Page 140 of Seeking Hades' Ember

Chapter 66

Hades

Ordering Ember away, Demeter's vines gripped around my neck, razor-sharp thorns ripping through my skin. Growling, my sword cut through the air, cutting the vines with a slight hissing sound from the blazing hot iron. Demeter drew back, bending her knees, about to launch towards me again. "Let's end this, Demeter. You are outnumbered. This is only going to lead to innocent lives lost." Demeter let out a mocking laugh to my face.

"I will never give up, never give up on seeing you suffer and being able to see my child every day! Do you know what torment you put me through?" Demeter hissed as her nails scratched across my leather vest. A mistake in not moving away will only deem her sentence more fruitful.

"A child is to grow and let go, You can't hold onto her forever!" I yelled; my sword being pulled by the roots of a nearby tree. Slinging my hand, the roots died in an instant, cracking as I drew my sword. Fire struck at the dry roots, and flames roared to life.

Gabriel's long wings stretched out, hovering above. The brief breeze sent our way made the flames fly higher up the rotting tree. "You help things grow, and all you are doing is suffocating the one life that really mattered." Demeter stumbled and fell backward, landing on her ass. Scooting back, her head hit the back of the tree. Heavy pants left her lips while she glanced at the steaming sword and my eyes.

"You've done enough damage, Demeter. Zeus has given me permission for punishment."

"Mom?" The weak voice came from the other side of the bonfire. Malachi was nowhere to be found, and Gabriel put Persephone's feet to the ground. Her eyes were glazed with unshed tears looking at her broken mother and her mate. "Did you try to separate me from my mate?" Persephone's whispers were low, clinging to a shawl Gabriel draped over her.

"Malachi is your mate!" Demeter spat while on the ground. Covered in dirt, leaves, and soot, she stood up, trying to dust herself off. "Not this angel. He was trying to keep you from me!" Her hands were thrown in the air, trying to march up to Persephone, but I stopped her with my sword.

"You don't go near her," I growled. "Gabriel is her true mate. You poisoned her with lies, magic and tried to have Selene force a bond." My eyes glanced to the Sphere of Souls, still sitting out in the open with all the fighting. Several warriors brought dead Vampires, Demons, and Witches and threw them into the large fire. Shit, things were going to be busy for a while.

"Persephone," Demeter cooed. "I am only doing what is best for you. You need your mother, don't you? I know how you like your tea. You love to hear those funny fairy stories I used to tell, right?"

Persephone scrunched her nose. "For a while, I did, but then I met Gabriel. Gabriel completes me, and you wanted to take it away. Sure, Hades keeping me was wrong, but he was lonely. He gave me pretty things and made sure I was taken care of, but my heart didn't belong to him." Persephone gave me a small smile.

"I'm sorry I got angry with you towards the end of my stay. I just knew I was missing something and that something just wasn't you."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I wasn't. I was just mad I couldn't find my missing something either. I'm sorry I kept you." Persephone nodded, and Gabriel pulled her closer to him, her arms wrapping around his neck.

"No!" Demeter screamed as her claws went to Gabriel. Jumping in front of the couple, my sword's hot blade slid through the skin like butter, coming clear out the other side. Demeter's screams softened, and her arms slumped. Light leaving her eyes, but not wholly going out. My blade was able to render gods helpless once impaled or cut severe enough. Their bodies would vanish into thin air and will assemble on the edge of Tartarus. Her powers won’t manifest again until her body reaches the sunlight, and I had no plans of letting that happen ever again.

Persephone's head was buried in Gabriel's chest, gripping his tunic. "I'm sorry you had to see that," I said, bowing to both. “Your mother did commit many crimes, and I was given permission-” Persephone waved his hand to silence me.

"It is better this way," she whispered. Light tears trailed down her face. "She liked to be in control, and it is best for everyone this way." Gabriel wrapped Persephone in his wings. The two had been reunited, and now it was time for me to be reunited with my mate. Glancing across the clearing, most of the Wolves had finished fighting, now surrounding one lone Wolf on the ground.

Only a few trailed in, bringing bodies to the fire. We had been lucky there had been no more Dragon's blood to enhance any sort of abilities for their fighting. Demeter really was foolish. A large cry left my mate's lips. Darting to the noise, I saw Wesley lying in a pool of black matter and Ember clinging to his chest.

"What happened?" I ran over and fell to my knees. Trying to pull Ember from her death grip, she wailed again. Hecate looked longingly as Ember cried into a barely breathing Alpha Wesley.

"He is the only one that has been struck. A spear had some dragon's blood on it, just like the one that speared you." My heart gripped tight into my chest. Wesley wasn't going to survive this. Hecate was weak, still struggling to hold herself up; she had no power until we got her out of this ward.

"Could we move you and him? Maybe your magic will come back stronger?" Hecate shook her head and patted Wesley's arm. "It will take me weeks to be back at full strength."

"Hades, please," Ember cried. "Don't let them take his soul! Don't let them!" Grim Reapers came out of the forest. They were tasked to hold the strongest of Alphas because alphas did not cooperate reasonably to leave their bodies. Wesley was strong, so two came, and my little mate saw them. I gripped my fist in anger. I couldn't bring Wesley back, they had to take his soul, or he would be doomed to wander all Bergarian for his mate who did not even reside in this realm.

"Ember, I can't," I whispered. Both of her hands went to her father's face.

"You cannot give up, Daddy, you can't! You have to take me down the mating aisle! Do you hear me! You can't!" Tears fell onto Wesley's face, several into his eye as her father gave a faint smile.

Too weak to hold his hand up to his daughter, he mouthed to her, "I love you. It will be all right." A cough broke up the words, but Ember understood.

"What about Mom, Daddy? What about Mom? She won't live without you!" Another howl wrecked through Ember, my hand rubbing her bareback. Ember would have to live without Wesley and now her mother. Any bond, especially with an Alpha bond, holds them together. If one dies, the other parts too. Ember's parents would both go to the Underworld. Leaving that bit of information out of the moment, the disturbance in the trees grabbed our attention.

Ember covered her father's body with her own. Protecting him of any threat that remained. She growled as her fur sprouted from her body again.

Ares, in battle stance, waited until the trees parted. A giant partially shifted Werewolf strode out along with a small Wolf about the size of a fox. "Too late," the animal growled, but the foxlike Wolf only barked at the massive beast in scolding. Bones breaking, a woman appeared in the fox Wolf's stead. A blanket was put around her by supposedly her mate. The half-human beast stayed in his form, only one step behind her in a protective stance.

The light in my head shone my idiot ways and realized it was none other than King and Queen of the Cerulean Kingdom, Kane and Clara. "I'm sorry we are late, but it looks like most of you are Okay," she spoke softly. "Except this Wolf right here?" Clara pointed to the labored breathing of Wesley. Her knees are planted firmly into the ground as she pets his forehead. Ember gripped Wesley tighter, only for Clara to rub her hand.

"My mother said your father fought valiantly but would succumb to a nasty stab." Clara glanced over his naked torso and touched the tar-like blood. "That's why I came. She said the fates had more work for Alpha Wesley in the Earth Realm." The former Queen Eden had been given the gift of foresight; the older a Wolf and of higher rank, you were bestowed a god-like gift. Even though Clara was a young Wolf, she was forced to open her powers early and was blessed by the goddess Charis with the ability to heal.

---