The Fire of the Fated (The Chosen Series Book 3)

by K. C. Hamby

  “Ash,” booms from behind us and yanks me out of my thoughts.

  Thanatos. Or..half Thanatos? Is he really Thanatos still if Fal took half of his title?

  Ugh, whatever…Silas.

  “Fuck off,” Ash growls after acing a petty glare at the man he is almost the spitting image of.

  Of course, he looks like their mom just like Fal does. But he has the size and stony face of his father where Fal has the smaller, strong size of her mom.

  “Son, I need to speak with you.” Silas gestures for Ash to follow him for some privacy like Hecate did for me.

  His black, endless eyes are really terrifying.

  “Don’t fucking call me son,” Ash snarls, but follows Silas a little way away, curiosity taking over more than his rage.

  I watch them go, eyes widening when I realize shadows are clinging to them both.

  Chapter 41

  Ash

  “This is far enough,” I snarl and stop walking, planting my feet and refusing to walk any farther. I’m not going to be pulled into seclusion with the god of Death. Father or not, I’m not fucking stupid. “What the hell do you want?”

  Silas turns his black eyes to stare into my own like he wants to slap the asshole out of me. He always used to make this exact face when Fal cursed, or when I was a smart ass.

  Or when Fal was a smart ass.

  When wasn’t she, though?

  “You are Fated,” is all Silas comments in the building silence.

  I blink several times. Hasn’t Hecate already told me I have a ‘higher path’ or some shit? And that god of Death fuckery Hades was saying? This isn’t exactly news. “Great. Can I go now?”

  “You are Fated to take the name of Thanatos with your sister,” he adds when I turn my back and take a step to walk away.

  Silence passes over us as if Death himself killed the sound. Which, I guess, he could if he wanted. He controls all death, after all.

  He must take my dumbfounded silence as his cue to continue talking. Not like I’m going to say anything. My mouth has given up all ability to force my vocal cords into making even a slightly intelligible noise.

  “The title of Thanatos has always been passed through the males of the Thana line. My father was Thanatos before me, his father before him, and so on since the beginning of time. However, I have chosen to make the weight of the title less great and have decided to split the role between you and your sister.” He lets this float in the air between us before he swallows; I turn my head toward him and notice a small bit of vulnerability flexing the muscles in his neck. “I am weary. I wish to join your mother in the Elysian fields and rest. It is time for you and Falen to take my place.”

  I say nothing for the longest time as Silas just bores his eyes into my back. I fully turn with eyes blazing, but he is just standing there without the slightest twitch of his relaxed fingers. As if it’s his right to tell me this. As if I’m supposed to just agree with all the bullshit he just dropped at my feet.

  I laugh. Really hard. I can’t help it. That’s the funniest shit I’ve ever heard. My eyes water with the effort and my stomach cramps.

  Silas’ eyes widen, offended at my audacity.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I sputter out. “No ‘hi, son. I’m sorry I abandoned you and your sister and forced you both to grow up far too young. I’m sorry I left you to deal with your mother’s death alone and without a father.’ Nope. None of that. Just, ‘yo, I’m tired of my job. You get it now. ‘Kay, thanks. Bye.’” I take a wrathful step toward him, but he doesn’t flinch. “Fal didn’t even get the opportunity know everything until the last second. She was here to accept her place without knowing you were the bastard that caused this. And you just drop on our heads that you have been the god of Death this entire fucking time?” The muscles in my jaw twitch, aching with the need to rip his throat out. “You can fuck right off to whatever hellhole you’ve been hiding in.”

  “Ash, you must…”

  “What, are you going to force me?” I snap, balling my fists like I’m going to punch him. Like I am ready to fight the god of Death right fucking now. Which isn’t too far from the truth.

  “I would never force you. You must choose it yourself. But you must know, Falen…”

  “And why would I choose it for myself?” I snap, cutting him off. “Why would I want to rid you of your burden when you sure as hell never rid me and Fal of ours? Why the hell would I let you live happily ever after with Mom in the afterlife when you did nothing to try and save her?”

  This hits him right in the gut.

  Darkness pulses around him.

  “You have no idea of that which you speak,” he snarls and takes a powerful step forward. Shadows push against me and I falter a step back.

  The hackles of my wolf rise. I am an Alpha. He shouldn’t be able to push me around.

  But even Alphas submit to Death.

  Fal is enough of an example of that fact.

  “I abandoned you, it is true. But you do not understand the circumstances that led me to the action,” he continues like he doesn’t give a shit if he just overpowered me into submission. All that covers his face is rage and guilt.

  “Silas,” is whispered beside me.

  Silas’ face softens when his black eyes fall to the woman at my side. “Alina.” He reaches out to touch her face but pulls back as if he is afraid of the action.

  Good. He doesn’t deserve to touch my mom.

  Startled and yet happy for the shift in Silas’ attention, I look down at my mother. She places a warm hand on my arm and smiles up at me.

  “I’m afraid it is time to depart, darling,” Hades appears between mom and Silas with that stupid smirk always unwanted. He glances down fondly at Mom.

  Silas growls beneath his breath and he eyes the back of Hades’ head like he would be happy to snap his neck.

  Panic seizes me when I turn to Mom, my hands already shaking nonstop.

  This is too much. She can’t leave me.

  Not yet.

  “It’s okay, Ash. You’ll see me again.” Her hand rests on my chest and over my too fast beating heart. “I promise you, sweetheart.”

  Mom always did know when I was panicking. She always knew the right words to calm me down. I was such a mama’s boy. Her death could never change that.

  She wraps her arms around me, and I hold on to her, tears slipping into her short, black hair from my damp cheeks. “I love you very much. And I am so proud of you.” Her voice cracks and yet she somehow makes her strength solidify within the words.

  “I love you,” I whisper, terrified of my voice cracking if I speak too loudly.

  I don’t want to say goodbye, but I suppose I at least get to actually have closure this time. She’s not being ripped away by Poachers and Fal and I aren’t running for our lives. She is right here in front of me, and I get to hug her. I get to tell her I love her before she disappears again. And this time she has a smile on her face.

  She says I’ll see her again. She’s never been wrong before.

  Mom pulls back from my arms and places a soft hand on my face. “There is so much you still do not understand, but you will soon. Until I see you again, my darling.”

  I swallow hard as she reaches out to Hades with her small, lethal hands proven capable of killing the worst monsters. She gives one glance to Silas before her and the King of the Underworld disappear in a cloud of smoke.

  Ironically, the life seems to leave the god of Death’s eyes when Mom disappears. He visibly deflates and lets out a breath that almost rocks his body like a sob.

  When his gaze hits me, it’s sad, but he doesn’t try to convince me to take his place again.

  “We will speak another time, Ash. Until I see you again.”

  And with that, he disappears.

  Chapter 42

  Falen

  Fool. You can’t run from Death.

  I chase the man who got one look at me and bolted. Annoying, really.

  H
e knows he’s a piece of shit. Serial rapist, thief…I could go on. The vision I received was very thorough about his…unfortunate sins.

  I breathe in and Move in front of him, body evaporating into smoke before becoming whole again.

  Pure fear floods his eyes as he slams on his brakes and attempts to turn back around, but I grab his fragile throat with an erratic pulse fluttering beneath my hand. He chokes as I lift him in front of my face.

  My touch changes his skin, blackness spreading from my fingers as if Death is a rotting poison rapidly taking over the body of the man.

  Interesting.

  A dark laugh leaves my lips as a cracking line of stinking rot crawls over his chin. “You thought you could run from me?”

  I shove him, letting him fall to the cement, wetting himself with fear. His piss is potent in the air, floating around us as waves of pungent heat. He opens his mouth to no doubt beg for mercy, but my scythe is moving for his throat before he can get a single word out.

  Blood sputters from his new neck accessory as I slam my open hand into his chest. My fingers move past flesh and bone, plunging into the very core of his being. I grasp a solid yet wispy thing thrashing, wanting to run from my grip.

  “O thánatos sas ischyrízetai,” I purr, the magic words needed to command his body to release his soul.

  Death claims you.

  Kindly, I give him a smile and a pat on the head before I yank his soul from his chest.

  I’m Moving before his body hits the ground and disintegrates.

  When I stop Moving, I am at the black-sanded riverbank of the River Styx snaking along the edge of the Underworld. It is deep and bright blue, almost reminiscent of the ocean around Olympia. Only, the night sky cannot be seen here. No, we are within the earth, all that hangs above are the sharp stalactites pointing dangerously toward the ground.

  The river itself is full of sorrowful souls who could not pay the toll to crossover into their designated afterlife—the coins placed upon the eyes of the deceased or given upon arrival to the souls because of the goodness within—and they are constantly swimming and never finding peace. The souls were not exactly good and not terribly evil, so they are in a sort of purgatory for eternity. Their mouths are open in agony as they pass, and there is a faint sound of moaning in the thick air lingering above the water.

  This is the river separating the world of the living and the dead.

  It is named after the goddess of the river, Styx, and it contains magical properties because of her abilities to make anyone invulnerable. This is the same river Achilles was dipped in by his mother, Themis, making him impervious to harm and defeat. Of course, except for the ankle his mother held onto while he was submerged in the waters. This ultimately led to his demise.

  Styx, the goddess, has since become the river as she spent so much time within its waters, her being infused into them and roams through the forgotten souls, keeping order in the unruly depths.

  When I look to my right, soul firmly in hand—which the soul seems to have quieted down as we have arrived—I’m staring straight at a smiling man.

  “Hello, Falen Thanatos.” The man bows briefly. “I am Charon. I am the boatman who will be transporting the souls you bring to Tartarus. You will not need payment for these souls, for Tartarus will be the price they pay. I only require payment for travel to the Elysian and Asphodel Fields.”

  The Elysian and Asphodel fields. The divine and human ‘heavens’ respectively.

  I study Charon, merely curious. He is dark-skinned with friendly black eyes. His hair is dreaded and lies neatly over his black suit. His teeth are bright white when he smiles, and I am at ease in his presence.

  “We will be working together a great deal,” I comment.

  He laughs, the smile easy on his face. “Yes, seemingly for an eternity.”

  I snort, the only sign I give he’s amused me.

  The soul quivers in my hand, terrified I’m sure after the shock has worn away. It’s a little funny because this is ultimately the bastard’s own fault he is in this situation.

  I wonder how many people would renounce evil if they knew where they were going in the afterlife.

  I walk the soul to the waiting boat bobbing in the moaning river and drop him in. Shackles snap themselves around his wrists and ankles, keeping him securely in place.

  He begins screaming, loud and shrill. My lip lifts at the piercing sound.

  “None of that,” Charon chides without dropping his smile, and snaps his fingers.

  The voice is taken from the soul and he falls silent. His mouth is open, but screams do not come out.

  “That’s a useful trick,” I mention, pushing my hair over my shoulder with little care. “You should teach me sometime.”

  Charon winks before he gives me a slight nod of his head. “Until we meet again, Lady Thanatos.”

  I nod in return and Move.

  As soon as I hit the earth on the island of Olympia, pleasurable pain rocks through me and a moan escapes my lips. My knees hit the ground.

  The Fury was right.

  It’s a burning fire in my blood, turning on my primal need for someone’s touch. Or spilled blood.

  Death or pleasure?

  Pleasure or death?

  Where can I go?

  I flip through images in my mind of where I can find either. Of course, there is a lot of death in my mind, but what I truly want is pleasure. This fool seemingly only gets her pleasure from one source.

  Nina.

  It’s a small whisper in the back of my mind, followed by something I can’t place. Warmth and...something else.

  I smirk. That hidden bit of humanity is fighting to take back even a little control.

  But it has me thinking. I’m sure I could charm half the women in Greece into letting me into their beds. I’m not the one lacking in game, after all. The weak part of me still wiggling like a parasite in the corners of my thoughts is the one who isn’t interested in the other sources of pleasure around us.

  It truly shames me. She has only sexually been with one person. It’s almost as disappointing as it would be if she were still a virgin.

  But the face of the beautiful woman, Nina, enters my thoughts anyway and I nearly moan again with the idea of her hands on me.

  That settles it, then.

  I Move to the apartment we share in an instant.

  She’s standing at the kitchen counter, back turned to me, biting her nails, and tapping her foot. Her hair falls in tangled white waves down her bright pink shirt.

  She’s anxious.

  Anxiety is such a useless and disgusting emotion.

  Gooseflesh dances up my spine as I watch her, though, needing her to touch me in some way. I take a step, meaning to wrap my arms around her waist and carry her to the bedroom.

  Edelina, the Fury, waltzes around the corner from the bathroom like she owns the place—owns my place—and stops in her tracks, fingers reaching for the dagger I know is concealed at her side. I show my teeth, canines venomous with promise if she dares to raise that blade against me.

  The Fury shows her own sharp teeth as her gold eyes flash a warning.

  I’m not fond of the challenge.

  “Falen.”

  Nina turns at the Fury’s acknowledgement and holds in a scream, pressing her hand to her mouth. I’ve startled her, it seems.

  “Fal?”

  I say nothing, possessiveness stirring in me at the blatant disrespect of my territory pulsing off the Fury. I stare down Edelina instead, waiting for her to make a move.

  She doesn’t, but she holds the hilt of her dagger hard enough to turn her knuckles a ghostly white. It’s like a threat in her own way. She’ll turn them white with her hands around my throat if she must.

  If she even could.

  The idea is laughable.

  “I need to be alone with Nina.” It’s a rough growl from deep within my chest. I personally don’t care if the Erinys watches me. Modesty is boring.

 
But I want her seeing nothing of Nina.

  I would kill the bitch if she ever did.

  The Fury swallows, glancing at Nina. Nina looks to the Fury with a raised brow, like she’s asking if I will do something beyond idiotic like hurt or kill her.

  Never hurt Nina.

  It’s a threat from the wolf pacing in my veins. Something I could never disobey. Even if I wanted to.

  Which I don’t. Nina is mine.

  Nothing has made this clearer than the possessive blanket smothering me when I look at her. I will never admit agreeing with the weaker part of me, but in this need for this woman to be solely mine, I understand.

  The Fury nods once at me with another warning flash of her eyes before letting go of her dagger. She shoves against my shoulder when she passes, fire meeting smoky shadows, and slips out the door without a word.

  I’ll make her regret that.

  I turn to Nina and she’s eyeing me like I’m a piece of meat. Or a threat. Or maybe she’s merely curious about me.

  More heat floods my blood with her stare.

  She walks toward me cautiously, but I have no patience for slowness.

  I need her more than I have ever dared to need anything else.

  I grab and push her against the door, devouring her lips with my own. She gasps once, surprised and a bit dazed before she melts beneath my hands. She groans when I slip my fingers beneath her panties and rub her in that spot, unrelenting.

  “God, Fal,” she moans against my throat, and pleasure rolls up my body at the words on her rosebud lips; my body burns with the sound of my name dancing on her tongue and falling from her mouth in pleasure.

  I pick her up and take her to the bed, pulling off her clothes in the process. Once I drop her on the mattress, she rips at my clothes with her small, careful hands shaking.

  Once they are off, I crawl on top of her, kissing everywhere I can get a hold of. Her fingernails dig into my skin before she flips us over and pushes herself on top of me. Her lips trail to my breasts where they linger for a bit with her flicking tongue.

  I wrap my fingers in her hair and guide her to where I want that tongue.