Dragon's Gift: The Amazon Complete Series: An Urban Fantasy Boxed Set

by Linsey Hall

I shifted, not liking the sound of that.

  “Well, I don’t like them.” I grabbed the hand and yanked, but it held firm. Anger and fear burst in my chest like bubbles full of black tar.

  Maximus reached over and grabbed the hand, prying it off with his gladiator strength. He flung the creature back into the water. It splashed, hissing angrily.

  “Thanks.” I looked into the water, my heart thudding. I didn’t want to attract these damned monsters. There was darkness inside me, but I didn’t want it. Didn’t like it. It wasn’t me.

  And I didn’t want to feel so comfortable in this place. I was afraid of the souls, but not of this place, which was weird. Weird and horrible.

  The water rippled, and anxiety crept along my back. When the creature lunged out of the water, reaching for me, I bit back another scream and dodged away. It was too fast, though, grasping for my arm. Maximus grabbed it, prying it off, but before he’d even flung it away, another grabbed for me. And another.

  Two came out of the water simultaneously, reaching for my arms.

  Panic flared, bringing cold fear with it.

  “No!” The word exploded out of me, and I called upon all the goodness within my heart. Anything that was light and kind, I dragged it to the surface, imagining that it was a bright white light.

  The creatures of the damned fell back from me, their eyes flashing with hatred. They slipped into the water.

  “Good.” I turned back to find Charon staring at me, red gaze assessing.

  Damn.

  I shrank into myself, trying to look non-threatening. Normal.

  “I wonder what the judges will think of you,” he mused.

  Frankly, I didn’t care. The Greek gods had given me their powers, but I wasn’t interested in their judgement of me. I’d read a lot of the myths, and frankly, I wasn’t impressed with them. Between all the trickery and cruelty and misogyny, a lot of the gods were jerks.

  It was my job to be the Greek Dragon God—to use their magic to make the world a better place. But I didn’t care what they thought of me.

  The rest of the journey continued in silence. I couldn’t help but glance anxiously at the water as we crossed. Several times, I met the hateful gaze of one of the damned, floating just below the surface, but they only stared. Maximus sat at my side, ready to defend me. But more importantly, I was ready to defend myself. Those bastards didn’t stand a chance.

  By the time we reached the other side, I was vibrating with tension.

  The boat drifted to a stop alongside the bank, and Charon gestured with his arm. “Get out.”

  I climbed out of the boat, swallowing a sarcastic thank you, and looked at Maximus.

  He nodded, and we headed away from the boat. I could feel Charon’s burning gaze on my back, and I hoped the rest of the denizens of Hades weren’t as suspicious of us.

  We climbed the river bank quickly. As soon as we reached the top, I spotted the gates of hell. They were made of massive pieces of black wrought iron that twisted and turned, rising high toward the black sky. Had to be the work of Hephaestus. A massive black mound lay before them.

  Then it moved.

  I blinked.

  Slowly, a huge creature rose to its feet. It had inky black fur and four huge paws. Three heads.

  Cerberus.

  The three-headed dog turned to us, blinking six yellow eyes. Three mouths fell open, revealing fangs as long as my legs. A growl rose in the beast’s chest.

  I swallowed hard and stepped closer to Maximus.

  “We must approach,” he said.

  I nodded, continuing forward on shaky legs. I liked animals. All of them, even the mean ones. I didn’t love it if they were mean to me. But in general, I thought they were fine. They were just doing their animal jobs, being murderous crocodiles and the like.

  Except it was Cerberus’s job to inspect us.

  So that made this a bit more complicated.

  We walked toward the dog. With every step, I shook harder, unable to keep my eyes away from the monster’s many sharp teeth. It had breath like dead bodies and claws that could tear open my ribs with one flick.

  “Nice doggie,” I murmured.

  Cerberus looked at me like I was an idiot.

  I probably was.

  He leaned low to sniff us, warm air puffing out of his three nostrils. My heart thundered and my skin chilled.

  He stopped, holding dead still. A growl rose in his chest, louder and fiercer than the one before. He sniffed again.

  Growled again.

  Oh, fates.

  Cerberus could smell that we were still living, and he knew that something was definitely wrong.

  7

  Shit. Shit. Shit.

  The giant hellhound was about to bite our heads off because he knew we were breaking in.

  Frantically, my mind raced. How the hell were we going to get out of this?

  He’s just an animal.

  Big, mean, and strong. But an animal like any other.

  I sucked in a deep breath and called on the magic that Artemis had given me. If I could just get inside his head….

  I tried to replicate what had happened with the wolf, forcing my life force inside Cerberus’s body. He growled and puffed above us, leaning lower as if to take a bite. My heart thundered and sweat rolled down my back.

  Then it worked. My consciousness melded with Cerberus’s. I could see myself and Maximus standing in front of me. So tiny.

  And I could feel Cerberus’s confusion. We didn’t smell right. Were we bad?

  No.

  I tried to convince the dog, working like a spy implanted within his own mind. He shook his heads, clearly confused.

  At my feet, Maximus looked equally confused by Cerberus’s change in demeanor. Then he looked at my body, and understanding dawned.

  It took a while, but I felt the great dog calming. I tried to feed him soothing energy, melding my own consciousness with his. He settled down, leaning back on his haunches and tilting his heads to look at us.

  Okay, okay. This wasn’t so bad. He probably wasn’t going to eat us.

  Lie down. Take a nap. You’re a good boy.

  I could feel his pleasure, and he did as I asked, settling down into his previous mountain-like form. He sighed, a big billowy huff, then closed his eyes.

  I returned to my body.

  “You did that?” Maximus whispered.

  I nodded. “Let’s go in.”

  We crept around Cerberus, who sighed in his sleep, sending puffs of horrible dead-body breath wafting over us. I held my breath, trying not to gag.

  As we stepped beneath the massive iron gates that led into the depth of Hades, I shivered. The air here was even more horrible feeling, and a thick fog obscured our vision. It felt like tiny stinging gnats flew through the air, biting and nipping.

  “How did you do that?” Maximus asked as we walked slowly through the fog. “With a hellhound that big? It didn’t make it harder?”

  “No. My gift from Artemis is really turning out to be my favorite. And it wasn’t hard. He’s just a dog. I mean, he’s got some powerful weapons, but at the end of the day, he just wants to be told he’s a good boy.”

  Maximus grinned.

  The fog cleared ahead of us, revealing a long road that cut through a barren field. Mist hovered over grass, and the road was paved with large flat rocks that fit together perfectly. The path itself looked endless. I swallowed hard, any positive memories of Cerberus fading.

  Maximus reached for my hand, and despite our ghostly appearances, I could feel his warmth. I clung to it, drawing in a steady breath and stepping onto the road.

  On either side of the path, the mist coalesced to form shadowy figures. Four of them. They appeared to be wearing long, hooded cloaks, a lot like the boatman had worn. Cold magic rolled out from their forms, a wintry breeze that froze my skin. They drifted onto the road, floating toward us.

  “They must be escorts,” I murmured to Maximus.

  As they near
ed, the air grew even colder. My teeth began to chatter and my limbs shook. It took everything I had to stiffen my spine and stare straight at the ghostly figures. This place made me intensely uncomfortable, but I wouldn’t let it beat me.

  They didn’t speak as they surrounded us. Two stood next to me and two next to Maximus. Then they began to walk.

  Instinct propelled me forward, and Maximus did the same. Silently, we walked down the path as the mist rolled alongside us. Our guards were silent, but it was clear they wouldn’t let us move about unescorted. They stuck so close that I could almost feel the cold mist of their cloaks brushing against my arm.

  We walked for a while—how long, I couldn’t tell—until finally, we crested a hill. In the distance, I spotted a massive temple. Unlike most Greek temples, it was painted entirely black. The tall columns were enormous, supporting a roof that had to be a hundred yards across. Behind the building, lightning struck.

  The shadowy guards continued down the hill, heading toward the fortress.

  I swallowed hard, and followed.

  “We’ll be judged there,” I whispered to Maximus, remembering what Nix had said.

  “Let the tricky part begin.”

  He was right. It would be tricky. From what I knew of Hades, we would stand before three judges—Rhadamanthus, Minos, and Aeacus. They would determine which region of Hades we would end up in, and from there, we could sneak away and find Hecate. If we were lucky, we’d end up in the same region and be able to start our hunt in secret. If we didn’t, we’d have to escape the guards while being transported to our region and start to hunt for Hecate. Problem with that plan was that they might sound an alarm for escaped souls.

  I crossed my fingers that I’d end up in the same place as Maximus.

  It was unlikely that we’d go to Tartarus. Neither of us was a complete bastard. And since neither of us—to my knowledge—was suffering from a deep and unrequited love, we wouldn’t end up in the Mourning Fields, either. Which was good, because it sounded almost worse than Tartarus. Elysium was unlikely, at least for me. That was reserved for true heroes. So odds were best that I’d go to the Asphodel Meadows, where most souls went after death. The people there were just normal people—kinda good and kinda bad. No super jerks or superheroes. I had money on Maximus going to Elysium, and if that were the case, we’d deal with it when the time came.

  I shook away thoughts of what was to come and focused on the lay of the land as we approached the temple. It was flat all around, with nothing to see in the distance besides the massive temple ahead of us. The air smelled vaguely stale, as if we were in an old closet. But then, we were the first souls in hundreds of years, according to Charon.

  We reached the massive temple and began to ascend the stairs. There were thirteen of them, and I counted each to keep my mind under control. I hated this place—hated that it was the home of Hades, the one who had given me the death power I found to be so dreadfully useful. Hated that I felt comfortable here, despite the terror that surrounded me.

  Two massive black wooden doors swung open as we neared, and the guards stepped back, gesturing for us to walk through.

  I did, keeping my eyes straight ahead and my spine stiff. Maximus was beside me, which frankly, made most things better.

  We entered a massive room where the ceiling soared fifty feet high. The marble floor was shiny and smooth beneath my feet, the black stone glinting in the light of a hundred glass lamps. The air sparked with energy, and I shivered.

  Life seemed to fill the air here, despite its emptiness. It was almost as if I could feel the souls of those who had passed through on their way to judgement.

  The doors slammed shut behind us, and I turned. They were shut tight, all hope of escape long gone. I looked at Maximus.

  “Not very welcoming, is it?” he asked.

  “Nope.” I started toward the doors on the far side of the hall. I had no idea where we were supposed to go, but I didn’t want to wait around. Not just because we were tight on time, but because standing here made my skin crawl.

  Maximus joined me, and we strode forward, our steps matched. As we neared the second set of doors, they swung open. Maximus stopped abruptly, and instinct made me follow suit. The air within the chamber was repellent.

  Decisions were made in that room. Big ones. The kind that determined where you’d spend eternity, which was about the biggest decision I could imagine. I waited, heart pounding, for what felt like a decade. The air fizzed with the energy of departed souls, making me shift uncomfortably on my feet.

  “Enter.” The voice boomed through the door, and I barely resisted jumping.

  I glanced at Maximus. He hiked a shoulder and nodded.

  I sucked in a deep breath and followed him through the doors.

  The room within was smaller, but not by much. There was a long table in front of us. Three men sat at it, each looking like one of those big white statues of old bearded men wearing robes.

  Quintessential ancient Greek Smart Guy. No question.

  They were so similar that it was hard to tell them apart.

  “You are here to be judged,” said the one in the middle. His voice echoed through the room, and his long beard quivered as he spoke. “I am Rhadamanthus.”

  The one to his left inclined his head. “I am Minos.”

  The one to his right copied the gesture. “I am Aeacus.”

  “We are the three judges,” Rhadamanthus said. “And we will determine the destination of your soul.”

  I stayed quiet, and Maximus did the same. Since I didn’t know what was proper protocol here, better to play it silent and afraid. That seemed like a normal attitude for the dead.

  “Step forward, Maximus Valerius,” Rhadamanthus intoned.

  I twitched, startled that they knew his name. Did that mean they would recognize me as the Greek Dragon God? Or would they not care? Were they even gods? There were so many small ones I couldn’t remember them all. If they weren’t gods, they’d have no reason to know about the Greek Dragon Gods.

  Maximus stepped forward, and I watched him, my eyes glued to his broad shoulders. The three judges leaned forward, staring hard at him. Their eyes burned with an eerie yellow fire, magic sparking within their depths.

  Seconds ticked by, and I barely resisted shifting uncomfortably as I waited. When Rhadamanthus finally nodded, my shoulders tightened.

  “You have accomplished great deeds on earth,” he said. “Heroic deeds.”

  I almost grinned, glad that the judges could see how good Maximus was.

  “You will go to Elysium.”

  My smile fell.

  Shit.

  The hero’s realm. No way I would qualify for that.

  I’d kind of expected him to go there, but now we’d need to sort out a way to escape unnoticed while they were escorting us to our final destinations.

  “Step aside,” Rhadamanthus said.

  Maximus did as he was told, and the judges called me forward. I stepped up to them, my cheeks heating. Their gazes burned into me as I stood before them, and I swore I could feel them inside my chest. Everything within me was on fire, and it was as if they were looking into my organs. Into my heart and soul. What they’d see in there, I had no idea.

  If I hadn’t been frozen solid, I’d have shifted nervously. As it was, I couldn’t move an inch.

  “Hmmmm,” Rhadamanthus said. “You never completed your potential.”

  Maybe because I’m not really dead yet.

  But I kept my mouth shut.

  My shoulders tightened as I waited. This was it. He was going to send me to the Asphodel Meadows, and we’d have to jumpstart our plan and break away before we found a quiet place to sneak off.

  “However, the extent of your good deeds is great.” He nodded. “You will go to Elysium as well.”

  My brows jumped, and I almost asked, “Really?”

  Fortunately, my jaw was still frozen solid with nerves. They’d take a while to fade. I might be comfortable
in Hades, but that didn’t mean I was comfortable with everyone in it. And I didn’t like these judges.

  I just nodded and moved toward Maximus.

  This was good. This was very good. Not the place I’d expected to end up, but we’d be together.

  There was a small smile on Maximus’s face, as if he’d expected me to end up in the hero’s realm. He was alone in that expectation, but I appreciated it.

  I could feel the eyes of the judges as I stopped next to Maximus. Four shadowy figures drifted out of the wall. More escorts.

  We followed them from the room, and never once did the burn of the judges’ gazes disappear. The guards led us through a wide hallway, past an enormous room decorated in black marble and gold. Within the room, a man sat on a throne of ebony. He was twice the size of a normal person, with flowing black hair and blazing blue eyes. A tall golden scepter was clutched in his hand.

  His eyes fell upon me briefly as I walked in front of his open door, and a shiver of awareness raced over me.

  Hades.

  It had to be Hades.

  Had he recognized me? He should. I had his magic.

  But I appeared to be dead.

  My heart thundered in my ears as I waited for a shout to sound from behind us. He would call out and stop us. Of course he would. We were intruders.

  But there was only silence.

  Either he thought I was shit at my Dragon God job and had died, or he was going to let me try to complete my task here. The gods were famous for their fickle natures. They’d give their power one minute and ignore you the next.

  Maybe he was just letting me get on with it.

  I sure hoped that was the case.

  The guards led us to a huge round room. Four wide doors exited the space—not including the one we’d entered from—and the guards turned to the one that was made of white marble. It was the only thing white that I’d seen in all of Hades, and it gleamed so brightly it almost blinded me. Another door was made of thick black iron, another of pale wood, and the last of pink quartz.

  The white door disappeared as we neared, and the guards stepped to the side, gesturing for us to go through.

  Maximus and I strode through without glancing back. As soon as we crossed the threshold, the air changed. It smelled fresher. Almost like spring grass.