“So, you think I’m making a mistake,” I deduced.
She shook her head. “I didn’t say that. When I first got together with Dylan, I was resistant to committing to him. It was silly since I knew he was the one for me, but I was still afraid. Maybe you’re nervous about committing. In your case, committing to Hades will mean some major changes. It seems natural that you’d be hesitant and a little nervous.”
I nodded, absently thanked her, and headed to the deli across the street. Everything Allie had said was true, but there was more to it. Before, I’d felt a rush of love whenever I thought of Hades. That had changed overnight. All of a sudden, when I thought of Hades, I felt nothing. It was my strange indifference that bothered me. When I thought about ending my relationship with Hades, I felt nothing—not even guilt over hurting him. These thoughts plagued me as I picked at my lunch.
Looking down at my phone, I read his message again. A rush of anger washed over me. What right did he have to keep pestering me? With that thought came another voice asking me why I was angry at him for his offer. It was sweet that he’d offered, or was it? I couldn’t understand why I felt so conflicted, or why I felt such distrust of Hades’s motives. Shoving my phone into my purse, I grabbed the takeout bag. I wasn’t done eating, but I felt so ill-at-ease that I needed to get away from the crowd. I was in such a rush that I ran straight into a man in a trench coat.
“I’m so sorry,” I said quickly as I looked up at the vaguely familiar man.
“Are you all right, Persephone?” he asked.
“Ares?” I regarded him with wide eyes. He looked nothing like the fallen angel I’d seen on Olympus. Dressed in a black suit and trench coat, his long hair was secured at the back of his head. “Are you following me?”
He laughed at my question. “I can see why you might think that, but no, I’m not following you. I had an appointment with an attorney across the street and decided to stop by here for lunch. My attorney said the sandwiches are really good.”
“Which attorney?” I asked suspiciously.
“Dylan Hunt,” he replied. “I’ve heard he’s the best with spell patents, so I went to see him.”
Though he was telling the truth, I was still suspicious. “You look different.”
“Yes,” he agreed. “I try not to let it show that I’m more lucid than most on Olympus. I don’t want them relying on me for anything. It gives me time to work on my own projects. Where’s Hades? Last I heard, he was sticking close to your side.”
“I need to get back to work,” I told him.
When I tried to walk past him, Ares placed a hand on my arm to stop me. “Are you okay?” He sounded genuinely concerned.
I didn’t trust his concern. My head began to pound with a sudden rush of rage. I latched onto the rage because it felt much better than confusion and indifference. I hated that I needed to distrust so many people, hated that I was afraid Ares was planning to hurt me. “I wish I’d never met Hades,” I spat out. “I’m so tired of dealing with manipulative fallen angels. You’re all after something from me.”
I jerked away from him and hurried out of the deli. In the back of my mind, I heard a voice telling me I was overreacting, but that voice was quickly drowned out. The anger continued to build, and I embraced it. The hot anger was so much better than my cold indifference.
“I wish I’d never met any of them,” I muttered.
Chapter 91
Hades
Persephone hadn’t responded to my message about meeting for lunch, and despite Rainer’s assurances, I couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong.
“Are you listening to me?” Lucifer demanded from behind his desk in the detention area.
“No,” I admitted. “This thing with Persephone is really bothering me. I need to go to Bliss and check on her.”
Lucifer nodded his understanding. “You’re right. It’s the only way you’ll be able to get any work done.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Why do you look so surprised?” Lucifer asked.
“I just expected you to tell me I’ll look crazy if I show up to check on her,” I replied.
“You are crazy,” he told me. “Persephone knows this about you.”
Rainer entered the office without knocking and announced, “You have a visitor, Hades.”
“Persephone?” I asked, immediately standing.
“No,” he replied. “Ares is here. I told him you were busy, but he says it’s urgent.”
“Great,” I muttered. “Just what I need when I’m already stressed out. My nephew has impeccable timing.”
“At least, this will give you someone to take your frustrations out on before you check on your witch,” Lucifer pointed out.
He had a good point.
“Where is he?” I asked Rainer.
“I left him in the interrogation room two doors to the left,” Rainer replied. “I don’t trust that asshole wandering around down here, no matter how nice he dressed for his visit today.”
I quirked an eyebrow in question.
Rainer laughed and shook his head. “You’ve gotta see this for yourself.”
I nodded and made my way to the interrogation room where I found Ares standing with his back to the door.
“Careless,” I accused. “What if I’d come in here armed?”
Ares turned toward me. “You know how much I want that fight, so you won’t just give it to me. You’ll make me work for it.”
“Why are you here?” I demanded, leaning against the wall with my arms crossed in front of my chest. Rainer was right about Ares’s appearance. He looked more like a businessman than a god of war.
“I saw Persephone,” was all he said. His eyes remained on me as he waited for my reaction.
“Are you threatening her again?” I growled.
Ares’s eyes glowed. He wanted the fight, craved it like a drug. I saw his struggle to rein in that desire. His restraint shocked me.
He ended our staring contest first and looked up at the ceiling. “I want to tell you yes so you’ll attack. It’s been so long since I’ve had a good fight.”
“Then why are you holding back?” I asked.
He met my gaze. “Something is wrong with her.”
I frowned when he voiced my concerns. “What do you mean?”
“She seemed off,” he replied after a pause.
“You don’t know her,” I argued. “How would you know if something is off with her?”
“From the time I’ve spent with her, I know she’s kind and tries hard to avoid offending others,” he explained. “She was rude and irritable.”
“Everyone has a bad day,” I pointed out.
“Did you have a fight?” he asked.
“No,” I replied. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
“She seemed angry with you,” he explained. “That anger seemed to confuse her. Maybe the anger was caused by her confusion. I don’t know exactly what’s going on, but I think a spell was used on her.”
My wings tore through the back of my shirt as anger pulsed through my veins. “Who the fuck would dare to put a spell on her?” Not only was I angry with the person who’d messed with Persephone, but I was also angry with myself. I should have insisted on completing the bonding between us. I could have protected her. If our magic was bound, I would have felt the effects of the spell immediately.
“I’m not completely sure, but I’d be shocked if it’s not someone from Olympus,” he replied.
“Like you?” I asked.
“Why would I warn you if I was the one who spelled her?” he asked.
“Because you’re an asshole who likes to play games,” was my reply. No matter how convincing Ares sounded, he was still on my list of suspects. He could be telling me about the spell to throw me off his trail or to fuck with someone else he was pissed at. He could also be trying to start a fight with Azrael and hoping I’d let the angel know what was going on with Persephone.
“I’m on
your side this time,” he ground out.
“Since when, nephew?” I asked with a bitter laugh. “No one from Olympus has ever been on my side, and despite what you seem to think, I’m not pining for your approval and acceptance.”
Ares let out a sigh and nodded. “I understand why you don’t trust me. What I’m telling you is still the truth. I’ve been doing a lot of work with spells. It’s how I ran into Persephone. I had an appointment with an attorney in Oakland. Since I’ve been focusing so much on fallen angel spells, I was able to pick up on the clues. At first, I thought it might be one of Eros’s lead-tipped arrows, but that would make her indifferent. I suppose it may have been used in a spell, but I don’t know for sure. If I was placing bets, I’d say Aphrodite was involved since the spell involves love.”
“I doubt Aphrodite has the sense to cast a spell these days,” I argued. “Besides, why would she want to? I haven’t pissed her off in centuries, and the bitch doesn’t even remember cursing me.”
“You’ve been away from the others for too long,” he replied. “No one needs an excuse to fuck with someone else. We’re all assholes who fuck with people when we’re bored. It’s always been that way. As for Aphrodite, it takes nothing to piss her off. She’ll smile to your face while having one of her sons plunge a knife into your back. You can’t trust what you see. Not everyone is as crazy as they’d like others to believe. I’m not the only one hiding behind a mask of insanity.”
I said nothing as I mulled over what he’d said. Since Ares had admitted to being knowledgeable about spells, he could be responsible for whatever was going on with Persephone.
“If I find out you’re involved in any of this, I’ll make you wish you were dead,” I warned.
The madness in Ares peeked out, and he regarded me with a deranged hunger. He quickly reined in the insanity. “It’s not me this time,” he replied. “I’ll let you know if I find out who’s involved. In the meantime, I suggest you get someone to your witch. I don’t know why someone is trying to turn her against you, but I’m certain there’s more to it than meets the eye.”
I nodded. When I unlocked the door to the interrogation room, Ares stepped out and walked toward the portal, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“What did he want?” Lucifer asked as he approached with Rainer by his side.
“To tell me that someone used a spell on Persephone,” I replied in a distracted tone. “He insists he’s not involved and simply trying to warn me so I can help Persephone.”
“Do you believe him?” Lucifer asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “He’s a good suspect in some ways, but this isn’t his style. I could see Ares wanted to take credit for this to fight me, but he didn’t.”
“Ares recently threatened Persephone,” Rainer reminded me.
I nodded. “I know, but it still doesn’t seem like his style.” I filled them in on my conversation with Ares and his suspicions.
“I wouldn’t put this past Aphrodite,” Lucifer remarked.
Lucifer’s own hatred for Aphrodite was likely clouding his judgment.
“What’s her motivation?” I asked.
“Nothing that I can think of,” Lucifer admitted.
If Aphrodite had cared about power, she would have stuck around after Lucy’s birth. Lucifer would have given her the power of a queen.
“We can try to figure out who’s responsible later. For now, I need to get to Persephone.”
Lucifer shook his head.
“She’s in trouble,” I reminded him.
“Not likely,” Rainer argued. “That doesn’t mean I don’t think we should send someone to watch her, but I think the goal is to hurt you. Whatever spell they’ve used on Persephone is causing her to distance herself from you, or so it would seem. Since you haven’t actually talked to her, it’s possible that’s not the case. Ares might be lying.”
“There’s only one way to find out,” I reminded him. “I’ll go to her. Then I can keep her safe.”
“I’m going to send Rainer,” Lucifer told me. When I started to argue, he held up a hand to stop me. “If the spell is affecting her perception of you, she may be resistant to you helping her. We’ve managed to avoid an abduction up to this point, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
I wanted to argue with him. The idea of letting someone else help the woman I loved didn’t sit well with me.
“So, you expect me to do nothing?” I demanded.
“I think we should make a trip to Olympus,” Lucifer replied. “We need to find a way to break the spell on Persephone, and the only way to do that is to find the person who cast it.”
He was right.
“When I find the person who did this to Persephone, I’ll make them wish they were dead,” I growled.
Chapter 92
Persephone
I was glad Hades had stopped messaging me since I had no idea what to say to him. While we’d been together, I’d believed I was in love with him. The longer I was away from him, the more I realized how selfish and cruel Hades could be. I didn’t know what had made me think I could ever love someone like him. He wasn’t a good man, not by any stretch of the imagination. I was getting ready to head home when the elevator door opened, and out stepped Rainer.
“What are you doing here?” I asked in an exasperated tone. So much for thinking Hades would leave me alone. He’d sent one of Lucifer’s mafia-style goons to harass me.
“I’m here because we think you might be in danger,” Rainer explained.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, please. Try a new lie this time. That story has already been used to manipulate me into going to Hell once before.”
“No one is trying to manipulate you,” Rainer assured me. “We’re worried. You must see that you’re not acting like yourself.”
I rolled my eyes. “My feelings changed.” Part of me insisted something was wrong. At the same time, I was angry at Rainer for telling me something was wrong. The anger built, drowning out all my other feelings. “Why can’t you leave me alone? This is why Evie left you. You’re a tool for your masters in Hell.”
I’d expected anger from Rainer, so his look of genuine concern confused me. “I was hoping Ares was wrong.”
“Ugh,” I said with a huff. “Ares. Yet another fallen angel who can’t take a hint when I tell him to leave me alone. I’m so sick of fallen angels trying to run my life.”
Joey had just walked into the reception area, and he looked worried.
“Is there a problem?” Joey asked.
“Yes,” I snapped. “I’d like to go home, but Rainer is trying to manipulate me into going to Hell. Why don’t you go to Hell, Rainer? I mean that the way it sounded. Fuck off and go to Hell!”
Both men were quiet as my words sank in. Julia gasped from behind me, having just come out from her office.
“Should I call Hades?” Joey asked Rainer. “His number is in the security file.”
“No!” I snapped, spinning to point a finger at Joey. “Don’t you dare call Hades. I’m done with him. If he wasn’t so determined to manipulate and bully me into being with him, I could have a normal conversation with him. Instead, he texts me over and over and sends thugs to bully me. I wish I could forget he even exists.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t notice this earlier,” Julia said quietly.
I nodded. “Neither can I. Fallen angels are manipulative assholes.”
“It’s a spell,” Rainer stated. “We aren’t sure who did it or why. Hades and Lucifer went to Olympus to get some answers.”
“Spell?” I asked with a laugh. “How could someone have cast a spell on me without me knowing? I’m not interested in being with Hades. He needs to get over it, not blame the whole thing on some nonexistent spell.”
“I think they’re right,” Julia told me in a gentle tone. “You aren’t acting like yourself.”
She was right. At least, that’s what the voice in the back of my mind was telling me. Still, I refused
to listen to my own inner warnings. My rage was blinding me.
“I’m going home,” I announced as I grabbed my purse.
“I’ll need to stay with you,” Rainer told me. “We have to find a way to break this spell, and I don’t know if someone is going to try to hurt you.”
“I’m going home alone,” I ground out. “There will be no more angels pushing me around.”
Before Rainer could say another word, I lashed out with a powerful defensive spell that sent him flying into the wall. The others were so stunned by my action that I was in the elevator and on my way to the parking garage before anyone could react.
A spell? I couldn’t believe Rainer was trying to use that excuse, or that Julia and Joey were buying it. I had to get away from them. Fear mixed with my anger as I raced to my car. I had to get away.
Chapter 93
Hades
Ares met us at the entrance to Olympus wearing jeans and worn boots. His wings were out, and he looked ready for a fight. “I was wondering how long you would wait before you came up here to kick some ass.”
“There’s no need to look so smug,” I grumbled at his arrogant smirk.
“Sorry,” he replied, sounding genuinely apologetic. “It’s a God of War trait. I’m excited about the fight, and I love being right.”
He gave no further explanation, but it didn’t matter since I didn’t give a flying fuck about apologies or explanations.
“We need to see Aphrodite.” Her name sounded like a curse coming from Lucifer.
“Visitors for me?” the bitch in question asked in a breathy voice as she approached us.
I’d known she was close by. On the rare occasions Lucifer went to Olympus, Aphrodite was always around. She couldn’t resist strutting around like a cat in heat, and she’d made it clear she wanted Lucifer again.
While I still wasn’t certain she’d had any direct involvement in the spell used on Persephone, this was her area of expertise, so even if she was innocent, I suspected she could help identify the magic used. There was no time to play games with her as she tried manipulating the situation to her benefit. I stalked toward her. She was too stupid to realize she was in danger until my hand wrapped around her skinny neck. I lifted her off the ground and shook her.
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