Page 20 of Bride of Death (Netherworld Fae #1)

Morpheus

Maliki’s palm burns around my throat, alerting me to Hades’s power rolling over his skin.

It’s about fucking time my cousin claimed Maliki as his own.

Though, I wonder if Maliki even knows.

Hmm. Not my place to tell him.

It is my place, though, to punch him in the face after that slug venom incident. However, it was clever. Which, naturally, amused me once the electrifying sensation wore off.

I can’t remember the last time someone got the best of me like that. Maybe four or five hundred years ago when sparring with Ares.

There’s a reason I don’t accept his challenges anymore. His fondness for strategy marks him as a worthy adversary. But his violent temper makes him unpredictable and therefore dangerous. Hence, no more playing with Ares.

Maliki, though, I’ll play with again.

But not here.

I need him alert and ready to kill.

Because we’re about to enter a dying world—the Mythos Fae Realm.

Which is why I slow our journey down long enough to grab Sera’s boots before completely leaving her hut, and take us to my palace.

We arrive in my former bedroom, where Maliki instantly pins me against a wall, his golden eyes glowing with rage. “Have you completely lost your fucking mind?”

“Possibly,” I wheeze, his palm constricting my airflow.

Misting out of his hold, I teleport to my closet.

It’s just as I last saw it a few years ago, thanks to Beta Abigail maintaining my rooms. A dozen Betas live in my palace, their sole responsibilities built around general upkeep. As payment, I allow them to reside here behind my enchanted gates.

I only visit when there’s an issue—something my magic alerts me to.

Or on the rare occasion that I’m craving a visit. Such as today.

Not many Alphas reside in this realm now. It’s mostly Betas trying to survive the dystopian landscape.

But my palace is built on dreams. Thus, it’s a literal utopia when compared to the fields outside the gates.

Thumbing through my suits, I move on to my sweaters and select a black one for Maliki. Then I grab a pair of socks and some boots.

Hades will absolutely loathe knowing that I dressed Maliki in my clothes, a fact that makes me smile as I walk through the bathroom connected to my closet.

When I step through the door into my suite, I find Maliki pacing near the four-poster bed.

Meanwhile, Sera is staring around with a bewildered expression. Her shoes are on the floor, their haphazard placement a result of me dropping them when Maliki shoved me up against the wall moments ago.

Seeing me again, he comes charging, so I mist to his back, only to take a blow to the head.

Because he followed my movements.

“Impressive,” I mutter before misting ten feet away from him. “And stupid,” I add. “Do you want me to drop you in the middle of Hades’s old palace? Because I can. And I’ll leave you there.”

Where we both know you’ll be trapped, I don’t add out loud. Because I don’t need to. He knows trying to shadow in this realm would be dangerous for him. He’s not a Mythos Fae. Our magic works very differently here.

Though, Hades’s subtle claim might be enough to protect his pet assassin.

Fortunately, Maliki doesn’t know that. Which explains his irritated growl now.

I respond by tossing him the boots and socks.

He catches them before they can hit him.

“Be nice and I’ll give you this sweater, too,” I tell him.

His jaw clenches in response, then he searches the room like he’s looking for a weapon.

“No slug venom here, I’m afraid,” I drawl. “But there are a lot of other deadly creatures to play with in this realm, myself included, if you fancy a fight.”

I wouldn’t mind showing off for my intended. It would help me redeem myself for that embarrassing display Maliki made of me outside of her hut.

Alas, the assassin stalks over to the bench at the foot of my bed, drops the footwear to the floor, and sits to pull on the socks.

“The boots might be a bit big,” I say, wanting to goad him. “I’d apologize, but I’m rather fond of my Alpha characteristics.”

His gold eyes flash up to mine as he slides his foot into a boot. “They’re actually a tad snug.”

I smile. “I suppose one would need to be a decent liar to work for someone like Hades.”

Maliki grunts at that, though I notice that the footwear does seem to fit him perfectly. Not surprising, honestly. We’re nearly the same height and stature, which suggests other parts of us may be similar as well.

However, I’m the one with a knot.

Something Serapina will hopefully benefit from someday soon. Maybe while Maliki is inside her, too. Hmm . That would be fun.

The glare he shoots my way only makes me desire that outcome even more. He will be ever so fun to share a female with, as he’ll probably try to kill me while we fuck her.

Delicious , I decide, my focus returning to Serapina. She’s moved toward the balcony doors, her hands cupping the glass as she tries to see through the blue tint. “I’ll take you outside to explore after you’ve put on your shoes,” I promise her. “And also after we’ve discussed the rules.”

She turns around, her beautiful face taking my breath away even as her eyes narrow into a distrusting stare. “I said I wanted a Mythos Fae lesson, not to be kidnapped to… Where are we?”

“The Mythos Fae Realm,” I answer without hesitation. “Where I intended to provide a Mythos Fae lesson.”

Suspicion colors her features. “You tricked me.”

“I didn’t,” I reply. “Not intentionally, anyway. I offered you choices on what you wanted to learn more about, and you chose the Mythos Fae, so I misted us to my palace. I want to ensure I tell you everything and show you anything you might not believe.”

I’m very aware that she has no reason to trust me. And her commentary on her dreams made that even more evident. She probably doesn’t have faith in anyone right now, and I can’t really blame her for that.

Hades, of course, has only worsened the situation, too.

I’m not sure what he said to her while I was healing from the slug venom, but her broken expression when I arrived told me it wasn’t anything good.

If he weren’t mated to her soul, I would consider killing him for hurting her. Though, he would just regenerate since our kind can’t really die. So I suppose that’s an option to consider later.

“This is your palace? As in, where you live?” she asks me slowly.

“Yes and no. This is my palace, but I live in the Morpheus Kingdom.”

“Oh. So you just have… two palaces.”

I smile. “Yes. Does that impress you?”

“Not really,” she says, causing my smile to grow wider.

“Maliki has been teaching you how to lie. That’s cute,” I murmur, looking back at the assassin.

He’s standing now, still shirtless, with his arms folded over his chest. His tattoos begin to writhe, exciting my inner Alpha.

He’s just spoiling for a fight. I may provide him with one before our tour is through.

“Catch,” I tell him, tossing him the sweater.

He obeys.

“Good boy,” I add.

He rolls his eyes. “I hope Hades kills you for this.”

“He’ll likely try,” I admit with a shrug.

“Should be fun.” I look at Serapina and watch as she zips up her footwear.

“You’re stunning, little dreamer,” I murmur when she straightens, thus revealing her long legs in those tight black pants and calf-hugging boots. “Thank you for putting on your shoes.”

Her cheeks pinken a little, confirming my suspicions that she enjoys praise. She probably doesn’t understand why, but it’s only natural for an Omega to react favorably to compliments from an Alpha.

Just as it’s my innate need to ensure she feels adored.

“So I suppose we can start with a tour of my palace, as it represents some of what the Mythos Fae used to be,” I say, then pause to look at Maliki. “Sorry, I should have asked—have you ever visited this realm?”

“Only Pandora’s Box,” he replies, referring to our infamous prison.

“Well, that sounds like a story I would like to hear later,” I admit.

“It’s not mine to share,” he answers cryptically.

“Ah, then I’ll need to ask Hades.” Which I won’t, as it’ll just be a waste of my time. “I assume he’s provided ample history to you on Mythos Fae, so I’ll be directing most of this lesson toward Serapina.”

Maliki simply waves a hand in response as if to say, Well, go on, then .

Returning my attention to her, I add, “I’m not sure how much your sister has taught you, so I apologize if I repeat some information.”

She just dips her chin once in acceptance, her eyes betraying her interest. She may not have appreciated our field trip, but she’s intrigued.

And that pleases me.

I want to fascinate her. Tell her everything. Make her comfortable. Please her. Claim her.

Which I’m sure will feel very intense to her if I share that up front, but her soul sings to mine. Her scent is a beacon for my knot, making it pulse even from several feet away.

I just want to chase her, prove that I’m worthy, and bury myself inside her.

But that’s… too fast.

She needs to know me. To see me as a worthy mate.

Thus, I’ll do whatever she desires to become hers.

And I don’t just mean Persephone; I mean Serapina.

That’s what Hades fails to understand—Serapina is the entity in charge now. Persephone’s essence may be a part of her, but she’s still her own person. Which means she needs to be wooed and worshipped, too.

“To understand Mythos Fae,” I begin, “you need to know the history of our creation.”

It’s a long story, one I relay as I lead Maliki and Serapina out of my suite and down a long corridor.

I start by explaining where all fae come from—the collapse of the Virtuous Fae Source. “Basically, a significant betrayal led to the explosion of power, and pieces from that detonation created all the various faedoms we know of today. Except for Mythos Fae.”

Serapina’s brow furrowed. “So you’re saying all fae species are related?”

“Not exactly. But their Sources—also known as the beacons of power that support each fae realm—all came from the Virtuous Fae Source.”

“Except for the Mythos Fae,” she parrots back at me.

“Precisely,” I tell her. “Because we don’t have a Source.”

“Oh. Is that… normal?”

“No,” Maliki answers for me. “All faedoms have Sources. But Mythos Fae are not really fae.”

“I think that’s up for debate,” I tell him.

“There’s a reason you’re seen as Gods and not fae,” he returns. “You’re literally walking beacons of power.”

I nod. “True.”

“And many of you have your own worlds,” he adds.

“Also true,” I concede. “I own the dream world. Hades maintains the world of the dead. Ares manages Pandora’s Box. We all have our own realms, some of which we share. Such as Hades and Orcus, though Hades is the more powerful of the pair.”

Serapina swallows, then freezes when she spies something—or rather, someone —ahead.

I smile. “Abigail, darling, thank you for ensuring my suite was ready for my arrival.”

The Beta does her best to mask her shock, but I see it in her reddish-brown eyes as she forces them to stop rounding. “Y-yes, Alpha. Of course. Shall I… ready any guest rooms?”

I shake my head. “No, we won’t be staying long.”

“Thank fuck for that,” Maliki mutters.

Ignoring him, I look at Serapina. “This is Beta Abigail. She helps maintain my palace in exchange for my protection.” Refocusing on the Beta, I add, “Abigail, this is Serapina. And the surly one is Maliki.”

Abigail nods her head, then curtsies toward me. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, my lord.”

It’s a title I don’t particularly care for, but I nod in acknowledgment. Then wait to see if she notices what Serapina is. The scent seems obvious to me, but I’m also tied to Serapina in a unique way. Just like Hades.

When all Abigail does is curtsy once more and excuse herself, I frown a bit to myself.

There’s something not quite right about Serapina’s Omega status. I’ve known this since she arrived in the Netherworld, and confirmed it when she never went into heat. But the fact that Abigail couldn’t even sense a whiff of it suggests the issue runs deeper than Serapina’s lack of an estrous cycle.

What did you do to your daughter, Demeter? I wonder as I force myself to resume walking. “You may meet a few other Betas,” I tell Serapina, then go on to explain how I’ve offered them safe haven here in exchange for maintaining the palace.

She nods in understanding while taking in the painted ceilings of the hallway. They’re reminiscent of some famous art from the Vatican in the Human Realm, though I don’t tell her that, as she’s never been. Instead, I just let her marvel at the pastel angels and golden adornments.

It’s all rather mystical, which is intentional, as I enjoy fantasy elements and color.

While she admires the designs, I continue our discussion on fae Sources and how our kind are living beings of power.

“Specifically Alphas,” I inform her. “Alphas are therefore protectors as well.”

I elaborate by explaining the hierarchy, how Alphas are revered among the Betas.

“They’re born powerless.” I tell her. “It’s what marks them as Betas. Now, I don’t mean they’re mortal or on par with a human in regard to strength or ability. I just mean they have no inner Source. So they pledge fealty to an Alpha in exchange for mythical energy.”

All my Betas can access the dream world, something I tell Serapina now.

Then I go on to talk about the final type of Mythos Fae. The most important type. The type that ceased to exist many moons ago. Omegas .