Page 31 of Guided by the Stars (Creating Destiny #1)

Kai

When Punishment is Swift

That bastard. Leave it to fucking Hades to hide the palace and waste our time, only to demand my immediate presence when we arrive.

I stare at the reflection in the mirror and don’t recognize myself.

A pale, ashen creature with dark circles under his eyes stares back.

My stash of nectar is depleted and without it, I’m weak.

I shouldn’t have wasted my energy making a bed for her, or fruit trees to feed her.

She even asked for an apricot, and did I do it?

Yup, like a fucking chump. Her face softened and her eyes danced as she took it from my hands.

The smile she graced me with was dazzling, and that’s when I knew something was wrong.

It had to be, because why else would I care about making her happy or comfortable?

I haven’t been either of those things a day in my life, and here I was using my energy on some human.

Sure, she had to eat to survive, but Jax brought a ton of snacks from their hotel room.

I should have just let her eat those, but instead I used too much power and now I’m vulnerable.

This morning I vowed to myself that if we had to spend another night, all she’d receive was a plain green apple. Bitter, just like me.

I exit the bathroom, heading to my closet to find a clean shirt.

I may not have time for a shower, but that doesn’t mean I have to walk into the king’s lair looking like shit.

Adriane is sitting on the couch, unaware of my company.

She’s rubbing her wrists that are still raw from the cuffs.

For half a second, my brain falters and I want to ask Jax to go find some salve, but her death glare penetrates the haze.

I ignore her, peeling off my shirt and throwing on a black v-neck tee.

When I turn back, her eyes are wide and full of confusion.

Ah, there it is, right on cue. Miss Perfect Life has seen the real me at last, scars and all.

As I lean against the door frame, I raise an eyebrow at her, begging her to say something sarcastic to prove she’s the heartless human I need her to be.

Instead, her brows crease and she looks away.

“Stay here, do you understand? I know you don’t take direction very well, but you’ll do as I say if you value your life.”

Her eyes snap back to mine, full of anger. “Like you care about my life, or anything else for that matter. It’s not like you warned me about drinking that water or gave a shit when I almost got eaten by Cerberus.”

“It’s not a request,” I say, walking toward the couch. “You’ll do as I say or face the consequences. And trust me, Red, you’ll be much worse off with anyone else.” I pat her head and she tries to slap my hand away, but I’m too quick, already striding out the door with a smile on my face.

Jax stands in the hallway, smirking at me. “I honestly don’t think Hades knows what he signed up for. She’s a hellcat!”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. I’ve gotta go take care of this bullshit, but I’ll be back. ”

“Don’t play me like that, Kai. Girls like Rose don’t have the same appeal because they don’t provide the challenge you need. In there, though? Now that’s a fucking challenge. I’ll get her some food so she’s got some energy when you return,” he says with a grin, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

With a shake of my head, I turn and head down the hall, stopping just inside the stairwell.

My chest is heavy as I draw in lungfuls of air, trying to calm myself before seeing my father.

There’s no fucking way he knows Alexius fucked this up, and I won’t be passing that information along either.

It’s just a debriefing, nothing more. Was I expecting a gold star and a pat on the back?

Big fucking nope, but I have no idea what he wants the descendants for, or how pissed he’ll be that I only have one.

I steel my spine and continue my descent.

Thoughts flow through my mind of what this encounter will bring.

It feels like this mission was a test and I’m about to get a failing grade.

As I plot out the best way to avoid telling him the full truth, I turn the corner and find Persephone.

She’s waiting in the hallway, dressed in an over-the-top blood-red gown that trails behind her on the floor.

Her dark hair is pulled back, accentuating the sharp angles of her beautiful, pale face.

There’s an evil glint in her eyes when she notices me, and her red painted lips turn up into a hungry smile.

“It’s so good to have you home, darling,” she says as I bow to her.

When I straighten, she reaches a hand out to caress my cheek and molds her body against mine.

“Mother will miss me if I’m gone too long, but I just had to see you.

Lets not keep your father waiting.” She spins, leaving me no option but to follow her down the hall and into the room.

Hades lounges in a chair with a goblet of nectar clutched in his hand, and the look on his face puts ice in my veins .

“You know I don’t like to wait, boy. Did you get them?”

“We’ve arrived, yes. I left everyone in my room,” I say with confidence. And though it’s not a lie, it’s not the full truth either.

“Oh, really? They must be attractive then, if you’re keeping them all to yourself. Perhaps I’ll stop by and have a taste myself,” he says, one eyebrow raised, and chills dance across my skin.

“Oh, there’s no need for you to—” My words cut off as a vine wraps around my throat.

My father stalks toward me, his mouth turned down in a scowl. “Did you really think I wouldn’t notice that you only brought one human here? This is my realm, my kingdom, and I think it’s time you remember what that means.”

He grabs me by the hair and forces me to the table.

Persephone stands near her gardening basket, digging through its contents and adding ingredients to a bowl.

Before I have time to worry about what she’s mixing, I’m flipped over and slammed face first onto the table.

Vines wrap around my arms, legs, and throat and I’m tempted to fight them off, confident that I could banish them with my power.

But I can’t. My father can’t find out how strong I am.

No one can. So I don’t fight. Instead, I retreat to a quiet space in my mind, somewhere far away from here.

A strong hand presses my face into the table and Hades looks down his nose at me. “Not only did you fail to retrieve both the weak humans I sent you for, but you had the gall to lie to me about it. I knew you were pathetic, boy, but now I know how utterly useless you are.”

He turns and walks toward Persephone. Not bothering to lower his voice, he speaks to her. “Seph, my sweet. Is it ready?”

He blocks her from view so I can’t see her response, but she must nod because he continues. “Cover the entire area, let’s see if we can teach him some fucking respect. ”

He disappears from my line of sight, and the bitch glides toward me. A sly smile pulls at her lips, making her appear ugly and cruel. Her true form.

There’s a bowl in her hand and she stirs the contents while coming closer.

She brushes the hair from my face in what could be mistaken as a maternal gesture, but I see it for what it is.

The lust that shines in her mean eyes is unmistakable.

She drags her fingers down my back before taking something out of her pocket.

The blade is cold as it grazes my skin while she cuts through my shirt.

Once my back is bare, she puts the knife away and dumps the contents of the bowl on my spine.

The cold hits me at once and, though I may be used to the chill of the Underworld, I’m not prepared for this.

So cold that it burns, the icy blaze curls over me and sucks the air from my lungs.

The frosty inferno spreads as she moves the mixture over my body.

She crouches down beside me, leans in, and inhales.

I try to move away, but the vines are too tight.

“I missed you, darling.” Her breath is hot on my cheek, and she tilts her head, running the tip of her tongue along my jaw and getting too fucking close to my mouth.

“You disgust me,” I bite out, though I don’t know why I bother.

She lives for this shit. The cold on my back is subsiding, and my hope rises.

Maybe this is a bad batch, and soon I’ll be free of this torment.

But as the mixture soaks into my skin, I realize I was wrong.

This won’t be quick. It’s no longer a cold heat, but a searing one.

It’s as if someone placed burning coals on me, roasting my flesh to a crisp.

I can feel blisters forming and breaking in the same moment.

I try so fucking hard to keep quiet. The noises are what she wants, what he wants, and a low groan escapes despite my best efforts .

She laughs and comes closer, taking my earlobe between her teeth and tugging. “I do so enjoy it when you’re naughty,” she whispers, her tongue darting out to lick inside my ear.

I hear footsteps once again and the telltale clatter of my least favorite tool. The whip.

Hephaestus, the God of Blacksmiths, forged this himself upon Hades’ request. Several chains hang from the handle, each one made from serrated metal links. Thanks to the ointment Persephone puts on me, my back never quite heals, so I’m covered in scars.

“I’m finished, Hades, baby. Perhaps he will learn something this time,” she gloats.

He grunts in response as he moves closer to me and rests the whip on the table to stretch his arms and shoulders. A chair scrapes across the floor, which I expect is the bitch getting settled to watch the show.

“You will get ten strikes for failing, with additional lashings for each moment you waste not explaining how a pathetic human girl bested you,” he sneers, fury blazing through his eyes.

He tilts the table on one end, the vines tightening on my limbs to keep me upright as he swings the whip in the air a few times. Excited clapping starts up to my left, and I know the bitch is creaming her pants with excitement. Fucking psycho.

Without warning, pain ricochets through my body as the first lash of the whip hits. The concoction smeared on my back intensifies the pain and each link slices through me like butter.

I bite my tongue to hold back the moans of agony as he continues to swing the whip, and warm blood runs down my back in rivulets. The ointment and blood mix, making fire ignite once again. More blisters form within the wounds, and my flesh bubbles like an active volcano .

Even if I wanted to explain what happened, there’s no way I could.

The pain immobilizes my every limb, caging my words inside.

Blood fills my mouth with a copper tang while Hades counts out the first ten lashes.

My chest is heaving by the time he finishes, limbs trembling with pain.

I open my eyes, trying to focus when Hades steps in front of me.

His mouth moves, but I can’t concentrate enough to understand.

My focus sticks on the constant dripping of my blood from the whip.

He reaches up and grabs my face, leaning in close. “Explain yourself!” he shouts, spit flying from his lips and onto my cheeks.

“I’m…there was…” I stammer, trying to find the right words and the strength to speak them. My throat is thick with blood and spit, but it doesn’t matter how much I swallow, the lump won’t go away.

“It would appear you haven’t learned your lesson yet. Lets see if a few more hits will knock the words free,” he says, right before pain lances through my body again and I gasp.

With each blow, he shouts at me. “Such a disappointment.” Crack . “Waste of oxygen.” Crack . “Unreliable piece of filth.” Crack .

“Alexius…took…the other one,” I spit out, desperate to end my suffering.

My chest heaves with each lungful of air, but it’s not enough.

The room spins around me, white spots dancing in front of me, and I blink to clear them.

My body aches, sweat and blood coat my skin, and I prepare for the onslaught to continue, but it doesn’t.

The chair to my left screeches across the floor, followed by the swish of Persephone’s dress as she rushes to Hades behind me. A hand trails across the open cuts on my back, right before she digs her nails into the broken flesh. A guttural groan leaves my lips, my vision narrowing with pain .

“I expect obedience,” Hades snarls and places the table back down.

Their whispers have grown more frantic now, and I can’t make sense of the words. I try to pay attention, knowing this is a rare chance to overhear vital information that I could use to my advantage, but the only sound I hear is rushing water and the frantic thumping of my heart.

Darkness creeps in until oblivion takes over, and all I’m left with is silence.