Page 25 of Hades

I saw the hesitation in Lettie’s eyes, and I wondered how old she was. How many years separated us? Was she too young for me? Would she look at me the way she was looking at Cash? Filled with suspicion and judgment?

“Lettie, I would really appreciate it if my children could stay with you.” Diana’s tone shifted, turning softer. “If you had more room, I might ask to stay with you too,” she added, glaring at her brother.

Zeus stood to the side with his arms crossed over his chest, unwilling to budge. The man was more stubborn than his father had ever been. More rigid and unforgiving.

“I wish I had more room for all of you.”

“Thank you.” Diana turned to Kytten. “I’ll have your father drive you over and bring the van back.”

“Oh, no need. I have a truck. She can ride with me.”

“Are you sure?” Rhea asked. “How will your mother feel about company?”

Her mother?

“It’s not her house.” Lettie shrugged. “I apologize now for the woman who gave me life.” Her small laugh sounded apologetic, but also like a melody only I could hear. Soft and musical and fucking intoxicating.

“We don’t want to be a burden,” Kytten said.

“Nonsense. She rarely comes out of her room anyway.”

I stood quietly as she walked to her truck, Cash and Kytten following behind her. How had I not known this woman existed? I wondered why her mother might be a problem, and even more, why she never left her room.

A hand clamped down on my shoulder. I glanced at my brother out of the corner of my eye, not wanting to lose sight of her until I absolutely had to.

“Don’t even think about it, big brother. Pretty sure Kraken’s already laid his claim.”

“I don’t fucking think so,” I said.

Kraken was a big son of a bitch, but he was only a brother. As VP, I had first refusal. The only man above me was Zeus, and I knew he wouldn’t be interested.

Violet Foster was too soft for Zeus. Too pure for him to ever consider going there.

But for me?

I wasn’t just looking to get my dick wet. I was looking for a place to drown. Somewhere to lose myself completely and sink so deep I’d never find my way back to the surface.

I walked into church and groaned when I saw my father and the other founders sitting there. Zeus wanted to talk to them, find out how much they knew, but I wanted to live in ignorance where my father was concerned. I didn’t want to know if he’d been involved in that shit. Didn’t want to face the possibility that the man I’d worshipped my entire life was just as much a monster as Kronos.

I sat in my chair and waited for the others, my eyes locked on my father’s. He didn’t squirm. Jupiter had been VP before me. You didn’t get to this position by being weak or flinching when someone stared you down.

Zeus and Apollo were the last to enter. Apollo was adjusting to the chair quickly; his room had been moved downstairs temporarily. Zeus wanted to wait before making any major changes to the clubhouse until we knew if Apollo’s paralysis was permanent.

Apollo agreed.

Zeus and I both assured him his position didn’t require him to go on runs. We’d spare no expense to ensure Apollo had a bike he could ride. Custom-built if necessary, modified to accommodate his injury.

Zeus sat down beside me in his chair. It was a chair I never wanted; hell, I wasn’t sure I wanted the one I had anymore. Ignorance truly was bliss. The patched brothers who weren’t officers never had to deal with this shit, never had to know the ugly truths that kept them up at night.

“I miss the days when we were ignorantly unaware of the bullshit, brother,” I muttered to Zeus.

He snorted. “Were we ever really ignorant?” he asked, slamming the gavel on the table. The sound cracked through the room, sharp and final.

Maybe he was right. As sons of the president and VP, we’d always known more than we should have. We grew up in the shadows of this club, watching our fathers make decisions that would haunt us for the rest of our lives.

“Zeus, from all of us, condolences on the loss of your father. Kronos will be missed,” my father said.

“Did you know all the shit he was into?” Zeus asked.