Frost and Flame Read online

  From Gena Showalter, the New York Times bestselling author of the Lords of the Underworld saga, comes Frost and Flame, the second book in the scorching paranormal romance series Gods of War.

  Bane of Adwaeweth is the most feared immortal warrior in All War history. Possessed by a bloodthirsty beast, he will stop at nothing to win. Then he meets irresistible Nola Lee. He hates the power she wields over him, but she alone can rain vengeance upon his wife’s killer.

  Unaware of her destiny to rule as queen of beasts, Nola battles illness, addiction and vulnerability. With Bane, however, she experiences pleasure for the first time, and only wants more. But being with him comes with a terrible price.

  With enemies lurking around every corner, Bane and Nola must fight to survive. But time is running out, and neither can resist the sizzling attraction blazing between them. Will their romance save the beast and his beauty, or destroy everything they’ve come to love?

  Praise for Gena Showalter

  “I love this world and these alpha males—this is Gena Showalter at her best!”

  —J. R. Ward, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  “Sexy paranormal romance at its hottest! The Gods of War series is my new obsession.”

  —Christine Feehan, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  “Violence and passion infuse Gena Showalter’s thrilling new world of gods and war. Hold on for a wild ride!”

  —Nalini Singh, New York Times bestselling author

  “Gena Showalter’s attention to detail, innovative play on mythology, and sexy alpha male heroes come together seamlessly to create a world so vivid and engrossing that I never want it to end.”

  —Mandy M. Roth, New York Times bestselling author

  “A new and stunningly brilliant sexy paranormal romance series by the talented Gena Showalter. I couldn’t put it down!”

  —Michelle M. Pillow, New York Times bestselling author

  “One of the premier authors of paranormal romance.”

  —Kresley Cole, #1 New York Times bestselling author

  “Gena Showalter never fails to dazzle.”

  —Jeaniene Frost, New York Times bestselling author

  “The Showalter name on a book means guaranteed entertainment.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Gena Showalter is a romantic genius.”

  —San Francisco Book Review

  Also available from

  Gena Showalter

  and HQN Books

  Shadow and Ice

  The Darkest Warrior

  Can’t Let Go

  Can’t Hardly Breathe

  The Darkest Promise

  The Darkest Torment

  The Harder You Fall

  The Hotter You Burn

  The Closer You Come

  All for You (anthology featuring “The One You Want”)

  The Darkest Touch

  Burning Dawn

  After Dark (duology featuring “The Darkest Angel”)

  The Darkest Craving

  Beauty Awakened

  After Moonrise (duology with P.C. Cast)

  Wicked Nights

  The Darkest Seduction

  The Darkest Surrender

  The Darkest Secret

  The Darkest Lie

  The Darkest Passion

  Into the Dark

  The Darkest Whisper

  The Darkest Pleasure

  The Darkest Kiss

  The Darkest Night

  The Vampire’s Bride

  The Nymph King

  Jewel of Atlantis

  Heart of the Dragon

  Twice as Hot

  Playing with Fire

  Catch a Mate

  Animal Instincts

  The Pleasure Slave

  The Stone Prince

  From Harlequin Nonfiction

  Dating the Undead (with Jill Monroe)

  From Harlequin TEEN

  The Evil Queen

  Everlife

  Lifeblood

  Firstlife

  A Mad Zombie Party

  The Queen of Zombie Hearts

  Through the Zombie Glass

  Alice in Zombieland

  Twisted

  Unraveled

  Intertwined

  And look for the

  next scorching story in Gena Showalter’s Lords of the Underworld series

  The Darkest King

  coming soon!

  GENA SHOWALTER

  Frost and Flame

  To Michele Bidelspach. Our first book together.

  I look forward to many more!

  Contents

  INTRODUCTION

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  EXCERPT FROM THE DARKEST KING BY GENA SHOWALTER

  Once upon a time, kings and queens from across the galaxies searched for new worlds to inhabit, and other species to rule. These greedy royals sent armed legions into battle. Millions died, the newly discovered planets destroyed. While the heartless monarchs thrilled as they watched these bloodthirsty battles, they inherited little more than wastelands.

  Wanting to continue their games and master new worlds, they agreed to a contest—the All War. Each sovereign would send one warrior to any newly discovered territory. Their best warrior. That territory would be their playground...and their battlefield. One champion would take everything, and all losers would die.

  Throughout the centuries, one unspoken edict has remained the same. Do not fall in love with a local.

  “Love? Never again. My heart is made of vengeance and hate.”

  —Bane of Adwaeweth

  “I’ve warred with fibromyalgia and lupus for years. Tame some big, bad beasty-boy? Watch me.”

  —Nola Lee

  PROLOGUE

  The Realm of Adwaeweth

  1026 AA (After Alliance)

  BANE OF ADWAEWETH ignored his instincts to dominate his woman—always he ignored his instincts—and rolled to his back, the expected position for an Adwaewethian male. Not just expected, but enforced by law.

  Would the pleasure be greater on top? Bane had broached the subject with Meredith once, only once, but she’d had no interest, so he’d dropped it. Most days, he told himself he didn’t care. Some days he believed it.

  Bathed in candlelight, Meredith rose to her knees, straddled him and sank down on his throbbing erection. The pleasure!

  Head tipping backward, spine arching, Meredith moaned with rapture and began to ride him. Sweat glistened on her golden skin, and desire hooded he
r golden eyes. So beautiful. So strong and brave.

  Meredith was the love of his life. Not too long ago, they’d recited vows in front of royals and peers alike, forever binding their futures. Only in death shall we part.

  When she braced her hands on his calves and whipped her hips, his mind blanked...only to come back to life with a single thought. More. Releasing a strangled groan, he clasped her waist to control her motions. Up and down. Faster. Harder. Just the way she liked.

  “Bane. It’s so good.” Short flaxen curls danced around her gorgeous face.

  Harder still. Faster and faster. She loved his ferocity. But then, he’d always gravitated to warrior women. The ones courageous enough to rush into battle at his side.

  Meredith offered more than physical resilience, though. A treasure inside and out, she had become his only refuge in a brutal, bloody eternity.

  A shrill voice suddenly blasted through his mind. —Stop what you’re doing and come to Hivetta. Shirtless! I might as well enjoy the view as we discuss queendom business. And hurry!—

  Bane jerked. Only one person ever communicated with him via telepathy. Queen Aveline the Great, chosen by fate and imbued with preternatural powers. My master and tormentor.

  Like all queens and princesses in the ruling class, Aveline could speak telepathically with her people, heal swiftly and teleport; she also had a special power all her own: the ability to drain a life force with only a touch.

  Meredith continued to ride him, unaware of his distraction.

  He replied to the queen, I’m busy. Can this wait an hour? Foolish question. He knew Aveline well. They’d been childhood sweethearts, until the once kind and considerate royal had grown into a cruel and selfish queen. Now, her impatience knew no bounds. Or thirty—twenty—ten minutes, just ten.

  He didn’t wish to leave his wife unsatisfied.

  —You have five minutes. Fail to appear before me, and I’ll make your bride a widow. Ticktock.—

  Aveline never uttered empty threats.

  In his four centuries of life, Bane had watched six different princesses ascend to power. No matter how sweet the female, something dark and insidious always infected her during the coronation ceremony, a violent process known as the Blood Rite. Swirling golden runes would appear on her skin, an eternal brand that somehow torched anything good and right, creating an entitled, self-indulgent, intemperate entity with no moral compass.

  “I’m sorry, love,” he grated, already losing his...edge. “I must go. The queen has commanded my presence.”

  “What?” Meredith beat her fists against his chest. “You can’t leave me like this.”

  “I won’t.” He reached between their bodies, pressed the pad of his thumb against her clitoris and brought her to a swift climax. As her inner walls squeezed his length, he gritted his teeth and wheeled her to the side, and withdrew from paradise. What remained of his pleasure dovetailed into agony. “I’m sorry,” he repeated, jumping from bed to wrangle his erection behind a pair of black leathers.

  She sagged onto the mattress and grinned. “My poor baby. You’ll never fit that thing inside your pants.” The grin ebbed. With a tilt of her chin, she motioned to his shaft. “Aveline has the worst timing.”

  “Aveline has the worst everything.”

  Muffled voices drifted through the walls, a chorus of laughter following. Right now, Bane and Meredith lived in the army barracks next door to Hivetta, the royal palace, where jagged crystal walls were set in a honeycomb pattern.

  Over the years, Hivetta had become the beating heart of the entire realm—and a prison rather than a home.

  A few weeks ago, he’d purchased land outside city limits, where he’d begun building Meredith’s dream home. A place to raise their children, if ever they were blessed in such a way.

  “When I return, we’ll pick up where we left off, and I’ll give you another orgasm.” He sat at the edge of the bed to pull on his boots.

  “Unacceptable.” Meredith pressed her bare breasts against his back and rested her chin on his shoulder. “You’ll give me two orgasms—to start.”

  He chuckled, though his amusement faded fast. A countdown clock had begun racing inside his head. Ticktock. Ticktock.

  She ran his earlobe between her teeth. “If I could challenge Aveline on your behalf, and win, I would.”

  “I know.” But, if she dared try, Bane would be forced to retaliate against her. Nothing broke the mystical bond between an Adwaewethian warrior and his queen, not even love for another.

  A queen had absolute control over her men, as well as the beasts that lived inside them. Literal beasts who despised everything but death. A dark scourge the warriors battled physically, mentally and emotionally every minute of every day, with two exceptions. Sex, and the nearness of a royal.

  Right on cue, a familiar roar of protest sounded inside his head. The beast didn’t like that he would soon be leaving a willing partner. Any partner. Beasts weren’t picky, and they were never satisfied.

  I know the feeling. All his life, Bane had felt incomplete. He’d thought, hoped, his marriage would fix him, but...

  More roars. Louder. Bane breathed deeply, filling his lungs in an effort to remain calm. Whenever a host lost control of his temper, he lost control period, the beast overtaking and changing him. He would grow in height and girth, horns sprouting from his head, spikes protruding from his spine, claws blooming at the ends of his fingers. Scales as hard as steel would cover his skin, and his teeth would sharpen into enameled daggers. He would kill with abandon and glee, the taste of blood ambrosial, screams of pain like music.

  “What do you think Aveline the Greatly Terrible wants from you?” Meredith asked, drawing him from his musings.

  Ticktock. “Most likely she’ll command me to murder someone who’s offended her.” And Bane would do it without hesitation. He would do anything she requested; no matter how despicable, her command was his duty. Physically, he couldn’t disobey her.

  At the reminder, fury burned through him.

  “We must find a way to sever the queen’s hold over you,” Meredith said.

  “As awful as it is, as much as I despise it, a link with a royal is necessary.” A fact difficult to understand for the beastless. They couldn’t comprehend the constant tug-of-war between man and monster, or the balance created by the royals.

  Meredith heaved a sigh. “I’ll help you, whoever she orders you to kill.”

  “One of the countless reasons I love you.” He gave his lovely wife a swift kiss, then sprinted from the barracks as if his feet were on fire.

  A warrior stepped into his path, but he easily dodged. With forty-nine seconds to spare, he flew into the throne room and stopped beneath the dais, where he jutted his chin, squared his shoulders and braced his legs apart.

  The beast went quiet.

  The scent of candle wax and honeysuckle filled his nostrils. Honeysuckle—a scent exuded by every Adwaewethian queen and princess.

  Hate honeysuckle!

  Light glowed from a chandelier as big as his bedchamber, reflecting off a solid gold floor. On the walls hung portraits of past queens. Seated upon a throne of amethyst and crystal, Aveline raked her amber gaze over him before unveiling a cold smile.

  “As delicious as I remember,” she purred. “I approve.”

  Just a piece of meat to her. Once, she’d looked at him with love and affection, even adoration. She’d held his hand, and kissed his knuckles, and rested her head on his shoulder, content to just be with him.

  Like all royals, she possessed a deceptively delicate appearance, with flawless golden skin, hair as pale as moonbeams, and irises the shade of a sunrise his too-sensitive eyes had only ever seen in pictures. Faint golden runes etched her flesh in swirling designs. A sheer pink gown molded to her every perfect curve: full breasts, cinched waist and flared hips. Peekaboo slits in the
skirt provided a glimpse of thigh when she shifted.

  For those who preferred their women to look as fragile as glass, Aveline was a vison of loveliness—on the outside. On the inside, however, she was rotten to the core, greedy and corrupt, and Bane despised her with every fiber of his being. To be fair, he despised all Adwaewethian royals so vehemently.

  When Aveline made no effort to start the conversation she’d insisted on having, he cut off a curse. “You summoned?”

  “Leaving your new wife was...hard, I see.”

  Quite. White-hot lust still flowed through his veins. “Why am I here, Aveline?”

  She waved a dainty hand, dismissing the guards who stood behind her. Mount and Micah, brothers known for their vicious natures.

  Micah blew him a kiss. Mount winked.

  The moment the doors closed behind the males, Aveline said, “You’re here because you have something my other elite warriors do not. A reason to win quickly.”

  Suspicions danced through his thoughts, and his fingers curled, desperate to hold a weapon. “Do not say—”

  “The All War Alliance has discovered another realm,” she interjected. “A vast world known as Terra, with climates and terrains for every preference. There are oceans, mountains, flatlands, forests, deserts and so much more.”

  Suspicions confirmed. Dread and aggression surged. “I’ve already done my duty for Adwaeweth, Hivetta and even you, winning two new worlds.” In return, he’d gained scars, nightmares and a deep distrust for others. “I have earned my retirement.”

  “In one week, you will journey to this new realm,” she continued, merciless. “You will act as my representative and fight in the next All War. You will win Terra.”

  Throughout the galaxies, there were thousands of other-worlds, realms and dimensions. Homes to different species, immortals and creatures of lore. As these worlds had vied for domination, wars had erupted, leaders eager to gain more territories and slaves. The more territories and slaves, the greater the likelihood of winning the next war, and the next. But, in the process, many of those other-worlds, realms and dimensions had been destroyed, rendered uninhabitable. In a bid to save future worlds, leaders formed the All War Alliance, and birthed the All Wars.