There were also pictures of women that weren’t human. Empousa was a goddess whom everyone hated enough to spread the rumor that she had lost her power and had one leg of bronze and another one like a donkey. In her portrait, she was lying nude on a lavish bed, both shapely legs visible.
Jinx saw where she was staring and asked, “Do you think they are down here?”
“Yes.” Zerina lay back on her bed, staring up at the ceiling morosely.
She missed her mother, father, and sisters. Having never been separated from them, Hades’ castle seemed more cold and quiet. She was used to Broni and Cara bantering back and forth. Her mother’s stories of gods, goddesses, and immortals. Her father’s quiet presence as they strolled through his gardens. No wonder Hades looked for diversions, being removed from the beauty of the heavens and the distractions at Mother’s court. Her only hope was that he would become bored with her and give her freedom back.
Jinx settled down next to her as the scene outside the window grew into one of darkness with a bright moon and stars shining.
“He doesn’t seem so bad,” she tried to console her.
“He isn’t nice, either,” Zerina warned. “He doesn’t contain the souls that are doomed to stay here forever by being nice.”
“I don’t think most of the women complain about being here if they can see him every day,” she mused.
“You have a one-track mind.”
“Yes, I do.” Jinx sighed. “He’s sexy as—”
“Will you stop saying that?”
“Well, he is,” she muttered in a staccato voice.
“Go away, Jinx. I’m going to sleep.” Zerina rolled to her side, away from the irritating woman.
“Are you mad at me?” Zerina could hear the subtle hint of hurt in her voice.
Sighing, Zerina rolled back over. “You can stay if you let me go to sleep.”
Obediently, Jinx closed her eyes. Zerina closed hers also, comforted that the other woman was next to her, even though she was an apparition.
Drowsily, she raised her lashes. “If you find the entrance, don’t come inside. I don’t want you to become trapped.”
Jinx didn’t open her eyes when she replied, “I’m not making any promises until I see the size of his dick.”
Zerina pulled her pillow out from under her head, tempted to smother her. Instead, she used it to cover her eyes from the glow of the moonlight.
“You know what your problem is, Zerina?”
“No, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me.”
“You’re too prissy. You should learn to relax more.”
“You know what your problem is?”
“No. What?”
“You won’t shut up.”
Chapter 2
Zerina woke to the sun outside her window and Jinx gone. She went to the closet that she had discovered was full of clothes when Grimm had thrust her inside the bedroom. That had been after her first meeting with Hades. It was a meeting she would never forget.
The stories her mother had told her as a child concerning Hades eclipsed seeing him in person …
“Broni, you know you will see her again,” Zerina comforted.
Broni nodded. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”
“Because your part in her life is at an end. She no longer needs you to fight for her, and that is hard for you. I feel your sadness. I was part of her birth, saw life enter her, and it was with sadness that I saw this happening, but we can do nothing else, other than assist. We cannot interfere.”
Both women watched as Cara spoke to the little spirit, though neither could hear her words.
Zerina made an offer she had never made before. “Would you like to help escort her?”
“How is that possible?” Broni questioned.
“With Cara’s help, we can travel with her to the doorway. Mother is at the council; she won’t know until her return.”
Broni smiled. Zerina was always trying to please those she loved. She was the most powerful of the three, often not able to show emotion at the decisions her job demanded.
Zerina’s gift was to find the right spirit for their physical forms. Present at the birth of each child, she often had to make decisions that Broni didn’t know if she could make, especially if the soul would be entering a home where it would not be properly loved or cared for. Zerina often said those required stronger souls, because they had to survive despite those hardships.
Cara turned and held out her hand, and Broni took it, instantly becoming ethereal. She then realized Zerina was holding her other hand. Linked, they were now able to see Adoni’s spirit.
“Are you angels, too?”
“We are not angels; we are Moirai.”
“Moirai?” Adoni questioned.
“We are your guides through life. Zerina was with you at your birth, Broni helped and protected you through your physical life, and I am Cara. I am here to help you to your new afterlife.”
“Am I being punished for disobeying my mother? She told me I was never to ride alone, but it was such a beautiful day that I could not resist.”
“It had nothing to do with you disobeying your mother. It is time for your beautiful spirit to move forward to a new life. Do you remember when you and your mother moved to a new village? How frightened you were? How much you came to love your new home?”
“Yes, but my mother was there,” Adoni whispered.
“Your mother cannot be with you yet; it is not her time. When it is, you can greet her, and she will not be as frightened. You will be able to introduce her to all your new friends. But this time you must be brave on your own, Adoni. I promise you have nothing to fear.” Cara read her thoughts. “Broni will look out for your mother, as she has protected you.”
Broni spoke up, “I have been by your side during your many illnesses. The night you escaped the fire that burned down your home, I made sure you awakened in time to escape. I give you my word; I will protect your mother.”
Reassured, Adoni turned to Cara. “I’m ready.”
Cara and the others slowly began to slip away, carried away in what seemed like rushing wind but wasn’t. Movement became nothing more than a moment in time until it seemed as if they were walking in the sky itself with bright stars surrounding them.
Broni understood now why souls could become lost. There were so many directions and bright lights glittering in the darkness. The vastness of it all would have been overwhelming without Cara’s help.
Without hesitation, Cara guided them through the darkness, leading them to a destination that only she knew.
Adoni suddenly tried to break free and move toward one particularly bright light, but Cara tightened her grip on the girl, moving her forward.
“That doorway is not yours, Adoni.”
“But I want to go there. It’s so beautiful.” Adoni became petulant. Being young, she was attracted to the beautiful doorway.
“It is, but yours is just as beautiful.” Cara inexorably moved the girl forward. It was as if there was a path only she could see.
Suddenly, a bright light was before them. Cara stopped before they came within touching distance, mere inches away.
“It’s not as large as the other one.” Disappointment and fear were the emotions Cara sensed within Adoni, as well as something Cara couldn’t quite put her finger on.
“Darling, the size doesn’t matter; only what is inside. Your doorway is just different than the other, not better or worse.”
Adoni nodded, relieved. “Will I see you again?”
Cara turned and looked into the bright light, studying it for several minutes. “Yes, you will see us again and soon.”
Cara tried to hide the apprehension she was feeling from the girl, but Zerina and Broni knew something was wrong.
“Go, Adoni. My sisters and I must leave, and I want you safe before we go.”
Zerina and Broni began to feel a disturbance around them. Broni’s instinct to protect Adoni again flared within her, but she wa
s unable to move, holding each sister by the hand. If she released Cara, she and Zerina would be lost in the dark maze, but if she released Zerina, then she would be lost alone.
Cara pushed Adoni toward the light, and as soon as she entered it, she disappeared. Then Cara turned toward her sisters. Clasping Broni’s hand tighter, she hurried through the darkness.
“Do you feel the disturbance?” Cara spoke quietly.
“Yes, we must hurry. Someone is following us.” Broni kept her voice firm, not wanting her sisters to feel her impending sense of doom. Her feelings were never wrong; they had saved more than one soul.
“No one should be here. I am the only one able to follow these paths.”
“They are following us. They wish to destroy us.” Broni’s battle instincts were surging through her body. She wanted to stay and face the approaching enemy, but would not risk her sisters’ safety.
“Whatever happens, we cannot release hands. You will become lost and disoriented without my help,” Cara spoke hurriedly, feeling the danger draw nearer. She was practically running through the corridor. “Can you tell what it is?”
Both women shook their heads as Cara rushed along the unseen path with her sisters desperately trying to keep up.
“We’re almost there.” Cara could see their doorway just ahead.
They each prayed to reach the doorway before whatever danger stalking them struck.
They were inches away when they were suddenly hit with a power surge, knocking them apart.
The next thing Zerina knew, she was shivering in the frigid air, crouching low behind a large trash container in a parking lot. With trembling fingers, she brushed her damp tresses away from her face. She was so cold. How was she going to survive without warmth or shelter?
She was terrified, tendrils of danger had the hair at the nape of her neck rising. The shadowy figure that had chased them through the Halls of Death was near.
She gazed around the dark parking lot, trying to come up with a plan. Her appearance alone would raise questions that she wouldn’t be able to answer without her sanity being questioned. She also didn’t want the one who was responsible for her predicament to find her, so she decided to stay hidden until she could come up with a plan to find Broni and Cara.
The freezing cold that was slowly making it impossible to move left no doubt in her mind that she was now mortal. Her powers were gone.
The large building she was hiding in the shadows beside was a hospital, the structure easily recognizable, as it was one of the few structures she could visit on earth.
She shook not only from the cold but the fear of children being born during her absence. They would be soulless, mere shells, until they grew into demons and begot devastation among the humans.
She shakily reached out, bracing a hand on the large metal trash container, forcing herself to rise from the damp concrete.
Seeing that the parking lot was briefly empty, she made for a side door where she had seen employees enter. Reaching the doorway, she prayed to Mother that the door would be unlocked.
Thankfully, she had gone back in time far enough that the doors didn’t have to have a code punched in. At first, she thought it was locked. Then her fear gave her the adrenaline rush she needed to open the heavy door.
The empty hallway was filled with carts of dirty linens.
The sound of another door opening startled her. Seeing a door to the side, she rushed inside and closed it behind her softly. Her breaths sounded loud in the dark room.
Tiredly, she leaned against the wall, holding back the desire to burst into frightened tears.
Zerina forced herself to gather her scattered wits and begin to piece together who was responsible for the treachery that had placed her and her sisters, Cara and Broni, in danger.
A slight movement behind her had her freezing in place. Then an icy-cold body pressed against her back.
A terrified scream parted her lips, but before it could escape, a hand closed over her mouth.
Zerina struggled against the cold hand covering her mouth. Kicking backward was useless, since her feet were covered in soft slippers.
“Be still.”
The command didn’t pacify her fears.
Increasing her struggles, she almost managed to break away, when she was pressed harder against the dark cloak he was wearing. It hindered her efforts to get away as he wrapped it around her, enveloping them both inside.
“I’m trying to help warm you. You’re freezing,” his chilly voice sounded in her ear.
She had only met Grimm a few times over the centuries, yet she recognized his voice. It was hard not to. It dripped icily, as cold as the body against her.
She had always hated to see him when a child’s soul had met an end. Only three times had a child’s soul found its way to Hades. Each had been a reincarnated soul that had slipped underneath Mother’s guard.
Dark laughter filled the room. “I just saw Cara. They left me in a predicament.”
They? Her heart lightened to know that Cara was safe. But was he referring to Broni, too, when he mentioned ‘they?’
“Unfortunately, they took a soul that I was sent for, and now I have no way home.”
Grimm’s hand left her mouth. The moment of relief was short-lived when she felt his hands on her throat, tightening, preventing any sound she would make.
Struggling, she tried to break his death grip, as her oxygen-deprived lungs began to burn.
“Don’t worry; it will only hurt for a moment.” With cold precision, Grimm told her she was going to die.
Spots filled her vision, faltering her struggles as she lay limply against him, his grip never lessening. Her tear-filled lashes closed as the sound of her heart slowed then stopped.
He was right; she had felt no pain. The only thing she felt before she lost consciousness was his cloak enveloping her closer to his lean body as he lifted her into his arms, enclosing her in darkness.
Her last glimpse of anything was a doorway appearing and swinging open. Grimm carried her forward as a silent scream filled her head when she saw where he was taking her.
To Hades.
Zerina slowly regained consciousness to the feel of a cold, smooth floor against her cheek. Her vision swam as she tried to blink her eyes open, seeing the shiny black marble against her face.
Placing a hand on the smooth surface, she managed to raise herself to a sitting position.
“I see you’ve finally wakened.”
Her gazed jumped to the man sitting casually on a large desk a few feet from her.
“Rise, Zerina. Let me have a good look at you.”
She found the strength to stand, swaying unsteadily. The cold that had been assailing her moments before was gone, replaced by a heat building in her body from the tips of her toes in her thin slippers, gliding upward through her body until she felt as if she were burning alive.
She fell to her knees, clutching her belly. “Stop it!” she screamed.
“Too much?” The indolent seductiveness of his voice tore through her body, making the fire between her thighs unbearable.
A small scream escaped as she felt a rush of wetness leak from between her clenched thighs.
She might have been a virgin, but she was smart enough to recognize what had just happened to her body.
Hades stood, wearing a black silk dress shirt tucked into a pair of black slacks that didn’t hide the bulge that he was plainly unembarrassed by.
As he stood over her, Zerina tilted her head back so she could glare up at him.
“Mother will punish you for bringing me here!”
“Are you afraid, Grimm?” Hades didn’t even look at Grimm, who was looming next to her.
“Not really.” The caustic reply had her head snapping to the man who was removing his cloak.
Hades shrugged. “Oh well, I guess I’ll worry about that when she comes for a visit. Grimm, when was the last time my mother came for a visit?”
“Never.”
r /> “I guess that’s why I had trouble remembering.” He traced a lean finger down her cheek, leaving a trail of fire. “Don’t worry; she won’t be coming any time soon. We’ll have plenty of time to get to know each other better. Much better ...”
Zerina jerked away from his touch. “Don’t touch me!” she snapped. “I demand you have Grimm return me to my home!”
His soulless eyes stared down at her in amusement. “What you want is not important. What I want is. Don’t worry, Zerina; I’ll make sure you’re very well taken care of.”
When he crouched down in front of her, she scooted back from his closeness, feeling like she was going up in flames, that the only part of her that her mother would retrieve would be her ashes.
How could women bear to touch the dark king? She had heard that a few of the goddesses had snuck down for a night of pleasure, many trying desperately to return for another, only to find the passage barred. Hades only allowed them one night in his bed. Therefore, many had found themselves wandering the earth, looking for an entrance that opened only when Hades wanted it to.
“My mother and father will come for me.”
“I’m not afraid of your parents. Fate, I can handle, and Valentine cannot step foot in my domain. He can only go where love can exist. Hades has never known the emotion of love. Lust, greed, hatred … now those are all emotions I’m very familiar with down here. I plan on introducing you to some of them, especially lust.” His eyes dropped to the cleavage that her white gauze dress left exposed. “Especially lust.”
She slapped him across the face that was leering at her. “You touch me and I will …” Her words stuttered to a halt.
“What, Zerina? What could you possibly do to hurt me? I, on the other hand, have many ways in which I can hurt you. Some of them pleasurable. Some, not so much. I find I like the occasional bite of pain when I’m fucking. How about you?”
“You bastard. I’ll give you all the pain you want if you dare touch me!” Zerina threw herself at him. All the stress of becoming lost in the Halls of Death, terrified for her sisters, then having Grimm kill her were more than she could take.