Lifting a brow, Hades straightened and looked at the women. “Well, what do we have here? Lileta? Care to explain, love?”
Lileta stepped forward. “We came to ask a favor.” She gave a slight bow.
“I see. Interesting.” He glanced back at the demon who he’d been fondling, not really in the mood for fucking anyway. “Leave us.”
She pushed out her bottom lip but obeyed and vanished into thin air. Hades sauntered closer to the ladies. He brought the glass to his lips and sipped while he stared at them over the rim.
“My lord, you know Ranata, but this is Cassie and Katie.” Lileta kept her chin up and her gaze locked on his.
He surveyed the women, moving from one to the other until he landed on Katie’s rather large belly before he looked up and met her gaze. “Daughter of the Phoenix. I wondered when we would finally meet.” He gave a nod toward her stomach. “I see you’ve been busy.”
She lifted a shoulder then responded, “What can I say, my mate is killer in the sack.”
He threw his head back and deep laughter filled the room. “I like a girl with spunk. If you ever tire of your life in Zarek’s world be sure to let me know. I could use someone like you down here.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Ladies, please have a seat.” He snapped his fingers and several leather chairs appeared in front of the hearth where four-foot flames crackled. He gestured and Ranata led the way. A tray of refreshments appeared on the coffee table between the seats.
“Help yourselves.” He summoned his throne and noted Lileta rolling her eyes.
“Are those demon skulls?” Cassie pointed at the arms of his chair.
He grinned as he petted one. “It never pays to piss me off.” He shrugged. “Unless of course you wish to become part of my furnishings. Now, to what do I owe having such beauties pay me a visit?” Leaning forward, he said, “Do your mates know you are here?”
“Hell, no.” Cassie shook her head. “Otherwise, we would have never been allowed to come.”
“We want to stop the fighting for the holidays,” Lileta blurted out.
“Interesting. Continue.”
“We thought it would be nice to give the children Christmas. A day of peace could go a long way in building trust in the world,” Cassie jumped in.
He steepled his fingers against his lips and contemplated his next words. “You do realize Christmas is a bullshit holiday and not celebrated by the entire human race?”
“We don’t have to refer to it as Christmas. It’s a holiday of peace, but first we need you to stop the fighting.” Cassie relaxed into her seat.
“Ahh, there it is.” Hades shifted and tapped his fingers on a skull that looked like it had belonged to a deformed crocodile. “I’m pretty sure you’re aware of the rules where the gods are not to interfere? This also includes killing my grandson, Lowan, or do I need to explain it to you?”
Katie attempted to cross her legs, but her belly made it impossible. Instead she wiggled herself to the edge of her seat. “Look, asshat. We’re well aware of the fucking rules, but you strike me as a man who likes to not only bend them but snap them in half. Let’s face it, you thrive on chaos.”
Hades leaned closer to Katie and studied her until finally his mouth twitched. He waved his hand. “There are some rules even I won’t break.”
“You are seriously going to back down and let the other gods bully you?” Katie raised a delicate brow.
Hades checked his temper. Barely. “So, daughter of the Phoenix. I can assume then you’re willing to help? Break the rules, I mean? After all, you have power in your own right. Shall we simply say fuck fate and kill Lowan now?”
“We’re not asking you to kill him,” Ranata spoke up.
He focused his gaze on the fae queen. “You’re not? Then what, exactly, are you expecting me to do?” He leaned back, folded his arms, and waited for a response.
“Since all demons fall under your jurisdiction, we were hoping you could call them off for a day or two. Without them to do his bidding, Lowan might be forced to retreat,” Lileta replied. The others nodded their heads in agreement.
“I see. So, have you considered the havoc a demigod might create when he throws his temper tantrum because his minions have been taken away?” He sipped his wine and waited for an answer which never came. The girls just exchanged glances.
“Of course not, which means you probably haven’t thought about how the humans will react when the fighting stops then restarts again with renewed vigor. They will wonder why you have the power for a temporary truce but not a complete stop to the madness.”
“Do you have to be so logical?” Katie asked.
He fought to keep from rolling his eyes. “Seems someone has to.”
Cassie sighed. “I refuse to believe there is no hope. Humanity needs this even if it’s for a day. They need to believe there is hope.”
This time Hades sighed. “I can contain Lowan’s army and even Lowan himself. I’m bored down here anyway and pissing off Zarek has always been a favorite pastime of mine.” He leaned forward. “Here’s what I’ll do for you. Next week is Christmas eve. When the sun finishes rising across the United States on December 24th, I’ll hold the peace until midnight on Christmas day. Your humans have less than forty-eight hours of joy to the fucking world, but after that it’s back to your regularly scheduled programming of gloom and doom.”
“But the holiday will be over in other parts of the world already,” Katie stated.
Hades allowed his eyes to glow red. “Take it or not. I don’t fucking care.”
Cassie squealed and jumped from her seat. “We’ll take it. I’ll ask Aidyn to make an announcement.”
“There are a few requirements in order for this to happen,” Hades responded, squashing their ecstatic vibe in the room.
“Here we go,” Katie snorted. Lileta gave her the side-eye.
“My name does not get mentioned in public. How would it look if the ruler of Hell performed a good deed?”
Cassie was quick to nod. “No problem.”
“Next, someone needs to keep an eye on this hellhole while I’m gone.”
The girls exchanged glances. “What exactly do we need to do?” Lileta asked.
Hades shrugged. “You know. The usual shit, like don’t let the mice play while daddy’s away.”
“We will all pitch in,” Cassie said.
“Perfect.” Hades didn’t bother to hide his shit-eating grin. Instead a parchment appeared on the table in front of them. “You will all sign, then we will have a deal.”
The girls sat around the ten-foot oak conference table at the command center that was tucked deep in the Carpathian Mountains. To say Lileta was nervous was a severe understatement. She’d asked Aidyn to call the meeting with the others because she had something to share. Almost everyone was there except for Lucan. The poor man had recently found out his mate was the sister of their mortal enemy, Lowan. How could he be expected to wrap his head around that?
The others, Katie and Seth sat to her right with Ranata and Baal next to them. Cassie and Marcus were on the left with Marcus’s sister Gwen beside him. A vacant seat for Lucan and then Caleb and herself. Aidyn was at the head. Guilt slid over Lileta because Gwen hadn’t been at the shower and therefore not part of their little scheme. However, the female guardian had been out on a top-secret mission or she would have been at the shower. Lileta would have to remember to corner Gwen later for details.
Lucan finally strode through the door looking like absolute shit. Lileta doubted the vampire had slept in weeks. Maybe even months. This war was taking a toll on all of them.
“Excellent, everyone is here.” Aidyn twirled a pen between his fingers. “I called this meeting at the request of Lileta”––all eyes turned to her––“so the floor is yours.”
Both her mate, Caleb, and her brother, Baal, gave her a questioning look. Caleb tried to slip into her mind, but she slammed down a barrier which caused his gaze to narrow.
“So. Where to start?”
“Ahem. I just want to say that all of the women here––with the exception of Gwen––were involved and we all agree,” Katie stated.
“What the hell did you do?” A chorus of male voices rang out as they all pinned their mates with a lethal glare.
“I approached the girls and told them my wish to have peace for the holidays. I think it will go a long way in giving humanity hope,” Cassie blurted out.
“Well, love. That’s a noble idea, but you know it’s impossible. We are barely keeping our heads above water since we are way outnumbered. Until the Phoenix god rises, we’re pretty much screwed,” Marcus pointed out.
“I know and maybe by doing this we can gain the trust of the people. You need reinforcements. Maybe this will bring everyone together and Aidyn might get some volunteers. So, we came up with a plan. We asked Hades for help,” Cassie replied.
Seth raised a brow. “You mean he was invited to your little soiree, and Zarek didn’t zap you all into the next century?”
Cassie fidgeted. “Well...”
“I took everyone to Hades,” Lileta quickly confessed.
“What?” Seth and Marcus exploded with expletives. Arguments about how it was dangerous in the Underworld and the women should have never gone there alone came from the two guardians, their alpha male chests puffed out. The only ones who seemed unfazed were Baal, Lucan, and Gwen. Aidyn had a puzzled look on his face but remained quiet.
Cassie and Katie, irritated at being considered weak, let their mates know in no uncertain terms that they were adults with their own powers and what the hell would Hades do to them anyway? They were lucky Katie didn’t bring down the ceiling. Being a goddess, she was likely the most powerful one in the room, but ready to give birth at any moment, her powers had gone a bit wonky.
“Enough,” Aidyn’s tone was low and even, yet rose above the ruckus. Once he had everyone’s attention, he began again. “Ladies. I think your hearts are in the right place and agree, humanity needs a break. What did Hades say?”
Everyone took their seats and Lileta spoke up. “He said he would give us nearly forty-eight hours beginning Christmas eve and ending at midnight on Christmas.” Shock registered on every face except those who had actually talked to the god.
Aidyn started to smile. “I should have known he would rebel.” Then lines of worry creased his forehead. “What did he want in return?”
“He said the four of us have to watch over his realm while he was gone,” Cassie replied.
“Hell no!” Marcus’s eyes turned the color of molten steel.
“I agree with Marcus.” Seth was rather stern. “You’re about to give birth, Katie. The last place you need to go into labor is Hell.”
Cassie crossed her arms. “I’m not backing down. Besides, it’s not like we need to be there the entire time.” She glared at her mate. “You keep me locked away with the gods, and I agreed only because of our daughter. However, Qadira loves our little girl and would be happy to watch over her should I need to leave.”
“No. I forbid it.”
“As do I,” Seth agreed.
Yelling ensued, powers flared, and plaster actually fell from the ceiling. Aidyn jumped to his feet.
“Enough!” Banging his fists on the table.
Lileta was pretty new to the scene here and had always seen the guardian king calm and collected. With his fangs descended and his gaze darkened, there was no doubt he’d had enough of the bickering.
“Look. If it will make you feel better, I think Ranata and I can handle babysitting watch,” Lileta offered. It did make sense. She was a demon after all and Ranata was Baal’s mate. This could work.
Aidyn looked to Baal who shrugged his shoulders. “My mate is capable and I’m pretty sure every demon worldwide knows if they fuck with her, I will kill them.” His eyes narrowed. “Slowly. I can keep a demon alive for centuries while I torture the shit out of him.”
Aidyn nodded then looked to Caleb.
“Considering my mate is the sister of the most powerful demon in Hades’ army, mated to a dragon and Hades’ own blood, I doubt she’s in any danger. Besides, like Baal, I have faith in her abilities.”
Marcus shot a glare of daggers at the other two males. “Way to make us look like shit.”
Again, Baal shrugged. “You did it to yourself. Cassie is a smart girl. Seth, I can understand. Katie is ready to give birth anytime, but I would have thought you knew better by now than to tell her no.”
Marcus let out a low growl and Gwen punched him in the shoulder. “What the hell?” He snarled at his sister.
“Stop being a pain in the ass. It’s not like she has to spend the entire time there. If it makes you feel any better, I will go with.” Gwen gave her brother her best sisterly glare.
“Oh, my sister and my mate in Hell. Fucking great.” He tossed his hands up. “Fine. I can see I will fare no better at this battle than I have with the demons.”
Cassie laid a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you. Though, now that your curse is broken, there is nothing to stop you from checking in on us when we are there.”
He simply grunted. Lileta hoped he wasn’t too mad at Cassie.
“Fine, it’s settled.” Aidyn sat back in his chair. “I’ll let everyone know.”
Hades pulled in a long, deep breath, enjoying the scent of the salt air as the waves crashed along the shore. It was barely sunrise on Christmas Eve and as promised he’d popped into the human realm. Of course, he chose the beach of Emerald Isle, North Carolina as his first stop.
It had been a long time. Way too long in fact since he’d left Hell. Not that he was able to without an invitation, thanks to his brothers. It was one of the stipulations placed upon him when he was given the realm to watch over. Zarek thought Hades might create too much chaos if left to his own devices and his brother was probably right. Hades had a knack for getting into trouble. It kinda came with the territory. If you were going to rule over evil, you had to be worse than your subjects or they would disregard your every command. He had strived to become everyone’s worst nightmare and succeeded.
“How the fuck did you get here?”
Ah, there was Zarek. Hades kept his back to the bastard. “Obviously, I was invited.”
“Well, no shit. By who?”
“I thought I sensed you here,” Argathos spoke.
Hades turned to face the other god. “Shouldn’t your visions have told you I was coming?” Argathos was the god of visions and normally knew before anyone else what the future held.
“Perhaps I did.” The god’s mouth twitched.
“What the hell?” Zarek roared and turned to face Argathos. “My own brother. You should have told me.”
This time Hades chuckled. “You always did like to throw a tantrum. Even as a child you were fucking bossy.” The four gods had been born only minutes apart. Zarek first, so he had been in line to become king. Pyros, their now dead brother the Phoenix came next, then Hades the middle child, and Argathos the spoiled baby. One might think they should all be quadruplets twins, but nothing was further from the truth. However, there were a few similarities between them. Zarek and Hades shared the same black hair as their father, while Argathos had their mother’s much lighter brown locks. Zarek also had their father’s scary-ass silver eyes. Thankfully, Hades and Argathos shared their mother’s dark chocolate color, though Hades’ did tend to turn the color of fire when he was pissed––or being evil––pretty much the same thing.
“I am the oldest, therefore your king once father was gone,” Zarek replied.
Hades waved him off. “And you deemed I would be in charge of those who had gone rogue. You convinced me to take over the realm of Hell and oversee the evil dropped there.” His anger grew and the waves crashing on the beach became more thunderous. He’d best rein it in or he might create a worldwide catastrophe. Wouldn’t that be something? Headlines would read.
Hades saves earth from demons but unleashes the worst tsunami in history, destroying humankind.
It would certainly give the humans something else to think about, but it wasn’t his style.
“You were sent there because you have Father’s evil streak.” Zarek lifted a heavy shoulder. “Besides, who better to keep evil in line than the most feared god ever?”
Hades rubbed his chin. He rather liked that title. “I’ve learned to control myself over the centuries.” He recalled the first several hundred years when he’d tortured every soul that entered his domain. He’d been pissed at his brother for locking him away, but as time passed, he had realized it was the right decision. Fuck if he would admit it though. If he could make Zarek feel even the slightest bit of guilt, he would. It was how he rolled.
Centuries later, when Hades finally came out of his red haze, he’d reincarnated the souls less evil and trained them for his army. A select few had even been granted some of his power, though none would ever grow more powerful than him. Hades was able to see inside the soul. Find the dark that resided in every living being. Even now as he stared at his brothers, he knew their darkest side. It was likely what scared Zarek most. Hades knew how low his big brother could sink to get what he desired, and if Hades stuck around too long, his own darkness became a magnet and bad shit happened to decent people.
Zarek narrowed his gaze and studied Hades under his imaginary microscope. Several minutes ticked by before he spoke again. “It’s not time for you to be here, so who invited you and why?”
Hades might be one bad ass, but he was no snitch. Who knew what Zarek might do to his own. However, Lileta belonged to the demon realm and fell under Hades’ domain, as now did Ranata. “Lileta and Ranata came to me requesting a favor. I granted it.”
Zarek’s chest puffed out as his anger rose.
“Brother, is it too much to ask for a direct answer?” Argathos had always been the voice of reason and Hades’ favorite.
“Fine. They wanted peace for Christmas, so I’m here to grant it.” He held up his hand. “It’s only until midnight tomorrow and I best get to summoning my demons before I am accused of not being a man of my word.” He snapped his fingers and vanished. Zarek’s anger still surrounded him like a black cloud.