by Bella Klaus
“You and I are more related than you could ever know,” he murmured. “Did you know your mother gifted me with something wonderful?”
“A baby?” I asked.
He chuckled. “The equipment required to produce heirs.”
My nose wrinkled. Was he talking about his missing penis again? Where on earth did Mother have one of them lying around, unless she had stolen it from Pirithous before killing him?
I pressed my lips in a tight line. Right now, I was in huge danger and on the verge of being captured by the most diabolical of all the Demon Kings. I did not need to dwell on his pilfered genitals.
“You mentioned a truce,” I said. “How’s that going to work?”
He inclined his head and raised his elbow the way gentlemen did when they were courting women on the TV shows. “Walk with me, my dear.”
Swallowing back my revulsion at his attempt at charm, I placed my hands behind my back. “What’s this truce about, then?”
Samael sighed, his shoulders sagging, and he strolled past the demons. I remained rooted to the spot, not knowing if this was some kind of trap.
“His Majesty told you to walk.” The first demon prodded me in the back with a thick finger.
Samael spun, his eyes turning white with rage. He pointed his finger at the demon, transforming him to stone. A breeze meandered in through the overgrown garden, and tiny grains of white drifted off his petrified body.
I clapped a hand over my mouth. Samael had the power to reduce people to salt.
“Please accept my apologies, Kora,” he said, sounding genuinely remorseful. “But you are my daughter, and that comes with the expectation of respect.”
The demons standing to the side tensed, their gazes no longer on me.
Samael inclined his head once more and offered me his arm. “Please walk with me.”
This time, I stepped forward on trembling legs, but no force in Heaven and Hell could get me to touch that wretched creature.
He continued strolling alongside the derelict, and I walked at his side. For the next few heartbeats, Samael remained silent, seeming to take in his surroundings. I glanced from the dilapidated mansion, which was covered in moss, to a garden of overgrown ivy that spiraled around oddly shaped structures that had once been outbuildings.
“Demeter’s unnatural obsession with you will soon come to an end,” he said.
“Because of the baby?” I asked.
He nodded. “I intend to get her pregnant again as soon as she has birthed our daughter.”
I swallowed back a bellyful of disgust. “Why?”
“You are familiar with the management of Hell, yes?”
“How it was split into nine Factions, you mean?”
“That’s correct,” he said. “With the angels inserting so many rules into the management of my former realm, taking control is becoming increasingly difficult.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“If I assassinate every leader, then Heaven will reduce me to salt. If I arrange their demise indirectly, then there’s no guarantee I will arrive in that realm quickly enough to take leadership.”
“Oh.” I didn’t bother to mention that he had seized control of the Second after poor Varaha had been killed. “Does that mean you have a new plan?”
“Family.” He turned to me with a grin.
I placed a hand over my chest. “Pardon?”
“Now that you’re my daughter, I already potentially control the Fifth.” His eyes narrowed. “We are technically family, yes?”
My stomach flipped. If I said no, would he try something dastardly? “Of course,” I replied. “You’re married to my mother.”
“And I have certain body parts of your father,” he said with a wink.
A shudder ran down my spine and settled into my roiling stomach. I clenched my teeth and forced myself to smile. Had Mother plundered the statue of Zeus for genitals? Based on the twinkle in Samael’s eyes, I guessed the answer was yes.
At the end of the mansion was a walkway that led through eight-foot-tall tufts of pampas grass, complete with white tassels. He paused and folded his hands over his concave stomach. “Are you agreeable to a truce?”
“What would I need to do?” I asked, the fine hairs on every inch of skin standing to attention.
“Nothing onerous,” he said with a smile. “When I take control of Hell, you and Hades will step down and take your places as my prince and princess.”
“Oh,” I murmured, trying to give myself time to think. I didn’t know anything about Hell. Or why Heaven had decided to split it into nine realms. It was something related to wanting to curtail Samael’s power, but this wasn’t a decision I could make without Hades.
I glanced over my shoulder to find that the quartet of guards had turned into a small squadron of sixteen, and some of them hadn’t even made the effort to disguise themselves as humanoid. A scaly creature with a mouth like a slit stood at the edge of the group, staring at me though beady, black eyes.
My throat dried. If I refused, I doubted Samael would allow me to leave these wards. And he would forget all that crap about me being his daughter. The best case scenario was that he had lined up these demons to attack me the moment I refused his offer.
I turned to him and frowned. “That’s all?”
His brows rose. “Your fealty during the war I intend to start with Heaven would be pivotal to my success. I do not treat it lightly.”
“All right, but I need to discuss this with Hades.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Or I can wait for Demeter’s plant to consume what’s left of your husband and deal with you directly.”
“Fine,” I said. “When the time comes, we won’t stand against you.”
Samael wagged his finger from side to side. “I want you to fight with me.”
Bitterness coated the back of my tongue. “I’m not hurting my friends.”
“Of course not,” he said with a dry chuckle. “Unless you consider your friends angels.”
“Not particularly,” I muttered. “May I leave, please?”
“One more thing,” he said with a cold smile.
I sucked in a breath through my teeth, wishing I knew more about the loopholes within the Handbook of Hell. “Yes?”
“You’re going to be instrumental in helping me take control of the Seventh.”
My eyes bulged. “Are you talking about Lucifer?”
“The very same.” He rocked forward on his heels, his eyes narrowing with an expression that promised Hades would suffer if I refused.
A band of anxiety wrapped around my chest. The last time I had seen Lucifer was at the housewarming party, where he’d helped get me drunk and pretended to drag me upstairs just so Hades could act the big hero and come to my rescue. Lucifer was one of the few Demon Kings that I actually liked, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t play along with Samael… at least until I could break free.
“What do you want me to do?” I asked with a sigh.
“Seduce Lucifer and birth his replacement.”
I reared back, my mouth falling open. “You think it’s going to be that easy?” My words tumbled over each other. “He’s good friends with Hades and knows we’re married—”
“Lucifer knows Kora.” Samael beamed. “He has never met Persephone.”
I glanced in the direction of the path, wishing I could use it to escape.
“Please don’t walk away from our conversation,” he said, sounding bored. “My men will subject you to torments that will make you wish you’d agreed to a pleasant evening with a handsome gentleman like Lucifer.”
“I wasn’t planning on running,” I snapped.
“Watch your tone, daughter,” he hissed.
I clenched my teeth. He was just as bad as Mother—worse, because Mother never tried to control me with the threat of sexual assault. I turned to Samael, wishing Heaven would allow me to reduce him to char. “I’m listening.”
“Very good,” he said with a ti
ny smile. “I want you to approach Lucifer and tell him you’re a minor goddess in need of a mate.”
“Offer to sell my soul, you mean?” I asked.
He inclined his head. “Lucifer is notorious for making deals with beautiful women.”
“What does he do with them?” I asked.
“Who knows?” Samael said with a shrug.
“All right, but do you really want me to sign a contract with him?” I asked.
“The handbook states that monarchs cannot enter into formal agreements.”
“Right…” My voice trailed off. Something about this arrangement sounded off.
An idea dropped into my head. Samael wanted me to be on his side when he took control of Hell, but he couldn’t back up our agreement with a contract.
Why?
Because he would face the wrath of Heaven.
I breathed hard, trying to suppress my excitement. All I needed to do was say yes to whatever he wanted and there would be no consequences for changing my mind. And I could double-cross him without repercussions.
“Are you still with me?” Samael asked.
My gaze snapped back to his overly smooth features. “I am. What happens to Lucifer when I sign?”
“You remember what became of Varaha?” he asked.
I nodded. “Won’t that also affect me?”
He waved a dismissive hand. “Heaven only punishes the person who seeks to benefit from the contract. The other party may walk away unscathed.”
That was a bag of bullshit, but if agreeing to this scheme meant leaving this garden, I would nod and smile and work out a way to get even with Mother and Samael.
“All right, then.” I clapped my hands together. “But how am I going to get pregnant?”
The corners of his lips curled into a smile. “Would you like me to show you?”
I shook my head. “You’re a father figure to me, now.”
His shoulders sagged, and he appeared disturbingly disappointed. “Lucifer likes to romance his women before entering into contracts with them. Take a fertility potion before each date. Don’t sign the contract until he takes you to bed and you’re sure he has gotten you pregnant.”
I stared into Samael’s watery eyes, wondering if the pregnancy plot was just a smokescreen for making Lucifer and me self-destruct. He probably thought by suggesting I conceive a child with the King of the Seventh that I would feel secure to carry out this stupid plan.
“Do we have an agreement?” He held out a gloved hand.
My body went rigid at the prospect of touching any part of Samael, regardless of if he had a layer of cotton separating his flesh from mine. I stepped back, swallowing hard to calm my churning stomach.
“Yes,” I said, my words clipped. “I agree to your terms, but only if you can reverse what Mother did to Hades.”
He shook his head. “All I can do is distract her from making further attacks on your husband. You, however, are in possession of the body capable of controlling the plants.”
“All right.” I turned toward the path. “May I go?”
He swept his arm toward the exit, which now felt like a gauntlet of poisonous plants. With a crowd of demons behind me ready to attack and Samael staring at me as though I was a delicious form of steak, I couldn’t help wondering if he’d hidden something nasty within the vegetation.
It was doubtful, since his intention for confronting me here was to coerce me into making that contract with Lucifer.
“See you later,” I murmured.
“You will, indeed,” he drawled.
My skin tightened, and my insides surged with cold anxiety. I pulled back my shoulders, mustered up all my courage, and took my first step down the path that led to the exit.
The plants on either side bowed toward me as though I was their source of nourishment. Ignoring them, I hurried down the path and tried not to look back.
“Kora?”
My spine stiffened, and my feet ground to a halt. “Yes?”
Heavy footsteps thudded toward me, making my insides twist into knots. I turned to find one of the demons from earlier approaching with a thick folder crammed with papers.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“His Majesty says you need to study this dossier on the Seventh.”
I leaned to the side and stared down the path, looking for a grinning Samael, but he had already gone.
“Thanks.” I took the proffered folder.
With a grunt of acknowledgement, the demon turned on his heel and continued toward his comrades.
I broke into a run.
This had to be some kind of trick. Samael couldn’t truly believe I would get pregnant with Lucifer’s baby, yet he’d allowed me to leave. A creature like him didn’t make slip ups. He had probably already devised a way to force me to comply with his awful scheme.
My fingers twisted the Hell ring. There was no point in thinking things through until I teleported to freedom, and I couldn’t do that without leaving this property’s boundaries.
A gentle breeze blew through my hair, making my skin tighten with trepidation.
Bloody Hell, I needed Hades now more than ever.
Chapter Six
After what felt like an eternity of feeling the demons staring at my back, I reached the edge of the mansion’s wards. The magic fizzled against my skin, bringing with it a sense of relief. I stepped onto a deserted street bordered by a large field overgrown with grass and weeds and glanced over my shoulder.
Tall vegetation obscured my view of the walkways, and I couldn’t see Samael or any of his minions. I continued down the road at a rapid pace. My body was probably riddled with dangerous seeds and plant matter, but there was no time to stop. I needed to remove all the vegetation from my body, return to Hades, and use my new powers to kill his parasitic plant.
Concentrating my power into the ring, I sent my magic to Hades’ palace. My body immediately brought me to the hallway outside the room I’d stayed on my first day in Hell. Twisted and contorted statues stood on podiums on my right, and my left was the wall of windows that offered a panoramic view of Mount Olympus.
I glanced around, looking for signs of a servant or someone else who might direct me to where Healer Iaso had kept Hades, but it was empty, save for the brass elevator at one end.
Shit. I really needed her help right now. And the dryads. They were probably the only people who could help me gain control over Persephone’s power.
“Hades?” I asked into the bond.
When he didn’t answer, my insides twisted into painful knots. Had his situation gotten worse since Mother’s flower had sprayed pollen at us? I swallowed hard, trying to keep myself calm, and headed toward the war room.
The palace’s corridors were a winding maze of twisting hallways and stairwells that seemed to go around in circles. It looked like the magic of the building was trying to keep me away from Hades. With a growl, I pictured the war room—the vast chamber with murals of landscapes on the wall—and teleported.
“What are you doing here?” demanded a female voice.
I turned to find Captain Caria standing at the head of the table, clad in her usual black uniform. Her features were twisted into a rictus of hatred, and in her hand was a gun charged with a glowing magazine.
Along the table were the usual demons I’d seen on the two occasions I’d visited this room, including Aello, the white-haired harpy with a giant beak in the back of her head. One of the furies who had knelt around Hades’ prone form stood opposite Aello. She bared her teeth and hissed.
My hands went up. “Captain, it’s—”
“Seize her,” Captain Caria roared.
A flurry of magic surged toward me, and I teleported to the other side of the table, where the captain stood.
“Calm down.” I grabbed her arm.
She broke free of my hold and swung at my face. I ducked, side-stepped and blocked another blow.
“You’ve got a nerve to show your face after what you did to
His Majesty,” she growled.
My throat dried. Namara hadn’t told the captain about my plan to inhabit Persephone’s body. I stepped back, lightning crackling from my fingertips. “It’s me,” I said. “Kora in a new body.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Prove it.”
“How?” I blurted. “Persephone didn’t wield this kind of power.”
“She also would never have cursed her own husband with a deadly parasite,” the captain snarled.
Someone threw a fireball at my head, and I batted it away with a ball of lightning, causing an explosion of white and yellow sparks. When another person hurled a knife at my chest, I jumped to one side, holding the Captain in front of me as a shield.
“You see,” she said from between clenched teeth. “Kora could never do anything so cowardly.”
“I’m trying to avoid hurting any of Hades’ inner circle,” I said. “And none of them would dare to touch you.”
“Release her,” hissed a man with eyes and a tongue like a snake. He wore a high-necked collar that hid a scaly neck and pointed at me with pointed fingers.
“No one’s going to hurt the captain,” I said loud enough for my voice to project.
She elbowed me in the gut, making me groan.
“Will you stop that,” I hissed into her ear. “All I want to do is talk. Ask Namara. It’s Me, Kora.”
“Let me hear your terms,” she growled.
I rolled my eyes. Part of me couldn’t blame the captain. I was wearing the body of the woman who had laid entire villages to waste, transformed innocent people to plant food, and was currently making Hades suffer a curse of parasites.
Perhaps I should have informed the captain of my intentions or asked Namara to send Caria a memo, but it was too late for self-recriminations. I was here, with Hades’ daughter as my hostage and a room full of hostile demons waiting for the chance to reduce me to ash.
Realization hit me upside the head. Captain Caria wasn’t just the daughter of Hades—she was also my child.
“Listen,” I said, keeping my voice calm. “All I want to do is tell you all what’s happened.”
“Unhand the princess,” said a demon with a crown of horns that matched his mouthful of fangs.
