“You like her.” There was a grin in Lucifer’s voice.
Like?
I’d never heard such a weak word in all my life. “I need her.”
“You’ve invited her to dinner, so I am certain that this is more than a need situation.”
“You’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
“What I’m talking about is unprecedented territory.”
“You’re an irritation.” I knew why she was coming to dinner. So that she would eat and be forced to stay here. There was no need to tell him why. I turned to look at him. “It is time for you to leave.”
“There’s something different about you.”
Cold sliced through my heart. “There is not.”
Lucifer raised his hands. “No need to get testy. Just saying what a tasty morsel she appears to be.”
Tasty morsel?
It was a term I was entirely unfamiliar with, though it was clear enough what he meant. Lack of experience did not indicate lack of knowledge.
I just wasn’t built that way, like a mortal.
I thought of her wandering through the halls, of my guards watching her movements. They were loyal, but they had their weaknesses.
They could be a threat to her.
So too could the other gods, some of whom stopped by to pay a visit occasionally. To bother me, more like.
I could not allow them to hurt her, to get in the way of my plans.
“When she leaves her quarters, watch her,” I said.
“Watch her?”
I nodded. “She can’t escape but see that no harm comes to her.”
His brows rose. “You would choose me for this task? You know how I am around women, and she’s yours.”
“Not in that way.” I knew he spoke of physical union, something a machine had no use for. “As long as she fulfills the purpose for which I have taken her, she can do what she likes while she is here.” Something distinctly uncomfortable twisted in my chest at the thought, but I forcibly ignored it. “Just see to it that no harm comes to her.”
Lucifer shrugged. “I’ll do my best.”
“You will succeed. Nothing can happen to her.”
“Aye, Captain.” He saluted, then turned and left.
I turned back toward the window, fighting the desire to go to the mirror to watch her. She was a pawn. A chess piece. That was all.
Seraphia
I hurried down the hall away from Hades’ quarters, my mind racing.
A pawn.
What a bastard.
Ha. Calling me a pawn was the least of it. The image of the flayed bodies in the city square flickered in my mind’s eye. And the memory of his power forcing me to comply was still printed on my legs.
He wasn’t a bastard. He was a monster. Cold and hard.
And he wanted me at dinner. At his table.
Why? And was I really going to go?
Yes.
He would drag me there if I didn’t. And I needed to, for Mac.
My stomach grumbled at the idea of dinner, and I looked down at it. Shut up, you. We’re not eating for a while. Dinner is about info, not food.
Charging into his room had been an idea, but not a good one. For one, it had been dangerous. As soon as I’d arrived, I’d realized that he didn’t always have the mist surrounding him. He had to consciously make it happen, and I had no idea how to get him to do that.
Not to mention, Lucifer had been lingering right outside. He’d leaned right against the door, making it creak.
But if I joined Hades for dinner, maybe I could get him drunk. Maybe I could lower his guard enough and learn more. Because right now, I was powerless. Knowledge was the only power I could get my hands on, and tonight, I was going to try.
It took a few missed turns, but I reached my quarters eventually. The door opened easily, and I slipped inside. Carefully, I stashed the bottle on the desk, then returned to the window.
Stars glittered overhead, thousands of them, bright and beautiful. The ocean below had calmed, and the light glittered on the surface. A black bird swept through the air in the distance, flying low over the water.
How was this dark place so beautiful?
A knock sounded at the door, interrupting my thoughts.
I turned, heart racing. “Yes?”
“A bath, my lady.” The quiet, feminine voice drifted through the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and a woman entered. She was familiar. “I saw you in the hall. You can transport.”
“Not out of this realm, my lady.” Her eyes flashed with worry. “So don’t even think to ask it. I would never betray my master.”
The fear in her voice killed any plan I had to enlist her help. At least, in that way. She’d never do it.
“Of course, I understand.” I tried to make my voice as nice as I could. I needed whatever help I could get.
She curtsied and entered, then hurried to a wall where a large mirror stood. “This is the bath.”
I watched as she pressed on the dark frame around the mirror. It swung open like a door, revealing a small chamber beyond. I followed her into the room, finding a relatively modern bathroom. An enormous copper bathtub sat against a large window that provided a view of the water beyond. It was open, allowing a faint breeze to waft in, carrying the salty scent of the sea.
The woman leaned over the tub, and with a quick wave of her hand, it filled with fragrant, steaming water. Rose petals floated on top. She stood and turned, gesturing to the tap protruding from the wall. “You can fill it the slow way with that.”
“Thank you.”
“Will that be all, miss?” An expectant smile stretched across her face, but her eyes said she wanted to run.
Bathe alone, or try to make a friend?
The friend option felt unnatural, considering the way I’d lived my life up until now. But it was also the smart option.
Anyway, I’d already screwed it up and drawn the devil himself right to my doorstep. At this point, I needed allies more than I needed to stay hidden.
“Um, could you stay and keep me company?”
Her brows rose. “While you’re naked?”
I shrugged. “I’m not shy.”
Lie. Actually, I was pretty shy.
But I was also desperate.
“Please. I insist.” I didn’t know if I had any power here, but I was in the fancy room, and she was wearing the maid uniform, so maybe she had to do what I said.
Just the idea of it made me feel guilty, but I wanted info. Needed info. For Mac.
“All right, then.” She walked toward the other side of the room and sat on the chair that had been pulled up in front of a vanity.
“Thanks.” I stripped out of my clothes and climbed into the tub, sighing at the warm, lovely water. The scent of roses surrounded me, and I could see the glittering ocean through the low window. The same bird swooped closer on a current of air. “I’m Seraphia.”
“Um . . . I am Kerala.”
“You work here?”
“All my life.”
“Are you . . . dead?” Was that the polite way to ask?
From the way her brows shot up, I was going to take that as a no.
“Not that I’m aware of,” she said.
“But is this hades? Is he really Hades?”
“Of course.”