A Nest of Lies (Netherworld Fae #2)

Prologue

MORPHEUS

Somewhere in the Morpheus Kingdom…

I stare at the mirror, wondering what Serapina will dream about tonight. A twisted part of me hopes she’ll think of me. But I suspect the honor will go to Hades.

Again.

It’s always him, his history with her soul surpassing my softer claim.

Sighing, I turn away from the ornately decorated wall and step out onto my balcony to take in the blood moon glowing in the sky.

It’s particularly dark tonight, suggesting an ominous presence to come. Whether that’s an omen for me or for the beings of my kingdom, I don’t truly know.

So much has changed here these last few hundred years. The Ghouls and Strigoi who call this land home still revere me as their God, but their plights have become… unmanageable.

Too many chaotic dreams. Not enough mortal feed. A waning blood supply. Dead kings. Or rather, a single dead king.

A corruptible mess who deserved his fate, to be sure. But it’s left the kingdom without a proper ruler.

Alas, it’s not my responsibility to fix it.

No, my attention is wrapped up in a beautiful, blonde human and her troubled Omega soul.

She’s on a date with Hades.

Not by choice, but by force.

“Idiot,” I mutter, wanting to wring my cousin’s neck for his possessive behavior. He refuses to believe that Serapina is innocent, that she doesn’t harbor the memories of her soul. And likely never will.

That’s not how reincarnation works.

Or how it should work, anyway.

Of course, our kind has never truly been reincarnated until recently. So the rules are… unclear.

I just hope Serapina isn’t erased by Persephone’s memories. As much as I adore and miss my soulmate, this new version of her is… enthralling.

Serapina is strong. Independent. Smart. She asks questions and doesn’t shy away from hard answers, even though I’m sure she wants to hide and forget everything she’s learned.

She’s also so beautiful that it hurts me to look at her. Because all I want to do is thread my fingers through her silky hair and pull her in for a claiming kiss.

I close my eyes, imagining doing just that.

Which is an easy fantasy to create, as I’ve been daydreaming about the gorgeous little human since the day I realized she existed.

“One day soon,” I vow in a whisper. “I’m going to cherish you the way you deserve, sweetheart. With my hands, my tongue, my knot. And then you’ll dream of me. Always.”

Perhaps with Hades and Maliki, too.

That’s fine.

I simply want—

Electricity flows through my veins like lightning fire, causing my eyes to open in an instant.

It’s a bolt of need. A flare of pure, unadulterated lust.

“Fuck,” I breathe, my knees nearly giving out beneath me. “Fuck.”

That sensation came from an Omega, one who is freshly awakening. And in need of an Alpha to satisfy her needs.

Because she’s unclaimed.

I haven’t felt this flare in eons, this intrinsic call one that has my inner beast roaring with desire and a need to hunt.

“Serapina,” I breathe, realizing that the source of that sensation came from my little dreamer. My intended. My soulmate.

She’s about to go into heat. Perhaps not right this second, but soon.

And that sensual summoning of hers just alerted all of Alpha kind to her presence.

Not only that, but her powerful call provided her exact location, too.

In the Netherworld Kingdom.

“Run,” I breathe, misting to the balcony outside of her rooms in Death’s Palace. “Run!”

However, before I can even finish shouting the demand, my soulmate is already gone.

Hades has her, I realize, sensing Serapina with ease, thanks to my connection to her spirit.

But then I frown when I ascertain where he’s taken her.

It’s a place our kind isn’t supposed to go anymore. Not after what happened a few thousand years ago.

Although, I know Hades keeps a place there. I’ve visited before. But not in a very long while.

Hmm, I hum, latching onto their combined essences as I engage my misting ability once more. To the Human Realm we go, then…