The Fire of the Fated (The Chosen Series Book 3)

by K. C. Hamby

  She guffaws. “Sexually excited?”

  “If you want me to scream the word ‘horny’ when my dad walks in, I can.”

  Her face flushes bright red. “Goddess, please don’t.”

  I point my finger at her and scrunch my lips together, my ‘serious’ face. “Don’t try me, Fal. I know your weaknesses.”

  She presses her lips together to stop herself from laughing. She tilts her head and smiles at me like someone would a puppy. “You’re so cute.”

  I scoff and stomp my foot as a door opens somewhere in the house. “No! I’m intimidating!”

  “Nini? Intimidating? Naw, she’s a teddy bear,” my dad yells walking in from the garage.

  “Daddy! You’re not helping me intimidate Fal,” I groan, walking into the living room with Fal close behind, snickering the entire way.

  My dad clears his face of all joy and glares at Fal. “Fal. Nina is scary. So scary. One time I saw her swat away a fly. That fly was so scared, it flew into the window and died. Terrifying. She’s a monster. And that stomp she just did? I bet you can hear it all the way across the United States. She’s ruthless.”

  Fal puts her hand over her mouth to literally hold in her laugh as my face burns. My dad just stares at me now, face blank.

  “Well, that fly had it coming,” I grumble.

  Both of them and their jerk selves die laughing, Daddy sounding like a walrus just like I do when I laugh hard enough.

  At least Selene is only smiling at my expense.

  “Well, I got y’all some things for the trip back to Greece. I know the flight is long, so I got ya both somethin’ to do,” he tells us, lifting a bag in the air.

  I hug him tightly and grab the bag, peaking in to see the goodies.

  “A unicorn coloring book?” I whisper as I pull it out. “And colored pencils?” I look up at my dad and his eyes are watching me with worry. “I love it!”

  He smiles and Fal looks over my shoulder as I flip through the book.

  Satisfied, I lie it on the table and pull out the other thing in the bag. It’s a book. A thick one, too.

  “The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas,” I read out loud.

  “I got that for Fal,” Dad tells me and turns his attention to her. “The lady at the bookstore said it’s about a girl and her adventures as an assassin. I figured why not? It’s a whole series if you end up liking it.”

  Fal grabs the book and looks at the assassin on the cover, rubbing her fingers over the raised, gold letters. She smiles wide and looks at my dad.

  “Thank you, Charlie. I’ve been needing a new book to read. And the main character sounds like a bad ass.”

  Daddy snorts and fiddles with the hem of his shirt. “If she ain’t, we’ll go have a word with the bookstore lady.”

  Fal laughs. “Deal,” she tells him and opens her arms for a hug.

  Wow. I never thought I would see the day Fal willingly hugs someone other than me.

  My dad wraps his arms around her, and she stiffens suddenly.

  Uh, oh.

  I dive into her mind.

  Kill him, is hissed through her thoughts. Just grab his neck and give it a little twist. Just a little one. Payback is a bitch, after all.

  I throw my energy out and let it flood Fal’s mind, shooing away the darkness trying to control her.

  Cunt, I hear the Monster curse at me before I pull out of Fal’s head.

  But Fal is calm now, almost hugging my dad like a normal person.

  Thank you, babe, she whispers as she pulls away from my dad.

  The Monster wants to hurt my dad?

  Fal glances at me, regret heavy in her gaze. The Monster wants to hurt everyone, Nina.

  My daddy walks around Fal and wraps me up in a big hug. I can already tell he is trying to hold back the tears.

  “I’m glad ya came, Nini. I’ve missed ya a lot.”

  I pull back and make him look at me. “Don’t worry. I have a feeling we will be able to visit more often. And you’ll be hanging out with me in Greece soon, okay?”

  He nods his head, smiling sadly, and wipes tears from his eyes. “I love ya.”

  “I love you, Daddy.”

  Selene walks up a little unsure, but her eyes are soft and loving as she looks at me. “Nina, I’m glad I finally got to meet you. You are so beautiful inside and out. I am honored to be your mother.”

  I hug her before she can hug me. I want my mom to hold me so badly I can’t stand it. And I want to hate myself for it, but I can’t. And I can’t hate her.

  She holds me tightly, leaning her cheek against my hair for a moment before we step back from each other. I don’t really say anything back to her because I don’t know what to say. I just nod and smile, moving so Fal can say goodbye to her as well.

  She decides just a nod and a grasped hand is all she can handle, now.

  My phone chimes. “Fal, our ride is here.”

  “Thank you for having me and I’m glad I got to meet both of you. I’m sure we will see each other again soon,” Fal tells them, almost sweetly. She heads out the door with our bags in tow, me trailing behind, and waves to my parents before we step off the porch.

  The ride is only for looks and it’s taking us to the small town down the road so we can Move back to Olympia. But my dad thinks we are on the way to the airport.

  “Text me when ya land, Nini!” he calls before I shut the backdoor of the car.

  “I will!” I blow him a kiss and the car pulls away from his house, leaving a little piece of my heart behind with it.

  ***

  When we land back in our apartment, I put my things down and change into some more Underworld-durable clothes. Comfortable enough for me to run in and loose enough for me to shoot my bow. If it comes to that.

  I really hope it doesn’t, but Hades is unpredictable.

  Black skinny jeans, black combat boots, and a black shirt.

  “Look, I’m you,” I joke, turning around dramatically to show Fal.

  She snickers, pulling on a different black shirt from the one she was just wearing. “You make black look good.”

  “Psh, have you seen your butt in black pants?”

  Her face turns bright red, and she ducks into the closet to hide her embarrassment.

  I just smile to myself and collect all my arrows, placing them into a quiver attached to my back.

  When I walk into the closet, I find Fal with her shirt lifted, exposing the left side of her ribs.

  There is a bullet-sized scar along the skin.

  “Fal?” I ask and she blinks a few times before dropping the hem of her shirt and looking up at me.

  She says nothing and finally composes herself enough to shove knives in her belt and boots. It reminds me to grab my little sgian dubh from my suitcase and shove it in the sheath by my ankle, too.

  “Well, are we ready?” I ask and braid my hair quickly down my back. I want to ask if she is okay, but she made it clear she didn’t want to talk about it. At least not yet.

  Fal relaxes her arms from pulling her hair up, too. “One more thing.”

  She pulls out her little tin of black assassin paint and brushes it over my closed eyes and up into my hairline. She’s so gentle, her wrist sweeping across my chin as she works.

  When she finishes, she hands me the tin and I carefully brush a mask of black over Fal’s eyes and into her hairline too. Her eyes remain closed for a moment as she grabs my hands, squeezing once.

  Her eyelids flutter open and her eyes are burning amber, coldness in the depths, preparing herself to face Hades on an equal playing field, deity to deity.

  I nod, letting her know I understand she’s nervous. Every trip we take to the Underworld has been nothing but horrible for her. But Fal is ready to do anything to get her humanity back.

  She’s ready to fight.

  Chapter 69

  Falen

  When we land, we are in the clearing on Olympia beside the oak tree leading to the portal of hell. Ash and Eddie
are already waiting—black paint over Ash’s eyes and smeared blue over Eddie’s—like they told Nina they would be in the text messages.

  The Monster pushes, wanting me to lash out and hurt Ash and Eddie both, but Nina squeezes my hand. I look down at her and her encouraging smile banishes the Monster to the back of my mind. At least for a moment.

  Ash stares at me like I’m a stranger and, I understand. I was a complete asshole the last time he saw me. But it doesn’t make my feelings hurt any less.

  Who cares about the opinions of weak mortals? The Monster whispers across my mind. I clench my teeth hard, preventing the sentence from flying out of my own mouth. He is pathetic, denying power because of his pride.

  “Nina, Falen. How was the trip?” Eddie asks and crosses her arms over her chest with a raised brow at me.

  “It was great, actually. A lot of stuff happened, that’s for sure,” Nina answers, squeezing my hand again before locking those icy eyes back on Eddie and Ash. “I, uh, I can shift now.”

  Ash’s own amber eyes nearly pop out of his head. “You can?” His smile is wide, pride pumping into the energy of the air, and nearly contagious.

  Nearly.

  “That’s a lass,” Eddie laughs and smiles at my Mate, patting her fucking shoulder.

  A growl crawls up my throat. Nina elbows me in the ribs when Eddie glares.

  “Sorry,” I push out between clenched teeth. “I’m trying.”

  “I ‘spose that’s all you can do.” She doesn’t smile. I want to say she purposefully lets pity touch her lips, but that thought could be the Monster pushing me to punch her in the face. “But if you break my bones again, I’ll cut out your teeth with my hatchet.”

  Nina’s gaze snaps to me, brows furrowed. She didn’t know about that.

  What, is the Fury a fucking tattletale now? The Monster asks, not really searching for an answer.

  I just nod and avoid Nina’s questioning eyes.

  “That’s fair.”

  I clamp my teeth shut, knowing if I leave it slack, the Monster will take advantage and lash out.

  “We have a development,” Ash announces and claps his hands together. “We think the reborn Nemesis in the prophecy thing is actually the goddess reincarnated.”

  Huh.

  Nemesis is the goddess of wrathful justice. She’s one bad bitch I would never want to fuck with.

  “Then who the hell is Nemesis?” I ask, my foot tapping on the ground. I wish he would just spit it out. I tire of these waiting games.

  “It’s me,” Eddie announces and lifts her chin when my mouth falls open like a gaping fish. “Hecate told me herself.”

  “What, and I cannot stress this enough, the fuck?” I ask and stare at Ash and Eddie both, waiting for a goddamn explanation of some sort.

  “’A Fury to lead as was Fated,’” Nina whispers as she stares at the ground. “Nemesis is the leader of the Furies, right?”

  Eddie only nods, graveness in the line of her mouth.

  “Is this something we need to deal with right this second?” I ask, rubbing the bridge of my nose with my fingers. This is too much right now. All of it is too much.

  The Monster doesn’t care about Eddie. She feels nothing but mild curiosity at the amount of power she can potentially wield now.

  “No, of course nae,” Eddie sneers, clicking her tongue the way I hate. “Everythin’ must be about you right now.”

  “Watch it, fire sprite,” I growl and take a step toward her with fists ready to strike her smug fucking face.

  “Are we ready? I would rather get the steps of doom out of the way,” Ash asks, interrupting what was sure to be the fight of the year with his stern step-in-parent voice he used to use on me when we were kids.

  I laugh. I don’t mean for it to be condescending, but it is.

  He is a fool.

  “We aren’t walking,” I tell him and smirk. “Just hold hands.”

  “Goddammit, not this again,” he mumbles, but grabs Eddie’s hand anyway.

  Eddie grasps Nina’s hand and I suppress the need to claw her face off. Instead, I glare and hold Nina’s hand harder. It wouldn’t be in my best interest to fight with a reborn Nemesis. Not when her duty is to dole out wrathful justice.

  Not now, anyway.

  I close my eyes and Move us down to hell.

  Landing in front of the palace where I Burned, Ash and Eddie stumble away. Eddie isn’t really affected by the Moving, but Ash drags her along with his nausea. Nina seems to be getting used to it now because, when I look at her, she just gives me a reassuring smile.

  Ash’s stomach decides to hold on to whatever he ate, and he spits excess saliva into the dead grass. Eddie taps his back, giggling a bit at him before turning her attention to the palace.

  “Hades, you right bastart!” Eddie yells with all the power in her voice she can muster. It nearly shakes the entirety of the Underworld, booming to the ceiling far above and ricocheting into the air around us. “Come out here before I hunt your arse down!”

  He’s going to love that.

  “I give you all such accommodating hospitality and still you treat me so horribly,” comes from the red plume of smoke before he steps out, fixing the collar of his black suit. He is perfectly put together as always, white hair straight to his shoulders and not a single flyaway touching the crown of flames circling his head. His chin is lifted, posture just as a king should wield. “Despite this, I am still willing to hear what you have to say. Let’s keep the rudeness to a minimum, hm?”

  He gazes at me with a raised brow and glowing red eyes.

  Rudeness to a minimum, my ass.

  “Where the hell did you put my humanity?” I growl and take a threatening step forward.

  I obviously have no proof he has it, but his fingers are always sticky regarding me. He just happened to steal my soul from my body. I don’t see how stealing my humanity is too far of a stretch.

  Hades doesn’t flinch. He just watches my step with absolute boredom. “My dear, why would you think I would take that from you?”

  This is enough to ignite my fury and push the Monster forward. My hand snakes out and latches on to his throat.

  “Fal!” Nina gasps from behind me.

  “Oh, fuck. I don’t know,” I growl at the god whose red eyes have gone wide as I pick him up and hold him close to my face. “Because you took my soul from my goddamn body?” I remind him with a sneer.

  He sputters a bit, slight droplets of quicksilver and fear pooling in his eyes. His skin beneath my hand crackles black, slowly spreading.

  “Fal, come on!” I hear Ash yell and he runs up beside me, grabbing my wrist. “Let him go!” He attempts to pull my arm down, but he is no match against the strength of a goddess.

  “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you,” I growl at Hades, ignoring Ash’s attempts to free the asshole.

  He has no right to stop me from seeking my revenge. He has no power. He refused that power.

  Hades coughs, grabbing at my hand as his feet dangle. But…his body suddenly sags.

  “I…don’t have a…good reason,” he rasps, and I blink at the words. “You should…kill me.”

  The hot fury suddenly dies in my chest and I drop my grip on the god’s throat. He tumbles to the ground and lands on his ass, gasping and gagging into the dead grass beneath him. The blackness which had gone so far as to spread to the side of his face slowly retracts, leaving behind the perfect and pale skin as if it were never touched.

  A soft hand grips mine and calm energy flows through me. I know it’s Nina, but I can’t look away from Hades.

  “You would have let me kill you.” Disgust rolls along my words. It’s not a question, exactly. More of an announcement.

  “Yes,” Hades nods, standing while rubbing his neck. He dusts grass from his suit and fixes his disheveled hair.

  “Why?” I snap, taking a step forward again.

  For some reason, his refusal to fight pisses me off. He would just allo
w himself to be killed. No argument. Like a fucking…

  “Because I’m a coward,” he admits, not flinching away from my threatening forward step. “I am not so low that I would take your humanity, Falen. I have done far worse to you in the past and it is because I am a coward.” He stands tall, chin lifting as I stare at him. “I was afraid you would expose my hatefulness and take away the one good thing in my life. I allowed unimaginable terrors to be inflicted upon you. I couldn’t even stomach to do it myself. I had those two foul souls do it in my stead.”

  I swallow, the memory of my flesh being cut in every direction burns across my mind. Why the fuck are my eyes stinging?

  “I am sorry for the wrongs I have done. I truly am. And I deserve your fury. I deserve the touch of Death dealt by your hand. I am ashamed of my actions.” He places a fist over his heart and gives a slight bow. “That is why I would allow you to end me. If I am to die, it is only right you should be the Reaper.”

  I fidget under the sorrow of his staring eyes. It makes me jerk my chin up and clench my jaw harder than I have in a while. But I’m not sure what I’m trying to keep in. Part of me wants to scream and beat him to near death. To rip out his eyes and shove them down his throat. To torture him as he let Damien and Invidia do to me.

  But…there is another part that whispers in the back of my mind. A nicer, more emotional part of my soul. The part that wants to fall to my knees and sob, letting out all the fear and hurt he caused and forgive him. Not for him…

  But for me.

  Pathetic, the Monster growls.

  Hades clears his throat before I have a chance to give in to either of these temptations and looks me over. “It does so appear you only have a shred of your humanity left.”

  Back to business, then.

  “Tell me, how strong did the darkness become before you Burned?”

  I shake myself of the dread and anger, blinking to get my mind back on track. “Well, I was seeing the Monster in me, quite literally, before my own eyes.”

  “Wait, what?” Ash interrupts, but I keep my gaze steady on the asshole in front of me. “She was hallucinating?” The question is aimed at Nina now and I see her nod from my peripheral.