Page 20 of Underworld

There’s a knock at my door before I hear, “Are you alright, Miss?”

I groan. Fuck. I walk to the door to my room and open it but wince and apologize when I see who’s there. “Sorry, Alpha, Beta. I just . . . I keep fucking up my skull makeup.”

Now that I have a better look, I can see they look like brothers. I watch as they look at each other, then Alpha sighs and nods to Beta. Beta smiles and offers, “I can help if you’d like?”

“Really?”

He nods. “Yep. It seems we are your personal bodyguards while you are at the compound.”

“Don’t you guys have other jobs more important than guarding me? I’m sure one of the other Hellhounds could protect me.”

Alpha shakes his head. “Hades doesn’t trust anyone other than us with your protection.”

I arch a brow. “He doesn’t trust any of his other men?”

Beta pipes in as he slides into the room, heading to my bathroom. “He doesn’t trust anyone other than us with your safety.”

“And why does he trust you?” I ask as I follow behind him.

He smirks over his shoulder. “Because we have proven our loyalty.”

I hum in response. Not much I could ask to follow up that answer. He points to the counter and says, “Up you go.”

I hop onto the counter, noticing Alpha followed us. Now that they don’t have their contacts in, I can see their normal eye color. They both have hazel-brown eyes with swirls of green. I look between the two of them and can’t help but ask, “Are you two brothers?”

Alpha grunts. “Yes, Miss.”

I grin. “I’m going to have to come up with a different name for you guys. I know I can’t call you by your real names, but I can’t keep calling you Alpha and Beta. It doesn’t sound right.”

Beta has a soft smile as he lifts the brush and starts painting my face. “You seem interested in us for someone who is supposed to be our boss.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m not really your boss. Hades is.”

“You are Persephone. You are part of the rulers of the Underworld. Therefore, you are our boss,” Alpha says.

I think about that for a moment. He’s right, but . . . I don’t want to be a boss. I have my boys back, but I don’t have anyone else. My eyes roam over the man in front of me. Is it hard for them to keep their work and personal lives separate? “Why did you decide to work for Hades?”

They both stiffen at my question, and I immediately start to backpedal. “You don’t have to answer. I was just curious.” It’s quiet for a moment before Alpha speaks.

“Our father was one of the politicians Hades took down. Hades saw potential in us. We weren’t polluted by greed like our father was. We helped Hades take over the territory, and in thanks, we run the Underground when we aren’t working with him.”

I look between the two of them and recognition clicks. They changed their looks just enough, so you wouldn’t know who they were unless you really looked. You wouldn't see the resemblance if they had their contacts in and all the gear they normally wear on. But I’ve learned to watch people over the years. I memorized every face that looked important in case they had connections to my father.

“You’re the Steepe brothers,” I whisper quietly. The brush pauses on my face, and I look between them to see their eyes widen. I shrug. “I memorized the faces of everyone who held power. I didn’t want to run into anyone of importance who knew my father.”

They exchange a brief glance before nodding, confirming my words. I know who they are now, but that comes with knowing there are supposed to be four of them. “I’m sorry for your loss,” I whisper.

I see Alpha clench his jaw before nodding with a curt, “Thank you.”

In an attempt to lighten the mood, I say, “So I need to come up with nicknames for you two now.”

Beta continues painting swirls on my face as he grins. “Very well. What nickname do you have for me, Miss?”

I roll my eyes at the name. “Okay, first, no more of this ‘Miss’ shit. You can call me Seph.”

Beta lifts a brow. “Seph? That sounds a little personal. You wouldn’t rather us call you Persephone?”

I want to shake my head but can’t since he’s still drawing on my face. My chest clenches with fear at my next words. “No. I want you to call me Seph. I . . . I don’t have many friends. And . . . since we will be spending a lot of time together, I figured . . .” I huff out a breath, which ruffles Beta’s long hair. I feel like he’s a man bun kind of guy.

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