Debauched by Bella Klaus

Chapter Sixteen

My gaze darted from the departing healer to Hades’ flaming eyes, and my lips parted with a shocked breath. We needed to conduct tests on his lungs, make sure I’d removed all the pollen, and check that the panacea wouldn’t have any negative effects.

Before I could protest, Hades grabbed my hand and teleported me to the side of a great lake surrounded by rolling green hills. To our left was a limestone pagoda surrounded by the kinds of columns I’d seen within the memory of Mother and Persephone sitting by the pool. Trees I’d never seen before formed a dense forest, their trunks wrapped in vines of multicolored flowers.

I placed a hand over my mouth, marveling at all these unknown species of plants we couldn’t possibly get in the Human World. Not with such beautiful turquoise skies streaked with soft pink clouds.

A floral scent filled my nostrils, and I tipped my head up to find us standing beneath the overhang of a wisteria tree with pendulous mauve flowers. Something on the left squawked, and I glanced down at a muster of peacocks strutting around the stone pagoda. Their plumage blended perfectly with the landscape.

“Are we in Heaven?” I asked.

“This is a chunk of the Elysian Fields,” he said. “It’s the Fifth Faction’s ultimate seat of power.”

I turned to him, my brow furrowing. Hades still wore the black pajamas the healer had dressed him in for his final treatment, and his hair was still tousled as though he’d just gotten out of bed. It took all the willpower I could muster to focus on persuading him to return for a test.

“If we didn’t remove all the pollen—”

He placed a finger on my lips. “I’m fine.”

I stepped back. “How could you possibly know? And why should I believe you when you clearly just want to have sex?”

His face split into a grin of dazzling white teeth, and he snaked an arm around my back, bringing our bodies close. His hard length pressed into my belly, making me clench the muscles of my core.

“But I always want to have sex with you,” he said in a deep voice that make my skin tingle. “All night, all day, and in every way imaginable.”

“Ha.” I tried to keep the excited tremble out of my voice, but the effort was futile. “I knew this was a ploy. How about we return to Healer Iaso, get the tests, and return here when we’re sure your body can handle the strain.”

His laugh made my nipples tighten, and all the fine hairs on the back of my head stand on end. It was dark, wicked, and promised endless pleasure. “Request denied.”

I pressed a palm into the center of his chest, trying to pull back, but Hades held onto me with a firm grip. “Why are you being so stubborn?”

“Because I’ve wanted to do this with you since Caria told me about your lightning power.”

My head snapped up. “What are you talking about?”

“This place is where we power the wards.”

I took another glance at the idyllic landscape. “How can this be the Fifth Faction?”

“This was put here by our angel overlords. Each monarch has their own slice of home, where they can relax, charge the wards, and maintain the integrity of their Faction.”

“Why didn’t you bring me here before?” I whispered, trying not to sound betrayed.

Hades wrapped his arms around my shoulders and pulled me into his chest. “First, you needed to be crowned, and secondly…”

I tilted my head up, meeting his eyes. Eyes that shone with love instead of lust, eyes that looked deep into my soul and accepted every part of me, including those that had shunned him in my previous life. My throat thickened, and I swallowed hard, already knowing what he would say next.

He hadn’t been sure about me. Why would he, when I’d resisted him at almost every stage of our relationship? First, I’d seen the Devil’s Ball as a means to escape Hell. Second, I hadn’t forgiven him for not telling me about Persephone’s body, even when I knew we were the same person. Third…

Tears stung the backs of my eyes as I recalled the memory of Hades standing in the corner, watching Persephone badmouth him to the coven. It had been one thing to do this while she still despised him, but to continue the charade long after they’d fallen in love had been unforgivable.

I placed a hand on his cheek. “It’s all right. I already know why you hesitated before showing me this place.”

The smile he gave me was crooked. “There was only the smallest window of time where I felt our relationship was secure before Demeter animated this body.”

“Oh.” I bowed my head.

“Earlier, I said you could keep the magic from the Devil’s Ball, but I want to know if you’re ready to release some of it into the wards,” he said.

I raised my gaze, looking him full in the face. “Just show me how to do it.”

“Are you sure about this?” he asked.

“Of course.” I gave him a firm nod.

“Because pushing the power into the Fifth will join you to this Faction for life.”

“And you?” I asked with a smile.

He nodded. “It’s almost like a marriage, except with magic instead of vows.”

“I’m more than ready.” I raised myself to my tiptoes and pressed a kiss on his soft lips. “Is there some sort of ritual?”

He threaded his fingers through the back of my hair. “Do you remember earlier when you accused me of bringing you here for the sole purpose of sex?”

My eyes narrowed. “Yes?”

“You were wrong. I brought you here to perform sex magic.”

“What’s the difference?” I slid my hand down the column of his neck, enjoying how he shivered under my touch.”

“Do you remember how we connected power in Persephone’s Garden?”

An image of Hades’ skin covered in lighting scars filled my mind, and all the moisture left my throat. “Yes?”

“This time, when we join power, I’m going to channel it into the wards.”

“Will it fill up your battery?”

He chuckled. “What a delightful phrase. Yes, it will power me just as much as it will reinforce the integrity of the Fifth.”

I licked my lips, and Hades’ irises flared with a burst of desire. “What are we waiting for?”

“How do you want to do this?” I rocked forward on my heels.

Hades took my hand and guided me to the pagoda, making the peacocks flare their wings and fly away. One of them made a honking sound that made me huff a laugh.

“Bugger off,” Hades muttered.

“Are they planning on bothering us as we have sex?” I gave a particularly large bird a sideways glance, and he flared out his impressive plumage.

Hades ascended the structure’s steps, released my hands, wrapped an arm around my waist. “Not unless they want to get blasted by all the power we’re about to generate.”

The peacock in question crept toward us, but one fiery hiss from Hades had him leaping into the air and flying away on wings that were almost as impressive as his tail.

“Nuisance managed.” He pulled me into his front, so his erection ground against my belly. “Now, do I have your attention?”

Heat surged between my legs, and I pressed my thighs together. Slipping my hands beneath the silk of his pajama top, I ran my fingers up his hard abs.

“What’s next?” I placed a soft kiss on his lips.

His deep chuckle made my nipples tighten. “Eager, Kora?”

“Whenever it comes to my husband?” I gave his lips a little kitten lick. “Always.”

Hades swiped his tongue across his lips and hummed. “As usual, you are exquisite.”

I pulled his pajama top off, revealing golden skin and a bellybutton devoid of lotus flowers. Licking my lips, I trailed my hands down the waistband of his pants.

“You do realize you’re a goddess,” he drawled.

A giggle burst from my chest. “You want me to undress you with my magic?”

He leaned into me and ran the flat of his tongue along my neck, sending ripples of pleasure across my skin. “The sooner we’re both naked, the sooner we can connect our power.”

I blinked, and all the clothes vanished from our bodies. My gaze racked down the planes and contours of his shoulders, his chest, his taut abs, and settled on the huge erection standing to attention.

My throat dried, even though saliva flooded my mouth. “Ready now?”

Hades pressed a kiss on the side of my neck, making my eyelids close. “I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. No matter which shell you occupy, you will never stop being the most desirable woman in all the worlds.”

I sucked in a deep, shuddering breath. “There’s only one god for me.”

With a satisfied growl, he traced a path of kisses down my neck, over my breasts, my ribcage, and my belly. I bit down my bottom lip and tried to stop my legs from trembling, but this body was too sensitive to Hades’ touch.

Maybe it was immortality. Maybe it was muscle memory. Maybe it was the fact that we’d finally found each other after so long. But right then, I felt like this was the moment that would finally make us both whole.

He knelt between my legs, parted my thighs, and pressed his face into my sex. “I want to bury myself into your tight, wet pussy.”

A moan spilled from my lips. “Please.”

“First, I want a taste.” Without so much as a warning, his tongue flicked out and grazed my swollen clit.

It was like being hit by lightning. Electricity traveled through my every nerve ending, making me cry out. I stumbled forward and caught myself on his broad shoulders.

“Careful.” He held my hips steady. “Perhaps we should have you lying on a bed when I eat your pussy.”

“That might be for the best,” I said with a chuckle.

Hades lowered himself to the ground and sat in the lotus position, his thick erection standing flush against his belly. He reached up and pulled me onto his lap, making sure to adjust my legs so they were curled around his back.

I wrapped my arms around his neck. “This is just like before.”

“Except this time, we’ll actually fuck.”

“I’m so silly,” I murmured into his ear. “All this time I wasted when you were so perfect for me.”

“Not at all.” He hooked his hands beneath my thighs, raising me a foot off his lap. Leaning backward he positioned my sex over his erection’s blunt tip. “I was prepared to wait centuries for you to love me, and it’s been barely less than a month. I couldn’t be happier.”

Hades lowered me gently onto his erection, opening me up with a stretch that had me shuddering with pleasure.

I moaned, my voice trembling from the onslaught of sensations. “Even after suffering so much with those plants?”

“Everything that happened brought us together in a way that I hadn’t even planned.” He nibbled my bottom lip.

I slid down his hot length, feeling his bulbous tip push against my muscles, only for them to clamp around his shaft. Every bump, every ridge, every vein caressed my insides in a way they hadn’t been able to in my previous body.

“Oh.” I pressed my chest against his. “This feels so good.”

Wrapping his arms around my back, he ground his hips, creating delicious friction against my clit. “It feels like finally coming home.”

As we coupled, the energy centers in our bodies flared and joined our magic together just as we had once done before. This time, hope flared like a beacon through the pain and responsibility and frustration. At the kernel of these feelings was rapture—a joy that shone so brightly that it overwhelmed my third eye.

“You’re happy?” I murmured into our bond.

“How could I not be when I have everything I’ve ever wanted.”

“But we still have Mother and Samael—”

“Mere distractions.” He rocked in and out of me with steady strokes that sent lightning bolts of pleasure across my every nerve. “What really matters is you and me and that we’re finally together.”

Circling my hips, I rested my head against his shoulder, and exhaled a happy sigh. “You’re right, but I still want our home to a be safe place.”

“That’s what we’re doing.” His hands slid down my lower back and cupped my asscheeks.

A moan slid from my lips as Hades deepened our connection. He was so hot and hard and hungry for my body, and I was desperate for more. We moved against each other with an urgency I’d never felt in my entire twenty-or-so years, and with a depth of desire that I doubted I’d experienced in my previous lives.

“Open yourself up to me, Kora.” His deep voice resonated through my skull.

“How?” Even as the words escaped my lips, I already knew.

White tendrils of magic snaked out from the tips of my fingers, my toes, and from points along my face and body. Our chakras had already connected, and these were the meridians Hades had told me about when we’d first joined power in the greenhouse.

Hades groaned. “Fuck, I feel your magic.”

“Am I hurting you?”

His throaty laugh vibrated across my body. “Quite the opposite.”

Hades’ kissed deepened until my head spun, and my vision filled with white. He was everywhere—in my mouth, my sex, my mind, my magic—and I never wanted it to end.

We ground against each other, the air around us crackling with sparks and magic. As we continued to make love, the power connecting us thickened until it felt like we had become a ball of lightning.

“What’s happening?” I asked into the bond.

“In a minute, all this power we’re generating will discharge into the pagoda, which will spread across the Fifth faction, starting with its wards,” he replied.

“How do we know it’s working?”

“You’ll know.” He rocked back and forth, his magic caressing my swollen clit.

I moaned, but the sound disappeared into the kiss.

“Look into my eyes,” he said into our bond.

I hadn’t even realized they were closed.

Forcing my eyes open, I stared into blue flames that burned hot enough to incinerate me from the inside out. They communicate the intensity of his desire as well as the heat of his love.

I stared beyond those eyes and into his wide pupils and felt an insistent tug on my soul. “Is this our bond?”

“You feel it, too?” he asked, his voice giddy.

“Yes.”

His arms tightened around me until it felt like our bodies had completely melded. “This is what I felt as I stood the moment our eyes first met.”

“When I peeked at you from around the side of my house?” I asked.

He hummed his agreement. “It’s why I knew you were my soul mate. It’s why I knew that no matter what, I had to possess you.”

Tingling heat gathered deep inside my core, mirroring the bolts of lightning filling the edges of my vision. My consciousness slid further into Hades’ soul, making me feel like I was both within the pagoda and in a separate space where the only people who existed was us.

The inferno became hotter until the air around us rippled, and every hair on my body stood to attention in sync with my nerves. Hades’ thick length slid in and out of my hot channel, brushing against a spot that made my eyes roll to the back of my head.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“For what?”

It hit me like a clap of thunder or the sky tumbling down on my head. An orgasm so intense that it stole my breath. For a brief moment, my heart stopped, my lungs seized, and my vision turned black. It was like time had stopped, and all that was left was Hades and me and the intensity of our connection.

Then all the air rushed out of my lungs, bringing with it a barrage of sensations that tore through my body like a hurricane. The muscles of my core clamped and spasmed around his thick length, making Hades moan and shiver and fill me with hot fluid.

Magic exploded all around us and beyond the edges of my vision. Throughout this, Hades kissed me. Kissed me like the world was ending, kissed me like this was our first, last, and forever. A rumbling formed in my chest. I couldn’t tell which of us were purring or if it was our bond reconfirming that we had finally found the other halves of our souls.

As my climax ebbed away, visions filled my mind. It was like being inside a hollow ball made up of hundreds of screens, each displaying locations within Hell. Plants that once consumed the villages of the Asphodel Meadows turned brown and receded into the ground, while rubble from the destroyed homes reformed to recreate the buildings.

“Can you see this?”I asked into our bond.

“It’s your power,” he said, his words breathy with awe. “For the two thousand years I’ve been ruling the Fifth, I’ve never had enough to do anything but maintain the wards. But you’re turning it into a home.”

I spun around, trying to take in all the scenes playing out at once. The punishment pits were there, as was Persephone’s Garden, which rebuilt itself from the charred mess.

“How is this even possible?” I whispered.

Hades took my hand and brought it to his lips. “Your power is doing this, but I’m directing it with my will.”

“Could you teach me how to repair things?”

He wrapped his arms around my shoulders. “You already know how.”

I blew out a long breath. “Because I’m a goddess?”

“A goddess who now has memories of being herself.” He pressed a kiss on my temple. “Take your time, filter through the recollections, and rediscover your past.”

My heart sank, and I stared at the screens playing out beneath my feet.

“Kora?”

I gulped. “What if I don’t like what I find? What if I become that two-faced woman?”

“Do you remember being the young woman Demeter kept a prisoner for her entire life?” he asked.

“Of course I do.” I raised my head, meeting his warm gaze.

“That’s who I fell in love with.” He kissed my lips. “But I still love my first wife.”

“Who happens to be the same person,” I muttered.

He tilted his head to the side. “You’re a version of Persephone who sees what I see in Demeter. I doubt you’ll ever care what she thinks of our relationship.”

I curled my lip. “If I ever get the chance, I’ll throttle her for everything she’s done.”

Hades pulled me close. “She’s vengeful, mean-spirited, and twisted, but I’d prefer to banish her to the annals of history.”

“You’re right,” I murmured. “As soon as we deal with Samael, we’ll make sure she can’t meddle in my life again.”

“There’s the spirit.” He hugged me close.

I leaned my head on his shoulder, watching scene after scene of the Fifth Faction rebuild itself into how I expected the angels had given it to Hades after the Great Divide.

The punishment pits became pristine white stalactites that hung beneath the river of lava, where tortured souls moaned in eternal torment, and the Asphodel Meadows reverted to a multitude of villages that represented multiple points in history.

There was even one that consisted of high-rises so crammed together that you could jump from one building to the other and never fall between the cracks.

“How big is the Fifth?” I asked.

“About twice the size of the British Isles,” he murmured. “Geographically, it’s one of the smallest, but we house the most powerful souls.”

I shook my head. “Do you ever get sick of ruling Hell?”

Hades snorted. “It almost runs itself. All I do is manage the demons and their politics. It’s my other roles that are a pain in the ass.”

My brows rose. “Such as?”

“The Demon King of Logris,” he muttered. “For reasons I can’t fathom, there’s always some kind of disruption within the Supernatural World.”

“I suppose it keeps things exciting,” I murmured.

“Well, the devil needs a honeymoon sometimes.”

“Are you thinking of taking me somewhere?”

He chuckled. “There are places I can show you within the Supernatural World that will turn your hair white, but we have an eternity to explore them together.”

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and gave him a peck on the lips. “Thank you for finding me.”

“It was always going to happen. You and I are meant to be together, and no matter how much others try to keep us apart, we are two halves of the same entity.”

My skin tingled at the declaration, and I let my eyes flutter shut as I basked in Hades’ love. He pulled me into his chest for the longest embrace, letting our hearts beat in unison as though we really were one body.

Hades’ head snapped up.

“What’s wrong?” I opened my eyes.

“Namara’s tapping on the edge of my consciousness.”

Realization slapped me upside the head. “Oh.”

“Do you know what she wants?” he asked.

“The last time we spoke, she told me Azriel was getting ready to set up an emergency meeting with all the Demon monarchs.”

Hades took my hand and glanced around at all the screens. “I suppose the repairs we’ve made are good enough. Come on, I’ll show you out.”

“What do you—”

Before I could even finish that sentence, our surroundings changed, and we returned to the stone pagoda. Hades rose to his feet and pulled me up by the hand. As I stood, I pictured myself in a pea-green armor to contrast with my vibrant hair. Swathes of leather wrapped around my body, hugging its every curve.

His eyes narrowed. “How can someone look equally as delicious when she’s clothed or unclothed?”

I turned in a circle and grinned. “Do you like it?”

“You are far too delectable to be seen in such form-fitting clothing,” he growled. “I’m never going to be able to concentrate on anything with you around.”

I threaded my fingers through his and pulled him toward the edge of the stone structure. “Come on. Let’s see what Namara wants.”

Hades teleported us to a field of poppies that bordered one of the few rivers in the Fifth Faction that wasn’t made of lava. I stared down at the water and frowned at the iridescent bubbles floating from its surface. One of them rose to eye level before popping and releasing the scent of rotten eggs.

My nose wrinkled. “What on earth is that?”

“The River Acheron. Its currently without a boatman, so the water’s gotten a little stale.”

I glanced around at the flowers, their heads the size of my palms. They released wisps of pollen that reminded me of the scene where Dorothy and her friends fell asleep in Wizard of Oz. “And why are we here?”

“Because Azriel is in the elevator with her, and I’ll be damned if I entertain that wanker in my palace. He can stand in the Mourning Fields like every other unwanted visitor.”

“I see,” I said, not quite understanding why Hades disliked Azriel. “Would you like to elaborate?”

“Angels are the most loathsome creatures,” he snarled. “Always thinking they’re above the other supernaturals, even though they’re newcomers compared to gods.”

“Do they think they’re equals?”

He scoffed. “Their creator rendered the likes of us to their employees, even though we were once the same. Angels are yes-men, messengers, foot-soldiers. Only their boss is the one who holds all the power.”

I knelt and hovered my hand over the pollen, letting it swirl around my wrist. The purple powder formed a curled line before I flicked my fingers and ordered it to go and pollinate. “How did one god get to conquer so many?”

“Fashion,” he muttered.

“Be serious.” I gave his leg a nudge.

Hades scowled. “Human devotion is what makes one god more powerful than the other, but tastes change. Conquerors foist their religion on the conquered, and tyrants ostracize or slaughter those who don’t share their beliefs.”

My brows rose. “It’s as simple as that?”

He pulled me up. “We didn’t encourage our worshippers to spread the word. The other god did. When he gained enough power, he brought the likes of us down to earth.”

“Wow.” I placed a hand over my mouth. “You weren’t joking.”

He tilted his head toward the sky. “One day, the angels will fall, and I hope what replaces them is more palatable.”

I bit down on my bottom lip, considering his words. Hades had been right to describe the fall of the old gods as fashion, as humans did change who they worshipped based on the politics over history. It was fascinating, and I wondered if they knew the effect their allegiances had on the Supernatural World.

The elevator lowered itself from the sky and landed in the middle of the meadow, its doors hissing open.

Azriel gestured for Namara to exit first, and she sashayed out in her true form as an imp.

“Your Majesty,” she said with a broad smile. “It’s been a while.”

Hades narrowed his eyes. “I see you’ve brought that flying dick.”

Azriel ruffled his feathers, his lips tightening as he frowned. “I see you’ve tidied up the place a bit.”

“Amazingly astute observation,” Hades drawled. “Is this the pinnacle of Angel Academy excellence?”

The other male’s nostrils flared. “I’ve come to deliver a message.”

“Couldn’t you have sent a scroll?” Hades said, sounding bored.

“What are you doing?”I asked into our bond.

“If Azriel thinks I know about his affair with Namara, he’s likely to do something stupid.”

“Like?”

“How about confessing to his superiors and getting himself tossed out of Heaven for consorting with a demon?”

I would have asked if such a thing were possible, but Lucifer had already told me why Samael had gotten himself banished. Azriel was sort-of an ally now and our strongest connection with Heaven. If we continued to keep his secrets, perhaps he would feed tidbits through Hades’ secretary.

Holding my silence, I turned to Namara and offered her my warmest smile.

She gazed at me from under her lashes. “I’m sorry Your Majesty, but I told His Majesty about King Lucifer.”

“He already knows,” I said. “And I’m pleased you’re so loyal to Hades.”

Relief crossed her features, and she returned my smile.

We stood back, watching Hades and Azriel continue to swap barbed insults before the angel stepped toward the elevator.

“Don’t you want to know what’s in the message?” Azriel asked with a disgruntled sniff.

Hades folded his arms across his chest. “Do I have any choice?”

It took every ounce of self-control not to roll my eyes at Hades’ mind games. We both knew what was in that scroll, but he didn’t have to go so far as to act like he wasn’t interested.

“I’m holding an emergency meeting of the Demon Monarchs,” Azriel said.

“Let me check my imaginary diary.” Hades’ lip curled. “We’re busy.”

Azriel stamped his foot. “You don’t even know which date I’ve chosen.”

“I plan on being busy.”

“Tough, because everyone is mandated to attend or face the wrath of Heaven.” Azriel raised his chin.

Hades rolled his eyes. “You angels sure are a wrathful rabble.”

“Watch out for an invitation. When it arrives, you have a minute to open it, or it will transport you to the chosen location against your will.” Azriel turned on his heel and stomped toward the elevator, leaving Namara behind.

I turned to Hades, who sent his secretary a wink before she grinned back and followed after the angel.

“Do you think Azriel knows you’re playing with him?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Hades said. “At least when he returns to Heaven, he can talk about how much he despises the King of the Fifth instead of how much he loves fucking his secretary.”

“They’re questioning him on his movements?” I asked.

“According to Lucifer, Angels are a tight-knit and controlling bunch.”

I leaned against his side and wrapped my arms around his middle. “Part of me thinks Lucifer misses them.”

“You noticed the tarnished armor he wore to the Devil’s Ball?” Hades asked.

“Why would someone pine for people who rejected him?”I asked.

The elevator launched itself to the sky, and Hades continued through the meadow with his arm wrapped around my shoulders. This would have been so romantic if the sky was blue instead of its usual red.

Fire mountains burned in the distance, and plumes of smoke rose from the adjacent volcanos. It was no wonder Hades had created an artificial view from his palace. Who wanted the constant reminder they were in Hell?

“Lucifer’s situation is more complicated than the average fallen angel,” Hades murmured. “First, he was an arch-angel, and second—”

“Your Majesty?”said a voice from the direction of the river.

I turned to find Captain Caria standing in the middle of the field, holding what looked like the dossier Samael had given me on Lucifer. I must have dropped it when I teleported into the war room.

Memories assaulted me at once, falling through my mind like moving playing cards. One of them was of me standing in front of a mirror holding my swollen belly, with a bearded Hades wrapping his arms around mine. Another was of a bald-headed baby, screaming with rage.

My heart somersaulted as more and more of these images pushed themselves forward. The baby’s first steps. The baby growing ringlets as bright as mine. The baby’s first blast of magic, where she killed a man who had infiltrated the Underworld to attack Hades.

Macaria.

Goddess of the blessed death.

My daughter.

I clutched at my chest, my heart aching as the images continued to assault my mind.

“Kora?” Hades’ arm around my shoulder was the only thing keeping me from falling to my knees.

“Your Majesty?” the captain said.

I stared up into her green eyes. “Why do you—” Pain exploded in my head like a crack of thunder. “Bloody Hell.”

Hades scooped me into his arms, and our surroundings disappeared. We were now in a darkened room of stone walls, illuminated by flaming sconces.

“Your Majesty?” Healer Iaso’s voice filled my mind. “What’s wrong with the queen?”

“A sudden attack of pain. Can you see if she’s been cursed?”

The healer hovered her hand above my head. As soon as her fingers grazed my skin, she snatched it away. “Memories are cascading through Her Majesty’s mind faster than she can handle them.”

I squeezed my eyes shut as a kaleidoscope of images played out in my mind’s eye. Macaria growing up, riding Cerberus, the three-headed dog, traveling through the River Acheron with the ferryman. Lightning flashed across my vision, making me groan.

“Is there any way to slow them?” Hades shouted over the pounding in my skull.

“No,” I rasped. “They’re showing me our daughter. Where is she?”

An instant later, footsteps echoed through the room, accompanied by the scent of narcissus flowers. I cracked open an eye and found Captain Caria at my bedside, staring down at me with a frown.

“Your Majesty?” she said.

“Stop calling me that,” I rasped. “What on earth happened to you these two thousand years, Macaria? You act like Hades is a stranger instead of your father.”

Her gaze darted to Hades, who nodded, seeming to communicate something to her through their mental link. I guessed he confirmed that my memories were returning.

“We’re colleagues now,” she said, her words faltering.

“What?” I whispered, trying to shake off my confusion.

“I run the Demon Division of the Enforcers, and I don’t want my subordinates thinking I got the job because…” Captain Caria’s eyes bulged. “You remember me?”

Nodding, I stretched out my hand, beckoning for her to approach. “They’re all flooding through my mind. Thousands of years of you and me together.”

Tears shimmered in her eyes. “You’re really back?”

I shook my head. “My memories are returning, but I’m not the same woman I was.”

She reached down and wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. I hugged back, my heart filled to bursting.

I finally had my family back, but there was only one thing standing in the way of our happiness.

Mother, Samael, and their plot to take over Hell.

The sooner we formulated a plan to deal with them, the better.