Chapter 1
River
T
his had to be the most awkward family dinner I’d ever attended, and I’d dated some men without pets that met my parents before I realized I didn’t need their pets snitching to know they weren’t for me. I’d mentally prepared myself for my father being some sort of Hell creature. I wasn’t quite prepared for him looking exactly like me and finding out he was Hell royalty. What exactly did that make me as his illegitimate daughter?
He put his hand over mine. I didn’t know him at all, but it instantly set me at ease.
“I should explain some family history and Hell to you. We spread all this misinformation about it in the various realms for a good reason. Aside from this recent takeover nonsense a few dukes tried to orchestrate, we have very low crime compared to the other realms, and we just want to be left alone. Witches and warlocks have caused all sorts of issues summoning minor demons and killing them if they won’t cooperate. We don’t want them gatecrashing Hell too.”
“But you sent Charley and Finn here,” I said, blinking in confusion.
“Ah, yes. Charley and Finn. We do take outsiders in if they’ve been claimed by a demon or have proven themselves. There was a deal with the Fae a long time ago where they acquired Hell real estate. Charley ended up in prison with one of our dukes. Amduscias could have walked out of there at any time, but he fell in love with a Vampire. It turns out they were all just sitting around waiting for fate to bring them a woman who was meant to save Hell and the Fae realm.
“Charley was with them in that awful prison. She helped remove dreadful curses, and I like that witch. She’s a little twisted, and she fits right in. Finn was a hired gun to kill the kings of Hell during the takeover, but they didn’t know he had an honor code about who he does and doesn’t kill. When he found out the kings weren’t awful and it was the men who hired him that were in the wrong, he helped us end the takeover. Some tree demons might have helped with that.
“There are several witches and covens in Hell, but I’ve gotten to know Charley and Finn, and they are the only ones I trust with my daughter.”
“Well, the big protective dad thing is all well and good, but where have you been my entire life?”
“Ignorant to your existence. Even though I’m a duke, they only allow demons to realm travel with permission of the kings. I think you’ve figured out one of our gifts is talking to animals. Zepar, the demon who tried to overthrow Hell, had been permitted to live topside because he was causing trouble in our realm. Your mother bought what she thought was a cute puppy from him.
“I was sent to retrieve that puppy as it was actually a Hellhound, and humans aren’t equipped to own one. I went to visit with your mother. The little Hellhound was quite enamored of her and didn’t want to leave. It would have been sweet if she was a normal dog, but your mother put a pink collar on a Hellhound and gave her a teddy bear.
“She could have ruined the Hellhound and gotten her house burned down, but I was just so charmed she had tamed one like that. We ended up staying up all night talking, and we made love on the couch. We took all the precautions we needed so that a baby wouldn’t be born. I was extra careful because I knew in the morning I would have to disappear and bring that Hellhound home.”
I started choking on my wine.
“You mean you fucked my mom and stole her dog?”
Pavlina delicately put a piece of steak in her mouth.
“You haven’t seen Demeter’s pet in action. He did a kindness taking that dog. If it had been a normal pup, I’d eat him for you.”
“Zepar was a total shit, River,” Barbatos said. “That Hellhound was way too young to be away from her mother. When she got to the teenaged stage of being a Hellhound, she would have had tantrums and burned things. I took the puppy and yelled at Zepar. I left her a note with my phone number because I really liked her. I guess she was so mad I took her puppy she never called when she found out she was pregnant. I never heard from her again.”
“I get I can talk to animals because of you. Why can I talk to Kimon, Tryphon, Pavlina, and Demos when they are trapped in their monster forms?”
“Quite simple. There are several realms, River. The Olympians are powerful, but not even they can create something from nothing. They created all the monsters here from something. You can’t talk to all the monsters. Just the ones who were created from animals.”
“I’m not that basic, and I had parents,” Demos growled.
“We all do,” Kimon said.
“I don’t,” Tryphon pointed out.
“The originals of your line were created by merging an animal with a human and using one of the elements,” Hades said.
Cerberus was sitting at my feet. I had been slipping him table scraps. I stroked one of his heads.
“What about him?”
“Cerberus was a regular dog. I just upgraded him.”
“I’m the best dog ever now,” Cerberus said.
“Yes, you are,” I said, scratching him behind his ear.
Barbatos cocked an eyebrow at me.
“You have a little more in common with your monsters than you know. My demonic form is just a man. You should have one too, and it could be anything since I’m fire born.”
“Explain.”
“Most demons are born, but sometimes, demons are spat from the fires of Hell. They call us fire born, and we are always Hell royalty. Fire born all have a demonic form. You should have one too.”
Pavlina bat her eyelashes at me.
“Show us your monster, beautiful.”
“I’d like to see that too, baby bird.”
“Out with it, my pet.”
Even Demos, who had seemed so afraid of my fire, looked intrigued.
“I wouldn’t mind seeing that myself.”
“What are the possibilities, and how do I access it?”
My father just grinned at me.
“The possibilities are endless. I’ll have to work with you to access it. My legions are just waiting to come to help free the Underworld of Demeter’s influence. My general is trying to get the kings to permit more dukes to get involved. Amduscias wants to come. Now that I’m here, I’ve got your back, River.”
That was oddly comforting.
Chapter 2
Kimon
S
o, my baby bird might have a little monster form like the rest of us. I think that just made me like her more. I didn’t enjoy sitting this far away from her at the dinner table, but we had taken our usual seats when we dined with Hades and Persephone. Sometimes, we ate with them, and sometimes, we stood just outside the door guarding them.
It was always lovely to be invited, and I had a feeling River wouldn’t have taken no for an answer if Hades tried to leave us out. Her father seemed nice. He wasn’t some snob that demanded we leave the table. I wouldn’t have blamed him if he had. He would have been meeting his daughter for the first time. I think if I found out I had a secret daughter, I wouldn’t have wanted to have our first meeting with an audience.
Then again, I didn’t go around sleeping with women and stealing their pets. I understood why he took the Hellhound after seeing Lis in action, but if Barbatos and River could both talk to her and give her the promise of bringing her home, I had a feeling she’d be turning on Demeter in a hot minute.