Corrupted by Bella Klaus

Chapter Eleven

Igazed into Hades’ dark eyes, only seeing sincerity and love. My chest inflated with warmth, only for me to exhale the feelings with deep shuddering breaths. He was a Demon King, a scoundrel and a compulsive liar, but he had backed up his agreement with something he truly valued.

If he screwed up or reverted to his old habits, I’d get to keep twenty-one centuries of Persephone’s power, and use it to teach him never to mess with a woman’s feelings. That was incentive enough for even the most hardened libertine.

I stepped back, staring down at my tank top and leggings. “Can I have the same armor as before?”

He shook his head. “Let’s get you kitted out with something more appropriate for this mission,” he murmured.

“What’s the difference?” I asked.

“The suit I’m wearing is plant-proof, lined with fibers that will repel even the most persistent of tendrils and toughened to repel the sharpest of thorns.” He wiggled his fingers, ridding me of my clothes and leaving me standing in my underwear.

“Okay,” I said. “Suit me up.”

Hades scowled. “You’re not wearing Le Scandale.”

“Because that’s for special occasions.” I stretched my arms out at my side, readying myself for the armor. “If you’re pissed off because Lucifer got to see me in skimpy lace and you didn’t, blame yourself for sending him to do your bidding.”

Hades’ deep groan reverberated across my entire body, making my nipples tighten. “When this is over, you and I—”

I raised my hand. “Just because we have an agreement, that doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven you for your lies.”

“It doesn’t?” His brows drew together, his features twisting into a mask of confusion. “But you still have all that power to guarantee my good behavior. And I’m certain that I just apologized.”

“You got on your knees and talked around an apology, but nothing materialized.”

His eyes narrowed, and he advanced on me like a predator. “When this is over, you will parade yourself in Le Scandale, and afterward, I will fuck you all night until you’re dripping from every orifice.”

My throat dried, and all the moisture trickled south. I squeezed my thighs together, reminding myself that we had a mission. “Listen,” I rasped. “We’re supposed to be working on capturing Persephone. Keep the dirty talk until later?”

Hades grinned, making me realize I’d implied that I would be willing to consider his indecent proposal. Heat radiated from his body, making tiny beads of sweat form on my skin. The man was so annoying, and he knew how to use his sex appeal to make a woman weak.

“Did you know your cheeks turn a delicious shade of pink every time I utter a curse word?” he asked with a chuckle.

I shook my head. “No, they don’t.”

He ran the backs of his fingers over the side of my face and stared down at me, his eyes dancing with amusement. “I didn’t say you blushed. It’s just a dusting of color.”

“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.

“Because it signifies the depth of your sweetness.”

I gave him a shove on the chest. “Don’t call me that.”

His brows rose. “Even if it’s the truth?”

“You’re the one who keeps insisting I’m the Queen of the Fifth,” I said, trying to sound fierce. “How am I going to kick ass if everyone thinks I’m cute?”

He placed a soft kiss on my cheek that set my skin alight. “Kora, you are an absolute jewel. Never change.”

I dropped my gaze from his, wondering if seduction was part of his Demon King powers. Because despite still being annoyed with him, his wretched charm was working.

“Where’s my armor?” I asked.

He trailed his fingers over my collarbones, sending sparks of pleasure down my breasts, my belly, my core. Before I could snap at him for trying to arouse me when he should be adorning me for battle, the red leather armor wrapped around my body like a custom glove.

“There.” He pressed a kiss on the tip of my nose. “Now, you look more formidable than any goddess who ever went to battle.”

I stretched out my hand, materializing his bident and letting its handle fly into my palm with a slap. “Now I look the part.”

He stepped back and grinned. “One more thing before we leave.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“Can you produce your wings?”

I flinched. “Why would I—” Realization hit me upside the head. “I’m the Queen of the Fifth Faction.”

His brows rose. “How astute of you to notice. What gave it away? Your attendance at the Devil’s Ball or the crown I placed atop your lovely head?”

A laugh erupted from my chest, and I gave him a slap on the bicep. “Stop being such a dick. This time last week, the only thing I had to look forward to was a ball, and now I’m the part ruler of a ninth of Hell. How do I pull them out?”

“Focus on them the way you would summon my bident.”

“My bident, you mean?” I muttered.

He exhaled an exasperated sigh. “Since you are my beloved spouse, I suppose half of what I own is yours. But the principle also works the other way.”

I snorted, already knowing he was thinking of the Le Scandale lingerie. Clearing my mind of gold lace, I dropped my gaze to the floor and focused on the image of Hades emerging naked from a four-poster bed with black wings. Stretched out, they had been wider than the span of his arms, and perhaps as much as six feet in width.

He cleared his throat. “Kora?”

My gaze snapped up. Hades stood before me with his black wings outstretched.

“The purpose of the exercise was for you to summon your wings. I’m already proficient at summoning mine.”

Heat bloomed across my cheeks. “Sorry.”

“Once more,” he said with a gentle smile. “This time, try to resist picturing my body parts.”

“Alright.” I bowed my head again and concentrated on my shoulder blades. That was where the wings came from, right?

Hades appeared behind me, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me into his large body. With his free hand, he traced two lines down my back, along the edge of my shoulder blades. “This is where the wings emerge,” he said in a deep, hypnotic voice. “Your armor is enchanted with a one-way opening to allow extra appendages to exist.”

“What other appendages are there—”

“Concentrate,” he said with a deep chuckle I felt in my core. “Focus your magic on those two points, and your wings will emerge.”

Closing my eyes, I pushed my power on the lines of sensation he had left down my back, only for my vision to fill with electrifying white light.

“Bloody hell.” He released me and disappeared from my back.

I cracked open an eye to find wings of white light. They reminded me of a skeletal set of arms, with three-foot-long bones protruding from where there should be wrists. Thin sheets of lightning crackled between each digit, forming a membrane where the wing connected to my body.

My mouth hung open. “Was that supposed to happen?”

“Definitely not.” He shook his head.

“Do you think they can fly?”

“Now isn’t the time to experiment,” he said, his brow furrowing. “Retract those appendages, and I’ll teleport you to where my sources last spotted Persephone.”

With a nod, I pulled back my crackling magic until it retreated back into my body with a snap. Afterward, I stepped toward Hades and held out a hand. “Did I hurt you with my lightning again?”

“Now that I can wield your power, it no longer affects me the same way.” With a broad grin, Hades crossed the room and wrapped his arm around my middle. “Don’t worry about your wings. For now, you really need to see what Persephone has done with your own eyes.”

A heartbeat later, we stood at the stony bank of a river of lava that cut across a rocky landscape. Steam and dry heat wafted from the liquid’s surface, bringing with it the stench of brimstone.

I followed the river’s meandering path toward the horizon, where it disappeared within a configuration of flat-topped mountains shrouded in mist. If we were in the living world, I would have thought they were high-rises built by an architect who favored an organic style.

My throat spasmed, and my mind pinged with recognition. I pointed at the structures in the distance and asked, “Are those pits where we apprehended the soulkin?”

“That’s right.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “But we didn’t come to see the souls of the wicked.”

“Then why—”

Hades turned me around so we both faced in the opposite direction. In the middle of the river stood a plant larger and more grotesque than the monsters that had attacked us in the palace.

Roots as thick as tree trunks stretched across both banks, bending, and twisting, and burrowing into the rocky ground. I let my gaze travel up the structure, up a tangle of thorny vines, to find demons hanging from its branches, staring sightlessly through glowing green eyes. Among the mass of stalks were semi-transparent souls, trying to writhe out from their new prisons.

My breaths turned shallow, barely grazing the tops of my lungs. “What on earth is that?”

“Look up,” he said from my side.

I tilted my head back, following the plant’s progression through the thick vapor and toward the sky. It was a tangled mass that supported branches upon grotesque branches, each either holding a dead demon or a huge tulip-shaped flower with gnashing teeth.

Bile rose to the back of my throat. I was glad not to have consumed anything since hurling my guts at the party because I wanted to be sick.

“This is the sickest thing I’ve ever seen,” I whispered.

Hades exhaled a long breath. “It continues upward for over four hundred feet.”

“How many demons—”

“Hundreds,” he said. “Including the magical creatures that dwell in this domain.”

Claws of guilt raked across my heart, making me clutch at my chest. “I’m so sorry. We could have stopped this earlier if I’d agreed to act as bait.”

Hades tucked me under his arm and pressed a kiss on my temple. “You didn’t trust me, and you struggled to forgive my transgressions. I understand. But you can now see why it’s so important for you to help stop Persephone.”

“Of course,” I whispered.

He hugged tighter and hummed his agreement. “And I also hope you can put aside trivial resentments about the accuracy of who said what to whom.”

My jaw clenched. The bloody bastard was trying to trivialize his lies by comparing it to this carnage. “Are you using this scene of mass murder to broker yourself some forgiveness?”

He stilled. “Whatever do you mean?”

I pulled out from under his arm and hissed. “Listen here.” I gave him a hard poke on the arm. “If you had explained yourself the moment I had asked—”

Something behind us pinged, making my heart leapfrog into the back of my chest. I whirled around, just as the brass elevator appeared from nowhere, and I clutched at Hades’ arm. Had he summoned it to stop my rant? Somehow, I thought it just descended from the sky.

“What now?” Hades muttered.

“Who is it?” I asked with a frown.

“Namara has been pestering me about something or other for hours,” he muttered. “That little imp is too bloody persistent for her own good.”

The doors hissed open, revealing Azriel, the angel from the Devil’s Ball. He wore the same golden suit of armor as before, with his pretty blond hair flowing down his shoulders.

Behind him was a female imp with red skin and a matching armor that clung to her generous curves. Her hair was long and black, framing Namara’s pretty features, and ridged horns that resembled those of a gazelle. So that was what she looked like behind her 1950s secretary glamor.

“King Hades,” Azriel sneered, his delicate nose wrinkling. “I’m surprised to see you in Hell.”

“I thought you’d be in bed for a year or two after performing your once-in-a-century duty.” Hades gave the angel a slow clap. “Well done. I commend your stamina.”

The angel ruffled his fluffy white wings. “Barbs aside, I’m here on urgent business.”

“And we’re in the middle of something,” Hades said through clenched teeth. “The next time you invade my territory without an appointment, I’ll hand you over to my enforcers.”

Tightening his lips, Azriel swept his gaze up the beanstalk. “Is this a new development of yours?” he said. “Plants of this magnitude are hardly regulation.”

“What the fuck do you want?” Hades snapped.

“The balance of souls in the Fifth Faction is off,” Azriel said with a sniff.

“How so?” Hades folded his arms across his chest.

Azriel flicked his head toward the beanstalk. “I have no idea if this is a wedding gift, a Beltane Tree, or preparations for the Summer Solstice, but monarchs are not authorized to destroy demon souls in such large quantities.”

I gulped. Hades was getting the blame for Persephone’s carnage.

“We’re handling it,” he snapped. “Now, get buggered.”

“You’re throwing off the balance of power,” Azriel hissed. “You Demon monarchs are making my job more difficult with each passing day. Samael has taken over the Second, and is consuming souls at an alarming rate—”

“What?” Hades roared.

I clutched his arm and gaped at the angel. Samael ruled the Third.

Azriel rolled his eyes. “The moment Varaha died, it left a gap of power within the Second Faction that Samael exploited.”

I swallowed hard. All that time Hades had been concerned about Samael taking advantage of the weakness of the Fifth, he was busy in the Second, seizing control. But what did that mean for us?

“And whose fault is that?” Hades snarled. “Which white-winged airhead decided to change the rules at the last minute and stop a known glutton from enjoying a feast?”

I glowered at Azriel. “You should have punished Samael for trying to eat a server instead of making all those last minute changes.”

The angel bristled. “And now he’s stationed his bride as the leader of the Third.”

My heart sank. “That explains why we haven’t heard from Mother. Now she’s going to be stronger than ever.”

“Agreed,” Hades said.

“Fix this unauthorized soul eater.” He waved his hand in the direction of the giant mass of vines. “It’s weakening the integrity of the Fifth, whose wards are already spread thin with your insistence on maintaining half a throne.”

“How?” I asked.

Azriel turned his hateful gaze to me. “As a Demon Queen, you should be already thinking of a solution.”

He stomped back toward the elevator, casting Namara a hateful glare as he stepped inside, letting the doors close behind him with a gentle hiss.

Namara clutched her clipboard to her chest. “Please accept my apologies, Your Majesty, but he was quite insistent and threatened us all with the wrath of his master.”

Hades waved his hand. “No harm done. At least we now understand the extent of Persephone’s damage. Do what you can to smooth things over with him.”

Her eyes sparkled. “Would you like me to seduce him and blackmail him for intel?”

Hades rubbed his chin and grinned. “I saw how he checked out your tail. If you can stomach being with an angel, why not?”

Namara gave him a broad grin and a jaunty salute. “There’s one more thing.”

“Go on,” Hades said, already sounding thoroughly sick of dealing with both of them.

“Spies in New York, Cairo, and Sao Paulo mentioned talk of Samael arranging a meeting with your allies on neutral territory.”

“Which ones?” I asked.

“Lucifer, Hel, Isis and Osiris,” she said. “There was also talk of Shango from South America being invited, but my source wasn’t sure if he was considering the meeting.”

I bit down on my bottom lip and frowned. “Why would they want to associate with someone as disgusting as Samael?”

Hades growled. “Three reasons. The first is that he now has control of two Factions. The one that governs the Middle East and the second that governs Asia. Asia is the most populous Faction, which now more than doubles his and your mother’s combined power.”

“Right,” I said. “And demons appreciate strength?”

“Even if they are gods who have spent millennia supervising demons,” Hades said, his voice bitter. “Samael will make his play for the next most vulnerable Faction.”

“Ours?” I whispered.

“Perhaps,” he replied with a growl.

“Then let’s use my power to protect the wards.”

Hades shook his head. “You heard that winged wanker. Persephone’s soul-eating plants are already feeding on the integrity of the Fifth. We can’t allow her direct access to your power.”

I gave him a shaky nod. “What’s the third reason they’d want to associate with Samael?”

“May I?” Namara rocked forward on her hoofs.

Hades inclined his head. “Go on.”

“When Samael was Satan the absolute ruler of Hell, he wielded so much power over the earth that his influence was starting to bleed into Heaven.” Namara waved her clipboard. “Two thousand years later, and Hell is larger than ever. If he takes control again, he will crush everything, including Heaven.”

My hand drifted up to rub at my temple. “So, everyone thinks Samael has a chance of reuniting Hell under his banner,” I said.

“It’s also possible that they’re angling for positions of power within his regime,” Hades added.

Lucifer didn’t seem the type to ally himself with someone as rotten as Samael, but there was no telling how his mind operated. Isis and Osiris had also seemed like a really nice couple and more in love with each other than with power.

“Shit.” I shook my head.

“That’s a fair but accurate assessment of the situation.” Hades turned to Namara. “I apologize for shutting you out and will endeavor to take your messages.”

She bowed low. “Yes, Your Majesty.”

The elevator doors opened, revealing an agitated Azriel with his wings flapping with annoyance. Namara inclined her head before stepping inside with the angel, and the doors hissed shut.

“You’re in a strangely apologetic mood,” I said.

He raised his brow. “Your point?”

“Why didn’t you mess her around for days before finally telling her you were sorry?”

“Namara’s different.”

“How so?”

“Because she doesn’t give a damn if I’m sorry for shutting her out and she knows verbal apologies count for nothing,” he said with a sigh. “You, on the other hand, are different.”

I raised my brow, prompting him to speak.

“I never want to lie to you again, which is why I’m allowing such a huge and deadly penalty if I do.”

‘Because you want to show you’re sorry.”

He cupped the side of my face and smiled. “I apologize from the depths of my black heart.”

A laugh bubbled up from my chest. “Apology accepted.”

“Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve encountered a woman I truly wanted?” He met my eyes with a gaze hotter than the river of lava. “Two thousand years.”

“What about Queen Mera?”

His eyes narrowed. “I never pegged you as one for girl talk.”

“It’s common knowledge that you abducted her.”

“Because I wanted a phoenix as a pet.” He flared out his black wings, which were so glossy they reflected the fiery surroundings. “I still do, but the only firebird in existence shares the soul of an annoying do-gooder. And she’s attached to an even more aggravating vampire.”

I pulled my gaze away from him and tilted my head back up the giant mass of vines. Queen Mera was exactly his type. Red-haired, powerful, and fiery. The only thing that was missing were the curves and the height. Not that anything Hades thought about her mattered, because she was in love with King Valentine.

“How can we restore this balance of power Azriel was talking about?” I asked.

“By destroying everything Persephone has installed in our domain, including that monstrosity,” Hades replied.

“Alright.” I held out my arms. “Stand back while I fashion some wings.”

Hades glanced toward the top of the beanstalk. “I can carry you up there.”

“Just give me a minute,” I said. “This is important.”

With a huff, he moved away, giving me the space I needed, and I focused all my attention on my back. According to the Compendium of Magic, wings were like second arms that sprouted from the shoulder blades instead of the socket.

I shoved away that thought. For all I knew, Mother could have written those passages herself and passed off the entire tome as an official textbook. Compared to making me believe I had corporality sickness, forging an encyclopedia of lies was mild.

“Turn around and show me your wings?” I said.

Hades waggled his brows. “Is this an excuse to marvel at my glutes?”

“Just do it.” I motioned for him to move into position.

He turned his back to me and dissolved his armor, leaving his upper half bare. His back was a tapestry of thick muscles encased in golden skin, ending with a tight waist.

Without meaning to, I let my gaze slide down to the curve of his impressive ass. My throat reverberated with a needy whimper. Samael had taken control of another Faction. Mother now ruled the Third. And Persephone was bleeding us dry with her carnivorous plants. So why now of all times was I fixating on his gorgeous body?

Hades glanced over his shoulder, meeting my gaze with a knowing smirk. “Watch me summon my wings.”

A pair of black lines appeared four finger-widths from either side of his spine. They protruded into an arch and unfolded like a pair of parasols to form a small set of wings that extended an inch beyond his shoulders. Then in a blink of an eye, they unfurled to form full-sized feathery wings.

I stepped toward him with my hands outstretched, tracing the base of the appendages with my leather-clad finger.

Hades shivered. “Keep doing that, and I’ll cum in my codpiece.”

“Sorry.” I pulled my hand away.

“That wasn’t a complaint.”

I drew back, concentrated my magic on my shoulder blades, and flared out my power. What protruded from my back was more skeletal than before.

Hades turned around and furrowed his brow. “Don’t force it.”

“Why do you think I can’t produce wings?” I asked.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if what Demeter did to you has affected your power.” He wrapped an arm around my waist. “We’ll reconnect our magic after we’ve dealt with Persephone. If I can’t produce you a perfect set of wings, we’ll take you to a seer.”

Retracting the bones, I offered him a sharp nod and wrapped my arms around his middle. “Let’s go.”

Hades launched himself into the sky at a speed that made our surroundings blur. I squinted, trying to keep the wind out of my eyes as he propelled himself upward.

The giant stalk continued with flashes of color, each representing dead demons, monstrous flowerheads, or tortured souls. My stomach churned at the carnage. How could something so huge have erupted in such a short space of time?

“This fucking plant is even taller than before,” Hades growled.

“Let’s teleport further up, then,” I murmured.

In the blink of an eye, we hovered hundreds of feet above the ground, looking down at a landscape of barren mountains and rock. From my vantage point, the Fifth Faction looked like an island the shape of Great Britain, bisected by five rivers that flowed toward a sea of endless flames.

My breath caught. “Is this what separates all the Factions of Hell?”

He grunted. “Each Faction is a land mass with its own unique topology that vaguely mirrors the world’s geography. The ocean of lava that stretches between the Factions is nearly impossible to traverse.”

“But some try it?” I asked.

“Only those who wish to arrive at their destination with all but a fraction of their power destroyed,” he replied. “The best way to infiltrate another realm is via the Human World.”

I leaned forward, staring down at the plant, which was a speck in the distance. “Let’s see if we can destroy Persephone’s creation.”

He swooped down through the sky. “As soon as we can confirm she’s not standing at the top, I’ll summon a team to help with the clear out. And we’ll place those souls back where they belong.”

I clung tighter to his neck and braced myself for anything. As we surged downward, the top of the flower came into view.

It was a red, heart-shaped leaf with a yellow column at its cleft that reminded me of the penis-shaped projection that protruded from a flamingo flower. I swallowed hard, wondering if this was the part of the plant that intended to reproduce.

“Bloody fucking Hell,” Hades muttered.

“Can you see what’s down there?”

His jaw clenched. “Persephone has gone too far.”

I gulped. What could be worse than killing a bunch of demons to feed a monstrous plant, and siphoning power from the Fifth Faction?

He swooped down even faster, and the top of the plant came into view. I placed a hand over my mouth, my brows furrowing.

That was no plant. It was Minthe, desiccated until all the moisture had left her body, and frozen forever in a rictus of terror. The yellow coating on her skin was pollen.

Hades shook his head. “Persephone has just murdered one of the few remaining good people from my days at Mount Olympus.”