13. Sandro
Sandro
E verything went dark for a moment before I could see again.
I didn’t understand how it worked, but every time Hades teleported, a darkness took over and only let me go when he emerged from his blue fire.
We were back on familiar ground.
Or I should probably say under ground.
The rough, rocky texture of the walls and the musty, moldy smell permeating everything was instantly recognizable.
“What are we—” I started.
Hades’ face contorted as the cloaked figure of Mother Red Cap appeared in one of the doorways and he launched at her with a snarl. He pinned her against the wall and held her in place with both hands trapped over her head.
“Hades, what are you doing?”
He didn’t listen to me.
It was strange.
Until I died, he’d seemed like the sweetest guy on Earth, but the way he was acting now, after my death, with Tomasz, Thanatos and Hypnos, and Mother Red Cap, was a complete surprise.
Was it wrong of me to admit…I liked it?
It was one thing being fawned over. It was nice. Definitely better than I’d ever been treated in my entire life by partners, even the potential ones. It was…cozy. Heartwarming.
But this? The protective side that would seemingly burn everyone to a crisp to get his lover back? Now that did things to my…un-stomach, my un-guts, my un-cock, that all the nice things in the world couldn’t do. And I wanted nothing more than to watch him nuke this entire city just to bring me back.
“What did you do to him? What did you do to my godmate?” he shouted in Mother Red Cap’s face, and she winced but didn’t respond.
Instead, she narrowed her eyes and looked into his as he seethed, his chest and shoulders rising and falling with each raspy breath.
“Things didn’t go to plan.” It wasn’t a question. She was stating facts. “Your godmate is dead.”
“Yes, he’s dead. And I swear to everything you hold holy that I will send you into the dark abyss to live out the rest of your wretched life if you don’t tell me what you did to him and undo it.”
I moved forward to try to appease him but stopped mid-step.
How did I know she hadn’t done anything? It wasn’t the biggest leap to assume she’d played a part in my death.
I didn’t know her. Before last night, I’d never even met her. And I knew Tomasz had sent me to her, but he didn’t know her well either.
How did we know she hadn’t done something to me? Like when she cut my finger and drew blood. How did I know she hadn’t transferred my life to Hades? Or something that made more sense, anyway.
“I would love to do both of those?—”
“Then you better get started.”
“But I’m afraid I had no hand in your godmate’s demise.”
“You expect me to believe that?” he hissed.
She arched an eyebrow that was way too cocky to be innocent and ignore his question.
“Did you follow the mating ritual to the letter?” she asked him.
“Of course I did. Who do you think I am? I’ve been preparing for this day for all eternity.”
“You recited the correct words?”
“Yes!”
“In the correct order?”
Hades shoved her. “Don’t act like you know more about the ritual than me, witch! I’m older than you. I was around when all gods and demons were free. The order is trivial. The words are trivial. The important parts are the blood and our essence. This was not my fault.”
“Maybe not, but…how can you be sure? Things have changed since you were trapped in Hades. Magic doesn’t always work the same way these days.”
“I didn’t—” he started but stopped and took a step back, looking down at the floor as if searching for the answers.
I glanced from one to the other, unable to breathe.
Oh, wait. I don’t have to anymore anyway.
But it felt like I could. And waiting for them to solve the mystery made me feel like I was about to die…again.
Had Hades caused this? He’d been so sure, but maybe…
Maybe he had.
Hades turned to me with big, sad puppy eyes and his bottom lip quivered.
How many facets could this man—no, not man, god—how many facets could this god possess? And why did they all make me fuzzier the more time we spent together.
If a spirit could feel such things as fuzzy.
“I…I…” He stopped and took a deep breath. “No. The ritual worked. I know it did. We mated. For the few seconds between our mating and his death, we were one! I know it,” Hades said to me more than Mother Red Cap, flashing me a sad, almost defeated smile before his nostrils flared and he snapped around with a dark gaze. Blue fire erupted all over his body. “No, I did everything by the book. You, however…I don’t know what you did. Tell me, or believe me when I tell you you’re about to find out what real pain is like.”
Mother Red Cap’s shoulders dropped, and she hugged herself tight.
“I promise you, my lord, I would never?—”
Hades put his hand to her neck as the Sai materialized in it and the long, sharp blade pressed against her skin.
“I didn’t hurt your godmate. I swear. I wouldn’t ever do that. Maybe he was marked for death.”
“He wasn’t. I checked,” Hades snarled.
“Maybe his fate was altered.”
Hades laughed. “Don’t be stupid. No one’s fate can be altered. The Moirai make sure of that.”
“Then what if it’s the Moirai?” Mother Red Cap asked, every suggestion making her voice higher and more strained.
The Moirai.
Weren’t they supposed to be the personification of fate? One weaved someone’s fate, the other measured it, and the third cut it, ending that person’s life.
The Moirai were real?
A chill passed through my un-body and something heavy pounded at my chest, but it wasn’t a heartbeat.
Hades and the other gods being real I could live with.
The Moirai, creatures who controlled someone’s fate, however? I couldn’t.
Because if they were real, then that meant whatever I did, whatever I tried, I couldn’t change my fate. I had no power over it.
“They wouldn’t. They’re not allowed!” Hades shouted. “It’s you! You’re the only unpredictable factor in all this.”
“But, my lord, why would I bring you to life and then take your mate from you? I have no motive. The boy came to me for help, and I was able to offer it to him. His debt was paid. I had no reason to do this.”
Hades lifted the blade slightly and Mother Red Cap tilted her head up and to the side to avoid getting cut.
He was positively sinful. That much was true. But she was right. She had no motive.
“H, stop. She didn’t do this.”
“She’s lying,” he growled.
“Why? Why would she kill such an insignificant witch like me? What would be the point?”
“I don’t know, but I’m about to find out.”
“Listen to your godmate, my lord. He knows the truth,” Mother Red Cap begged.
I winced. “You can see me?”
“She can’t. She’s reading my thoughts. She’s dangerous,” Hades replied in her stead.
“I’m not, my lord. I want to help you. Let me help.”
Hades eased up on her. “Help how?”
“Anyway, I can. I’ll ask around. Look into my books. There’s bound to be an answer.”
Hades huffed. “That could take days. We don’t have days!”
Mother Red Cap looked around him, probably looking for me, before staring me dead in the eyes.
Could she really not see me? Or was she using Hades’ thoughts to locate me?
“Then bring me his body. I’ll keep it fresh until we get you your answers. Let me do this for you, my lord. Let me help.”
I didn’t know why, but I didn’t believe she was responsible. While I may not know anything about her, the fear in her eyes was real. And for some reason, I felt as if it were a fear she didn’t often share with anyone, if at all.
I approached Hades and put my hand up to his hand, holding the Sai over the old witch’s neck, and looked at him.
“She’s right. My body is rotting by the second. We need her. Please, Hades. She doesn’t have our answers.”
Hades huffed at her, but moments later, he turned to me and his composure wavered as if I were his biggest weakness.
And I knew I was. Or at least the person he thought I was.
“You believe her?” he asked as if my opinion mattered.
Perhaps to him, it did.
“I do,” I said.
He let her go, and I smiled at him in response. Then he waved his hands, and I appeared on the recliner at the other end of the room.
My body. My dead body.
I hoped I was right. Because if I wasn’t, I’d just end up part of this witch’s deathly collection of empty husks for demons and gods to possess.
“You better keep your word, witch. Or the abyss will be too kind a punishment for you,” Hades growled at her.