Page 1 of Bride of Death
Prologue
HADES
“What game are you playing now?”my cousin asks as he collapses onto my favorite couch.
“Why are you here?” I counter, my gaze narrowing at his sudden and very unwelcome appearance in my personal quarters.
This has become a regular occurrence over the last few months.
And I am not pleased.
“You know why I’m here,” he drawls, kicking up his expensive shoes to rest on my table.
A table made of ancient lava rock.
A table that is not made for shoes.
A table that’s meant to be looked at, not touched.
My jaw ticks. “Stop worrying about things that aren’t yours to worry about, Morpheus,” I tell my cousin. “And kindly fuck off.”
He snorts. “Are we truly going to have this conversation again?”
“You’re the one who insists on popping in uninvited every few days to discuss my mate,” I reply as I pour myself a shot of Hellfire.
I don’t offer Morpheus one.
Because he won’t be staying long.
“Go back to your dream world, Cousin,” I murmur. “That’s the only place you’ll ever be safely allowed to indulge in your fantastical ideas.”
“Mmm, dreams. An interesting conversation, that.” He cocks his head to the side, causing his long silver hair to cascade down over one shoulder. “Our mate still thinks you’re a figment of her imagination. Why?”
I still, the Hellfire grazing my lips as I pause mid-drink. “How do you know this?” I ask as I slowly set my drink down on the en-suite bar and give my cousin every ounce of my attention.
Morpheus merely grins. “How do you think?”
I take a step forward. “Stay out of her fucking head.” The words are uttered clearly. Slowly.Precisely. “She is not yours.”
“She’s not yours either,” he tells me, suddenly very serious.Tooserious. “She doesn’t even know you exist. Not really. You let her think that first night here was a dream, and you’ve spent the last thirteen fucking months brooding over what to do with your precious little flower.”
My gaze narrows even more, a warning lingering on my tongue.
But my cousin isn’t done.
“I used to find it amusing.” He drops his fancy shoes to the ground and leans forward, his forearms on his knees. “I’m no longer amused, Hades.”
I stare down at him, evaluating. Because that’s a threat underlining those words. A threat I’m not sure I like. “What are you saying, Cousin?”
He gives me a look and stands. “Family terms won’t save you today,Cousin.”
“Save me from what exactly?” I press.
His blue-green eyes swirl with an emotion, one I identify far too closely with.Possession.
Serapina is my Persephone. My long-lost mate. Her soul knows mine, even if the human shell she currently wears feigns confusion. Our kind is destined—an Alpha with his Omega.
The problem is that my cousin seems to think she’s his Omega, too.
