Chapter 26
Sera
Hades’s obsidian feathers are the softest texture in all the dimensions. I can’t stop stroking his wings, my focus on him more than the maze below us.
Though, I did somewhat pay attention as he pointed out all the various areas throughout our flight.
Glass Lake isn’t made of glass, but of chunks of ice. And it’s surrounded by a park littered with fire lilies and frozen trees. It’s such a unique landscape that I absolutely wanted to explore.
However, it’s currently being inhabited by my sister and her mates, so I didn’t ask Hades to pause our flight for a walkabout.
Instead, I held on as he continued to fly and admired the intricate weave of frigid vines and fiery flowers. The trees were also covered in bright blue leaves, their limbs as frozen as the rest of the maze.
It was a gorgeous area to observe.
As was the heart-shaped Ice Cave—a place Hades said we would need to return to, as the inside is apparently crystallized in a myriad of azure and sapphire shades.
The rest of the labyrinth consists of corridors and false ends and winding paths. But it’s all so intricate and beautiful.
“I can’t believe you manifested all of this,” I say as he sets us both down outside of Death’s Cabin. “And it’s all under the Netherworld Kingdom?”
He considers that for a moment. “Yes and no. It’s connected in a unique way that no one other than our mate-circle can access. Well, and Orcus’s circle now. But no one else in the Netherworld Kingdom can enter, nor do they even know it exists. It had to be that way to keep certain Hell Fae out.”
“Hell Fae?” I echo.
“Primarily Typhos Lucifer,” he mutters. “As the Hell Fae King, he reigns over the Hell Fae Realm. And the Netherworld Kingdom is part of that realm; ergo, it’s technically under his jurisdiction. However, this labyrinth is all my creation and therefore not a space he can enter.”
“That sounds very complicated.”
“It is,” he admits as he combs his fingers through my hair. “He’s the ruler of the Hell Fae, which includes all of the Netherworld Fae. However, I’m the one the Netherworld Fae worship. They think my presence provides them protection.”
“Does it?” I wonder out loud, my brow furrowing a little. “Do you guard them?”
“No.” It’s a flat answer. “And yes.”
I stare at him. “Because that’s not confusing at all.”
His lips twitch. “I don’t actively do anything, but my presence scares off potential threats. Most faedoms fear Mythos Fae Alphas. We’re powerful.”
“So what would you do if someone attacked the Netherworld Kingdom?” I ask as his palm finds my lower back.
He doesn’t immediately reply, just guides me toward the door, his wings vanishing from sight.
I’m about to protest, but he says, “It would depend on the reason for their assault.”
I frown. “So you would potentially let an external force attack the Netherworld Fae?” I stop walking and face him. “Would you let your fae get hurt?”
“That’s not what I said,” he murmurs. “You asked what I would do, and I stated that it would depend on the motive. There is a wide array of punishments at my disposal, Serapina. I would not allow harm to befall the fae under my dominion. But my reaction to the attack would absolutely vary by situation.”
“Oh.” My lips twist. “So you do… care about your fae?”
“My domain and the inhabitants within it are a responsibility,” he tells me. “As far as me caring for anyone… I care about you.” He leans down to brush his lips against mine. “I care about the life inside you.” His hand caresses my belly. “And I care about our mate-circle.” He opens the door.
And Maliki is waiting on the other side, his arms folded across his bare chest and a scowl on his face.
“I realize Persephone is your soulmate, but you cannot continue to refer to her as the life inside of Sera. Yeah, she has access to your dead mate’s memories, but she’s not a fucking sarcophagus, Hades.
She’s our female. Our Omega. Our mate. And you will respect her as a person, not as a bloody cenotaph. ”
My eyes are wide by the end of his rant, his fury a whip to my senses. “Uh, Maliki—”
“No, trouble. Don’t you dare tell me that what he said is okay. I understand that you’ve embraced your former life, but he needs to start focusing on the future, not the past. Or we will never move forward.”
“Okay, but—”
“No,” Maliki says again, his hand wrapping around my hip as he pulls me away from Hades. “No making excuses for him, Sera. You are more than just your soul.”
Hades clears his throat. “That’s true. She’s so much more than her soul.”
Maliki grunts and starts guiding me toward the dining area.
Because of course he has more food.
But Morpheus is waiting there in a suit, his blue-green eyes dancing over me appreciatively. “Did you enjoy your flight, little dreamer?”
“Yes,” I tell him, then realize that he must have wings, too. “Are your feathers as dark as Hades’s?”
His lips curl. “No, not in the slightest. Want to see them?”
I nod, eager. “Yes. Please. Now.”
One silver brow inches upward, but he pushes away from the table. “All right.” He starts toward me just as a gorgeous display of white plumes appears behind him, the wings somehow forming despite his dress shirt.
The same happened with Hades earlier. “I just alter the clothing with a thought,” he told me. “It’s… instinctual.”
That word is one I’m starting to loathe since nothing feels instinctual to me, thanks to whatever Demeter has done to my Omega soul.
But I ignore my irritation and focus on Morpheus’s wings instead. “Wow,” I breathe, reaching for him. Then I pause and whisper, “Can I touch you?”
His smile is the definition of dazzling, his handsome features almost too alluring to be real. He truly is the God of Dreams.
That I am, love, he replies into my mind.
Out loud, he says, “You can always touch me, Serapina. I’m yours entirely.”
Between his comment and Hades’s words outside, I’m starting to feel really warm.
That warmth increases as Morpheus wraps his white wings around me, forming a cocoon with just the two of us inside. I shiver, my gaze drawn to the hints of gold decorating the tips of his feathers. His majestic plumes are… hypnotizing. Dreamlike. Otherworldly.
I almost feel like we should be lost in some sort of fantasy, with Morpheus wearing royal robes of some kind and me… in a white dress to match his wings.
My eyes fall closed as I imagine it, my fingers gliding through his feathers and shivering at the tingles the soft texture provokes within me.
So similar to Hades’s wings.
Yet different, too.
And they’re both mine, I marvel, dizzy with the realization. I’m mated to two… Gods.
Three, Morpheus whispers back into my mind. Maliki might not be a Mythos Fae, but he’s just as much of an Alpha as Hades and me.
I swallow, nodding as an enchantment swirls over my skin. I sense it kissing the hairs along my arms, stirring static electricity through my being.
It leaves me feeling dizzy and overwhelmed, my eyes opening to identify the source.
And I gasp when I find Morpheus dressed in the same blue robes as my mental fantasy.
He’s shirtless beneath the robe, his muscles flexing in clear welcome. Or that’s the way my hands translate his attire because I’m no longer stroking his wings; I’m tracing the ridges of his abs as his feathers continue to hold us in a soft cocoon.
“I like this dress on you,” he murmurs, luring my gaze down to the white gown he’s somehow dressed me in.
I can’t even remember what I was wearing before. But it certainly wasn’t this. It’s white with gold adornments—the flash of it catching my attention and causing me to glance at my shoulder. “Am I dreaming?” I ask him, wondering when we left reality.
Not that I even know what reality is anymore.
I just went flying with Hades.
And I’m pregnant.
“You’re pregnant?” Maliki asks, shattering my fantasy bubble.
“That’s what I meant when I said I cared about the soul inside her,” Hades says conversationally. “In case you were wondering.”
Morpheus draws his wings back, his hands on my cheeks to hold my attention on him. “You’re pregnant?” His voice is a lot less startled than Maliki’s, more… more hopeful, I think.
“That’s what Alina senses, yes.” The words come out a bit hoarse, my mind struggling to keep up with the changing events. The shift in sensations. The very real need to nestle into Morpheus’s embrace…
He smells like sin.
Silk sheets.
Sensual chocolate.
Thorns, I don’t know if this is a result of his wings—maybe they possess some sort of magical aphrodisiac—but all I want to do right now is climb him.
His blue-green eyes widen, his hands suddenly on my hips. “I can make that dream come true, too. Just say the words.”
“Hold on,” Maliki interjects. “Can we talk about this? Are we sure she’s pregnant?”
“I can’t sense it,” Hades tells him. “But Alina seems to have a knack for seeing around Demeter’s mirages. And she said she can sense a new life inside of Serapina.”
“It would make sense,” Morpheus murmurs, his eyes still holding mine, his hands hot against my hips. “If she’s been in heat… she could very well be pregnant from the other day.”
“Or still in heat,” I whisper, pressing my nose into his chest.
His purr ignites, causing my legs to shake.
I have no idea what’s come over me.
But all three of my men suddenly smell amazing.
Maliki’s smoke and leather.
Hades’s wintry kiss.
Morpheus’s decadence.
He traces my spine, his palm securing my nape as his opposite hand remains on my hip. “Hmm,” he hums, leaning down to kiss me.
It’s not a soft touch or a whisper of lips.
It’s… it’s hungry.
Domineering.
Exactly what I need. What I crave. What I demand.
He holds me to him as he takes my mouth with abandon, destroying me with his tongue, owning me with his growls, and mastering me with his strength.
I’m practically weeping in his arms by the time he releases me, tears gracing my eyes as I nearly beg him to do more.
I barely recognize myself.
I’m not this person. I don’t… I don’t just collapse for a man.
But I feel like I’m going to die if he stops touching me.
“Morpheus…”
“Shh,” he hushes, the world moving around us. “I’ve got you, little dreamer.”
“We’ve got you,” another voice says.
Hades.
I feel him behind me, his dominance seeping into my being and making me turn toward him on instinct. He’s waiting for me, his arms catching me as I fall into his embrace.
And then he’s kissing me like Morpheus did, his taste so different yet equally as addictive.
I claw at his shoulders, hating that he’s clothed. Hating that I don’t have access to more of him.
He growls, his commanding presence wrapping around me in a tight hold, demanding that I submit.
But I don’t want to bow.
I want to strip.
So I rip at his jacket and dress shirt, not caring at all that I’m acting like a feral beast. He’s mine, and he’s denied me access to his Alpha form.
“Fuck,” Maliki breathes.
And I realize he’s right next to me, too.
His hand is on my hip.
I don’t know when he started touching me, but I suddenly need to feel him. My Maliki. My mate.
He rumbles in response, his mental voice a kiss to my senses as I lean toward him to give him my mouth. There isn’t an ounce of hesitation as he returns my need, his tongue dancing with mine while I continue to divest Hades of his clothes.
“When did our Omega become the Dominant?” Morpheus asks, sounding amused.
“Pretty sure she has us all by our cocks,” Maliki says against my mouth.
Cocks.
Yes.
I try to find Hades’s knot, to free him from his pants. But his hand catches my wrist, and he pushes me back. “No.”
That single word has me pulling away from Maliki, my mind fracturing beneath the rejection. “No?”
Everything around me… trembles.
The world no longer feels right.
My heart stops beating.
“Serapina,” Hades breathes, his hands on my face.
But I don’t want to look at him. I don’t want to be near him. I can’t handle his… his…
A purr wraps around me, the sound so intense that my knees buckle.
Or maybe it’s a growl.
I… I can’t tell the difference.
My entire being is lost to that rumble. Submitting without thought. Falling… into a cloud…
Air infuses my lungs, reminding me to breathe.
My lips are occupied by the taste of a familiar male. The peppermint bite of winter. Encased in a field of roses. A winter wonderland…
There’s leather, too.
And silk.
All around me. Holding me. Touching me. Stroking my bare skin.
I’m no longer clothed. It’s a beautiful realization, one that lets me feel free. And there’s a heaviness on top of me, one that I’ve not experienced before.
Masculine and strong.
My Alpha.
He’s still kissing me, loving me with his tongue, caressing me with his hands. “Hades,” I whisper, aware that it’s him. “Please don’t reject me.”
“I would never reject you, Serapina,” he says against my mouth. “But I want you properly prepared to take me.”
My brow furrows. “I’m prepared.”
“You’re not,” he tells me, and I’m pretty sure there’s a chuckle underlining those two words. “But Maliki is going to ensure that you are.”
I’m about to ask what he means when I feel something wet between my legs. A kiss. A tongue. “Ohhh…” And I’m pulsing deep inside, too.
Maliki’s mark.
It’s vibrating.
Driving me to a point of no return.
Causing me to see stars as his mouth seals around my clit.
I scream, the sensation enough to clear my vision and mind for a long, necessary moment.
I’m in the bedroom, surrounded by my fae. Morpheus is lounging alongside me, his hand on his cock as he slowly strokes it. Maliki is drawing out my orgasm with his expert touch. And Hades is on my opposite side, his palm on my throat as he coaxes my gaze up to his.
“Serapina.”
“Hades.” I blink at him. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”
“I think your inner Omega is trying to break free,” he tells me. “Remember what I said about following your instincts?”
There’s that word again.
I nearly growl at it.
But instead, I clench my jaw and nod.
Because if this is what I need to do… well, I can think of worse ways to free my Omega.
“Knot me, Alpha,” I tell Hades, feeling bold. Feeling needy. Feeling ready. “That is what my instincts are telling me I need. So give me your knot.”
His dark eyes hold mine, his expression giving nothing away.
And for one horrifying second, I worry he’s going to say no again.
However, he leans down and presses his lips to mine instead. Then brings his mouth to my ear and whispers, “Be a good girl and suck Maliki’s cock. Then I’ll consider giving you my knot.”