AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hades…” she whispers. She sounds afraid.
I am on a precipice, poised between two lives. In my bones, I can feel the momentousness of this moment in time. On one hand, Ares stands, reminding me of the nomadic life I lived with my brothers and how much wealth and success stands to be gained.
One the other is delicate young Persephone, her swollen stomach a sign of the future she now offers me. I suck in a breath, already knowing just who I’m ready to go to war to protect.
Ares catches my expression and his lip curls derisively. Before I can say another word, Ares steps back, giving me a flinty look. “Run along with yer bitch, then.”
My shoulders twitch as I stare him down. He seems haughty, which in my current mood is the nail in the coffin for me. It’s time to tell him who is the boss. I lean closer, a wicked intent in my eyes.
“Ye don’t tell me what to do, little brother.”
Penny wraps her body around my arm, trying to pull me back again. “Hades…”
Ares sneers at me, shaking his head.
“Look at ye. Ye’ve just found her and yet she has ye jumping around at her commands, like yer nothing but her well trained lap dog. It’s like Ma and Da, ye know. Just like history repeating itself.”
I growl at him, feeling the need to fight building in my chest and rippling through my veins.
His face contorts with disgust and he turns on one heel, storming away. His words cut into me, lashing me to the bone.
“What, yer going to leave me here like this?” I grate out.
Ares doesn’t slow down. I stare after his retreating figure, my hands clenching and unclenching.
Penny pulls me back into the real world by pulling on my hand again. “Hades?”
My heart lurches. I glance down at her for just a second. My heart starts pounding when I’m faced with a bigger, more messy problem.
Even if the child is mine…
What the fuck am I supposed to do with a fragile new life in this messed up world?
I can’t help myself. Reverting to my old ways, I take my feelings out on Penny.
“Be quiet,” I growl. “I have to figure out what to do with ye.”
Her eyes widen. “What do you mean by that?”
I give myself a shake and then fish my phone from my pocket, ordering a ride to the nearest hotel. All the while, I keep glancing at her stomach out of the corner of my eye. It’s just unbelievable that she should be in such a state. In all the time I spent imagining this reunion, I never for a second thought that Penny would be pregnant.
The question is, is it even my child?
If it is mine, I’ll deal with it.
But if not… I will have to deal with her, somehow.
My chest tightens with the thought of all the myriad possibilities.
“Can you say something?” Penny asks, frustrated.
I snap my head to the side and scowl down at Penny. Shaking loose of her grasp, I glower at her.
“What am I supposed to do with ye?” I ask her, my tone sharp. “Hmm? I’d love to know how the fuck ye disappeared for four months and now ye show up…” I wave at her belly, making my disgust apparent. “And yer obviously pregnant. It’s like ye are a cat that sneaked out of the house and came back just to give birth.”
Penny swallows, a protective hand going to her belly. “It’s your child, Hades.”
Letting out a snort of disbelief, I shake my head. “We’ll see what a doctor has to say about that.”
