitated head.
Dizziness caused her head to swim. The darken would suffer in agony until his body was
able to rejuvenate again.
You ve turned out to be quite the headache. His smile shocked her with a second wave of
lightheadedness.
Bile churned in her stomach.
Come along, pet. The Prince walked past her.
Body quaking, heart in her throat, she followed without a murmur of protest. A knot twisted
when she realized where they were headed.
The snake pits.
Oh, Mummy, give me strength.
Ahead of them, a half dozen darkens prowled throughout paths around the holes. The cruel
half demons tormented those being punished below. She d seen that with her own eyes.
With a motion of his hand, the Prince waved her ahead of him to a particularly rough
looking darken. See that she suffers but lives.
The Prince only wanted her to suffer.
Rejuvenating from a death would ve made her whole again, including giving back her
maidenhead. She might not have been able to get through to Malin that she wasn t of his world,
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but a second deflowering was something a man would notice. She quivered at the chance of
seeing Malin once more.
Still, with the promise of torture her mind didn t ease.
He caressed a lock of her hair. Then you ll do what you re told, won t you, pet?
No sooner had the Prince walked away than Olivia was pushed into a pit. She screamed on
her way down. Her legs and pelvic bone shattered when she hit the ground.
Unbearable pain stole her breath. But unfortunately, not her mind. She heard the hissing of
the serpents.
They d be on her soon. Their fangs striking out to sink deep. She d go mad soon.
Nonpoisonous biting snakes were the worst. Best to die and get a short break from the reptiles.
Olivia shuddered and did her best to ignore the blinding pain. She bled internally. She felt
her life force weakening. But she d survive the broken bones. Internal injuries would heal.
Scorpio& Knowing it was foolish she reached out with her mind.
Only the hissing of snakes answered her plea.
Oh, please hear me, Scorpio&
What?
She gasped. Scorpio, you can hear me?
Unfortunately.
How? She hadn t thought it d be possible.
A decade back, I pissed the wrong Gypsy off. He snorted. She gave me what she referred
to as a blessing.
Warmth spread through her blood, and she opened her eyes to stare into the surrounding
blackness. Instead, Scorpio stood there in front of her. How?
Even some demons fear Drina s magic. He shrugged a shoulder. I cannot stay. Nor can I
ease your pain.
I know. For the first time, she noted the snakes had gone quiet. I want to know, does love
exist? Is it real?
Enough have died in the name of love. Again he shrugged. So I suppose so.
Love.
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Dark Chance
Oh, Mummy&
Affection. Admiration. Desire. Tenderness. What incredible emotions Malin inspired in her.
Her eyelids grew heavy. You must save him. She forced her eyes open. Even from me.
He nodded.
I know you must hate me& us.
It s not my place to judge.
But you have to know I d push that first officer overboard again and again& . She
swallowed. After her mum died she d been forced to take up thieving. She d stolen what it d
taken to survive. It was either steal or whore. And she d refused to be a whore. Her life had
always been hard, but once she d been indentured and put on that bloody ship, that& rotten
bastard had raped her every night, calling her his personal whore. Yes, I d do it again. Her lip
trembled. As much as she regretted it, if she hadn t pushed him overboard when she d had a
chance, she d not have ever met Malin. And for Malin, she d sacrifice what little she had to give.
He was worth it.
I must go.
I know. Thank& She trailed off since he d already disappeared.
Almost immediately, the snakes went into a frenzy. The first one struck her on her right
hand.
Fear drove the scream from her as more fangs dug deep.
Malin woke slowly to cradle Olivia against his side. Damn her nightmares. Her dreams
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