Corrupted by Bella Klaus
Chapter Twelve
After we had reduced the monstrous plant to pieces floating through the river of lava, Hades called a clean-up crew to salt the earth. That way, any seeds that might have sprinkled loose from those flowers would never germinate.
We spent hours flying over rocky ground, in search of Persephone or any of her demonic creations, and even landed in the castles to speak to the high-ranking demons who ruled over the villages within the Asphodel Meadows. So far, nobody had noticed anything strange except for the plant we had destroyed.
When we’d exhausted all our options, Hades teleported us back to the circular room of marble columns, where we surveyed footage from around the Fifth Faction in the liquid pool.
He replayed a scene of a naked Persephone, gliding down to the river of lava on a pair of massive ginkgo biloba leaves. She threw a flowerhead into the liquid fire, which smoked and sizzled and sank before sprouting into shoots that stretched toward the sky. Persephone hovered over her creation as it took shape, then flew toward the mountain that contained the punishment pit.
Hades wiggled his fingers, cutting to another scene of Persephone on the stone bridge. A set of her vines reached into the tall stalagmites stretching from the pool of lava and yanked the souls from their cubby holes.
“She’s probably gone underground.”
“Are there many subterranean passages in Hell?” Demons rushed toward her with weapons, but thorny spikes rose from beneath the bridge to skewer their hearts. I placed a hand over my mouth and tried not to gag.
He turned to me, his brows raised. “The quarries are where we keep dragons, ifrits, salamanders and those inmates too dangerous for the general population.”
“You think she’s hiding among them?” I asked.
“One of the overseers would have reported a naked woman with murderous plants,” Hades said. “If she’s got any sense, she would have used her plants to burrow a nest, where she can wreak havoc without interruption.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Absolutely nothing,” he growled. “At least not until she resurfaces.”
“How can you be so calm about this?” I clutched at my growling stomach.
Hades stared down at my middle, his brows creased. “You’re hungry. Did you eat before you left?”
“It was difficult with a creepy elevator following me around the apartment.”
Grimacing, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Then allow me to take you out to dinner.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Where?”
“Somewhere above board.” He raised both palms in a semblance of innocence.
“If that means the Human World, then my answer is yes.”
His gaze trailed down my form-fitting armor, and he smirked. “Dinner in the Human World would mean changing into a slinky dress and wearing some of that lingerie.”
I could already picture Hades demanding that I parade myself in the gold set I wore when Lucifer came to the door. My cheeks heated, and my insides rippled with anticipation.
“What if I want to order in?” I asked.
His smirk widened into a grin. “Then I’ll still help you dress for the occasion.”
My armor suddenly became too tight, too warm, too restrictive, and my skin itched to be free. Pressing my lips together, I held back a smile. What was it about this rogue that made me melt into a ball of giddiness? I’d almost forgotten why I was so angry with him.
“Alright,” I murmured. “Let’s go back to my apartment.”
“As you wish.” Hades took my hand, and brought my knuckles to his lips. Before he got to press a kiss on them, our surroundings changed, and we stood in the middle of my living room.
Except it was filled with felines. Black cats. White cats. Tortoiseshells, longhairs, shorthairs, Siamese. Sphynxes, Bengals, toygers. There were cats with squashed faces, cats that looked like werewolves, cats with ears as large as their heads.
They lay on the floors, the sofas, the kitchen surfaces, by the window, and beneath the tables. Jagged leaves lay strewn about the apartment, some of them attached to bunches of tiny white flowers. My nostrils filled with the mingled scents of grass and mint, reminding me of an invasive plant that Mother despised.
“Nepeta cataria,” I snarled.
“I beg your pardon?” Hades asked with a chuckle.
“Catnip.” I pointed at the prone feline bodies lounging around my new apartment in various states of inebriation.
“Why the bloody hell are so many of them here?” I whispered.
Hades teleported us to the mezzanine, where the air was less gloopy and gave me an even better view of the living area. There was still no sign of Dami among the crowds of lounging cats.
“There must be a hundred felines.” I turned to him, my brows furrowed. “Do you know if they’re having a party?”
“Hellcats are notorious for their mischief,” he said. “Which is why they need to be managed carefully. I hope you didn’t give your little friend too large of an allowance. She’s likely to attract an entourage of good-for-nothings and hangers-on.”
My stomach clenched. Dami had full access to the black credit card. It was one of the reasons she had been so happy to work without pay.
“Why?” I squeaked.
He placed an arm around the small of my back and walked me through my bedroom. “One Hellcat is fine on her own, two might be able to keep each other out of trouble. But get three together unsupervised, and they become bad influences.”
With a gulp, I glanced over my shoulder. Dami and Macavity were probably in their room, enjoying a romantic roll-around in large quantities of catnip. “What kind of things do they do apart from create feline opium dens?”
“Some of them are prone to organizing orgies.” Hades placed a large hand on the small of my back and guided me toward my dressing room. “Although it looks like your Damisa has invited some of the better ones.”
“Are you sure?” I asked as the door clicked shut.
He took off my helmet and unfastened the tie from my hair, letting it tumble down to my shoulders. “There’s a coffeeshop in London that specializes in cats. It’s where I originally found her. Most of those other felines had collars around their necks with the logo.”
I shook off the image of a cat petting zoo that served coffee and focused on the man standing in my dressing room, looking like he wanted to help me out of my armor.
“What are you doing here?” I placed my hands on my hips.
The corner of his full lips curved into a smile. A smile that told me he’d tried to take advantage of my fixation with the cat party. He lowered his lashes, fixing his gaze on my lips.
“You’re inappropriately dressed for dinner, and I’m here to help you choose your attire,” he said in a deep voice that rippled across my nerve endings.
“Alright then.” I glanced around, taking in the selection of new dresses hanging from my open closets. “Where are we going?”
“What do you fancy? French, Italian, Japanese? Or would you prefer something more exotic?”
I shook my head, my shoulders rising to my ears. “Duck Island was my very first restaurant. Apart from that, all I’ve eaten is fast food I got from Captain Caria.”
“We’ll have to remedy that,” he said with a smile. “There are so many fine eateries in the modern world. And centuries in which to explore them.”
Warmth spread across my insides, and I glanced over his shoulder at the open closets, marveling at all the clothes he had bought me. The thought of me in fabulous outfits, sharing adventures across the world with Hades, was beyond anything I could have imagined the night I’d finally left the mansion. My eyes returned to his full lips, and my skin tingled with the urge to kiss them.
Instead of leaning forward and capturing his lips, I swept my arm toward the open rail. “What do you suggest I wear tonight?”
Without taking his gaze away from mine, he raised his fingers and floated over a dress. “This one.”
I turned to the garment, which was a scoop-neck minidress with spaghetti straps that would accentuate my small waist but make my boobs look huge.
“Isn’t that a little too revealing?” I asked.
“Nothing could ever detract from your beauty.”
Heat rose to my cheeks, and I stepped back, trying to catch my breath. “Alright. And which accessories?”
“If it was up to me, you wouldn’t wear anything,” he said. “Have you ever heard of naked sushi?”
I shook my head.
Hades described how some restaurants paid women to lie on tables with rice and raw fish placed on their bodies like they were some kind of living plate. Back in the old days, they would even pour alcohol on their bodies for the customers to slurp.
I wrinkled my nose. “That sounds unhygienic.”
“It’s nothing of the sort.” He rubbed a hand up and down my back, spreading an explosion of invisible sparks. “The chefs place leaves over the flesh before laying the food. Part of the reason is to stop the sashimi from overheating.”
“Let’s try something else.” Eyeing the dress, I wondered if I should wear something less revealing.
“You don’t know what you’re missing.”
I placed a hand on his shoulder, making sure to look him straight in the eye. “If you’re offering your abs as my dinner plate, I’m ready. Make sure to bring an extra large fig leaf so I can concentrate on my food.”
His eyes narrowed. “I was hoping to dine from your delectable body.”
A pleasant shiver ran down my spine, and my nipples tightened with the thought of his lips on my skin. I cleared my throat, trying to think of something to change the subject, but the effort was futile. How could I think of anything but sex with Hades staring down at me with those flaming eyes?
He advanced on me, his nostrils flaring. “If the thought of sushi isn’t to your liking, I could always smear you with chocolate and lick you clean.”
The pulse between my legs pounded a rapid beat, and my breaths turned shallow. My tongue darted out to moisten my dry lips, only for his eyes to track the movement.
“You like the sound of that?” he asked.
“Not particularly.” I stepped back, trying not to hyperventilate.
He cupped my cheek with his large hand, looking like he would hold me steady for a kiss. “Do you know what I enjoy most after a hard day at work?”
“No?” I whispered.
“Burying myself in a hot wet cunt.”
I gulped. “Are you propositioning me?”
“Am I that obvious?” He bared his teeth in a predatory grin.
My feet shuffled back until I met the wall. Hades braced both palms at my sides, forming a cage with his arms. This was one of those traps I could easily escape, but my legs had turned to jelly, and the only thing keeping me from melting into a puddle of need was the hard surface at my back.
His eyes met mine in a gaze so penetrating that it felt like he was reading my thoughts. “Why don’t we relax, shower together, and enjoy each other’s bodies before we dine?”
“Or we could just dine,” I whispered. “After I have a shower alone.”
“Nonsense.” Hades leaned so close to me that I could feel the heat radiating from beneath his armor. “Kora,” he whispered into my ear, his full lips grazing the sensitive skin. “You make me crazy. I can hardly think of anything but fucking you when you’re close.”
The warmth of his breath had me tilting my head to the side, letting the sensations caress my skin. Hades sucked my earlobe between his lips.
My breath quickened, and all sensation rushed south. “What are you doing?”
“Let’s order a naked sushi kit,” he murmured.
“And eat among all those inebriated cats?” I asked.
“Your bedroom has all the necessary surfaces.” He pinned me to the wall with his larger body. “As well as easy access to a soft mattress.”
I placed a hand on his chest, meaning to shove him away, but his heart reverberated against my palm with such a rapid beat that I paused to gaze into his eyes. Hades stared at me with the type of passion I’d overheard when we had connected our magic. It was love and longing and lust, even though he had never voiced those thoughts out loud.
“Kora, what are you thinking?” he asked.
“That I would like to speak into your mind,”I said through our connection.
He exhaled a long breath. “I would like nothing more than that, but not if you believe our association will be temporary.”
I swallowed. He had said something much earlier about not wanting to hear my voice in his head because it gave him too much hope. Out loud, I asked, “What makes you think I want to break up with you?”
The fire in his eyes dimmed. “Being with me is all so exciting and new to you.” He pulled back, withdrawing his heat. “But whirlwind romances are always fleeting. How long before you tire of splitting your time between the living world and my realm?”
“Are you saying this because I won’t eat in Hell?” I asked.
Hades didn’t reply with words, only with a quirk of his brow.
I pursed my lips. “If this is some kind of reverse psychology to make me eat the food of the dead—”
“I wouldn’t be so crass as to try it twice,” he said.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“When your mother discovered I abducted Persephone, she caused a drought that killed all the crops. When so many humans died in the famine she’d started, Zeus had to negotiate your return.”
A knot of guilt formed in my stomach as I thought about the statue in the basement. Zeus had been left there to supply the coven with magic, and he looked like he was still suffering. At some point, after we’d dealt with Persephone, Samael, and Mother, I’d have asked Hades about reviving my father.
I leaned forward, trying to take in every scrap of information. It was rare for Hades to speak about his time with Persephone, and I longed to learn more about their relationship. “Did you release her in the end?”
He turned away from me, squeezed his eyes shut, and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Every fiber of my being knew that if Persephone returned to Demeter, she and her clique of vengeful goddesses would poison her mind.”
“Her coven, you mean?” I asked.
“Hera, Hestia, Athena, and Artemis,” he said from between clenched teeth. “Once they got to her, Persephone would decide to stay with them in Mount Olympus.”
“What did you do?”
He hesitated for several moments, his gaze turned away from mine, his eyes distant. I placed a hand on the side of his face in silent encouragement for him to speak, but he exhaled a long sigh.
Just when I thought he would change the subject, he said, “Before Persephone left, I tricked her into eating pomegranate seeds. From trees grown in the Underworld.”
My throat thickened. “How did she react to eating the food of the dead?”
“It has no effect on the consumer until they leave the Underworld,” he said in a low voice. “With each passing day, the call to the land of the dead pulls on their souls. It’s so great that the body weakens, fades, and lapses into shadow.”
I gulped. The Compendium of Magic had made the effects of eating food of the dead far more dramatic, but it had been right to advise me not to eat during my time in Hell. I rubbed the base of my throat, trying to gather the right words, but there was no way to dress up something so despicable.
“How could you treat someone you loved so cruelly?” I asked.
“I was a different person thirty thousand years ago.” His face tightened. “No compassion. No heart. I felt nothing until I saw Persephone, and even then, it took millennia to develop normal emotions.”
My breath stilled. Hades was far from normal, but my view of the world was limited to a coven of vengeful goddesses, Hell, and what I’d watched on Netflix. I tried to imagine how I might have felt if Hades had damned my soul, but my mind kept drifting to Persephone’s hideous plant.
“How did she react?” I asked.
“She returned to me, furious,” he said, his voice broken. “Every day, she would curse me for trapping her. My deception set back our relationship for a century.”
I shifted uncomfortably against the wall. “Don’t ever do that to me.”
He shook his head. “If you eat the food of the dead, it will be your choice and not through trickery.”
A memory rolled to the forefront of my mind. I pictured the sunny-side-up eggs Minthe had brought on my first day in Hell. Hades had tried to force it on me and warned that he'd enchanted the food to return if I flushed it down the toilet.
My lips tightened. “What about that shitty brunch you tried to force me to eat?”
He chuckled. “Did you see how quickly I changed tactics when I discovered you’d killed two powerful demons with lightning?”
“Because you were worried about your own hide?”
“Because I wanted you so much that I was prepared to have you hate me for a century or more.” He leaned in close. “But I saw the error of my ways. Tactics such as those are no longer my style.”
I shook my head. The way he talked, it was like he’d changed his mind centuries ago, and not in a matter of days. “You’re such a—”
“Reckless bastard? A fool in love? Impulsive? Prone to losing my good sense?” he asked, his brows raised.
“Actually, I was going to call you something calculating.” I dipped out of the cage of his arms and stepped away from him and toward the door that led to the bathroom. “You like to present yourself as someone who lacks control, but no one could rule the Fifth on half its power without being screwed.”
“You wound me.” He clutched at his heart and smiled.
Casting him one last glance, I added, “The only reason we have this truce is because I’m holding enough power to condemn you.”
He placed his hand over his chest. “And I demand that you eviscerate me at the first sign of betrayal.”
I shook my head from side to side, my eyes narrowing. Maybe spending an eternity doing exactly what he wanted and never suffering long-lasting consequences had eroded his humility, but he had to know his charm wouldn’t work on me a second time.
Hades was as exciting as he was seductive, and I would need to see what lay beneath the facade and see if he could ever change before I decided if he was worth the effort.
Hades offered me a sheepish smile. “So, how about I make an order for delivery here?”
“Your Majesty?”a female voice said into my head, making me flinch.
“Namara?” he growled.
“I’m terribly sorry for interrupting you both, but this couldn’t wait,” she replied. “Our spies in the Champs-Élysées say they’ve just seen seven different demon chariots converge on the fifth level of the Eiffel Tower.”
My eyes bulged. I was sure it only had three. “Do you think Samael’s holding the meeting?”
“Given the differing styles of chariots, it looks like demons from different Factions have gathered in one spot,” Namara said.
Hades rubbed his chin. “Are they still in place?”
“Yes, Your Majesty,”she replied. “Should I send in a team?”
“No.” He took my hand and walked me to the other side of the dressing room, toward an empty closet. “Thank you for the information. That will be all.”
With a flip of his hand, Hades removed the closet’s back, revealing a darkened chamber that looked like its walls and floors were made of stone. Flaming torches flared to life, illuminating a small armory containing six dummies dressed in similar armor to the one I currently wore. Metal racks hung on the walls, containing daggers, spears, bows and arrows, and a range of throwing weapons I couldn’t begin to name.
My breath hitched. “What is this place?”
“Your cache.” He stepped inside. “It’s far easier to materialize objects for self-defense when they’re nearby. Since you’re new to magic, I created several storage rooms in places I knew you would visit.”
“Do you think I’m in that much danger?” I stood at the doorway with my arms wrapped around my middle.
He turned to me and arched a brow. “Now that you’re the Queen of the Fifth Faction, demons everywhere will know of your existence. Not all of them approve of gods and goddesses taking demon positions of leadership.”
It was too late to rage at Hades for not explaining the long-term implications of accepting the power at the Devil’s Ball. Besides, demons were the least of my worries when I had Mother, Persephone, and the coven still lurking around. Pulling back my shoulders, I strolled into the small chamber and surveyed the weapons on the wall.
My gaze caught on a pair of metallic gloves, complete with needle-thin claws that looked like they could fly across the room with a deft movement of the fingers. I reached for them but pulled back my hand and turned to Hades.
“What do you recommend I take?”
He shook his head. “Any of these weapons would work well for you. I kitted this room out based on Caria’s analysis of your fighting style.”
“Alright then.” I slipped on the gloves, which split at the seams and thinned into strips over my finger bones like a clawed exoskeleton. “How do I use them?”
Hades raised his hand and flared out his fingers. “That’s the basic movement. Everyone in a ninety-degree radius of that hand will get a needle in the chest.”
He stepped back and nodded, giving me space to copy his movement, but nothing happened. I bit down on my bottom lip. “It’s not working.”
“Because no one’s in range.” He flashed me a grin. “I’m going to change your armor.”
“What’s wrong with the one I’m wearing now?” I glanced down at the unblemished red suit.
“If those traitorous bastards turn on us, you’ll need something that protects your body from hellfire, heavy blows, and magical attacks.”
“Right.” I straightened, letting Hades remove the red armor with a flick of his hand and replace it with a set that looked nearly identical except that it was burgundy. “What next?”
He materialized a box and flipped it open. “Eat this.”
Inside were a different set of red bonbons. “What are those?”
“Crystalized stamina, made in Logris by faeries.”
I selected the red and popped it in my mouth. “Okay, let’s go.”
He held up a hand. “Wait for the effects to seep in.”
The bonbon fizzed across my tongue, creating a mouthful of strawberry flavored foam. As I swallowed it, strength coursed through my insides, making me feel like I’d just consumed an extra strong cup of coffee.
“How long will it work?” I asked.
“An hour, but after that, you’ll be ravenous enough to eat anything.” His brows waggled. “Including me.”
I wrapped my arms around his middle. “Maybe I’ll finally get my naked sushi.”
Hades chuckled. “You can wrap your lips around my eel anytime.”
“Is that what you call it?” I asked.
“An endowment so substantial has many names,” he drawled.
A giggle bubbled up to the back of my throat. “Like what?”
Hades paused, seeming to think about the question. “Basilisk, cyclops, python, and my favorite one, the titan.”
“But they’re all monsters,” I said.
“As is my mighty eel.” He said that in a deep seductive voice, making sure to draw out the last syllable.
I clapped a hand over my mouth, hoping my cheeks weren’t turning pink.
He raised his brows. “Do you feel the bonbon’s effects?”
It took a moment to pull my mind away from all the penis talk, and I pressed the heel of my hand into my stomach. “I don’t feel so ravenous anymore.”
He grinned. “What will you pounce on when its effects wear off?”
“Not you,” I said with a chuckle.
“Famous last words.”
I snorted. “If you want to be eaten so badly, why not jump in a lake of piranhas?”
He pressed a hand to his chest. “They’re not as charming as you.”
“That’s hardly a compliment!”
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Wait,” I said. “What’s the plan?”
“We materialize in the middle of the restaurant, say a few words to show the bastards we know what they’re planning, and leave to reinforce the Fifth.”
“Why can’t we just reinforce the Fifth, then confront them?” I asked.
“By the time we’ve done that, they’ll have already gone and we won’t know which of our allies have sided with Samael.”
I nodded. Hades was right. It was dangerous to be friends with someone who was in secret meetings with that slimy viper. Of all the monarchs I imagined would be there, I really hoped I didn’t see Lucifer.
“Let’s go,” I murmured.
Hades took my hand and stared down at me with a frown that told me to be alert.
Nodding, I turned my gaze away from his, readying myself to face a dinner party of demons.
In the blink of an eye, we stood within a restaurant the size of my penthouse’s living room that contained about twelve tables for two arranged around a booth on a three-foot-tall platform. Its white leather seat curved in a semicircle, looking like it could accommodate eight.
Starlight streamed in from three of its floor-to-ceiling windows, revealing the metallic structures of the Eiffel Tower and an expansive view of Paris. The scent of brimstone hung in the air, but there was no sign of whoever had traveled here by chariot.
I leaned into Hades’ side and whispered, “Are we in the right place?”
“You’re just in time,” said Mother’s harsh voice.
She and Samael appeared in the middle of the booth, the pair of them clinking glasses of champagne.
My hackles rose. Mother looked even more radiant, her hair golden instead of the color of wheat, as though the power of the Third Faction coursed through her veins. A healthy flush adorned her cheeks, and she preened in her low-cut ivory dress.
Her new husband, however, wore a pastel-blue tuxedo with a ruffled shirt the same color, and a matching top hat. His half-melted features contorted into a grin that made his forehead ripple like lettuce leaves.
“Why would King and Queen Hades interrupt a meal with my bride?” Samael leaned into Mother and snapped his jaws.
Nausea crawled up my gullet, and I clenched my teeth, resisting the urge to spit.
Hades released my hand and folded his arms across his chest. “We came for the view, certainly not for the sight of two nauseating newlyweds on a date.”
“How’s life in the Fifth?” Mother asked with a smirk. “I hear that you had to wrangle an extra-large soulkin.”
“And you would be his mysterious benefactor?” Hades asked, his brows raised.
“The very same.” Mother raised her champagne flute to her lips. “It’s always rewarding to help your most incorrigible of souls to escape your punishment pits.”
My lips tightened, and I ground my teeth. How could Mother be so vindictive? Every encounter with her uncovered a new revelation. Now I knew she would condemn innocent people, just to make Hades look like he was incapable of managing the Fifth Faction.
Hades shook his head. “How reassuring it is to know that one thing remains constant in this ever-changing world. Your propensity for pettiness.”
“You have taken something of mine.” Mother gestured at me with her champagne glass. “Hand her over.”
Her words hit like a slap, and I forced myself not to flinch. “You’ve reached a new low, Mother. I never thought you would go so far as to torture a cat.”
Mother flashed her teeth. “You’re a stupid and gullible little girl. It’s the only reason I’m prepared to forgive your transgressions. But I will not refrain from punishing those who have led you astray.”
“You have two objects.” Samael raised his fingers as though neither of us had spoken. “One of which is running amok across your faction and the other you’ve corrupted into a concubine. Now, hand over both halves of Persephone or we’ll use the combined power of the Third and Second Factions to remove you from Five.”
Hades threw back his head with a deep belly laugh. “You’re using the wrong preposition, you illiterate bastard.”
Mother flinched. “What on earth are you talking about?”
Hades’ features twisted into a sneer. “There’s no question of ‘or.’ What you meant to say was that you wanted me to hand over Persephone and you’d use your combined Factions to attack mine.”
“What’s the difference?” Mother asked with a sniff. “My husband will eventually take control of the entirety of Hell.”
Samael leaned forward and grinned. “We can do it the easy way or employ the most excruciating methods. I’m happy to go along with either.”
I turned to Mother and scowled. “How could you be so desperate as to ally with that thing?”
Her eyes softened. “Samael is a good man.”
Hades barked a laugh. “He’s barely even male.”
“Rumors of my castration have been much exaggerated,” Samael said through serrated teeth. “However, I can’t help but wonder if your constant reference to my genitalia is to compensate for the lack of your own.”
Hades snorted. “Nice try. Did Demeter give you that comeback?”
Mother ignored them both. “And Samael wants to be a good stepfather.”
“You do realize I’m a grown woman?” I snapped.
“There, there.” Samael patted Mother on the shoulder, leaving black handprints on her flesh. “When I’ve defeated Hades, I will hand you Persephone bound and gagged and on a platter.”
I shook my head, trying not to hiss at Mother’s new level of depravity. “What makes you think he’s not going to kill you the moment he gets the power?”
“Kora is right,” said Hades. “Samael’s appetites run more toward goats than goddesses.”
The Demon King placed his hands on the white tablecloth and rose from his seat. “Your puerile posturing was amusing the first hundred times, but now it wears thin. If you’re so desperate to prove your prowess, then let’s see how you fare against my elites.”
Pillars of black smoke rose from the marble floor, forming a circle around Hades and me. They arranged themselves in two rows of about twelve, lengthening and thickening and coalescing into seven-and-a-half-foot-tall shapes.
Holding my breath, I stepped closer to Hades, the pulse in my throat fluttering like a trapped butterfly.
When Aunts Juno, Vesta, Minerva, and Diana stepped out from behind the booth, my stomach plummeted through the floor and down the entire height of the Eiffel Tower. We now stood against four vindictive goddesses, two Monarchs of Hell, and over twenty-four demons.
How on earth would we escape this ambush alive?
