“My day is going to get much worse after I watch this, is it not?”
“Oh, for sure,” she said.
I pressed “play,” and the video started, the view swinging quickly from a busy rush-hour traffic scene on Jefferson to Mollis, standing in the middle of the street, cars squealing to a stop around her.
“Yeah, get your phones out. Film this,” Mollis shouted, and she sounded more unhinged than I have ever heard her.
“Damn it,” I murmured.
Jamie put a hand on my arm, as if to comfort me. I continued to watch, and Mollis shouted again, her voice amplified unnaturally.
“Listen up, all of you. Now. My son is missing. Someone has him. If I don’t get him back in the next two days, this whole fucking world is going to burn. It’s in all of your best interest to find him. You fear me? You worry about what will happen if I go bad? You’re about to find out unless I get him back,” she finished, her voice thundering as people in the crowd screamed.
And then Mollis was gone.
Jamie and I sat in silence.
“We’re gonna lose her, E,” she said quietly. “She’s on the edge.”
I did not respond. There was nothing left to say. It was quite likely she would never follow through the threats, but the fact that they had been made would only make it that much harder for the mortals to feel safe around us.
We were sitting in silence when the door opened and Brennan walked in, Sean on his hip. I looked up at him, met his eyes.
“She hadn’t seen the video yet,” Jamie told him.
He leaned down and kissed me quickly, and Sean waved at me.
“Nain has her in the Netherwoods now with Tisiphone and Megaera,” Brennan said. Artemis and Asclepius appeared with a “pop” just then, along with two imps and a demon.
Artemis greeted me and Jamie, then held her hands out for Sean. He clung to his father for a moment, refusing to let go, and it was only after some soft words from Brennan that the boy finally let go and went to his grandmother.
“We are going immediately to Mollis’s palace,” she told Brennan.
“Good. Thank you,” he said. Artemis leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Be good for Gram, buddy,” Brennan said to Sean.
“I will,” Sean said. In the next moment they were gone, and Jamie was heading out into the reception area to take care of something.
Brennan sat across the desk from me, his eyes on me, and I could not look away from him.
He was about to speak when his office phone rang, and he gave the machine an “are you kidding me?” look.
“I have to take this. It’s one of our guys in L.A.,” he said apologetically. I nodded, and he picked up. I listened as he greeted the other agent, then there were several long moments of quiet as Brennan listened to the report. His head slumped forward in the way it always did when he received news he was not happy about. Finally, he said, “okay, thanks. Let me know if there are any developments,” then he hung up.
“Yeah, word is getting out. They found three more partially eaten bodies today in Palo Alto,” he told me.
“So this is definitely no longer a European and Asian issue. Or even just a Detroit thing. They are here now,” I said, and he nodded. “I will be leaving after this last shift looking for Hades. This needs to be contained, and as much as I want to be here for Mollis— “
“You’re the only one who can really put a dent in it all. I know,” he said with a small smile. “Just be careful.”
“Of course. Are you almost ready to leave?”
He nodded, and then sat there, watching me. I felt my entire body warm under his gaze. No matter how insane our life was, he still managed to make me feel alive.
“I miss you, Tink,” he finally said.
“Timing is not on our side, Cub,” I answered. “But I am not going anywhere, so…” I trailed off with a shrug, and he smiled.
“Neither am I.” We spent another moment, both of us simply enjoying the silence and the comfort of being in one another’s presence. “Did you get my text earlier?”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes. Thank you for making me blush while I was in the middle of giving my team instructions.”
He laughed, and I shook my head. “I considered sending a pic of my — “
“Do not say it,” I warned, and he laughed. “I have no interest in seeing a picture of it, I want it in person,” I added, and he groaned.
“That makes two of us.” He patted the top of his desk with his hand. “Desk is sturdy,” he said, and I shook my head.
“The world is falling apart around us and you want a quickie on your desk?”
He grinned. “Stress management is important at times like this.”
“Ridiculous male.”
He laughed then, then leaned forward and took my hands, resting our hands in the center of the desk. “The only time I laugh lately is when I’m with you. You know that?”
I squeezed his hands. “Nice save,” I told him, and he laughed again. Gods, his laugh. Warm, deep, and that flash of teeth, the way his eyes crinkled at the corners. I would never tire of it. “We should check in with Tisiphone so we can begin searching again,”
He nodded, and we both stood up. He shrugged into his jacket and was straightening his tie when Jamie opened the door, a stunned look on her face. She seemed to be carrying something heavy in her other hand.
“Jamie? What’s up?” Brennan asked.
“Uh. We found Hades,” she said.
Brennan and I both turned, and I immediately assumed the worst. I knew from Brennan’s expression that he believed the same.
“Where?” he asked.
“Someone left him in the lobby,” she said, and when she opened the door, I saw that she held a large basket in her other hand, and in it, Hades was nestled amid several blankets. There was a sheet of paper tucked into the blanket. Jamie set the basket on Brennan’s desk, and I plucked the note out, unfolded it.
Neat script met my eyes.
He has met his purpose, and now you may have him back.
There is a certain joy in knowing that every time you look at your son, you will see your undoing.
Brennan was reading over my shoulder as he dialed his phone. He met my eyes.
“Molly, we have him,” I heard him say, and there was a scream at the other end of the line. “Someone dropped him off in my building. There’s a note.”
The next instant, Mollis and her husband were standing in the office with us, and Mollis was rushing to her son. She picked him up and held him close, sobbing uncontrollably as she kissed his forehead.
“He’s here. He’s alive,” she wept, and Nain folded both her and their son into his embrace. The three of them stood there, Mollis’s sobs the only sound in the room, the demon’s harsh breaths as he dealt with his own emotions.
“He’s here,” Mollis whispered again.
Brennan and I exchanged a glance. I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. It was all too perfect. Too easy.
“Guys,” Brennan said. “We should have him looked at. Remember what happened with Sean,” he said quietly, reminding them that his own son had been ensorcelled in the womb, designed to be used against the team. A weapon. “He’s back safe with us, thank god. But we need to know if there’s more. Look,” he said, handing the note to Nain.
Nain took it, looked it over, and snarled. “No one saw who left this?” he growled.
Jamie shook her head. “It was nuts. I was by the front desk talking to our receptionist. Place was empty. Nothing, nobody there but us. And then I heard a hiccup or something, and I turned around and there he was, on the floor by the entry door. He hadn’t been there two minutes before, when a couple of our guys walked in.”
“Did you feel anyone nearby?” Brennan asked, referring to someone with powers.
“Didn’t see anyone, didn’t feel anyone, didn’t hear anyone. Didn’t even smell anyone, and I tried. Instinct, you know,” she said to Brennan, and he nodded.
“Nothing. I can go down and sniff around as my wolf, though.”
“That would be great. Thanks, J,” Brennan said and Jamie nodded, patted Molly on the back, and left the office.
“It’s really not surprising, since we can be pretty sure we’re dealing with some type of immortal who can rematerialize,” Brennan said, and I nodded.
“We really should have him looked at,” I said gently.
“Babe?” Nain asked, looking at Molly.
“Persephone would be our best bet. She was the one who figured out what was up with Sean and how to get rid of it,” she said softly. “She’s still avoiding me, though.”
“I will go,” I said, remembering the friendly, if odd, discussion I had had with Persephone at the sushi restaurant what felt like years ago, now. “I will be right back.”
I rematerialized to the Netherwoods, and, as I expected, I could see Persephone kneeling beside Hades’ monument, black dress and veil covering her body. I walked toward her, not trying to be overly quiet, trying not to startle her.
“Persephone,” I said softly.
She raised her head and looked at me. “Eunomia. What can I do for you?” she asked, and her voice was dead. Empty. She looked exhausted. I pitied her, knowing that, if I ever lost Brennan, I would be just as empty.
“I am sorry for intruding. Mollis’s son has been found.”
She gave a small nod. “I am glad. Surely, Mollis is elated.”
“She is, but we have some concerns about what may have been done to him while he was gone. There was a note,” I said. “We remember what you did for Brennan’s son, and Mollis and her mate were wondering if you would please come and look Hades over.”
She bowed her head again. “It hurts me to look at that child,” she said softly. “I see his grandsire in him. His eyes,” she added.
“I understand,” I said. “And I know you have already been through so much pain. If there was anyone else who understood spells as you do, I would ask them. Please.”
She sighed.
“It is bad enough that I have to see his namesake. I do not want his daughter, her mate, or the Furies around when I do this. You may be present. But I cannot handle seeing the whole happy little family right now.”
I nodded. “Let me go relay that to Mollis so she can clear out. Will you wait here for me?”
Persephone nodded, and reappeared back in Brennan’s office. Mollis and Nain were hesitant, but eventually left Hades in Brennan’s arms and retreated into the waiting room. I went back and found Persephone again, then took her to Brennan’s office.
“Lay him on the desk,” Persephone said as soon as we reappeared. Brennan obeyed, laying the infant on the desk and unfolding the blankets around him.
He was wearing nothing but a cloth diaper, the rest of his tiny body bare. On his chest was an angry red scar in the shape of an “X.”
“Shit,” Brennan breathed upon seeing it. He exchanged a glance with me.
“Whoever did that is going to pay,” I said. Then a thought struck me. “Does Sean have a scar like this?”
He shook his head.
Persephone ignored both of us, approached the desk and stood over the baby. Hades had been fussing, but now wailed, loud, angry screams at such a pitch that it hurt my ears. He kicked his pudgy little legs furiously, his face red with the force of his cries.
“He usually does not cry like this,” I said, going to him and resting a hand on his little arm.
“He has clearly been through horrors we cannot even imagine, if that scar is any indication,” Persephone muttered. “Now be silent,” she said to me.
She put her hands over Hades’ head, hovering just above him, and she closed her eyes, focusing. Slowly, her hands moved in the air over his body, from his head to his toes as he wailed. After a few more passes, she opened her eyes and pulled her hands back to her sides.
“There is nothing there,” she said numbly. “No curses, no spells. He has been returned clean.”
“Well that is a relief, at least,” I said, glancing at the scar on his chest, having a feeling I knew what it meant. Brennan wrapped Hades up again and cradled him in his arms, gently bouncing his body to soothe the child. “Thank you,” I said to Persephone.
“I will be going now. I am glad he was returned safely. Please tell Mollis and Tisiphone I said so,” she said, and I put my hand on her arm.
“I will do so. Please know that if there is ever anything you need, we are all here for you. You do not have to mourn alone.”
She patted my hand gently. “I will remember that. Thank you, Guardian.” With a nod, she was gone, most likely to continue her vigil at Hades’ monument.
Brennan and I exchanged a look.
“Nain is going to want to murder someone even more when he sees this,” he said, nodding down toward Hades, whose sobs had mostly stopped under Brennan’s soothing care.
“As do I,” I said. “It is sick. It is…” I could not even continue, shaking my head in rage.
“I know. We’ll figure it out. We’ll make them pay,” he promised. Then he opened the door and called Mollis and Nain in.
“There’s good news and there’s bad news,” Brennan said once the door was closed behind them again.
“The good news is, there is no curse or spell on him,” I said.
Nain glanced at me. “And what’s the bad news?”
Mollis was holding Hades, and I went to them and pulled the blanket back, showing them the mark on his chest.
Mollis froze at the sight, then focused and went into her son’s mind.
“Erased,” she whispered. “Everything since he was taken is gone except the memories of pain.”
Nain roared and slammed his way out of the office, tearing the door from its hinges in his rage.
“We will find whoever did this, Mollis,” I promised her. Her eyes glowed bright white, cold and deadly.
“Yes, we will. I don’t care what it takes, we’re going to find who did this to my son.”
And with that, she stormed out, following her husband.
I turned to look at Brennan, who was typing something on his phone. “Heph says Michael doesn’t have any scars either,” he said, shoving his phone back in his pocket. “Just so we’re on the same page: this is related to the undead shit, right?”
“I think so, yes.”
He stood, thinking. “I think they took all three to cause as much chaos as they could. It feels like Hades was the actual target.”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps they would have done the same to Sean and Michael, had they had a bit more time.”
“Either way, they did that to Hades first. Us all being insane with worry, our forces split three ways gave them the time they needed to do what they did… how is he not dead? I mean, I’m glad he’s not, obviously! But you’d think he would have died in the process of having his heart taken from him.”
I nodded. “Yes. Even being immortal, he likely should have ended up locked away in the old Nether.” It was what we assumed happened to all of the immortals not killed by Mollis herself. The mortal realm was physically closed off from the realm of the gods now, thanks to Mollis’ grandmother, Nyx, who had permanently destroyed the gateway between worlds. However, the essence of a god, that thing that makes us immortal, is not a physical thing, and it cannot be destroyed by anyone other than Mollis. Always, when our physical bodies had failed us, our essence had returned to the Aether and Nether to allow us to resurrect. New bodies, same essence. It happened rarely, and had never happened to me, but Ares and Athena had each had their physical bodies fail them. Within days, they had been walking around in the Aether as if nothing had happened.
Having a heart removed certainly would qualify as the body failing. And not only had he not died, but he had grown a new heart, apparently.
“Molly was tortured and killed over and over again in the Nether,” Brennan said, deep in thought. “I know Ares did a whole bunch of bad shit to her, stuff she shouldn’t have been abl
e to live through. That’s what eventually drove Ares insane enough that he finally just gave up and decided to bury her alive.”
“But Mollis is all god. Baby Hades is half demon,” I said, thinking.
“Yeah, but the Nain has shared Molly’s blood who knows how many times through the demon marriage bond, right? Everyone pretty much assumes he is immortal now because of it,” he pointed out.
I shook my head. “Mollis’s blood in Nain protects Nain. We have no idea if it would carry over into the child she created with him. It feels as if we are missing something.”
“They could have had someone healing him as they did that to him.” He was pacing, thinking. “Like life support or something…shit. You don’t think Asclepius would do something like that, would he?”
“I cannot believe that. But I will look into it. It is a good thought. And, truly, even the idea of some form of life support that the humans use… if they had access to the types of things humans are hooked up to during surgeries, perhaps it would have been enough to keep him technically alive.” I breathed out. “Too many questions, Cub. I do not like it.”
“That makes two of us.”
“Well. They will not be answered by standing here. I have work to do,” I told him. He came to me, folding me into his arms.
“Be careful, Tink,” he murmured against my neck as he kissed me.
“You too. Please,” I added, needing to know how badly I needed him to be safe.
He pulled back, took my chin in his hands. “I promised you there would be no getting rid of me. I meant it. Now keep up your end of the bargain, all right?”
I nodded, and kissed him, closing my eyes and losing myself, for just a moment, to the beauty that lived in every touch, every kiss we shared. “Call me if I am needed,” I murmured against his mouth.
“You’re always needed,” he said with a small smile. “I’ll call if there are any problems.”
I kissed him again, then took a breath and rematerialized away.
I had the nagging feeling that the key to so much of what we were facing could be found in Whitechapel, and the murderous soul who called it home. It was time for me to find her, and put an end to her madness.
Betrayer (Hidden Book 7) Page 20