Page 11 of Seeking Hades' Ember

Chapter 6

Hades

“Fuck.” I fell back onto the couch. My fists were again in their tightened grip, a debilitating headache was coming on and it was all due to my insolence.

I had just come back from talking to Jillian; she had just woken up from her slumber. I was hoping she would be more accepting of me but of course, the fates were not on my side. Jillian was petrified. Once I left the room and had Loukas explain what was going on, she wasn’t as scared of me. Her heart was at a steadier pace. Her innocent eyes looked up at me in question and wonder as I kept my hand held out to her.

She didn’t want to touch me, and I didn’t blame her.

My face has had a permanent scowl fixed on it since Persephone left me, but now she was starting to become a fleeting memory. My heart didn’t ache for her, it ached for Jillian. Damn Selene, what have you done?

Jillian reached out her tiny hand to shake mine and the warmth radiating from such a small person gave me something I had longed for, feeling. Deep in my soul, I felt her. The end of my lips began to tilt upward, causing Loukas to smile like a damn fool. Even though he was a demon, he certainly had his own personality that was brighter than the rest of them. Some days I wonder if I accidentally created an angel half-breed.

Small sparks could be felt on my fingertips. I wonder if she felt them too. Her hand was still cupped in mine as she continued to stare at our hands. Maybe she did feel it.

“Jillian? Do you feel up to a shower? Get cleaned up?” Loukas interrupted our moment. I gave him a glare in which he rolled his lips into his mouth realizing his mistake.

Jillian looked between me and Loukas, unsure of what to say. “I-is that alright?” She finally looked at me.

“Of course, it is. I clasped my other hand on top of hers. “Whatever you need, say the word. I’ll personally see to it,” my voice was still low and gruff, but she gave a small smile. We certainly had a long way to go but since we have eternity, which didn’t seem to be a problem.

Jillian

After much deliberation if I needed a maid to assist me in showering, it was decided I could do it on my own. After I mentioned I had never taken a shower by myself without people watching, Hades stormed off while Loukas showed me how to work the controls. Usually, it was just a spicket of cold water that would rush down our bodies; it was all I really knew. The warm water was refreshing, and I never wanted to leave.

Drying off, I came out of the shower and wrapped a large fluffy towel around me. It was so large it wrapped around almost three times. The floor rugs were equally squishy and soft, it brought a smile to my lips. Even if I could sleep on this fluffy rug, I would be forever grateful.

Loukas continued to talk about how they rescued me, how the strip club was burned down and that even Master- I mean Teddy Johnson died of a heart attack during the raid. I was happy that the girls were all free, but where did that leave me? Why did they take me and leave the rest?

Given the run around for the past fifteen minutes of why they picked me to stay with them, Loukas had me come out to meet the rest of the men that helped shut down the club. All I was wearing was one of Hades’ large black shirts that I easily could swim in. The shirt touched my knees while his boxers continued to fall. Luckily my hairband was still tied to my wrist, and I was able to tie them tight.

The penthouse we were staying in was massive. We were on the top floor overlooking the brightly lit city. It was far from the strip club, on the upper east side of town. This was where the high rollers lived as the girls would say.

The main living room was bright, the floors a light marble and sparsely furnished. The open concept kitchen had black granite tops and stainless-steel appliances. My mouth must have dropped at looking at it all because I heard Hermes laughing. “There’s the angel! It’s good to see you standing there. The doctor said you wouldn’t be walking for a few days due to lack of food in your system.” Hermes patted my shoulder. Little did everyone know; I could go for days and days without food. My body had just grown accustomed to it.

“Don’t make her stand there. Offer her a seat.” Ares pointed to the couch, and I quickly sat on my knees to keep my legs covered. Loukas grabbed the blanket off the couch and quickly wrapped me up. I’m so used to moving around and when I stay still, I ended up getting cold.

“Where’s Hades?” I asked curiously.

They all looked back and forth at each other. “Why? Do you feel a pull towards him?” Hermes asked and Ares slapped his head. Not understanding what he meant, I tilted my head to the side and looked at Loukas, who in turn shrugged his shoulders.

“You all are here. I was just wondering,” I mumbled. Hades was a different kind of man. Brooding, mysterious, and powerful. I could feel the power in his stare or when he enters a room. I wasn’t sure how I felt about him, I knew I was curious about him, and he intrigued me. He and his friends were different than any other men I’ve met.

“So why do some of you have Greek mythology names? Are you all of the Greek descent?”

Ares scoffed and Hermes laughed. “Something like that.” Their answers were vague, and I was getting tired of making conversation. My body was still tired and would probably be for the rest of my life. I laid my head on the arm of the couch and let out a sigh.

Hades walked into the room, his fists clenched and jaw ticking. Infuriated was the only word that came to mind when his face scowled like that. Everyone flinched but after holding his hand that one time, I didn’t feel scared around him. There was something cloaking me, warming me when I was in his presence. Hades was the bad guy of the group, the one in charge, the one that protects everyone else.

Before I touched him, I didn’t know any of that, I feared him. Thoughts of him betting two million dollars on me and then falling to the floor in fear crossed my mind. My heart clenched remembering the god-awful memory. He hasn’t touched me; he’s only helped me.

Hades sits down while Hermes pulls out a notepad filled with scribbles. “Jillian, I would like to ask you a few questions about how you came to the club. It would really help us out on our investigation, maybe help other girls like you to see how they were targets.” I wasn’t too keen on the idea of reliving old memories but helping other girls might let my mind rest a bit.

“All right,” I murmured.

“Can you tell us when you came to the club and how you got there?” Hermes as well as the rest looked at me, concerned. Wrapping the blanket tighter, I recalled my memory that even the men at the club couldn’t believe. They thought I had become mentally deranged from being kidnapped.

“I don’t remember anything about my past before I got to the cage they put me in. The first thing I remember was being put in the cage, with a new shirt on me that bared the strip club’s logo. There was a man in a gladiator-type helmet that stared at me for the longest time.” Hades stiffened and Loukas leaned closer. “I asked him where I was, what was I doing there. I wanted to get out, but I didn’t know where I would go. There were no memories,” I sniffed.

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