Chapter 14 Hades
Hades
A Few Minutes Earlier
Onyx stands in my palace, his expression holding a note of irritation, one he’s directing at me. “Thanks for the trip through the death world,” he says before executing a half bow. “My lord.”
“Your gratitude, or lack thereof, is duly noted,” I reply dryly. My hand rises when he looks ready to apologize. “Don’t, Onyx. You have every right to be irritated. I’m just glad you were able to be revived. Mostly, anyway.”
His once dark hair is a shock of permanent white, and his eyes are now a crimson red instead of the brown they were before. But he’s otherwise alive.
With maybe a few additional talents.
Ah, he can consider those gifts from my world.
I hand him two glowing stones, which he takes with care since the other two fallen souls reside within them. “Please work with Skull on this project.” I already showed Onyx how to handle the reincarnation of the spirits.
All he has to do is gift the rock to a worthy and willing mated pair, and the life will be reborn.
Perhaps not the way it was before, but there wasn’t much else I could do.
The only reason Onyx is standing before me now as he once was is because of his royal bloodline. He’s an extremely powerful Corpse Fae, which allowed him to survive in my world for longer than most. If Maliki were to ever die, his soul would do the same.
He would hold on, then wait for me to find him and bring him back.
Unfortunately, not everyone possesses the same strengths in the afterlife.
And death… is complicated.
“Thank you,” Onyx mutters, this time with a bit more feeling in his words.
“Just take care of those souls” is all I say before engaging my mist.
Then I realize one more task I need to give him.
Turning corporeal, I add, “And reach out to Typhos so he knows I brought you back.”
Because I don’t have time to waste on a call with the Hell Fae King right now.
I haven’t seen Serapina in nearly two days. I need to put eyes on her, just to make sure she’s all right.
Deep down, I know she’s fine. I would feel it if she were hurt or in pain. But I… I simply want to see her. Maybe talk to her, too.
There’s so much to say.
So much to work through.
So much to understand.
But the moment I materialize in my cavern, I realize all that is going to have to wait.
Because Morpheus’s scent is everywhere.
In my room.
In the hallway.
In the kitchen.
In my guest room—which is the only space I don’t completely mind.
All over the beach and the items he clearly manifested for my mate.
And…
And where are you now? I wonder, searching for his essence as well as that of my mate.
My teeth clench when I realize they’re together, their mingled souls stirring a growl inside me that I barely contain as I mist myself to their location.
Air ripples around me when the sight of them unveils before my eyes.
A sight I will never unsee.
Serapina naked. Her hand on Morpheus’s neck. His gaze reverent as he stares down at her.
“I’m… I’m in awe of everything you just said,” my mate says, utterly oblivious to my arrival.
Fuck, not even Morpheus seems to sense me.
Or maybe he just doesn’t care that I’m here.
I take a step forward, only to be held frozen as Serapina says, “A week ago, I would’ve said you were just another fae at the bar uttering a line. But I can feel your veracity. I can’t explain how or why; I just… I do.”
Her voice is filled with such conviction. Sweetness. Happiness.
I’ve never heard her speak like that before, I realize, my jaw tightening again.
Then I nearly bite off my own tongue as Morpheus cups Serapina’s cheek.
Like he has the fucking right to touch my mate.
“Explanations are a human construct,” he tells her. “And you, my heart, are a Goddess.”
I see red.
Violent crimson.
Blood.
“You have three seconds to release my mate before I drag you to the death world, Morpheus,” I warn him, my beast raging inside.
She is not his heart.
She is my heart. My Omega. Mine.
“Three,” I spit out, fury burning hot through my veins. “Two.” He had better let go of my female before I lose control.
“No,” Serapina says, turning to face me and blocking the source of my ire. “My soul may be yours, but I am mine. I am Sera. I am my own person. And I don’t want you to take Morpheus anywhere.”
The dreamer at her back arches a brow, clearly impressed. Then his blue-green eyes meet mine, and his expression sobers. “Hades—”
“No,” Serapina repeats. “You don’t have to explain anything to him. You were teaching me how to swim, and you were going to explain a knot. There is nothing wrong with either of those activities.”
“What?” I demand, certain I didn’t hear that second half correctly. “Explain a knot?”
“She needs to know what to expect for her heat,” Morpheus says, his tone calm. Too calm.
“And so, what, you were going to demonstrate what a knot does?”
“No, he was going to show me a knot,” Serapina interjects. “Not demonstrate anything.” She frowns and glances back at him. “Right?”
I huff a laugh at that. “No Alpha just shows an Omega a knot. It has to fucking eject, Serapina. Into your cunt.”
Her eyes widen and her lips part.
“Yeah,” I drawl. “Now may I take him to the death world?”
“I was not going to knot her. I was going to show her where it is inside me,” Morpheus says, a subtle growl to his tone.
“I would never force her into accepting my knot without understanding everything you just said. And frankly, I’m irritated that you would even think that of me after all I’ve done for you. ”
Serapina blinks and begins to turn. “Morpheus, I—”
“I was talking to Hades, sweetheart,” he says, his voice much softer as he addresses her.
But his eyes are hard as he stares me down.
“I never approached Persephone, despite our souls being linked. I did that for her and for you. Just as I gave you thirteen fucking months to sort this out with Serapina before I finally stepped in,” he goes on.
Serapina startles again.
However, Morpheus isn’t finished.
“If I wanted to seduce our Omega, I would have done so in her dreams. Yet I’ve ensured her choice.
Her comfort. Her knowledge. Because all I desire is to please her.
Not take her against her will. Not trick her into accepting my knot.
That’s not how I operate. And you, of all people, should know that, Cousin. ”
My jaw ticks.
“Your intentions have always been gray to me,” I tell him.
“Because you refuse to accept me as an ally,” he bites back.
“You see me as beneath you because I play in a world of imagination, not the land of the dead. But our talents are more equal than you’ll ever realize.
In fact, I would argue that mine is greater than yours because I actually know how to see beyond my own ego. ”
“Careful, Cousin.”
“No. I’m done being careful, Hades,” he says, stepping out from behind Serapina. “Your warnings have been noted. Yet mine remain unheard. But I’m forcing you to acknowledge me now. Serapina is my mate, too. And I will be there for her in whatever manner she requires.”
My hands fist at my sides.
He’s painting me as the villain here.
And I don’t fucking appreciate it.
Serapina doesn’t know our history. She has no idea the lengths I would go to, to protect her. To love her. To cherish every inch of her.
Yet the way she looks at me now is through the eyes of a stranger.
Fear and hurt linger in her expression.
My mate is afraid of me.
I’ve gone about this all the wrong way, while Morpheus has played the role of hero perfectly.
I want to hate him for it. Destroy him. Make him choke on his own fucking knot.
But while I’ve been harming my Omega, he’s been making her feel secure. Safe. Heard.
And as much as I hate that he’s been her confidant, I’m thankful she has someone.
No, two someones.
Because Maliki means something to her, too. All because I put him in charge of her security. Among other things…
Some of the tension bleeds from my limbs, my heart beating a little faster in my chest.
I still really want to take Morpheus to the death world and drive him into an early grave. However, I can tell by the worry in Serapina’s features that doing so… will destroy something inside her.
Fuck.
She’s already making a choice. I don’t even know if she’s aware of it. But she’s put her faith in Morpheus. Not in me.
His words from the other day come back to haunt me, the warning crystal fucking clear now.
“I don’t want her to have to choose between us. But if you demand that a decision be made, I will fight for her. Hard. And dear Cousin, after all you’ve put our mate through… I think I’ll win.”
My lips tighten as I try to determine what to say and do, my heart suddenly shriveling in my chest.
Because Morpheus is right. And I fucking loathe the fact that he’s right.
I’ve handled this horribly. I know that. I own that. To an extent, anyway.
No, I own it completely. I have to.
It’s the only way to move on, to fix th—
Electricity hums down my arms, the wards notifying me of a breach.
Morpheus must sense it as well because his spine stiffens and his eyes lock with mine.
“Please don’t,” Serapina whispers, the plea momentarily distracting me from the approaching danger. But before I can even look at her, a harsh ringing blasts through my skull.
The alarms.
Maliki appears in the next instant, a towel wrapped around his hips and his body covered in bruises. I gape at him, shocked by his beat-up physique.
But all he does is look between me and Morpheus, lock gazes with Serapina, and shadow to her side. “Don’t let them do this,” she begs him as he grabs her.
Then the pair of them vanish into smoke before he has a chance to respond.
“Find some pants,” I tell Morpheus.
He’s already misted out of the water, a pair of leathers seeming to materialize around his legs before he’s even finished appearing at my side. He adds a matching vest, as well as some armor along his damp arms, then he glances at me.
“You were followed,” he says, stating the obvious.
“I was followed,” I echo the words, irritated at my own carelessness.
He shrugs. “It’s fine. Someone put me in a fighting mood, so I could use a little bloodshed.”
I snort.
Then mist out to the beach and introduce my fist into an approaching Alpha’s jaw.
Oh, the Interrealm Fae affiliates are not going to be happy about this.
Mythos Fae in the Human Realm.
A place where mortals think they’re the strongest beings in existence and ignore the reality that lurks all around them.
Well. They’re about to become acquainted with some important truths.
Because those Gods from the ancient texts are very fucking real.
And we’re about to go to war over a woman.
Just like we did in the old myths…