Page 126 of Seeking Hades' Ember

"She, she can pair them like I can." Selene's heart jumped inside her chest. Taking her hand and rubbing her chest, tears pricked her eyes. Could it be? Could Ember match souls as well as her? Split between the two, they could help more supernaturals and gods be matched more quickly.

And maybe, Ember could find a match for her.

Ember

I stared at the couple in my mind. Their hands were joined together, a bright glow in between their intertwined fingers. Both my fingers twitched as I continued to touch the two figures on the Sphere.

"Now what?" I muttered again. Elea cocked her head to the side, letting me know of her confusion. My index fingers had a mind of their own, and they traveled together, coming to meet in the middle. A bright glow came from the Sphere, as bright as the night before. It was blinding but silent as I closed my eyes. Opening them, the room was still quiet, and Hade's soft snores were still heard from his side of the bed. The ball no longer held their figures, but two more were in their place. Touching the ball again, I saw Ares in my mind's eye, and the other figure came together, Mariah. I pulled my fingers together, doing the same I did with Vulcan and Tamera, but I kept my eyes open this time.

The bright light around the room grew white while my eyes fixated on Ares and Mariah in my mind. Their hands intertwined; their bodies merged as their souls molded with one another. I felt the love, their passion and desires, the moment that their bodies collided, joy, happiness, and eternal gratefulness as they held each other's embrace.

As quick as the soul collision appeared, it was gone in an instant. The Sphere was blank; no figures or souls appeared. Getting ready to close the box, another bit of grey matter floated to the side of the darkened orb. "They just keep coming, don't they?"

"Touch it again," Elea whispered; all her jest was gone, and curiosity had now taken over. My finger brushed the side of the Sphere, and another soul stood in my mind. A she-wolf, the one that asked the demon to dance. The first she-wolf dared break the species barrier and caused a domino effect of others following her lead. Could the demon she danced with be her mate? Their hands glowed, and so far, my suspicions had been correct. My finger was about to touch the grey figure until I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. "Ember?" My finger left the Sphere and closed the box with a slam as my heartbeat rapidly.

"Ember, what are you doing? Are you all right?" Hades stood above me, squeezing my shoulder. "What were you doing?"

That was the real question, what exactly had I been doing? "I was curious and wanted to look?" Hades laughed and sat in the chair next to me.

"I don't think you will break it; I'm not going to scold you for looking." He chuckled.

"W-what if I was more than looking?" Hades narrowed his eyes as he glanced back at the box. "I might have paired some people together?" My voice became high-pitched while his eyes widened.

"You did what?" The sexy grumble in his voice didn't sound sexy at all right now; he sounded mad. Hades had never been mad at me; my heart clenched as his hands gripped the table.

"What do you mean? What did you do? Do you know the consequences of pairing the wrong people, Ember?!" Hades pulled the box from me and looked inside, not that he would know exactly what was happening. If Hades couldn't see when two people glowed when they touched, then he wouldn't understand any of this, would he?

"Show me," he demanded. "What did you do?" he snapped. I ground my teeth together and let out a growl. Elea was not liking this attitude. Hades leaned back in his chair as he took in my stance. I was pissed; I didn't break anything and for him to get mad at me was unreasonable.

Hades' sighed. "I'm sorry, Ember." He rubbed as he pinched his nose. "Selene just entrusted us with her Sphere. It is powerful, able to combine souls to one if accepted on a physical level, like us." He smiled as he caressed my knuckles. "Powerful enough to break a soul-bonding once the physical bond is in place." My breath hitched as I covered my mouth.

"Can you please show me what you have done?"

Pulling the Sphere entirely out of the box, I gently put it on the table. "What do you see?" I asked. Hades looked at it; from afar, it looked like a giant marble with grey swirls around it, but if you looked closely, the swirls became figures. Hades folded his arms, looking at it.

"I see nothing but the fog that spreads thick and thin all over it." I tutted at his response. He couldn't see.

"You see no figures, the outlines of people?" I waved my hand over the Sphere. He shook his head.

"Well, I do." Staring into his eyes, his complexion softened. "There are two, here and here. When I press my finger here." I demonstrated and investigated my mind. I felt Hade's hand wave in front of my face, but I no longer saw him.

"Your eyes are white," Hades muttered contemplatively.

I saw the she-wolf. Her hand was reaching out, begging for the other figure. Taking my other finger, I touched the other floating fog, and immediately, the demon appeared.

"I see both, the she-Wolf and one of your demons."

"Shit." Hades' bare arm brushed with mine, and his body went still. "I see them," he whispered. His touch was recognized by my body, and his hand went over my arm. "He is one of my older demons." His body went still. "They are glowing." He sat amazed.

"I've seen those glow before, during the bonfire that you thought was all silly," I joked. "Now watch, I can pair them." I moved my fingers together, guiding the two souls. Their bodies tangled with one another, forming into one perfect soul. The bright light flashed, and they were gone in an instant. More and more started to appear; Hades watched me guide nine more pairs of souls together with his hand on my arm. The longer I paired, the more tired I became until Hades told me to stop.

My hands shook as I opened my eyes. From inside the Sphere, I had paired them together. Does that mean they are officially mates here in the 'real world?'

The adoring look as Hades glanced at me sent my heart flying. His emotions were gentle, filled with awe. Hades took his hand and guided my head into his chest. My legs found their way into Hades' lap as he cradled me. "I'm sorry I doubted." He kissed the top of my head.

"This,…this is unheard of," Hades mumbled into my hair. "You must have gained god-like qualities or have become a god and are now able to wield for Selene." I tightened my hold around his torso."I just wanted you, that's all."

Hades laughed. "And all I wanted was you." Indeed, this was a dream. All I wanted was to live in Hades' arms and help him with his duties in Hell, maybe assist demons tracking down sex-trafficking victims and set them free. Now, I was not only a queen of the Underworld, but my god-like powers granted me a responsibility I would have never fathomed. Every god had an influence. Every god had a job. Being a Queen at Hades' side wasn't enough; now, I was Selene's apprentice.

A thrum went through our bodies as we relaxed. The content moment we shared, the joy that others will be coupled and paired gave light at the end of the tunnel. Once Selene was found, she would hopefully tell me what all of this could mean.

"So this means." Hades lifted his head from atop of mine. His statement was cut short as a thunderous growl ripped through the woods to our cabin. It echoed with such ferocity the dead leaves began to fall from the top of the highest trees.

"Ares," I whispered.

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