Abducted (Hades and Persephone #1)

by Bella Klaus

  I fought back a sob. What kind of monster was the Demon King?

  Captain Caria escorted me into the back of a police van and stared at me without speaking for the entire journey. I cringed against the back seat, her threat regarding Dami’s life ringing in my ears. After seeing what the demons had done to Pirithous, I had no doubt that they would kill a cat to make me comply.

  We drove around for hours—far longer than the journey from Kensington Palace to home. It was almost as though they’d taken us the long route on purpose. By the time the van stopped inside a darkened parking lot, my eyelids were heavy, and all the panic had drained from my veins.

  Without a single word of explanation, the captain marched me to a white cell. It was empty, save for a seatless toilet in the corner that seemed to double as a sink.

  “What happens now?” I asked as she pulled the door shut.

  She paused to stare at me, her gaze still assessing. “Your mother has petitioned the Supernatural Council for an emergency hearing.”

  Hope rose in my chest. Both at the news that she had survived her battle with the demons and that she was determined to get me back. “When will the Council see her?”

  The captain’s lips thinned. “Don’t get your hopes up. The Demon King is one of the most influential members of the Supernatural Council.”

  My mouth dropped open, and I scrambled for something to say. Before I could muster up the words ‘conflict of interest’, the captain shut the door, enclosing me in my cell.

  I slid down the wall, my heart thundering with a lightning storm of regret. If I hadn’t been so powerless, I might have been able to knock the larger woman aside and escape with Dami.

  The ring on my finger pulsed, reminding me of its presence. I squeezed my eyes shut, eased it off the digit, making sure to twist where it tried to tighten around my knuckles.

  By the time I wrenched the ring free, it punished me with a jolt of electricity that jump-started my heart. I cried out with shock. Tiny bolts of lightning ran up and down my ring finger and my entire left arm throbbed. I tossed it into the toilet bowl, where it landed with a splash and a clunk.

  “Good riddance.”

  I squeezed my eyes shut and exhaled a shuddering breath. “How on earth could the best night of my life end so badly?”

  Whoever I’d addressed that question to didn’t answer.

  My shoulders sagged. Hades had been perfection—handsome, charming, funny, and sexy. And he hadn’t acted the least bit like a demon.

  Heat surged between my thighs at the memory of how he’d worked me to orgasm. I clenched my teeth and pushed those sensations aside. I knew what demons did to young women—Mother had shown me the pictures.

  A growl reverberated in the back of my throat. How could I believe anything that woman had told me? She had probably just lied to keep me from escaping.

  Whatever happened, I could not allow myself to fall into his clutches.

  Even more hours later, a knock sounded on the door. “Your Majesty?” asked a female voice. “Your trial is about to begin.”

  “So soon?” I scrambled to my feet and smoothed down my flimsy dress.

  The door opened to reveal Captain Caria in the doorway. “Lady Olympia registered a complaint with the Supernatural Council. She’s threatening to cause a drought across London and the South East unless we release you at once.”

  “Then why haven’t you released me?” I stepped into the hallway and walked beside the captain.

  “His Majesty has collated some compelling evidence to prove that you’re his bride.”

  “But I’m not.”

  She turned to me with her brows raised, looking like she believed the Demon King’s lies.

  “I would never marry a demon, especially not one like King Hades. I don’t even like him,” I said.

  “Hmmm…” The captain slowed her steps and opened the door, where a man dressed like a town crier barred our way.

  He stepped aside, revealing a courtroom that looked like the TV set of a period drama. Its walls were all mahogany panels with a high dais at the far end that housed seven golden thrones.

  Chatter spread across balconies about a story above ground level. I squinted past the chandeliers to find people wearing fancy dress peering down at me like I was their evening’s entertainment. I tore my gaze away from them and continued to a pair of desks at the front.

  Mother stepped out of a side door with Aunt Minerva from her coven. A sick sense of betrayal coated the back of my tongue at the notion that my entire life had been a lie.

  When our gazes met, I flinched, expecting to see her eyes blaze with righteous fury, but she gazed at me with a defeated expression that bordered on despair. Tears streamed down her beautiful face, and even her golden curls had gone limp. She must have used a tremendous amount of power in the hour or so since I’d last seen her fighting the enforcers.

  “This way, Your Majesty.” Captain Caria placed a hand on my shoulder and guided me to a seat at the back of the room.

  As she settled at the desk on the left, a door on the other side opened. Hades strutted out in red armor that clung to his every muscle. His wings had gone, allowing anyone to salivate over his every contour.

  My breathing shallowed, my heart thrashed against my ribcage, and warmth pooled between my thighs. What was with the shameless display? He was practically naked. And how dare he ambush me with made-up charges?

  He stared at me with a wide grin that I wanted to slap off his smug features and raised his brows. “See something you like, my bride?”

  “No!” I clenched my fists, wishing I could throw hexes.

  Captain Caria huffed, sounding exasperated.

  I shot her a glower. “What are you complaining about? You only have to work for the Demon King.”

  She shook her head, perhaps not wanting to get into trouble for disparaging her boss’s new fake wife.

  “All rise for the Supernatural Council,” said the town-crier man.

  A door set within the high podium opened, and the Vampire King stepped out first. He’d changed from his Dracula costume into a white robe. The Fire Queen stepped out next, her gaze locking onto mine. From the grim set of her features, it looked like she wasn’t hopeful that my side would be victorious in this trial.

  Following them were the other rulers: a pink-cheeked woman with the largest hair bun wobbling on her head. After her was the Witch Queen, a dark-skinned woman with white hair, then a male angel with the most beautiful set of pale wings. Finally, a silver-haired man with a delicate beauty that could only be fae.

  Two of the thrones were empty. I guess one of them belonged to Hades. These were his colleagues, after all.

  Captain Caria gestured for me to sit. As soon as I lowered myself into the wooden seat, a barrier of magic slammed around my chair. My lips tightened. Now they were making it impossible to escape.

  “Let’s make this quick,” Hades drawled from his desk. “My wife and I would like to continue consummating our union.”

  Mother shot out of her seat, her face turning red. Thick veins protruded from her temple. “My daughter does not belong to you.”

  Aunt Minerva placed a hand on her shoulder, but Mother shrugged her off and rushed to Hades’ side. “You’re a disgusting, perverted wretch of a demon who preys on innocent young girls.”

  I pressed a hand to my stomach, trying not to gag. First the Fire Queen told me he was a womanizer, and now Mother. What on earth did he do to the women he seduced?

  Hades turned to the judges. “Isn’t anyone going to hold Lady Olympia in contempt of court? I know I would bang the gavel if I were sitting in your esteemed places.”

  “The abduction charges leveled against you warrant serious investigation,” said the Angel King with a frown. He turned to Mother. “Please return to your seat.”

  Her shoulders sagged, and she allowed Aunt Minerva to escort her back to the left side of the courtroom. From the dossier on the table in front of them, it looked li
ke Mother’s coven sister would be acting as her lawyer.

  I bit down on my bottom lip, trying to soothe the guilt gnawing at my insides. This was my fault. I hadn’t listened to Mother’s warnings, and now the demon of all demons was trying to claim me as his bride.

  No matter what, I couldn’t let myself fall into his clutches.

  Hades raised his shoulders in a shrug. “Call the first witness.”

  Mother stood, walked to the center of the courtroom, and introduced herself.

  Aunt Minerva stood. “Please explain your relationship with the defendant.”

  “He abducted my first daughter and forced her into marriage. Now he wants my second.” Her voice broke, and she clutched at her chest. “When my eldest died at his hands, I spent every day wishing for death. But after centuries of trying to conceive, fortune bestowed a baby girl on me.”

  My mouth dropped open at the revelations. One: I had an older sister and Mother had never mentioned her until now. Two: Hades was my brother-in-law. Three: Hades had been responsible for her death.

  Aunt Minerva shook her head. “Does Kora have your permission to marry?”

  “Absolutely not,” Mother shrieked.

  “Why would the defendant claim that he’s married to your second daughter?”

  “He’s determined to steal my every shred of happiness.” Mother swept her arm toward where I sat at the end of the courtroom. “Look at my beautiful child. A demon of his caliber would delight in despoiling such innocence.”

  I dipped my head, forcing ragged breaths in and out of my lungs. Mother hadn’t been lying when she’d said a demon was coming for me. If only she had given me the entire story. I might not have been so eager for freedom.

  “Thank you,” said Aunt Minerva.

  Mother smoothed down her dress and walked to her seat.

  “Not so fast,” Hades snarled. “Minos hasn’t asked his questions.”

  I hadn’t noticed Hades’ lawyer until now. The man rose from his seat like a great oak, standing seven feet tall and with a bristly beard that covered his entire front. His thick unibrow lowered into a deep V.

  “Where was your youngest daughter this evening?” he asked in a gravely baritone.

  “Getting abducted by that libertine.” Mother flung out her arm toward Hades.

  “Your home is warded, correct?”

  She straightened. “Yes.”

  “When did you last detect my client at the wards?”

  Mother’s lips tightened, and her nostrils flared. I wrung my hands, hoping she would lie to the court and say that Hades had breached our wards to spirit me away, but she shook her head. “Five or six weeks ago, he arrived on my doorstep, demanding entrance to my home.”

  “And what was your response after you sent him away?” When Mother didn’t answer, Minos added, “If you would like me to refresh your memory, I can show you receipts from each of the ward masters you hired.”

  “I strengthened the wards so he couldn’t breach them,” Mother spat. “Somehow he must have found a way to—”

  “No further questions,” Minos said. “I believe the prosecution has no other witnesses.”

  I shot out of my seat, only for the magic to drive me back down. “What about me?”

  The Angel King steepled his fingers. “As you’re still under investigation for a separate charge, the court deems your testimony inadmissible.”

  “Why?” I spluttered. “But I’m the only person who could tell you I didn’t marry the Demon King.”

  The Witch Queen leaned forward and frowned. “Until we clear you of spousal abandonment, we can’t guarantee there won’t be a conflict of interest. Please stop struggling against your restraints.”

  My shoulders slumped, and I exhaled the longest sigh. Hades hadn’t snatched me out of the house. Instead, he staged this phony marriage and bogus court case. My arrest was tantamount to an abduction.

  “This is a bunch of bullshit,” I muttered under my breath.

  The door opened, and another female guard stepped out with Dami in tow. As the captain had assured me, she wasn’t in handcuffs. I frowned at the way she walked, with her shoulders hunched and her hands clutched to her chest as though the prospect of talking in court was frightening. I’d never seen her so cowed.

  After she introduced herself to the court as Damisa, Hellcat of the Fifth Faction, Minos stood.

  “Miss Damisa, could you inform the court who escorted Miss Olympia out of her family’s wards?”

  Her lips trembled, and she glanced from me to Mother to Hades.

  Minos cleared his throat. “Hellcats found guilty of perjury will have their contracts severed and forfeit any opportunity to leave their natural habitat.”

  “It was me,” she blurted. “I found the invitation on the doorstep and arranged an Überwald to pick us up on the street.”

  He stroked his hands over his beard. “Miss Olympia came to Kensington Palace of her own volition?”

  Dami hung her head. “Yes.”

  Hades brought a slew of witnesses to testify, from the Überwald driver to the guards at the palace door, who each said we had tried to gatecrash the masquerade ball. Throughout these testimonies, Mother stared at me with sad eyes.

  My shoulders sagged. I wasn’t sure why I still cared what she thought, but I felt like an utter disappointment.

  “She snuck out of her home with her friend to crash a party.” The Fire Queen scowled. “Big deal. Does anyone have any evidence of this supposed marriage before we throw this case out of court?”

  Minos rubbed his hands over his stomach. “I believe all will be clear when I call my final three witnesses.”

  “Your Majesty.” Minos turned to Hades and inclined his head.

  As he rose from his seat, loud chatter broke out across the balconies, and someone gave the lawyer a smattering of applause. I clenched my teeth and shot the sycophant my filthiest glower. It didn’t matter what lies he spouted in front of the court. I didn’t marry anyone.

  “Ladies, Gentlemen, and my esteemed colleagues,” he said in a voice as smooth as palm oil. “I am Hades, ruler of the Fifth Faction of Hell, and beloved husband to Kora Olympia.”

  I cupped my hands over my mouth and shouted, “You’re not.”

  “Miss Olympia,” the blonde queen snapped. “Any further outbursts, and I’ll hold you in contempt of court.”

  Hades raised his palm. “I will shoulder any punishment due to my bride.”

  Curling my lip, I forced my gaze away from his distracting leather armor.

  “Your Majesty.” Minos’ deep voice turned my attention back to him. “How did you come to marry Miss Olympia after a chance meeting?”

  Hades placed a hand on his broad chest. “It is the most ancient form of bonding, originating from the time Gaia decided that Uranus would be her mate. At the beginning of time, all that was required was the intention to marry when coupled with the spilling of virginal blood.”

  I sucked in a breath through my teeth. “No.”

  Minos spluttered into his clenched fist, his cheeks turning pink. “To save the prosecution the effort of asking, could you provide evidence of Miss Olympia’s deflowering?”

  Hades snatched a white sheet from the air. “Behold the sheets I tore from our marriage bed.”

  Gasps echoed across the courtroom, accompanied by excited murmurs. Hades had been gentle. I’d felt a tiny sting, so why would there be blood? Aunt Minerva turned around, her lips parted, her eyes wide. She looked thoroughly scandalized.

  Heat rose to my cheeks. On instinct, the words tumbled from my lips before I could stop them. “That’s not mine.”

  Mother shot out of her seat. “Lies!”

  Hades turned to the podium. “Perhaps the Witch Queen will verify the owner of blood with a touch of forensic magic?”

  The dark-skinned woman pursed her lips, looking thoroughly disgusted with his antics. Everyone up on the high podium glared at their colleague, except for the silver-haired faerie, who
snickered.

  With a flick of her wand, the Witch Queen cast a stream of white magic at the sheet, which meandered around the courtroom before making a beeline for my crotch.

  “The blood belongs to the young woman sitting within the evidence barrier.”

  Hades cupped a hand behind his ear. “Could you repeat that for those of us whose hearing has withered with age?”

  She bared her teeth. “It is Miss Olympia’s blood.”

  “It could have come from my tampon,” I blurted.

  Hades turned to me, his grin widening, his amber eyes burning with mischief. “What else did you find on the sheets?”

  “Semen,” the queen snarled.

  His chest heaved with excited breaths. He licked his lips as though preparing himself to feast on my soul. “Whose semen?”

  A shudder ran down my spine. It was both horror and humiliation. I wanted to turn to Mother and beg her to believe that I hadn’t done any of the things he had suggested, but I was locked in his gaze. The air between us crackled and popped with my impending damnation, and my lips parted with a moan.

  “Enough.” The Witch Queen slammed her fist on the arm of her golden throne. “I will not have you disgrace this family further.”

  Hades shook his head. “If it were up to me, I would have whisked away my new bride for her honeymoon instead of airing our dirty linen.”

  Mother rose to her feet. “I don’t know how you did it,” she said, her voice trembling with the force of her anger. “But I taught my child better than to lower herself with a demon.”

  “Demon King,” Hades said, his tone pitying. “I am as much a demon as you are.”

  I turned to Captain Caria, who watched the entire spectacle with her hands folded over her chest. Her features mirrored the stern expression of every woman in the courtroom.

  “What are they talking about?” I whispered.

  She stared down at me for a brief second before glancing away. “Hades is a god. Just like your mother.”

  My brows drew together. The Compendium of Magick said that there was only one god, who humans worshipped under multiple different names. He was the one who had created angels, demons, and everything in between.