Sherrilyn Kenyon - Upon the Midnight Clear

"Yeah," he said, his deep voice filled with malice. "It never fails to amaze me how a single lie can undo an entire lifetime of good."

And it was then she realized something. This man didn't need Pain. It already lived inside him right alongside Bitterness and Rage. They had him nestled tight against their bosoms and from what she sensed they had no intention of letting him go.

Then she heard it…

That deep, blood-chilling laugh.

"Leta…"

She flashed herself from her sterile pod to stand on the cold marble floor. A bitter wind plastered her gown against her body, exposing her bare feet to the ankles. It made the gold bands on her upper arms bitingly cold. The walls around her were white; no pictures or curtains or anything else to break its sterile quality.

Still she felt the presence of the god of Pain.

"Where are you, you bastard?"

Dolor appeared behind her. Before she could move, he grabbed her by the hair and wrenched her head back against his shoulder. "You didn't really think you could keep me trapped forever, did you?"

She tried to fight, but he released her and vanished. "This isn't over, Dolor," she said, her voice filled with the weight of her promise.

His laughter filled the room. "No, it isn't. You bound me to this curse, and before this is over, you will pay for it. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a human to torture and kill."

She felt him receding all the way down her spine and there was nothing she could do to stop him. By the order of Zeus, her own emotions had been drained. Yet she felt something… some remnant emotions from the past perhaps?

She wasn't sure.

But one thing was certain, there were enough emotions inside her that she wasn't about to allow Pain to hurt another soul if she could help it. It was a solemn vow she'd made and it was one she would keep. So long as she had life in her veins, she would fight.

And as she started forward, Dolor's target turned in the mirror to face her.

Leta froze as she saw the man's features. He was as beautiful as an immortal. Through the mist that separated the Vanishing Isle from the human plane, she could see every curve and line of his perfect face. Sharp brows arched over eyes that were a pale green. Searing with intelligence, they showed her a soul that was tainted by betrayal. One completely devoid of trust.

And in that one single moment, she felt his sorrow inside her own heart. He wanted to trust someone. He wanted to reach out. But he'd forgotten how.

Alone and cold, he was pain personified.

Cocking her head, she realized something else. That pain that burned so fiercely within him was exactly what she needed to use in order to defeat Dolor. If she could channel it, it would meld with her powers and give her the advantage. There was no stronger emotion than rage…

He's been hurt enough…

It didn't matter. She couldn't see his pain for her own. Dolor must be defeated at any cost and if this human paid the price, so what? The life and soul of one would never be worth more than the lives and souls of many. Aidan O'Conner would be her sacrifice and her past would finally be avenged. Pain would be defeated by her hand and laid to rest for all eternity.

Leta was completely baffled by the human world as she stared into the mirrors around her that showed the daily events taking place in the realm of man. Her gaze chased from mirror to mirror as she tried to make sense of the flickering images of people from all over the world. She was beginning to suspect that she'd made a horrible mistake by putting herself in stasis while waiting for Dolor to stir. Everything had changed.

Everything.

There were complicated contraptions—machines—that she couldn't even begin to fathom. And the languages had changed so much… She had to focus to understand the rapidly spoken words, which were riddled with colloquialisms and slang that flew past her understanding. Her head ached from the strain of it all.

"Give yourself time."

She turned to find her older brother M'Adoc behind her. For a creature whose emotions had been brutally taken from her, she felt her heart stirring at his approach. It was a muted joy that only reminded her of what real happiness had felt like. But phantom emotions were better than no emotions at all.

Tall and lithe like her, M'Adoc had black, wavy hair and eyes so pale a blue they were almost luminescent.

She held her hand out to him. "It's good to see you again, brother."

There was the subtlest of softening in his gaze as he took her hand and brought it to his lips.

Leta flinched as an unbidden and unexpected image of his being tortured went through her. Even after thousands of years, she could still hear his screams.

And her own.

As if he knew her thoughts, M'Adoc gathered her into his arms. He cupped her head in his hand and held her face against his shoulder. Leta gasped as he passed onto her the knowledge of the changed world and how it worked.

"You have set yourself a herculean task, little sister," he breathed against her hair. "You should have stayed with the rest of us and not isolated yourself."

"I couldn't." It had been too painful to see them all emotionless when she remembered the way they'd been before Zeus had punished them. The only emotion Zeus had left them with was pain, so that he could control and punish the gods of sleep, and that never-ending pain had eaten a hole inside her.

It was a cold world she'd been forced to live in and that as much as anything else was why she'd been just as content to sleep through eternity.

She stepped back from M'Adoc so that she could meet his gaze. "I have to stop him."

"He's not the only god of pain. Pain permeates everything in our world and that of man."

"I know. But he is ultimate suffering. It's not enough to make his victims cry. He destroys them, mind, body, and soul. You weren't there, brother… you didn't see."

Still, he flinched as if he could in fact see her memories. "Everyone does what they feel they have to do. I respect you for your choices. Doesn't mean I agree with them." His gaze sharpened before he spoke again. "Dolor will kill you if he gets the chance."

She let one side of her mouth curl up into the semblance of a bitter smile. "Good. I relish the fight just as I will relish the feel of his heart in my fist as I crush the life out of him."

M'Adoc inclined his head to her. "Then I leave you to your plans for revenge… except for one thing."

"That is?"

His eyes were haunting. "It's not the pain that's inflicted on us by others that destroys us. It's the pain we let inside our hearts that does that. Don't let the human's anger become yours. It can drive you mad if you do." And with those sage words spoken, he vanished.

Leta drew a deep breath as she considered what he'd said. She knew he was right. But knowing something and doing it were often two entirely different things. She needed Aidan's anger. She wanted it.

Closing her eyes, she focused on the target.

Aidan.

He was asleep in his bed, dreaming that he was lost in a thundering storm. The rain slashed painfully against his skin as he trudged along. His breathing was ragged, his handsome face contorted by rage.

Leta was baffled by his actions. By his will to carry on even as lightning struck the ground, barely missing him. The static from the blasts caused his hair to rise and fan out around his steely features. It was a feral determination that carried him onward. And before she even realized what she'd done, she'd stepped through the portal and entered the dream beside him.

He froze in place as he became aware of her. The cold rain pelted her flesh, plastering her hair against her body as she watched him curiously. In this state, all of his emotions were laid bare to her. She could feel every ounce of his rage, his betrayal.