by Bella Klaus
“Impossible.” Hades rose, shaking his head from side to side. “Persephone took her power from plants—”
“Persephone is dead,” she yelled.
Hades flinched.
Before he could strike her dead or do whatever Demon Kings did to punish their underlings, a knock sounded on the door. He beckoned, pulling it open with his magic to let in a figure in a black robe.
A female healer stepped in who looked perfectly normal except for the ram horns curling from her temples.
“No healer unless it’s my own.” I shook my head, knowing that I was being stubborn for refusing medical attention. But I still needed to escape from Hell, and this was my best opening.
A look of anguish crossed Hades’ features, proving that he had once loved my sister… at least until he’d caused her death. He waved the healer away and turned his gaze back to me.
“You are insufferable,” he said with a fond smile.
“Your Majesty,” said the captain. “She needs food and treatment. Should any harm come to her in our care, Demeter will—”
“Enough,” he snapped. “If she won’t eat here, I’ll have to take her to the surface myself.”
At the notion of a trip out of Hell, the tension around my chest loosened. All worries about my strange magic evaporated into the ether, replaced by a thrum of excitement. Normally, I would roll my eyes at them talking about me as if I wasn’t here, but not this time. Hades was doing exactly what I wanted, and giving me a chance to leave.
Captain Caria retreated from the room, muttering something under her breath. I stared after her, wondering why a Demon King would allow his subordinate to speak to him with such familiarity.
He offered me a hand. “Come with me.”
“Where?” I asked.
“Logris.”
“The supernatural city?” I took his hand, letting him pull me up.
I glanced at the door, wondering if we would see all his people in the hallway, but he turned me toward the other end of the room, to a pair of brass elevator doors I hadn’t noticed until now.
They were decorated with an etching of a woman clad in a similar dress to the one I’d worn to the ball, except her neckline didn’t show so much as a glimpse of cleavage. Her curls were tighter than mine and arranged in ringlets that fell to her collarbone.
“Is that Persephone?” I studied a face that looked more like Mother’s than mine.
“That’s you.” He placed his hand on the small of my back.
“She looks nothing like me,” I said with a sigh.
Hades opened the door with a flick of his wrist, revealing an interior decorated with etchings that resembled the trio of dogs that had formed the collar of his fiery cloak.
“After you.” He motioned with his arms for me to step inside.
“Together.” I grabbed his hand and shuddered at the electrical charge of our connection.
“It was like this between us when you fell in love.” His eyes blazed like flames, and the air between us crackled.
My pulse accelerated. “When you abducted her?”
“When I abducted you.”
The elevator surged upward, making my stomach lurch. I staggered forward, but Hades caught me around the waist and pulled me into his chest.
“You are exquisite.” His hot breath fanned across my cheek.
My heart fluttered. No one had ever used such terms to describe me. “This has all been a mistake,” I murmured. “You’re taking a case of familial resemblance too far—”
“I have loved you for as long as time,” he said in a deep voice that resonated through my bones, making every fiber of my body tingle. “Do you not think I would recognize the woman who captured my heart after years of yearning for her?”
I swallowed over and over, trying to digest his words. My mind tried to conjure up a reason why he was wrong, but with his masculine scent filling my nostrils and clouding my brain, all I could do was whimper.
Maybe it was a case of low blood sugar. When was the last time I’d eaten? And all the excitement of being abducted to Hell and having killed a pair of demons with lightning couldn’t be good for my health.
Bloody hell.
I was talking about myself as though I still had corporality sickness. That had all been a lie. Right now, with Hades’ hot body pressed against mine, and those whispered words of affection, all the sensation had drifted from my head and was quickly heading south.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to destroy those demons for you.” He slid his fingers down one of my curls before letting it spring back into place. “If it’s any consolation, your power will have reduced their souls to plankton.”
The thought of me being powerful enough to damage souls was the spritz of water I needed to clear my head. “Why would your demons risk punishment by attacking me?”
“Samael probably got to them,” he muttered.
“Who?” I whispered.
Hades clenched his teeth, not saying anything for several seconds. I stared up into his angular features, my brow furrowing. He was hardly the silent type, yet he pinched his lips together into a tight line.
“He rules the Third Faction, and for the past five years, has waged a war of stealth through sabotage, bribery, and assassinations.”
An unpleasant shudder slithered down my spine. “There’s a war in Hell?”
He drew back, meeting my gaze with crystal-blue eyes. “I would have taken my time to court you, but we don’t have much time to lose. Persephone, I need your help to win this war.”
Chapter Nine
My heart stuttered, and I gaped at Hades, wondering if he was deranged as well as deluded. The elevator’s brass walls closed in on us, making the space feel half its original size.
He had to be joking, right? Because someone who had spent their entire life tending to plants couldn’t wage war against the King of the Third Faction of Hell.
Nothing about Hades’ expression said he’d been kidding or confused. He stared down at me with eyes that burned bright with the certainty that I was the answer to his political problems.
“How…” I inhaled a deep breath, forcing myself to remain calm. This was the Demon King who had abducted me, locked me in a room, and tried to make me eat food that would condemn me for an eternity. I had to choose my words carefully. “How can I help you fight a war in Hell?”
Hades took my hand, the touch of his fingers on mine sending tingles all the way up my arms. My skin tingled as he brought my knuckles to his lips.
“I was never meant to rule the Fifth Faction alone.” His deep voice resonated through my soul. “You and I are joint monarchs…”
“But I’m not a goddess—not even a demon,” I whispered.
The elevator stopped, and the doors hissed open, flooding its interior with daylight. Instead of a hallway or the interior of a building as I would expect, we were facing a street of white-fronted Georgian buildings that overlooked a gigantic lake.
“Hold on to that thought until we reach a secure location.”
I peered out of the elevator, marveling at the greenery, and spotted the London Eye behind a building on the other side of the lake. “What is this place?”
“St. James’s Park.” Hades offered me his arm. “Including the headquarters, it’s one of the nine properties within London that make up the supernatural city of Logris.”
Placing my hand on the crook of his elbow, I stepped out with him into the cloudless spring day. The sun shone down from its zenith, indicating that it was lunchtime, and my stomach growled to remind me that it needed filling.
“Where was the courtroom, then?” I asked.
“Buckingham Palace.” He turned us around, just as the brass elevator descended into the paving stones, and pointed at a huge white building on the other side of the lake. “With temporal magic, we’ve made Queen Elizabeth’s abode our administrative headquarters.”
Dami had explained a little about how Logris worked, but she had been haz
y on the details. I turned to Hades, forcing myself not to admire the way the sunlight colored the ends of his hair a deep mahogany and brought out the golden highlights of his skin.
Since he was in a talkative mood, I needed to extract as much information as I could gather to secure my freedom.
We continued down a paved road, passing pedestrians who paused to bow to the Demon King. Along the way, I gazed at boutiques, chocolatiers, wine merchants, jewelers, and all kinds of shops that sold items designed to tempt. Even the people standing within window displays acknowledged Hades’ presence but nobody dared to approach.
“Who runs St. James’s Park?” I asked.
“I do,” he replied. “Just as the Vampire King rules Hyde Park and the Witch Queen rules Hampstead Heath.”
A cool breeze rustled through the trees and meandered around my body, making my temperature drop a few degrees. My gaze darted to a storefront with a sign that said DEMONIC DESSERTS.
“Does that mean you’re a demon?” The word tumbled from my lips before I could stop myself.
He stopped walking, and turned to me with a scowl. “I’m a Greek god, just like you, your mother, and a select few others who inhabit the Supernatural World.”
My skin prickled into goosebumps at the intensity of his glare. Everything I had learned about demons told me that they were wicked creatures, bent on extracting pain and suffering and misery. Hell was supposed to be a place of eternal torment. It was the threat most religions hung over their people to scare them into being good.
I swallowed back my trepidation. He wouldn’t smite someone he needed to win a war. “It’s a reasonable question,” I said, trying to keep the tremble out of my voice. “Why don’t you live in Mount Olympus?”
Hades turned his gaze back to the street, easing some of the tension that had wound around my chest.
As we continued our stroll, he asked, “What did your mother tell you about her background?”
“Only that she was a witch who worshipped the Greek gods,” I muttered. “If she is really Demeter, does that mean the rest of her coven are goddesses?”
“Athena is the goddess of wisdom and justice.”
My brow furrowed. “Who?”
“Her lawyer.”
“Aunt Minerva.” I glanced at a shop display where a peroxide blonde in a red leather bikini posed with a three-tailed whip that was fashioned to resemble a pitchfork.
“Figures,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Who else is part of this coven? Diana, Vesta, Juno?”
My mouth dropped open. “How did you—”
“Those five were a clique of goddesses who plagued me during my time in Olympus. I just gave you their Roman names.”
I shook my head. My entire life had been a lie, but that didn’t mean I was the goddess Persephone. “Mother told me my father was the worst type of womanizer.”
“Zeus,” he replied.
“But she told me he was powerless,” I said.
“Still Zeus.”
We crossed the road and continued along the lakeside, passing weeping willows, pink-blossomed crabapple trees, hawthorns, blackthorns, wild pears, and a dizzying array of white cherry blossoms that filled the air with their floral fragrance.
I glanced at Hades, who stared down at me with an intensity that made my heart flip. “Do you recognize these plants?”
“Not really,” I lied, smoothing out my features into a mask of indifference. “Trees and flowers aren’t really my thing.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m going to prove to you that you’re Persephone.”
“According to Mother’s testimony, she was my sister.” I raised my shoulders.
A one-story cottage stood in the middle of the lake, surrounded by short shrubs. Ducks and swans swam in the water, avoiding a group of majestic white pelicans with beaks as long as their necks.
“What’s that?” I pointed at the building.
“Duck Island Cottage, the most exclusive restaurant in Logris.” He guided me toward a footbridge. “Shall we?”
The restaurant’s interior ran on the type of magical expansion charm that could turn a tiny cottage into a space the size of our entire mansion. Floating crystals illuminated a pale-gray interior with round tables arranged in a circle around a silver booth suspended twenty feet in the air.
My breath caught. This was fancier than any location I’d seen on my favorite Netflix shows and occupied by better dressed people. The men all wore suits and smart jackets, and the women had donned designer cocktail dresses with tasteful and discreet jewelry.
I glanced down at my outfit. It was a silk jersey wrap dress with a design of violet and magenta flames that both accentuated my figure and complemented my strawberry blonde hair.
Minthe might be a coward whose inaction nearly got us both killed, but she certainly knew how to put together a stunning outfit.
A man in a black suit stepped out of the shadows and lowered himself into a deep bow. “Your Majesty,” he said in a deep rumble. “Will you be dining with us today?”
“Plus an extra guest,” Hades replied.
“Very good, sire.” He swept out his arm, unrolling a red carpet with flames burning at its edges.
Everyone sitting around the tables stopped talking to gape, and a flock of butterflies fluttered in my stomach.
Hades placed a hand on the small of my back and guided me into the restaurant. As we passed, the diners rose off their seats to bow and curtsey, murmuring respectful greetings.
My throat dried. Everyone treated him like he was royalty. I gave myself a mental slap upside the head. He wasn’t just a king—he was a god.
“Are you alright?” he murmured.
“Fine,” I squeaked.
The booth that I’d noticed before lowered itself a few feet, and the candles on the table flared to life, illuminating an interior of silver velvet. Hades wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me into his strong body.
In the blink of an eye, we reappeared behind its table, now facing the entire restaurant. The booth floated back to its usual position, making me glad I didn’t suffer a fear of heights.
“Everyone is looking at you,” I whispered.
He turned to me, his eyes sparkling like stars. “I come here all the time. They’re looking at their queen.”
I swallowed hard. “But I’m nobody.”
“Demeter spent centuries keeping us apart, and some of that involved suppressing your memories.” He ran his fingers down the side of my face. “In time, you will discover who you really are.”
His words sank into my skull, but they didn’t convince me in the slightest. If I was really that precious to him—a wife of thousands of years—why would he use such an underhanded method to keep me at his side.
I shook off those thoughts. Even if I asked Hades, he would say something slick and convincing that would confuse me further. Right now, I was just glad to be out of Hell.
As we sat, a bottle of champagne appeared on the table within a bucket of ice. “Everything here is safe to eat or drink.” He produced a flute and filled the glass with sparkling liquid. “I don’t intend to force you into staying if you’re determined to leave.”
I glanced from the drink to his face, which he’d arranged into an expression of earnestness.
“Why have you changed your mind?” I asked.
The corners of his lips rose into the beginnings of a smirk. “Because I’m that confident you’ll want to stay once you get to know me.”
I reared back, marveling at his nerve. Maybe women forgave his transgressions because he was handsome, powerful, and an amazing lover. But he’d humiliated me in front of Mother and broken her heart. Not that it mattered, because Mother had lied to me my entire life and held me captive. I no longer respected the woman, but I also didn’t want her knowing my business.
Pushing my annoyance aside, I focused on the more alarming issue.
“Why do you think I’m capable of helping you defeat another Demon King?” I ask
ed.
“Your power is what I need to secure the Fifth Faction from attacks.”
A large plate appeared in front of me, containing raw steak, chopped into tiny pieces and formed into a perfectly round patty. An egg yolk sat atop the steak with a semicircle of thin baguette slices around the plate’s edge.
“How can you tell that from a burst of lightning you didn’t see?” I shook my head for emphasis. “Until an hour ago, I was completely powerless.”
He took my hand and ran his thumb along my fingers. “Centuries ago, there was a disturbance across all celestial realms that caused the gods to fall.”
“What happened?” I asked.
“Most believe it was the work of the being who created the angels. His realm is the only one left standing,” Hades said, his voice laced with bitterness. “Nobody knows how he managed it, but the fabric of reality tore, making every deity tumble down to the earth.”
“Including Mother?” I ate a forkful of the raw meat, which provided a burst of flavorful herbs and spices.
“Including you.”
“You mean Persephone,” I said around my mouthful.
His lips tightened. Either he disapproved of my poor table manners, my continued insistence that I wasn’t his dead wife, or the steak tartare was a test. Maybe his precious Persephone didn’t like raw meat, but this was really good.
“The disturbance became known as the Great Divide.” He picked up his fork and broke off a portion of raw steak for himself. “Those gods who managed to maintain their power had to find roles within the new order.”
“Where were you when it happened?”
“Hades,” he replied.
It took a second for me to realize he was talking about the name of the place and not himself. “What happened to the Greek Underworld?”
“Tartarus disappeared from sight, and Hades suddenly gained eight new neighbors.”
My brows drew together. “You mean the Factions of Hell?”
He inclined his head. “Hell used to be a singular place, ruled by Samael.”
“Don’t you mean Satan?”
“Same thing.” He gave my question a dismissive wave and continued with his meal. “He lost that title when Hell was divided into nine Factions.”