Page 75 of Queen of Darkness
Hades growled in irritation, then snapped his fingers at me. “Fine. Speak. Tell me why you returned.”
I grinned at him. “I want to kill Elenia for you.”
Leaving a god speechless was a damn good feeling. I bathed in it, luxuriated in the moment, splashing it all over myself and not caring who knew about it. If I had his mild curiosity before, now I had his attention.
“Quite the proposal,” Hades said, looking at me with a bit more interest.
I didn’t like that part. Being the focus of a god when he wasn’t dismissing you was a tad unnerving.
“I told you I would have a good reason for coming back.”
“But there is more,” Hades said. “You did not need to come here to kill her. She resides in her own realm.”
“Actually, I did need to come see you first,” I said.
Hades’ face split open into a grin. “Oh. That is rich. You need my help, don’t you?”
I bowed my head in his direction. “Winner, winner.”
“I am listening,” he rumbled. “Make your case. It had best be good.”
“First, I want to know if me killing her will sate your need for revenge and end the war between realms.”
Hades stroked his chin.
“She was the one who helped steal all those souls from you and funnel them into the Direen,” I pointed out. “Nobody else could have orchestrated that. Your fight isn’t with the regular vampires. It’s with her. So, if I kill her, we have peace between realms.”
“If I help you kill her,” Hades said, “then the throne will be empty. And only a female vampire can sit on it. I would be assisting you in becoming the new Vampire Queen.”
“You would,” I said, fighting back a shiver as I verbally accepted the idea.
“Most interesting,” he said, lips curling upward. “Most interesting indeed.”
“So, will you help us?” I pressed, eager to get out of the cell and back to work.
Time was ticking, and the longer I spent locked up, the worse it would get. I didn’t know how quickly Hades could assemble the army we needed, nor could I be assured that our journey to the queen would meet with immediate success either. My mom could survive in the Direen for some time, but I wouldnotlet her live her life there.
Nor would I be somewhere else when the last of her meds fully wore off and she returned to normal. Whatever her normal might be after taking the pills for so long.
If I’m nervous, I can only imagine how Dad feels. He’s missed his mate for over two decades now. He remembers her how she was and is likely terrified to find out who she is now.
“What help of mine do you need?” Hades asked. “You have yet to specify. I will not blanket agree to help without knowing what it is you require first.”
Smart.
“The queen has mobilized Madrigal,” I said bluntly, seeing no use in dancing around the issue. Either Hades would help, or he wouldn’t. “We can’t get in on our own. Teams of vampires watch the entrances while more fill the streets. There’s no way for us to get to her like that. She’s too well protected.”
“What do you expect me to do? Kill her for you?” Hades growled.
“No,” I countered. “I want you to provide us the distraction to draw away most of her guards.”
“What sort of distraction? If she has the entire city up in arms, that would require quite the contribution on my part.” Hades sounded skeptical.
I hesitated, feeling like I was losing his interest. My mind raced, trying to come up with an alternative. Was there another way Hades could help us succeed? A way that required less effort from him, making him more willing to cooperate?
I didn’t see one.
So, I went for broke. What was the worst that could happen? “I need an army,” I said bluntly.
