Excerpt
Hades drank from a golden goblet, his eyes closed as the screams rippled through the stagnant air.
It was a glorious melody, one he knew all too well. He'd been born into a world that hated him.
Death was his occupation and the Underworld was his home.
He could thank his brother for that.
He grimaced and opened his onyx eyes to gaze upon the sea of bodies writhing on the floor of the Pits of Despair. It was nothing more than a harem of souls desperate for attention. He sneered at the sight of them.
No amount of beautiful women could quench his thirst, and yet they came in hordes to pledge their loyalty and allegiance to him. No one even batted an eyelash when it was revealed that one fresh soul would be sacrificed each full moon to his hell hound.
Enchanting them had been easy, and they proved loyal until death.
Margot stepped beside him, her arms crossed over her full bosom. She tilted her head, and dark hair cascaded in lush amber waves over her slender shoulders.
She was a vampire—immune to the effects of crossing over from the human to spirit realm. As his assistant, he'd brought her along to survey the new souls that had arrived. They were waiting for one particular kind—the kind that were special.
"You do know that Zeus will punish you for this," she said, and yawned.
He drank the last of the wine and tossed the goblet down the stairs that went nearly one-hundred feet into the earth. It clanked against the stone until it met the grasping hands of the fresh souls.
"Do you think I'd be daft enough to get caught?" Hades asked. A mischievous smile came to his lips. "I've summoned the Fates to handle this one."
Margot's brows rose. "For her?" she asked. "You've put yourself in danger…for her?"
Hades didn't reply. But, Margot knew the answer. They both did.
He grabbed his cloak and transformed it into a suit jacket with a blink of an eye. He slipped it on, and left the Pits of Despair. The shadowy veil was sealed behind him as he stalked up the ancient stairs of his castle to step into the night.
Margot's question still echoed in his mind.
For her—the goddess who got away—the goddess he would lose it all for.
"Yes," he said, pulling in a long breath of fresh air as he leaped into the night sky and transformed from a man, to a black dragon with the wingspan the blotted out the moon and scales that glittered in its light.
Margot didn't follow, which was just as well. He needed to be alone.
Inanna would be his…even if he had to slay millions of humans, angels, and vampires to get her attention.
