Corrupted: A Hades and Persephone Romance

by Bella Klaus

  “I have news from the Third,” she said. “Samael’s former inner circle is still in place, with his second-in-command running the Faction.”

  “What about his new queen?” I asked.

  Her pupils slitted, and she gave me a slow blink, reminding me a little of Dami in her cat form. “Queen Demeter hardly spends her time in the Third, and the demons don’t count her as a leader at all.”

  “Because she isn’t,” Hades said. “Demeter is just a placeholder to allow him to legally occupy two Factions.”

  The meeting ended soon after, with many of the members of the room strolling over to announce their congratulations. After thanking them for their well wishes, Hades and I left the table and walked toward a door that glowed with red magic.

  “Where are we going next?” I turned to admire his perfect profile.

  Hades preened. “It’s time to introduce you to my outer circle, who run the punishment pits, oversee the quarries and govern the villages within the Asphodel Meadows. Are you ready to sit on your throne?”

  My memory skipped back to watching Hades in a huge throne room where he had torn the flesh off a quartet of demons and trapped their souls. Dread rolled through my belly along a tightrope of trepidation. How would I react to seeing Hades do something like that again? I swallowed hard, telling myself that I would force my features into a mask of calm.

  Even so, my mind couldn’t help drifting to those images and every strange sensation I had experienced since sneaking out of the house that Beltane night. One of the most intense had been drinking a shot containing twenty-one centuries of power. I wasn’t sure if I could handle another surge of magic.

  “Will it react to me?” I asked.

  “Do you want me to enchant it so that it does?” he asked, the corners of his lips quirking upward.

  “That wasn’t a request.” I placed a hand over his chest. “Just let’s make sure there are no surprises.”

  “When I do enchant an inanimate object to pleasure you, it will be only after I’ve lavished every part of your body with either my cock or my tongue.”

  Heat pooled between my thighs, and I shifted uncomfortably in my leather armor. I pulled at my collar, trying to lower my body temperature. “That’s good to know.”

  With a flick of his fingers, Hades opened the door, which led to a stone chamber the size of our mansion’s footprint. Instead of a floor, there was a ten-story drop, and the only way to get from one side of the chamber to the other was over a floating walkway barely wide enough to accommodate two people side by side.

  “Is this part of the throne room?” I asked.

  “The section nobody gets to see.” He swept his gaze from the collar of my leather shirt, down my breeches, and back up to my face. “Shoulders back, breasts forward, and swing those curvaceous hips.”

  I choked on a laugh. “Why?”

  “Because Queen Hades is a powerful, sexy, and confident goddess, who knows exactly how to deal with lowly demons.”

  “In other words, look tough?”

  He inclined his head and smirked. “That’s another interpretation, although I preferred the one where you sashayed.”

  Some of the trepidation rippling through my insides calmed, and I squeezed his larger hand. This would be easy. Walk down a platform, sit in a chair, and look mean. I could do this.

  Hades stared down at me with his brows raised in silent question.

  I offered him a sharp nod. “Ready.”

  He took the first step, and I followed, making sure to practice my confident strut. There was no reason to be nervous, I told myself. With so much magic thrumming through my veins, I might be even more powerful than Mother or Samael. My magic came from Zeus himself, but the bulk of it had come directly from the Devil’s Ball for the purposes of managing Hell.

  I inhaled a deep breath, filling my lungs with warm, brimstone-scented air. A forgotten part of me was Persephone, who had ruled the Underworld for thousands of years with Hades. Facing the demons in the throne room would be no different.

  As we reached a stone wall at the end of the walkway, my steps faltered. “Hades?”

  “It’s an illusion.” He waved a hand. “Mostly.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Nobody but the rulers of this Faction may enter this part of the throne room.” Hades stepped into the stone, completely disappearing from view. A second later, he popped out his head. “Nobody can sneak up behind us while we’re addressing our subjects.”

  I stretched out my arms, fumbling about the wall for signs of it being solid, but Hades took my hand and pulled me through. The air was slightly thicker than normal, reminding me of a ward.

  “Did the angels make this?” I asked.

  “Them or whoever smashed up the realms of the gods and broke Hell up into nine Factions.” Hades wrapped an arm around my waist as we traveled through the dark.

  “They’re determined to maintain their system, aren’t they?” I asked, making sure to keep at his side.

  “It’s better than having Samael in charge,” Hades muttered.

  A few steps later, we strode into the throne room. The scent of brimstone was so intense, it burned the back of my throat and stung my eyes. Tears gathered in my lashes, making me blink. I swallowed hard and tried to compose myself. This was Hell. It was supposed to stink.

  Chatter erupted, filling my ears with a cacophony of sound. As my vision cleared, I took in the full majesty of Hades’ throne room. It was far larger than I had imagined, stretching across a space as long as the street where I had grown up with Mother. The pool in the inner sanctum had made it appear much smaller.

  A red carpet stretched from a pair of golden thrones, down a steep stone staircase that looked three stories high, and down the entire length of the throne room. The space was filled with demons of varying shapes, ranging from imps the size of my hand to twenty-foot-tall giants with horns that stretched halfway to the ceiling.

  My breath hitched. Some of these demons looked like the monsters Mother had described, who would punish girls who didn’t obey. Now, we both ruled over these creatures.

  “My queen?” Hades walked us around the high dais and toward the twin thrones and gestured for me to sit. Around the thrones was a stone carving of a Hellhound, its eyes and mouth and nostrils spewing flames.

  Instead of scampering into my seat and staring down at my lap the way I used to do whenever Mother allowed me to take tea with the coven, I narrowed my eyes and surveyed the sea of demons staring up at us.

  “You’re so stern and sexy,” he said into our bond. “All you need is a whip, and the outfit would be complete.”

  Still keeping my eyes trained on the subjects, I lowered myself into the seat and placed my hands on the cold armrests. “What are you talking about?”

  “You look like a dominatrix.” He walked to the edge of the high podium and stared out at the demons. “A Mistress of Pain.”

  I swallowed hard, wondering what he was doing. “Should I stand?”

  “Remain where you are,” he said. “Let everyone wonder why we’re not yet sitting together.”

  Silence spread across the room, and I perked up in my seat. I’d always known Hades was a drama king, but a master of theatrics? I held my features in a neutral mask. Thousands of years of existence ought to have taught him more than plenty about controlling masses of people.

  “I sense that some of you are unsatisfied with your positions in the Fifth, which surprises me, considering the turmoil within the other realms.” Hades’ voice projected across the room, echoing in places off the walls.

  “You will note that for the first time since the beginning of the Factions, both thrones are now occupied, making the Fifth even more powerful than before.”

  One demon stepped out from the lines, a burly red imp with stunted-looking wings. “Your Majesty, congratulations on your nuptials. May I ask if your new bride is the daughter of the Queen of the Third?”

  “Why don’t you a
sk her yourself?” Hades stepped aside.

  The demon walked toward the dais, only for a pair of guards to step in his path. Hades raised his hand. “Allow Gargar to approach.”

  “What are you doing?” I asked into the bond.

  “Demonstrating your power,” he replied through our link. “Don’t worry about this idiot. Any Hellfire he throws at you will land harmlessly on one of my wards.”

  I sucked in a breath and tried not to shudder. Hades would protect me, and even if this demon slipped beneath the wards, I was strong enough to protect myself.

  Gargar flew up the stairs in silence, his wings flapping faster than a hummingbird’s. When he landed on a platform beneath the dais, he plopped down with his hand on his chest.

  “Are you sure he’ll attack?” I asked into our connection.

  “Gargar comes from a family of idiots,” Hades muttered. “Every few centuries, I have to cull one of them for stepping out of line. They never learn their lesson for long enough for it to stick before I have to lash out at them again.”

  “Why not kill the whole family?” I asked.

  “They’re excellent torturers,” Hades replied. “Sometimes, the most loyal staff are the most squeamish.”

  “Your Majesty the Queen.” Gargar spread his arms out to the side and dipped low into a courtly bow. “Welcome to the Fifth Faction of Hell. Would you honor me by answering my question?”

  “Which was?” I drummed my fingers.

  Chuckles spread across the throne room.

  Scowling, Gargar spun around, looking like he was about to hurl insults at thousands of demons, but he turned back to me, his features an even mask. “Are you the daughter of Queen Demeter, Ruler of the Third Faction?”

  “That’s right.” I placed a hand over my mouth, pretending to hide a yawn.

  “Then I have a message from the Third.” Gargar’s wings quadrupled in size. He charged forward, his claws outstretched, but the wards kept him suspended in the air.

  Hades turned to me and grinned. “Show everyone what happens to those who mess with what is mine.”

  “You make me sound like I’m working for you.” I flicked my fingers at Gargar, and hit him in the chest with multiple needles.

  “What you fail to understand is that I belong to you,” Hades murmured into the bond. “I was yours the moment our gazes touched.”

  Warmth filled my chest, and my lips curved into a smile. “You say the sweetest things.”

  Channelling my power through my fingers, I sent an extra powerful blast of power into Gargar’s chest. Lightning raced down the strings and into the demon’s body, filling it with such an intensity that sparks exploded from his every orifice, including the one beneath his tail. My magic lit up his insides, turning his misshapen skeleton into an x-ray.

  “Your Majesty,” the demon screamed through clenched teeth. “Please, stop.”

  I let my gaze wander around the room, where all the demons stood transfixed, their eyes locked on Gargar’s sparking form. and I pushed even more magic into the strings. This was nothing like fighting a crowd of demons, because my power had been split among them, it was also not as intense as touching the twins directly and burning them from the inside out.

  “What was the message from the Third?” I asked out loud.

  “To…” He hesitated. “No, please!”

  Hades shook his head, his voice drifting into my skull. “From the way his magic hitched, it feels like he’s under a silencer spell. Best to give him a spectacular death so these bastards think twice about making attempts on your life.”

  Gargar turned into a ball of lightning. His limbs seized, spasmed, and twitched as I pumped even more power through his chest.

  As the lightning grew in mass, gasps echoed across the huge chamber. I drummed the fingers of my unoccupied hand on the armrest, acting as though turning a huge demon into freak weather was as boring as it was commonplace.

  “Watching your wrath makes me hard,” Hades whispered into our bond. “The moment we leave this place, you’ll have to suck my cock.”

  “Only if you suck my toes.”

  Hades strolled back to the thrones and lowered himself into the seat next to mine. He took the hand that wasn’t reducing Gargar into char and brought it to his lips.

  “Have I told you how much I love you?” he said out loud but quietly so his voice wouldn’t carry beyond the demon’s screams.

  I tilted my head to the side, meeting his molten eyes. “Tell me again?”

  “You mean more to me than my entire realm.” He pressed a kiss on my knuckles. “More to me than any other being. More to me than my own existence.”

  My chest swelled, but beneath the rush of euphoria lay a tinge of guilt. Without any memories of being Persephone, I couldn’t feel for him the depth of emotions he felt for me. “Hades, I want to say the same, but I can’t—”

  “No need.” He kissed my knuckles again. “Having you here by my side is enough to sustain me for centuries. I will wait patiently for your feelings to develop.”

  At the unexpected tenderness in his words, my concentration slipped, and Gargar plunged into the red carpet, where he exploded into a spray of white sparks that spread across the throne room.

  Thunderous applause filled the space, making my insides tremble and my heart pound loud enough to burst my eardrums. Demons clapping for me while I sat on a throne? This was better than any episode of any show on Netflix.

  “A most successful entrance.” Hades placed my hand back on the armrest and turned to the crowd. “Now that we’ve established the pedigree of our new queen, I would like to make a request.”

  Silence spread out across the room. I glanced at Hades out of the corner of my eye, wondering why he had phrased that sentence so politely.

  “Those of you considering Samael’s offer of employment, step forward.”

  Nobody moved.

  Hades nodded. “Those of you clutching pamphlets advertising positions within any of the Factions under his influence, step forward.”

  When the demons continued to remain still, Hades flicked his fingers again, and glowing rectangles appeared within the clothes of a dozen demons. He curled his hands, making those with the pamphlets move onto the carpet that stretched from the floor level to our dais.

  Hades leaned forward on his throne. “Since I’m still technically on my honeymoon, I will declare an amnesty. Anyone wishing to join Samael’s new organization may do so without reprisal from me.”

  A mouse-sized demon fluttered forward on bat wings, holding the pamphlet aloft. “I wasn’t considering it, Your Majesty.”

  “Then why was it in your possession?” Hades asked, his eyes narrowed.

  “Valmon gave it to me,” he said.

  A giant demon stomped forward. “Only because Jizoros gave it to me.”

  Arguments broke out across those holding the pamphlets, those being accused of distributing them, and everyone else in between. I turned to Hades, wondering if he was keeping track of who was saying who, but his lips tightened into a thin line.

  “Enough,” he hissed.

  The demons turned their gazes back to our thrones.

  “As I said,” he gritted out. “Anyone who wishes to transfer from the Fifth to the Third may do so without punishment, but only if you do so in the next three seconds.”

  Ten demons’ bodies glowed.

  “What’s happening?” I asked into the bond.

  “I’m surprised there are so few traitors,” he muttered.

  My brows rose. “You did something?”

  “I locked down Hell.” His voice echoed across the vast chamber, and he stretched out a hand, curling his fingers and beckoning at the demons to ascend the stairs. “Anyone in possession of or who has touched one of Samael’s pamphlets and tried to leave during my amnesty is now glowing.”

  More demons flew inside as though drawn in by Hades’ magic.

  I held my breath, waiting for him to reduce them to flesh and blood,
but the red carpet transformed into lava.

  “This stream I’ve created will transport you through the currents that run between the Factions,” Hades said, his voice bitter. “Good luck, those of you with enough magic to maintain your physical forms by the time you reach the Third. The rest of you will arrive the size of plankton.”

  He released his fingers, and the demons fell screaming into the lava, which swept them through the throne room like a current.

  Hades spread his arms wide. “Everyone, let’s give our departing colleagues a round of applause.”

  The demons clapped, but it was a subdued sound and nothing as enthusiastic as when Gargar had exploded.

  His head jerked to the side.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked through our link.

  “Someone of interest has died and is requesting an audience.” The corner of his lips curled into a smile.

  My eyes widened. “Who?”

  “Are you familiar with a butler named Pirithous?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  I leaned forward on the throne, my fingers clutching the armrest so tightly that the stone cut into my flesh. Pirithous had begged me to release him, screaming that Mother would kill him for his failure. And here he was in Hell, with a hole where he should have a heart.

  Before I could even react to the arrival of our family butler, Hades grabbed my hand and transported us to a smaller room. The thrones we sat on now were made of gold filigree, and more comfortable with cushioned velvet on the seats and armrests.

  As I glanced around my surroundings, taking in the red damask walls, white columns, and checkered marble floors, the roar of blood between my ears stilled, replaced by my pounding pulse.

  Hades said something, but I couldn’t hear him through the voices in my head.

  How could Mother have killed someone who had served the family so faithfully? Why hadn’t I seen this madness in her before? I swallowed over and over, trying to comprehend what was happening. Wasn’t Pirithous a god like Mother and the rest of the coven? I had never even bothered to ask. Now, he was dead.

  “Kora.” Hades’ sharp voice cleaved through my thoughts.