Page 9 of The Hellbeast's Betrayal

I growled at the mention of that arsehole’s name.

“That’s why he called you brother,” I gritted out venomously.

“Like me, he too took an oath to the Bloodstone Covenant. So, he agreed to help me, as he also owes me a life debt. You hadn’t claimed her like we hoped you would, so we took matters into our own hands before she could fall into Garmr’s,” he argued, making me lash out with the foolish reasons why.

“No, because I thought Lerna was my Chosen One and thanks to you two geniuses, changing her blood made it so she needed fucking medication… medication that changed her scent to a fucking HellBeast who relied on that shit!” I snapped, making Lerna wince.

“But he should have known who she…”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, he wanted her, sensed she could be his, wanted me to taste her but she didn’t have the same scent he would have recognized to know for sure and in my world, it is forbidden to claim a mortal unless it is Fated!” I told them, making my anger and frustration known. Again, Lerna looked guilty for this, especially when I continued.

“Now, had I known, then I would have claimed her at eighteen and she would have been protected better.”

“We can all point the finger at the mistakes that were made, Cerberus, but there were no guarantees in any of this. We did what we thought was best to protect her. To give her a chance at another life, one where she wouldn’t be used as Garmr’s personal power slave,” Koro reasoned, maintaining what they did was right, when I knew otherwise. For had they involved me in this from the beginning then we might not all be forced to watch the shitshow of events playing out now.

“But if you wish to continue to cast blame our way, then ask yourself this, had it not been for you thinking of her on the battlefield when fighting Garmr that day, then he would still not know of her whereabouts,” Koro added, this time making my brother want to kick his arse, now forcing me to be the one to restrain him after he said,

“Fuck you, blaming my brother like that!”

I released a sigh at this as Koro’s words hit home.

“It’s true, we have all fucked up here in regard to Ella, but the question now is, what can we do to stop it from happening again?” I said, which is when it utterly pained me to hear what the very last option was, when Lerna said…

“It’s simple, but not for you.”

“Why not?” I asked, having a feeling I wasn’t going to like the sound of what she said next.

“Because, HellBeast, you have no choice but to…”

“…Let her go.”

4

MISTAKES MADE

“Let her go.”Lerna’s words made me jerk back as if I had been struck.

“What the fuck?”I hissed in disbelief, making her look pained, telling me that she believed in what she said.

“It is too late for her to remain in the mortal realm,” Koro claimed, and I snapped a finger in his direction without bothering to look at him, quickly warning,

“You shut the fuck up. And as for you, you’re crazy if you think I am letting her go.” I added this last part aimed down at the new bane of my existence. Although, in truth, she had been that from the very first day I met her, I just hadn’t known it until now.

“She became a Summoner, Jared… the Summoner Queen was always fated to be a daughter of Hades. And it wasn’t Persephone’s own daughter, Melinoë, like the Queen hoped it would be.”

“Melinoë?” my brother asked, clearly keeping up with this fucked up conversation.

“She is our half-sister, although not that I readily claim her as such. She is the Goddess of nightmares and madness and believed that, by right, Hades’ summoning power should have gone to her,” Lerna told us, adding more fucked up players to the board for us to contend with.Just fucking peachy!

“Yeah, not sure she understands the way genetics work, as you can’t just demand to inherit daddy’s power unless born with it,” Marcus added sardonically.

“Gods’ bollocks, but just how many enemies are we dealing with here?” my brother complained, and I was glad he and my friend were here to ask the questions I couldn’t. Because I was still stuck on the ridiculous notion Lerna had that I would ever let Ella go.

“They have both been our enemy since knowledge of our birth was discovered, but even more so when they realized who Ella had become. The one who holds the Summoner crown has the power to rule all, hence why it is all they have ever wanted,” Lerna told us, shaking her head and no doubt wishing for simpler times when it was just her and her sister locked away in a temple.

“So, the bitch has to live being disappointed, so what?” Marcus said with a shrug.

“You don’t understand, she had reason enough for wanting us dead just for existing, but now that Ella has the one thing she wanted for herself or her kin, it is no longer possible. Even if she took it, that wouldn’t mean she could possess it, not unless Ella was dead. Which means that is just all the more reason why we must hide once more, as Persephone and her daughter will stop at nothing to get what they want. Just as Garmr will do the same,” Lerna argued in a pleading tone, and her desperation was easy to see.

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