by Julie Kenner
“Silth. I have news you’re going to want to hear.”
The urgency in Silth’s voice said the news wasn’t good, but Hades seemed relieved. Was he happy for an excuse to get out of the bedroom? “I’ll be out in a second.” He didn’t bother drying off, simply jammed his feet into his pants. He didn’t look at her as he said, “In this part of the Inner Sanctum, and only this part, you can clothe yourself in whatever you want, with just a thought. But the second you leave, the clothes will disappear.”
Cool, but clothes were the least of her concerns right now. “Can you slow down for a second?” She reached for one of the folded cloths on the shelf next to the shower. “We need to talk.”
“Talk,” he said sharply, “doesn’t seem to be what you want from me.” He held up the hand that had, just moments ago, given her so much pleasure. “I gave you what you wanted, didn’t I?”
Stung by his sudden, inexplicable anger, she lashed out. “No, you didn’t. Not even close. You think I sit around fantasizing about your hand?”
Said hand formed a fist at his side. “Sorry to disappoint, babe.” He yanked open the door with so much force that the iron handle broke. “But I’m sure Zhubaal will be happy to give you whatever it is you fantasize about.”
“Wow,” she said quietly. “I can see where your reputation as a master torturer comes from. You know exactly where to plunge your dagger, don’t you?”
He jerked as if she’d struck him, and then he stormed out, leaving her to her fantasies. Which, right at this minute, included smacking Hades in his stubborn, infuriating head.
Chapter Twelve
What the fuck have I done?
Snarling, Hades slammed the bedroom door and strode into the hut’s living room, his hard cock pinching in his pants and his regrets piling up with every step.
He never got this moody, but right now he was strung tighter than a vampire stretched on the Rack in the Rot’s dungeon. Sexual frustration combined with the anger from the situation with Cat and the bullshit going on in the Inner Sanctum had damned near reached critical levels. He considered himself to be a pretty laid-back, easygoing guy, especially for a fallen angel, but damn, when he was with Cat it was as if he was mining desires and emotions he’d kept buried, and now he’d hit a vein that ran thick with fury and hopelessness.
It had been centuries since he’d last succumbed to the kinds of feelings that usually signaled an impending catastrophic bout of self-destructiveness.
He either wanted to kill something, or he wanted to fuck something...and the latter something was Cat.
Stupid, Hades. It would be so fucking stupid to start a relationship that can’t go anywhere, not to mention the fact that Azagoth will break you in half like a wishbone.
Oh, but didn’t he already board that stupid train when he made her the brunt of his anger at not being able to make love to her? She hadn’t deserved any of that. Then he’d made it worse by bringing up Zhubaal, which had only served to throw jealousy and shame into the toxic mix brewing inside him right now.
He’d hurt her when he’d sworn to protect her. He’d done what he did best; find a soft spot, slip a blade in it, and give it a good twist.
Fucking idiot.
Water dripped down his back, reminding him of how Cat’s gentle fingers had caressed him in the shower. He’d felt like a map and she was the explorer looking for interesting places to go. He’d wanted so badly to let her. Her touch was a gift, a connection he hadn’t had with anyone since before he fell. Even then, his relationships hadn’t been serious. He’d been young and impulsive, and females had been a fun distraction from his crappy job and his priggish, cold parents.
Since his fall, the few females he’d been with had been sexual partners and nothing more. How could they be anything more when the total of his time outside of Sheoul-gra could be measured in hours instead of days?
Gnashing his teeth, he stopped in front of Silth and tried to keep his tone civil. “What is it?”
“We captured the Orphmage who was holding the Unfallen female you rescued,” he said, and Hades’s heart leaped. Finally. Maybe he would get to kill someone after all.
“He’s alive, I take it.”
“Yes, sir.” Silth fingered the hilt of the sword at his hip, his chain mail armor tinkling softly as he moved. “We have him at the Rot. But I had a chance to interrogate him at the site where we captured him.”
“He talked?”
“After I reached into his chest cavity and started breaking off ribs.”
“Nice.” Hades nodded in approval. “So what did he say? Did you get the human?”
“No, sir. But he did say that when he jammed his staff into the Unfallen, he released an enchantment inside her.”
Hades’s heart stopped leaping. “Her name is Cat. And what kind of enchantment?”
“The kind that drains her life force.”
Oh, fuck. His heart started beating again, but in an erratic, schizy rhythm. “For what purpose?”
“To open holes in the barriers between the Inner Sanctum and Sheoul, as well as the barrier between the Sanctum and Sheoul-gra.”
Not unexpected, since demons were always trying to get out of the Inner Sanctum to wreak havoc as ghosts in both Sheoul and on Earth. But they’d been trying to do that for eons, so what made this attempt different?
“I’m still not clear on how that would work,” he said. “What role does the human play in this?”
“They’re draining him, too. Both the Unfallen, ah, Cat, and the human are timed to drain at the same time.”
Hades’s gut was starting to churn. “And how much time do we have before this event takes place?”
“Approximately twenty hours. But it could happen sooner if both the human and the Unfallen are beheaded simultaneously. When their souls flee their bodies, perforations will appear in the barriers, and demons will escape.”
Holy shitmonkeys. “Find a hellhound,” Hades said. “Quickly.”
Silth’s upper lip peeled back, revealing two shiny fangs. Like pretty much everyone else, he hated hellhounds. “Why must I track down one of those filthy mutts?”
“Because I need a message delivered to their king. Tell the hellhound that we need Cerberus’s help. We can use every hellhound they can spare to find the human.”
Silth’s curse told Hades exactly how he felt about dealing with the beasts. “And if that fails?”
“Then we’ll need the hellhounds to patrol the borders. We can’t let a single demon escape, let alone millions of them.”
And there was no way he could let Cat die.
“There’s one other thing, sir.”
Of course there was. “What is it?”
“The enchantment inside the Unfallen...it can be used to track her whereabouts.”
Mother. Fuck. “She can’t be left alone.”
“Do you want me to stay with her?”
Oh, hell, no. Silth was a nasty motherfucker, but he was movie-star handsome and had an insatiable sexual appetite. He wasn’t getting near Cat, who had shown herself to be very open about her own sexual appetites.
Gods, she was a dream female. Beautiful and kind, if a little reckless, and when it came to being physical, she wasn’t shy...and yet, there was that pesky innocence about her that intrigued him.
And made him crazy, as his outburst in the bedroom had proven.
“My lord?” Silth prompted, and Hades realized he’d gotten lost in his thoughts. “Shall I stay with her?”
“No,” Hades said quickly. “I’ve got it for now. Send the message to Cerberus, and then contact me once we have hellhounds searching the Rings. Cat can help look for the human, but I don’t want her out there until we have the hounds for protection.”
Silth gave a shallow bow and took off, leaving Hades to wonder what to do in the meantime.
One thing was certain, he wasn’t going to tell Cat any of this. She’d been through enough already. Now he had to figure out how to stay with her
while not giving into his desire for her. Somehow, he had to pretend that being with her was easy, no big deal, when the truth was that being with her without being inside her might be the hardest thing he’d ever done.
Chapter Thirteen
The longer Hades was gone, the angrier Cat got.
Yes, she understood he was handling business. And given the state of...everything, it was probably serious business. But the way he’d backed out of the shower and run out of the room had been insulting. Of course, his insults had been insulting, too.
Was he playing a game with her? Was he getting a good laugh over the Unfallen panting after him while he remained distant? Was she just a toy for his amusement?
Cursing to herself, she finished drying with the rough linen cloth she’d assumed was meant to be a towel, and then she tried out the “thought clothes” Hades had mentioned. Instantly, she was clothed in jeans and a corset identical to the real ones on the bed. Huh. She changed the colors, turning the corset to bright orange and the jeans to black.
Neat.
But maybe she should try something different. Something that would knock Hades off balance. He thought she should go to Zhubaal to get what she wanted, so maybe she should show Hades exactly what he’d be missing.
But what?
If you want to get a male’s attention, give him something to look at.
Lilliana had told Cat that while picking out an outfit to distract Azagoth from some sort of bookwork he’d been poring over a few weeks ago. Hours later, if the spring in Azagoth’s step had been any indication, Lilliana’s choice of clothes had been spot on.
What the hell, Cat thought. She replicated the outfit, going for a red leather miniskirt and a leather bra top, finishing it off with matching stilettos. Looking down at herself, she smiled. Let Hades resist that.
As if on cue, he opened the door. But to her frustration, he didn’t so much as glance at her as he crossed to the window.
“Silth found the Orphmage.” He brushed back the curtains. “It shouldn’t be long before he gives up the location of the human.”
Great. Terrific. She should probably say something about that, given that she’d kicked off this entire mess when she came to the Inner Sanctum to find the human.
Instead, she opened her mouth, and something else came out. “What is up with you?” she snapped. “I have been flirting my ass off, and you act like I’m trying to sell you stewed maggots.”
“Hey,” he said with a wave of his hand. “Don’t knock stewed maggots. With enough spices and tomatoes––”
“Argh!” She spun away from him, too angry to continue this. And she hoped like hell he didn’t notice her nearly break her ankle on these stupid shoes that clearly didn’t work to catch his attention. Nothing did. Maybe it was time to give up and stop being pathetic. “Never mind.”
A hand clamped down on her shoulder, halting her in her tracks. A heartbeat later, Hades was in front of her, his expression serious. “Trust me, I’m not immune to your...feminine wiles.”
“First of all,” she said, shrugging away from his touch, “I don’t have any wiles. Second, you’re a big, fat liar.”
“Baby, you’re wearing fucking wiles.” He grabbed her wrist, and before she could resist, he ground his erection into her palm. “And does this feel like I’m immune? Did I look like I was immune when I was in the shower and you were stroking me?”
Holy shit. She stood frozen to the spot, her hand cupping Hades’s massive erection. Finally, she looked up at him, her breath catching in her throat at the glow of heat in his eyes.
“I––I don’t understand. If you want me, why have you been such a colossal asshat?”
One corner of his mouth twitched in a smile. “Asshat? I like that.”
With a huff, she stepped away from him. “It wasn’t a compliment.”
“Your hand was on my dick. Anything you said would have been a compliment.”
How had he gone from being a jerk to being all charming so quickly? “You still haven’t answered my question.”
“You want the truth?” Reaching up, he ran his hand over his hair and blew out a long, tired breath. “You’re off limits to me.”
“Off limits?” she asked incredulously. “Says who?”
“Azagoth.”
She scowled, searching her brain for a reason Azagoth would say that, but she came up blank. “Why would he tell you I’m off limits?”
“You mean, why would he tell me that when he didn’t seem to give a shit that Zhubaal fucked you?”
Ouch. Flustered, she opened her mouth. Shut it. Opened it again. “That’s not what––” She cursed. “How did you know about me and Zhubaal? What did he say?”
“He didn’t say anything. That bastard is as tight-lipped as a Ghastem.”
Seeing how Ghastems had no mouths...yeah. “Then how did you know? And why do I have to keep asking the same question twice?”
He shrugged, his bare shoulder rolling slowly. “Dunno.”
She was going to kill him. “How. Did. You. Know?” she ground out.
“Griminions love gossip. Those little suckers live for it. When they aren’t collecting souls, I’m pretty sure they hold tea and knitting parties or something.”
Hmm. Maybe the reason things with Z had been so disastrous made sense now. Because he’d taken her to his chambers, but then he’d refused sex with her. She’d been pissed, but what if the reason for his reluctance was because Azagoth had forbidden him to be with her?
Sighing, she wished away the shoes and padded barefoot to the wooden chair at the end of the bed. “Is he punishing me, do you think? I keep breaking stuff, and I’ve missed some cobwebs in corners, and once, I even tracked ashes through his library.” She sank down on the chair, her stomach churning. “He’s going to send me back to the human realm, isn’t he?”
She’d be in danger there, defenseless, easy prey for angel-hating demons and True Fallen who made it a sport to drag Unfallen into Sheoul. Even worse, she’d lose Lilliana as a friend. And she’d never see Hades again. At least, not until she died and came back to the Inner Sanctum as a soul waiting to be reincarnated.
Groaning, she rubbed her eyes with the heels of her palms. She could lose everything, and wasn’t that a laugh given how little she actually had. Feeling suddenly very vulnerable, she wished herself new clothes that covered everything. She didn’t even mind the suffocating feeling of having so much skin hidden. Right now, the clothing was much-needed armor.
“He’s not punishing you,” Hades said, his gaze fixed somewhere outside.
“How do you know? Obviously I’ve angered him somehow.”
“Trust me, if he was angry with you, you’d know.” He shook his head. “No, Cat, this isn’t about you. It’s about me.” Reaching up, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’m the one he’s punishing. All females in Sheoul-gra are off limits to me, including servants and his daughters. And trust me, when the Grim Reaper tells you his daughters are off limits...you listen. I looked at one of them too long, and he impaled me. Big stick right up the ass and out of the top of my skull. I still pucker when I think about it.” His tone was light, breezy, as if his pain was no big deal, but when his gaze caught hers, she sucked in a harsh breath at the sadness there. “I want you, Cat, and if all it would cost me was a pointy stick up the ass, I’d pay that price. But it wouldn’t stop there. And I don’t know what price you’d have to pay, as well.”
Stunned by his admission, she just sat there, unsure what to say. All she knew was that Hades wanted her after all, and that should have made her happy, but the only thing it did was make her miserable.
* * * *
So much for playing it cool.
Hades felt like a total jackass. He shouldn’t have said anything about his punishment, about wanting Cat, about anything at all. The only way he stayed sane was to let everything slide off him like lava rolled off a Gargantua.
He wondered if the owners of this hut had alcohol stored somewher
e. He could use a drink. Or ten.
“Hades?”
He gazed out the window at the lily pad-choked pond out back and braced himself for a bunch of pity. “What?”
“Is that why you live in the Inner Sanctum? Because Azagoth doesn’t want you to be tempted or something?”
“Nope.” He watched a crowd of people tossing a ball around in a nearby yard. He hated this place. It was too...human. Too bright and cheery. It reminded him that his life was all gloom and doom and asshole demons.
“So you choose to live in the Sanctum? In what’s little more than a hovel?”
He turned back to her, drawing a quick, surprised breath at her clothes. While he’d been looking out the window, she’d changed into tights and a long-sleeved, form-fitting T-shirt. There were even socks on her feet. Since her skin was a gauge for good and evil, she must not want to feel those things. She must not want to feel him.
Not that he blamed her, but he still felt a pinch of hurt that made his voice sharper than he’d intended. “What, you were expecting a palace?”
She stared. “You live in a crypt and sleep in a coffin. They make these things called beds now.”
What a joke. “Azagoth limits my comforts. You know what I miss most about that? Peanut butter. And chocolate. Limos introduced me to them when they first appeared on the human scene, you know? I always raid Azagoth’s kitchen while I’m on that side, but usually I fill up on shit like pizza and Doritos.”
Cat had been reaching for a miniature wooden arrow on the shelf next to her, but now she froze, her brows cranked down in confusion. “Azagoth won’t even let you bring decent food to your place?”
“Oh, he will. He just won’t help me get it. I have to call in favors. Or blackmail people. Limos brought me gelato once, but it was melted by the time Azagoth let it through.”
Cat gasped. “That’s awful.”
He laughed. “It was gelato. Hardly a global disaster.”
“Azagoth is an asshole,” she snapped. He probably shouldn’t love that she was angry on his behalf. “Why is he doing all of this to you?”