Page 104 of Bride of Death

“I imagine I would be pretty furious,” I admit. “Which is why I’ve supported you in this quest for well over a thousand years. I may not fully understand your fury, but I respect it, Hades. And that’s why I’m asking you to hear me when I say that Sera is an innocent being who has been paired with a not-so-innocent soul. That’s not her fault. So please stop trying to punish her for it.”

He frowns. “I’m not punishing her.”

I give him a look. “I was just in her room. You covered it in fake greenery. She loves it right now. But I know your intention—you want her to miss life and realize that everything is dead here. Just like your heart.”

Okay, that last sentence was a low blow.

But I’m in a bad fucking mood. My dick is still hard. I have no sexual outlet. And something tells me if I shadow somewhere right now, Hades will just fucking follow me.

“The accommodations are a moot point in this discussion,” he says.

I fold my arms, my skin still somewhat damp. The sweats I’m holding are probably going to get wet.

That’s fine. I’ll just put on another pair.

“Be straight with me, Hades. What are we actually discussing? Because for a God who claims to hate games, it certainly feels like we’re playing one right now.” He’s practically daring me to touch his mate. That’s not only dangerous—it’s asinine.

He’s an Alpha.

I’m a fae. Albeit, a unique one. But I don’t stand a chance against his wrath. He knows this. So why tempt me to fight him?

“Morpheus thinks I should kiss… Serapina.”

My eyebrows lift, not just at what he’s saying, but at his use of the nameSerapina. I don’t think I’ve heard him refer to her as anyone other than Persephone.

He runs his fingers through his hair and starts to pace. “His reasoning is unfortunately sound,” he goes on.

“Yes, it’s always unfortunate to have a reason to kiss one’s mate,” I deadpan.

Dark eyes glance at me, irritation evident in their depths.

But he ignores my commentary and continues by saying, “He says if I want proof that the human isn’t in possession of my mate’s memories, then a simple kiss should do. If she reacts like Persephone, then I’ll have proof she’s lying. And if she doesn’t…”

“You’ll finally realize she’snotPersephone,” I finish for him, impressed by Morpheus’s suggestion.

I’ve been trying to get through to Hades for months.

Maybe I should have requested some feedback from Morpheus, since he clearly believes Sera is telling the truth about not remembering anything.

To me, it’s just logical. Sera hasn’t even embraced her inner Omega yet. So how could she remember said Omega’s memories?

Hades’s opinion is that she’s done something to mask her instincts. Or, more likely, her mother did something to hide her inner Omega.

I still think the latter could be true.

But I think it was without Sera’s knowledge.

“Omegas can’t resist an Alpha’s call or his charms,” Hades says, still pacing. “If I kiss her, I’ll be able to coax out her reactions quite quickly. And, more importantly, she’ll have a difficult time taming her response. Which means, in theory, she’ll be too mindless with lust to put on a performance.”

I nod. “From what you’ve told me about Omegas, that makes sense.” They have a hard time controlling their needs when turned on. Especially when in heat.

Hence the reason Hades was waiting for her to go into estrus—he wanted her mindless so she would be forced to answer questions truthfully.

Of course, he could also try holding her over a death pit—a concept I would have approved a year ago.

But not today.

I would push him in if he tried to do that to Sera.