Page 1 of Underworld

Prologue

Ten years. It has taken ten long years to take over this state. We took over our city in less than five years, but we needed the entire state. Every police officer, politician, city official, and anyone else with power is now under our control. Everyone except the governor, but that will come in time. All good things come to those who wait and all that shit. My brothers and I now rule what we call the Underworld, and we will rain hellfire down upon those who stand against us. Hades, Cerberus, Charon, and Thanatos are in control, and we look forward to finally seeing our girl again. She’s our queen, our goddess, our Persephone. We did this all for her. We are her demons to rule and use as she wishes. She just doesn’t know it yet.

Chapter One

Jace

Ten years ago . . .

At fourteen, I didn’t really understand the term “heartbreak.” How could a heart break? I thought it was just a stupid term. I . . . was wrong.

“Hey, J!”

I look up and smile at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl running toward us. My brothers, well brothers by choice, and I stand by our tree house waiting for her. I lift my hand in greeting. The tiny ten-year-old is a feisty little thing, but my brothers and I vowed to protect her a year ago when she stumbled across our treehouse covered in bruises. Her father is a grade-A douchecanoe who really needs to be put in jail. But unfortunately, he’s the mayor of our town. No one will go against him when he has every police officer and gang member in his pocket. So a couple of kids vowed to protect her. We’ve managed so far.

“Hey, Moonbeam!” Alec says beside me. She rolls her eyes but smiles as she makes her way to us.

“How long can you stay, Starlight?” Howe asks as he makes his way up the tree ladder.

She purses her lips. “I still don’t understand the weird nicknames.”

“Maybe one day we’ll explain, Sunshine.” Zane laughs as he follows Howe.

She rolls her eyes and says, “Whatever. Anyway, my dad is staying out until about eight tonight. He said I needed to be home by then.”

I bristle at her tone. “What's that supposed to mean?”

She shrugs as she reaches for the first step to climb up. “Not sure. He just said I had to be there by eight.”

I grunt as I start up the stairs, with Alec following behind me. We all make ourselves comfortable and settle in. We spent the rest of the day playing games and laughing, not realizing that our whole world was about to change.

I watch as she makes her way down the stairs of the tree house. She looks up and smiles when she sees all four of us looking down at her. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” she says with a laugh, then heads back to her house. I huff out a sigh.

“What's up with you, man?” Zane questions as I return to my spot on the beanbag and fall on it.

I shrug. “Not sure. I just have a bad feeling.” Eight o’clock rolls around, and I suddenly hear banging and yelling. I jump up and rush over to the window facing Jane’s house. A bunch of hooded figures surround the house, and I watch as her father drags her out of their home. “Fuck!” I swear as the others jump up around me. I turn and rush to the tree house entrance, jumping for the swing rope and sliding down to the ground. As I run toward her, the others rush out behind me. “Jane!”

She looks up, and fear spreads across her face. “Jace! No, stop!” she screams.

I ignore her as I run. I hear grunts behind me and briefly look over my shoulder. My brothers fought the men and now have them pinned on the ground. I pause. “Shit,” I grunt out.

Howe looks up at my voice, grunting as he fights. “Don’t fucking stop on our account! Get our fucking girl!”

Nodding, I continue running toward our girl. I almost get to her, and she holds out her hand while fighting her father's grasp. My hand almost grasps hers; I’m so close. Out of nowhere, a man comes out of the darkness to grab me, and I don’t see him coming until it’s too late. My hand misses hers as I’m thrown to the side. I see the tears fall from her eyes as she resigns herself to whatever happens next. She smiles, and I barely hear the words as she whispers, “Thank you.”

I yell and scream as I’m held on the ground, fighting with everything I am to get to our girl. To get to our light. She’s the only good thing in our lives. We promised to protect her! We promised to be her protectors! We promised! I watch helplessly as she is tossed into the back of a car. She throws herself against the rear window, and I hear her screaming, “Don’t hurt them! Please! Don’t hurt them!”

I thrash on the ground, trying to get to her, even as the car pulls away. Suddenly, the weight on me is lifted. Before I can turn around to fight the guy who held me down, he’s gone. Every single person who was just here is gone, except for my brothers walking toward me. I look back in the car's direction, hoping this is just a bad dream. For this nightmare to end. This isn’t real. It can’t be. I feel a shoulder brush against mine, and I turn to find Zane looking at me. He seems so lost.

“What are we going to do?” he asks quietly.

I look back in the direction of the missing car. That’s when I realize that this isn’t a nightmare. This is real. Our Moonbeam. Our Starlight. Our Sunshine. She’s gone. Our light is gone. Snuffed out. My vision becomes blurry. Heartbreak is real. That’s the only way I can describe the utter pain in my chest. The feeling of someone slowly shredding my heart into pieces. Heartbreak is real, and I know my brothers feel it too.

Chapter Two

Jane

10 years later…

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