by Bella Klaus
“What now?” Hades muttered.
“Who is it?” I asked with a frown.
“Namara has been pestering me about something or other for hours,” he muttered. “That little imp is too bloody persistent for her own good.”
The doors hissed open, revealing Azriel, the angel from the Devil’s Ball. He wore the same golden suit of armor as before, with his pretty blond hair flowing down his shoulders.
Behind him was a female imp with red skin and a matching armor that clung to her generous curves. Her hair was long and black, framing Namara’s pretty features, and ridged horns that resembled those of a gazelle. So that was what she looked like behind her 1950s secretary glamor.
“King Hades,” Azriel sneered, his delicate nose wrinkling. “I’m surprised to see you in Hell.”
“I thought you’d be in bed for a year or two after performing your once-in-a-century duty.” Hades gave the angel a slow clap. “Well done. I commend your stamina.”
The angel ruffled his fluffy white wings. “Barbs aside, I’m here on urgent business.”
“And we’re in the middle of something,” Hades said through clenched teeth. “The next time you invade my territory without an appointment, I’ll hand you over to my enforcers.”
Tightening his lips, Azriel swept his gaze up the beanstalk. “Is this a new development of yours?” he said. “Plants of this magnitude are hardly regulation.”
“What the fuck do you want?” Hades snapped.
“The balance of souls in the Fifth Faction is off,” Azriel said with a sniff.
“How so?” Hades folded his arms across his chest.
Azriel flicked his head toward the beanstalk. “I have no idea if this is a wedding gift, a Beltane Tree, or preparations for the Summer Solstice, but monarchs are not authorized to destroy demon souls in such large quantities.”
I gulped. Hades was getting the blame for Persephone’s carnage.
“We’re handling it,” he snapped. “Now, get buggered.”
“You’re throwing off the balance of power,” Azriel hissed. “You Demon monarchs are making my job more difficult with each passing day. Samael has taken over the Second, and is consuming souls at an alarming rate—”
“What?” Hades roared.
I clutched his arm and gaped at the angel. Samael ruled the Third.
Azriel rolled his eyes. “The moment Varaha died, it left a gap of power within the Second Faction that Samael exploited.”
I swallowed hard. All that time Hades had been concerned about Samael taking advantage of the weakness of the Fifth, he was busy in the Second, seizing control. But what did that mean for us?
“And whose fault is that?” Hades snarled. “Which white-winged airhead decided to change the rules at the last minute and stop a known glutton from enjoying a feast?”
I glowered at Azriel. “You should have punished Samael for trying to eat a server instead of making all those last minute changes.”
The angel bristled. “And now he’s stationed his bride as the leader of the Third.”
My heart sank. “That explains why we haven’t heard from Mother. Now she’s going to be stronger than ever.”
“Agreed,” Hades said.
“Fix this unauthorized soul eater.” He waved his hand in the direction of the giant mass of vines. “It’s weakening the integrity of the Fifth, whose wards are already spread thin with your insistence on maintaining half a throne.”
“How?” I asked.
Azriel turned his hateful gaze to me. “As a Demon Queen, you should be already thinking of a solution.”
He stomped back toward the elevator, casting Namara a hateful glare as he stepped inside, letting the doors close behind him with a gentle hiss.
Namara clutched her clipboard to her chest. “Please accept my apologies, Your Majesty, but he was quite insistent and threatened us all with the wrath of his master.”
Hades waved his hand. “No harm done. At least we now understand the extent of Persephone’s damage. Do what you can to smooth things over with him.”
Her eyes sparkled. “Would you like me to seduce him and blackmail him for intel?”
Hades rubbed his chin and grinned. “I saw how he checked out your tail. If you can stomach being with an angel, why not?”
Namara gave him a broad grin and a jaunty salute. “There’s one more thing.”
“Go on,” Hades said, already sounding thoroughly sick of dealing with both of them.
“Spies in New York, Cairo, and Sao Paulo mentioned talk of Samael arranging a meeting with your allies on neutral territory.”
“Which ones?” I asked.
“Lucifer, Hel, Isis and Osiris,” she said. “There was also talk of Shango from South America being invited, but my source wasn’t sure if he was considering the meeting.”
I bit down on my bottom lip and frowned. “Why would they want to associate with someone as disgusting as Samael?”
Hades growled. “Three reasons. The first is that he now has control of two Factions. The one that governs the Middle East and the second that governs Asia. Asia is the most populous Faction, which now more than doubles his and your mother’s combined power.”
“Right,” I said. “And demons appreciate strength?”
“Even if they are gods who have spent millennia supervising demons,” Hades said, his voice bitter. “Samael will make his play for the next most vulnerable Faction.”
“Ours?” I whispered.
“Perhaps,” he replied with a growl.
“Then let’s use my power to protect the wards.”
Hades shook his head. “You heard that winged wanker. Persephone’s soul-eating plants are already feeding on the integrity of the Fifth. We can’t allow her direct access to your power.”
I gave him a shaky nod. “What’s the third reason they’d want to associate with Samael?”
“May I?” Namara rocked forward on her hoofs.
Hades inclined his head. “Go on.”
“When Samael was Satan the absolute ruler of Hell, he wielded so much power over the earth that his influence was starting to bleed into Heaven.” Namara waved her clipboard. “Two thousand years later, and Hell is larger than ever. If he takes control again, he will crush everything, including Heaven.”
My hand drifted up to rub at my temple. “So, everyone thinks Samael has a chance of reuniting Hell under his banner,” I said.
“It’s also possible that they’re angling for positions of power within his regime,” Hades added.
Lucifer didn’t seem the type to ally himself with someone as rotten as Samael, but there was no telling how his mind operated. Isis and Osiris had also seemed like a really nice couple and more in love with each other than with power.
“Shit.” I shook my head.
“That’s a fair but accurate assessment of the situation.” Hades turned to Namara. “I apologize for shutting you out and will endeavor to take your messages.”
She bowed low. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
The elevator doors opened, revealing an agitated Azriel with his wings flapping with annoyance. Namara inclined her head before stepping inside with the angel, and the doors hissed shut.
“You’re in a strangely apologetic mood,” I said.
He raised his brow. “Your point?”
“Why didn’t you mess her around for days before finally telling her you were sorry?”
“Namara’s different.”
“How so?”
“Because she doesn’t give a damn if I’m sorry for shutting her out and she knows verbal apologies count for nothing,” he said with a sigh. “You, on the other hand, are different.”
I raised my brow, prompting him to speak.
“I never want to lie to you again, which is why I’m allowing such a huge and deadly penalty if I do.”
‘Because you want to show you’re sorry.”
He cupped the side of my face and smiled. “I apologize from the depths of my black hear
t.”
A laugh bubbled up from my chest. “Apology accepted.”
“Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve encountered a woman I truly wanted?” He met my eyes with a gaze hotter than the river of lava. “Two thousand years.”
“What about Queen Mera?”
His eyes narrowed. “I never pegged you as one for girl talk.”
“It’s common knowledge that you abducted her.”
“Because I wanted a phoenix as a pet.” He flared out his black wings, which were so glossy they reflected the fiery surroundings. “I still do, but the only firebird in existence shares the soul of an annoying do-gooder. And she’s attached to an even more aggravating vampire.”
I pulled my gaze away from him and tilted my head back up the giant mass of vines. Queen Mera was exactly his type. Red-haired, powerful, and fiery. The only thing that was missing were the curves and the height. Not that anything Hades thought about her mattered, because she was in love with King Valentine.
“How can we restore this balance of power Azriel was talking about?” I asked.
“By destroying everything Persephone has installed in our domain, including that monstrosity,” Hades replied.
“Alright.” I held out my arms. “Stand back while I fashion some wings.”
Hades glanced toward the top of the beanstalk. “I can carry you up there.”
“Just give me a minute,” I said. “This is important.”
With a huff, he moved away, giving me the space I needed, and I focused all my attention on my back. According to the Compendium of Magic, wings were like second arms that sprouted from the shoulder blades instead of the socket.
I shoved away that thought. For all I knew, Mother could have written those passages herself and passed off the entire tome as an official textbook. Compared to making me believe I had corporality sickness, forging an encyclopedia of lies was mild.
“Turn around and show me your wings?” I said.
Hades waggled his brows. “Is this an excuse to marvel at my glutes?”
“Just do it.” I motioned for him to move into position.
He turned his back to me and dissolved his armor, leaving his upper half bare. His back was a tapestry of thick muscles encased in golden skin, ending with a tight waist.
Without meaning to, I let my gaze slide down to the curve of his impressive ass. My throat reverberated with a needy whimper. Samael had taken control of another Faction. Mother now ruled the Third. And Persephone was bleeding us dry with her carnivorous plants. So why now of all times was I fixating on his gorgeous body?
Hades glanced over his shoulder, meeting my gaze with a knowing smirk. “Watch me summon my wings.”
A pair of black lines appeared four finger-widths from either side of his spine. They protruded into an arch and unfolded like a pair of parasols to form a small set of wings that extended an inch beyond his shoulders. Then in a blink of an eye, they unfurled to form full-sized feathery wings.
I stepped toward him with my hands outstretched, tracing the base of the appendages with my leather-clad finger.
Hades shivered. “Keep doing that, and I’ll cum in my codpiece.”
“Sorry.” I pulled my hand away.
“That wasn’t a complaint.”
I drew back, concentrated my magic on my shoulder blades, and flared out my power. What protruded from my back was more skeletal than before.
Hades turned around and furrowed his brow. “Don’t force it.”
“Why do you think I can’t produce wings?” I asked.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if what Demeter did to you has affected your power.” He wrapped an arm around my waist. “We’ll reconnect our magic after we’ve dealt with Persephone. If I can’t produce you a perfect set of wings, we’ll take you to a seer.”
Retracting the bones, I offered him a sharp nod and wrapped my arms around his middle. “Let’s go.”
Hades launched himself into the sky at a speed that made our surroundings blur. I squinted, trying to keep the wind out of my eyes as he propelled himself upward.
The giant stalk continued with flashes of color, each representing dead demons, monstrous flowerheads, or tortured souls. My stomach churned at the carnage. How could something so huge have erupted in such a short space of time?
“This fucking plant is even taller than before,” Hades growled.
“Let’s teleport further up, then,” I murmured.
In the blink of an eye, we hovered hundreds of feet above the ground, looking down at a landscape of barren mountains and rock. From my vantage point, the Fifth Faction looked like an island the shape of Great Britain, bisected by five rivers that flowed toward a sea of endless flames.
My breath caught. “Is this what separates all the Factions of Hell?”
He grunted. “Each Faction is a land mass with its own unique topology that vaguely mirrors the world’s geography. The ocean of lava that stretches between the Factions is nearly impossible to traverse.”
“But some try it?” I asked.
“Only those who wish to arrive at their destination with all but a fraction of their power destroyed,” he replied. “The best way to infiltrate another realm is via the Human World.”
I leaned forward, staring down at the plant, which was a speck in the distance. “Let’s see if we can destroy Persephone’s creation.”
He swooped down through the sky. “As soon as we can confirm she’s not standing at the top, I’ll summon a team to help with the clear out. And we’ll place those souls back where they belong.”
I clung tighter to his neck and braced myself for anything. As we surged downward, the top of the flower came into view.
It was a red, heart-shaped leaf with a yellow column at its cleft that reminded me of the penis-shaped projection that protruded from a flamingo flower. I swallowed hard, wondering if this was the part of the plant that intended to reproduce.
“Bloody fucking Hell,” Hades muttered.
“Can you see what’s down there?”
His jaw clenched. “Persephone has gone too far.”
I gulped. What could be worse than killing a bunch of demons to feed a monstrous plant, and siphoning power from the Fifth Faction?
He swooped down even faster, and the top of the plant came into view. I placed a hand over my mouth, my brows furrowing.
That was no plant. It was Minthe, desiccated until all the moisture had left her body, and frozen forever in a rictus of terror. The yellow coating on her skin was pollen.
Hades shook his head. “Persephone has just murdered one of the few remaining good people from my days at Mount Olympus.”
Chapter Twelve
After we had reduced the monstrous plant to pieces floating through the river of lava, Hades called a clean-up crew to salt the earth. That way, any seeds that might have sprinkled loose from those flowers would never germinate.
We spent hours flying over rocky ground, in search of Persephone or any of her demonic creations, and even landed in the castles to speak to the high-ranking demons who ruled over the villages within the Asphodel Meadows. So far, nobody had noticed anything strange except for the plant we had destroyed.
When we’d exhausted all our options, Hades teleported us back to the circular room of marble columns, where we surveyed footage from around the Fifth Faction in the liquid pool.
He replayed a scene of a naked Persephone, gliding down to the river of lava on a pair of massive ginkgo biloba leaves. She threw a flowerhead into the liquid fire, which smoked and sizzled and sank before sprouting into shoots that stretched toward the sky. Persephone hovered over her creation as it took shape, then flew toward the mountain that contained the punishment pit.
Hades wiggled his fingers, cutting to another scene of Persephone on the stone bridge. A set of her vines reached into the tall stalagmites stretching from the pool of lava and yanked the souls from their cubby holes.
“She’s probably gone underground.”
&
nbsp; “Are there many subterranean passages in Hell?” Demons rushed toward her with weapons, but thorny spikes rose from beneath the bridge to skewer their hearts. I placed a hand over my mouth and tried not to gag.
He turned to me, his brows raised. “The quarries are where we keep dragons, ifrits, salamanders and those inmates too dangerous for the general population.”
“You think she’s hiding among them?” I asked.
“One of the overseers would have reported a naked woman with murderous plants,” Hades said. “If she’s got any sense, she would have used her plants to burrow a nest, where she can wreak havoc without interruption.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Absolutely nothing,” he growled. “At least not until she resurfaces.”
“How can you be so calm about this?” I clutched at my growling stomach.
Hades stared down at my middle, his brows creased. “You’re hungry. Did you eat before you left?”
“It was difficult with a creepy elevator following me around the apartment.”
Grimacing, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Then allow me to take you out to dinner.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Where?”
“Somewhere above board.” He raised both palms in a semblance of innocence.
“If that means the Human World, then my answer is yes.”
His gaze trailed down my form-fitting armor, and he smirked. “Dinner in the Human World would mean changing into a slinky dress and wearing some of that lingerie.”
I could already picture Hades demanding that I parade myself in the gold set I wore when Lucifer came to the door. My cheeks heated, and my insides rippled with anticipation.
“What if I want to order in?” I asked.
His smirk widened into a grin. “Then I’ll still help you dress for the occasion.”
My armor suddenly became too tight, too warm, too restrictive, and my skin itched to be free. Pressing my lips together, I held back a smile. What was it about this rogue that made me melt into a ball of giddiness? I’d almost forgotten why I was so angry with him.