Page 13 of Bride of Death (Netherworld Fae #1)

Morpheus

I stand on the village path, watching as Serapina opens her door and looks left, then right.

My eyebrow inches upward. You should be in bed, sweetheart .

Yet she appears to be sneaking out.

Mmm, naughty little dreamer.

My power instantly scans the perimeter, touching on several sleeping minds. But none of them belong to Maliki.

Because he’s wide awake.

And likely very aware of Serapina’s action.

Well, I can fix that, I decide, my gift swirling around the lethal assassin and dragging him into my realm.

I work slowly at first, careful not to alert him of my presence.

Only, he’s infuriatingly powerful and senses me within seconds. Because of course he does.

Hades chose well with you, I think before hitting him with a heavy sleeping charm.

He fights it, his growl of annoyance one I hear and feel within my soul.

Shadows seep into my vision as he engages me in a rare mental battle, one that has me both intrigued and irritated.

Fae usually can’t fight my influence.

But Maliki is no ordinary adversary.

If I didn’t know better, I would say Hades has charmed him in some way.

However, my cousin only has one mate connection in this existence, and it’s to Persephone.

Which suggests Serapina is fair game since she’s not the Omega he once mated. She just possesses the soul of his past.

Perhaps that’s a stretch in the truth, but I adore a good technicality.

And this situation is riddled with them.

A surge of power wraps around my throat, distracting me from my Serapina as I’m forcefully yanked into the dream world.

I stumble, caught off guard, then narrowly miss being punched in the face.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Maliki demands, shocking the nightmares out of me. Because that question is one I should be asking of him.

Or rather, How the fuck are you doing this?

Because this is my world. My power. My existence .

And he just wrenched me out of reality and into the dream I crafted for him.

Fascinating .

Except being here means there is no one actively protecting Serapina in the waking world, which means I can’t stay. “We’ll chat soon,” I promise Maliki.

Or perhaps it’s a threat.

That remains to be seen as I blast him with a heavy dose of my gift and send him flying backward into a sea of black moss.

The seaweed-like texture grabs him on my command, pulling him under in a wave of fiery fury.

His responding growl echoes throughout the dark landscape, telling me there will be hell to pay whenever I release him. But truly, this was his fault more than mine. Had he simply slept, I wouldn’t have needed to resort to these methods.

Alas, powerful fae are countered with powerful dreams.

“I’ll be back at some point,” I tell him, then blink back into the Netherworld Village to hunt down my Omega.

It’s not a difficult task, her aroma one that calls to me on a feral level. So sweet. So sinful. So addictive .

I’ve not allowed myself to truly indulge in her yet, mostly because I’ve wanted to give her time to settle into this reality while I observed from afar.

But marking herself as single changed everything.

I no longer desired to watch . I wanted to claim . Yet I gave my cousin a forty-five-day warning.

And he responded by spreading word of his pending nuptials to Serapina Everheart.

I told him to fix this , not force her .

The bastard hasn’t even tried to talk to her, outside of that initial meeting where he threatened to become her worst nightmare.

Such a cruel thing to say.

He’s angry, yes. Rightfully so. But is Serapina to blame for her soul’s sins? I think not.

Just as I think he should knot up and talk to his betrothed, not send Maliki to seduce her for him.

Oh, I’m sure his pet assassin will do an amazing job pleasing our intended, and I certainly wouldn’t mind watching it happen. However, Hades needs to earn her, too. And if he’s not willing to fight for her, then he’s going to lose her.

To me.

I smile as her fragrance grows stronger, the perfume beckoning me forward. But I don’t want to scare her, so I slow my steps and observe her like I usually do—from the mist. It’s similar to Maliki’s ability to lurk in the shadows, only mine functions as more of a fog.

A fog that very much blends into the Netherworld Courtyard as I follow her down the black cobblestone trail. The sound of creaking echoes all around us as a gust blows through the skeleton trees, the bones rattling in response.

Serapina seems unbothered, her sight set on something ahead.

Her fists clench at the sides as she comes to halt by a tree. “How in the thorns is that even possible?” she demands, piquing my interest.

She can’t possibly be talking to me. And there’s no one else around for her to speak to. Not even Pip.

So she’s obviously voicing a rhetorical question, yet she kneels and grabs a handful of charcoal-colored dirt.

I creep closer, trying to understand what she’s doing, when she releases an adorable little growl and throws the sandy soil back down with a “Hmph.”

Narrowing my gaze, I lean over her shoulder to look at the clump she just discarded. It resembles standard Netherworld dirt.

Why has it offended her? I wonder. Because it’s cold?

Serapina fishes something out of her pocket, her gaze attempting to scan the label on the bag. I read it easily even though we’re shrouded in the shadows cast by a nearby skeleton tree.

Red Roses, the label says.

I arch a brow. “Those seeds will do absolutely nothing because this kingdom is about death, not life.”

Serapina shrieks and stands, then spins around in a complete circle, her gaze scanning the courtyard.

Ah, right, I’m still in the mist.

I reveal myself to her, which has her backpedaling quickly into the bony stump of the tree.

“Oh!” she gasps, her heart singing an unsteady beat—one I listen to for a moment before lifting my palms in a gesture of innocence.

Scaring her isn’t my intent.

Though, I should have remembered that before I spoke. However, seeing her gardening project inspired me to comment.

“I mean you no harm, little dreamer,” I promise her.

She swallows a few times, her palm sliding up to her slender throat in a nervous gesture, one that makes me want to reach for her and offer comfort.

Fae, I would never hurt her. But I would absolutely hurt for her.

I’d lie on a thousand burning coals and let her walk across my bare skin if it meant securing her safety. And I’d suffer dozens of Strigoi bites and let Ghouls feast upon my dreams if it gave her pleasure.

She’s an Omega.

I live to serve her as an Alpha, even if she chooses another mate.

It’s simply the nature of who we are as Mythos Fae.

“I’m sorry for startling you,” I add, lowering my hands. “I just wanted to offer some advice.”

Her gaze narrows. “What kind of advice?” she asks slowly, suspicion coloring her features. Fortunately, she doesn’t seem to fear me. But she clearly doesn’t trust me either.

That’s fair. We’ve never met, and she has no idea who or what I am.

“Well, for starters, you’re wasting your time on those seeds,” I inform her conversationally. “They’re meant for the Human Realm, not the Netherworld Kingdom.”

“I know. I bought them from one of the swap stores,” she tells me, referring to the shops in the Netherworld Village that sell wares from around the realms. “But the storekeeper promised me the roses would grow here.”

“The storekeeper lied,” I say flatly. “Which one did you speak to?” I don’t voice it as a polite inquiry, but as a demand. Because I will absolutely be having a stern word with that individual for tricking my intended.

Serapina mutters a name, one I commit to memory. Then she bends to start digging in the black dirt. I wince as she yanks her hands away on a hiss, the ground likely having gone cold beneath her touch.

“If you planted your seeds there, they’re long dead,” I tell her softly. “But I can help you acquire new ones.”

She looks me over, but she can’t see me well in the shadows. I can tell because she keeps squinting. So very human.

“Why would you help me at all?” she asks, then places her hands on her hips. “Actually, no, let me guess.”

“Please do,” I interject, intrigued.

“It’s because you felt compelled to, right? Because of the nuptials thing?”

“Hmm, no,” I tell her. “I certainly don’t feel compelled to as a result of any nuptials.”

Though, perhaps I feel compelled to because she’s mine to cherish. However, that wasn’t her guess. So I let her continue.

“Oh, okay. So you’re helping me like all the other fae males do at the Den, and next you’re going to offer to mate me to protect me.” She rolls her eyes—an action I see clearly because the shadows can’t hide her beautiful features from my immortal gaze. “Yeah, no, thanks.”

My lips curl at her easy dismissal. “I’ll admit, I’m not used to females turning me down so quickly, especially before I’ve even offered my knot.”

She starts to turn away, but stops, her brow furrowing. “Knot?”

“Mmm,” I hum, enjoying that word on her tongue. If only she followed it up with me . “Shall we begin anew?” I suggest, stepping out of the shadows cast by the nearby skeleton trees and into a beam of moonlight. “I’m Morpheus.”

Her eyes grow round upon seeing me—truly seeing me—and her full lips part. “M-Morpheus?”

“Just Morpheus,” I tell her. “One M.”

She blinks several times. “Like the God…” She pauses on a swallow. “God of Dreams.”

“One and the same, I’m afraid.” I cant my head and give her my best smile. “Don’t worry, little dreamer. You’re very much awake.” It’s the question I’m asked most often when I appear— Is this a dream?

“Why are you here?” she whispers.

“To meet you,” I tell her honestly.

She stares for a beat and frowns. “You said you weren’t talking to me because of the nuptials.”

“No, I said I didn’t feel compelled to help you because of the nuptials,” I correct her. “But I’m also not conversing with you as a result of them, either. I’m simply here for you.”

Her frown deepens. “Because you think I’m an Omega.”

“I don’t think you are; I know you are.”