by Bella Klaus
My stomach plummeted all the way down to the restaurant floor. Satan, as in the wicked devil from the Bible, was waging war against Hades, and Hades thought I could help him fight back?
“I think I’ll take that drink now,” I rasped.
He handed me the champagne glass, and I downed the sparkling liquid in one gulp.
“Careful,” he said with a chuckle. “If you get drunk, I can’t guarantee I won’t take advantage.”
“You’re disgusting.”
“You weren’t saying that when you had my head between your legs and my tongue driving your delicious wet pussy to a climax.”
My core heated with the remembered pleasure. I squeezed my thighs together and fixed my gaze on the refilling champagne glass. Hades slid a hand along my hip, which glided over the silk of my dress, and he curled his fingers beneath its hem.
A bolt of excitement hit me straight in the clit, and I flinched. My fork dropped to the plate with a loud clatter. “What are you doing?”
“Making up for not completely satisfying you at the ball.” His fingers slipped between my clamped thighs.
I glanced beyond the table and down to the diners. Many of them had turned their gazes to our floating booth. “People can see us.”
“This booth is completely secure.” He leaned into me, his hot breath fanning across my skin, making my nerve endings tingle with the need for his touch. “I could fuck you on this table, and all everyone will see is the King and Queen of the Fifth Faction enjoying a spot of lunch.”
My eyes fluttered shut, and my lips parted to release panting breaths. If I didn’t resist this seductive devil, I would get myself ensnared in a predicament even worse than my current entanglement.
“Stop this, right now.” I placed my palm on his chest and gave him a hard shove.
Hades pressed a kiss on my neck, as though proving that he could do whatever he wanted to me whenever he desired, and leaned back into his seat.
I scooted away from him, only to meet a barrier of solid air.
My teeth clenched. So much for using this excursion as a chance to escape. He was just as bad as Mother.
“One would have thought the great Demon King didn’t need to keep women confined with wards,” I said.
He leaned toward me and grinned. “But you’re not just any beautiful woman.”
“If you say I’m Persephone—”
“You’re a woman of strategic importance who has the power to end the war and restore the balance in Hell,” he said.
My shoulders sagged. “You may as well ask me to fly a 747. I don’t know how to do that, either.”
“There’s an annual ceremony called the Demon’s Ball,” he said as though I hadn’t spoken. “I want you to attend as my date.”
“And?”
“That’s all.” He raised his palms in a semblance of innocence.
I rolled my eyes. “Then you’ll allow me to leave Hell?”
“I’ll do better than that,” he said. “If you attend the Demon’s Ball as my date, I will provide you with an apartment of your choosing anywhere in the world, with a generous allowance so you can live independently of Demeter.”
My heart stilled. “What did you say?”
“Do this one thing for me, and you’ll be a free woman. No more possessive mother keeping you confined in a warded mansion. I’ll give you anything you desire.”
Our plates disappeared, replaced by the next course—lamb shanks with a red wine sauce, served on a bed of mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables.
Saliva flooded my mouth, and I took a large bite of the lamb, finally feeling like I could think straight enough to consider his bizarre offer. One date in exchange for a life free from the tyranny of Mother? There had to be a catch.
“What’s so special about this ball?” I asked.
“It’s where each ruler receives payment for keeping the souls.” Hades produced a bottle of red wine from thin air and poured me a glass. “For centuries, I have attended alone and only collected half the power I was due.”
“Because the other half belonged to Persephone?”
He nodded. “This year, you will collect twenty centuries of magical payments owed to you for the management of the Fifth Faction.”
“Won’t it kill me?” I broke off a large chunk of meat.
“Where do you think your lightning came from?” he asked.
My fork paused halfway to my mouth and I tried not to shudder at having used that power to kill two people. “You put it in me.”
Hades leaned into me, his lips curving into a smile. “That would be my cock. It’s thick and dreamy and grants a woman’s wishes, but it can’t bestow you with superpowers.”
I choked on thin air, my eyes streaming. Hades placed a glass of water to my lips, and I took several long sips. His gaze burned the side of my face, but all I could do was stare at my plate.
“Try again,” he said, his voice deep and seductive. “Where did you get your power?”
“If you didn’t give it to me, then I probably absorbed it from that creepy ring. Or in Hell.”
He shook his head. “Demeter must have stolen Zeus’s lightning and used it to subdue your memories.”
I flinched, my brows drawing together. “That’s ridiculous. She wouldn’t—”
“Your Majesty,” said the deep voice of the employee who had shown us to our table. “I apologize for interrupting, but your guest has arrived.”
A dark-haired man in his mid-thirties floated up from below. Stretching from his back were the same black wings Hades had sported during his fight with the Vampire King. He wore a tailored black jacket and a red shirt with its top two buttons open.
He was the ruggedly handsome type, with a five o’clock shadow and glinting dark eyes that reflected the light like jewels. I much preferred Hades’ classical beauty that made him look like a man in his late twenties.
“Who’s that?” I whispered.
“Lucifer,” Hades replied.
My stomach clenched. “Do you mean Satan?”
“Samael rules the Third Faction.” Hades waved a hand, and the layer of magic around us vanished with a pop. “The reprobate failing to make a grand entrance runs the Seventh.”
Flames flared across Lucifer’s obsidian wings, reminding me of the light magic Hades had used to create the hounds in his masquerade costume. Two fiery horns sprouted from his black hair, but by the time I blinked, they were gone.
“Hades, you reclusive bastard.” Lucifer stepped into our booth and lowered himself into the seat next to mine. His gaze raked up and down my form, making my breath catch. “I know you wanted to meet for lunch but I didn’t realize you’d be bringing your own morsel.”
“Articulate as ever,” Hades said in a voice as sharp as a scythe. “This morsel, as you eloquently put it, is Persephone.”
All traces of amusement melted from Lucifer’s features, and his gaze traveled up to my eyes.
“Your wife,” he said in a breathy tone that bordered on awe.
Hades dug his fingers into my shoulder in a warning to keep my mouth shut. “The one and only.”
“I’m not—” No sound came from my lips.
“You’ll have to forgive my missus,” Hades drawled. “Persephone is shy and even more reclusive than me. Would you believe my poor wife has just escaped the clutches of her own mother?”
My eyes crossed. Was this Hades’ attempt to explain the public trial? To make everyone assume Mother had fabricated an entire second daughter to deprive him of his wife?
Lucifer turned to me, his brows raised. “How are you enjoying being reunited after so much time apart?”
I pointed at my lips and mouthed, ‘He’s lying. I’m not Persephone,’ but Lucifer just chuckled. He either had zero skills in lipreading or he was a bigger bastard than his friend.
A serving of lamb shanks appeared in Lucifer’s place setting, and the King of the Seventh faction tore into his meal.
“Play along if you
want me to release your vocal cords.” Hades’ voice filled my head.
I paused midchew. “How are you doing this?”
“Our soul bond.” He took a long sip from his glass of wine.
“Did you invite him here to pressure me into agreeing to your scheme?”
“Persephone—”
“Kora!”
He exhaled a weary breath. “Alright. The power you’ll collect at the Devil’s Ball is enough to protect my realm, but I’m going to need allies to eliminate the threat of Samael.”
Lucifer turned to Hades and asked him a question about some demon prince who had left another faction to join forces with the Third. From the way they were talking, it looked like Samael was working hard to undermine everyone.
I cut another chunk of lamb and chewed. “How can you manage an entire faction by yourself if you have a throne for two?”
“The Fifth is the most powerful faction of all,” he replied. “While some factions hold more souls, mine contains all the souls and magic of every supernatural in the world who ever died and was condemned to Hell.”
“Is that a big deal?” I asked.
Lucifer rubbed his chin. “An emissary from Samael’s court approached one of my lieutenants, offering her a rulership over the souls in Jordan. She turned him down with a poisoned dagger through the heart, but a lesser demon might have agreed to such a generous offer.”
Hades hummed his agreement. “This is why we must ally to stop him.”
“The Queen of the Sixth made a similar suggestion,” Lucifer replied.
“Let’s hope you didn’t give her the same reply as your lieutenant.”
He snorted. “Hardly. But now that there will be two monarchs occupying the Fifth, I’m more inclined to work with you.”
My gaze darted from Lucifer to Hades.
“While I have access to their magic,” Hades said into my mind, “the other monarchs of Hell can only draw upon the power of the souls they manage.”
“And Satan is working so hard to destabilize the Fifth because he wants that magic for himself?” I asked.
“Samael,” he replied. “But your assumption is correct. If I ally with Lucifer and a few other rulers, we can destroy him and appoint a deity or demon who will be satisfied with their domain.”
Dessert arrived, a baked Alaska already set on fire. Hades placed his hand between my shoulder blades, indicating for me to blow out the flames.
“Do we have a deal?” he asked as Lucifer busied himself with a glass of champagne.
“Will you set me free after the Devil’s Ball?” I asked.
Hades inclined his head. “I will even draw up a contract to that effect and sign it with blood.”
“Alright.” Lucifer handed me a glass of champagne, drawing my attention to him.
“But you’ll need to learn more about Persephone’s mannerisms,” Hades added.
A moment ago, he’d been insisting that I was his wife. Whatever Lucifer was trying to tell me drifted into insignificance. I gave the Demon King an absent nod and a smile, and waited for him to stop talking, so I could ask Hades what he meant.
His dark chuckle filled my mind. “Don’t start thinking this is an admission that you’re not Persephone.”
My lips formed a tight line. I picked up a warm cake knife and sliced into the baked Alaska, enjoying how the blade crunched through the outer layer of meringue.
“Fine,” I said into the mental connection. “But who’s going to teach me?”
“I will,” he replied. “You have three skills to master before you fool anyone into believing you’re Persephone, starting with the art of sensual massage.”
Chapter Ten
Hades released the block he’d put on my vocal cords, but he’d either disconnected our mental connection or decided to focus on forming an alliance with Lucifer.
I spent the rest of the lunch barely paying attention to their conversation, and surveyed the diners sitting in the seats below. They all looked so carefree and sophisticated and likely oblivious that there was a war brewing in Hell.
Espresso and after-dinner mints arrived. I nibbled on a chocolate mint, wondering what on earth Hades’ lessons would entail, and why he wanted to start with massage.
Lucifer rose from his seat and offered me a courtly bow. “Persephone, it was a delight to finally make your acquaintance. Will you attend the Devil’s Ball?”
I met his mischievous dark eyes, and my throat dried. How had my head not exploded from lunch with not one but two Demon Kings? And now I’d signed up to party with seven more.
Hades wrapped an arm around my waist, giving me a gentle squeeze.
“I wouldn’t miss the ball for anything,” I said with my brightest smile.
After giving us a jaunty wave, Lucifer vanished, leaving us alone in our booth.
Hades stiffened. “Trouble’s coming.”
My gaze darted around the restaurant tables beneath our booth, finding nothing out of place among the diners. “Is it Samael?”
“Someone far worse,” he said, his lips forming a tight line.
He rose from his seat and pulled me up by the hand before transporting us in front of the brass elevator with his magic. I turned around to find the restaurant in Duck Island a hundred feet away from where we stood.
The doors hissed open, and he gestured for me to step inside. “Apologies for bypassing the romantic stroll, but I wish to avoid an altercation with your rampaging mother.”
“She’s here?” I turned toward the restaurant and broke into a run. Mother had a lot of explaining to do, starting with that nonsense about the corporality sickness.
Hades grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the elevator. “Are you forgetting?” he snarled. “We have an agreement.”
“Let go.” A burst of lightning exploded from my hand, making him release me with a growl.
The doors hissed closed, encasing me in the elevator with an enraged Demon King. He turned to me, his eyes burning with the flames of his anger, advancing on me like he could incinerate me with his glower.
“That power,” he growled.
My stomach roiled, my insides trembled, my fight-or-flight screamed at me to run, even though I was trapped. When the elevator descended, my heart also dropped. If escape wasn’t an option, then I’d have to force him to treat me with respect.
Lifting my chin, I met his smoldering gaze. “Never restrain me.” I raised a finger to prod him in the chest, but pulled it back to my side. “There’s plenty more power where that came from.”
“May I?” He held out his palm.
I stepped back toward the closed doors. “What do you want?”
“Merely to see this magic in action,” he said with a cold smile.
“You want me to electrocute you?” I asked.
Hades inclined his head. “Do your worst. If you can reduce me to slag as you did the other two who attacked you, then you may command the control panel to take you wherever you wish.”
“And if I can’t?” I asked.
He raised a broad shoulder. “Then we continue to our destination as planned.”
“Alright.” Pulling back my shoulders, I sucked in deep lungfuls of air. With one powerful push, I forced the magic out of my hands. This time, the lightning only extended an inch beyond my nails before turning back on itself to wrap around my fingers.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“The magic you command won’t let you kill your soulmate.”
“Or I don’t have it in me to murder someone when I’m not in danger.”
He slid a hand around my neck and cradled the back of my head, looking like he was holding me steady for a kiss.
Without meaning to, my lips parted, their sensitive flesh tingling for his touch. Anger surged through my system, and I raised my hand to give him a hard zap. “Stop that.”
Hades flinched. “And this is why you need to learn the art of sensual massage.”
I reared back. “So you can grab
me without my permission?”
“So you become accustomed to my touch.” He took my hand and placed a chaste kiss on my knuckle. “This ball will be the first time anyone has seen Persephone since before the Great Divide.”
My lightning receded back into my fingers, leaving them looking as though they weren’t capable of discharging lethal amounts of electricity. “What happened to her?”
“We argued.” He lowered his lashes, seeming unable to meet my gaze. “She left to visit her mother in Mount Olympus, and she got caught in the mess.”
“That’s why Mother blames you for her death?”
Hades exhaled a long breath, his shoulders sagging. “If you had been in the Underworld where you belonged at that time of the year, the disaster would never have torn you apart.”
My chest tightened, and I imagined hundreds of people falling through the sky, being ripped to shreds by the machinations of a jealous god bent on eliminating his rivals.
What had it felt like to lose his soulmate in a wicked twist of fate, only to find someone similar? It looked like he was coming to terms with the fact that I wasn’t Persephone, and he’d resigned himself to claiming her back pay.
The elevator doors opened into a white mezzanine with a ceiling that mirrored the sky I’d seen over the Mount Olympus illusion. It overlooked an Olympic-sized swimming pool, where Minthe waited at the side of a massage table.
I placed a hand on my mouth and backed further into the elevator’s cab. “You want the lessons to start now?”
Hades stepped out first and beckoned for me to follow. “I would wait an eternity for your love, but we’re on a tight schedule.”
I tried stepping back again, but there was nowhere else to go. “What do you mean?”
“The Devil’s Ball is next Saturday, and you have three tasks to master before you will make a convincing Persephone.”
“Hold on.” I raised my palm. “There’s massage and…” I gulped. “What else do I have to learn?”
He stalked toward me, a smile playing on his full lips. “I’m surprised you can be prudish after all those things we did to each other the night of the ball.”