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“Perhaps isn’t good enough. Verbally accept my offer, and I’ll explain everything.” Hades might not do something out of the goodness of his heart, but he often did things for the sake of his rampant curiosity. The only ace Rathbone currently possessed.
“Does this have anything to do with rumors about your secret son?” Hades asked. He kissed the cat’s face and held it out for Pippen to collect.
The servant claimed the feline, who clawed his arms into a bloody mess before diving to the floor. Pippen revealed no reaction.
“Maximus is your great-nephew,” Neeka piped up. “Family is supposed to help family, I’m told.”
“I am my family, and I help me,” Hades said.
Rathbone measured his breaths. He hadn’t given the Astra the orb—yet—but a countdown clock consumed his mind. An ominous ticktock he couldn’t escape. Only twenty hours, seventeen minutes, and forty-three seconds remained. Forty-two. Forty-one. Enough time for Neeka to chat with Siobhan, learn what she needed to learn, find what she needed to find, and hopefully spark a vision.
Unless she was aiding the Astra and setting Rathbone up for further failure? The thoughthadcrossed his mind a time or twelve. Look how susceptible he’d been to Lore’s lies and schemes. To those of Neeka herself. But they’d been on different terms then. And his oracle wasn’t his former wife. One lacked integrity. The other wouldn’t violate hers for any reason.
No, Neeka wasn’t aiding the Astra.
“What if I demand the Kingdom of Agonies instead, hmm?” the king asked.
Rathbone flinched inside. This, he’d suspected. If he agreed to do it, if he handed over the kingdom he’d fought so hard to acquire, Hades would accept, no doubt about it. Would Neeka be disappointed and therefore less likely to become his queen?
I’ll win her another kingdom.“Verbally accept my offer,” he said, “and Agonies is yours.”
The king double blinked, a sign of his unparalleled shock. He looked to Neeka as his cat jumped to the top of his throne and perched. “You wouldn’t mind losing your new kingdom?”
She shrugged. “Who says we won’t win it back?”
Hades was the one to snort this time. “As if I’d want your hovel of a realm. The renovation alone would empty my treasury. No, I desire something that will cost you far more. An admission that I was right all those eons ago when I told you about Lore’s trickery.”
“Don’t you dare!” Neeka spun in front of Rathbone. Her dark eyes glittered with cunning rather than concern. “Let me challenge him to a duel. Or kill him outright here and now. Or tell him about the vision I just had of his future. But your dignity is mine.”
As she spoke, Rathbone watched herandHades. The male projected only amusement until she mentioned the vision. Then he went still.
Rathbone almost smiled. Brilliant Neeka. She’d offered bait and hooked a big fish. Two fish, actually. He was curious to hear about the vision himself. “Very well, love. I’ll keep my dignity.”
“Thank goodness!” She kissed him before facing the king. “Well? Your move.”
Hades tapped his claws against the chair arms. “I’ll hear the vision, and in return, I’ll grant you a one minute chat with my mirror. Two if I like what you have to say. The interaction will occur here, and I will bear witness.”
“Five minutes,” Neeka proclaimed. “Because you’re going to hate what I have to say.”
There was no stopping Rathbone’s smile now.
Glowering and stiff, Hades nodded. “Done. Five minutes with the mirror in exchange for a detailed accounting of both your vision and your coming interaction with my goddess.”
Behind him, soldiers rushed over. Using ropes and pulleys, they lowered the mirror and secured it upright.
“Leave us,” he commanded when they finished.
The soldiers zoomed out. Pippen and his clipboard stayed behind.
“I’ll cancel the rest of your appointments for the day, Majesty,” the servant said, his tone as efficient as his manner. “I’ll also cancel your afternoon orgy and pencil in a good long pout in case the young lady is correct.”
Hades scowled. “Very good, Pippen. Now, let us proceed.”
Neeka waited for Rathbone’s nod before telling the other male, “Most of my visions are clips of reality. Sometimes they are symbolic. I’ll let you decide which this is.” She inhaled, exhaled. “You stand at a crossroads. One fork leads into a violent storm, where hail pelts an overgrown jungle with traps hidden throughout. But, beyond the storm and the jungle, a paradise awaits. A beautiful black female with white hair beckons you over. You go to her, overcoming many injuries along the way. She cuts out her heart and gifts it to you.”
“And the other fork?” Hades demanded. Did he realize he was now white-knuckling the arms of his throne?
“A paradise that leads to a hellscape. Along the path, the sun is shining, flowers are blooming, and birds are singing. But a storm rages at the end, where the same female awaits, beckoning you. Once again, you go to her. When you reach her, you are without wounds. Until she claws out your heart and eats it.”
