AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Hades shrugged. “That’s what I said.”
“Never.”
“It’s not my decision, Bertha.” Hades spoke in an exaggeratedly soothing tone. Was he trying to tell her that she was totally overreacting? “This is Gaia’s private lair. She can make any rules she wants.”
Bertha stomped her foot. Who cared if she was overacting? Crawl on her belly? Unacceptable.
“Stupid rules,” she muttered.
“Agreed.”
They glared at each other for a long moment, until the distant call of some exotic bird trilling in the shadows broke the silence. Deep inside, Bertha knew she was being unreasonable. As Hades had pointed out, he wasn’t the one who made the rules in this realm. And they were only there because he’d agreed to help her save Levet from the minotaurs. But that didn’t keep her from feeling outraged at being treated as if she were a worm.
“Fine,” she finally forced herself to mutter.
Closing her eyes, Bertha put aside her annoyance to concentrate. Changing form wasn’t a natural talent for a gargoyle, and she wasn’t entirely sure what she was supposed to do. It wasn’t like it came with a manual or anything.
At first, she strained her muscles in an effort to transform herself into a different shape. Maybe she could physically force herself to shift. Unfortunately, the only thing that happened was a cramp in her ass. She grunted in pain, shaking her hind leg in an effort to ease the spasm. That didn’t work. She clearly needed a new tactic.
Keeping her eyes closed, she told herself to relax. Last time she’d simply awakened in the shape of a human. Easy peasy. That had to mean that there was nothing she needed to do beyond letting Hades’s magic to do its thing, right?
It was as good a plan as any.
She cleared her mind of everything but the aggravating male who was standing just a few inches away. Even with the drumbeat of power from Gaia beneath her feet, she could feel the massive pulses of magic that surrounded Hades. They washed over her like the waves of an ocean, surrounding her in the warm, enticing scent of cypress. She allowed the magic to flow through her, slowly feeling his heat burn her from the inside out. Was she melting? That’s what it felt like. As if she’d become a gooey ball that he could transform into any shape he wanted.
Gooey gargoyle? Hmm. That didn’t seem like a good thing, but it was the only way to explain what was happening. It wasn’t until the sensation had passed and she was once again a solid shape that she opened her eyes and glanced down.
As expected, she’d shrunk by several feet and her sturdy arms and legs were now delicately curved. She was wearing a thin satin gown that did nothing to keep the thorns on a nearby bush from stabbing into her flesh. Curly gold hair tumbled over her shoulders and when she glanced over her shoulders, she could catch the faintest outline of ephemeral wings.
The form was perfect for traveling in the human cities, but it sucked in the middle of a jungle.
Slapping a mosquito that landed on her cheek, she glared at Hades. “Are you happy now?”
He took a step toward her, his fingers brushing the spot where the mosquito had stolen her blood. Instantly the tiny wound was healed.
“I’m always happy when you’re near,” he murmured, flames visible in the depths of his eyes. “And to me, you’re beautiful in any form you choose.”
“You’re getting better,” Bertha praised the god. It was the only way to properly train him.
His fingers brushed her lower lip. “Give me time. I’ll be perfect.”
“Hmm.”
A shiver of pleasure raced through Bertha, but before she could wrap her arms around Hades’s neck and properly reward him for his efforts, there was a rustle in the bushes behind her.
Jerking around, she watched a tall, reed-thin male with a bald head and eyes too large for his narrow face step through the vines. He was wearing a green robe. Or maybe it was a white robe covered in mold. Hard to say. As he reached them, he bowed deep enough for the top of his head to brush the weeds. Impressive.
“Lord Hades,” the servant murmured as he straightened. “My mistress eagerly awaits your visit. Follow me.”
Without glancing in Bertha’s direction, the creature waved a bony hand and the trees parted to reveal the opening of a large cave.
Bertha arched her brows as she glanced in Hades’s direction. His features were as beautiful as ever, but there was a remote hardness in his expression she hadn’t seen before.
“Eagerly?” she asked, annoyed with the goddess before she even met her.
“Let’s get this over with,” he muttered, marching toward the cave.
Chapter 13
