Page 33 of Seeking Hades' Ember

Chapter 17

Jillian

I closed the door quietly as I did a mental fist pump in the air. We kissed! I wanted to swoon all over the floor. The thought crossed my mind if I did it right. I mean, he did show me how, but I hope he wasn’t repulsed. I wouldn’t know how to do such things sitting in a cage. I was twenty years old and had yet to have a first kiss. I’m sure due to my circumstances, he was all right with it? Hades did say he wanted to do it again. I’m going for a win on this one.

Cerberus was tilting his head in that puppy dog manner, and it made me recoil my emotions. I wished he could talk; it would be nice to have more friends around here. There were no other girls around this palace at all since my first night. All of them had been male and they wouldn’t even look at me and be friendly. They did their duty and left, no room for conversation.

Taking off down the hallway at an almost skipping pace, we headed to the south side of the mansion of this palace. The slick floors and beautiful paintings of fairies, flowers, cherubs, angels, and demons decorated each hallway. I found them fascinating as I tried to look at every single one down the hall. I approached one that had a half man, half beast. They were transforming from human into a wolf.

A human was standing next to the wolf, almost bare apart from leaves covering his privates. It hit me it was a Werewolf. Out of all the paintings it stuck out the most. The dark fur, the elongated teeth, the muscle beneath the fur. It was fascinating. Blinking my eyes a few times I saw blonde fur, rushing through a forest. The green eyes stood out to me as its large tongue lopped to the side in playfulness. Blinking a few more times I could feel the fur on my fingers as it was hanging on while the rushing wind blew passed my hair.

Laughing, giggling, screaming in delight were other children on other animals, Wolves. These large Wolves were darting through trees and under logs as the children laughed and egged them to go faster. The Wolf I was riding was the largest of them all and let out an enormous amount of strength for a bellow of a howl.

As quickly as these daydreams started, they stopped. It felt real as if one of my nightmares. I could almost taste the forest pine on my lips zipping through trees. “Ember,” escaped my lips as I remembered that name. The name I was being called only last night. “Ember.” Cerberus looked to me like I grew two heads, so I shrugged my shoulders and continued to walk down the hallway that led to a large atrium like room. I’ll have to continue thinking about it another day. Now was my time to explore and check out the home I had been living in.

The sun shone brightly as I made my way into the glassed room. It was warmer than most rooms of the palace-like home. Instead of the darker furniture I would normally see, this furniture was light and crisp, all equipped for a perfect sunroom. Blue light reflected in the windows as I walked closer. Knowing I shouldn’t, I put my hands on the glass, and looked through the windows only to see a large pool.

I let out a quick squeak of delight only to have Cerberus whine and shake his ears. “Sorry, baby.” I pat his head and ran for the nearest door that led outside. Cerberus trotted behind me as I walked outside to the pool area. It was the bluest water I had ever seen. Of course, it was due to the blue elaborate tiles on the bottom of the pool, but it looked beautiful anyway. I took off my shoes and dipped my toes into the warm waters. I don’t know if I really knew how to swim but I really wanted to try. I’m sure with all the clothes that Hades had provided me with, there would be a swimming suit in there somewhere. Getting lost in my thoughts, I heard two women talking.

“Oh, there it is,” I heard a woman’s voice come from beyond the fence. Looking up, curious I saw two women jump the fence. Their legs were long, and their skirts were short. Beautiful features adorned their faces that looked nothing short of a model. They both strolled towards me barefoot while their tops were just a colored bikini top.

“This is what has the Lord all up in a fuss?” one of the women motioned to me while I looked at Cerberus. He growled at them in warning, but they just huffed in annoyance.

“Yes, her, she made me lose the perfect job because the Lord didn’t want any distractions,” she air quoted as I stood there like a small child.

“What’s your name, human?” the first woman spoke while jutting out her chin at me.

“I’m Jillian, it’s um, nice to meet you?” It wasn’t nice to meet them, and calling me human? Did he really get rid of the women that worked here because of me?

“Sure, sure.” They came closer. Cerberus comes closer to block them from getting near me. His jaws snapped and the second woman used her hand to act as a battering ram and pushed Cerberus without even touching him. I gasped as he yelped when he hit the pool fence.

“You can’t do that!” I yelled, still in shock as they walked closer. The closer they got, the closer the pool became and the initial worry about knowing how to swim was growing on me.

“We should just kill her now. Then we can go back to our everyday lives,” the first woman spoke while picking her now elongated nails. “Her newness will wear off but who knows how long that will be.”

“You can’t do that. We have Hades’ blood. He would know it was you.”

What is going onnnnnn? Panic rose in my throat as I eased my way away from the edge of the pool. I wanted to run but the fear climbing up my spine forbade it.

“Right.” Her nails retracted as I stood in surprise. “How about we take her to the village, let an Incubus take care of her, and then suck her dry of her aura? They don’t know who she is, and the blame won’t be on us.” The other one nodded and approached.

Turning to run, I heard Cerberus’ battle cry as he bit one of the women on the leg while I tried to run. Keyword was tried because my leg was swiftly caught as her claws grew scraped down my leg. Letting out a blood-curdling scream while shaking my leg, the strength behind the claws grew bigger. Looking behind me I no longer saw the woman that had grabbed me but a red-skinned, raven-haired woman with hooves for feet and small horns that protruded out of her head.

Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought to see that sight. It was worse than the gladiator helmet guy! My fingernails clawed at the concrete, leaving bloody fingerprints in my wake. Cerberus was still ripping his head back and forth at the other woman that had transformed. One arm left my leg and a ripe pain hit the back of my head. The shock of the hit had me stop fighting to rub it with my hands and I was swiftly thrown over a shoulder.

Screaming again, all I could see was Cerberus grow four times the size of his original self along with two other heads protruding his body. The shock was scary but now I was being carried away on a large creature running, no, galloping through the yard of Hades. Once we breached the far fence that was specifically told not to go past the world became a deeper red.

Sniffing I could smell embers and the dark earth being kicked up by her hooves. She was laughing maniacally as she continued to gallop through the trees. My breathing became haggard as I felt myself become weak. I had still not recovered from my years of being deprived of food and I knew I was no match for what was about to happen.

One thing was for certain; I was not on Earth. I was in some alternate dimension, and I had a terrible hunch that all the names such as Hades, Hermes and Ares were real. I’m in the Underworld. The whole idea of thinking how amazing it would be if Hades was a god had worn off its appeal. Now I was riding the back of some demon woman that was about to shove me in some room with an Incubus demon I know nothing about.

I kept praying this was just a dream, a dream that felt more real than all the others, but the blood dripping down my leg was telling me different. I could feel the chunks of meat flapping as the wind rushed by.

Focus, I had to focus. “Where are you taking me?” I yelled over the wind brushing my face. The smell of sulfur continued to infiltrate my nose, making me sick. Trying to get a sense of my surroundings so I could run back to the only safe place I know, the demon chuckled wildly as we entered a small village. Her gallop became a canter and eventually a walk and I heard several hooves hit the cobblestone path.

“Put me down!” I yelled and with one forceful swing, I landed on my rear, instantly hearing a snap. Pretty sure I just broke my butt.

“Ouch! What is your problem?” Several of the beasts looked on in curiosity and even what looked to be small children came and joined the crowd.

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