Page 28 of Bride of Death (Netherworld Fae #1)

Hades

I sit in the dirt, my gaze on the sky while I wait for Morpheus to return to the land of the living.

Some of my ire has melted. Not all of it, but enough.

And all because of a knot .

I nearly laugh at the insanity of it all.

However, Morpheus’s statements were truthful. Everyone’s always are when faced with the pit of death. That’s what makes it such an effective tool for eternal judgment.

“All I’ve ever wanted was to share her, Hades. Not take her. Not claim her as my own. Share. Alas, it’s something you’ll never understand. Not even for Maliki.”

Morpheus’s dying proclamation plays through my mind, the words ones I struggle to accept.

Only, I know he meant each and every statement.

“How could Persephone not know what a knot is?” I ask his corpse. “I’ve knotted that Omega thousands of times. Trust me, she knows what a knot is .”

Yet I heard the truth in his commentary then, too. “She repeated the term like a question.”

I grunt. “That doesn’t sound like my Persephone at all,” I tell him, aware he can’t hear a word I’m saying. “You need to regenerate faster, Morpheus. This one-sided conversation is boring me.”

The irony of the situation is not lost on me.

Usually, I can’t wait for him to shut the fuck up.

Yet right now, all I want is for him to answer me.

I shake my head. “Everything is twisted. Nothing is right. And Persephone… She doesn’t know what a knot is?

” I can’t help voice the question aloud for what’s probably the third or fourth time.

“I don’t understand. She’s not…” I trail off, my mind struggling with the logical assessment that’s so blatantly obvious I want to disregard it.

Because I can’t trust her.

Except, what if it’s not her? What if Morpheus and Maliki are right? Orcus, too…

They’ve all said Serapina is her own individual.

I’ve not wanted to believe it.

Maybe that’s the true reason I avoided her for the last thirteen months—I didn’t want to be proved wrong.

My jaw clenches at the very real likelihood of that scenario.

“Am I just being stubborn?” I ask myself.

“Fucking… always,” a hoarse voice answers from beside me.

“Oh.” I look down at Morpheus. “Good. You’re up. We need to talk.”

The corpse-like version of my cousin sputters out a sound that might be a laugh. Or maybe a curse. I’m not sure. Nor do I care.

“What did you mean, not even for Maliki ?” I ask my cousin. “Are you suggesting I share him as an enforcer?”

The look Morpheus gives me tells me that’s too complex a question for his waking brain.

Or maybe he’s trying to convey irritation with his gaze.

“You’re going to need to rouse faster,” I tell him. “I have a date with my Omega tonight, and I don’t want to be late.”

I think he tries to shake his head. It’s hard to say.

“Your hair is white, by the way,” I muse. “I wonder if that’ll be permanent or if you’ll revive it?”

Now my cousin looks like he wants to kill me.

Can’t say I blame him. I often feel that way about him, too.

Though, his commentary about sharing has me… conflicted.

I’ve never desired to share my Persephone. He knows this. He’s simply refused to accept it. He’s even gone as far as to blame me for her betrayal, saying that had she been surrounded by a mate-circle, it would never have happened.

I hate that I’ve wondered if he’s right.

Just as I hate that I’m considering the option of allying with him now.

“I don’t want to share her with you,” I murmur.

He rolls his eyes. “Shocking.” His voice still resembles a rasp, which has me sighing.

“When was the last time you sparred, Cousin? I fear you’ve gotten weak.”

An invisible force meets my jaw, sending me backward into the ground.

I grunt, not pleased at all when I hear the telltale sign of my jacket ripping.

I should have known better than to put it back on while waiting for my cousin to rejoin the living.

“Arse,” I mutter, sitting up again.

Only for that invisible fist to try to hit me again. I catch it this time with my hand and block the follow-up coming from my left.

It’s dream energy, making it impossible to see. However, I can feel it.

“ Enough ,” I tell Morpheus. “I want to talk.”

“You’ve had months to talk to me,” he says, his voice completely normal now.

I glance at where he’s lying to find him no longer there. Instead, he’s standing a dozen feet away, completely dressed and appearing as pressed as ever.

My eyes narrow. “Did you create a mirage of yourself?”

His lips simply curl.

I scoff. I should have seen that coming. The moment his power regenerated, he no doubt crafted this entire scene and secretly pulled me into an illusion whereby I’ve been talking to a fake corpse. “How long were you listening?” I ask, resigned.

“Long enough,” he replies. “Serapina isn’t Persephone, Hades. That’s why she doesn’t know what a knot is. She doesn’t have any of her memories. But I know my word isn’t good enough for you, so I have a suggestion instead.”

I almost correct him on that last part regarding his word. I actually do trust him. I trust him a great deal. More than I care to admit.

So rather than comment on it, I say, “I’m listening.”

“Kiss her.” Two very simple words and yet they absolutely floor me.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You heard me— kiss her . I realize it’s been a while, but I’m sure you remember exactly what Persephone is like in the nest. So ask Serapina for a kiss and see if it’s anything like your soulmate’s.

” He slides his hands into his slacks and shrugs.

“An Omega can’t deny her Alpha’s growl. Either she’ll react the way you’re used to, or she won’t. ”

I frown, not sure if I like this notion. “If she truly is a separate entity like you all claim, then wouldn’t that make her despise me more than she probably already does?” I really hate voicing that question aloud, but it’s worth a conversation.

“I don’t think Serapina despises you, Hades. She just doesn’t understand you. Not yet. But she’s trying. And that’s more than I can say about your efforts in learning about her.”

My teeth clench, my gaze narrowing. “I’ve spent the last thirteen months studying her.”

“No, you’ve spent the last thirteen months waiting for her to go into heat so you would have a reasonable excuse to knot her,” he counters.

“I’ve been waiting for this game to cease.”

He nods. “Yes, and your ideal end is between her legs in her nest with your knot buried deep inside her.”

“Stop talking about my mate’s nest.”

He rolls his eyes. “Is she even your mate, Cousin? Her soul might be, but is Serapina?” he stresses.

“You asked if you’re being stubborn, and the answer is yes, Hades.

Yes, you are. You’re always stubborn. And I’ve tolerated it for far too long.

But I’m starting to think I was wrong about our compatibility. ”

I snort at that.

While I could say a lot of derogatory things about Morpheus, claiming a lack of compatibility isn’t one of them.

We’re insufferably well matched, a fact I’ve loathed his entire existence.

“Maybe I need to create my own mate-circle,” he goes on. “And you know the first fae I’m recruiting? Maliki .”

“Are you intentionally trying to infuriate me?”

“No, Hades. I’m trying to wake you the fuck up. Because if you don’t figure this out soon, I’m going to be left with no choice but to claim her without you.”

The world shakes around me as he gives me some sort of mental shove, one that knocks me completely off-kilter.

I start to fall, the realm around me going black as my concept of reality tilts.

And I suddenly find myself facedown in my bed.

I blink into the familiar mattress, my head aching like I’ve been buried beneath a pile of a thousand columns.

Maybe I have.

With Morpheus, it’s impossible to know what’s real and what’s not.

Except his words… those were very real. All truths. Threats masked as calmly worded statements.

Grumbling, I push up off my bed and look around.

I have no idea how long I’ve been here or how I even returned. Knowing Morpheus, he knocked me out with some sort of sleep spell.

Groaning, I roll off the mattress. “If you made me miss my date with my wife, I will hunt you down and kill you again, Cousin,” I say.

I swear I hear him chuckle in response.

But it’s probably just in my head.

“Arse,” I mutter.

Then I head to the bathroom. Because late or not, I need to shower the remnants of a ruined realm off my head and shoulders.

Afterward, I’ll go track down my wife.

And consider what Morpheus suggested about kissing her.