by Bella Klaus
“Your turn.” The captain stepped back.
I walked toward Madame Lorraine with my heart in my throat, and took her bony hand. Fingers more brittle than twigs wrapped around mine, and she inhaled a deep breath through flared nostrils.
Our magic connected with a dehydrating sensation that I imagined slugs must feel when doused in salt. Was she consuming my power? I snatched away my hand.
“Well,” said the captain. “What do you feel?”
“I’ve met goddesses from all over the world, but this soul is by far the youngest,” she murmured.
“How old?”
Madam Lorraine tilted her head to the side. “It’s hard to say. Two centuries?”
My stomach dropped. “What?”
“Can you get a name?” asked the captain.
The seer shook her head. “Daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Nobody has assigned you a name.”
“It’s Kora,” I said.
Her features twisted into a grimace. “Kora is a word. One doesn’t call a canine ‘Dog,” or their pet feline ‘Cat.’ Whoever named you that may as well have called you ‘Girl.’”
“That can’t be right.” I shook my head. Even if I wasn’t Persephone, I couldn’t be a goddess without a name.
“Take another look,” Captain Caria said. “What else can you see?”
I gave the seer my hand and braced myself for her strange power. This time, she took so much of my magic into herself that her pale hair lit up like a lightning storm. I didn’t pull away and waited for her to finish.
Madame Lorraine released my hand and bent over double, panting. “No name, no history, no soul bonds. Only a seal on her magic that cracked the moment she was transported to Hell.”
“So I was right all along,” I murmured. “I’m a completely different person in my own right.”
“His Majesty will be most disappointed,” the captain muttered.
I strode toward the door and curled my hands into fists. “We’ve got to visit Mother, even if I have to shock the information out of her with my lightning. That’s the only way I’ll discover the truth.”
The front door caught fire, and Hades stepped inside, his irises burning with rage. He blocked the exit with his spread wings and snarled. “You will do no such thing.”
Chapter Twelve
Clutching my hands to my chest, I staggered back, trying to put as much distance as possible between Hades and myself. My heart pounded so hard that the sound muffled Madame Lorraine’s scream.
“What is the meaning of this?” he growled.
Captain Caria raised her palms. “It would be remiss of me not to double-check her identity. She isn’t Persephone, but someone else.”
“Who?” Hades turned to the seer.
“I don’t know, Your Majesty,” Madame Lorraine sobbed. “She’s a young soul—the daughter of Demeter and Zeus.”
Hades bared his teeth and roared, black flames bursting across his exposed wings. The seer dropped to the floor, and even Captain Caria flinched.
Panic exploded through my insides. He hadn’t been this furious when he’d punished those demons for consorting with Samael. If I didn’t do something to calm him down, he’d slaughter Captain Caria, Madame Lorraine, and possibly the entire village.
On legs that wouldn’t stop trembling, I stumbled to the middle of the room and stood in front of the rampaging demon. “Don’t hurt them.”
He glowered down at me, his irises burning with hellfire. “You are my wife.”
The moisture in my throat sizzled under the heat of his glare, leaving the membranes parched. This was a thousand times worse than facing down Mother at the height of one of her rages. As far as I knew, Mother had never incinerated anyone with her power. Hades seemed to be a serial immolator.
“What do you want me to say?” My voice trembled.
He responded with a guttural snarl, the muscles in his neck expanding. My stomach dropped. This was the moment he would grow horns or tusks or fangs and reveal the monster beneath his handsome facade. Then he would do what Mother had always warned me demons did with their victims—curse me with an eternal lust.
I sucked in a breath through my teeth, prepared for the worst, and hoped Madam Lorraine and Captain Caria had the good sense to flee while Hades was distracted.
Hades’ eyes continued to flare, the flames in his wings set the hovel’s walls on fire. I didn’t dare take my eyes off him in case the movement caused him to pounce.
The front door opened and shut, indicating that one of the women had used the opening I had created to escape.
“You won’t keep Kora forever,” the captain said from behind me. “Demeter has already appealed the Council’s judgment, and is threatening to plague Great Britain with a drought.”
Hades grinned, but the expression held no mirth. “By the time Demeter works her way through the curses I’ve set upon her household, she and her coven of bitches won’t have the magic to plague a potted plant.”
He pulled me to his chest, and transported us out of the burning hut and into a lavish bedroom. The floors were a brown marble so dark that they appeared nearly black, with walls as pale as narcissus petals. Every piece of furniture was either carved out of gold or upholstered in champagne-colored silk.
“Where have you taken me now?” I asked.
“This is our bridal bed.” His wings retracted, leaving a few flaming feathers on the marble floor. “It’s time we properly consummated our union.”
I shook my head. “What? But we already had sex.”
He advanced on me, his eyes glowing with lust. “We were interrupted at the ball. This time, I’ll fuck and hard, and our consummation won’t be official until I fill you with jizz.”
My gaze darted to the four-poster bed draped in white gauze, where some helpful soul had sprinkled yellow rose petals and a pair of matching handcuffs. Then I turned to meet his eyes.
Hades stood naked with his arms folded. His broad chest heaved with rapid, excited breaths, and red flames burned in his eyes. The room temperature notched up several degrees, and my silk dress suddenly felt too itchy, too heavy, too unnecessary for the occasion.
Every instinct in my body screamed at me not to look down. I held his stare with the force of my willpower.
He raised a brow, a muscle in his jaw tightening with impatience.
The tension in the air thickened.
“Listen.” Without meaning to, my gaze wandered past his prominent pecs, over his brawny forearms, and met the glistening tip of his erection. A bolt of arousal shot though my belly and pierced my heart with a jolt that forced my eyes back to his face.
“Yes?” The corner of his lips lifted.
I was sure I had something clever to say… Something about our marriage being null and void because I hadn’t consented to the union. Somewhere in the depths of my mind, I was sure he’d just revealed an important fact. If our marriage hadn’t been properly consummated, then didn’t it mean I was free to leave?
Afterimages of that glorious erection filled my mind’s eye like a vengeful ghost. How was I supposed to think straight with the most beautiful man I’d ever seen standing naked in front of me and eager to give me pleasure?
My tongue darted out to lick my dry lips. Hades’ eyes glazed over, and his lips parted to let out a panting breath. Any traces of arousal faded to cold terror, bringing me back to reality. The man was insane.
“This is a lot to take in,” I said.
“You had no problems with my cock the other night.”
“Not your…” My traitorous eyes dropped down to the massive length, where a bead of precum now glistened on its tip. “I’m talking about our situation.”
“Explain.”
“You humiliated me in front of Mother, Aunt Minerva, the Supernatural Council, and a bunch of strangers watching from the balcony.”
He rubbed his chin and frowned as though he wasn’t following my line of conversation.
“What we did together was
supposed to be private,” I snapped.
“I apologize for revealing your status as a virgin bride,” he drawled, feigning boredom.
“Then you tried to force me to eat the food of the dead. After that, I got attacked by two demons and unlocked some Zeus-level lightning and burned them to death.”
His brows drew together. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Then you took me to lunch with the Lucifer. Then Satan—”
“Samael,” he snapped.
“Samael infiltrated your stronghold, and I saw you slaughter a bunch of demons, and the next day, when we finally discovered I wasn’t Persephone, you got mad and burned down a blind woman’s house.”
“Get to the point,” he snarled.
“What about any of these events has put me in the mood for consummating?” I spread my arms wide.
Hades stared down at me for several heartbeats, a range of expressions playing across his features. Outrage, then confusion, and finally something I could only interpret as cold.
A shudder ran down my back, and my skin tightened into gooseflesh.
“You won’t collect that power until our union is properly consummated.” His voice echoed across the room. “And I won’t release you until you’ve completed your end of our bargain.”
My spine stiffened. He hadn’t mentioned this at lunch, and sex hadn’t been written in the contract we both signed in blood. I shook my head. “You’re lying.”
“Care to take the risk, my bride?” he asked with a cold sneer.
“Don’t act like I agreed to be married to you.” I placed both palms on his chest and shoved, but it was as futile as trying to shift a tree. “And I don’t intend to have sex with you—ever.”
His lips tightened, and he stared down at me, his nostrils flaring. “Even if it takes me another two millennia, you will be mine.”
I shook my head. “At best, I’m your sister-in-law.”
His responding growl made the lining of my stomach rumble with cold dread. He was finally showing his true face—the King of Hell who punished those who disobeyed.
Sweat beaded on my brow and my pulse pounded against my neck like a pair of fists. What on earth was I doing? This was the monster who had ripped the flesh off four demons and tied their souls to their burning flesh—all with just a flick of his wrist. He would do the same to me if I continued my defiance.
Hades leaned into me, looking like he would force a kiss, but panic overtook my senses, and I stiffened.
He released my arm. “You’re frightened.”
“It’s hard not to be when a furious Demon King with hellfire for wings is snarling in my face.” I cringed as the words tumbled from my lips. It was near impossible to be diplomatic in the face of something I’d been taught to fear.
“I would never hurt you,” he said.
My lips formed a tight line. Hades might be protective of Persephone, but what about when he came to his senses and accepted I wasn’t her? The man seemed irrational enough to punish me for misleading him.
“You just admitted we weren’t properly married,” I whispered.
He shook his head. “But I wed Persephone. Your body may be different, and you may have a new soul, but after thousands of years of marriage, I would always know my wife.”
My shoulders rose up to my ears, and frustration tore through my insides. “An hour ago, all you wanted from me was Persephone’s back pay. What’s made you change your mind?”
Hades tilted his head to the side and stared at the side of my neck. The answer to my question rolled to the front of my mind. Until Captain Caria took me to the seer, the question of my identity was ambiguous. It was easier for him to believe I was Persephone who had forgotten her life, but the truth was hard to digest. I had no name, no past, and certainly no long-lost husband.
“Persephone had a sensitive spot right there,” he said in a voice that sounded several feet away. “One touch of it with my finger, and she would melt.”
I staggered back, my insides trembling. When I reached the wall, I edged toward the nearest door. “All women have erogenous zones, and if we’re sisters—”
“I’ve fucked dozens of sisters, even identical twins.” Hades stalked toward me, his eyes alight. “And sometimes at the same time. No woman is ever the same.”
He caught me around the waist and pulled me into his hard body. The hot length between us pressed into my belly, bringing back memories of the night before. I opened my mouth to scream, ready to fight off his advance, but he only ran the pad of his finger up and down a point at the base of my neck.
My entire body went limp, and molten heat pooled between my thighs.
His arm tightened around my back. He cupped my cheek and turned my face to meet him. “They can recycle your soul and stuff it in a new body, but I’ll always know my Persephone.”
“Of course I would react like that.” I placed a palm on his chest and cringed at the rapid beat of his heart. “You’re nothing special. After years of sexual frustration, I’d get excited at anyone’s touch.”
“What?” he roared.
With a gasp, I raised both arms to shield myself from his wrath, but no attack of hellfire came.
By the time I lowered my arms, Hades was gone.
My shoulders sagged, and I slid down the wall, my heart hammering against my ribs like a woodpecker. That had been the most emotionally intense moment of my life. One minute, the man was turning me on, and then the next, he was furious enough to flay the flesh off my bones.
I placed a hand on my heart, breathing hard to work through a kaleidoscope of emotions. How much more of Hades could I take before my mind snapped? He had spent an eternity searching for his dead wife, and nothing would convince him that I wasn’t her.
A knock sounded on the door, and Minthe stepped inside. “His Majesty has permitted you a visitor.”
“Who?” I asked.
She opened the door, and a smaller redhead stepped in, her green eyes shining with concern. “Kora?”
“Your Majesty?” I dipped into an awkward curtsey, but she rushed toward me and grabbed my arm.
“No need to curtsey,” she said. “And please, call me Mera.”
I stared down at the Fire Queen. She was about my age or a few years older, with skin nearly as pale as mine. Her gaze swept up and down my form as though checking that I didn’t have extra limbs. When she was satisfied with what she saw, she guided me to an upholstered sofa and sat.
Minthe came in with a tray containing a pot of tea and a three-tiered plate of sandwiches, cupcakes, and scones. “I’ve brought refreshment.”
Queen Mera rolled her eyes. “Thanks, but tell Hades we’ll pass on the food of the dead.”
The white-haired nymph’s shoulders sagged, but she dipped into a low curtsey and sauntered out of the room.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Mera turned to me. “Hades only allowed me to stay for a few minutes to make sure you were alright. How has he been treating you?”
“He’s crazy and obsessed.” I swallowed hard. “And he just showed me his penis.”
She ran a hand through her hair and sighed with a tight expression that made her look like there was something she was desperate to say but she couldn’t because she was a queen and Hades was her colleague.
“Do you know how to get me out of here?” I asked.
“Actually, I came to kidnap you myself, but Hades has placed a seal around Hell. By the time I’ve broken through with brute force, you’ll be collateral damage.”
“So I’m trapped with him?”
She shifted in her seat and averted her gaze from mine. “Hades doesn’t usually keep women for long, if that’s any consolation.”
“No, it’s not,” I blurted. “If he abducts women all the time, why hasn’t anyone done something to stop him?”
Queen Mera winced. “Hades is more of a serial seducer than a permanent abductor. In the six months I’ve known him, he’s always gotten bored with them af
ter a few days.”
Her words were like water onto parched earth, germinating the first shoots of hope. “He’ll release me soon?”
“Once he’s gotten what he wants out of you,” she said with a determined nod.
I dipped my head, all traces of hope escaping me as realization set in. “Has he ever tricked any of his girls into marriage?”
Queen Mera didn’t reply for several moments. “Actually, Lady Ceres and her lawyer found a way to divorce him.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a scrap of parchment. “Can you read Ancient Greek?”
I nodded and stared down at the handwritten script. It was an incantation I’d already memorized from Matura’s Compendium of Magick, but I’d thought it was for banishing demonic leeches. None of that mattered because our marriage hadn’t been properly consummated, so we couldn’t yet divorce, and I’d signed a contract in blood to buy my freedom in exchange for Persephone’s back pay.
“Is Mother alright?” I asked.
“After you fainted in the courtroom, your mother had an…” Her eyes moved to the left, the way people did when they were trying to think of the correct word. “She had an episode, and it took all six of us to stop her from leveling Buckingham Palace with the force of her magic.”
I gulped. She was a goddess, I supposed, which explained why she was stronger than the Witch Queen. “How is she now?”
“Manic. Distraught. Furious.” Mera’s face pinched. “I’m no expert on mothers, but yours seems—”
“Unhinged?” I asked.
She raised her shoulders. “Her reaction was more furious than frantic. In her position, I would have at least expressed a little worry.”
“Up until last Samhain, she kept me confined to the house.” My hands curled into fists. “Mother said it was for my protection because I had corporality sickness.”
Queen Mera’s face dropped. “Corporality—”
“My Überwald driver already told me that it wasn’t a disease.”
She reached into her bag and extracted a small box. “I suppose anything seems like impending death to an immortal goddess, but that’s no excuse for keeping a person locked up.”
