AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You’re late.”
Minthe’s voice was like a whip, shattering his thoughts. He had sensed her the moment he entered the room—all fire and ice—and preferred to ignore her when she was like this.
He focused on adjusting his tie and cufflinks, silently relieved that he had chosen to use shadow magic to take Sisyphus’bodyguards down, so he did not have to hear the nymph demand answers. With his appearance restored, he turned to the flaming-haired nymph. Her lips, a shade darker than her hair, were twisted into a pout. She did not like being ignored.
“How can I be late, Minthe, when I abide by no one’s schedule but my own?”
Minthe had been his assistant since the beginning of time, and she went through phases where she would try to exercise rights over him—rights to his time, to his realm, and to his body. Her eagerness for control was not lost on him. He recognized the trait in her because he possessed it himself.
“Tardiness is not attractive, Hades, even from a god,” she snapped.
A smile threatened his lips, but he remained composed. His amusement would only anger her further.
“While you weredallying,” Hades narrowed his eyes at the jab,“I’vehad to entertain your guests.”
Hades’ brows furrowed and dread crawled up the back of his throat.“Who is waiting for me?”
He knew by Minthe’s expression—the way her eyes narrowed, the slight curl of her mouth—that he would not like her answer.
“Lady Aphrodite.”
“Fuck,” Hades muttered.
Minthe did not even trying to hide her amusement, her lips coiled into a full smirk.
“You might want to hurry,” she said.“When I insisted she wait for you here, she said there was plenty to entertain her downstairs.”
Fantastic. The only thing to ever come out of Aphrodite entertaining herself was war.
He sighed.“Thank you, Minthe.”
Clearly pleased by Hades’ expression of gratitude, Minthe uncrossed her arms, letting them fall at her sides.
“Shall I bring you a drink, my lord?”
“Yes. In fact, I am not to have an empty glass tonight.”
Hades vanished and appeared on the floor of his club, where he walked, silent and unseen. As always, it was packed with mortals and humanoids—nymphs, satyrs, chimeras, centaurs, ogres, and cyclopes. Some used glamour, others did not. Some merely wished to experience the thrill of attending the most notorious club in New Athens, others glanced longingly toward the upstairs lounge, hopeful one of Hades’ staff would offer the night’s password.
A password did not guarantee a game with the God of the Dead, it was just another step in the process. Once mortals passed through the doors of the lounge, fear settled in, and that fear either drew them away or made them desperate. It was the desperate Hades was most interested in—the ones who might change if offered the chance.
It was a delicate process and involved many players. Hades had lost his fair share of bargains, and he could feel those against his skin, a never-ending itch and reminder of failure, but if he could save one life on the path to destruction, he felt it was worth it.
Hades picked up the scent of Aphrodite’s magic—sea salt and roses—and found her sitting on the lap of an older, middle-aged man. He had dark, thinning hair. His forehead was greasy and his face chubby, melting into a sweaty neck, around which Aphrodite’s arms were laced, her breasts pressed against his chest. Hades noted a gold band on the man’s left ring finger. He did not have to look at the mortal’s soul to know he was a cheating bastard.
“Why don’t we go back to my place, baby?” the man asked as his hands explored Aphrodite’s body, moving across her ribs and over her thighs. Hades cringed as he observed the interaction.
“Oh, I really would like to stay just a little longer,” Aphrodite was saying.“Don’t you want to bargain with Hades?”
The man squeezed her, fingers digging into her bottom.“Not anymore. You’re everything I need.”
“Really?” Aphrodite said breathlessly, and leaned closer, her pink lips inches from his.
Hades had to admit, the Goddess of Love was a great actress. She hid her loathing for the man and distracted him with her hands as they drifted up his chest. Hades sensed her magic rising and knew she was compelling the man to tell her the truth as she asked her next question.
“What were you missing before?”
Hades knew the answer because he could see it. The mortal’s insecurities had grown claws as he had aged, and they twined with his narcissism and need to feel important. He held resentment like his child, close to his heart, and it had poisoned his blood, fueled his lies, and prompted his cheating spree. He had a little bit of humanity left in the guilt that sat upon his shoulders like a leering gargoyle. To numb the ache, he drank, but his tolerance for drinking had grown over the last few years, which meant he needed more to feel detached from what his life had become.
