Chapter 21 Hades
Hades
I force my jaw to loosen enough to take a long swig of my drink. My eyes close with the process, only for Maliki to clear his throat.
“Mate-circle?” he prompts when I look at him. “We’re celebrating our mate-circle?”
I sigh. “You’re going to make me work for this, aren’t you?”
“I’m going to make you fucking explain it, yeah,” he returns. “Starting with the claiming mark you supposedly gave me with that damn coin.”
I arch a brow. “Morpheus told you?”
“He has nothing to do with this.”
He has a lot to do with this, actually, I think.
But that’s a conversation for later. Right now, I need to address my claim.
“It wasn’t my original intention. I only meant to provide you with the protection you needed when facing another Alpha.
But I’ve since realized there may have been more to it than that. ”
“May have been?” he repeats, sounding incredulous.
I take another drink, notice that my glass is already half empty, and refill it before heading over to my couch.
That’s when I suddenly see that my surroundings are… uninhabitable.
Arching my brow, I glance around my suite. It’s like Mort and Howl tussled through the lounge and shredded everything with their claws.
But this wasn’t done by my beast.
Nor is this the result of the Alpha attack from the other day.
No. This has Maliki’s signature all over it.
“Was this really necessary?” I ask him, exasperated.
He shrugs. “Necessary? No. Fun? Abso-fucking-lutely.”
I face him again. “You know I would kill most fae for this, right?”
Another shrug. “You say that like I fear death.”
I shake my head. “You’re almost as psychotic as Reaper.”
His lips curl, but the smile lacks true amusement.
“Thank you,” he says, his tone telling me he doesn’t mean that at all.
“Now talk to me about this mate-circle. Tell me what it means to you. That I pleasure Sera for your benefit…? That everything I do with her is for you? Because if that’s the case, then I’ll pass. ”
“You can’t pass,” I inform him flatly. “And no. It’s for Serapina, not me. However, I will absolutely get pleasure out of it.” Because watching him play with Serapina will be… enjoyable. “And probably some pain, too, since you’ll likely be the first to put me in my place when needed.”
As evidenced by these last few days.
“You’re the only one willing to challenge me, which I need. You’ll ensure that I’m the best Alpha I can be—for Serapina.”
“So now I’m babysitting you?” Maliki asks, releasing a humorless laugh. “No, thank you.”
I glare at him. “You’re being purposely obtuse.”
“Pot, meet kettle.”
“Another human phrase that makes no sense.”
“Actually, it does make sense. It means—”
“I don’t fucking care what it means, Maliki,” I say, setting my glass down on the bar—since that’s the only piece of furniture he didn’t ruin.
Whatever. I don’t even care about the mess, either.
“What matters is Serapina,” I growl. “She’s alone right now because I’m up here trying to convince you to come help me worship her.
And you’re making me jump through hoops to gain your acquiescence.
If that’s how you’re going to treat our mate, then forget everything I’ve said.
She matters more than your bruised ego.”
“Bruised ego,” he echoes. “Hades, my ego is fine. What isn’t fine is the way you’ve used me where Sera is concerned.
I care about her, more than I’m probably allowed to care.
That’s not about ego. That’s about pain.
She means something to me, and she’s not mine the way I want her to be.
Because she’s yours. And you’ve made it quite clear that you’ll only share her if it benefits you.
So I’m saying no. I won’t pleasure her to please you. I’ll only pleasure her to please her.”
“As you should,” I reply, frowning. “Our mate-circle revolves around her, not me.”
“Fancy words,” he mutters. “Do you understand them? Because I’m not quite sure you do. Everything I’ve done has been under your advisement or commandment. What if I want to do more without your permission?”
My frown deepens. “You don’t need my permission to touch or claim our mate, Maliki.”
He stares at me, his golden irises seeming to burn like twin flames. “You consider her to be mine, too.” It’s not a question but a statement.
“Isn’t she?” I ask. “She seems quite content with you.”
“I’ve never wanted a mate.”
“I’ve never wanted to share my mate,” I point out. “Fate creates changes we could never have foreseen, yes?”
He continues to study me. “Is it fate when you’re claimed without your consent?” he asks.
“You mean my mark?” I guess.
“Yeah. That.”
My eyebrow wings upward again. “Do you want me to remove it?”
“Can you remove it?” he asks, arching a brow. “Is that even possible?”
“It is, yes. Now ask if I want to remove it.”
“I can already guess that you don’t want to,” he says flatly.
“Of course I don’t.” Why would I want to break our mate-circle? We’re stronger together. And as I already told him, this is about Serapina and what’s best for her. Not us.
“Then why offer?” he asks.
“Because you’re right—I shouldn’t have claimed you without consent,” I admit.
“That’s not exactly what I said.”
“It was implied, Maliki.”
“True,” he agrees.
“But I don’t regret claiming you. Serapina needs you as much as I do. Actually, probably more.” Because he’ll be the one to hold me accountable. And fate knows I need that.
He sets his glass down by mine and folds his arms. “All right. Let’s say I consider this. You understand that I can’t protect her properly if I don’t know what the fuck you’re doing, yeah?”
I release a breath, my chest feeling a bit tight. “I realize I fucked up by not sharing all of my plans with you. I didn’t think it would be needed. Because, as I said, I had no intention of ever sharing my mate.”
“Well, as you pointed out, fate changes Styx.”
“That’s not quite what I said,” I hedge.
“So if this is about Sera,” he goes on, ignoring me, “then we need to talk about Morpheus, too. Because you’ve alienated an ally, which is unacceptable, especially when Sera needs more protection, not less protection.”
“We can protect Serapina just fine,” I mutter.
“Just fine isn’t enough,” he counters. “Sera wants Morpheus. Therefore, we need Morpheus.”
This, right here, is why Maliki is part of my mate-circle. He’s the only one brave enough to say blasphemous things to my face.
Blasphemous things like suggesting I include Morpheus in our circle.
“I know you feel possessive over her, Hades, but I don’t think you have a choice here,” he adds, a little more solemnly now.
“Did Morpheus put you up to this?” I wonder aloud.
“No. The asshole disappeared after spouting some cryptic Styx about Sera being the key to undoing millennia of wrongness and saving the Mythos Fae Realm.” He shrugs. “I’ve been waiting for him to return.”
“While destroying my property?” I ask.
He smiles. “I was pissed and bored. What can I say?”
“Hmm,” I hum. I would suggest an apology, but I know he won’t give me one. Just like I haven’t really provided one either.
We’re beyond that.
We’re united for Serapina.
And now… now I need to think about what he said. As well as what Serapina wants.
“So you agree… to be in the mate-circle?”
“I think you’re asking if I agree to remain in the mate-circle,” Maliki rephrases. “Since I’ve already been claimed by Your Royal Highness.”
My eyes roll upward. “As I said, I can undo it.”
“You won’t, though,” Maliki replies. “Because you want me to fuck Sera.”
“I want you to care for her,” I say through my teeth.
“By fucking her,” he presses.
“Are you trying to make me punch you in the face?”
“No, just trying to make you acknowledge what’s going to happen if I accept our mate-circle. She’s going to be mine, too. To touch. Kiss. Claim.” He stares me down. “And I may not let you watch. Some things will be private between us.”
“I suspect some things already are,” I tell him.
“You suspect right.”
Part of me wants to ask what he means by that. But the more intelligent part of me doesn’t press.
Because he’s right.
Sharing doesn’t mean being part of every moment together. It means trusting one another to love and cherish our mate. And I need to let Maliki do it his way, not my way.
So I nod. “I understand, Maliki. And I respect… your choices.”
He continues to look at me. “If I end up in your death world after I fuck her, I am not going to be pleased.”
“Meaning you’ll just destroy my rooms again?” I ask.
“Worse,” he promises. But doesn’t elaborate.
“Now I’m intrigued.”
“And you call me psychotic,” he drawls.
I lift a shoulder. “Two peas in a pod, right?”
His eyes widen. “Did you just use a humanism?”
I grunt. “Don’t get used to it.”
“Ohhh, I’m going to get used to it. In fact, I’m going to encourage it.” His smile grows. “I’m going to introduce Sera to all of my favorite phrases, make her whisper them to you while you sleep.”
I turn away from him, duly annoyed. “You’re wasting my time now.”
“I’m improving your vernacular,” he counters. “Making you more cultured. Introducing you to a whole new realm of—”
“I’m going to go work on the labyrinth wards now,” I tell him, interrupting his inane chatter. “And I’ll consider talking to Morpheus.”
I don’t give him a chance to respond. Just mist.
All while thinking about the infamous God of Dreams. My cousin. The one who has also challenged me for millennia.
I really don’t want to have a conversation with him. But it seems I’m going to have to. The things I’m willing to do for my mates…