41. Hell Freezeth Over
41
HELL FREEZETH OVER
MAXUM
M y worst fears have come true. The lords of hell have discovered Jade’s existence.
“I will not hand you over to them!” I bellow, all the while glaring at Erwald.
Flint tugs Jade to his chest. His wings unfurl from his back, wrap around them, and he turns to stone.
I’d do that too, if I could.
Jade yelps at the sudden cocoon around her. “Flint, my love, they aren’t here to take me away.” She pauses, then checks, “Are they, Erwald?”
Her father flinches at her use of his common name instead of a fatherly moniker of endearment. The bastard deserves no more since he abandoned her as a baby. I don’t care if he thought it was the right thing to do. I could never imagine walking away from my spawn, who I created with my fated mate.
He should have been training her all these years so she could protect herself and understand the threats in the realms she would face.
Then I remember if he had been around, Jade might not be the loving woman she is now. I know she had a rough upbringing, but I highly doubt Erwald and Patricia would have been overly loving parents. It isn’t in their natures. Jade would have likely grown to be a battle-hardened version of herself.
If they had raised her, Jade definitely wouldn’t have fallen for our ragtag pack. She’d have caught on to our true natures long before we got close and never have invited Arran inside her home or gone on a brunch date with me. She would have never let her guard down if she knew about all the dangers ready to destroy her.
We might be cosmic mate matches, but that isn’t a guarantee for love or a bond. For all my anger over her parents’ abandonment, I’m glad she was innocent enough of the supernatural world to give us a chance.
Flint’s wings soften, and he draws them away to reveal our mate. “Don’t go,” he pleads.
Jade strokes Flint’s square jaw, then looks at her father. “Do I have to go? Can we hide?”
“I don’t think you can hide from them… not forever. Believe me, living on the run and in hiding is not a happy life.”
A frown pulls at her lush mouth.
“I will accompany you as your representative and guardian,” Erwald states, brushing a hand down his expensive shirt.
“Do you think they’ll hear you out?” I demand. “Will they give your voice any more weight than five fated mates?”
“I hope they take it all into consideration,” he says in a quiet tone that turns my blood to ice. “I’ll give you a few minutes with your mates to decide if you wish to live a hard life on the run or present yourself to the lords for their assessment.”
Jade gulps at the thought of meeting the demon lords. After Erwald closes the door behind him, we converge on our mate.
We’re all arguing for the case to run. Except for Osen.
I grab his collar and shake him. “Are you insane?”
“Are you?” He knocks my hand away. “You both have to face this, or we’ll never be safe or at ease again.”
I snarl at him. I didn’t even want to return to face the lords. I’m afraid that my presence will only harm Jade’s case for freedom.
“We are all mated to Jade,” Arran says desperately. “Doesn’t that mean anything to them?”
“It means they could kill us all to break any claim on her,” I answer and step back, palming my face and wishing Jade didn’t have a drop of demon blood.
“I don’t sense our deaths,” Calder says in a quiet voice. “Not that it’s proof of that outcome.”
That gives me a bit of hope. “Flint? What do you sense?”
“I can’t say since my protection gauge is broken to full strength all the time for her.”
There is only one person who can decide. If I don’t allow her the choice, then I’m no better than the monsters I left behind all those centuries ago. “Jade, what does your gut say?”
She takes a moment to consider the question. “We go, but be prepared to escape.”
“Erwald can portal even into the royal chamber, since he holds the title of a lord,” I say. “We have to trust he will help us if it becomes necessary.”
We say our goodbyes to Amira, Raithe, and Darius. No matter what happens in hell, this will be our last day to seek shelter here. I’ve already taken Jade’s magical creatures somewhere safe, so they won’t be harmed if things go fucking wrong.
Darius escorts us outside of Amira’s boundaries. Jade’s eyes well with tears for the surly hellhound, and he begrudgingly accepts a goodbye hug from her.
“Are you sure you don’t wish me to come along?” Darius asks.
“No, I’d rather not bring any more attention to your coven,” I tell him, appreciating his offer. He likes us more than he lets on.
“Thank fuck,” he says with a sigh, then a smirk. “Be careful out there. And if you ever need help again, find someone else.”
Jade pouts, but then gives him a wink. “I’ll send you a Happy Yule card with hellhounds dressed up as reindeer on it.”
Darius chuffs at her, then disappears.
We portal to a few places before Erwald turns to Jade and places his hands on her shoulders. “I want to tell you how proud I am of you. I’ve loved you all these years. I wish I made different choices so I could have been part of your life. Whatever happens when we go to hell, I will do everything in my power to get you out safely, but do not let them know about your unique powers.”
“Um, I don’t know what to say, but thank you for helping me with Galiana.” She bites her lip, then regains her strength. “And I hope I get to know you in the future, if you’re interested in that. If we get through this next hurdle.”
“Of course, it will be my honor to do so.”
With that out of the way, Erwald shifts to his demon appearance and Jade sucks in a breath, taking in his revealed horns. Overall, he looks the same as his human glamour, and his eyes are still an unusual green that now contrasts with his red skin, which is a lighter shade than mine.
He opens a portal to hell. My pack surrounds Jade, giving her soft kisses on her head, shoulders, and cheeks.
I step in front of her and give her a searing kiss on the mouth. “No matter what you hear about me in there, know that I love you.”
Her eyes widen, and her mouth parts to ask me what I mean, but I grasp her hand and pull her through right after Erwald.
The rest of my pack follows, and we find ourselves in an elegant hall reserved for the high lords of hell. The air is warm with a lingering scent of smoke. The polished walls and floors are carved from black obsidian that shines like glass.
The circular royal meeting chamber is just over one hundred feet in diameter, with large pillars keeping the ceiling of heavy rock from crashing onto us. It’s made this way to discourage battles since everyone would be crushed under the weight if they broke.
Well, maybe not Flint if he shifted. But his special gift with rock manipulation doesn’t extend into hell and it definitely doesn’t work in this room.
Seven dark lords sit on gilded thrones in front of us. Each of them rules their regions of hell with a brutal and ruthless hand. Yet, they like to appear as they are above their base, primal instincts and play aristocrats and kings. Their power is waning just as it is in the other known realms. This farce of ruling with civility is their attempt at control, but we’re counting on them to play into it today… for Jade’s sake.
Their dark eyes are locked on to my mate. I can practically see the drool from their lustful thoughts as they trail their gaze over her curves. I’m tempted to rip out their eyes for daring to looking at what is mine.
Lord Muldon, the menacing male in the center, makes my stomach turn, because it all hinges on him. I fear he will punish Jade to make me pay for our personal connection. My very existence offends him now.
“High lords, I am here to respond to your summons for myself and my progeny .” Erwald bows his head, but it isn’t deep or long.
Interesting that he didn’t use the usual demon descriptor spawn but used the term ‘progeny’ as if to claim her in a more significant way—as his replacement or mentee.
“Come closer.” The high lord waves Jade to step forward.
Both Erwald and I stay at her side as we stop ten feet from the lords.
He studies her for a long moment, then slides his gaze over to me. “This cannot be my long-lost Maxumus showing his traitorous horns here?”
I clench my jaw but nod. “Muldon,” I say, insulting him by not using his honorific.
“You’ve finally taken a mate, then?” He smirks like he’s a cat that’s caught the last canary. “When I last saw you, you were telling me to shove the throne up my ass and that you’d never suffer a needy mate.”
“Yes, well, apparently, I didn’t know the bliss of finding my mate match who perfectly fit with my chosen family.”
Muldon’s eyes dart up to take in the rest of our party. “Quite a menagerie you have collected. Were you trying to befriend every possible tragic and obscure species?”
I shrug off his insult. “Seems fitting I should find acceptance with them since I never fit in amongst those in hell.”
“No, you did not,” he says with a weary sigh. “At least your brother proved to be a proper demon.”
“Don’t rub it in,” I growl. “I didn’t plan on being the white sheep of the family.”
Jade snaps her gaze at me, her brow crinkling in confusion, and then perhaps she’s figured out my secret. “Are you two related?”
I press my lips flat, but Muldon speaks before I can confirm. “Jadeana of Erwald, you were raised as a human. Is that correct?”
“Uh, yes,” she says with surprise at the topic change.
“But it appears you have mated with five males. That is not common in the mortal realm, is it?”
“No, it’s not.”
“Were you coerced into bonding with these mercenaries?” he asks, as if he’s concerned for her agency. “Did they give you no other choice?”
“No. I chose them on my own, after fate put them on my path. My soul was drawn to each of them and picked them as my mates,” Jade says with conviction, allowing no doubt to seep into her voice.
“When you made your choice, you were obviously ignorant to all this realm has to offer a female such as yourself.” He smiles, attempting to seem accommodating. “I could have the bonds dissolved, and you would have your pick of demons here to shower you with attention and meet your every need.”
Jade cocks her eyebrow and her hip defiantly. “Oh? So you’d kill off my loving, chosen mates just so you can all knock me up with your spawn?”
“I don’t need to kill them.” Muldon waves his hand dismissively. “But yes, we’d like a chance to continue our race with your cooperation and in exchange, we’d keep you well fed and well fucked. And isn’t that everything you need?”
Jade narrows her eyes at him, calculating how to deal with this situation. “I wish you luck in finding someone else who would appreciate that offer, but I already have everything with my mates, who offer me more than only food and cocks. Besides, I have no interest in accepting a breeding role in any realm.”
Muldon clenches his jaw. He never did like the word no, and especially from a female.
“If I may interrupt,” Erwald cuts in before Muldon can respond. His voice comes out with a commanding force. I can feel the room bending to his will. I suspect he’s more magically powerful than those sitting on the council. “This court owes me a life debt. I claim my progeny, Jadeana, to remain free as that favor. All hellborn will leave her in peace, in all aspects, for however long she lives. Do you understand?”
Muldon’s eyes bulge out of his head, and he shakes with rage. “This? This is what you call in your favor for? She could be the answer to the lords’ dwindling numbers.”
He rushes down off the dais and attempts to grab Jade.
I dart in front of him, and he crashes against my chest. I’d sacrifice myself for Jade’s freedom. If I have to fight him, I will. He sees the call for an official challenge written in my eyes and I’m pleased as I see nervousness in his returning gaze.
We growl at each other while I sense Jade being pulled into Flint’s arms for protection.
“She is mine!” Erwald snarls and seems to grow twice his size. “And I will not have her used for your power games and passed around like she is nothing but a hole to fuck and incubation chamber.”
“Come now. She is obviously not opposed to fucking multiple males!” Muldon shouts and moves to look at her again, trying to circumvent me.
“Her fated mates!” Erwald steps closer to Muldon, and the lord shrinks back. “ This is why demons are cursed. You did not value those offering us love and offspring and now you’re paying the price with a dying species. We should have been cherishing and protecting our female counterparts, instead we turned against them and now they choose not to incarnate for your bidding and abuse.”
I glance back to check on her, and Jade’s eyes are wide with a genuine look of surprise and being impressed by her father’s words. Finally, the bastard is some use in her life—first with Galiana and now here.
“And this is why I chose not to stay here in hell and sit on this council under your thumb,” I add. “I could not claim a seat with someone who harms our precious females.”
My stomach turns as I remember how Muldon abused his mate and when she failed to offer him more spawn, my mother was found dead.
“But now that I have a mate, I suppose I could challenge you for a seat on the council. Actually…” I wave my hand over to Erwald and Jade. “They are also of royal lineage, so perhaps they might also decide it would be easier to challenge you than to have you decide Jadeana’s fate. Three of us on the seven seats sounds fairly tempting.”
Muldon snarls at my comment. He knows we could easily be his end.
He turns to Erwald. “Fine. Keep your spawn. I doubt she could produce quality demons anyway, since she’s a fucking mutt.” He doesn’t wait for us to leave and storms out of the chamber.
Another council member speaks up. “Lord Erwald, never mind his theatrics. Consider Jadeana safe from hellborn via your life debt favor, with the condition that none of you attempt to challenge for a seat on this council. And I hope your reappearance now means you’re back to your regular visits and reports of goings on in the realms.”
“Yes, it seems that since Jadeana’s secret identity has been revealed, there is no reason for me to hide away.”
“Since you have claimed her as your progeny, then we expect that to be the case. In the coming years, we expect her to be trained in diplomacy and in spy work. Perhaps because of her unusual blood lines, she can be a bridge to all three from her lineage. We all know magic is dwindling, and it’s time we stop blaming and root out the source. I’ve heard a rumor that the Fae Queen is trying to find a solution. Perhaps Jadeana can be the bridge between the witches, the fae, and the demons, so we may all survive.”
I sense Jade’s anxiety skyrocket as she feels the implications of what Lord Krall is asking of her. But at least we already have a way in to the Fae Queen’s court through me. Krall has always been the most sensible demon on the council, and I can see what he asks will benefit all the realms.
“Can you agree to this?” Krall glances between Jade and Erwald.
Jade glances up at her father, who stares at her proudly and nods. They both respond with a yes.
“Then I will see you soon,” the demon lord says.
Hearing our clear dismissal, Erwald portals us out, and we quickly escape before they change their minds about letting us go.
Jade slumps against Arran, and he lifts her bridal style into his arms, clutching her to his chest.
I’m just happy he didn’t let loose his berserker during that whole shitshow.
“Does that mean I am free?” Jade asks, fear coating her voice. She isn’t ready to believe things are going to work out in our favor.
“Yes, my sweet child,” Erwald says, true endearment in his tone. “I can report back any information or progress you make so you don’t have to suffer Muldon’s hostility.”
Her mind is easy enough for me to read now that we’re bonded, and she wants to scoff at her father calling her sweet or a child. Though another part of her secretly loves it.
She’s been aching for love all her four decades. And that’s exactly what I, and her other four mates, intend to give her until the end of her days. And beyond.